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ROYAL GARDENS 



CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTORY 



Of many Anglo-Saxon words which time has endowed with 

 a pre-eminent power of stirring the imagination, few are 

 richer in pictorial fancy and literary allusiveness than 

 " garden " ; and few equal it in human interest. From 

 the earliest times man has placed his dwelling in some 

 sort of garden, but the full significance of the word has 

 been of slow and gradual growth. A thousand or more 

 years ago, garden — or, as it then was, " geard " or " garth " 

 — merely meant a yard, an enclosure of any kind adjoining 

 a house. Now, the same word brings before the mind's eye 

 a whole series of vivid and beautiful pictures of delightful 

 pleasances. The word itself seems to compel thought. It 

 implies home and family life. Deprived of a garden no 

 home can be quite perfect. A simple cottage with a well- 

 kept plot is better than the most luxurious house without. 

 The child plays, the mother reads or works, the father seeks 

 rest and recreation in the garden. It is one of the best com- 

 pensations for the troubles and anxieties of modern life, one 

 of the most consoling relaxations for a tired brain. Who 

 does not rejoice in early spring when buds and blossoms 

 begin to open ? And who does not welcome with eager 

 joy the first young and struggling flowers ? In summer the 

 enjoyment of a garden's progress, the care for its wants, 

 occupy some of the happiest hours its owner knows. In 

 winter much time and thought are given to the pleasant 



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