FOURTH NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW 167 
No one is ever successful in gardening at first. We gain knowledge through 
our failures and mistakes. But with each successful step — naturally, each one 
more successful than the previous one — we begin to realize that we are gradu- 
ally mastering the secrets of nature. We approach the threshold of that stage 
where we become attached to our gardens, attached to each individual little 
plant, which we watch with greater interest, begin to learn its needs and wants, 
and finally its life is an open book to us. 
No real parents were ever taught how to care for their young, because they 
have lived with it every hour, from the moment of its birth, and from its mere 
gestures and appearance can they instantly tell what it needs for its sustenance. 
Here is the whole secret of successful gardening: Just as soon as we really 
live with our plants, we nurse within our hearts an instinctive love through 
which the plant becomes attached to us, so much so that it is part of our life. 
By a single glance we can instantly tell just what it needs, and the fact that 
it responds to our treatment and progresses is the first proof that our attach- 
ment to the plant is not one-sided, but is reciprocated in a much stronger 
measure. 
You must, and will experience this very feeling, and through it comes to 
you the first thrill of joy. No man ever put the truth in sweeter words than 
Dean Hole, when he said: "He who would have beautiful flowers in his garden 
must have beautiful flowers in his heart. He must love them well and always. 
He must not only possess the glowing admiration, the enthusiasm and the 
passion, but the watchfulness, the tenderness and the reverence of love." 
It goes without saying that you must be your own gardener; you must 
do the little things yourself that mean so much to the successful life of a plant. 
A pail of water, the pulling of a few weeds, the gentle stirring of the soil, a little 
better food once in a while. All these things mean so much to your children 
in the garden, for children they are. 
Did you ever notice that some are cjuite misbehaved, at least they don't 
do just as you expect them to do? But for all that, you love them. 
When you have reached the stage when you know your plants, the thrills 
of joy will be frequent. You will find that you can play with your plants, for 
they are playful. They will look for your daily visits with the eagerness of a 
child, they will laugh and chat with you — silently but unmistakably. They 
will be always grateful, and will work for you with a passion that knows no 
limit. 
These are not delusions or mere fancies, dear reader, but everyone of these 
revelations must surely come to you also, if you do your gardening in the right 
way. 
Only recently, while visiting a flower lover I was shown with pride a large 
pot of Lilies of the Valley, which had been in perfect bloom for five weeks and 
were as handsome as ever. When the owner told me that it was the flower she 
