420 



FLO WER-DE-L UCE. 



the flowers into the house in any case. Planted in an 

 open place, the tuberose will make good growth and free 

 bloom, and if used sparingly will add to the attractions 

 of the garden. To those that really admire the flower 

 this will sound like very lukewarm praise ; but the 

 writer cannot sound its virtues very loudly, because of 

 repungence to its sickening odor. 



One of the more recent bulbs, that will make a desir- 

 able edging for a lily-bed border, is the pink zephyr 

 flower {Zcphyranthes rosea). The plant forms neat 

 little tufts about six inches high, and it blooms almost 

 continuously during the summer. The flowers are quite 

 large, clear rosy pink, and produced abundantly. This 

 plant is the more desirable, as it blooms on through the 

 summer — the majority of dwarf bulbs being spring- 

 bloomers only. 



The white zephyranthes or atamasco lily, is another 

 good bulb for summer blooming ; its white blossoms are 

 faintPy suffused with pink, and though the bulb cannot 

 be called perfectly hardy, it will live through most win- 

 ters outdoors in the latitude of New York. These little 

 lilies are delightfully fragrant. There is also a yel- 

 low variety of zephyranthes ; they are all natives of the 



south or southwest. A fine plant for naturalizing irt 

 masses, either among shrubs or with other bulbs is I/ya- 

 cinthzis ca>/d!ca>!s — the summer-blooming hyacinth. It 

 is a large, tall-growing plant, producing abundant spikes 

 of large white flowers, suggestive in general appearance 

 of a yucca. It is thoroughly hardy, forming large clumps 

 when left undisturbed, and is particularly attractive 

 when used to lighten a mass of dark shrubs. The use 

 of tall-growing and showy bulbs is singularly effective in 

 connection with shrubbery, the arrangement looks so 

 delightfully natural, breaking as it does the monotony of 

 similar sizes of shrubs or foliage. Certainly, the nearer 

 we approach nature in arranging our gardens the nearer 

 we are to actual harmony ; it is rather hard to imagine 

 how we ever could manage to reconcile our consciences 

 to carpet-bedding It should be a great comfort to the 

 lily tribe to feel that they can never be tortured into an 

 even mosaic, looking more like a few yards of linoleum 

 than a flower-bed. But there are plenty of misguided 

 people still living who admire this form of garden art (?), 

 and until they wake to the error of their ways we shall 

 continue to see bedding-plants misarranged after the 

 model of carpets. 



FLOWER-DE-LUCE. 



Beautiful lily, dwelling by still rivers 



Or solitary were, 

 Or where the sluggish meadow-brook delivers 



Its waters to the weir ! 



Thou laughest at the mill, the whir and worry 



Of spindle and of loom. 

 And the great wheel that toils amid the hurry 



And rushing of the flume. 



"Born in the purple, horn to joy and pleasance. 



Thou dost not toil nor spin, 

 'But makest glad and radiant with thy presence 



The meadow and the lin. 



The wind blows and uplifts thy drooping banner, 

 ^nd round thee throng and run 



The rushes, the green yeomen of thy manor. 

 The outlaws of the sun. 



The burnished dragon-fly is thine attendant 



And tilts against the field, 

 t/Ind down the listed sunbeam rides resplendant 



IVith steel-blue mail and shield. 



Thou art the Iris, fair among the fairest, 



IVho, armed with golden rod, 

 c/!nd winged with the celestial a^ure, bearest 



The message of some god. 



Thou art the (Muse, who far from crowded cities 



Hauntst the sylvan streams, 

 Tlaying on pipes of reed the artless ditties 



That come to us in dreams. 



O flower-de-luce, bloom on, and let the river 



Linger to kiss thy feet ! 

 O flower of song, bloom on, and make forever 



The world more fair and sweet. 



—Longfellow. 



