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THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



and forms of each thing may be seen. Shrubs of high quality or 

 rare deserve to be well grown. Any one who thinks how much less 

 trouble is given by hardy plants than by pot plants will not begrudge 

 attention to outdoor things, and some may even consider a garden of 

 beautiful shrubs as a conservatory in the open air, no kind of flower 

 gardening being more delightful or enduring. We have often to re- 

 arrange vigorous herbaceous plants, and constantly to work with the 

 lovable Carnation, but shrubs give us little trouble. 



It is not only flowers that suffer from being stuck in lines and 

 patterns ; our beautiful flowering shrubs are injured in the same 

 way. The Rhododendron and the Azalea, and what are commonly 

 called American plants, are often put in such close masses that their 

 forms cannot be seen. We may get the flowers to some extent, but 

 they are not so enjoyable as when the plants are allowed to show 

 their individual forms. 



There is not the slightest reason why we should not have all the 

 force of colour, too, because it is quite possible to have a number of 

 beautiful Rhododendrons and other flowering shrubs together without 

 putting them in the serried mass in which they are usually seen. 



So, without going into varieties or touching upon all the treasures 

 within our reach, it is clear how much those who care to adorn their 

 gardens in the most enduring way have to gain by planting flowering 

 shrubs after their own tastes. Those who have given a fair chance to one 

 half the groups of plants referred to in this chapter need not care 

 much about garden coal bills, hot-houses, " contrasts of colour," and 

 the many other considerations, as the beauty of the flowering trees and 

 shrubs will come year after year as certainly as the wind through the 

 Cherry-blooms. 



Some Flowering Trees and Shrubs Hardy in British Gardens. 



***. Some of the evergreens, though thriving long in the southern and shore 

 lands, may perish in severe winters in cold inland districts. 



