ing become human perennials who wish to surround 

 themselves with appropriate life companions. 



Oriental Poppy 



The most gorgeous of all perennials is the 

 Oriental poppy, the scarlet variety of which grows 

 readily from seed. I have never succeeded in raising 

 the shrimp pink and other delicate shades, except by 

 purchasing roots. 



These poppies should be transplanted to their 

 permanent location when quite infantile, for they 

 throw down roots to the very centre of the earth if 

 left to develop fully in the seedbed; there is then no 

 implement that is long enough to transplant them 

 without amputating most of their rat-tail roots. 

 Planted so they may have a background of pine or 

 other evergreen, they are dazzlingly gorgeous in 

 May. Their splendor almost necessitates having the 

 field undisputed, for they are so exclamatory you 

 would not notice any other flower, and few blossoms 

 can stand the challenge of the poppies' riotous color. 



Dying down to the earth in midsummer they then 

 give an opportunity of using the space between them 

 for asters, which can be transplanted to the poppy 

 bed as soon as they have developed the third leaf. 



36 



