78 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The purpose in view, therefore, is to suggest means and methods 

 of widening the scope of our efforts, to suggest possibilities for 

 growing and en jojang the beauty of more of the vast floral treasures 

 garnered from many temperate parts of the globe, and all these 

 further ampUfied by the substantial additions to the original types 

 that have been obtained under cultivation. 



The flower gardening that is here advocated goes beyond the 

 prim beds and borders, although admitting the propriety and 

 necessity of these in their place. It advocates getting as near to 

 nature as the garden will permit ; in other words, doing in many 

 ways what nature does, with a tolerable certainty of good results. 

 It will give us flowers on the hillside, flowers in the valley, flowers 

 in the open sunlight or in the shade, in the grass or in the wood- 

 land ; in short, it will enable us to have flowers in hundreds of 

 places that surround the home, heretofore only devoid of them 

 by reason of our neglect to plant, and what is perhaps of great 

 importance to many, at a rainimun cost of future care and keep- 

 ing after the original outlay. Let us look for a moment at facts 

 that annually confront us in regard to our methods of planting 

 certain flowers, and then consider other ways of planting the same 

 flowers that are prettier and more permanent. Take for the first 

 example the 



S])ritig Jlotoering hulhs. What a floral host they make! Kich 

 in varied beauty; snowdrop, snowflake Scilla, Chionodoxa, Ery- 

 throniums. Anemones, fritillai-ies, hyacinths, tuHps, and daffodils. 

 How do we grow these? Generally in beds and borders, planted 

 with mathematical precision or worked into those spectacular 

 designs for making which we seem to have a special aptitude. 

 The effect is stiiking, somewhat pleasing, and it may be no better 

 way could be devised for these paiticular types ; but such hya- 

 cinths and tulips as we see are florist creations, therefore need cul- 

 tural care. The error that is commonly made is in supposing or 

 assuming that they adequately represent what is possible with 

 spring bulbs in the garden. 



Most of the spring bulbous flowers need no cultivation at all, 

 in the sense in which we understand or apply that word. They 

 are children of nature, wild species, abounding still in grassy 

 meadows or leafy woods. We too can plant them imder condi- 



