ANNUALS AND BULBS 125 
the dahlia. They are not hardy, though one 
variety has proved so here in Berkshire. 
Possibly the hot-bed system of cultivation 
pursued for the last thirty or forty years has 
much to do with their tenderness, for at 
different ends of the gardens, one shady and 
moist, the other sunny and dry, two old plants 
of a double white dahlia have come up year 
after year, certainly for the last twelve years, 
with no attention of any kind. 
The old type has been quite ousted, first by 
the cactus dahlia, and now, for decorative 
effect, by the new large-petalled variety show- 
ing a yellow centre and called paeony-flowered. 
There is a white one that much resembles a 
water lily, called Queen Wilhelmina, Glory 
of Baarn, soft pink ; Queen Emma, salmon 
and lilac ; and Landseer, crimson, which are 
good, and are 4 feet high. 
In choosing dahlias for garden decoration 
it is well to pick out only those with stiff 
stalks, that hold up their heads well. For 
this reason it is not possible to choose them at 
a show, where all are alike displayed on flat 
boxes, and where one of perfect form and 
colour may be found quite unsuitable for 
decorative effect in a border. In buying them, 
always try to get old stools in autumn instead 
