Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1913-06-05
CBy EBEN e. RExFoRD3

(By EBEN u. REXFORD)
Every season ! get letters from
women who love flowers, and take
great pride in their garden, asking If
! can't tell them about something
new" in the way of beds, or of some
new and desirable plants. They want
something "a little different" from
what their neighbors have.
Now there are always new plants,
novelties" the seedsmen call them
and almost invariably these plants are
introduced with a great flourish of
verbal trumpets. Whatever adjectives
are used in describing them are quite
sure to be in the superlative degree,
and 1t is not to be wondered at that
any fiower-loving persons curiosity is
excited by what the dealers have to
say about them, nor Is 1t at all strange
that many persons are tempted to in
vesting in the m. OF course one cannot
say anything as to the merits or de-
merits of these plants until they have
been tested.
Some of them prove to be valuable;
but, as general thing, they are of
thing about them after the second sea
son. Therefore, have to say to those
who ask advice about putting their
money into novelties" don't do 1t, I'M
less you have so much that you would
not mind the loss of what you invest.
Here is a suggestion for n bed that
ought to work up" well: Fill the cen
ter with Crimson Feather" Celosia.
Edge it with Uadome Sallero Gera-
num- The green and white foliage of
the latter ought to bring out the bril-
liant coloring of the Celosia with tell.
ing effect. Such bed as this is easily
made, and is a little out of the com.
mon.
Here is another suggestion that will,
If followed out, give you a wonderfully
brilliant bed. In order to secure the
best effects from it, 1t should be given
prominent location.
Center OF bed, scarlet saliva
Surround this with calliopsis, rich
golden yellow and brown.
Border the bed with scarlet and vel.
low coleus. setting the colors alternate
ly, or using a row of each. A bed OF
this kind will fairly blaze with color
at midsummer.
The annual phlox adapts itself to
some lovely combinations. Use the
pale pink, the delicate yellow and the
pure white varieties together, and
have a veritable poem of harmonious
colors. These can be arranged in
rows, in circles, or planted in masses,
to suit individual taste.
II win be readily understood, think,
that | am fonder of harmonious color
effects than | am OF a wide variety of
color A package of mixed sweet pea
seed will give you red. scarlet. purple,
carmine, pink, blue, yellow. lavender
and white flowers. But II you prefer,
instead, exquisite chords of color, you
will have to get packages of seed In
which each color is by itself. and Sc
lect from these the colors which COM
bine most satisfactorily.
An extremely brilliant bed can be
made with the petunia. But don't use
seed of mixed colors If you want the
best results. Fill the center with the
crimson or violet sorts, and edge the
bed with white varieties, In this way
you heighten the effect of each color
by contrast. If the two colors are scat
tered over the bed, in haphazard fash
ion, the effect will be too bizarre to be
pleasing.
The foliage should not be cut off
when green, but allowed to wither and
then be removed. Transplanting or
any division of the bulbs is best per
formed in July or August II this APP
Grafton is delayed until the fall more
or less injury or check to the new
growths must take place.
Sarcissi are hardy. They live in al