226 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ October, 
Henceforth every good garden, when the family resides in the country in 
spring time, must have its beds of evergreens and flowers at that season, 
instead of the present hare unmeaning plots of dull vapid earth. Flowers, 
at all times enjoyable, at all times exhilirating, are doubly so in spring 
from their greater rarity, and from the bright contrast they present to the 
desolation that reigns around. 
An extraordinary summer like that of 1868 opens to the active and 
observing mind many fresh avenues of thought. The summer just past 
has been more favourable to the March and April garden, than to that of 
July and August, as many a worker on light dry soils especially knows to 
his cost. Such should not hesitate one moment in seizing on this new 
idea, and in substituting for the dull unsightly beds of earth, too prevalent, 
alas ! in spring, masses of bright and beautiful flowers. 
Happily the task is neither difficult nor expensive; the plants used 
are frost-proof and cheap; the labour is the great item, and it would not 
be fair to represent that there is not an increase under this head; but 
except where carried out on a very extensive scale, spring gardening need 
not entail any heavy additional cost even here. 
In all spring gardening, bulbs must form an important part of the ma¬ 
terial; and they, indeed, are not costly. Hyacinths (red, white, and blue), 
may be bought at 21s. the 100; Tulips (red, white, and yellow), at from 
4s. to 12s. per 100; and Crocuses (white, yellow, purple, striped), at from 
Is. 6d. to 8s. per 100. Then there are Jonquils (yellow), Snowdrops (white), 
Anemones (blue, white, scarlet, and variegated), none of them beyond the 
reach of moderate means, and numberless others calculated to secure 
diversity and to combine in forming a pleasing and harmonious whole. 
Of annuals and biennials to be sown in summer and autumn, or pur¬ 
chased at a low price in the seedling state, there is a rich and varied store. 
Of these Lunaria or Honesty (purple), Wallflower (three varieties, yellow, 
dark, and brown), Silene (three varieties, white, pink, and red), Myosotis 
(two varieties, blue and white), and Saponaria calabrica (red), are among the 
most effective. There are also Candytufts, Clarkias, Calliopsis, Collinsias, 
Erysimums, Eschsclioltzias, Gilias, Godetias, Leptosiplions, Limnanthes, 
Nemophilas, Venus’ Looking-glass, Virginian Stock, &c., but these ac¬ 
cording to my experience do not succeed after transplantation with that 
certainty which is necessary to insure a complete and perfect garden. 
They are best sown on the spot where they are required to bloom. 
Spring-flowering perennials are also numerous and good. Alyssum 
(yellow), Anemone nemorosa plena (white), Anemone apennina (blue), 
Arabis alpina (white and variegated), Aubrietias of sorts (lilac), Beilis or 
Daisies (white, red, and rose), Iiepaticas (red, white, and blue), Iberis 
(white), Pansies (various), Phloxes (various), Primroses (crimson, lilac, 
