FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER PESTS 123 



CHAPTER XIII 



FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER PESTS 



WHEN one has achieved the glory of the Midsummer Phlox; 

 when Crape Myrtles, mist-crowned in white, vie in loveli- 

 ness with the rose-colored, like the sky at dawn, or the deeper 

 sunset tinted; when starry Oleanders lift their snowy beauty 

 by the side of Althseas that are blooming everywhere; when 

 Abelias, dainty as Arbutus blooms and Buddleias like the Lilacs 

 of Springtime, are showing on every side, it would seem that the 

 time had come when all that one needs to do is just to enjoy the 

 garden. 



There are Banana trees and Caladiums lending their tropical 

 luxuriance to the scene; there are glorious Gladioli; there are 

 masses of Cannas, deep crimsons, clear yellows, dainty primrose 

 and soft pink; there are Cacti here and Daisies there; there are 

 annuals in full bloom on all sides, and we prepare to sit and rest 

 in the midst of all the sweetness and beauty, when the heat of 

 the midday sun has passed and the long shadows begin to fall 

 on the lawn. Earlier in the day it is comfortable only in the shelter 

 of the broad, deep-shaded porches and in the sun-excluded rooms, 

 from which all unnecessary articles have been removed. 



We think, "Summer in the South is delightful, even though 

 it is warm." This is our Midsummer night's dream. Lo, when 

 morning comes we discover a blight on the Maples, spots show 

 on the Poplar's leaves, caterpillars crawl on the Cannas, black 

 rot forms on the Phlox, white flies appear in clouds on the Privets 

 and broad-leaved evergreens and the joy in our gardens is turned 

 in an instant into the fiercest kind of war. Our state of pre- 

 paredness being far from equal to the occasion we are almost 



