g necessary to do is to transplant those not in
the situation you desire them to bloom in. _Rudbeckia triloba_, one of
the Black-eyed Susan type, is not only a good example of this class,
but a charming plant that all should grow, and, moreover, it is a very
accommodating one, doing splendidly in semi-shady places, such as north
of buildings or under weeping trees like the rose-flowered Japanese
weeping cherry. It is at home in full sunshine where it will form a
broadly rounded, bushy plant about three feet in diameter and, when in
full bloom, with its myriad of black-eyed flowers, it can dispel the
worst case of melancholia a dyspeptic ever enjoyed. It requires a good
open, rather light soil to do itself justice. If lifted when in full
bloom, put into a ten-inch pot, well soaked at the roots, and set aside
for a few hours away from sun and wind, it will last for two weeks as a
porch or house plant.

We hear a good deal about the gardens of our grandmothers, perennial
gardens, in which the plants outlived the flagstones at the house door.

With a few exceptions, perennials are not long-lived. The gas plant,
peonies, some of the iris, day lilies, and a few others, seem
permanent.

The usual run require to be taken up about every two or three years and
divided. There are two reasons for this. In the first place, the roots
have exhausted all the food within reach and, again, the main crown,
from which spring the blooming shoots, dies from exhaustion. At the
outer edge of this decay is generally a fringe of "live matter" which,
if taken up, separate from the decayed center, divided, and reset in
good soil, will rejuvenate itself, and soon form a new plant.

In unfavorable sections the Texas gaillardia will lose its crown during
winter, and the anxious novice watches impatiently in the spring for
its reappearance, and finally digs it up only to find that while the
crown is decayed the roots are alive, and here and there, on these, new
plant buds are forming which, if not disturbed, would soon make good
plants, probably not placed, however, just where wanted. Nurserymen
often avail themselves of this peculiarity and increase their stock by
taking up a plant, cutting the roots into small sections, and growing
them separately.

[Illustration: The German iris is one of the most beautiful forms in
the flower world and it will flourish in practically any moderately
good soil]

We must remember that nine-tenths of the plants