20 



A PLEA FOR HARDY PLANTS 



It may be thought that to win my admiration a flower must be hardy. 

 Nothing of the sort. Certainly the basis of all good outdoor gardening 

 must be hardy material; but the skilful gardener or amateur will find a 

 place for many tender plants, and especially for the so-called summer- 

 blooming bulbs, such as gladioli, dahlias, and tuberous begonias, all 

 of which are easily wintered in any dwelling-house; and he will even find 

 a place for the new large-flowering cannas, but that place is not in 

 isolated beds on the lawn. I have seen them used to the best advantage 

 in small groups in the margin of shrubbery, where the full benefit of 

 their really fine coloring was attained, but their stiffness and ungracefulness 

 concealed. And the many fine annuals which are so cheaply and easily 

 raised from seeds are not to be overlooked Phlox 'Drummondii, Shirley 

 poppies, sweet peas, asters, calliopsis, are all fine, and I am free to 

 confess that there are but few things among hardy plants that I admire 



more than a fine mass of tall nas- 

 turtiums. The garden of hardy 

 plants is within the reach of 

 the humblest gardener, yet 

 it will satisfy the demand 

 of the most ambitious; 

 and the finest show 

 places of America 

 and Europe are de- 

 voted almost exclu- 

 sively to hardy ma- 

 terial. If a great 

 collection is desired, 

 there are countless 

 thousands of species 

 and varieties to be 

 obtained ; or if it is 

 desired to show 

 great cultural skill, 

 the rare alpines, 

 the lovely California 

 poppy (Romneya 

 Coulteri], the stately 

 eremurus, the 



HARDY ASTERS 



