AJf 



Ciihimbines and Geraniums in meadow-grass. 



PREFACE. 



When I began, some years ago, to plead the cause of the in- 

 numerable hardy flowers against the few tender ones, put out 

 at that time in a formal way, the answer frequently was, " We 

 cannot go back to the mixed border " — that is to say, the old 

 way of arranging flowers in borders. Knowing, then, a little 

 of the vast world of plant beauty quite shut out of our 

 gardens by the " system," in vogue, I was led to consider the 

 ways in which it might be introduced to our gardens ; and, 

 among various ideas that then occurred to me, was the name 

 and scope of the " wild garden." I was led to think of the 

 enormous number of beautiful hardy plants from other 

 countries wliich might be naturalised, with a very slight 

 amount of trouble, in many situations in our gardens and 



