THE GARDEN 15 



COSMOS 



Cosmos is a comparatively new flower. From Mexico it has been 

 brought into this country, and has been trying to become hardened to this 

 rigorous climate. 



An annual, with smooth opposite deeply-cut leaves, sending up long 

 stems topped with flat ray-like flowers or white, or pink, or crimson, with 

 yellowish centres, it is of fairly easy culture, although it is more or less 

 new to us. 



The long, thin stems give the flowers a graceful waving appearance 

 when growing, and make the blossoms very desirable for bouquets. While 

 there is nothing startlingly beautiful, or unique, it may be said that it is 

 simply one more of the many fairly desirable annuals that all gardeners 

 may grow with great success and little trouble in their gardens, no matter 

 how small or how unpretentious that garden may be. 



One may plant a great patch of it in the fence corner, or may place 

 a large clump under a tall growing tree that will let in sufficient sun and 

 air to satisfy the flower, or it may be planted in a bed along with some 

 other tall flowering plant, so that the flower stems will mingle pleasantly 

 together. Such another suitable plant might be the scabious, or love-in-a- 

 mist, or even the annual larkspurs. These plants all flower about the same 

 time, and will form suitable companions for the cosmos and for each other. 



CANTERBURY BELLS 



One cannot but feel sorry that a plant capable of producing so much 

 beauty of form and such brilliancy of coloring as well as great luxuriance 

 of bloom, is able to send out an odor of the rankest — a harsh, wild, alto- 

 gether repellant smell that offends the most tolerant of admirers. 



In fact, no member of the campanula family, of which the Canterburj"^ 

 bell is by far the most important, possesses the least fragrance. At the 

 sanje time, no other member of the family throws off such an offensive 

 odor. 



Nevertheless, such value is attached to these plants on account of 

 coloring, form, and luxuriance, that no garden can afford to be without one 

 or more members of this family. The smaller species of the bellflowers, 

 such as the harebell and the famous bluebell, have a delightful, dainty 

 beauty, simple in its exquisite exclusiveness, that has made them well 

 known the world over. Then come the taller, more robust species, such as 

 the Carpathian harebell and the chimney bellf lower, the former almost as 

 well-loved as the violet, the latter a species sending up tall tapering 

 spears hung with deep rich blue scalloped bells, a splendid autumn flower- 

 ing variety. Then come the Canterbury bells, whose wide, deep bells are 

 unsurpassed for their robust and symmetrical beauty. 



The family as a whole provides a species for almost every situation, 

 moist or dry, sunny or shaded, and the flowers run along thru the hottest 

 days of July and August, when the deep, rich blue is so needed to produce 

 cool effects, and when fine flowers are at a premium. Their deep blues 

 are unequaled by any other flower known- — for one reason that the sun 

 and heat seem to have little or no effect in causing the colors to fade. 



Gross feeders, as one need hardly be told, the plants need plenty of 

 moisture, well soaked into the roots. The fleshy, succulent stems are 

 brittle and easily broken down with their weight of bloom, so that some 

 support is needed, especially if the plants are more than usually successful. 



The Canterbury bell is useful in almost any situation, but one need not 

 be told that sun, moisture and food are necessary for the production of the 

 many flowers. 



