160 RIVERSIDE LETTERS XXI 



kept my flower borders in wonderful beauty : 

 I take my coat off and do it myself; I cannot 

 trust the gardener, for he will use a huge can, 

 with a great fierce rose on it, which sends a 

 miniature thunder shower on to the tops of 

 the plants, thereby battering them to the 

 ground, whilst the water runs off in streams 

 without penetrating to the roots at all. I have 

 two handy-sized cans with long noses and no 

 roses on them ; with these I give each plant 

 that really wants it, once a week, a whole 

 can all to itself, right close down to the 

 ground, where the roots are, allowing plenty 

 of time for it to soak well in. Of course this 

 takes time, but it is the only way, and the 

 result more than repays the trouble taken. 



One of my borders is just now in great 

 perfection, for in it are masses of irises and 

 paeonies of various shades of colour, oriental 

 poppies, large deep-red lilies (Davuricuni], 

 monks' hoods, and doronicums, these form the 

 heavy brigade of the border ; a variety of 

 smaller and perhaps more interesting things 



