Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-05-17
gadies' Column.
WHAT SHALL WE PLANT IN
OUR FLOWER BEDS?

With the lenthening days of March
come the florists catalogues. brilliant
with colored plates of novelties so
novel, in fact, that their like was never
seen elsewhere. And already We cast
longing glances at the fower-beds, now
so sere and brown, and fancy them
covered with lovely flowers, odorous with
perfume, and then comes the question,
What shall we plant this coming spring?
And how shall we arrange our beds of
ANNALS, shrubs, beddfng-out plants and
bulbs ? For no garden is complete with
out all these beauties. None of them
can be left out of our collection each
has its own peculear niche to fill. 1t is
surprising what rich returns of happi-
ness a small investment of money in
seeds and plants and small amount of
time and labor will secure. Even dol
lars worth of ANNALS will make small
plat of ground ''a thing of beauty" And
they can be planted early IN April, in
boxes placed in warm south window,
where they will quickly terminate. and
when the second row of leaves appear
they can be transplanted into pots and
left to grow until the May sunshine in
yites them to come out of doors and take
their places in the garden. By this
means one can have flowers in June that
will continue to blossom until autumn,
if they are not allowed to 60 to seed.
Novelties" always possess great at
fractions for American gardeners. in
spite of their tendency to disappoint-
ment. 1t is such great pleasure to
anticipate something rich and rare in the
fower-garden, and to watch the unfold
ing of leaf and bud that, even when the
flower fails to fulfil the promise held
out by the florist, we are not angry at
the failure.
Asters shall have the precedence, not
alone because their initial letter COM
mences the list, but because they are so
brightly beautiful in the autumn, and
hold their own even after the blighting
touch of the first frost. The black-blue
dwarf ony-fowered aster is really
new color in asters, being dark indigo
blue. 1t grows only 10 or IL inches in
height, and will prove very effective as
bedding-out plant, when contrasted with
the rose and white aster of the same
dwarf habit and p@ony-like flowers.
There are also two new colored asters
silver gray and white rose of the Wash
ington variety, which produce enor-
nous flowers from four to six inches in
diameter.
In candytufts the new carmine is a
desirable flower of vivid red, that con-
trasts charmingly with the old white
variety. and being of dwarf, compact
habit, will make fine bordering to beds
of gladiolas or verbenas.
Motaricdr10 Erimia is an improve
ment on the double white feverfew with
beautiful foliage curled like double
parsley which is so often used for green
leaves with yerbenas and balsams.
The delicious little darling mignonette
has also been improved by the florists,
when there did not seem to be possible
ity of improvement, and "The Prize"
claims to be fully twice the size of the
old variety, while it holds its precious
fragrance undated.
Sweet peas, which are as indispensable
as mignonette, are now grown in
variety of shades, and the Butterfly"
sweet pea is white variegated with Law
ender blue, and possesses the same ro-
bust habit and sweetness as the old
favorite painted Lady,"
There are also two novelties" in ever
lasting flowers for winter bouquets-with
many syllabled names-viz: Xeranthe-
mann amman Superbdssimam and Xeran-
them~ns AMMAN superbissimtm fore
alba-which is said to be of globular
shape and very beautiful for wreahs
and crosses, especially the latter variety,
which is of pearly white hue.