THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 171 



drabas, epitnedinms, gentianas, irises ; it was a feast of reason and a 

 flow of soul. Plants that were not in flower pleased us almost as 

 much as those that were. We saw the tender sprays of the woodruff 

 rising under the thorn-trees, and knew that when croquet days 

 began there would be vast sheets of its elegant snow-white flowers 

 for sweetening the wardrobe, or conveying your blessing into the 

 heart of a distant friend, by putting a sprig of it into a letter. The 

 crimson-tinted shoots of tlie pa;onies always gave a new jerk to 

 our conversatiou, for here were tliirty sorts at least, and, when in 

 flower, the plants stood as tall as a man, flaunting in the sunshine 

 flowers as large as soup-plates, and of all colours, from the ruby of 

 port wine to the tempting cream colour of a syllabub. There was 

 a special lily garden that would have delighted King Solomon, who, 

 let us hope, was a genuine fancier in the way of lilies, though, poor 

 man, he knew nothing of the glorious lilies we have lately obtamed 

 from North A.merica and Japan, for those lands were as sealed 

 books to him. 



An interruption to the customary spring walk round this garden 

 resulted from an illness, which laid my friend low, and compelled 

 his good wife to close the house for a season. Out of pure sym- 

 pathy for him I took to my bed also, and we were both disabled for 

 months, and, as regards the garden, lost a year out of our mortal 

 lives. But the uext spring we met as before, and, on comparing 

 notes and looks, we found we were both considerably older, his 

 fever had marked his face with crow's feet, and my rheumatism had 

 taken the starch out of my spine, so that I stooped a little, and 

 walked somewhat awkwardly. In our hearts, however, there was 

 a darkness and a fear of a foreboding of something av/ful ; for the 

 garden had changed its aspect. A demon of destruction had passed 

 over the place, and blight had followed in his trail. The glory of 

 the place was gone, the work of patient years was undone ! 



But he knew more about it than I did, as of course he ought. 



The collection had been formed and kept under my friend's eye, 

 and all had gone well until months of illness threw all his affairs out 

 of joint. The old gardener understood the care of these grand old 

 hardy plants, which, to speak the truth, require no care at all, but 

 suffer when care is bestowed upon them. But the old gardener 

 grew discontented when the master disappeared ; and when the 

 mistress of the house could endure him no longer she sent him 

 away, and put in his place a brisk young man, who had never seen 

 a good collection of hardy plants, and, in fact, scarcely knew of the 

 existence of such things as aadrosaces and epimediums. So the 

 young man went to work — with no one to direct hiii — and with no 

 warning voice as to the precious wealth hidden from view all the 

 winter in the beds and borders of this glorious garden. And of course 

 he gave the borders a thorough good digging, and chopped the precious 

 plants into mincevieat, and made a hasty wreck of the work of years, 

 in order " to make the place look tidy and neat, you know." It is 

 quite common for people to say to me, " I cannot tell how it is, I 

 cannot keep a few paeonies, and hepaticas, and Christmas roses, for I 

 plant a lot every year, and yet never have any." I reply, " Perhaps 



June. 



