Wreath of old Wistaria, Efford Manor. 



CHAPTER XII. 



SPRING GARDENS. 



I have seen foreign flowers in hothouses of the most beautiful nature, but I 

 do not care a straw for them. The simple flowers of our spring are what 

 I want to see again." JOHN KEATS (Letter to James Rice). 



IN our islands, swept by the winds of iceless seas, spring wakes early 

 in the year, when the plains of the north and the mountains of the 

 south and centre are cold in snow. In our green springs the flowers 

 of northern and alpine countries open long before they do in their 

 native homes ; hence the artistic error of any system of flower- 

 gardening which leaves out the myriad flowers of spring. It is no 

 longer a question of gardens being bare of the right plants ; nurseries 

 and gardens where there are many good plants are not rare, but 

 to make effective use of these much thought is seldom given. 

 Gardens are often rich in plants but poor in beauty, many being 

 stuffed with things, but in ugly effect. 



If we are to make good use of our spring garden flora we should 

 avoid much annual culture, though it is not well to get rid of it 

 altogether, as many plants depend for their beauty on rich ground 

 and frequent cultivation. But many grow well without these, and 

 the most delightful spring gardens can only be where we grow 

 many spring blooming things that demand no annual care, from 

 Globe-flowers to Hawthorns. 



A common kind of "spring gardening" consists of "bedding 

 out " Forget-me-nots, Pansies, Daisies, Catchflies, and Hyacinths ; 

 but this way is only one of many, and the meanest, most costly, and 

 inartistic It began when we had few good spring flowers, now we 



