CONFERENCE ON HARDY SUMMER-FLOWERING PERENNIALS. 309 



CONFEEENCE ON HARDY SUMMER- 

 FLOWERING PERENNIALS. 



TUESDAY, July 7, 1891. 



The manifest interest taken in the cultivation of hardy plants 

 of late years was in itself sufficient reason to induce the Council 

 to hold this Conference in the Society's Gardens at Chiswick. 

 By means of the papers read and printed below, and the subsequent 

 discussion, it was hoped that a greater amount of information 

 would be diffused concerning hardy plants and their peculiarities, 

 and thus both assist and stimulate those with small gardens to 

 persevere in the culture of hardy perennial plants. 



The exhibition of hardy plants was of a very interesting 

 nature, and served to show the great variety of sorts cultivated. 

 With a view to assisting the cultivator in selecting useful hardy 

 plants, lists have been prepared and appended to the papers 

 read, showing the kinds most suitable for various purposes. 



The Conference began at two o'clock, the chair being taken 

 by W. Makshall, Esq., who opened the proceedings with the 

 following remarks : — 



I presume the Council has arranged that the subject of this 

 Conference should be "Hardy Summer Perennial Plants." 

 These constitute a class of flowers which have been, as a rule, 

 overlooked by gardeners, and have not received that attention to 

 which they are justly entitled. I should be the last to decry any 

 class of plants, but I think it will be admitted that such plants 

 as Orchids are luxuries, and are only grown by those who have a 

 large balance at their banker's ; in fact they are the plants of 

 the few. On the other hand, the flowers which we have come to 

 see to-day and to discuss are the flowers of the many. For a 

 reasonable outlay a large collection can be got together, and, if 

 judiciously chosen, can be made to last nearly the whole year 

 round. They are, moreover, very good-tempered plants, and 

 will for the most part put up with a good deal of ill-treatment. 

 There are some, of course, which require careful management, 

 and it will not do to treat all alike. The proverb that " What is 

 one man's meat is another man's poison " applies with great force 



