146 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



handsome Grass produces its blossom-spikes earlier than the Pampas 

 and is more elegant in habit, the silky white tufts bending like 

 ostrich plumes at the end of slender stalks. . 



Wherever space can be afforded, hardy Yuccas should be grown, 



for few hardy plants are so distinct in foliage and manner of growth ; 



but they appear to best advantage arranged in 



Yuccas in groups, bold groups, near trees and shrubs, and forming 



a harmonious contrast to them. Perhaps the 



best situation is a sloping ground fully exposed to the mid-day 



sun, and backed by evergreens. If allowed space for development, 



they will every year add beauty to the place. The handsome 



spikes of their large cream-coloured flowers are extremely effective, 



especially when relieved by a background of verdure. Yuccas 



like a well-drained soil, and thrive on a subsoil of pure chalk, and 



they delight in full exposure to the sun, and enjoy shelter from 



rough winds. Hence the advisability of planting them near trees 



or shrubs. 



In grouping Yuccas, a better effect is obtained if some of the 

 specimens have the head of their foliage from 3 feet to 6 feet 

 above the soil. These tall plants should not, however, be placed in 

 a back line, but some should be allowed here and there to advance 

 into the foreground, some of the smaller specimens nestling at 

 their feet. The effect of a group thus arranged charms by its 

 irregularity and quaint beauty. 



Among the more tender plants, we must choose such as grow 

 healthily in sheltered places in the warmer parts of England. The 

 kinds with stout evergreen foliage, such as the New Zealand Flax 

 arid the hardier Dracaenas, will be as effective here as they are 

 around London and Paris, and to them the northern gardener should 

 direct his attention. Even if it were possible in all parts to cultivate 

 the softer-growing kinds to the same perfection as in the south of 

 England, it would not be always desirable, as they cannot be used in- 

 doors in winter. The best are the many evergreen plants that stand 

 out in summer without injury, and may be transferred to the con- 

 servatory in autumn, to produce through the cold months as fine an 

 effect as in the flower garden in summer. One kind of arrangement 

 in particular must be guarded against. I mean the geometro-pictur- 

 esque one, which is seen in some parts of the London parks devoted 

 to sub-tropical gardening. The plants are often of the finest kinds 

 and in the most robust health, and all the materials for the best 

 results are abundant; yet the result is not artistic, owing to the 

 needless formality of the beds and the heaping together of many 

 specimens of one kind in long masses straight or twisting, with 

 high raised edges of hard-beaten soil. 



