"How is it you can talk so nicely?" Alice asked, trying to flatter the flower to improve its mood. She mentioned her experience with other gardens and noted that none of the flowers talked as this one did. The Tiger-lily advised Alice to feel the ground beneath her hand, implying there was a reason for the flower's ability to speak.

"It's very hard," Alice responded, puzzled about what that had to do with anything. The Tiger-lily explained that in most gardens, the beds are made too soft, causing the flowers to remain asleep, which prevents them from talking. This highlights the whimsical logic of the garden and its inhabitants in the story."