POINTS 



1. Grow no plant which does not strike you as either 

 beautiful or interesting. 



2. Learn the requirements of every plant as far as 

 possible before ordering it, and have everything ready 

 before its arrival. 



3. Do not overcrowd, but allow every plant to 

 develop and display its own form of beauty. On the 

 other hand, show as little bare earth as possible at every 

 season of the year. 



4. Have few beds and many and wide borders. It 

 will often, however, be found convenient to grow in 

 beds such flowers as Carnations, which require to be 

 frequently replanted, and which will not tolerate the 

 competition of other plants ; but even with Carnations 

 may be planted many bulbs, such as Crocuses, Tulips, 

 Spanish Irises and Gladioli. In any case, aim at being a 

 four-season gardener, and make your garden interesting 

 in every part the year through. 



5. The borders should generally be wide — where 

 there is ample space not less than nine to twelve feet. 

 They should be backed by a plant-covered trellis or 

 wall, or by flowering and evergreen shrubs. 



6. Cultivate the soil to a depth of two or three feet 

 in the manner described in this book, and in dry weather 

 supply abundance of water, and keep the surface mulched 

 either with moss or manure, or with loose soil. 



7. In arranging mixed borders, avoid dottiness, pre- 

 ferring rather to plant bold clumps or masses of indi- 

 vidual species. Let the surface of the soil be carpeted 

 by low-growing, surface-rooting plants, such as the 



