Propagation of Plants 103 
gle stalk which I had left untouched. The loss was irrepara- 
ble as the Ulmaria is one of the most beautiful of my plants. 
Another mistake easy to make is to overlook the position of 
certain plants that are late in springing to life. One spring I 
watched vainly for my Incarvillea to come up, and not finding 
it, I thrust in a sharp little pointed trowel to remove a spirea 
growing near by, and, to my horror, I pierced the Incarvillea 
to its very heart. It was as cruel to me as if I had maimed a 
human being. I muttered many incantations over it, gave it 
massage and absent treatments, and prayed my guardian an- 
gel (I only know I have one in times of sore need) to heal the 
wound. The plant lived, but it is a cripple for life. The 
Dodecathon media, Mertensia Virginica and Liatris are also 
late in coming up, and these I mark with tall stakes so as not 
to mistake the places where they are planted. 
Certain plants attain an unruly height and need special 
treatment. Among these are the golden glow, Helenium au- 
tumnale superbum, some of the perennial varieties of Helian- 
thus, Boltonia and the perennial phlox. When these are less 
than a foot high, nip off the tips of the plant. They will then 
branch freely and grow perhaps four feet instead of six or 
seven. This retards the blooming a little and perhaps makes 
the flowers smaller, but there will be more of them. In treat- 
ing phlox thus, a longer season of bloom may be secured 
by nipping some and allowing the others to grow. The un- 
nipped ones will bloom perhaps two weeks earlier than those 
cut off. 
After a bed is planted, do not think your responsibility is 
over for that season. Whenever you have a leisure hour, take 
a hand fork, a small implement with three flat tines, and stir 
the ground about the roots of plants. This is particularly 
needed if the season is dry, for it opens the ground to catch 
any slight rain that does fall—Adam calls them vegue little 
