THE WELL-CONSIDERED GARDEN 



forced upon the innocent and ignorant and much 

 do I wish that a seed and bulb list might be given 

 us in which there should not be a single actual 

 error of taste in suggestion, even though that 

 taste could not meet the wishes of all readers. 



Under luxuries in garden books falls a group 

 whose contents are an addition to letters as well 

 as to gardening. How rare and choice these are, 

 and what a pity that all books on so beautiful a 

 topic cannot be beautiful in themselves, I mean 

 in their manner of writing! When such do fall 

 in our way we have very real reason for thanks- 

 giving, and first in my own affections always stand 

 the writings of the Honorable Mrs. Boyle, "E. 

 V. B." those books 



"whose names 

 Are five sweet symphonies" 



"A Garden of Pleasure," "The Peacock's Pleas- 

 aunce," "Sylvana's Letters to an Unknown 

 Friend," "Seven Gardens and a Palace" prose 

 as beautiful as any poetry, wandering on over 

 page after page, all on the delectable matter of 

 flowers; and in A. F. Sieveking's book a "Proem" 

 from the same golden pen, which for charm and 

 grace exceeds all that I have ever read on gar- 

 dening. It is my fixed belief that the more we 

 M 



