GARDENING EXPEDIENTS 



come instinctive, and these I will give as numbered 

 suggestions. 



First: If your cutting is done in a formal gar- 

 den, give a comprehensive look at the whole 

 before taking up your basket and shears. If it is 

 a question of which matters more to you, your 

 house or your garden, always consider the garden. 

 Notice where flowers are spindling up, where a 

 ragged spot exists, where bloom is so luxuriant as 

 to injure the effect, where the blessed require- 

 ments of balance should be looked after. In the 

 case of overluxuriance of bloom, a constant hap- 

 pening, the plant which is advertised as being 

 "covered with flowers" is considered by discrimi- 

 nating gardeners as either a monstrosity or a 

 curiosity. I have no doubt that a painter of 

 gardens such as Mr. George Elgood insists upon 

 cutting away a bit here, a mass of color there, 

 before placing his easel in final position for the 

 painting of the delicious garden pictures for which 

 he is renowned. Wealth of bloom ! When shall 

 we learn that this is a phrase which seldom or 

 never leads to beauty? Not in quantity dwell 

 the best joys of gardening ! The advantage in the 

 idea of too many flowers lies in the fact that here 

 we have material for picture-making by skilled 



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