USE SOME OF THE WILD ASTERS TO BEAUTIFY YOUR GROUNDS WITH MASSES OF COLOR 
AFTER EARLIER FLOWERS HAVE GONE — A FEW OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL KINDS 
by Florence Beckwith 
Photographs by N. R. Graves 
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HEN asters are mentioned, we are very apt to think only of and the name 
the annuals known as China asters, quite ignoring or propriateness, 
overlooking the fact that we 
have a large number of Ameri¬ 
can species which grow in pro¬ 
fusion in country roads and 
lanes, star the meadows, crowd 
along the old rail fences and 
tumbledown stone walls, out¬ 
line the winding course of the 
brook and adorn the edges of 
the woods. 
From a walk in the country 
in the late fall we return laden 
with these freshly blooming 
flowers, and a new realization 
that their feathery prettiness 
and abundant bloom added 
greatly to the beauty of the 
landscape as they gracefully 
swayed before the chilly winds'. ' 
When the early* ftp\vdrs*. are *.: 
past, there shou I’d, J:>e.V.fl,it>i»s to' ‘ 
fill their places' and ;k*eep up a 
succession of beauty, and the 
hardy asters can be relied upon 
for that. Late in the fall hen ^ 
the garden is nfearly ,*elejtt 5 t£fte*. t 
of bright colors ; when ,the*an-‘ 
nuals are mostly out of bloom 
and the trees and shrubs are 
becoming bare of leaves; when 
the dahlias show the effects of 
the frosts and hardy flowers of 
nearly all kinds are past their 
prime, then the perennial asters 
show forth in all their glory 
When the early flowers are gone the asters can be 
their places and keep up a succession of 
starwort (literally star of the earth) shows its ap- 
for the flowers shine brightly in contrast to the 
desolation around them, and 
they remain in bloom for 
weeks. After the severest and 
most prolonged storms, they 
shake the drops from their 
drooping branches and shine 
forth as brightly and cheerful¬ 
ly as ever, absolutely unharm¬ 
ed by the stress of the ele¬ 
ments. 
Not only do these autumn¬ 
blooming flowers give grace 
and beauty to the garden when 
other blossoms have vanished, 
but they are valuable as cut 
flowers, and it is worth while 
to cultivate them for that pur¬ 
pose alone. Combined with 
chrysanthemums, the drooping, 
feathery sprays of the asters 
produce a charming effect, and 
they harmonize with all the 
other late flowers. Their last¬ 
ing qualities, too, are unexcell¬ 
ed and they will remain fresh 
for several days at a time. As 
for colors, they may be had in 
all the soft and delicate tints 
between white and rose, blue 
and purple, and some of them 
have bright yellow or purplish 
brown centers. 
These hardy asters will grow 
relied upon to fill in any ordinary garden soil and 
beauty in almost any location. Some 
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