Evening star., 1955-09-11
BY W. H. YouNGMAN

There Is Q considerable array
OF perennials and ANIMALS that
can be used In the Washington
area to provide color In the fall
garden. Some, such as the
snowy petunias, reach their per-
fection ct that season while
others, such as the chrysanthe-
NUNS, normally put on their
1ioral parade for the gardeners
beginning in September and
continuing until frost. But there
are many others which we might
eonSider for that special showing.
The lovely dahlias, ranging In
size from the miniatures to those
of dinner plate size. come In an
equally bewildering array Of
forms and colors. Some. such as
the bedding dahlias-Unwin and
Coltness-are treated rs an
nuals. They provide q much
longer season Of bloom than
those commonly grown from
tubers.
Colorful Annuals
The list Of ANIMALS that con-
tinus their bloom until cut down
by frost contains many useful
kinds. Even the gaudy sinnia
viii bloom until frost If we but
protect 1t from the ravages Of
'.mildew."
Most of the ANIMALS need to
have their spent blooms removed
10 keep them Towering. They
are inSistent critters and will
keep on blooming until they set
seed. BY preventing seed for
nation We can get Q seaSon-long
show Of flowers. OF course they
must be watered during the dry
periods and win need to be fed
every two or three weeks. A
good mulch helps them along.
For the sunny yard the mari
colds, xinnias, petunias, Phlox
drummondi (bedding phlox). !.
snapdragons and cosmos are the
ANIMALS that are most likely to
be with you until frost.
FAN Blooming PerenniaIs
The fan blooming perennials
include such favorites as the
anemones (for the moist situa-
ton with morning sunlight) /:
the dwarf Physostegia, virginica
Vivid, and the taller Towering
Alba provide Q show and cut
flowers; the hardy asters nor
mally put on their display be-
ginning In September. and the
tall growing swamp aster (Bol-
tonia) which has taking ways,
unless ruthlessly confined TO one
corner, h too tall for the small
border.
Some viii say why not include
the lovely Veronica IN this List,
and well 1t might be for 1t does
provide scattered bloom at this
season. There are others that
also provide the blues that are 20
often missing In the fall garden.
The woody perennial, Caryop-
tefis, sometimes called blue
spirea, is . good one for mass
effect but may be q bit unde-
pendable. Sometimes q plant viii
last for years while in q neigh
boring yard It Is good for only
one season.
The weedy Eupatorium, some
times called perennial ageratum.
10 another perennial that II sx-
eellent for mass color effects with
Its ageratum-like blue flowers.
However, It has taking ways and
should be kept under control.
The perennial sunflowers con-
dnae to flower into the fall and
are desirable because OF their
daisy-like flowers. The annual
Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)
has orange hued blossoms that
last very well when cut. It Is
too tall for most gardens but
the dwarf variety, Torch, is Of
moderate size.
But without q doubt . good
selection Of Chrysanthemums
provides the best show and sup
ply OF cut6owers. However, the
better varieties cannot be
neglected If they are to produce
the quality Of bloom that Is 50
desirable. Each variety has its
particular season Of bloom and
10 it takes several varieties to