236 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



against them that they make no show ; but this cannot be said of 

 the hardy flowers of nobler stature and beauty, which are so well 

 fitted for our climate, like the many Sunflowers. Certain plants may 

 depend for success on soil and situation, or even climate, even when 

 they are hardy as the Fuchsia, which is so much better in the coast 

 and west country gardens ; but, when everything is left out that wants 

 any extra culture or advantages of climate and soil, there remain 

 for every garden many beautiful things for the garden in the fall. 



Of those that can generally be trusted for our country, I should 

 say that, of all the gains of the past generation, the brilliant groups 

 of plants of the Sunflower order were the finest, handsomest, and 

 most generally useful for their disregard of any weather likely to 

 occur. The masses of fine form and colour one may have with these 

 when grouped in picturesque ways are remarkable. With the Sun- 

 flowers are included not only the Helianthus strictly, of which there 

 are so many good kinds now, but also other showy prairie flowers of 

 the same natural order, which approach them in character, such as 

 Rudbeckia, Silphium, Helenium, and other vigorous families of this 

 numerous tribe of plants. The best character of many of these is 

 that they thrive in any soil, and make their way in rough places and 

 among shrubs, or in parts of gardens less precious than those we keep 

 for our best flowers. 



For delicate and fine colour, however, the first place belongs to 

 Tea and monthly Roses, of which the best kinds should always be 

 grown in the open air. Of the kinds which open best in England, a 

 delightful garden may be made in autumn, in fine seasons enduring 

 right to the end. Until quite recently no one trusted the Tea Rose 

 out in bold masses in the flower garden, and hence the ordinary red 

 Rose, not generally flowering late, was kept by itself. A greater 

 mistake could not be, because these most precious of all Roses (the 

 Teas) go on blooming throughout the summer and autumn, and very 

 often they vary in bloom ; that is to say, the flowers of September 

 will not be the same as the flowers of June, the buds also varying. 

 So we have not only lovely Roses throughout the fine season, but also 

 variety every week, every shower seeming to influence the bloom. 

 There is such great variety among them that every week seems to 

 give us a new aspect of beauty. In my own garden were planted 

 several thousands of Tea Roses in this way, not only for their beauty, 

 but also with a view of testing the kinds best for our country. 

 Some kinds which are fine abroad do not open well with us, but a 

 number of beautiful kinds do, and we have never seen any picture of 

 garden beauty equal to theirs in such a fine autumn as that of 1895. 

 We had thousands of blooms open until the end of September, almost 

 as showy as bedding plants, but far more refined in colour, fragrance, 



