92 FLOWER GARDENING 
take, say, one or two hundred small cards and 
from catalogues and garden books pick out the 
same number of plants of tested hardiness that 
seem best suited to the required purpose. Write 
at the top of each card both the botanical and 
the common name. Then add, on separate lines, 
the time of blooming, as nearly as you can as- 
certain for your section of the country, and its aver- 
age duration, the height of foliage as well as bloom 
wherever possible; the general character of the 
plant, whether creeping, sprawling, bushy or mar- 
kedly erect and, finally, the color. It is best thus 
to segregate the color memorandum, because this 
should include not only the color, or range of colors, 
of the blossoms, but like notes as to the foliage. 
Make a clear differentiation of the many foliage 
shades and if the leaves are evergreen say so. It 
is well also to keep in mind, as to color, that the 
matter of blossoms and leaves being loose or com- 
pact may make a material difference in their use 
for garden pictures. 
Next, sort the cards according to season of 
bloom—going by the month or, better still, by 
fortnights; they cover better the average period 
of perfection. Lay the resultant packs of cards, 
chronologically, in a line on a table and see if there 
are any distinct breaks in the succession or any 
fortnights that do not admit of enough choice. 
Should these deficiencies exist, return to the cat- 
alogues and garden books for additional material, 
before proceeding. 
