66 GARDENING BY MYSELF. 



of tufts of pure green, such as rose gera- 

 niums and the flowering grasses, with here 

 and there a red achyranthes or mottled col- 

 eus to catch and hold the sun : and let 

 fragrance abound everywhere. For this is 

 much of the charm of the old garden, — not 

 trim shapes, and inlaid figures, and gor- 

 geous masses of colour ; but rich, soft, min- 

 gled bloom, and tender tints, and wafts of 

 nameless sweetness to every passer-by. 



However your beds are laid out, however 

 your flowers are distributed, remember to 

 use great care in preparing the soil and 

 putting in the seed. Then, when the seeds 

 are in, use patience. For some will be slow 

 to come up, taking a long while to awaken 

 out of their brown sleep ; and some will 

 come up in a thin scattering fashion ; be-, 

 cause certain flowers ripen their seed un- 

 equally, and always give a large percentage 

 of husks. Perhaps a few kinds will not come 

 up at all. You may have covered them too 

 deep ; or a cold storm may have caught the 

 little seedlings in the first moments of 



