to such =a
rich red in September= that this fact, added to their easy cultivation,
makes it wonderful that they are not more grown. I remember, on a dreary
day in mid-February, being perfectly charmed by the sight of a large bed
of this _saxifraga ligulata_, completely filling up the front garden of a
workman's cottage in one of the poorest roads of a large town. The flowers
are particularly =clean and fresh-looking=, and having shiny leaves they
of course resist dust and dirt well.

=Tradescantias= and =trollius= are two good families of plants for growing
on north borders; the first have curious blue or reddish-purple flowers,
rising on stiff stalks clothed with long pointed leaves, and they continue
in =flower from May till September=. The =trollius= has bright orange or
lemon-yellow cup-shaped blossoms and luxuriant foliage. It flowers from
the end of May for some weeks. Both these plants grow about two feet high.

=Violas= or =tufted pansies= are very pretty, and extremely =suitable for
the ground work of beds=, especially where these are in shade, though they
will not do under trees. Cuttings must constantly be taken, as
one-year-old plants flower more continuously, and have larger blooms and a
more compact habit than older plants, besides which they are apt to die
out altogether, if left to themselves.

These are but a few of the wealth of good things to be made use of, for,
when once real enthusiasm is awakened, the amateur who wishes to have a
thoroughly interesting garden will only be too eager to avail himself of
all that is best in the horticultural world.

CHAPTER V

The Conservatory and Greenhouse

_Mistakes in staging--Some suitable climbers--Economical
heating--Aspect, shading, etc.--The storing of plants--No waste
space--Frames._

=A well-kept conservatory= adds much to the charm of a drawing-room, but
requires careful management. Potting and the like cannot very well go on
in a place which must always look presentable. A conservatory, of course,
is tiled, and therefore every dead leaf and any soil that may be spilled
show very much; it is therefore advisable to have a greenhouse as well,
or, failing that, some frames. A greenhouse, though it may be only just
large enough to turn round in, is a great help towards a nice garden, and
a boon in winter; it also allows of =a change of plants= for the
dwelling-house and conservatory, greatly to their advantage. =Staging
generall