130 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 
If it is necessary to buy plants, Solidago sempervirens 
is a good variety; it grows to a height of about three feet. 
The foliage is heavy and the flower spikes are about a foot 
in length. It is very attractive in clumps with asters, 
among shrubbery, or in wild gardens. Another very showy 
variety is Solidago rigida; it 
thrives among shrubs or in sandy 
places. Solidago altissima and 
Solidago canadensis are both 
good varieties 
that may be 
obtained from 
dealers. They 
will be effec- 
tive either in 
rich open soil 
or in borders. 
THE HEPATICA 
The hepat- 
ica is one of 
our earliest wild flowers, thriving in woods on north 
hillsides and in sheltered places. As a border plant or 
in rockeries it may serve as a companion to the early 
Fic. 64. Hepatica (Hepatica triloba) 
trilium, snowdrop, and crocus. The leaves remain on 
the plant during the winter; the new ones make their 
appearance later than the flowers. The blossoms of the 
native varieties are blue, purplish, or nearly white. 
