INTRODUCTION. 



A CLEMATIS-COVERED ARCH 



and well-kept garden may certainly afford greater pleasure than a small one, but it is useful 

 to remember that most lovely effects are often attained even in the little cottage gardens of 

 our country roadsides. 



We may suppose, however, that the gardener will have one or more of several 

 possibilities open to him. He will, in tile fust place, probably have what may be called a 

 general garden, where he delights to collect many varieties of plants from all sources. The 

 choice before him is, of course, endless. His greater difficulty is that of selection, so that he 

 may possess the things he can grow to the greatest advantage. In this book he will find 

 many hints for his guidance. He may be led to discern, for example, what are the better 

 directions of flower gardening, to recognise the high value of hardy and half-hardy border 

 plants, to seize what may be good of the once-fashionable bedding, and make use of new 

 opportunities of new beauty. He will turn his attention first of all to the queen of flowers, 

 the Rose. Lilies, Dahlias, Cannas, Chrysanthemums, Phloxes, Lychnis, Poppies, Peonies, 

 Hydrangeas, Irises, Delphiniums, Gladioli, Hollyhocks, Honeysuckles, Clematis, Marigolds, 

 Zinnias, Stocks, Asters, and a w hole world of other beautiful things will attract him. There will 

 be ornamental flowering shrubs — Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Weigelas, Lilacs, Mock-oranges, and 

 many more — and climbing plants in great variety ; conifers and evergreens, too, to be well 

 planted for harmonious effect in the winter, and as the background for the gay flowers of 

 summer-time. Touching all these things, it is believed that these pages will be found very 

 helpful. Our gardener will certainly have a lawn, or a space of grass, and we have 

 endeavoured to tell him how to arrange and manage it. He will, perhaps, have hedges to 

 shelter his various growths from the cold blasts of the north or east, or to separate his 

 flower garden from his orchard and kitchen garden, or, at least, to delimit his modest patch 

 from that of his neighbour. It may be that he will have a terrace to adorn with clustering 

 growths of Ivy, Ampelopsis, or some Rose or flowering climber. Happy he who can pursue 

 his stream to where a lake quivers as the wind kisses it, or sparkles as the swallows dip. 

 Then a whole realm of beauty drawn from the sweet ranks of Water-lilies will claim his 

 attention. The sedgy border or the oozy bank demands his care, and he will seek the 

 Irises and water-loving plants to fringe and glorify the margin of the mere. 



Near the lake, if not near the flower garden, we may expect to find a rock garden, 

 formed, it may be, upon some old hedge-ban!-;. The formation of this rock garden and its 



