CHAPTER XV 



FAVORITE PERENNIALS OF THE SALT SPRAT 



PERENNIALS like the salt spray; that is, the 

 truly hardy kind that live on and bloom each 

 year as bravely and consistently as the flowers 

 of the field. There are now an infinite number of 

 this class of plants that grace many gardens near the 

 sea, and to name and sing the praises of them all would 

 require a volume of many pages. Often it is the 

 time-tried, well-known plants that give the greatest 

 pleasure. To see them laden with blossoms is as 

 gratifying as to hear an old melody without change 

 or variation. 



It is a mistake to believe, for an instant, that the 

 whole care of perennials ends with their planting, 

 although in abandoned gardens they sometimes are seen 

 making a noble effort to disregard neglect. The 

 hypercultivation, however, of modern gardens makes 

 certain demands. There are insect pests to frustrate, 

 overcrowding to prevent, seed making to interrupt, 

 and considerable dividing and resetting to be done 

 with judgment. Such work claims the attention of 

 the gardener. Nevertheless, perennials give the least 

 trouble of any class of plants, and their beauty is 

 pronounced and acceptable. They are the steadfast 

 members of the garden. 



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