GARDENING EXPEDIENTS 



come instinctive, and these I will give as numbered 

 suggestions. 



First: If your cutting is done in a formal gar- 

 den, give a comprehensive look at the whole 

 before taking up your basket and shears. If it is 

 a question of which matters more to you, your 

 house or your garden, always consider the garden. 

 Notice where flowers are spindling up, where a 

 ragged spot exists, where bloom is so luxuriant as 

 to injure the effect, where the blessed require- 

 ments of balance should be looked after. In the 

 case of overluxuriance of bloom, a constant hap- 

 pening, the plant which is advertised as being 

 "covered with flowers" is considered by discrimi- 

 nating gardeners as either a monstrosity or a 

 curiosity. I have no doubt that a painter of 

 gardens such as Mr. George Elgood insists upon 

 cutting away a bit here, a mass of color there, 

 before placing his easel in final position for the 

 painting of the delicious garden pictures for which 

 he is renowned. Wealth of bloom! When shall 

 we learn that this is a phrase which seldom or 

 never leads to beauty? Not in quantity dwell 

 the best joys of gardening ! The advantage in the 

 idea of too many flowers lies in the fact that here 

 we have material for picture-making by skilled 



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