Perennials 



47 



White Day-Lily (Funkia) 



^ay with brightest bloom. 



rejoice in the drip from the eaves, by which they will probably be so much 

 refreshed as to feel equal to extra exertions in their march over the earth. 

 They make the north side of the barn sunny with generous yellow bloom, and 

 they add much to the background of 

 the border. That they add too 

 much is all that lessens our grati- 

 tude. The strenuous life is theirs 

 indeed, and their modern ways must 

 greatly perplex their conservative 

 neighbours of the old school, who, 

 with their leisurely and dignified 

 bearing, make the border of old 

 perennials a restful place even when it is 



And we like it to be restful, for the enjoyment of those associations in 

 which there is much that borders on psychological ground. Can we be sure 

 that the spirits of garden-lovers do not hover over other real garden-lovers' 

 gardens, wherever they may be found ? A fancy far pleasanter than that 

 of the transmigration of souls through animal life would be the thought 

 that those who have dearly loved certain flowers identify themselves, to 

 the discerning sense, with their favourites forever. Perhaps; who knows? 

 It is a bit of Celia Thaxter's vivid thought that comes to us from the poppies 



as they sway lightly in the breeze. 

 And why is it that we feel such 

 tender care of the low-growing 

 things, the babies of the border? 

 Is it not something more than plant 

 life that looks up out of the blue eyes 

 of the forget-me-not, the little violet 

 faces, the sweet June pinks, and 

 daisies ? Over these garden pets we 



bend with something of the mother- 

 Hybrid Day-LUy (Hememcalis "Florham") love, to minister to their needs. 

 Of Mrs. Ewing, too, we like to think while busy among the flowers. She, too, 

 was fond of gardening, as well as of her garden, believing that a close acquaint- 

 ance with the flower friends can best be had with little intervention from 

 the professional gardener. How much we lost when Mrs. Ew4ng's charm- 

 ing "Letters from a Little Garden" were cut short by her death! 



