PRIVATE GARDENS 329 



plants which dwindle and die, spent on manure or good 

 soil, would better repay the would-be gardener. Many 

 plants require a good deal of water when making their 

 growth, and if that is denied them they will not thrive, 

 no matter how great the solicitude for their welfare in 

 other ways. Washing the leaves, especially of ever- 

 greens, and scrubbing stems is also a great help, as leaves 

 choked with dirt have no chance of imbibing the life- 

 giving properties necessary to the plant. 



The back-garden has many enemies besides soot and 

 fogs. Cats are one of the greatest trials, and most 

 destructive. Sparrows also are very mischievous. They 

 will pick the flower-buds off trees just at the critical 

 moment. A wistaria climber laden with young blossoms 

 they will destroy in a few days, just before the purple 

 buds appear. But, notwithstanding all these pests 

 and difficulties, it is surprising how many things will 

 not only survive, but grow well. The task becomes 

 more and more easy as the houses recede from the City. 

 In St. John's Wood, Bayswater, or Earl's Court, in 

 Camberwell or Stoke Newington, plants will grow better 

 than in Bloomsbury or Southwark. But yet it is possible 

 to grow many things even in Whitechapel. 



It is impossible to prescribe the best plants for all 

 London gardens, as there is such a great difference in 

 soil and aspect, that what does well in one part will not 

 flourish in another. The heavy soil of Regent's Park, 

 for instance, is well suited to peonies, which do not seem 

 at home in Chelsea. On the other hand, some of the 

 showy, hardy spring flowers, such as wallflowers and 

 forget-me-nots, die off with fogs much more quickly 

 in the Regent's Park than in other districts. Any 

 deciduous tree or shrub thrives better than an evergreen 



