HARDY FLORISTS' FLOWERS. 



time in the second edition of " Alpine Flowers," now in preparation; 

 a carefully prepared illustration showing the effects that may be 

 obtained. 



CHAPTER VII. 

 HARDY FLORISTS' FLOWERS. 



THESE are usually perennial or alpine plants that have varied much 

 under the hand of man, and no lover of hardy flowers should fail to 

 have a good supply of them. Like the herbaceous and alpine plants, 

 they have been too much neglected of late years. We may assign 

 some cause why many interesting plants and classes of plants have 

 gone out of cultivation ; but there is one thing that can hardly be 

 accounted for, and that is, why the fragrant, beautiful, and neat 

 classes of hardy florists' flowers from elegantly laced Picotees to 

 richly stained Polyanthuses should have almost disappeared from 

 our gardens, and be now in want of the least advocacy from me. In 

 them we have flowers of unimpeachable merit, equally worthy of 

 admiration in garden of peer or cottager. They are as hardy as our 

 native plants, require no steaming in houses at any time of their 

 lives, are generally pleasing in habit, whether in or out of flower, 

 sometimes useful for the spring garden, and in nearly all cases 

 among the very best plants which the gardener can grow for cutting 

 from ; and yet, with all these undoubted merits, where are they ? 

 Generally speaking, fallen into " the abyss of things that were." 



There are enough of true florists yet left in the country to take 

 care of the choicest of their favourites, but it is especially to be 

 desired that people generally would grow free and vigorous kinds 

 for the embellishment of borders, and many other positions in which 

 they would not receive any but ordinary attention. 



As for the choicer and newer kinds, the best way is to devote a 

 special little department to them in a pleasant part of the kitchen or 

 nursery garden ; or, failing either of these, an isolated spot, where 

 the flowers may be agreeably tended and enjoyed at all seasons. 

 Such arrangements may be made a source of great enjoyment to 

 owners and gardeners ; but for all practical purposes they are un- 

 known in our gardens, though there is scarcely a kitchen garden in 



