Subtropical Gardening. 



British flower-garden ; and, in a word, the system 

 has shown us the difference between the gardening 

 that interests and delights all beholders, as well 

 as the mere horticulturist, and that which is too 

 often offensive to the eye of taste, and pernicious 

 to every true interest of what Bacon calls the 

 " purest of humane pleasures." 



But are we to adopt this system in its purity ? 

 as shown, for example, by Mr. Gibson when super- 

 intendent of Battersea Park. Certainly not. It is 

 evident, that to accommodate it to private gardens 

 an expense and a revolution of appliances would 

 be necessary, which are in nearly all cases quite 

 impossible, and if possible, hardly desirable. We 

 can, however, introduce into our gardens most of 

 its better features ; w r e can vary their contents, 

 and render them more interesting by a better 

 and nobler system. The use of all plants without 

 any particular and striking habit, or foliage, or 

 other desirable peculiarity, merely because they 

 are natives of very hot countries, should be 

 tabooed at once, as tending to make much work, 

 and to return — a lot of weeds ; for " weediness " 

 is all that I can ascribe to many Solanums and 

 stove plants, of no real merit, which have been 

 employed under this name. Selection of the most 



