74 MY GROWING GARDEN 



blooms, in all shades of blue and violet, uplifted 

 to the Ught. 



Of other friends of the great Pennsylvania forest 

 floor I have many. In April, as I have said, came 

 hepatica and bloodroot and others of the earUest. 

 May gives us weeks of the dainty mertensia, 

 with its sky-blue pink-edged nodding bells, and 

 its broad leaves that vanish utterly before mid- 

 summer. Spring beauty, Phlox divaricata, tiarella, 

 rue anemone, Jack-in-the-pulpit, uvularia, two of 

 the cypripediums, several triUiums — all these come 

 in due time, and to our great pleasure. The wild 

 columbine is naturalized and happy at the south- 

 east corner, and a wealth of bloom is seen for 

 weeks. From these plants are grown the "weed" 

 columbines I am to tell of later. 



In other borders, on the cool north sides of 

 hedges, are growing ferns from the woods of 

 Eagles Mere, and the up-standing white baneberry 

 annually shows us a marvel of stem color. Some 

 things I can't make stay — ^the cardinal flower, the 

 "showy orchis" that is never showy but always 

 lovely, the calopogon that I really want; — these are 

 not yet at home for me. But I have scores of Uttle 

 laurels and rhododendrons, and some mighty nice 

 small hemlocks and pines, that are quite "comfy," 

 and show it. One old veteran of a yew — the pic- 



