

AN IRIS GARDEN NEAR CAMBRIDGE. 



Pr.cio^raph by F. Mason Good, It'iiiclt/u-ui, 



THE WILD GARDEN 



By H. H. THOMAS 



IT is a strange though common fallacy 

 to assmne that the wild garden is 

 necessarily a garden run wild, for 

 this assumption reveals only half a truth. 

 There must be order in the wild garden. 

 Even Nature is methodical in her direction 

 of the ways of plants and flowers. First, 

 and perhaps most important of all, there 

 must be some method in the selection of 

 the plants ; and their arrangement is a 

 matter of scarcely less moment. One 

 must have plants whose beauty is found 

 chiefly in their vigour and virility, and 

 those whose charm lies largely in their 

 frailty. One kind must not override the 

 other, or there will be chaos where there 

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should be natural order : and the chaotic 

 wild garden is no garden at all ; it is 

 simply a coUection of plants run wild. 

 The most successful wild garden is made 

 on the woodland fringe where there is an 

 open space among the trees. There must 

 be lu.xuriant beauty everywhere, grace of 

 leaf and charm of blossom. The happiest 

 wild garden is found where there is perfect 

 commingling of foliage and flower. 



One season is scarcely more fascinating 

 than another in the wild garden that 

 fulfils its destiny under skilful guidance. 

 In the depths of winter, when snow lies 

 heavy on evergreen boughs and frosted 

 twigs scintillate in the winter sunshine, 



