The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-27

i, autumn. are what the suburbanit'
 wants. To be wholly satisfied with hi, efforts he must make such seiectior that when one set of blossoms goes tc seed another takes its place. And there is almost no limit as MT Cameron states, to the number oi hardy plants that the amateur can pro- fitably use in his garden. In fact the greatest danger is that he will select too many and choke tho open spaces of his central lawn. Flowers should be of tho nature of fringes or employed in small masses; the garden picture must have plain. unadorned. tracts where the eye will rest upon nothing but smooth green. ,'->
 A good sized list of these hardy plants has been prepared and. since 1t embodies the results of long experf- ence and experimentation at the Har- yard Botanical Garden. 1t is likely to be of considerable value to the anna teur gardener. MT. Cameron in some instances has to use the Latin names of these plants--as gardeners do all over the world--but the English Is giv- en where it may be. and often the everyday nickname of the flowers Is added Is
 Early among the bloomers that the amateur Is likely to be successful with are the Alyssum saxatyle. popularly known as golden tuft or gold dust; the nodding columbine-a particularly pret- ty species of which is the Rocky noun tain columbine. with its blue and white blossoms fitting well into the margin of a fixed border; the rock cress; the dwarf phlox whose proftse pinkish-purple and white blossoms come out in April and May; Jfcob's ladder: sweet William. belongihg to the same family of carnations and lifting dark purple and white flowers a good two feet above the soil; the blue harebell-Campanula carpartica the showy larkspur; bleeding heart Dicentra spectabilis-one of the most graceful hardy plants of the early summer; the bitter vetch, or Orobus. revealing beautiful purples and blues. with red veins and green-tinted keel; the scarlet Lychuis. or catchhy; prim- roses and cowslips; the brilliant pop pies. peonies and irises-in particular the German iris. which will flourish almost anywhere, and the Iris laebi- gata, Japanese importation that Is a particularly fine plant for the late summer and which requires more wa ter than the Teutonic kind needs.
 When profusion of color Is desired there are always the geranium sangui- nea, which creates good masses of red and, in June, the Baptisia australis, which bears fine racemes of blue. Of the compositae two excellent specimens are the Erigeron speciosus. otherwise known as the fieabane. with its great blossoms of violet purple measuring two inches or more across the top--and the Aster alpinus, the blue daisy of the early summer.
 rAx nlo al hnk tw which come up year after year-are es- pecially good for city backyards, be- cause they can be grown in artificial rock gardens or in the rough soil that is usually found in such places. The large-growing perennials are also very useful for producing a sub-tropical efN feet. For the latter purpose the su- burbanite should especially consider the sunfiower; the various Silphiums-em- bracing the compass plant the. cup plant and prairie dock; brownish Boco- nias: the Arundo donax. with its long, slender leaves! spikenard and other varieties of Aralia ;the Rheums. a kind which we regard as better adorn- ing pie-plate than a flower garden when we think of common rhubarb but which has numerous other varie- ties effective for commentators; the stately, graceful Sentaurea with it's silvery leaves: blue or white Eryn- giums, and the blue Echinops, belong ing to the end of summer.
 For lawn beds there are numerous hardy and half-hardy perennials that are attractive. In early spring one may consider Slime pendula and for get-me-nots: the phloxes and the 'Stel- white blossom. Then. while the sum mer is still young. the dwarf Vefoni- cas come in, followed by the pcohIGs and rises.
 For the late season there is a long list in which many old-time faVorttes appear One must include hero tie pale blue monkshead, the delicate aH- emone; the Helenium which puts eo .th its many-petalled yellow blossoms; the New England asters; black-eyed Si- sans; noble stone-crop, which puts forth its thick clusters in late sum mer and early autumn, in colors rang ing from a rosy nesh-tint through ,;ar- mine to shades of deep purple: tke day-lilies and the orange-yellow sun drops. And to such a list. the subur- banite must add in large letters the glorious foxgloves and nollyhocks.
 About the borders of flower beds the wise amateur will set out bulbous plants; Alliummoly. a brilliant, old time flower of the early summer; the delightful varieties of crocus, snoY- drops, hyacinths and lilies; the many species of narcissus meadow saffron. dainty Erythroniums. including the dog tooth; beautiful spring towering squills and brilliant tulips
 To make good use of these and many other growths all that Is needed. Mir Cameron says, is to start with good taste and a knowledge of when and where to plant the different seeds and and bulbs to best advantage The former asset is seemingly a difficult one to acquire, but the latter comes with long practice and study of man. uals, soils. fertilizers and the weather. And when next winters frosts come around the back yard gardener will find he has gained in health and knowl- edge and in the appreciation of things this for a small outlay