LITTLE GARDENS 



tall plants with straight leaves, the gladiolus Is 

 In good company If It Is with rounder, shrubbier 

 growths. The carnation and dianthus are pop- 

 ular in towns, but they are usually greenhouse 

 products. In the garden they grow well enough 

 In hot summers, but are apt to come up spindling, 

 and they make less of a show, by far, than many 

 plants of less estimation. Candytuft and sweet 

 alyssum, with their tiny white flowers, are chiefly 

 of use In borders, and are apt to grow scrawny 

 and long. The alyssum appears to be the chosen 

 habitat of a sllthy grub that may have something 

 to do with the patchy appearance of this plant. 

 If you turn up the clusters you are pretty sure to 

 find him In considerable numbers on the stems or 

 on the earth where he has dropped. Better, to 

 my mind, as a border plant, or as a filler for 

 vacant spaces, is the portulaca, a lovable little 

 member of the garden community, though re- 

 lated to purslain, which is one of the commonest 

 of garden pests. In the first sowing of portu- 

 laca use seed rather liberally, and In places 

 where the sun shines. After that It will sow It- 

 self, and you may look for It every spring. It 

 exhibits white, pink, red, crimson and scarlet, 

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