FOREWORD 
In L. Messel I had to deplore the loss of one of the most 
interesting garden lovers, a kindly thoughtful man with a 
genius for finding new ways in our garden trials and pleasures, 
who made himself a fair garden and made many experi- 
ments. We who think ourselves experienced as to what is 
worth testing have our limitations, and think we are wise 
in them, but he had none. Living in a cool forest district 
with too many dark days, he tried many trees and shrubs 
from New Zealand, Australia and America with the result 
that we saw them thriving on our forest ridge in Sussex. 
These trials of shrubs and rare trees were in what was once 
an old paddock near the house, protected by walls from 
north and east sides, and there one had the most instructive 
and in many ways beautiful results I have seen in a garden. 
On a May day it was a Joy to see the way the Indian rhodo- 
dendrons and many a choice shrub flowered, and there for 
the first time one saw the fine Eucryphiu cordi folia and 
Davidia involucrata in bloom. 
One of the first to enjoy the charms of a garden of all 
the heaths hardy in our country, he formed a very good 
one, varied here and there with groups of cyclamens and 
many of the choicer rock plants. He thought little of going 
to distant lands like New Zealand for his enquiries, and held 
that it was only fair to give them a good start as weakly 
plants from heated houses often failed, and it was found 
that a true test of hardiness could only be from robust plants 
grown cool. To meet this want a range of glass-houses was 
built in 1907 with only sufficient heat to exclude frost. These 
houses proved a great help and added much to the success 
obtained in planting. Many plants, such as Alberta tnagna, 
introduced as a stove plant, were found to succeed admirably 
in a temperature often under 35 degs. Fahr. What others 
considered difficult, Mr. Messel at once wished to try, and was 
gratified when he succeeded in flowering such plants as 
