Polyanthus and Siebold primroses. The latter is worth growing for its foliage 



alone 



These dwarf sirises (/. pumila) will one day come to their own. White grape 



hyacinths behind 



Perennials Most Worth Planting for Flowers— By Sherman R.Duffy, 



THIRTY PLANTS THAT WILL GIVE A MAXIMUM OF BLOOM FOR A MINIMUM OF LABOR AND INCREASE 

 YEAR BY YEAR— THE GOOD POINTS OF EACH AND WHY THEY APPEAL TO THE BEGINNER 



Illi- 



T^RIEND NEIGHBOR is going to start 

 *- a perennial border this year. He has 

 confided this fact to me with a request for 

 assistance and cooperation in the way 

 of any surplus I may have this spring. He 

 has nourished his aesthetic nature on my 

 border for some time and his appetite 

 has grown. Friend Neighbor is a "real 

 estater" and he assures me that a hardy 

 border will add an appreciable percentage 

 to the selling value of property. He re- 

 gards well-kept grounds with hardy bor- 

 ders and shrubbery as a sort of trade 

 secret. "A bright flower garden makes a 

 house look attractive whether it really is 

 or not," he informed me. 



He further averred that everybody ought 

 to plant something to give them some 

 object for needed exercise as well as to 

 increase their interest in their home. 



Another reason was that it would in- 

 terest the kiddies and keep them from 

 running out into the streets looking for 

 excitement. In fact, Friend Neighbor 

 found so many reasons for starting a border 

 that I didn't see how he had restrained 

 himself so long. This, he explained, was 

 because he had mine to look at. 



Next time he saw me he elaborated his 

 plans. Friend Neighbor is one of those 

 positive sorts of characters; he wants 

 what he wants when he wants it, and he 

 wants not what he wants not just as en- 

 thusiastically and perhaps even more so. 



"First of all," quoth Friend Neighbor, 

 "the contour of my fair domain shall not 

 be sullied by golden glow. If anybody 

 tries to give me any golden glow, I'll 

 throw it at him." 



Having agreed heartily in the condem- 

 nation of golden glow, Friend Neighbor 

 proceeded to outline what I was to do for 

 him in the way of starting his border. 

 "I want you to pick out my plants for me. 

 I want mostly fuzzy stuff like you have." 

 I smothered a few objections to such a 

 characterization of some of my pet plants 

 long enough to find out Friend Neighbor's 

 ideas. "I want a lot of that pink fuzz," 

 he continued, " and a lot of that light 

 purple fuzz and some of that white fuzz. 

 You know what I mean. I want a lot of 

 stuff that I can look at without hurting 

 my eyes. I don't want a lot of stuff I 

 have to see every day in everybody's yard 

 along the street. And last but not least, I 



161 



don't want a lot of 'dope' plants making 

 an anarchist parade on my premises such 

 as you have in your yard in May and 

 early June. " 



This last remark was directed at a fine 

 patch of oriental poppies which were a very 

 sore spot with Friend Neighbor. He 

 used to admire and wonder at them, but 

 one day he took one to his office in the 

 city and none of his associates would be- 

 lieve that it was a real bloom. They told 

 him it was made out of tissue paper and 

 that probably he stole it from his wife's 

 last spring's hat. Since that time the pop- 

 pies have been in great disrepute. 



"I want that fuzzy stuff," reiterated 

 Friend Neighbor, " because it's easy to look 

 at and doesn't rise up and swat you in the 

 eye every time you turn in its direction. 

 It's restful and soothing. Also, I don't 

 want a patch of yellow in August that will 

 hurt my eyes and make the sun look twice 

 as hot as it really is. Something soft, 

 restful, and soothing. My temperature 

 goes up two degrees every time I go by 

 one of those infernal golden glow outrages." 



Some order to fill — fuzzy, not blatant, 

 restful, soothing. Yet I felt complimented 



