32 THE GARDEN 



email, white flowers, in a cloud-like mass of sprays, giving a soft, misty 

 effect. H?.rdy and stately, useful for giving bold masses of foliage and 

 tropical effects." This is copied, as the quotations marks show — and oat 

 of a catalogue. 



But let me add from experience. Once this plant gets a foothold in 

 jour garden it will never, never die, and you will spend the rest of your 

 days quoting "Never more," and pulling up the fat red noses that spring 

 up, just like the first healthy sprouts of rhubarb, save that the rhubarb 

 Btays at home minding its own business, while this plant is on the tramp. 



The fresh new stems are fleshy, hollow, and extraordinarily rapid in 

 growth, like bamboo plants. Up and up and up they shoot, the stronger 

 the root the stronger the hollow stem. Rich blood red at first, white an 

 inch underground, the stems soon take on a red-green and finally green 

 color. The tall clumps are really very pretty when covered with bloom in 

 fall, and make very pretty sprays for large floor vases. In a day or so, 

 however, the wee flowers fall to pieces and make the whole place very 

 untidy. 



A strong clump of ten or twelve stout stalks make a very imposing 

 bush, especially if all the side shoots are kept off until the top branches, 

 spreading outwards, give the clump an umbrella shape. The stalks must 

 be tied loosely together with tape, else they will straggle apart, making 

 an untidy bush. 



The root beneath ground is a puzzle to get out. It forms a hard, 

 red-yellow knot of the toughest kind that one can imagine. There is 

 nothing like it. From this central knot, long runners creep under the sur- 

 face of the ground to an incredible distance before coming to the top. 



When you are trying to oust the plant, do not drop one single, tiny 

 piece of the "sucker," because the minute your back is turned it will take 

 root. My advice is to commence a thorough war of extermination, as soon 

 as a sign of it appears. For close on fifteen years we have been pulling 

 up the stray shoots, and they are still appearing. 



POPPIES. 



How are your poppies? Look at them well and take notice whether 

 they are in the best possible place that you could choose for them in your 

 garden. Or can yea liiid a better spot for next year? Unfortunately tns 

 lower it'aves of thes3 pretty grey fo]'-aged plants are apt to become spotted 

 and turn yellow, long before their blooming season is over. They are a 

 prey to a destroying blight that very soon riddle the leaves thru and thru. 



A simple medicated spray, either of whale-oil, soap lotion or even the 

 fine spray of clear water from the hose, should be used constantly and early. 



Too much heat will turn the leaves a dirty yellowish brown. Too much 

 shade and , dampness will soon bring along a mouldy fungus, utterly de- 

 stroying. And yet some people have the most perfect poppy collection that 

 nothing seems to injure. 



Poppies have long deeply penetrating top roots, that should form a 

 sufficient hold on the ground to keep the plant erect. Yet they need sup- 

 port, even tho it be slight. 



The chief objection to the poppy is the shortness of the flowering sea- 

 son, and the death of the plant almost immediately afterwards; thus, the 

 poppy beds are bare in midsummer. The question is, what to plant so 

 that these bare spots are not too noticeable. And that is the problem 

 everyone must work out for themselves. 



Some gardeners claim that these plants are so uncertain, the season 

 80 short, and the trouble required to bring them to even a small desrree 

 of perfection so great, that other plants give so much more satisfaction, 

 they are preferable to the poppies. But notwithstanding all the grumble- 



