Pot-pourri from a Surrey garden

looks better than a row of plants all the same, or nearly the same, height. There are the line of the wall and the line of the path. Your object must be, not to repeat these, but to work into your border that which makes either beautiful form or beautiful colour, or both at the same time. Do not repeat your clumps over and over again. For instance, if you have a good number of German Irises (many of which grow admirably in London), put them into two large groups — one facing east or south (which is the best) and the other facing north or west. In this way you may hope for a succession, an object that anyone who plants for flowering reasons ought never to have out of their mind. Spanish Irises would, I believe, do very well in a London garden if planted every year in a sunny corner in October. They are not expensive (see cata- logues). Buy no double or even single Dutch Hyacinths ; they are not worth it. They last a very short time, are often injured by the weather, and can be seen in the Parks in mournful and irritating regularity and perfection. Buy Snowdrops, Crocuses, Scillas (see l English Flower Garden '), especially S. hispanica, blue, white and pink (though the pink one is rather the least pretty), S. bifolia, S, sibirica, S. italica, and our own common Blue-bells (Wood Hyacinths), S. nutans. I think the only real Hyacinth worth trying would be the early Eoman. The only seed I would recommend sowing in place is Mignonette, and that would want watering. For all other annuals, and many other things that are not annuals, I would pocket my gardening pride and act in the follow- ing manner : — In April, and again in May, make out from the books a short or long list of plants, those common things that you would like to have, which flower early. Send or go to Covent Garden, taking a basket with you, and buy the seedlings there two or three inches high ; bring them back, plant them at once, and water them 198 POT-POURRI FROM A SURREY GARDEN and watch them. Plants are just like children ; it is a keen, watchful, ever-attentive, thoughtful eye they require — not, figuratively speaking, pulling up by the roots to see how they are getting on. If you cannot go to Covent Garden, go to the nearest nurseryman, and try and get there what you want. I would buy Daisies, Forget-me- nots, Violas, Pansies, common Marigolds, Nasturtiums, blue Lobelias, Geraniums, Sweet Verbenas — in fact, nearly all the things you see. Only make notes year by year as to what does best, and try to learn for yourself what likes full sun and what likes half-shade, and what can be planted in April and what not till the end of May. I believe in this way a very bright London garden might be seen — during May, June, and July, at any rate — at a very small expense.