A SECRET OF THE CHARM OF FLOWERS 14,9 



evil flower called "grog-blossom," and in the 

 faces of many middle-aged lovers of the bottle, 

 male and female, who would never grow old. 



The reds we Hke best in flowers are the 

 delicate roseate and pinky shades ; they are 

 more to us than the purest and most luminous 

 tints. And here, as with bird notes which 

 delight us on account of their resemblance to 

 fresh, young, highly musical human voices, 

 flowers please us best when they exhibit the 

 loveliest human tints — the apple blossom and 

 the bindweed, the almond and wild rose, for 

 example. After these we are most taken with 

 the deeper but soft and not too luminous reds — 

 the red which we admire in the red horse- 

 chestnut blossom, and many other flowers, down 

 to the minute pimpernel. Next come the intense 

 rosy reds seen in the herb-robert and other wild 

 geraniums, valerian, red campion and ragged 

 robin ; and this shade of red, intensified but stiU 

 soft, is seen in the willow-herb and foxglove, and, 

 stiU more intensified, in the beU- and small-leafed 

 heath. Some if not aU of these pleasing reds 

 have purple in them, and there are very many 

 distinctly purple flowers that appeal to us in the 



