210 WOOD AND GARDEN 



meet the needs of any case that may arise. But like 

 everything else, in good gardening it must be done 

 just right, and the artist-gardener finds that hardly 

 the placing of a single plant can be deputed to any 

 other hand than his own ; for though, when it is done, 

 it looks quite simple and easy, he must paint his own 

 picture himself — no one can paint it for him. 



I have no dogmatic views about having in the 

 so-called hardy flower-border none but hardy flowers. 

 All flowers are welcome that are right in colour, and 

 that make a brave show where a brave show is wanted. 

 It is of more importance that the border should be 

 handsome than that all its occupants should be hardy. 

 Therefore I prepare a certain useful lot of half-hardy 

 annuals, and a few of what have come to be called 

 bedding-plants. I like to vary them a Kttle from year 

 to year, because in no one season can I get in all the 

 good flowers that I should like to grow ; and I think 

 it better to leave out some one year and have them 

 /the next, than to crowd any up, or to find I have 

 plants to put out and no space to put them in. But 

 I nearly always grow these half-hardy annuals ; orange 

 African Marigold, French Marigold, sulphur Sunflower, 

 orange and scarlet tall Zinnia, Nasturtimus, both 

 dwarf and trailing, Nicotiana affi/nis. Maize, and Salpi- 

 glossis. Then Stocks and China Asters. The Stocks 

 are always the large white and flesh-colom-ed summer 

 kinds, and the Asters, the White Comet, and one of 

 the blood-red or so-called scarlet sorts. 



