On Gardeners' Flowers 



white, no longer snowy like the Narcissus, 

 but flushed with hues of animating pink ; 

 either flower, white or red, being alike 

 symbolical of growing youthful passion. 

 Nowhere else has the sensuous in a double 

 flower such strength of imaginative appeal. 

 But we must remember, — firstly, as to 

 sensuous qualities, that we have only made 

 comparison with our native hedge Rose, 

 and not with the original of the garden 

 plant in a single state, and developed by 

 cultivation. Secondly, it is admitted that 

 the double flower may far excel in par- 

 ticular kinds of effect, the various beauties 

 of the single being restrained by mutual 

 concession to give best effect to the flower 

 as a whole. Thus the higher you cultivate 

 the common Pink the less has it of ani- 

 mated expression : there is, consequently, 

 more of this expression in the best double 

 Pinks of the cottage garden, least of all in 

 the splendid Carnations I have already 

 described, which are just like gorgeous 

 patterns. Now the best double flowers 

 do certainly gain much in dignity, one of 

 the highest of all possible qualities. And 

 in their own especial kind of dignity the 

 single flowers can never vie with them. 

 These last can give us the dignity of the 

 open empty cup, as we see in the common 

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