CHAPTER V_Gardening for Little Girls

Flowers that come up Every Year by Themselves (Perennials)

No, the heart that has truly lov'd never forgets,

But as truly loves on to the close;

As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets

The same look which she turn'd when he rose.

--_Moore._

THAT big word ARISTOCRACY simply means "those who rise above the rest of

the community in any important respect,"--and rightly, indeed, are the

perennials called "the aristocrats of the garden." They are strong and

sturdy (good points in both people and flowers), and can be depended on

to appear about a certain time, make us a nice visit with all their

loveliest clothes, and show their appreciation of our attention and care

by returning every season with increased beauty and grace.

A few of the perennials, such as the peony and the iris, grow so slowly

that generally people haven't the patience to wait for them to flower

from seed, and instead try to get some roots from their more fortunate

friends, or buy from a florist. But I will tell you more about this

class in connection with the bulb and tuber families.

THE SEED BED

While a small number of these beauties will bloom the first year if

started early in the spring, most of them make their debut in garden

society the second summer. Before that they have to be watched, or they

might meet with accident. A good way, therefore, is to have a little bed

(preferably a cold frame) for a seed nursery off to one side, in a safe

place, where the baby plants can be cared for, protected from cold, and

tended like the infants they are, until grown up and old enough to enter

the society of bed or border. In such a place the seeds should be

planted in fine, rich soil, preferably from the middle of May to the 1st

of July, and all carefully marked. Sow thinly, and then cover the seed

by sifting over with fine soil from 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Sprinkle very

lightly by means of a whisk broom dipped in water, so as not to wash out

the seed, and if you possibly can, cover with a piece of glass. Keep in

the shade at first, and never let dry out. Some of this seed will

germinate in less than a week, while some may take so long that you will

think it is not going to grow at all! But don't give up; and maybe some

day when you have forgotten all about it, you will discover a lot of new

babies in your nursery.

TRANSPLANTING PERENNIALS

As soon as your seedlings are big and strong enough to be handled, they

must be carefully lifted and set in another part of the nursery, not

less than 3 inches apart, protected from the hot sun, and left until

they become strong, sturdy children. Then early in the fall, before the

middle of September, you can take them up very gently, without

disturbing their tiny rootlets, and put them with their friends and

relatives in the garden, wherever you wish them to bloom the following

summer.

Of course you couldn't,--and you wouldn't want to grow everything you

ever saw or heard about! Just think of the fun, however, of picking out

a small number that will be sure to give you flowers, one after another,

from earliest spring until cold weather! Yet the following list,

suggested by one authority, is easy to get and little trouble to care

for:

PERENNIALS FOR A WHOLE SEASON'S BLOOM

Creeping Phlox (_Phlox subulata_); white, rose, lavender; bloom

April and May.

Lily-of-the-Valley (_Convallaria majalis_); white; May, June.

Bleeding Heart (_Dicentra spectabilis_); rose pink; April through

June.

Iris (_Fleur-de-lis_); white, purple, yellow; April to July.

Peony (_Paeonia officinalis_); white, rose to crimson; May, June.

Larkspur (_Delphinium_); blues; June, July, September.

Balloon Flower (_Platycodon_); blue, purple, white; July to October.

Phlox, Hardy (_Phlox paniculata_); no blue nor real yellow; June

through September.

Golden Glow (_Rudbeckia laciniata_); yellow; August.

Blanket Flower (_Gaillardia aristata_); yellow, red; July to

October.

Boltonia (_Boltonia latisquama_); lilac; August to October.

Sunflower (_Helianthus_); yellow; July to October.

[Illustration: KIM AND COLUMBINE]

The fault that I would find with the gentleman's list is that he has

omitted chrysanthemums, which could be substituted for sunflowers to

most people's satisfaction,--and which also would bloom as late as

November. Also I should prefer columbine to his bleeding hearts,--and

the golden-spurred variety will bloom from early May to early August!

Above all, instead of boltonia, I would use the adorable snapdragons,

which, although considered a "tender perennial," will survive cold

weather if well protected.

But then, as I once heard, "A man's garden is like his wife, whom he

never would think of comparing with anybody else's." So you don't have

to follow any one's choice. Just make a list of the flowers that you

like, find out when they bloom, and then choose as few or as many as you

have room for, remembering to plan for something lovely every month of

the blooming season.

One note of warning, however. After you have made your list, consult

some friend that is a successful gardener, and make sure that what you

have chosen will thrive in your particular locality. If you find it does

not, strike it off, and put in something that will.

FLOWERS THAT COME UP EVERY YEAR BY THEMSELVES

A GUIDE TO THE COMMON PERENNIALS

NOTE.--A few of these will blossom the first summer, if started early.

Also, some varieties of the same plant will flower in the spring, others

in the fall. Make sure which kind you get.

------------------+--------+-------+-------+--------+-----------+------+----------

| | | SOW | SOW | | |BLOOMING

------------------+--------+-------+-------+--------+-----------+------+----------

| | | | | | |

(_Anemone |White | 4 ft. | | June |Bed |shade | Oct.

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Baby's Breath |White |2 to | | May |Rockery | Sun |June,

Balloon Flower |White |1 to | | May |Border | Sun |July to

| | | | | | |

Begonia, Hardy |White |1 to | | May |Border | Sun |June to

| | | | | | |

Bellflower |White |1 to | | May |Border | Sun |June,

| | | | | | |

[A]Blanket Flower |Red |3 to | | May |Border | Sun |July to

(_Gaillardia | Yellow |5 ft. | | June |Bed | |Oct.

| | | | | | |

Bleeding Heart |Pink | 2 ft. | | May |Border |Likes |May,

| | | | | | |

Boltonia |Lilac |2 to | | May |Border | Sun |Aug. to

(_Boltonia | | 6 ft. | | June |Bed | | Oct.

| | | | | | |

Candytuft, Hardy |White |6 to | | May |Border | Sun |April,

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Chrysanthemum, |No |2 to | | May |Border | Sun |Sept. to

Hardy |blue | 3 ft. | | June | Bed | | Nov.

| | | | | | |

Columbine |All |2 to | | May |Rockery | Sun |May to

(_Aguilegia_) |shades | 4 ft. | | June |Bed | | Aug.

| | | | | | |

Coreopsis |Yellow |1 to | | May |Border | Sun |June to

(_Coreopsis | | 2 ft. | | June |Bed | | Oct.

| | | | | | |

Daisy, English |Pink |3 to | | May |Bed | Sun |April to

| | | | | | |

(_Delphinium |to | 6 ft. | | June |Bed | |July, Sep.

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Golden Glow |Yellow | 6 to | | May |Back of | Sun |July to

| | | | | | |

[B]Hollyhock |All | 4 to | | May |Back of | Sun |July,

| | | | | | |

Iris |White | 1 to | | May |Border | Sun |May to

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Lupin |White | 2 to | | May |Border |Sun or|May,

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Mullein Pink |White |1 to | | May |Border |Sun |June,

(_Lychnis |Red | 3 ft. | | June |Bed | |July

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

(_Viola |Blue | 8 in. | | May |Bed |half |summer,

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Phlox, Perennial |No blue |2 to |Slow | May |Border | Sun |Aug.,

(_Phlox | or | 3 ft. | | June | Bed | |Sept.

(_Phlox |White |2 in. | | May |Carpeting | Sun |April,

| | | | | | |

Pink, Grass |White |1 ft. | | May |Rockery | Sun |May,

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

(_Papaver |Red | | | May |Bed | | Oct.

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Pyrethrum |White |3 ft. | | May |Border | Sun |June,

| | | | | | |

[A]Rocket, Sweet |White |2 to | | May |Border | Sun |June to

(_Hesperis_) |to | 3 ft. | | June |Clump | | Aug.

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

Salvia |White |2 to | | May |Border | Sun |May to

| | | | | | |

(_Antirrhinum_) |blues | 3 ft. | | |Bed | | Oct.

| | | | | | |

Sunflower |Yellow |2 to | | May |Back of | Sun |Sept. to

| | | | | | |

[E]Sweet William |White |1 ft. | | May |Border | Sun |June to

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

[G]Wallflower |Yellows | 1 to | | May |Rock |Part |May

| and | | | |border | |

| | | | | | |

------------------+--------+-------+-------+--------+-----------+------+----------

FOOTNOTES:

[E] Will bloom the first year from seed sown in March.

[F] Perennial in the South, but should be grown annually in the North.

[G] Really a biennial.