SOILS AND CULTIVATION IN THE FLOWER GARDEN. 289 



are on their wild mountain homes. But in this case, as with sailors, 

 we must begin young. 



Among the evils of the " bedding" and "carpet system" is the 



need of costly glass-houses in which to keep the plants all the 



winter, not one in ten of these plants being as 



Glass-houses. pretty as flowers that are as hardy as the grass in 

 the field like Roses, Carnations, and Delphiniums. 

 It is absurd to grow Alternantheras in costly hothouses, and not to 

 give a place to flowers that endure cold as well as Lilies-of-the- Valley. 

 Glass-houses are useful helps for many purposes, but we may have noble 

 flower gardens without them. To bloom the Rose and Carnation in 

 midwinter, to ripen fruits that will not mature in our climate, to enable 

 us to see many fair flowers of the tropics for these purposes glass- 

 houses are a precious gain ; but for a beautiful flower garden they 

 are almost needless, and the numerous glass-houses in our gardens 

 may be turned to better use. It would not be true to say that good 

 hardy flower gardening is cheaper than growing the half-hardy plants 

 that often disgrace our gardens, as the splendid variety of beautiful 

 hardy plants tempts one to buy, and it is therefore all the more 

 necessary not to waste money in stupid ways, apart from the heavy 

 initial cost and ceaseless costly labour of the glass-house system of 

 flower garden decoration. 



For those who think of beauty in our gardens and home land- 

 scapes, the placing of a glass-house in the flower garden or pleasure 

 ground is a serious matter, and some of the most interesting places 

 in the country are defaced in that way. In the various dividing 

 lines about a country house there can be no difficulty in finding a site 

 for glass-houses where they cannot injure the views. There is no 

 reason for placing the glass-house in front of a beautiful old house, 

 where its colour mars the prospect Often, in looking across 

 the land towards an old house, we see first the glare of an ugly glass 

 shed. If this were the case only in the gardens of people lately 

 emerged from the towns to the suburbs of our great cities, it would 

 not be so notable ; but many large country places are disfigured in this 

 way. And, apart from fine old houses and the landscape being defaced 

 by the hard lines and colour of the glass-house, there is the result on 

 the flower garden itself; efforts to get plants into harmonious and 

 beautiful relations are much increased if we have a horror in the way of 

 glass sheds staring at us. Apart from the heavy cost of coal or coke, 

 the smoke-defilement of many a pretty garden by the ugly vomit of 

 these needless chimneys and the effect on young gardeners in leading 

 them to despise the far more healthy and profitable labours of the 

 open garden have to be considered in relation to the cost, care, and 

 ugliness of the glass nursery as an annual preparation for plants for the 



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