HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS 75 



good soaking of water is given before the shifting, and a cool, 

 damp day is chosen. If the grower wants the best results he 

 must not read "reserve plot" as meaning any poor, out-of-the- 

 way, shady corner; on the contrary, he should provide rich soil, 

 and give water and liquid manure in dry weather. Many people 

 treat Chrysanthemums like the majority of border plants, that is, 

 grow them on the same ground year after year, and only propa- 

 gate them by division every two or three years. This is not 

 wise, for the plants either die out altogether or become very 

 weak. It is best to strike fresh cuttings every spring, as then 

 vigorous young plants are got that are sure to bloom well. 

 Among many beautiful varieties Rabbie Burns, pink ; Nina Blick, 

 bronzy red ; White Quintus and Madame Desgranges, white ; Horace 

 Martin, yellow ; Goacher's Crimson, red ; and Framfield Pink, pink, 

 may be named as particularly desirable. The Chrysanthemum as 

 a pot plant will be dealt with fully in the section devoted to 

 indoor plants. 



Crown Imperial (Fritillarid). See Bulb section. 



Daffodils. See Bulb section. 



Dahlia. See special chapter. 



Delphiniums or Perennial Larkspurs. Average height, five feet ; 

 flowering season, summer. Has the reader seen a plant with 

 stems four or five feet high, the lower part furnished with broad, 

 much-cut leaves, and the upper portion with bright blue flowers? 

 If so, he has gone a little way towards making the acquaintance 

 of the Delphinium or perennial Larkspur. It is a stately border 

 beauty, and when one sees its tall spires of blue rising against a 

 lichen-stained wall or grey brown larch pillar, with white Lilies 

 at its foot, one's admiration goes out to it whole-heartedly. It is 

 one of the plants which the flower gardener with an eye to beautiful 

 border effects fastens on unerringly. Its possibilities suggest them- 

 selves at once. Fortunately it is not a difficult plant to grow. It 

 thrives in any fertile, well-drained soil, and does not object to 



