Some Newer Perennials 
"Make new friends but keep the old" is a maxim which can 
he applied just as much to our friends of the garden as to our 
human companionships. "While treasuring many of the old 
fashioned flowers, delight is also found in welcoming newcomers 
each season. In fact this is the chief source of many of the 
thrills in the gentle art of gardening ; the joys of discovery, the 
sweet delight of suspense, the satisfaction of well-rewarded 
waiting, and not infrequently the irony of disappointment at 
the behaviour of the new acquisitions. Even if perchance the 
beauty of some is less than we are led to believe, compensation 
is often found in the unusual beauty of the next in line from 
which so much was not expected. There is just enough un- 
certainty about trying out some of the new introductions and 
novelties to satisfy the element of chance inherent in most garden 
enthusiasts without invoking a protest from our consciences for 
the time and expense involved. 
During the war we did not hear much about new intro- 
ductions because the men responsible for them turned their 
attention to more urgent duties, but whatever novelties they had 
then under way have come to light and among them we find 
some great improvements in certain species of perennials. 
The perennial Aster or Michaelmas Daisy, which is indigen- Perennial 
ous to this great country, has come in for the greatest amount Asters or 
of attention from hybridizers, both here and in Europe. This Michaelmas 
Aster is a veritable weed in some districts and has to a consider- j) ^jsies 
able extent been ignored, owing no doubt to the small flowers of 
even the most vigorous growers and to the fact that the foliage 
mildews badly, but by careful selection and high-class culture 
the old species have become so out-classed that few of them are 
likely to be remembered long. 
And this does not appear to be the end, as is evidenced by 
the fact that a dozen or more new distinct forms are being 
introduced every year and each one an improvement over its 
predecessor. In fact the new forms secured by some English 
growers have led to the opinion that before long the Dahlia and 
the out-door flowering Chrysanthemum will be ousted from 
their place of honor. At least one private estate has been so 
impressed with the possibilities of the Aster as to give up whole 
borders to them alone, where special culture can be given, and 
thousands of seedlings are raised annually to secure new forms. 
"Whether or not any of these new forms will ever grace our 
American gardens will depend to a great extent upon the 
elasticity of Q.-37. "We have, however, some very desirable 
forms of recent introduction that are well worth a place in every 
garden. Of these Doris, a pure white with a splendid habit and 
sprays, is one of the best, coming into flower the first week in 
205 
