AN ISLAND GARDEN 37 



Soon the whole plot mantles over all its sur- 

 face with the rich, warm green of vigorous leaf- 

 age. The new growth rejoices. That is the 

 right word for it. The gladness of green growing 

 things is apparent to any seeing eye. They re- 

 joice with a radiant joy in sun and rain and air 

 ..and dew, in all care and kindness. They know 

 and respond to everything that is done for them. 

 The low-growing Drummond's Phlox is one of 

 the most satisfactory flowers for a beginner in the 

 art of gardening. There is no such word as fail 

 in its bright lexicon ; and it blossoms continually 

 from the last of June till frost. Looking care- 

 fully every day, by the last half of June I find the 

 pale clustered flower buds showing; then it is 

 not long to wait before the whole bed is a blaze 

 of varied color, a delicate woven carpet of myriad 

 vivid hues. In the lovely buds the petals are 

 folded one over the other in beautiful succession. 

 The flowers are five-petaled, with a faint, sweet 

 perfume; they are borne in flat clusters of an 

 exquisite, velvety texture, with a clearly marked 

 eye in the centre encircling the few pearl-white 

 stamens; this eye varies with the hue of each 

 different flower. There will be delicious pinks 

 among these Phloxes, from the palest rose to the 

 deepest cherry; all shades of red from bright, 

 light scarlet, clear and pure, to a rich black red, 

 the Black Warrior. There will be all heavenly 

 purples, pale lilacs, deep red purple and blue 

 purple, perfect snow white : the eye in this last is 

 soft green, like the touches on a Snowdrop bell. 

 The scarlet flowers have a ring of black-red about 



