1 «!!!).] ESSAYS. 55 



gardener is like the lirst nttempts of" a tyro in pHiiitiiig, enule 

 and inharmonious. There will be found a yearly reeurrenee of 

 the monotonous ever-l)looming reds and yellows with a few 

 ineonspicuous and ding}^ intermediate colors which in summer 

 drought or in heavy rains assumes a forlorn aspect upon which 

 the curtain is dropi)ed by a sharp frost early in the season. 



A more general insight into the beauty and adaptability of 

 hardy plants and bulbs, and a more practical study of their 

 habits and requirements on the part of the gardening craft at 

 large, would ultimately lead to such an exposition of beauty in 

 our garden borders that the wearisome round of bedding out 

 and the monotonous recurrence of its short lived display would 

 l)ecome not obsolete perhaps, nor would I have it wholly so, but 

 at least subordinate to the more retined and satisfactory culture 

 of hardy plants and bulbs. For general cultivation would 

 recommend Crocuses, Tulips, Hyacinths, Grape Hyacinths, 

 Narcissus in variety ; Iris, English, Spanish, German and Ktemp- 

 feri varieties ; Pajonies, Chinese and Japanese varieties ; Fox- 

 gloves, Canterbury Bells, Hollyhocks, Delphiniums, Phlox, 

 Lilies, Rudbeckias, Helianthus, Spireas, Clematis, and many 

 other varieties of flowering plants ; also grasses like the 

 Eulalias, that are very ornamental. 



