250 AUTUMN FLOWERS 



of Gladiolus is apt to debauch the judgment for shades 

 of red; but the glowing Monarda didyma, known as 

 ' bee balm ' in its native North America, and first cousin 

 of the bergamot often seen in old-fashioned parterres, 

 pleases the eye with its rich velvety tone. Don't forget 

 the so-called purple groundsel (Senecio pulcher), which 

 bears an uncommon shade of rosy lilac on its spreading 

 rays. Then there are two pink flowers, of which almost 

 every visitor is sure to ask the name : one is the truly 

 exquisite Sparaxis pulcherrima, with large airy bells 

 dancing on arching, wiry stalks four feet high. The 

 other is a large stonecrop, Sedum spectabile (see you 

 get the true, bright rose variety), of which the broad, 

 crowded corymbs have a never-failing attraction for 

 wagtails by reason of the flies which gather round 

 them, and for red admirals and humming-bird moths, 

 by reason of the honey they contain. 



Of white flowers there is abundance. Hydrangea 

 paniculata is perhaps the most showy, with its great 

 drifts of cream-tinted plumes; but for perfect grace 

 and beauty there is nothing to compare to the white 

 Japanese windflower ( Anemone Japonica var. Honorine 

 Joubert). Blessed be Mr. William Robinson for bringing 

 this flower to common knowledge about a quarter 

 of a century ago ! The cult of the aesthetes is ex- 

 tinct, but while they were with us nothing excited their 

 withering wrath more surely than a display of white 

 and gold. Yet in what combination does Nature take 

 more delight from the trivial daisy to such master- 

 pieces as the magnolia, the water-lily, and the Madonna 



