BEHIND THE TIMES 



alas ! even here the inexpert gardeners follow one another 

 like the proverbial flock of sheep, and now Dorothy 

 Perkins flaunts her pink flower clusters everywhere, while 

 such exquisite things as Alberic Barbier, Tea Rambler, 

 Trier, Tausendschon, and many more make their appeal 

 in vain perhaps because catalogue descriptions of each 

 and every rose make one green with envy, and one knows 

 not which to choose ; perhaps because Dorothy Perkins 

 satisfies the longings of the average home gardener. 



Single-flowered Carnations, obviously grown from 

 cheap and worthless seed, usurp the place of lovely, 

 large-flowered, double sorts, perfect in form and won- 

 derfully varied in colour, that better seed would give. 

 " Penny wise and pound foolish " too often represents 

 the method of the average amateur gardener. A packet 

 of seed of something that is magnificum or grandiflorum 

 or atro-rubens may cost sixpence more than the packet 

 without these high falutin' postscripts ; but, as a rule, 

 it is well worth it. May I venture to hope that in 

 these pages the inexpert will find that, while due 

 consideration is given to the best of the old flowers 

 some of which are most worthily cherished he will 

 also be able to make the acquaintance of others that are 

 finer though not so well known ? If it is true that 

 " successful gardening lies in doing the right thing at the 

 right time," it is no less true that the right kinds of 

 flowers must also be grown. 



