FLOWER CULTURE 65 



some flowers in November. Autumn is generally rich in tree and 

 shrub coloring and this in itself adds much to the effect of the 

 autumn garden. 



The month of August ushers in a host of yellow blossoms. We 

 have Rudbeckias, Heleniums, Helianthus, golden rod. Coreopsis, 

 and many others. The asters or Michaelmas daisies make excellent 

 garden plants and are not used enough in our borders and wild 

 gardens; the species laevis, ptarmicoides, patens, novae-angliae, 

 novae-belgii, turbinellus, and Shortii all take to garden cultivation 

 and produce sheaves of flowers. Boltonias, which are close rela- 

 tives to the asters but grow taller, help to remove the monotony of 

 yellow shades with their myriads of white star-like flowers. The 

 ironweeds are seldom seen in gardens and are valuable because 

 they have showy purple flowers. The three kinds are Vernonia 

 arkansana, altissima, and novchoracensis; these three will give 

 blossoms for two months. A race of plants that is not seen 

 enough in gardens is the varieties of the late flowering clematis of 

 the heracleaefolia group, such as tubulosa, Davidana, Savatieri, 

 and Lavallei. Lilies are important and are alwaj^s pleasing and 

 graceful; those that will give satisfaction are candidum, elegans 

 and its varieties, Hansoni, Brownii, canadense, superbum, excel- 

 sum, pardalinum, tenuifolium, tigrinum, umbellatum, Henryi, and 

 auratum. Anemone japonica and its varieties are the finest flower- 

 ing plants we have; plant them in sheltered places where the first 

 frost will not destroy the flowers. Gladiolus, dahlias, and Mont- 

 bretias may be added to these as well as the hardy chrysanthemum. 



Annuals are especially valuable in keeping up the display. 

 The best and most popular annual today is the sweet pea; the 

 next is the China aster; and probably the third would be the 

 nasturtium. Marigolds, poppies, African and French marigolds. 

 Cosmos, Drummond's Phlox, Petunias, Mignonette, Zinnias, 

 Salpiglossis, Schizanthus, and Salvia splendens are all valuable 

 plants and most of them will bloom up to the frost. 



Begonias now play an important part in summer and fall gardens. 

 The varieties of Begonia semperflorens make very effective masses 

 of color and they are so easy to raise from seed. Tuberous bego- 

 nias are grand and they will grow in shade where many other 

 plants will not grow. 



