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Hbutar Sarteromj* 
FLORAL MEMORIES. 
I saw an arrangement of flowers that went straight 
to my heart. It was a flower stand having a recep¬ 
tacle for flowers, and in the centre was a showy, bulb¬ 
ous plant, (I know not the name), but having pale, 
purple, bell-shaped flowers, lined with pink, and dot¬ 
ted with white. Around it, in pleasing contrast, a deli¬ 
cate, purple-veined Claytonia was blooming profusely; 
the Mitchella dropped its glossy, green sprays around 
the edges of the vase, or stand, brightened occasion¬ 
ally with its scarlet berries. 
I felt a tender feeling toward these wild-wood flow¬ 
ers that their more showy sister-flower in the centre 
could not call forth, though I admired it exceedingly. 
But what lovely visions appeared before me, aroused 
by those simple, wild flowers: of cool, damp woods, 
carpeted with moss, and an irregular stream termi¬ 
nating in a quicksand spring, shaded by hemlocks; 
snowy Beth flowers, turning to vivid rose color, are 
there found, and the yellow Erythroniums, white, 
blue, and pink Hepaticas, Uvularias, and Violets, yel¬ 
low, purple, blue and white; of a light maple grove 
beyond the fence, where the Claytonias completely 
covered the ground. 
I saw high, rocky banks, where the June berry 
or Wild Service flowers grew, some on trees tantaliz- 
ingly out of reach, and others on shrubs so that we 
might gather an armful of the fragrant branches of 
delicate white flowers ; a boat was moored along the 
bank that we might row up to the Big Bend, where 
the bright Cardinal flowers tempted us in the slush; 
and of the snowy Arrowhead blooms, the willow-lined 
banks, and the Ferns'luxuriant growth. 
Lake Ontario, with its beautifully wooded banks, 
appeared before me in a panoramic show. A little 
island, one mass of rose-color when the fragrant Aza¬ 
lias were in bloom, and beyond it the water hidden 
from sight by the large green leaves and snowy blos¬ 
soms of the Pond Lily. On the opposite bank, where 
everything is loveliest, moss greenest, flowers bright- 
. est, and wintergreens thickest, a little picnic appears 
vividly before me. Only four (what shall I call them ? 
not boys), enchanted princes they seemed to us, and 
four daintily robed girls, taking a little lunch of great 
golden, downy plums, purple grapes, biscuit, pressed 
chicken, and cake. Above us the sun shone serenely; 
peeping brightly through the trees; below us the 
water was deep and clear; beyond were the Water 
Lilies, still farther was the rose-colored island, and we 
looking on all with our rose-colored spectacles, listen¬ 
ing to birds’ songs and Love’s soft tones, were su¬ 
premely happy. 
Growing under an old tree near some rocks, we 
found a handful of the curious white flowers, with their 
white stem, called Indian Pipe. Upon pressing them 
they turned as black as ink. 
Having bad a difficult, time trying to transplant 
wild flowers to my flower-beds, one day in autumn I 
pressed a younger brother into my service, and with a 
bushel basket we went “ over the hills and far away ” 
to the woods. With a trowel we dug up earth where 
the flowers had been, occasionally finding a bulb and 
a few roots, filling the basket fall; and by dint of 
hard labor we got it home. 
The next spring I was delighted with a fine wild- 
wood-flower-bed growing in a shady place. There 
were Squirrel Corn, or Dicentra Canadensis, and D. 
Cucularia, Claytonias, Violets, Erythronium, etc., 
blooming as though perfectly at home. 
The white Beth flower, grown in a clump, makes a 
handsome flower for the yard. The Cardinal flower 
will also hear transplanting by watering frequently for 
a while. 
The loveliest spring flower garden I ever saw, be¬ 
longed to a lawyer; a hard, sharp-featured, unpre¬ 
possessing louking man. I was hut a child and un¬ 
acquainted with him, hut I felt he must have a little 
of the “ milk of human kindness” in his composition 
to love and cultivate flowers. His yard was a perfect 
blaze of beauty as soon as the snow was gone. 
First purple, yellow, and white Crocuses, Hya¬ 
cinths, and Snowdrops, and later were beds of gorge¬ 
ous Tulips. In a comer of his garden was a Japan¬ 
ese Quince with its bright Cardinal colored flowers. 
.Offering once to make a buttonhole bouquet for a 
country cousin, as lie was going to spend the evening 
with his inamorata, he said, as I commenced putting 
a firm delicate frond with a spray of Lily of the Val¬ 
ley, “ Oh, I do not like these little flowers ; what do 
they amount to ? You cannot see them a little ways 
off. I like a big clump of Pinies growing in the 
grass.” 
I dubbed him a barbarian, hut I have since thought 
he was right in admiring a handsome, well-trained 
Peony on a lawn. The pink, white, and red placed at 
intervals make quite a little garden of themselves. 
I call to mind a handsome flower-yard cut into beds 
of various shapes, the presiding genius of which was 
a very illiterate, very fat old lady. She weighed three 
hundred and fifty pounds—a very mountain of flesh. 
Do not think I am exaggerating ; she was truly larger 
than the “ mammoth queens” on exhibition. 
To have seen this old lady on a sultry summer day 
stooping over her flowers, you would have known she 
loved them ; it was really her only point of refine¬ 
ment. 
A large Rose hush grew close to the fence and pro¬ 
fusely covered with great crimson Roses, and as 1 
went by to school, I used frequently to pick a hud for 
my hair. But the old lady was on the alert, and one 
day as I was passing, she hailed me: 
“ I seen you pick them Roses,” she cried, her huge 
form quivering like jelly in her excitement, “ and I 
don’t like it very well, neither; if you want a posy, 
why don’t you come and ask me ? ” 
I apologized, telling her I admired them so much, 
and in fact, I thought her whole yard was lovely, Of 
course, I did wrong to take her Roses. 
She showed signs of relenting immediately, and the 
next day she called me in to admire her flowers, and 
ended by gathering me a handful. She called my at¬ 
tention in this wise, pointing to a bed of Pansies, she 
said: 
“ I think these ’ere Tanzies is nice, and this bed of 
Cromperals (Crown Imperials) is pooty.” 
If immediate answer was not given to her remarks, 
she emphatically called the attention thus; 
“I say.” 
The best arranged flower garden, having a succes¬ 
sion of bloom all summer, was cut into beds of vari¬ 
ous shapes and sizes. The sods were carried to the 
rear to he used in future for enriching the earth. The 
beds were enriched and filled up. Along the walk 
were beds of Verbenas of every hue. At one side was 
a bed of large, variously colored Pansies, another of 
Portulaca, a long bed was filled with the different col¬ 
ored Ten-Weeks stock, another of Carnations, an¬ 
other of Candytuft and Sweet Alyssum, a little bed 
of blue Forget-me-not, and still another long bed 
filled with double Petunias and Gladiolus. Near the 
house was a bed of house-plants, mainly Geraniums, 
which bloomed profusely. 
These plants bloomed until after the severe frosts 
and were the admiration of all beholders. The pre¬ 
siding genius of this mass of beauty was a lady with a 
large family to work for, and who only worked in her 
yard - a little while before dinner and an hour iu the 
cool of the day, hut yet with what astonishing results. 
I saw a pretty door yard ornament. A large tree 
had been cut down, leaving the stump about three feet 
in height. This was hollowed out a few inches, and 
the cavity filled with earth, in the centre of which was 
placed a scarlet Geranium and some vines around the 
edges which soon nearly covered the stump. At the 
base was planted some bright-colored Phlox. An¬ 
other yard had a stump, a gnarled, curious looking 
affair from the woods. A large chopping bowl was 
covered with apple tree twigs, grape vines, lichens, 
etc., and varnished. A handle was made of grape¬ 
vine, and this howl filled with flowers and vines, twin¬ 
ing around the handle and stump in a lovely manner. 
But if time permitted, how many delightful memo¬ 
ries of flowers, those “smiles of angels’ might be 
brought before the mind’s eye. And while we love 
and admire them, our hearts should turn in grateful 
love to the Maker of the beauty that may gladden our 
view ou every side. 
AN EVERLIVING JESSAMINE. 
I have often thought it somewhat strange that more 
has not been said or written about this beautiful ever¬ 
green climber, which grows so rampant and wild 
throughout the Gulf States. It is by far the most 
valuable climbing plant we have, being easy of cul¬ 
ture, hardy, of rapid growth, and an evergreen. 
Nothing can exceed the beauty and magnificence of a 
well-grown specimen, with its large clusters of bright 
yellow delicately scented .flowers, massed in the utmost 
profusion against its dense glossy evergreen foliage. 
I have been told that it is difficult to propagate them 
from the cutting, though I doubt whether it is more 
so than any other variety of Jessamine. It throws 
out no shoots or suckers from the root, and we propa¬ 
gate altogether by layers. It does not grow wild 
here, as in a more favored clime, and we obtain it just 
as we do other flowers which are not to the “ manor 
horn.’' I once owned a very large vine, given me by 
a friend when it was quite small, who remarked at the 
time that I must get a plant from a neighbor who had 
a variety which bloomed in the spring and fall. I 
failed to get it, however, hut carried home the one I 
had, and put it out just where I wanted it, without 
any thought as to the fitness of the position, on the 
southern side of an eastern porch. Well, my plant 
grew and grew, and flourished exceedingly, until it 
covered the framework, the side of the porch, and 
began clambering over the roof, when it was stopped 
in its wild career by the keen edge of the pruning- 
knife. My friend afterward inquiring about my suc¬ 
cess with it, was much surprised when I informed her 
that it bloomed not twice only, hut every month in the 
year, January excepted; hut, of course, not near so 
profusely as in the “month of flowers.” This lady 
had planted her’s on the western side of a north 
porch, while her neighbor’s occupied the south side of 
a large oak, south of the dwelling. 
I have never seen this vine advertised by any florist 
north of Washington City. Can it he that it is ten¬ 
der above that latitude ? 
Mrs. Jtjlia A. Powell. 
