30 
J. WILKINSON ELLIOTT, PITTSBURG, PA. 
HARDY PLANTS 
(Herbaceous Perennials) 
Until hardy plants come into general use we cannot hope for 
artistic, interesting and beautiful gardens in this country. People of 
taste and culture are realizing the ugliness of the stereotyped bedding with lines 
of color, and will no longer allow their lawns to be daubed with a flower garden 
like a colored lithograph, although many of our public parks are still guilty of this 
atrocious work. With the material offered in this list the most beautiful and 
interesting gardens are to be made, gardens that increase in interest and beauty 
year after year; gardens that change their aspect with every change of season. To 
make a garden with hardy plants and shrubs requires far more taste and knowledge 
than it does to make one with the few varieties of bedding plants generallly used, but 
the majority of gardeners do not have this knowledge, and no idea of proper arrangement. 
But the garden of hardy plants has this advantage : the individual beauty of the plants 
themselves is so great that a garden cannot fail to be interesting and lovely, no matter how 
badly arranged, if the cultural skill is sufficient to bring them to perfection. People desirous 
of having really fine gardens will find William Robinson’s book, the "English Flower Gar¬ 
den,” most helpful. It is the best and most comprehensive book ever written on gardening. 
Every plant and shrub worthy of consideration is described and cultural directions given; 
several chapters are devoted to the arrangement of gardens, and the book is profusely illus¬ 
trated with pictures made in the best 
gardens in England. This book is not 
generally on sale, but can be ordered 
through any bookseller. 
Hitherto it has been impossible to 
get satisfactory varieties and plants of 
perennials; in fact, no nursery in this 
country has had a satisfactory general 
stock of hardy plants, and I have had 
the greatest difficulty in getting the 
Polyanthus, or Cowslip (See page 28) plants specified for my landscape gar¬ 
dening work, as this class of plants is 
extremely difficult to import. The difficulty became so great, and my work 
so hampered by the lack of plants to carry it out, that I persuaded one of 
the most capable horticulturists in this country to start a hardy plant nursery 
and guaranteed the financial results. It is the intention to make this nursery 
a model of its kind, and grow everything in hardy plants worthy of culture, 
and to send out nothing but well-grown plants packed in the most careful 
manner. Most of the plants described in the following pages are the offer¬ 
ings of this nursery (the Springdale Nursery). 
SPECIAL OFFERS OF HARDY PLANTS IN VARIETY 
The Springdale Nursery authorizes me to make the following remarkably low 
prices for hardy plants. They will he of the best and most desirable varieties and 
the plants of the best quality, but in every instance the selection of varieties is to 
be made by me; but if purchasers will state the things they have, or don’t wish, 
these will not be included in the selection. Sometimes people write asking for a 
list of the plants contained in these collections. This can not be given, so please 
save me the unpleasantness of refusing by not asking for it. 
Offer No. 1 of Hardy Plants. Twenty-five first-class plants in variety for.$2 SO 
Offor No. 2 of Hardy Plants. Fifty first-class plants in variety for. 4 00 
Offer No. 3 of Hardy Plants. One hundred first-class plants in varied assortment 
of best species and varieties for. 7 00 
Offor No. 4. Five hundred Hardy Plants, same as above, but in larger variety, for....30 00 
OfforNo.S. One thousand Hardy Plants, same as above, but in much larger variety, for. .55 00 Japanese Anemone (See opposite page) 
