SEPTEMBER 113 



vigour. A single plant of Nemophila will often cover 

 a square yard with its beautiful blue bloom ; and 

 then, what a gain it is to have these pretty things in 

 full strength in spring and early summer, instead of 

 waiting to have them in a much poorer state later in 

 the year, when other flowers are in plenty. 



Hardy Poppies should be sown even earlier ; August 

 is the best time. 



Dahlias are now at their full growth. To make, 

 a choice for one's own garden, one must see the 

 whole plant growing. As with many another kind of 

 flower, nothing is more misleading than the evidence 

 of the show-table, for many that there look the best, 

 and are indeed lovely in form and colour as individual 

 blooms, come from plants that are of no garden value. 

 For however charming in humanity is the virtue 

 modesty, and however becoming is the unobtrusive 

 bearing that gives evidence of its possession, it is quite 

 misplaced in a Dahlia. Here it becomes a vice, for the 

 Dahlia's flrst duty in life is to flaunt and to swagger 

 and to carry gorgeous blooms well above its leaves, 

 and on no account to hang its head. Some of the 

 delicately-coloured kinds lately raised not only hang 

 their heads, but also hide them away among masses 

 of their coarse foliage, and are doubly frauds, looking 

 everything that is desirable in the show, and proving 

 worthless in the garden. It is true that there are 

 ways of cutting out superfluous green stuff and thereby 

 encouraging the blooms to show up, but at a busy 



H 



