32 THE SCHOOL GARDEN BOOK 



arc hundreds of beautiful named varieties to-day, varying 

 -really in color, and very soon we may expert, a llowcr which 

 tremely desirable for many purposes. At present most 

 of th< blias do not last Ion- as cut flowers; but 



this quality is being improved, and the (lowers are so beau- 

 tiful for interior decora- 

 tion as well as lor garden 

 adornment that one ran 

 attord to renew a supply 

 in the tlower jars at fre- 

 quent intervals. 



The Decorative Dahlia 

 is another recently de- 

 veloped and very desira- 

 ble type. It has very 

 large, loosely formed bios 



soms, with broad petals, 

 of a type somewhat in- 

 termediate between the 

 Show and CactusDahlias. 

 \Yh ile the Decorative 

 Dahlias have not t h e 

 bizarre beauty of form 

 shown by the cactus sorts, they are, nevertheless, attractive in 

 a quiet way, and are useful for cutting as well as for the border 

 garden. Although it has frequently been predicted that they 

 would go out of cultivation in competition with the cactus 

 forms, many new and beautiful varieties are introduced every 

 year, and the catalogues continue to give long lists of sorts, 

 an indication that they are holding their own in popular 

 favor. 



Decorative Dahlia: Mrs. Winters. 



