190 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



September, 1905 



The Observer's Note -Book 



"Ghost Flowers" 



J HE OBSERVER often wonders at the sug- 

 gestions put forth for household decoration 

 and adornment. So many people want some- 

 thing " new " or " novel " that the very 

 strangest ideas are brought forth for the 

 instruction of the uninitiated. It is true that 

 many of these ideas are neither new nor novel; but very an- 

 cient suggestions are often brought forward, dressed up 

 afresh and served to a startled world as the very latest of 

 late things. Now here is Mrs. Candace Wheeler, who ought 

 to know how to arrange and decorate a house as well as 

 anybody, coming forth with an earnest plea for — of all 

 things in the world — the seed globe of the dandelion flower! 

 It is a theme worthy of the deepest eloquence. Every 

 one knows the inherent charm of the dandelion flower, of 

 the ravishing beauty of its golden color, that brilliant testi- 

 mony to the arrival of spring ! Every one knows the great 

 economic value of its twisted stems in the hands of very 

 young children, although not every one is aware of the deli- 

 cate salad that may be made from its leaves. Every one 

 knows, also, of the graceful form of its seed globe, and the 

 wonderful means that Nature has taken for the reproduction 

 of a plant which, given a flower of real grace, has no apparent 

 object in its growth. All these matters have been known to 

 all men and women for lo, these many years. But Mrs. 

 Wheeler does not regard that as sufficient. There is, she 

 thinks, beauty in the seed globe of which most people are 

 unaware, and she puts herself forward as the high priestess 

 of the dandelion seed in a few sentences that scintillate with 

 brilliant suggestion. 



The Observer gives way, and begs she will speak for her- 



self. " Nothing in plant nature," she says, " is more beau- 

 tiful, more ethereal, more delicately suggestive of spiritual 

 existence in the blossom world, than a fully developed seed 

 globe of the dandelion flower. One thinks of it as a plant 

 aspiration, a floating flower thought, something that stands 

 before the vanishing point of matter. 



" If these tender manifestations are carefully transported 

 to the house and placed in water they will continue for days, 

 waiting for the delayed air current which should waft them 

 to some sheltered bit of earth where they may lie until time 

 and golden weather combine to start them upon a new stage 

 of existence. Ten or twenty of these winged things gathered 

 into a tall Venetian glass surrounded by newly grown maiden- 

 hair ferns will give one a new ideal of refinement in flower 

 arrangement. Of course, the ferns are sure to shrivel and 

 curl before many hours are over, and will require several 

 renewals, but the dandelion ghosts will stand bravely on 

 until their lengthened days are numbered." 



This is very nicely put. It is a practical suggestion in 

 household decoration which any suburbanite may avail her- 

 self of, encased in graceful diction, and written in a very 

 charming and polished manner. It is a household decoration 

 that gives no trouble, for the seed globe may be plucked 

 from any roadside, or even gathered from the center of a 

 cherished lawn. The dandelion requires no cultivation, but 

 grows with such persistency that a particularly large choice 

 specimen that has been uprooted from a conspicuous spot 

 often seems growing with renewed vigor the next day after. 

 Mrs. Wheeler is a woman of many ideas, but was there any 

 real necessity for singing the praises of the dandelion, its 

 flower and its seed? 



The Garden 



The Garden Month by Month — September 



)HE first of September finds the flower garden 

 in full swing of late summer and early fall 

 blooming. It is gay with color and rich in 

 the thick, strong foliage of the summer's 

 growth. Save for the completeness of the 

 S^rfigiS^skJLWk^J maturity there is no hint of impending 

 changes. The climax toward which all the summer's labor 

 has been directed seems to have been reached. The breath- 

 ing spell in work that came with August seems likely to be 

 continued indefinitely. 



Yet September is one of the busiest months in the year. 

 It is the month of preparation for the fall and winter; not, as 

 yet, in clearing up and in putting away, but in busy effort for 

 the house plants for the winter. Some of these will have 

 been started as far back as the end of June, when the roses 

 for winter blooming will have been planted in the green- 

 houses, and which will have made excellent progress by early 

 September. But there are many plants which now require 

 attention, and the amateur gardener will find September one 

 of the most active of months. 



All sorts of things must be done, and many of them 

 quickly. The warm days of early fall are delusive, especially 

 in the North, where frosts are liable to arrive any time after 

 the middle of the month, and with no previous notice. All 

 plants fox the winter window garden must be early put into 

 pots and in place before the fires are started, in order that 



they may become accustomed to new conditions of growth. 

 This is, perhaps, the first thing to be done, and it can hardly 

 be begun too early. Very early, also, must the chrysanthe- 

 mums be lifted, first cutting around them with a sharp spade 

 a week or so before taking them out. Fertilizer should not 

 be applied to these plants until they have begun to grow; 

 afterward it should be applied twice a week. 



The great work of September is concerned with bulbs. 

 The beds should be prepared early, and be well made, with 

 ample allowance of old cow manure. The best bulbs should 

 be reserved for house growth. They should invariably be 

 purchased as early as possible in order to obtain the best stock. 

 Roman hyacinths, crocus and madonna lilies should be 

 planted early. All bulbs should be well covered; a foot 

 at least of leaves, litter straw and the like is none too much. 



A variety of other plants now require attention. Hy- 

 drangeas should be cut back after blooming, and growth 

 encouraged in every way. Each stalk or stem means a new 

 flower next year if the plant is in good condition. Azaleas 

 should be taken into the house before frost threatens. 

 Pansies, hollyhocks and other perennials grown from late 

 sowings should be replanted in permanent positions. The 

 sowing of pansy seeds must no longer be delayed, if it has 

 not been done before, which would have been better. Dor- 

 mant callas should now be started into growth with enriched 

 soil and plenty of water. 



