The English Flower Garden with illustrative notes

"The English Flower Garden" by Henry Arthur Bright is a late 19th-century essay that gives a historical overview of English gardens and focuses on what makes a garden truly delightful. Bright believes gardens should highlight individual plants and their backgrounds instead of just being colorful displays, hoping to inspire people to enjoy gardening more deeply. The essay begins with the author noticing how popular gardening is becoming everywhere in England, from big properties to small suburban plots. He talks about the many books and magazines about gardening, pointing out how important English gardens have been historically and how they've changed over time in terms of culture and style. Bright is critical of the trend of using bright, similar plants for show, which he thinks takes away from the joy of individual flowers and their stories, paving the way for talking about going back to more thoughtful and varied gardening methods.