58 BOOK OF OLD-FASHIONED FLOWERS 



scentless as any member of the family can be. In ordinary 

 good garden soil most of the carnations can be easily grown. 

 It is a good plan thoroughly to prepare and enrich the 

 ground in August, and to raise on it a crop of mustard, 

 digging in the latter a month later, at which time the 

 Carnations should be planted. Two varieties which I 

 would recommend to a beginner are the pure white 

 clove variety, Gloire de Nancy, and the old Crimson 

 Clove. It should be borne in mind that carnations do 

 not thrive in the shade, and that they will not tolerate 

 the presence of rank manure. They are, however, 

 among the plants which can be grown in the muggy 

 atmosphere of cities. 



Blue is the only colour which is not to be found 

 among the carnations, and indeed it is a colour not very 

 common in the garden flora. Gentians, Forget-me-nots, 

 Veronicas, Borage, and a few others are the only blue 

 flowers commonly to be seen, but among these few 

 others there is one of the stateliest and most beautiful 

 of the ornaments of the July garden. The Larkspur, 

 Lark's-heels, or Delphinium (Dolphin flower) is one of 

 those few old fashioned flowers which have been really 

 improved in every way by the selection and hybridising 

 of the florist. The varieties raised during the past few 

 years by Messrs Kelway of Langport and others are 

 more robust and more beautiful than the original species 

 or than any of the old garden kinds. The sepals are of 

 every shade of blue and their beauty is enhanced by the 

 white petals within. The foliage too is very beautiful, 

 and, the plant being of the same width throughout — 

 cylindrical rather than conical in form — the leaves, with 

 the exception of those near the ground, are finely divided 

 in order to allow light to reach the leaves below. The 

 Delphinium is elaborately equipped with machinery for 

 securing effective cross fertilisation by its humble-bee 

 visitors. The stamens ripen before the pistil, and are 



