A TRIAL GARDEN 



point in its favor. I have, for instance, three 

 varieties of white which follow each other as the 

 celebrated sheep over the wall, each brightening 

 as the other goes to seed. No lovelier thing could 

 be conceived than a garden of phloxes, a perfect 

 garden of hardy phloxes; in fact, an interesting 

 experiment if one had time and space for it would 

 be a garden made up entirely of varieties of phlox; 

 beginning with the lovely colors now obtainable 

 in the P. subulata group, next the fine lavenders 

 of P. divaricata, then an interim of good green 

 foliage till Miss Lingard of the P. decussata sec- 

 tion made its appearance, to be followed by the 

 full orchestra of the general group of violets and 

 purples (basses); mauves, lavenders, and pinks 

 (violas, 'cellos, and brasses); and the range of 

 whites (flutes and violins). At the close of this 

 concert of phlox-color the audience must leave 

 the garden. The pity is that August is its last 

 hour. The strains of glorious music, however, 

 follow one over the winter snows. 



But this ramble has carried me far afield. To 

 return to the trial garden — heucheras in the fol- 

 lowing varieties were admitted to this place last 

 fall: brizoides, gracillima, Richardsoni, splendens, 

 Pluie de Feu, and Lucifer. They flourished su- 



55 



