PREFACE 



SYSTEMS of gardening are not of much use unless 

 supported by good plants, of which the best varieties 

 are selected for thorough cultivation. 



Many amateurs grow too many kinds of plants. 

 They crowd their beds, borders, and rockeries with a 

 heterogeneous assembly of genera, many of which are 

 of no special value. They would find gardening equally 

 interesting, and far more effective, if they selected a few 

 of the great flowers which have been developed by 

 florists, studied the habit and requirements of the plants, 

 and made themselves acquainted with the best varieties. 



By making good use of such great bulbous flowers as 

 Daffodils, Tulips, and Hyacinths for spring ; Begonias, 

 Roses, Sweet Peas, Zonal Geraniums, Asters, Carna- 

 tions, Hollyhocks, Irises, Lilies, Paeonies, and Pansies 

 for summer ; and Dahlias, Chrysanthemums, Phloxes, 

 Michaelmas Daisies, Japanese Anemones, and Gladioli 

 for late summer and autumn, it is possible to have a 

 garden full of beauty and interest for the greater part of 

 the year. 



In "The Perfect Garden" I dealt with systems of 

 gardening and plans of gardens. In a second work, 

 "The Garden Week by Week," I described the routine 

 of garden operations throughout the year. In the pre- 

 sent one, which completes the trilogy, I take all the 

 most important plants and deal with them fully, showing 



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