20 



A PLEA FOR HARDY PLANTS 



It may be thought that to win my admiration a flower must be hardy. 

 Nothing of the sort. Certainly the basis of all good outdoor gardening 

 must be hardy material ; but the skilful gardener or amateur will find a 

 place for many tender plants, and especially for the so-called summer- 

 blooming bulbs, such as gladioli, dahlias, and tuberous begonias, all 

 of which are easily wintered in any dwelling-house; and he will even find 

 a place for the new large-flowering cannas, but that place is not in 

 isolated beds on the lawn. I have seen them used to the best advantage 

 in small groups in the margin of shrubbery, where the full benefit of 

 their really line coloring was attained, but their stif+ness and ungracefulness 

 concealed. And the many fine annuals which are so cheaply and easily 

 raised from seeds are not to be overlooked — Phlox 'T)ninimondU , Shirley 

 poppies, sweet peas, asters, calliopsis, are all tine, and I am free to 

 confess that there are but few things among hardy plants that I admire 



more than a fine mass of tall nas- 

 turtiums. The garden of hardy 

 plants is within the reach of 

 the humblest gardener, yet 

 it will satisfy the demand 

 of the most ambitious; 

 and the finest show 

 places of America 

 and Europe are de- 

 voted almost exclu- 

 sively to hardy ma- 

 terial. If a great 

 collection is desired, 

 there are countless 

 thousands of species 

 and varieties to be 

 obtained ; or if it is 

 desired to show 

 great cultural skill, 

 the rare al pines, 

 the lovely California 

 poppy {Romncya 

 Conltcri), the stately 

 e r e m u r u s , the 



HARDY ASTERS 



