THE CHARM OF GARDENS 



collector the musty curiosity shops for prizes for his 

 collection. There comes the time when the first Snow- 

 drops, their stalks tied with wool, appear here and there 

 and may be brought home as rare prizes. A word here 

 of flower vases. Clear glass is the only form of vessel for 

 any kind of flower. I feel certain of that. No crock, 

 no form of pottery gives out greater the real value to 

 your cut flowers. The stalks are part of the beauty of 

 the flower, the submerged leaf as lovely as the leaf above. 

 And, above and beyond all things, glass shows at once if 

 your water is pure, and if your vase is full. Nowadays 

 beautiful striped glass vases are made and sold so cheaply 

 that there is no excuse for the old, and often ugly, pot 

 vases so many people use. I own to a certain liking to 

 seeing roses in old China bowls, but have a lurking sus- 

 picion that I am Philistine in this. 



There is, of course, a distinction between Town Gardens 

 and gardens in Towns. The one being the open free 

 spaces dedicated to the pleasure of Duke and tramp alike : 

 the other the hidden and hallowed spots where the town 

 dweller fights soot, grime, smoke, and lack of sun, and 

 fights them in many cases wonderfully well. One finds, 

 though, that many people fancy that only Ivy, cats, and 

 dustbins will flourish in the heart of a smoky City. This 

 is not the case. Broom, Lilac, Trumpet Flower, Travel- 

 ler's Joy, many kinds of Honeysuckle, Passion Flower, 

 Tulip Tree, many kinds of Cherry and Plum Trees bear- 

 ing beautiful blossoms, Barberry, and Almond Trees 

 all these will grow well and strongly even in the worst 

 parts of London. Five kinds of Honeysuckle will 

 flourish ; they are : 



Lonicera Lepebouri Lonicera Serotinum 



Flexuosam Belgicum 



Brachypoda aurea 

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