November 14, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



«:;3 



The Naturalization of Flowers 



"This is an art 

 Which does mend Nature; change it rather; but 

 The Art itself is Nature." 



Shakespeare. 



How charming, how exquisitely beautiful are those 

 part? of the garden, which, untrammeled and free, are 

 given up to the naturalization of flowers, and especially 

 to the beautiful flowers of spring. There is something 

 fascinating there, a peculiar something which at once 

 catches the eye, and sets one thinking. Here the eartli 

 does not require to be trimmed and combed; the airy 

 \istas, and delicate slopes appear ready made. 



In such a garden every plant, and every flower always 

 looks at its best, and one almost forgets to be critical ; 

 like Nature they are unconventional; like Nature they 

 are conspicuous. In these days when everything that is 

 natural is admired and all formality is deprecated, this 

 style or branch of gardening is most assiduously copied. 

 Such gardens when done well set a fashion, and indeed 

 the fashion is a good one, for the effect of spring 

 flowers set in grassy places, nestling under the trees, 

 growing with a delightful abandon upon the banks of a 

 stream, or along the sides of a pond, gives to the sur- 

 roundings a cosiness, a rest fulness, and an old-world 

 simplicity which is too often lacking in our gardens. 



Nature's gardens are the forests and the fields, the 

 swamps and the bogs; from them we get our ideas, but 

 our handiwork can never attain what the hand of Na- 

 ture accomplished; we can. however, by intelligence 

 and observation adapt our materials as well as the re- 



Poet's Narcissus in Gkass 



sources of man will allow. As Shakespeare aptly says, 

 we may mend Nature, change it rather, and yet leave 

 it natural. 



It is not my intention, with the limited space at my 

 command, to enter deeply into the subject of naturaliza- 

 tion. The subject is too broad, altogether too vast to 

 be dealt with fully. It was rather my object merely to 

 remind readers of the great possibilities of this class of 

 work and also to show the wide scope there is for intelli- 

 gent effort, and original ideas. I might also add that 

 the principal lesson to be learned is, how many natural 

 ideas may be employed in the garden, other than beds, 

 borders and walks which, a great many think, consti- 

 tute the bounds of the modern garden. 



To advise as to the best varieties or class of flower to 

 employ, to secure the most artistic and most natural 

 effects, is by no means an easy task, as so much depends 

 on the tastes to be gratified, natural surroundings and 

 many other things. In this respect we will always find 

 a great difference of opinion among those who play at 

 gardening, merely as a pastime, or a source of amuse- 

 ment, and those hard working disciples of Nature who 

 make a living by it. 



The month of October is undoubtedly the best time 

 to start planting such things as daffodils, narcissi, chi- 

 onodoxas. snowdrops, wood hyacinths, wood anemones, 

 scillas, etc. : they may, however, be planted any time dur- 

 ing the first half of November and give crood results. 



North Eastou, 

 Mass. 



(To be continued) 



MUSCAKI KACEMOSUM NATURALIZED 



This communicatioB was somewhat more timely when received 

 from Mr. I'.rown. It has been unavoidably crowded out of last 

 two issues. — Ed. 



