82 
THE GARDEN OF THE WORLD 
have a bulb or a tuber or an underground stem 
that keeps alive all winter, sending up new 
shoots in the spring. Trillium, spring beau¬ 
ties, anemones, and violets are some of the 
prettiest flowers that are perennial. Such plants 
grow almost entirely in shady, moist places 
under the trees. The soil where they grow is 
so moist that it is impossible to pick a flower 
without pulling up the underground part as 
well. No matter how carefully people try, 
they are sure to injure that important part which 
means life to the plant. That is the reason 
why the delicate white trillium has disappeared. 
The red or purple trillium is not so attractive. 
People have left it alone, and it is still plentiful. 
Even though the valuable underground stem 
of the flower is uninjured, picking may do 
further damage. This bulb or stem, whichever 
it happens to be, can stay alive all winter, but it 
cannot do so unless it receives a fresh supply of 
food. The leaves are working busily making 
this food. The leaves of spring flowers, in par¬ 
ticular, must work very fast, because as soon as 
