174 GARDENS OF ENGLAND 



Perennial sun-flowers waving in the autumn wind 

 tossing their sheafs of yellow blossom above the ever- 

 green shrubs with which I like to see them associated, 

 form another beautiful group of autumn flowers, and 

 of late years, many fine varieties have been raised. 

 The perennials are characterised by extreme vigour 

 of growth, but I have noticed that in many soils 

 they fail after a few years, the plants requiring to be 

 constantly divided, at least once in every three years. 

 Some varieties have an unfortunate disposition to 

 run away, so to say, from the parent stock — 

 Miss Mellish, a tall, stately plant in strong ground 

 in particular. This can be avoided by, as I have 

 said, constant transplanting. As in the case of the 

 Golden Rods, it is only where large effects are 

 desired that the perennial sun-flowers appear to the 

 best advantage, but grouped by themselves on the 

 fringe of woodlands they reveal a beauty of growth 

 that one does not think possible from their aspect in 

 the border, imless that border is planted with the 

 most exquisite taste. It may be useful to indicate 

 a few of the finer kinds. One of the most charm- 

 ing is Heliantlius decapetahis, which is the best to 

 choose for the shrubbery margin ; this is a stream- 

 side plant in Canada, and its natural habitat sug- 

 gests the places to which it is most appropriate 



