186 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
March, 1914 
combine, but 
does very well 
with the com¬ 
mon strain of 
sweet william, 
Centra nthus, 
and plenty 0 f 
white. It is in 
itself a most 
decorative flow¬ 
er, and should 
by no means be 
barred because 
of its color; it is 
worth “manag¬ 
ing.” 
There are good 
crimso n and 
crimson - and- 
white sweet 
williams of dif¬ 
ferent shades; 
the best is de¬ 
scribed in some 
catalo gues as 
"black - crim¬ 
son,” and it is a 
most wonderful 
deep color, like 
black ox-heart 
cherry. It is 
best to raise this 
seed, and re- 
m embe r, too, 
the celerity with which it will revert if left too near the 
ordinary kinds. Mine came from seed from Anne Hatha¬ 
way’s garden ; the seedlings were given me by an enthusias¬ 
tic and well-known writer on old-fashioned gardens. This 
deep crimson is the oldest variety of this long-loved flower. 
The truest crimson I know is the bee balm (Monarda 
didyma). The flower heads are ragged looking, but are 
most decorative; the leaves are a good soft green, and have 
the delightful bergamot odor. The plants increase rapidly, 
and have a long season bloom, beginning patriotically just 
in time to be put in the Fourth of July bouquet (which is 
always composed of bee balm, cornflowers and wild car¬ 
rot), and lasting well into August, which makes it a very 
valuable asset in color scheming. 
I have but little to say on the subject of the wonderful 
tribe of lilies, because I have had no experience with any except 
L. Candidum and L. speciosmn roseum, but there are many crim¬ 
son varieties listed, and I have seen beautiful ones in a number 
of gardens. “Unless otherwise specified,” a crimson lily is crim¬ 
son, too, as a rule, for there is not that tendency to magenta that 
one must fight in other flowers, and the crimson and scarlet classes 
are apt to be truthfully divided and described. There are most 
wonderful and beautiful crimson amaryllis, but these are not quite 
practical for the open border. 
The common strain of Chinese and Japanese pinks (Dianthus 
Chinese and Heddezvegii ) are usually sold in mixture, and are 
a delightful combination of deep crimson, pink and white, and 
they are to me most attractive flowers; they have a faint, clean 
fragrance quite distinctive, though very delicate, “like the fleeting; 
fragrance of a dream.” 
The cardinal flower (lobelia cardinalis ), which will not flourish 
everywhere, but needs shade and moisture for its roots, is a most 
beautiful bright red, like a delicate spire of crimson flame; it 
actually flickers, so airy is its form. Put it in a corner of dark, 
overshadowing foliage, and feel its fire. 
There are good 
crimson h o 11 y- 
hocks; some of 
them as dark as 
Anne Hatha- 
w a y's sweet 
william, and 
some a 
shade. There is 
an exceedingly 
good crimson 
Snapdragon, and 
one of a deeper 
maroon shade. 
There are some 
fine crimson 
dahlias ; Brutus 
Some of the best reds are found in the velvety 
flowers of the improved nasturtiums 
Scabosla, or mourning bride, has a rich, dark crimson 
that in some blossoms approaches black 
The African marigold in orange 
shades does not combine with 
the reds 
is a good one of the cac¬ 
tus type, and the Em¬ 
press of Austria is an¬ 
other, but darker. Cu¬ 
ban Giant is a good 
crimson show dahlia, 
and Crimson “Century" 
a fine single. There are 
many other really fine 
ones in the different 
types. 
There are a few crim- 
