94 MAKING OF A FLOWER GARDEN 



plants and bear multitudes of showy flowers which at 

 evening emit a strong, agreeable fragrance. Equally 

 as well known is the old form of the evening primrose ; 

 few of us but can remember the many hours spent, in 

 childhood, in a vain attempt to watch the sudden 

 unfolding of their yellow cups. A moment's inatten- 

 tion and, lo, the closely folded bud of an instant be- 

 fore is a wide awake flower smiling at our discom- 

 fiture. What is the secret of their unfolding that 

 they so jealously guard it? 



One of the most attractive of our night bloomers ia 

 the Nicotiana affinis, though this flower remains open 

 on cloudy days and in shady positions. It is one of the 

 most satisfactory garden plants, and combines so suc- 

 cessfully with scarlet flowers that it should be lib- 

 erally planted in shady corners where salvias or other 

 scarlet flowers will grow. Usually it self sows and 

 comes up here and there about the garden. I have 

 not sown seed of any of the nicotianas for several 

 years, but I never fail of plants of both the Nicotiana 

 affinis and Nicotiana sylvestris. Nicotiana samderiae 

 is a newer form of nicotiana, which comes in shades 

 of red and is a very free bloomer. It is a rather later 

 plant to come into bloom, though if one took pains to 

 sow it in the hotbed in spring or in coldframe in fall 

 it would give earlier results. I never sow it at all, de- 

 pending on volunteer plants, and I find it exceedingly 

 useful, as it comes into bloom at a time when other 



