li»0 



GARDEN FLOWERS. 



plants, having, it is said, nearl\' a thousand diffeient kinds 



known to botanists. 



Senecio Japonica is one of the handsomest niembei-s 

 of the family. It is of striking 

 habit, grows five feet high, with 

 leaves nearly a foot across, divided 

 into nearl}- a dozen divisions. The 

 flower-heads are about three inches 

 across with the narrow outer florets 

 of a rich orange color. It is a moist- 

 ure-loving plant, and should be 

 grown in lich, moderately stiff, loam. 

 The Silphnims are large-growing 

 coarse plants, with sunflower-like 

 blossoms, in summer requiring places 

 in the background with plenty of 

 room. ^S'. Javiniatnm is the largest 

 and most showy of the family. Dr. 

 Asa Gray Avrites of this plant : " On 

 the wide, open prairies the leaves 

 are said to present their edges uni- 

 formly north and south, whence it 

 is called the compass-plant." The 

 Solidugos, golden-rods, present one 

 of the most characteristic and fa- 

 f B miliar flowers of the United States, 



and should be planted in clumps like 

 the Siljihinms where their graceful 



habit and masses of yellow flo\vers ^vill display their beauty 



effectively. In the eyes of most they are ^veeds, but in cer- 



COMPASS PLANT. 

 (siLPHtUM LACINIATUM.) 



