68 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



such objects are to secure a home it will be found worth while to 

 incorporate with the soil a generous supply of organic manure and 

 to bury it deeply, so that the roots may be induced to thrust 

 themselves downwards in their search for sustenance and thus 

 help to keep at bay the ravages of drought in hot, dry 

 weather. 



Let the beds be nicely and evenly shaped, so that they present 

 the appearance of a smooth mound, and then be allowed to 

 settle down comfortably before any attempt at planting out is 

 made. This will contribute to firm planting and robust root 

 production. 



Next comes the all-important consideration : What shall the 

 amateur plant in his summer flower beds, so that he may achieve 

 his ambition, and realise the ideal of the garden beautiful ? The 

 choice at his disposal is unlimited, and the quantity of plants 

 which he may grow satisfactorily is bounded only by the extent 

 of his garden and by the dimensions of his purse. But let him not 

 be deluded into the belief that the mere possession of the where- 

 withal to stock his flower beds and borders will enable him, without 

 taking further thought, to make his garden even passably beautiful. 

 " I am strongly of opinion," writes Miss Gertrude Jekyll, the most 

 distinguished of British lady amateur gardeners, " that the pos- 

 session of a quantity of plants, however good the plants may be 

 themselves and however ample their number, does not make a 

 garden ; it only makes a collection. Having got the plants, the 

 great thing is to use them with careful selection and definite 

 intention. Merely having them, or having them planted un- 

 assorted in garden spaces, is only like having a box of paints from 

 the best colourman, or to go one step further, it is like having 

 portions of these paints set out upon a palette. This does not 

 constitute a picture. ... It is just in the way it is done that lies 

 the whole difference between commonplace gardening and garden- 

 ing that may rightly claim to rank as a fine art." 



The truth of this must surely carry conviction to the mind of 

 the veriest tyro in the science and practice of horticulture. He 

 sees here set before him the goal at which he seeks to aim. The 



