THE HARDY BORDER 



season, and throughout the greater part of sum- 

 mer, and well into autumn if the old flower- 

 stalks are cut away in September, to encourage 

 new growth. It is a stand-by for cut flowers for 

 bouquet work. Because of its compact habit it is 

 a very desirable plant for edging the border. 



It is difiicult to imagine anything more dain- 

 tily charming than the herbaceous Spireas. Alba, 

 white, and rosea, soft pink, produce large, feath- 

 ery tufts of bloom on stalks six and seven feet 

 tall. The flowers of these varieties are exceed- 

 ingly graceful in an airy, cloud-like way, and 

 never fail to attract the attention of those who 

 pass ordinary plants by without seeing them. 



The florists have taken our native Asters in 

 hand, and we now have several varieties that 

 make themselves perfectly at home in the border. 

 Some of them grow to a height of eight feet. 

 Others are low growers. The rosy- violet kinds 

 and the pale lavender-blues are indescribably 

 lovely. Nearly all of them bloom very late in the 

 season. Their long branches will be a mass of 

 flowers with fringy petals and a yellow centre. 

 These plants have captured the charm of the 

 Indian Summer and brought it into the garden, 

 where they keep it prisoner during the last days 

 of the season. By all means give them a place in 



94 



