88 MY GARDEN 



Majesty and Albion (white), Delicata (pink), Gloriosa 

 (rose), and Excelsior (pink with carmine centre). The 

 Mule Pinks, too, are splendid, with Napolian III, valiant 

 red, as the finest; Furst Bismark, lovely rose-colour, a 

 charming second; and Alice, a fluffy double white, not far 

 behind. These, of course, bear no seed and must be in- 

 creased by cuttings or division. 



Of the wild Pinks, the first we had was the Cheddar 

 Pink, Dianthus caesius, the seeds of which were sent us 

 from the Cheddar Cliffs in England, where we had seen 

 them accomplishing veritable explosions of rosy bloom 

 upon the ledges of the fierce gray cliffs. All this first lot 

 I lost, for while they did their part in germinating to a 

 seed, I was so stupid as not to know how to make them 

 feel at home and put them in the fat borders, where the 

 winter damp put an end to these cliff-dwellers in short 

 order. But one does not make so cruel a mistake twice, 

 and now there are plenty of Cheddars tucked about in 

 sunny nooks between the stones *of walls and steps 

 where they are quite hardy and at peace. The Maiden 

 Pink, D. deltoides, a tiny thing of dry British pastures, is 

 one of the easiest to grow and exhibits a vigour one does 

 not expect from so small a thing. Its blunt leaves are 

 small and dark, and it grows into such thick mats as to 

 form something very like a turf, which may be used 

 upon dry banks where grass is cared for with difficulty. 

 But it belongs to the garden, too, and fringes my wall 

 tops and stone edgings charmingly. The flowers are so 



