OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



we could n't have the aspect of the garden ruined thus 

 early. One season we tried the California poppy, and 

 it was a glorious sight in July; but neither did that 

 last. 



"Why not try marigolds, the Legion of Honor," I 

 suggested, "with calendula in the middle?" 



For I had kept calendula in bloom the whole sum- 

 mer in the border. So these were planted, but my 

 arms were not long enough to reach the central pods ; 

 by September they were turning yellow and dying al- 

 though the marigolds were crisp and bright about them. 

 To eke out the remainder of the season we put in hardy 

 chrysanthemums, which at least looked fresh and 

 green. 



"How would marigolds do alone next year?" in- 

 quired the Lady Gardener. 



"Yes, they might do, but I believe that heliotrope in 

 the center would be better," answered the Constant 

 Improver. So that experiment is to be tested. 



"A formal garaen should have an edge of some low 

 growth," continued the Constant Improver; "suppose 



78 



