60 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



important order of flowering trees, embracing the Apples (a garden in 

 their varied flowers alone) ; Pears, wild and cultivated ; Crabs, pretty 

 in bloom and bright in fruit ; Quinces, Medlars, Snowy Mespilus, 

 Almonds, Double Cherries, Japan Quinces, Plums (including Sloe 

 and Bullace), not to speak of a number of less important families. 

 Among these, the larger and more important branches of this great 

 order of plants, there is some likeness in habit and size, which allows 

 of similar use. 



The Double Peaches are among the most precious of trees of this 

 order, but for some reason we rarely see them in any but a miserable 

 state in England. In France they are sometimes lovely, not only in 

 the flower, but in the mass of colour from healthy growth. It may 

 be that the failure of the shoots to ripen in our cool climate is owing 

 to some weakness through grafting on a bad stock. There is such 

 a great and noble variety among these trees that there is room for 

 distinct effects. An excellent point in favour of trees like Crabs, 

 Almonds, and Bird Cherries is that, in their maturity, they, in groups 

 or single specimens, stand free on the turf free, too, from all 

 care ; and it is easy to see how important this is for all who care for 

 English tree-fringed lawns a long way more beautiful than any 

 other kind of tree garden. 



It is not only the flowers on the trees we have to think of, but 



of their use also in the house as cut flowers gathered when the 



buds are ready to open gathering the branchlets 



Cut flowers for and long twigs before the flowers are quite out 



house. and placing them in vases in rooms. In very 



bad weather this way will prolong the bloom for 



us, or even save it in the case of very hard frost, and in a cold 



spring it will advance the bloom a little, the warmth of the house 



giving a few days' gain in time of opening. As to the kinds of 



shrubs that may be cut for the house in this way there are many 



of the same race, from the Sloe to the beautiful kinds of Apple. 



There is a good deal in putting them into the right sort of glass. 



The Japanese are very clever in fitting the flowers into vases so 



that each may show its form and beauty best. 



While such trees as the Almond or Crab will usually be in the 

 more distant parts of the garden picture, the variety of flowering 

 shrubs is so great that we may choose from among them for the 

 most precious of flower garden beds. Take an ordinary flower 

 garden under the windows of the house, where the beds in winter 

 are often as bare as oilcloth. What beautiful groups of flowering 

 evergreens we might plant in them ! Mountain Laurels (Kalmia), 

 Japan and American Andromeda, Azaleas, choice Evergreen Barberries, 

 alpine Cotoneaster, Evergreen Daphne, Desfontainea, in the south ; 



