PITFALLS OF AMBITION 



digging up of harmless and unobtrusive patches of field 

 and bank for the insertion of seedlings, which apparently 

 will never be at home in that particular aspect and soil. 

 The worst of it is that the energetic workers are so 

 ensnared by the mental vision that they very often fail to 

 perceive the paltriness of the material result. 

 "We had to have the meadow mown and to dig it up, 

 just along there/' said an energetic gardening neighbour 

 to us the other day, pointing out with pride a dreadful 

 stretch of raw and muddy earth that lay meaninglessly 

 along the lush field. " And we think the things will do 

 now/ 7 



The things poor little sprigs of white Violas, and other 

 most unadaptable garden childrenwere looking very ill 

 and faint at long distances from each other. And in any 

 case, even if they were eventually to flourish, the meadow 

 was quite beautiful enough in itself and needed no such adorn- 

 ment. But we had not the heart to tell her so. We said, 

 " How nice that will be/' but took the lesson to ourselves. 



A visit to the Horticultural Show at Holland House 

 even the humblest gardener can take away lessons from 

 these displays of lavish beauty. We wonder whether it 

 would be possible for us to have a pool anywhere upon 

 our sandy height. And, if so, why should we not build 

 rough rock-work round it on one side ,- fill it with the cool 

 misty mauve of the Nipeta, the cool pale yellow spires of 

 the Dwarf Mulleins, and the faint pinks of Spiraea/ and 

 against this background, walled about by a bank of the 

 mysterious Iris " Morning Mist/' let a little slender lead 



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