138 A LITTLE BOOK OF PERENNIALS 



Miss Lingard. This is one of the early sorts. The flowers are white 

 with a dainty lavender eye. It is an indispensable variety. 



Dwarf Phlox. Almost everyone knows the Moss Pink or Creeping 

 Phlox (Phlox subulata). It does not look hke the usual Phlox plant 

 at aU because it is dwarf, spreading in nature, with small, moss-like 

 leaves. As it grows it forms dense mats, 12 inches or more in diameter, 

 which flower very freely. The normal color is pink and in April and 

 early May the clumps are simply covered with myriads of flowers about 

 an inch in diameter. 



Some of the other dwarf varieties which are good to grow are 

 P. amcena with bright pink flowers; P. divaricata canadensis, (Wild 

 Sweet WiUiam), with very fragrant lavender flowers and P. d. Laphami 

 with larger flowers of a more intense blue-lavender. 



Uses. The Moss Pink or Phlox subulata grows wild and blooms 

 very early in the Spring. Because of its spreading habit it is usually 

 found growing on the surfaces of rocks, in fields or over dry banks. 

 In the rockery it is often planted in dry corners because it withstands 

 drought so weU, and its dense growth soon makes an admirable ground 

 covering, especially when hundreds of smaU clusters of pink and white 

 flowers come out in the Spring. It is also used as an edging for borders, 

 in cemeteries, on terraces, between stepping stones and in a great 

 many other places. 



The Hardy Phloxes are aU fragrant and the flowers are splendid for 

 cutting purposes. With the new and striking colors, almost any efl'ect 

 can be carried out in the garden, either by planting them in soHd beds 

 where the colors grade into each other from dark to fight, or in long 

 beds along drives, woodland walks and paths, or in front of shrubbery; 

 or combined with other perennials in hardy borders. By planting care- 

 fully, a succession of bloom, lasting from early April until late in 

 September or October, can be carried out by just using the different 

 varieties of Phloxes. The best eff'ects are gained by planting masses 

 of each color together. 



Culture. Phloxes need a great amount of moisture and should 

 be watered regularly in dry weather. It is even advised to mulch the 

 plants during the dry Summer months to conserve what moisture is 

 present. They should not be planted in the grass because the grass 

 win get aU the moisture. The soil should be prepared deeply to a depth 

 of about 2 feet; it should be weU drained and moderately rich. Since 

 Phloxes are gross feeders, good, rich soil and plenty of moisture are 

 absolutely necessary for their growth. 



