SOBER SUMMER 



135 



had * 'flowers of a much more brilliant shade than 

 the old variety," I was impressed, and bought. 

 But the plants produced only blooms — and quan- 

 tities of them, too — of a dirty dull crimson, not at 

 all comparable with the plain M, didyma I was 

 accustomed to. With a recommendation to the 

 nurseryman to take treatment for color blindness 

 I have "passed up" the Cambridge fraud. 



Of this same nurseryman I obtained two plants 

 entirely pleasing. Spircea Filipendula fl-pL is the 

 portentous name he gave the one that has rather 

 dainty leaves, close to the ground, from amid which 

 arise spikes about eighteen inches high of handsome 

 white flowers, just now about over. It ought to be 

 used as an edging plant, and it is called "drop- 

 wort" sometimes as a common name, while Bailey's 

 Cyclopedia now sets it forth as Filipendula hexa- 

 petala, poor thing! The other good thing is 

 Artemisia ladiflora, which grows some three feet 

 high, and has also pleasing white flowers that stay 

 good through weeks of hot weather. Unfortu- 

 nately, in my state of misinformation, I planted 

 these two together — but they don't fit ! 



It is much pleasanter to record satisfaction 

 than failure, wherefore I now tell of how more 

 than completely all catalogue representations have 

 been realized concerning two shrubs, not so well 



