THE JOY OF A GAEDEN. 25 



and perhaps the most reliable of all for prettiness 

 and endurance, the geranium, with variegated foli- 

 age, such as Bijou and Flower of Spring with 

 silver, Golden Chain and Crystal Palace with golden 



It cannot be denied penitent as we are, we have 

 no wish to deny that this sudden splendour, when 

 the specimens had been cultured with care and 

 arranged with taste as to size and colour, was uni- 

 versally admired. The novel and brilliant appearance 

 of large groups of plants out-of-doors, which had 

 hitherto been only seen singly in pots under glass, 

 brought a new sensation to all sorts and conditions of 

 men and women. Grand old gardeners and ancient 

 foresters expressed their delight and astonishment. 

 Emotional young ladies pronounced it to be " quite 

 too utter," and even undergraduates, who consider it 

 bad form to express their feelings, except at a boat- 

 race or in the Sheldonian Theatre, were constrained 

 to admit that it was " rather jolly." Then arose 

 emulation and strife. The squire's gardener had 

 10,000, the baronet's 20,000, the earl's 30,000, and 

 the duke's 50,000 plants. 



Time went on ; our enthusiasm went off. First of 

 all we began to miss some of those sweet old friends 

 of our childhood whom we had so cruelly expelled ; 

 nor did the sight of their successors in thumb pots, 

 on shelves, under stages, in vineries and frame, con- 

 sole us. Then we began to -complain that the time 

 was long and tedious before our new friends, which 

 could not be brought al fresco until the end of May, 

 came into full growth and bloom ; and even when the 



