102 JOSEPH PLANTING THE GARDEN 
the same as that of bringing the ferns to the moist 
point. 
I love blue flowers, and invariably urge Joseph 
to buy them to the exclusion of red and pink ones. 
I cannot tell why this should be so. Roses are my 
greatest favourites, and they are never blue. 
The first blue flowers to bloom for us will be 
the irises. Joseph bought German and Japanese 
varieties, since both bear beautiful flowers, and the 
Japanese begin to bloom just as the Germans are 
fading. We chose them also because they are 
hardy, needing neither care nor winter covering, 
nor was an especial bed prepared for them. Joseph 
simply put their long roots deeply in the turf at the 
moist point of the triangle. They are plants that 
dislike dry weather and dry soil. We did not have 
many this spring; but irises increase very rapidly, 
and in September, which really is the best time for 
planting them, he will add to the number. 
Once, when driving along a road in May, Joseph 
and I stopped beside a moist meadow completely 
covered with wild blue flags. The dusk was gath- 
ering. Among the tall leaves Joseph imagined 
that he saw a little gnome blowing out his cheeks 
to keep the moths away. The coat he wore was 
made* of leaves, although not those of the irises. 
I could not see the little fellow myself, even though 
Joseph pointed him out walking through the 
meadow, and showed me the butterflies circling 
