PART II 

 CHAPTER I 



THE SPRING GARDEN 



/^\F all the varied groups of plants in an English 

 flower garden, by far the most attractive and 

 seasonable are Dutch bulbs, as they are commonly 

 termed ; they certainly claim at least one chapter for 

 themselves. 



This class of flowers has advantages which are almost 

 self-evident. So far from being, as some people imagine, 

 troublesome and costly, the culture of spring bulbs is, 

 perhaps, the simplest and cheapest thing in the world 

 when once the secret has been learnt. The first thing to 

 be said for them is that they are perfectly hardy, and 

 that our climate suits them exactly. The severest winter 

 has no terror for bulbs. Some of the most beautiful and 

 delicately tinted are those that burst into bloom almost 

 before the snow has gone, and so it is that from the 

 very first dawn of spring into the bright days of summer 

 we are indebted to our spring bulbs for most of our 

 enjoyment of the garden. 



