FAVOURITE FLOWERS
OF
GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE
INTRODUCTION
From the earliest periods of which we have any records, flower gardens have constituted a source of pleasure and a means of recreation to the human race. In the older civilisations, as in the new, wealth and taste have been lavished upon gardens, and we are bold to say the investment has been remunerative in the best meaning of the word. The æsthetic sense that finds an outlet in the creation and maintenance of a garden, is itself stimulated and strengthened by its own offspring; and this is true not merely of the garden of one or many acres, but equally so of the tiny plot attached to the humble suburban dwelling of the city clerk or the mechanic. In many of these restricted areas the amateur gardener finds serious difficulties in his way, in the shape of a crude clay or gravel earth deficient in humus, obstacles to light and air, and so forth; yet these a may be, and often are, overcome by perseverance and the determination to succeed.
So widespread is now this desire for a plot of ground whereon to cultivate the beautiful among plants,—a desire restricted to no particular class or condition of society,—that the present might well be termed the age of gardens. There are quite a large number of admirable periodicals devoted to gardening, both professional and amateur; and there is an extensive literature of modern books on gardens and gardening of all kinds but there appears to be no valid reason why a few more should
