164 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



The carpet-beclder and the ribbon-border maker had 

 definite uses for the Golden Feather, but the modern 

 flower gardener has none ; indeed, he had better beware 

 lest it become a weed with him. When used in carpet- 

 bedding it was associated with tender plants, and it grew 

 to be regarded as tender also, more especially as it was 

 raised from seed in a warm house or frame every spring. 

 But it is far from being tender, and will seed itself freely 

 in the open border. This would not matter so much if 

 it came naturally as dwarf, compact, and golden as we 

 used to see it in the carpet-beds of long ago ; but it does 

 not it gets coarse, straggly, and green, and much more 

 nearly approximates to a weed than a garden plant. 

 The carpet-bedders kept it close by severe cropping or 

 " pinching." 



The modern varieties of the species roseum are, 

 however, wholly admirable. It is difficult to put them 

 in the wrong place except by hiding them behind a 

 spreading bush of some border monster such as a 

 Michaelmas Daisy, Bocconia, or Sunflower. Wherever 

 they are in view they are beautiful. They are so nearly 

 evergreen in mild districts that they are only devoid of 

 foliage for a few weeks, being slow to part with their 

 leaves in autumn and eager to produce a fresh lot 

 before any of their rivals in the border can get started. 

 The leafage is gracefully cut, and has quite a ferny 

 lightness. The flowers are thrown up abundantly in 

 spring, and if the first lot are cut off when they fade, 

 more will follow, so that there will be a succession of 

 bloom. 



The original species had single rose-coloured flowers, 

 but natural variation, followed by florists' selections, 

 has given us a wide range of colours. We have white, 

 lemon, yellow, peach, pink, rose, crimson, cerise, scarlet, 



