32 Subtropical Gardening. 



interest to thoroughly enjoy them in winter, when 

 the beauty of their form and their exquisite verdure 

 are best seen. If the dwarfer and choicer conifers 

 were tastefully disposed in and immediately around 

 a flower-garden not altogether spoiled by a pro- 

 fusion of beds for masses of colour, that flower- 

 garden could hardly fail to look as well in winter 

 as in summer ; in fact I have seen places where, 

 from rather close association of the more elegant 

 types, the best kind of winter garden was made. 

 Our efforts must tend to prevent a desert-like 

 aspect at any time of the year ; and to this end 

 nothing can help us more than a judicious selection 

 of conifers. Almost every beauty of form is theirs. 

 They possess a permanent dignity and interest, 

 always occupying the ground and embellishing it, 

 displaying distinct tints of ever-grateful green 

 in spring and summer, waving majestically before 

 the gusts of autumn, and beautiful when bearing 

 on their deepest green the snows of winter. Some 

 of the more suitable kinds are named in a list at 

 the end of this book, but the graceful pines are so 

 commonly grown that few will have any difficulty 

 in securing proper sorts. 



The Gourd tribe is capable, if properly used, of 

 adding much remarkable beauty and character to 



