i8 HALF-HARDY PLANTS AND GREENHOUSES [CH. 



about to build a greenhouse " Don't." Only a very few 

 should be encouraged to undertake such a task those 

 who have had experience in the culture of plants, and 

 who, moreover, have some spare time each day to devote 

 to the small details which such ownership involves. 



It should be remembered that plants grown in a green- 

 house are, in many respects, like birds confined within a 

 cage. Canaries, for example, are at the mercy of their 

 owners ; if neglected, they pine and die, or worse, it may 

 be, starve and linger on, much to the discredit of their 

 keepers, while a jackdaw or gull, as a rule, though confined 

 within the garden, runs no such risks, as these birds can 

 forage for themselves even when the morning visit has 

 been omitted. This is one reason why a herbaceous garden 

 is much to be preferred to a greenhouse for the majority 

 of amateurs : once it is made, weeded, and top-dressed 

 occasionally, it may, without much harm, be left to itself 

 for weeks together. 



There are those, however, who will find a greenhouse 

 a constant source of pleasure both to themselves and to 

 their friends, and, like many another occupation, its 

 difficulties are easily overcome by those who love such 

 work. 



A well-designed greenhouse, say 20 feet by 12 feet, 

 will often afford more enjoyment, and produce more 

 satisfactory results than a large and costly conservatory. 

 Years ago I remember building a house about 6 feet 

 square for tea roses in a garden where they could not be 

 grown in the open, and now, as I write, the vision of 



