CULTUEE OF HARDY FLOWERS. 27 



fully in my book on the " Wild Garden." The rock- garden may 

 also be easily rendered most attractive in spring- and early summer, 

 as many of the most brilliant rock and alpine plants flower in 

 those seasons. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE CULTURE OF HARDY FLOWERS. 



THE only phase of the culture of the subjects embraced by this 

 book that requires any elucidation from me, is the culture in pots, 

 a way in which but few persons will grow them. But, for 

 the reputation of these plants, it is very desirable that they should 

 not be shown in the wretched condition in which they are usually 

 seen at our shows. Anything that really requires to be stated as to 

 the general culture of hardy perennials in the open air, in borders, 

 etc., will be found under the head of the Mixed Border ; while the 

 culture of the fastidious alpine plants is fully described in " Alpine 

 Flowers." 



We are pre-eminently great at exhibiting; our pot-plants are far 

 before those of other countries ; specimens are to be seen at every 

 show which are models not only as regards beauty, but as showing 

 a remarkable development of plant from a very small portion of 

 confined earth exposed to many vicissitudes ; yet in one respect 

 we have made no progress whatever, and that is, in the pot-culture 

 of alpine and herbaceous plants for exhibition purposes. 



Prizes are frequently offered at our flower-shows for these plants, 

 and usually awarded, but the exhibitors rarely deserve a prize at 

 all, for their plants are usually badly selected, badly grown, and 

 such as never ought to appear on a stage at all. In almost every 

 other class, the first thing the exhibitor does is to select appropriate 

 kinds distinct and beautiful, and then he makes some preparation 

 beforehand for exhibiting them ; but in the case of our haray subjects, 

 anybody who happens to have a rough lot of hardy miscellaneous 

 rubbish, exhibits it, and thus it is that I have seen such beauties as 

 the following more than once exhibited : a common Thrift with the 

 unremoved dead flower-stems drooping over the green leaves; a 

 plant of Ardbis albida out of flower ; the Pellitory-of-the-wall, which 

 has as little beauty in flower as out of it : not to speak of a host of 

 worthless things not in themselves ugly, but far inferior to others in 



