Forewords to New Edition xix 



by the great cloud of daffodils covering a mound in the 

 foreground. The daffodils [the double kind so common 

 in Ireland) spread over the mound in clouds, licre and 

 there massed close. It was not only good as a picture 

 but as a lesson in the planting in the wild-garden of 

 such flowers — which are often dotted about separately, 

 much as fruit trees are in an orchard, instead of being 

 held together in masses and bold groups, running out 

 here and there into smaller ones. 



Many of the reviewers of the book did not take the 

 trouble necessary to see its true motive, and some of them 

 confuse it with the picturesque garden, which may be 

 formed in many costly ways, whereas the idea of the 

 wild garden is placing plants of other countries, as 

 hardy as our hardiest wild flowers, in places where 

 they will flourish without further care or cost. As 

 I first used the word ' wild garden ' in this book and 

 in the ' Field ' newspaper, where some of the articles 

 appeared many years ago, I wish to make its aim and 

 meaning clear. 



I am happy to be able to illustrate the book with good 

 wood engravings in these days of many 'processes' often 

 called ' improvements' in book illustration, but which, so 

 far, are its ruin. The few cuts done in the former 

 edition by such processes have been re-engraved on wood 

 for this. Some of the ideas in the book, such as the 

 beautiful effects one may get in hedgerows and by 

 grass-imlks, are not illustrated as I hope they will be 

 in future editions. 



