TREATMENT OF PERENNIALS 65 



that must have fairly moist soil to do well; it 

 flowers in July, and can be increased by division 

 of the roots in autumn. Of the many beautiful 

 shrubby Spiraeas I shall speak elsewhere. 



Sweet William Dianthus barbatus. You may 

 think this is rather too common a plant to put in 

 a list of the "most desirable," but its very homeli- 

 ness makes it seem like an old friend when we 

 meet with it in our gardens, and now that it is 

 grown in such lovely colours, it makes a beautiful 

 bit of brightness when we see a group of from 

 three to a dozen plants, according to the available 

 space. To my mind the plain colours are both the 

 prettiest and the most effective, especially the dark- 

 red (not magenta) and the newer lovely shades of 

 salmon-pink, which vary from pale-pink to almost 

 scarlet. The seed should be sown in June to make 

 good plants for the following year, and it is advis- 

 able to bring up fresh plants about every two years, 

 as some of the old ones are sure to die off, and some 

 to get straggling and untidy. Sweet Williams will 

 grow in any soil, and last in bloom for several weeks. 



Tulips. The bright colours of Tulips are always 

 so cheering in May that one could hardly do without 



a few of them. Either the double Tulips or the 

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