THE FLOWER BORDER IN AUGUST 73 



September the whole thing is a sheet of bloom. Thus 

 the plant that was hardly worth a place in the border 

 becomes, at its flowering time, one of the brightest 

 ornaments of the garden. Other plants that are in front 

 of the Sunflower, that have also passed out of bloom, 

 are the Scarlet Bee-balm (Monarda) and the very 

 useful alpine Groundsel (Senecio artemisicBfolius). 



Next we have an important group of a large-leaved 

 Canna, the handsomest foliage in the border ; good 

 to see when the sun is behind and the light comes 

 through the leaves. Here also, at the back, is a patch 

 of Hollyhocks — one very dark, almost a claret-red, 

 and a fine, full red inclining to blood-colour. They 

 tower up together, and close to them are Dahlias, the 

 rich red Lady Ardilaun, deep scarlet Cochineal, bright 

 scarlet Fire King, and its variety Orange Fire King, 

 now the most brilliant piece of colouring in the garden. 

 These lead on to a gorgeous company — Phlox Coque- 

 hcot, scarlet Pentstemon, orange African Marigold, 

 scarlet Gladiolus, and, to the front, a brilliant dwarf 

 scarlet Salvia ; Helenium pumilum and scarlet and 

 orange dwarf Nasturtium. Here and there within 

 this mass of bright colouring there is a patch of the 

 fine deep yellow Coreopsis lanceolata, a plant of long- 

 enduring bloom, or rather of long succession, for, if 

 the dead flowers are removed, it will look bright for 

 a good three months. 



As this gorgeous mass occupies a large space in 

 the flower border, I have thought well to subdue it 

 here and there with the cloudy masses of Gypsophila 

 paniculata Five-year-old plants of this form masses 



