182 The Amateur's Booh of the Dahlia 



with one another. Only the lavenders must be 

 kept apart, and strong yellows should not go 

 near the pinks. Mass planting for distant effect 

 allows many colours to rub elbows where close 

 proximity of paths and walks could not. In this 

 trial garden go "two-year-olds" — seedlings of the 

 year before, both my own and those of growers 

 from other parts of the country. There also go 

 strangers from foreign lands whose colours are 

 unknown to me further than the descriptions 

 given by their originators. Woe to any whose 

 pink turns blue or whose white turns green in 

 soil and climate to which they are not ac- 

 customed! Like Alice's Red Queen, the word is 

 "Off with his head" ! But if they behave prop- 

 erly they will be allowed in the real dahlia gar- 

 den next year. 



On a cold and stormy night next November, 

 when the roots have been put to bed and their 

 spring breakfast prepared for them, pull your 

 chair up to the fire. Bring out the list of what 

 you have, and the list of those you saw at the 

 shows — ^and, perhaps, have already ordered. 

 Group these lists together under headings of 

 their colours and subdivisions of colours. The 

 deep red, bright red, old rose, bronze, and brown; 

 golden yellow (very few), sulphur yellow, orange 



