THE DELIGHTS OF THE GARDEN 



39 



asked, " Wliere, can you tell me, is there 

 a beautiful garden ? " The question 

 seemed simple at the time, and I readily 

 named several that are on the tij) of 

 ever}'body's tongue. But my friend would 

 have none of them held up as a beautiful 

 garden. Probably he was right if in this 

 case we allow the literal meaning of 



could not have been more, and might 

 well have been less. The rose-coloured 

 spectacles of enchantment are essential 

 to the full enjoyment of one's own garden. 

 The association of gardening and good 

 fellowshij) is proverbial ; it offers a common 

 meeting ground for high and low, for rich 

 and poor. Round alxjut the i)latform of 



GoMf. II indifield. 



beautiful — full of beauty — and license 

 ourselves to consider that a garden full 

 of beauty must be a perfect garden. But 

 does not this remark from one of the masters 

 of the craft emphasise the futility of 

 attempting to raise a standard whereby 

 the Garden Beautiful may be judged ? 

 He would seem a bold man who would 

 criticise the garden craft of Paxton, of 

 Ingram, of Wildsmith, yet it would be 

 equally 1:)old to assert that the cottage 

 garden (designed with care and planted 

 with pleasured skill by its humble owner) 

 were not beautiful. To him it is perfect, 

 and to the master minds of Paxton and 

 others the gardens of their own fashioning 



roses and hardy flowers, reck plants and 

 water plants, the learned great luvome 

 as little children, to be instructed by 

 those versed in the ways of the craft. 

 And what depth of charm centres in the 

 smallest plant is only discovered when 

 one inquires into its perverse and hidden 

 wavs. How self-willed are some of the 

 tiniest plants ! Provide conditions in 

 which they delight, and they reward ><>u 

 with bright leaves and brilliant blossom. 

 Deprived of the luxuries upon whidi 

 they have come to look as their right, 

 how sulky they are ! and how offended ! 

 Even the most robust of border flowers 

 have their likes and dislikes ; if, as becomes 



