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CHAPTER XI. 



HAKDY PLANTS FOR THE SUBTROPICAL GARDEN. 



This is a most important subject^ and concerns every lover 

 of gardening in the British Isles ; for, however few can in- 

 dulge in the luxury of rich displays of tender plants, or 

 however rare the spots in which they may be ventured out 

 with confidence^ all may enjoy those that are hardy_, and 

 that too wdth infinitely less trouble than is required by the 

 tender ones. Those noble masses of fine foliage first dis- 

 played to us by tender plants have done much towards 

 correcting a false taste. What I wish to impress upon the 

 reader is^ that in whatever part of these islands he may live 

 he need not despair of producing sufficient similar efiect to 

 vary his flower garden or pleasure ground beautifully by the 

 use of hardy plants alone ; and that the noble lines of a 

 well-grown Yucca recurva_, or the finely chiselled yet fern- 

 like spray of a graceful young conifer_, will aid him as much 

 in this direction as anything that grows either in tropical 

 or subtropical climes. The herbaceous collections in the 

 Jardin des Plantes are very full^, and correctly kept ; and_, 

 being much devoted to such plants_, I rarely spent a week 

 without visiting them^ chiefly to discover useful members of 

 this class ; while, of course, such as are used in the various 

 public parks and gardens also came repeatedly under my 

 observation. Of their relative importance and value I was, 

 perhaps, the better prepared to judge from having visited 

 for like purposes all the botanic gardens in the British Isles 

 within the past few years. The following is the result of 

 my observations as to the flnest subjects we can use : — 



Acanthus latifolius. — This is a plant that anybody can 

 grow, and which is in all respects fine. The leaves are bold 

 and noble in outline, and the plant has a tendency, rare in 



