PERENNIALS AND CALIFORNIA BULBS 39 
Watering. Phlox do not need any more water than is needed for general summer 
gardening, but they are especially averse to having their thick mass of upper roots 
dried out, hence the mulch. They should be thoroughly watered when it is done, and 
with a mulch this need not be often. Whenever a plant drops its lower leaves and the 
flowers come out small, you may be sure that the manner of watering is at fault, and 
that it should be promptly corrected. 
Phlox about San Francisco Bay. Using the methods I have outlined, and especially 
the summer mulch, I have grown superb Phlox all about the Bay region, whether in 
Alameda sand, Berkeley adobe or San Francisco sand and fog. They do as well in 
light shade in all of the Peninsula region and, with a little more care, throughout Cali- 
fornia, and luxuriate in the North of Bay regions. 
The set of Phlox given below comprises many of the very best known sorts. 25 cts. each, 
$2.50 per doz., except as noted 
Charles Darwin. Bright rosy scarlet, tinged salmon-rose, rose-purple eye. 
Coquelicot. Pure scarlet, crimson eye. 
Duguesclin. Bluish violet, shaded to a white edging. 
Europa. White with crimson-carmine eye; large flowers. 
General Von Heutz. Brilliant salmon-red. 
Le Mahdi. A striking bluish violet sort. 
Mrs. Jenkins. Large, pure white flowers, touched with cream; large panicles of 
bloom; quite early. 
Miss Lingard. Very early; glossy foliage and white flowers tinted lilac. 
Mme. Paul Dutrie. A soft shade of pink; one of the best. 
Peachblow. A soft pink of good medium height; 2 to 3 feet. 
R. P. Struthers. Tall, salmon-red. 
I can also supply a wonderful variety of Phloxes, of which I have not stock enough 
to list, at 25 cts. each, $2.50 per doz. 
PHYSOSTEGIA virginica. A fine plant growing to 1 to iK feet with a long raceme 
of pink flowers shaped like Snapdragons. The plants increase fairly fast, making fine 
clumps. Good for either garden or cutting. I have the pink form. Soil, any loam. 
Prop., divisions. PL, October to April. 15 cts. each, $1.50 per doz. 
PLUMBAGO Larpentae is one of the best low plants for fall bloom. It makes a low 
carpet with most intensely deep plumbago-blue flowers. Sit., sun or light shade. 
Soil, any, but heavy better. Prop., runners. PL, October to March. An excellent rock 
plant. 20 cts. each, $2 per doz. 
ORIENTAL POPPIES. The 
only word which can fitly char- 
acterize these grand flowers is 
"gorgeous." Even tulips pale in 
comparison. With the texture of 
fine silk the open flowers measure 
as much as 10 inches across. 
Their season is May and June, 
but some flowers come later, es- 
pecially if half dried off and then 
liberally watered. Single plants 
or groups of a few are showy 
objects in the mixed border, 
but they are best placed in 
strong groups at some point 
where they can be seen in 
flower but dried off later and 
given a summer rest exactly as 
with bulbs. They may be left un- 
disturbed for years. 
Some of the soft-colored sorts, 
as Mrs. Perry, blend well with 
almost any color massing. A 
sowing of the common Gyp- 
sophila among the plants in 
Oriental Poppy 
