224 FLOWER GARDENING 



possibility is too small; there are plenty of them 

 under trees, between shrubs or in the shadow of 

 hedges and buildings. 



Thin woodland on the outskirts of the home 

 grounds is the finest of all opportunities, for the 

 reason that here there may be a liberal planting 

 of appropriate flowers in a fashion approximating 

 nature. In England there are woodland gardens 

 of the rarest charm, but wholly unstudied appear- 

 ance, and in them it is easier to find some of the 

 choice American plants than at home. Here, for- 

 tunately, there is an awakening and in a few in- 

 stances most praiseworthy efforts have been made 

 to bring naturalistic shade gardens to a high degree 

 of perfection. 



The list of flowers that may be drawn upon for 

 shaded gardens is far longer than is supposed. 

 Few, for example, take into account the fact that it 

 is made materially more numerous by a small host 

 of spring flowers that may be said to flourish in the 

 shade, though they bloom in full sunshine in pre- 

 cisely the same spot. This is a most important 

 point to understand; many plants like to grow under 

 deciduous trees and shrubs, where they may bloom 

 in full sunshine before the foliage is out on the 

 branches over their heads. The remainder of the 

 season they are shade-loving, or at any rate shade- 

 enduring. 



Plant always in irregular colonies, even in a 

 square foot or two of waste dooryard space, except- 

 ing in the rare instances when such a space a$ the 



