ALL KINDS OF GARDENS 



But we can learn to adapt ourselves and our en- 

 deavors to the conditions which they afford — these 

 conditions which we must accept. There is no reason 

 for giving up just because everything does not happen 

 to be favorable to the garden things which are most 

 common, hence most familiar. 



After all, the things that are really familiar are a 

 compararatively small number, considering that the 

 average dealer's catalogue may list from five hundred 

 to six hundred species. And each of these is probably 

 offered in not less than three varieties and several are 

 offered in many more than that number. This means 

 not less than fifteen hundred plants, at the lowest 

 figure; hence it is easy to see that a liberal estimate of 

 the proportion that may be called "familiar" to most 

 persons will fix the number at not more than ten per cent 

 of the total — otherwise from one hundred and fifty kinds 

 up. On the basis of this estimate therefore, there are 

 still remaining thirteen hundred and fifty varieties, 

 representing four hundred and fifty species, to become 

 acquainted with. Out of these be sure there are many 

 lovely, unheard-of things that will grow in the seemingly 

 impossible places. 



So after all there may be as many kinds of garden 

 as there are kinds of places — instead of just a ''hardy" 

 garden and an "old-fashioned" garden. But note that 

 these several kinds, natives of unusual places, should be 

 only adopted where natural conditions force the choice 

 of them; these plants will not thrive in ordinary garden 

 soil and conditions any better than the plants from the 



119 



