VARIETY IN PERENNIAL FLOWERS 59 



but no less beautiful sort, Edinburgh, or the Donard seedlings. 

 Edinburgh is indispensable. Here are some groupings from the 

 herbaceous border — very simple ones, mostly of similar colors : 

 Eryngium Oliverianum with MonthreHa G. Davison; Monarda 

 didyma with red pentstemons of the color of Newbury Gem; 

 Erigeron Quakeress with or behind dwarf purple lavender ; ii'ZzMW 

 croceum with Clematis recta flore pleno; Ceanothis Gloire de 

 Versailles with Aconitum rolubile. Clematis Perle d'Azur, and a 

 foreground of Poteniilla Friedrichseni ochrolexica. This last group- 

 ing is very beautiful, both in form and color. Ochroleuca is 

 better for the purpose than the ordinary P. Friedrichseni, being 

 paler in color, but either will do; if you can get the clematis 

 to grow up into a tree, say an apple tree, behind or among the 

 aconites, so much the better. The aconites will run up nine 

 feet high or more and will need very little staking if the ceano- 

 thuses and potentillas support them properly. The ceanothuses 

 should, of course, be cut hard back in the spring, leaving those 

 at the back rather taller bushes than the front ones. 



"In conclusion, have you ever used Tencrium fruticans (on a 

 wall) as a background to Gladiolus primulinus ? If not, do try it; 

 it makes an incomparable foil, especially to the pure pale yellow 

 sorts." 



Are not these suggestions enough to stir the least ambitious 

 gardener to better efforts? True the Ceanothus and the Teucrium 

 are for California gardens, but there are now specialists in 

 clematis in the states of New Jersey and New York; and as for 

 the other names which may be unfamiliar, will not such writing 

 as the above set the gardener hunting, seeking till he finds, 

 trj'ing for himself these companionships in flowers ? There is a 

 spur in hearing of things unknown, a spur to the inquiring mind; 

 and never will our gardens improve as they should till we realize 

 that still far afield are many of the greatest beauties for our 



