Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08


author of ''Old-Time Gardens Tavern and
Stage Coach Days. &c.
1t is one of the happy revivals of the
present love for old-time things and ways
that old-fashioned flowers once more re-
ceive their due And they fully repay all
the attention and interest and love which
is given to them. A garden of modern
flowers is costly to procure, and more cost
iy to keep and it is the fortune Of but
few in this world to possess. But all who
nave strip of earth that for season
they can call their own can have garden
of old-fashioned flowers.
And they are such happy things to have,
they cost so little, they grow so freely,
they bloom so readily, they need so little
care of the gardener. And with all the
splendid new flowers offered to us of late
years none seem able to eclipse our old
favorites. l know no new flowers that will
bring out such EXPLANATIONS of delight as
come at the sight of a fine row of pink
and yellow hollyhocks, a bunch of white
foXgloves or a tall spire of blue monks
mood In this appreciation and delight the
power of association has, with many, no
small part. The grown woman who in her
Childhood played with the hoilyhock bios
SONS and 'cheoses," or wore the foXglove
fingers for gloves, did not then love the
flowers so much for their beauty as for
this very power of memory ilumines the
hover with new beauty.
think no modern shrub among the
many beautiful treasures now offered to US
can ever awaken in our hearts the love we
feel for the lilac 1t has been said that
the love of the rose is so universal that it
seems to betoken some mysterious element
ana power which is inherent in the flower.
AND among folk of English speech | think
the lilac is almost equally loved All do not
like its scent, but all love it's flowers Per-
maps It's appearance as the first luXuriant
ana ample blossoning of springtime has
helped TO give US this affection. For think
1t is a safe assertion to make that all who
love flowers at all, love best the flowers of
spring. They are SO welcome after the
snow and sleet and cold. We regard them
with a love which is far purer and deeper
imam any sensuous enjoyment in their color
scent or shape. And to the old-fashioned
Hover of spring We turn as to old friends
whose characters we know and love. How
glad we are to See them again! How glad
We are to see the same flowers, No new
ones could seem so beautiful
God does not send strange flowers every year
Wien the spring winds blow DER the pleasant
The. same dear things lift up the same fair
faces N'A
The violet is here.
Fragrant Favorites.
The same dear things lift up the same
fair faces-the violet, snowdrop. anemone.
and grandmothers loved them; we want no
strange flowers. Much of the charm of the
old-fashioned garden was the interest felt
in each special plant The garden as n
whole, its color grouping, it's massing of
tints, its snowy brilIiancy, was never
thought of.
People who had gardens knew more then
or individual plants, knew how to care for
them; all were not treated in the same
way. There were favorites; special plants
We're specially beloved.
for, after all, the true pleasure of gar
dens, especially of old-fashioned flowers is
not the long, well-kept border and green
oreadths of lawn if the garden be great
nor the brilliancy of the flower beds and
us tflmness II the garden be small. The
true pleasure comes from the charm of in
d1vldual interest in each plant and bios
som 1t Is love akin to that borne to our
human friends; 1t impelS to return ca serlv
to the same garden and never to weary of
our 1aVor1te flowers. Such a garden is
dear to our soul.
Mahomet wrote, He that has two cakes
OF bread let him sell one Of them for flow
ers OF the narcissus, for bread is but food
Tor the body, while the narcissus blossom
is the food of the soul" With the long
and costly lists of narcissus and daffodls
furnished aus by our florists we are ant
literally to send our bread money for
pulps The varieties are hundreds in num-
Der and their beauty is never failing no
matter how they vary. Keats we'll named
them JOY forever. They are classic
flower and they have that wonderful md
intangible charm which classic forms ever
are able to exert on all who will study and
enter into the knowledge of such classi
clsm Another old-fashioned flower which
tests this power of classic form is the
shoWdrop. Every year the triumph of
It's simplicity is renewed No rich flower
OF the tropics can rival in our hearts the
cold loneliness, the severe restraint of this
blossom. 1t is a flower to study, to nom
der upon.
An old garden favorte was the crown
imperial, stately flower, whose crown
of fresh, green leaves and strong stem Of
flowers was ever so welcome Now cur
delicate noses are offended by it's rank
scent. and who now cherishes it in her
garden? -
HOIlyhOcks and Pinks.
1t would be a unanimous opinion of all
antiquaries, all flower lovers and all gar
deners, 1 am sure. that no garden could
be termed old-fashioned that did not con-
tain hollyhocks, and the old grass pink
seems equally Indispensable Star pink
and snow pink are other New England
names for the lovely fragrant little crea-
ture. 1t may be single and dark eyed or
it may be bursting with double fringed
petals but it has always the purest per
fume, a clearly perfume and purely vege-
table, with none Of the suggestion of ami
NAL scents that some flowers have Even
lilies seem feshly. The blush grassy leaves
of this pink make pretty edging and
give the border a truly old-time look, al
most as much so as box
l like the old-fashioned plain red and
plain yellow and pink and white striped
tulips, swaying so tail, far better than the
newer ones, such as the parrot tulips, which
look like red and yellow rags; though those
older still were more costly and curions
And l like the old fat-nal led simple dafrc-
dill, smelling like old spices, far better
than the ones with new resouuding names
And l like all the little old maids of the
pink family, sweet-williams and snow