16 Hardy Plants for Cottage Gardens 
“J don’t think anything of it; it’s impossible,” said 
he. ‘“Rocks—brambles, you can’t make a garden out of 
them.” 
For a brief moment his denial shook my confidence; but a 
cherished hope is long-lived, and thrives amidst thorny ob- 
stacles. 
“Tt is pretty discouraging,” I urged, “but what of all my 
plans—my dreams—my charts? I can’t give it up. Nowhere 
else is there a stone wall with a grape-vine and trees in happy 
propinquity.” 
Then he turned a full masculine gaze upon me. “You 
ought to have known there were rocks there and bushes; there 
are plenty of places, why choose the hardest possible spot on 
the farm?” 
“Oh yes,” pleaded I, “plenty of spots, but not garden spots. 
I don’t want to go about digging any more holes in the ground 
at random. I want to decide on a place already selected by 
Nature as a favorable location, and build up where she has 
begun. The very size of these bushes proves the fertile con- 
ditions,” I urged, laying desperate hold upon the most obvious 
impediment and bending it neatly to my argument. ‘This 
is the only suitable place on the entire farm. Besides, it is 
not only near the house and the well, but it has natural ad- 
vantages and features,” and I glibly enumerated them again, 
forgetting that for weeks I had talked of little else than of a 
certain stone wall, grape-vine and apple-tree. 
He looked sceptically about him. “T’ve heard of them be- 
fore, and if you like the idea of that grape-vine, and stone wall 
and apple-tree, why not enjoy them just as they are? why 
tangle them up with the garden question? My advice is, 
don’t make yourself any unnecessary work; any place will 
do.” Here he arose, and paused; “I’m sorry for your disap- 
pointment, but you must surely see for yourself that it is 
