“Who would wish a wild-flower garden without violets?  The little sweet wood ones, the big horse shoes, the rare white, and more rare yellow—­any and all are worth our while!  Violets, at least the most of them, prefer not to be huddled away.  I wonder why, when people think of transplanting violets, a dull, dark, moist spot immediately comes to mind?  Violets like the sun, like good soil, and plenty of air.  Some violets are found in the swamps, but did you happen to notice what long stems they have?  Why?  The reason is to raise the lovely flowers into the light.  Nothing could be sweeter or more satisfactory than a violet bed.  I rather like violets bedded by themselves.  They fill in corners beautifully.  They grow gladly about trees.  They adorn borders.  You may cover them, in the fall or not as you like.  They are not fussy.  Take a north corner at school, a corner not wholly shaded by any means—­fill that in solid with violet plants in the fall.  That corner always will be a thing of real beauty.

“The bellflower coming in May blooms on until September.  The flower is blue, purple or violet.  It is a flower found in dry places, on grassy slopes, along hillsides, and is common to most localities.

“I have a sneaking fondness for mullein.  One or two stalks of it give a charming effect in the garden.  Its yellow flowers, its tall flower stalk, the thick, hairy leaves—­all these are its charms.  It is said that these same hairy leaves were used as wicks by the ancients.  Anyway, the flowers themselves on the tall stalks that often reach to seven feet, look like gleaming lights on a torch.  The mullein has a simple dignity.  It grows in the dry fields and along roadsides.  So you see it is by no means particular about its habitat, its place of abode.

“Another tall plant is the foxglove.  The flowers are gathered together in a sort of spike at the end of the stalk, are large and yellow and really lovely.  The plant grows to about four feet in height.  It has a bad habit, this downy false foxglove, of absorbing some of its nourishment from the roots of plants near which it stands.  This plant, too, is fond of dry places.

“A very gay flower, intensely red, is the bee balm.  It is an herb, and a perennial.  It is often called Oswego tea, because the Indians are supposed to have used it for tea.  Then, again, you will hear it called Indian’s plume.  This name seems most suitable.  I can just imagine a chief strutting around with this gay plume on his head.  It likes a somewhat secluded, moist, shady, cool place.  I think it would be possible for some of you to make it grow at home.  For colour it would be invaluable.  The cardinal flower is the only flower more gaudy in red than this bee balm.