8 
CHILDREN'S GARDENS 
i 
It has been said that flowers only flourish in 
the garden of some one who loves them, which 
is a fantastic idea ; but at any rate it is perfectly 
true to say that they will only attain their 
highest perfection in the gardens of those who 
study and care for them, and children who begin 
the task will find it a never-ending one, yet of 
ever-increasing pleasure and instruction. 
Not a tree, 
A plant, a leaf, a blossom, but contains 
A folio volume. We may read, and read, 
And read again, and still find something new, 
Something to please and something to instruct. 
Hurdis (on the title-page of each volume of 
Maund’s Botanic Garden , 1825-1850). 
Children do not often have the choice of a 
garden. They must, as a rule, take what is 
given them and make the best of it. But 
once the ground is assigned to them, much can 
be done to make it pretty, attractive, and 
original. The first step is to decide what kind 
of plants will thrive best, and to ascertain this 
several points must be considered—whether 
the soil is rich or light, the spot sheltered or 
exposed to the wind, whether it is in the sun 
or shade, or damp or dry, and once having 
settled these questions, the next stage is to 
determine whether the garden is to be what 
is called a “ formal ” one, or a wild one. Even 
