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Fourteen Favorites Among the Perennials: Myosotis

Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) No spring garden is quite complete without the blue of forget-me-nots. They are especially delightful used as a bedding for tulips and narcissus, and they should be planted in generous quantities.

Forget-me-nots are easily grown from seed and when once established in a garden they reseed themselves so readily that one seldom has to worry about replenishing one's supply of plants. The seed should be sown from June to August and the young plants may either be wintered over in a cold frame or set out in the garden in the autumn. On the whole they prefer a damp, woodsy soil, but will usually settle down quite contentedly in almost any garden spot. There are numerous types and varieties:- Myosotis alpestris is the alpine forget-me-not, particularly suited to the rock garden. The plants are of dwarf habit, five to seven inches in height, and bear a profusion of azure-blue flowers. Victoria is an improved variety of the alpestris type.

Myosotis dissitiflora is the large-flowered early type, the most valuable of all for general garden planting. The flowers are of a slightly paler blue than some of the other types and are borne in graceful sprays, reaching a height of eight to nine inches. Its period of flowering is from April into June and it is particularly useful for combinations with the May-flowering tulips. It is biennial in habit but reseeds in amazingly accommodating fashion. Myosotis palustris semperflorens is the true perennial water forget-me-not, the one found so often growing along the banks of shallow streams. It produces large rich blue flowers in great abundance from early spring through the summer. It reaches a height of about nine inches and is particularly valuable for naturalizing in moist situations and in partial shade. Foxgloves (Digitalis) Although foxgloves are most happily at home in a partially shaded, natural setting, blooming along a fringe of forest or bordering a woodland path, they adapt themselves contentedly to an open, sunny border, where they add a note of dignity and distinction.

Foxgloves are grown very easily from seed and are most successful when treated as biennials. The seed should be sown in June or July and the young plants should be wintered over in a cold frame, being set in their permanent position very early in the spring.

Hollyhocks (Althaea rosea) It seems as if there were no other garden picture which quite compares with a row of hollyhocks against a bit of old wall or in some simple country dooryard. They are vigorous growers and thrive under adverse conditions. If, however, they were asked what kind of soil they really prefer, they would undoubtedly say that a deep, rich loam suits them best, and one will find that they generously repay any special attentions lavished upon them. The seeds may be sown in early spring or during the summer months and the seedlings should be moved to their permanent position when small. Older plants are difficult to transplant successfully because of their long, fleshy taproot.

Some new single varieties of delicate pastel shades have recently been put on the market, which are unusually beautiful. In buying plants from a nursery one should take care to see that they are free form rust, the most dreaded of hollyhock diseases.

Hollyhock Rust. No measure of absolute control has been found for hollyhock rust. It is a case in which an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There has come to us recently from England a suggested remedy which in many cases proves effectual as a measure of relief: "Slack one peck of lime and when cool add one peck of soot, one pound of flowers of sulphur, and half an ounce of sulphate of copper, finely powdered. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and dust the plants well over with it three or four times during the growing season, preferably early in the day while the dew is still on." Iris How generously does the iris repay one's labors! It is so lavish with bloom, so happy and contented an inhabitant of the garden.

And such colors as one finds in some of the newer introductions! With the soft lavender-blue of Celeste and Lady Foster and the deeper tones of Albert Victor and Ballerine, with the demure loveliness of Quaker Lady and the rare, exquisite shadings of Mme. Cheri-what delightful contrasts and joyous combinations can be had!

One's first acquaintance with the iris family is usually through the common, bearded, rhizomatous group, known incorrectly in garden parlance as the German iris or flag. And when one has once discovered their charms and has come to know something of their sterling qualities, one's next step is to go adventuring and to make friends with some of the other members of the family. The friendship of the Sibiricas with their slender, grasslike foliage and decorative blooms is particularly well worth cultivating. And some of the dwarf irises are very charming-the Pumilas, with their blossoms borne so close to the earth, and the demure little crested iris. The Japanese irises are fast gaining in popularity and many of the bulbous forms, Spanish, English, and Dutch, are well worth trying.