FlowGrs. 
SUMMER FEIENDS. 
Wriiten for The American Garden. 
15V E. A. MATTIERS. 
The birds have gone, all gone aiyay, 
And never said “good bye;” 
It makes me feel so sad to-day 
That I could almost cry. 
When did they go, at morn or night ? 
And were they all together? 
The wren, and robin, bluebirds bright. 
And birds of every feather? 
Is there some sign the birds all know, 
A blossom or a star. 
That warns Oiem of the coming snow. 
And bids them fly afar? 
Oh, Mamma! will they come again. 
The very same next year? 
“Aye, they will come, in .spring's glad train 
Ton’ll find them all, my dear. 
“There’s not a sparrow of the band 
Unmarked by God may flill. 
Within the hollow of his hand 
He holds them, great and small.” 
Just because they were not ‘ f 
enough in the fall! All Lilies that inake^ 
autumn growth should be planted not 1 ate 
than the first of October n order that ^ey 
get sufficient time before the gi oui 
te make their necessary amount of g.on^’ 
This is especially applicable to Lilmm candi 
* The soil best adapted for Lilies of all Uinds 
a good, friable loam, having thoroughly 
lorporated with it a good quantity ol ricn. 
Sec tliat it is wall 
to bulbs 
OCTOBER Iff THE FLOWER OARDEN. 
In all horticultural pursuits we have to 
liveiu some degree iu the future: to-day we 
have to plant for pleasures to be enjoyed six 
months hence. The beautiful beds of flowers 
now soon passing a waixhad to be arranged and 
planted last spring. So it is all through the 
year, the work done is for future enjoyments. 
HKRBACEOUS PLANTS. 
Gather all seeds of deseiwing herbaceous 
plants, such as Campanulas, Foxgloves, Pop¬ 
pies, Delphinunis, etc., and sow imiuediately 
iu some well-drained, well-manured border 
or bed. More and more every year are these 
hardy perennial and biennial plants being 
cultivated. In the neighborhood of Boston— 
that center of .‘Esthetic Gardening—this 
summer I saw some of the finest displays of 
herbaceous plants I evei- had tlie good for¬ 
tune to beliold anywhere. 
I do not advise the planting of herbaceous 
plants in beds where a constant glare of 
color in flower and foliage is wanted during 
the summer, but everyone should have a 
hed or border foi- just such ])lants as arc 
hardy, and give a plentiful supply of flowers 
during their season. 
By judicious care in selecting successive 
kinds, some may be had in blossom from the 
time the beautiful Snowdrop, Huhj.rahux ni¬ 
valin, and inany-coloj'cd Crocuses appear on 
the first appro.ach of spring, until November 
fro.sts have nijjped the last Phlox anrl Aster. 
CA.MPAXL'LA.S. 
Some kinds of Campanula growing in the 
Botanic Gardnis, Cambridge, jind also in the 
private garden of .Miss Gore, .\nt|over, ,Mass,_, 
were most beautiliil objects, riv;illing even 
the Gloxinia in eoloi’ and beauty of form. 
.Mr. \Ve.ston, the gardener, says they are of 
the easiest culture and for some kinris of 
floral work are remarkably 5vell sidaj^ted, 
enduring for a long time after being cut and 
producing theii- flowei's in the greatest abun¬ 
dance. By sowing the secals early in tlie 
fall they form large, strong j^lants foi- next 
summer’s blooming. 
LILIES. 
Often the question is asked, “Why is it my 
l/ilies flower so spai-ingly after being tran.s- 
planted in a widl-maniired and othei'wi.se 
well-cared-for bed in the fall'r” 
IS a 
iiicor 
decomposed cow-manure, 
rotted, as nothing is more injurious 
than fresh manure of any kind coming m 
contact with them. Also perfect drainage 
is necessary for their successful gi-owth. 
AVhen too much water remains in the soil, 
decay of the bulbs is the result. 
Plant the bulbs about six inches deep and 
have the surface of the bed so rounded that 
no surface water can remain upon it. Be¬ 
fore hard frosts are felt give the hed a. good 
covering with manure oi' leaves: this gieatl}’ 
helps iu making them start strongei' in the 
spring and produce flowers more pi’ofusely. 
SI’IU.NG FLOWERS. 
For early spring-flowering sow seeds of 
Phlox Drumm.oniiii, Pansy, Double Daisy 
and Forget-me-not. Sow in a sheltered 
spot where they can be watered and shaded 
until large enough to have a good start. 
The smallness of the seeds of the Daisy and 
Forget-me-not requires to have the soil raked 
very fine and then sown on the surface and 
but slightly covered. Sow thin enough to 
allow the plants room to get a good .size 
before frost sets in. 
It is the better way to let them remain in 
the seed bed over winter; then just as soon 
as the frost gets out of the ground, plant 
where they are to flower, giving good, rich 
soil and a dry position. 
They all require winter protection of 
some kind which has to be put on with cau¬ 
tion. With too much of it, or if it lie too close 
on the plants, they are apt to be smothered. 
Have some material which shall shelter them 
from the cold wimls and the. dii-ect rays of 
the sun, but sulliciently porous to allow a 
free circulation of air ai'ound the plants. 
iJAIILtAS. 
Examine all the Dahlias and see that each 
plant is projierly hdadled. Nothing is more 
annoying than when spring comes, and time 
for propagation ai-rives, to find the Dahlias 
all mixeil up without a label todcsign.-ite one 
kind from another. ** 
nact dwarf-growing Kina, producing its 
on short stems, is the best kind to 
se for edging beds, the best, indeed, for 
auv use, except where the plant is grown 
exclusively for bouquet work. It makes a 
most cliarming house-plant if care is taken 
to keep off the red spider. T’o prevent this, 
the foliage must be sprinkled, or syringed, 
daily. As the foliage forms a dense mass, , 
completely covering the surface of the soil 
in the pot, an ordinary sprinkling will not 
•luswcr, and I find the most cflective way to 
'o-et plenty of moisture to the undei- side of 
leaves, where it is most needed, is to dip the 
plant iu a pail of water. Then you are sure 
to o-et to the spider’s lurking places, and he 
will soon vacate them, if this treatment is 
kept up. Unless you do this, your plants 
will soon be ruined. 
On account of its soft, rich color, one sel¬ 
dom met with among flowers,—it is very 
useful for bouquets. T’he delicate shades 
combine and hfirmonize delightfidly with 
almost another colors, forming a fine con¬ 
trast, and thus heightening the effect. 
A. Sanneauxii is pink, a compact grower, 
and a good bloomer, but hardly as fine as the 
two other varieties named. 
It is a good plan to start the seed in the 
bouse, (luite early iu the season. For rib¬ 
bon-gardening, where stripes or masses of 
solid color arc desirable, it is one of the best 
amiiial flowers we have. E. E. Re.xfoku. 
FAILURES WITH LILY OF THE VALLEY. 
.A frequent cause of failure with this 
cliarming plant is that the .roots are planted 
too deep. The crowns should be just level 
with or but very little lielow the surface of 
the ground. .Vnotber cause of failure is 
having them too crowded, in which case 
leaf growth takes the place of flowers. 
Trans[)lanthig or thinning out is the remedy 
in the latter case. A liberal dressing of yard 
mauui-e in the fall docs them a world of 
good. It gi'ows almost anywhere in the 
shade, but usually iloos not flower till it has 
become well established. It spreads rapidly, 
and the roots love to be let alone. 
THE AQERATUM, 
'I'he Ageratiim is a .Mexican flower. It is 
not a nhiiirii pliint. but it is a very bemitiful 
one, for all that, and any lover of real beauty 
will prize it nnicli more than he will many 
of the more brilliant garden favorites. The 
llowei's are made np of line, thread-like pet¬ 
als, which gives it a brnsh-like !ippearane('. 
'fhey ai'(! borne in (mnqiact c.luslers, and are, 
very freely prodneeil all through the .season. 
It is nnieh n.sed by florists in cut-flower 
work, smd in the garilen it is one of our best 
plants for use as a bord(!i' for be.ds, espcsiial- 
ly the dwarf varieties. 
A. Miviraumn, the Ixist known variety, is 
a rich blue in (joior. It grows to the luflght 
of a foot, and branches freely. 
Tom Tliiiml, is (d' a lighter bhu!, so mueh 
so as to be almo.st a lavender. This eoni- 
MILLA BIFLORA. 
In all descriptions of this beautiful Mexi¬ 
can ludbous i)lant we have seen, it is stated 
tluU, “the flowers arc iu pairs," as also the 
botanic.'d name wo\dd iudicide. This is evi- 
(hmtly a misnomer, as iimong many hundreds 
of plants we have seen this suitimer, the 
majority of llower-.stalks had more than two, 
many from live to .seven blossoms. This 
does fortunal(!ly not detract from its beauty. 
It is a ehai'iuing plant, with pure white flow¬ 
ers of delieide fragrance, and slender, rush- 
lik(! Icav(!s. The hidbs have to he planted 
in siu'ing, taken up in autunsn hcl’ore heavy 
fi-osts occur, and generally (.reated similar 
to 'I’igridlas. Wlsen better known this piant 
will, no doubt, enjoy gi'oat inquilarity. 
I igridias. Tuberoses, Colocasias and all 
tender bulbs have to he taken up after the 
first Irost. Th(\y hiive to he thoroughly 
dried and stored in a place not below 'Ith’. 
Idly ste.ms, after the flowers have faded, 
do not |ires(!nl, a very attractive appearance, 
ne.vertheless they should not he cut off uuUl 
they are entlrcdy dry, „s the foliage assists 
the. bulb In perlVeting its maturity. 
