Country Life
FLOWERS OF THE YEAR.
The cult of flowers spreads in England at a steadily increasing rate, nut least in the North and West. This week at Southport, which with Shrewsbury holds the biggest and best of the shows, the huge crowd, likely to number at least 100,000, will be increased by special trains from London. Trade and private exhibitors collect from every corner of the country ; and some of them contribute not only flowers but tons of stone for setting up miniature rock gardens. Westmor- land is being quarried on a large scale for that special grey rock which offers its seductive crevices for rock plants. In one exhibit—at Shrewsbury—a water garden with a broad paved path was further decorated with a stone summer- house roofed with heavy stone tiles. By the edge of the large pond grew a huge tuft of that lustiest of all the primulas- Florinde, brought back by Mr. Kingdon Ward from Tibet and a very fair sized tree.
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