CHAPTER III 



BEST VARIETIES AND THEIR 

 CHARACTERISTICS 



THE selection of any flowers for the garden 

 is largely a matter of taste and therefore an 

 expression of personality. In order to make a 

 choice, however, one must have a clear idea of 

 existing varieties and which of these are obtain- 

 able. As we have seen, hundreds of varieties of 

 P. albiflora have been listed; but as many have 

 proved to be the same as others, with different 

 names, and many are so inferior as to be not 

 worth cultivating, the number of available kinds 

 that are desirable is not so overwhelming as might 

 at first appear. Broadly speaking there are about 

 five hundred varieties which are admirable in 

 gardens: this list of five hundred might advan- 

 tageously be restricted to a much smaller number 

 containing only those of distinction and value. 



A Main List 

 I give a Main List of one hundred and twenty- 

 five varieties selected on their merits. It includes 



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