r surround them with Madonna lilies, a fringe of spirea, or the
slender _Deutzia gracilis_, more frequently seen in florists' windows
than in the garden, and a new meaning is given the blue flower; the
black shadows disappear from its depth and sky reflections replace them.

The blue-fringed gentian, growing deep among the dark grasses of low
meadows, may be passed over without enthusiasm as a dull purplish flower
by one to whom its possibilities are unknown; but come upon it
backgrounded by Michaelmas daisies or standing alone in a meadow thick
strewn with the white stars of grass of Parnassus or wands of crystal
ladies' tresses, and all at once it becomes,--

"Blue, blue, as if the sky let fall
A flower from its cerulean wall!"

The same white setting enhances the brighter colours, though in a less
degree than blue, which is, next to magenta, one of the most difficult
colours to place in the garden. In view of this fact it is not strange
that it is a comparatively unusual hue in the flower world and a very
rare one among our neighbourly eastern birds, the only three that wear
it conspicuously being the bluebird, indigo bird, and the bluejay.

It is this useful quality as a setting that gives value to many white
flowers lacking intrinsic beauty, like sweet alyssum, candy-tuft, the
yarrows, and the double feverfew. In buying seeds of flowers in mixed
varieties, such as asters, verbenas, Sweet-William, pansies, or any
flower in short that has a white variety, it is always safe to buy a
single packet of the latter, because I have often noticed that the usual
mixtures, for some reason, are generally shy not only of the white but
often of the very lightest tints as well.

In selecting asters the average woman gardener may not be prepared to
buy the eight or ten different types that please her fancy in as many
separate colours; a mixture of each must suffice, but a packet of white
of each type should be added if the best results are to be achieved.

The same applies to sweet peas when planted in mixture; at least six
ounces of either pure white or very light, and therefore quasi-neutral
tints harmonizing with all darker colours, should be added. For it is in
the lighter tints of this flower that its butterfly characteristics are
developed. Keats had not the heavy deep-hued or striped varieties in
mind when he wrote of

"... Sweet Peas on tiptoe for a flight,
With wings of gentle flush: o'er delicate white,