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Title: The book of garden design
Author: Charles Thonger
Editor: Harry Roberts
Photographer: F. Mason Good
Release date: December 24, 2024 [eBook #74972]
Language: English
Original publication: United Kingdom: John Lane: The Bodley Head
Credits: Susan E., A Marshall, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN ***
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
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Some minor changes to the text are noted at the end of the book.
HANDBOOKS OF PRACTICAL GARDENING—XXV
EDITED BY HARRY ROBERTS
THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN
[Illustration: LAWN AND SHADE]
THE BOOK OF
GARDEN DESIGN
BY
CHARLES THONGER
AUTHOR OF “THE BOOK OF GARDEN FURNITURE”
“A garden is a beautiful book, writ by the finger of God; every
flower and every leaf is a letter. You have only to learn them—and he
is a poor dunce that cannot, if he will, do that—to learn them and to
join them, and then to go on reading and reading, and you will find
yourself carried away from the earth to the skies by the beautiful
story you are going through.”—DOUGLAS JERROLD.
JOHN LANE: THE BODLEY HEAD
LONDON AND NEW YORK. MCMV
_Turnbull & Spears, Printers, Edinburgh._
PREFACE.
The whole subject of Garden Design is so diverse and complicated that
I must be pardoned for disclaiming any ideas of completeness for this
small and unpretending book. To refer, however briefly, to the methods
of different workers, and the varied effects obtained by them; or to
present in detail the many phases of garden making as practised in
England to-day, would necessitate not one volume, but several.
If the reader’s object in perusing these pages is to find a model or
plan which he may slavishly duplicate in his own garden, he will, I am
afraid, search in vain. Garden “design” is not of necessity formal,
and suggestive though the name may be of set patterns and geometrical
figures, more may be learnt concerning it in the woods and meadows of
Nature than in all the musty volumes which line the shelves of the
professional’s office. The pleasures of garden making are so real that
each one should jealously guard for himself the privilege of being his
own designer.
It is with the idea of helping the novice to help himself that I ask
his acceptance of whatever may be of value to him in “The Book of
Garden Design.”
C. T.
WOODBRIDGE, SUFFOLK, _May 1904_.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE v
I. OF GARDENS AND GARDEN DESIGNERS 1
Nature’s Gardens—Qualifications necessary for the Designer—“Garden
Architects”—Formal Gardens, Old and Modern—“Capability
Brown”—Repton—Artificial and Natural Design—Uselessness of Stock
Plans and Patterns.
II. GENERAL PRINCIPLES 12
Comfort and Convenience the Primary Essentials—Undue Complexity
to be avoided—Variety Desirable—Garden Paths—Eccentricity
Condemned—Attempting too much—Colour and Contrast.
III. THE SELECTION OF A SITE 21
Accessibility—Approach—Soils—Aspect—Altitude—Shelter—
Surroundings—Outlines of Property—Existing Timber to be retained.
IV. WALKS AND LAWNS 30
Carriage Drives to be Direct—Walks for Different Parts of the
Garden—Serpentine Paths—Edging—Value of Lawns—Breadth and Space
conveyed.
V. FORMAL AND LANDSCAPE PLANTING 37
Avenues often Pretentious—Objections to Clipped Yew
Hedges—Topiary—Flower Walks—The Maze—Natural Planting—Boundary
Plantations—Specimen Trees—Grouping.
VI. KITCHEN-GARDEN AND ORCHARD 44
Unfounded Prejudice against Kitchen-Gardens—Site—Aspect—Boundaries—
Borders—Good Walks a Necessity—Water-Supply—Fruit Plantations—
The Orchard Beautiful.
VII. THE TREATMENT OF WATER 52
Value of Water in the Garden Scene—Artificial Treatment—Natural
Effects generally Preferred—Running Water—Planting on the
Margin—Banks.
VIII. HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS 60
Importance of Living Plants to Design—Border Plants with Various
Coloured Flowers.
IX. PLANTS FOR ALPINE, AQUATIC, AND BOG GARDENS 69
Alpines, with Blue, Pink, Yellow, and White Flowers—Water
Plants—Suitable Subjects for Marshy Margins—Bog Plants.
X. FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS 74
Evergreens Overplanted—Deciduous Trees—List of Varieties.
XI. HARDY CLIMBERS 83
Climbers on Trees—Roses, Clematis, and other Desirable Subjects.
INDEX 89
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
LAWN AND SHADE _Frontispiece_
TERRACE CLIMBERS 16
A PAVED WALK 32
SUNDIAL IN GARDEN WALK 40
STREAM AND WOODLAND 54
HERBACEOUS GROUPING 64
A LILY TANK 70
A GARDEN HOUSE 76
_Photographs by F. Mason Good._
THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN
CHAPTER I
OF GARDENS AND GARDEN DESIGNERS
From the earliest times the garden has been regarded as a fitting
adjunct to the dwelling-places of man. The very name seems to suggest
a place of beauty and repose, where the fairest of fruits and flowers
are collected into a small compass for our special pleasure and
edification. The term “garden,” too, is often employed in a broader
sense, meaning a tract of country, so lavishly endowed with natural
beauties, as to almost suggest that it is the special property and
care of some master hand, who cultivates his broad acres where we
are content with inches. Eden, where, according to Milton’s famous
description in “Paradise Lost,” the “cedar and pine and fir and
branching palm,” mingled together in a tangle of sylvan loveliness, was
a garden of Nature. We speak of Italy as the “garden” of the world, and
are accustomed to attribute the same term to some specially favoured
district or locality in each county at home. From each of these all
suggestion of design is absent; a mightier hand than ours has planted
their groves, watered their fertile valleys, and strewn the meadows
and hedgerows with flowers. To these favoured spots of earth, those
at any rate which are left us, the garden designer must cast his eye,
as he sets out to learn the rudiments of his craft. Not that garden
making consists in the endeavour to duplicate a whole landscape on a
small scale—this was an error into which Brown’s followers blindly
fell—but because so much that is of value to us may be gathered from
an intelligent study of the means by which Nature achieves her most
beautiful effects. The disposition of wood and water in a stretch of
well-balanced scenery, the beautifully proportioned effect of level
and rising ground, of valleys and hills; all these afford an object
lesson, which, at some time or other, is bound to prove suggestive when
endeavouring to forecast results in artificially arranged grounds.
Nature, then, is the school where the novice should go to be thoroughly
taught the rudiments of his art. Not only will he learn much that is
not to be found in books, but his love of the picturesque and beautiful
will be fostered and encouraged—a necessary proceeding if he is to
achieve any measure of success as a maker of gardens.
To a certain extent the good designer is born not made, but much may
be done by intelligent study and a real fondness for the work, to make
up for any lack of natural ability in this direction. But in order to
plan a really satisfactory garden, one qualification is absolutely
essential: before all things the designer must be himself a gardener.
That is, he must have spent some portion of his life actually working
among the flowers and trees, whose suitable arrangement he afterwards
proposes to decide. He must have sown and planted with his own hand,
watched the growth of leaf and bud, and observed the habit of each
plant and its adaptability to certain situations. Colour effects must
also be noted, in short, nothing should be allowed to escape his eye
which concerns the varied phases in the life of the simplest of the
garden trees and flowers. Here lies the secret of half the failures
which have occurred since garden making came to be regarded as
something more than mere haphazard treatment of a piece of enclosed
ground. Its votaries have many of them been men who knew absolutely
nothing of the ways of flowers, to whom the wonders of nature were
as a sealed book. That they were clever draughtsmen none will deny,
and that many beautiful gardens were made on paper is equally to
be admitted. But that was all, they were unable to see how their
gardens would look after being planted a few years—probably they did
not care, at any rate they were miserable failures, as must ever be
the case when a well drawn design is considered sufficient proof of
supreme ability. This class of garden maker is by no means extinct
to-day, and with paper, drawing appliances, and a few books of plans
for guidance, is able to turn out sketches which, to the uninitiated,
seem to suggest unlimited acquaintance with the subject. But transfer
these designs to the ground, lay out the paths and beds as he suggests,
plant trees and raise mounds, dig watercourses and build rockeries to
satisfy his caprice, and what do we find? Our garden is a wretched
affair, a thoughtless jumble of half-matured ideas, a desecration of
common-sense and good taste. Trees are planted where their graceful
outline is cramped and hidden, flowering plants have no possible chance
of displaying their full beauty before us, and everywhere we look there
are signs of ignorance and wasted opportunity. There is something so
contradictory in the term “garden architect”; it suggest the union of
two totally distinct professions. Bricks and mortar, cut stonework
and terracing, are now pushed into the garden, with the result that
its real object is lost and its beauties crowded out. The architect
is greedy; not content with designing the house and its approaches,
its stabling and many accessories, he must needs take the garden in
hand also, and we find his work everywhere and weary of its endless
repetition. But we have brought it on ourselves, and must either rest
content with that we know to be false, or make an effort to free
ourselves from this meretricious form of art without further delay.
All may not possess the faculty for suggesting a complicated plan for
themselves, but there are few who may not study the outlines of the
subject, so that they may be better able to control those whom they
employ. After all, the garden should reflect the ideas and taste of
the owner, not of the professional. The art of garden making consists
very largely in the exercise of common-sense and a due perception of
the fitness of things. These, coupled with a love for flowers and a
knowledge of their requirements, will lead the beginner to success far
more quickly than any ability he may possess for map and plan drawing.
The formal garden, as it existed in the days before its modern
substitute cast a slur on the word “formality,” reflected no small
credit on the skill and taste of its originators. There was a sense of
breadth and stateliness about it which is sadly lacking in its modern
rival. Especially praiseworthy were the open stretches of turf, and
bold grouping of trees, which were characteristic of the time. The
planting of avenues, to whose beauty many of our older houses owe so
much, the alleys and greens bounded with hedges of clipped yew, and
the wide borders filled with herbaceous flowers, were all pleasing in
spite of their stiffness. Aided by handsome terraces, used only where
needed, as at Haddon and other places, these old time gardens were
free from any suggestion of trickery or deception. Their designers
were men whose ideas, if a trifle austere, were perfectly honest; they
liked their handiwork to display its beauties in a straightforward
manner, with the consequence that their gardens were well-proportioned,
and clearly betokened that money had been ungrudgingly spent where
necessary. The modern formal garden is of quite another stamp, with its
flimsily-constructed terraces, its ill-designed vases and statuary.
There is a certain straining after effect noticeable, and a lack of
dignity displayed, which makes this latter a very feeble imitation of
its prototype. How can a modern villa be expected to act as a suitable
foil to a style of garden design which is a cheap adaptation of that
practised at Versailles or Chatsworth?
But, leaving the formal garden for a moment, and passing to a
consideration of that which was the outcome of an entirely different
set of ideas. The landscape school of designers believed that severity
and stiffness were totally out of place in a garden, and the only way
to secure artistic and beautiful effects was to go direct to Nature
for a model. This was right in so far as it went; it became ridiculous
when carried to extremes. If “Capability Brown,” himself the most
noted member of the new school, and his followers had been content to
study Nature, gathering thus many valuable lessons, and then being
content to adapt them to the altered conditions which the nature of
a garden imposed, much good might have resulted. But instead, their
great ambition was to stifle any ideas they might have on the subject,
and become slavish imitators, trying to reproduce a whole landscape
within the small limits of the garden boundaries. Brown was hailed
as a genius, and his advice requisitioned in the remodelling of many
of England’s best gardens. All traces of formality were swept away,
the terraces, stately parterres, yew hedges, and regular-shaped beds
were abolished, and the ground laid out on entirely new lines. This
consisted in the introduction of miniature mountains, streams and
torrents, the latter crossed by bridges; the remaking of paths, so
that they wound in serpentine curves, entailing needless labour to
traverse. At Blenheim, Brown turned a river into a valley, with such
effect that he is said to have proudly declared “the Thames would never
forgive him.” He abhorred avenues, and this style of planting gave
place under his rule to the irregular dotting of belts and clumps at
varying intervals over an estate. There is no doubt but that some of
the “follies” of his satellites were wrongly attributed to him, but, in
spite of this, Brown was a consummate mannerist, and undoubtedly was
the means of spoiling many a good garden by his efforts at deceptive
planting and arrangement.
After Brown’s death in 1784, Humphry Repton was considered the
leading garden designer for many years. To him we owe the origin of
the term “landscape gardener,” a name chosen to designate a science
which combined the united resources of the landscape painter and the
practical gardener. Repton is entitled to our respect, in that his
schemes were not directed towards the sweeping away of old gardens,
but rather to increase, if possible, their beauty and attractiveness.
He considered himself a disciple of Brown, but on examination of his
methods and work, we are led to conclude that he differed from him in
many material particulars. Brown would not tolerate formality in any
shape or form, but Repton, realising that few extremes are pleasing,
preferred to strike a mean, and combine the ideas of the early
designers with those of his predecessor. Thus, whilst duly appreciating
the charms of a garden laid out with proper regard to natural effect,
he wisely saw that it was ridiculous to attempt to bring this style
to the very doors of the house. Architectural features do not readily
combine with those of the field and moorland. Hence we find that
gardens designed by him were somewhat severe in treatment close to
the house, gradually merging into a freer and more natural style, as
the work of the builder and mason was left behind. Thus, by slow
gradations, the most formal design was merged without incongruity into
the wild and uncultivated landscape which bordered the property. Repton
also made a number of sketches in connection with his work, tending to
show how the general appearance of his garden would change from time to
time, as the trees grew and the idea of newness disappeared. Though we
cannot agree with many of the rules laid down by him for the benefit
of future workers, there is much to admire in his methods of garden
planning and arrangement. If he cannot be considered as the inventor of
any marked and novel departure (the “gardenesque” style excepted), at
any rate he did nothing to spoil existing gardens by the introduction
of foolish innovations, which was the fault of many who went before
him. Where his ideas on garden planning must be considered as at
total variance with our own was in the banishing of many necessary
conveniences, simply because they did not happen to be ornamental
or harmonise exactly with the landscape. A garden is a place of
pleasure and recreation, and there can be no possible harm in erecting
comfortable summer houses, seats and resting places, from which to view
its beauties, even though these are not to be found in natural scenery
of the ideal type.
But the examination in detail of the idiosyncrasies of each and every
garden designer would be, to say the least of it, a proceeding which
could do no good, and might be productive of much harm. The novice,
seeking for assistance and advice, will be needlessly confused by any
lengthened reference to the various “styles” laid down as correct by
individuals of widely differing tastes and ideas. After all, when we
have laboriously studied the art of garden making in this and other
countries as it existed over a number of years, and have nodded
approval at the work of a certain exponent, only to find later that
our ideas are more in accord with those of his successor, what do
we find? That the greater part of what we have read is calculated to
perplex rather than help, and in the end leave us no whit better able
to form opinions as to the right and wrong way of setting about our
own business. Putting aside all minor considerations, and looking at
the matter in the broadest and simplest light, there are, and have
been from time immemorial, but two styles of garden design. On the
one hand, we have the artificial, on the other, the natural. The
first is generally the offspring of the professional designer, the
paper planner, the lover of architectural features, the supporter
of the makers of fountains, terracing and statuary. The second can
in its truest form emanate only from the garden lover, the man who
grows flowers and trees for the sake of their individual beauty, and
strives with the materials which Nature lavishly supplies, to make a
picturesque and beautiful enclosure near his dwelling. From this it
must not be inferred that architectural adornments are wrong, or that
a garden can be made in any situation without their aid. The contrary
is the case. On a sloping hillside, a garden may only be possible by
the aid of terracing: an uninteresting corner may be redeemed by a
well-placed sundial or statue: a simple fountain, with the music of
its falling water, may by its presence give pleasure during the long
summer days. But in spite of all, architectural features must ever be
the exception, not the rule, in the well ordered garden, and it is only
when they are really needed to further our scheme of “lawn and tree,
flower and shrub deftly interwoven,” that there is the slightest excuse
for introducing them.
There can be nothing more distressing to the garden artist than
the idea of making gardens to a stock plan. We are not dealing in
wall-papers, ornamental tiles or mosaic work when we undertake the
laying out of a garden; to this day there are many who think that the
business, if business it may be called, can be conducted by post.
Surely, they argue, the professional, if he knows anything at all,
will have no difficulty in advising without the trouble and expense of
a visit. Given the dimensions of a plot of ground, what can be easier
than to make a plan on paper showing the positions to be occupied by
lawns, shrubberies, flower beds and walks? Alas, this is how hundreds
of gardens _are_ made, and the same wretched designs are dumped about
the country like so many copies of a popular picture. A quotation from
the writings of Batty Langley will show that the man who relies on
plans is depending for guidance on a sadly broken reed. He says:—“Now,
as the Beauty of Gardens in general depends upon an elegant Disposition
of all their Parts, which cannot be determined without a perfect
Knowledge of its several Ascendings, Descendings, Views, etc., how is
it possible that any Person can make a good Design for any Garden whose
Situation they never saw? To draw a beautiful, regular Draught is not
to the Purpose: for altho’ it makes a handsome Figure on the paper,
yet it has quite a different Effect when executed on the ground.”
Individuals must necessarily have their peculiarities, and it is right
they should: we recognise the same qualities, perhaps some trick of
light and shade, in a score of totally different subjects painted by a
great artist. But there is no excuse for the designer who, having laid
out one garden to his satisfaction, immediately proceeds to imitate his
previous effort in a dozen different places. Because a terrace happens
to look well in a hillside garden, there is no reason for supposing
that its inclusion is desirable in one situated on the level. Yet how
many tons of earth have been carted from one place to another, so that
stupid embankments might be raised, and afterwards fortified with
terraces—all this in places where there was not a hill for miles. Love
of imitation has been the downfall of many an otherwise good designer,
whose enthusiasm for the work of others has completely over-ruled his
own common-sense. We are not even meant to imitate Nature, the best of
teachers, but rather look to her for inspiration, adapting the lessons
learnt in meadow and woodland to the altered conditions which highly
cultivated ground imposes.
Nothing to my mind can be less helpful to the garden maker than the
common practice which prevails of instituting competitions in the
horticultural papers, with prizes for the best garden design sent in.
As an encouragement in the art of draughtsmanship, or a stimulus to
the beginner to use his ingenuity, this form of plan drawing may prove
decidedly beneficial. But to imagine that the designs themselves are
of the slightest practical use is, in the majority of cases, absurd.
An attractive plan, mechanically adaptable to gardens of varying
sizes, is the greatest temptation which can be set in the path of the
unwary. It teaches men to grub about the earth with measuring rod and
chain, levelling, filling up hollows, cutting down trees, so that no
obstruction may be offered to the carrying out of the design in its
entirety. Whereas all our thoughts should be for the natural appearance
of the ground, its slopes and gradients, which harmonise perfectly with
the face of the surrounding country. Existing features should in nearly
all cases be retained, or simply modified to our purpose. Imagine the
wantonness of cutting down a beautiful tree, because our plan says that
a path ought to run where it now stands; or what possible excuse can
there be for ruining a stretch of fine turf with beds cut in the form
of circles, lozenges and triangles. The moral of all this is plain.
Each garden must be treated, as regards its laying out, simply and
solely on its own merits and possibilities. It matters not whether we
are dealing with a humble quarter acre attached to the modern villa, or
have in hand the broad surroundings of the country mansion. There is
no rule-of-thumb method for either; each is worthy of just as much love
and care as might be bestowed were it the only garden in the world.
Sedding says, “A garden is man’s report of Earth at her best,” which,
whatever else it may imply, surely suggests that our best work, and
our noblest conceptions of the beautiful, must be pressed into service
if we are to effect any real improvement. Set styles, and the whims
and caprices of the individual, live but a short time; they are here
to-day, but to-morrow their very name is forgotten. The next generation
will probably eye with disfavour much of the garden work which is now
regarded with so much satisfaction. But there can be no reproaches for
the man who has worked honestly, endeavoured to penetrate the hidden
ways of Nature, and trusted in his own common-sense and reason to point
out the best course. The love of flowers and trees for their own sake,
and not because it is fashionable, is the same in every age, and that
form of garden design only is right which is founded first and foremost
on the study of Nature and Nature’s laws.
CHAPTER II
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Before bringing his attention to bear on special cases, the garden
designer must have clearly in view the general principles which are the
underlying features of all good work. In this way more real progress
will be made, and far deeper insight obtained into the mysteries of
garden planning and arrangement, than by the most devoted study of
complicated plans, or the careful examination of the methods of any
particular school, no matter how excellent its teaching. It is useless
attempting to compass the most simple form of design if all the while
we are ignorant of those elementary laws which are mainly the outcome
of common-sense and good taste. The greatest danger to which the novice
is subjected, that of being hopelessly confused by a multiplicity of
styles, of which by the way we hear far too much, is considerably
lessened if he will but bear in mind the few laws which tend to show
that gardening is not a mere haphazard science, but one founded on
a very sure and substantial base. It is the neglect of these simple
observances that has caused men like Capability Brown to be ridiculed,
when they might have received nothing but praise. No matter what style
of garden arrangement is contemplated, or whether we are going to China
or Holland for inspiration, our work is bound to prove unsatisfactory
unless beneath the outer veneer which proclaims its origin there is
observable a respect for Nature’s teaching, and a due regard for the
dictates of artistic feeling and ordinary good taste.
The first point to be aimed at in all good gardens, is to secure a
reasonable amount of comfort and convenience for those for whom their
pleasures are intended. Nor is there any defence which can be argued
in favour of an opposite course. A garden is devised primarily for the
edification and enjoyment of man, in the same way that good pictures,
good buildings and other forms of artistic effort are intended. Mere
utility is not sufficient, neither is mere beauty, it is a combination
of the two which must be sought. In the designing of so-called artistic
gardens many ridiculous schemes have been perpetrated, calculated in
the end to disgust all right-thinking people, and convince others of
the shallowness of certain forms of modern art. Of what use is it
growing flowers and trees, if no facilities for close examination
are afforded those who use the garden? Can a design which denies us
conveniently arranged paths, and comfortable resting places from
which to enjoy the best views, be considered in any way satisfactory?
Depend upon it, the man who is for ever telling us that such and such
an arrangement would be more convenient, but could not be tolerated
on the score of art, possesses but very superficial ideas on the
question. It was folly of this kind that prompted certain designers to
make their paths twist and curve in all directions: Nature, they said,
abhorred straight lines, so they compelled pedestrians to walk double
the necessary distance to reach any particular object. Any plan must
be regarded with suspicion, which when applied to the garden affords
a pleasing prospect from the windows of the house, but presents no
inducements for closer inspection. During both wet and dry weather
it should be possible to visit certain parts of the garden; a paved
walk is a great convenience if it can be afforded, and a cool shady
pathway will be much appreciated during the hot days of summer. The
fruit and vegetable garden should always be within easy access of the
kitchen quarters; and though the tool and potting sheds ought not to
be obtruded, they should be convenient of access and not approached
by narrow, tortuous paths. On the plea that these and other necessary
conveniences are unsightly they are often banished to remote out of
the way corners, and as a consequence economy both of time and labour
are out of the question. We do not hide our cherished works of art in
cupboards or attics, but hang them in a good light where they can be
viewed comfortably at all times. The same should be the case with
our gardens, which deserve to be conveniently situated and readily
accessible in all their parts.
Undue complexity is as a rule totally out of place in the garden, for
the reason that it bewilders the visitor as to the aims and intentions
of the designer. Such gardens give one the impression that they were
designed piecemeal, each time with no thought for what had been
attempted before. Simplicity does not necessarily mean formality,
it is rather the expression of a set of ideas in a straightforward,
common-sense manner. We cannot have simplicity when we fill our
gardens with patchwork flower beds, destroying the beautiful surface
of a lawn to make them; neither is tawdry furniture, ill-designed
statues, fountains, sundials and seats, likely to impress the beholder
with feelings other than those of ridicule or contempt for a display
of vulgar opulence. Wherever we look there should be evidence of a
desire for unity in the several parts, a sense of breadth and dignity
which is the true test of a skilled workman. So many people persist
in confusing this desire for simplicity with a wish for puritanical
severity—straight walks, bare unbroken stretches of lawn, and
buildings uncovered with creeper or shrub; it is nothing of the kind,
and gardens in which there is the richest ornament, and the most lavish
display of flowers, may yet remain perfectly simple as regards their
planning and arrangement. At the same time monotony is of all things to
be guarded against, more especially as it is inseparable from certain
forms of design. The most beautiful scene on earth would soon pall were
it continued with wearisome repetition over a considerable portion of
the landscape. A grass walk bordered with stately yews is a charming
feature where the situation demands it, but who can deny the weariness
occasioned by endless rows of these solemn sentinels, when reproduced
on every side. Herein lies the reason why the work of certain designers
proves so unsatisfactory. It is possible to have too much even of a
good thing, and the fact that a certain feature has proved suitable
in one case, is no reason for supposing that it will be equally
satisfactory in half a dozen others. When making a plan, it should be
our object not to consider how much we may do without incurring the
risk of monotony, but how we may best whet the appetite for more of a
similar character.
It is to variety that we owe the greatest pleasures in our gardens, and
yet there are many who would deny us even this. It is variety which
makes the study of Nature the pleasure that it is. Who ever saw two
woodland glades exactly the same, two mountain streams which presented
identical features, or a glimpse of lush meadows and rich, purpling
hills which was not different to any we ever saw before? Why not the
same in our gardens? No two situations are exactly the same, one
must possess features that the other lacks, or present possibilities
incapable of fulfilment except in its own case. There is, indeed,
no reason why we should conform to a stereotyped plan, except that
imitation is usually considered less trouble than originality, in that
the latter involves individual thought, and a necessary determination
to see clearly to the root of things. But apart from the lack of
variety displayed in the general planning of several gardens in the
same or different localities, there is often a want of diversity in the
various parts of a single garden. This is the opposite fault to that of
undue complexity, and it is the more pleasant, because of its rarity,
when we find that a happy mean has been chosen. Variety in garden
design can be attempted in a number of ways, either in the alteration
of ground levels, the formation of walks, or the grouping of trees
and shrubs. The first named must always be a matter demanding extreme
care and judgment, for the good reason that the natural levels are
nearly always best. In the remodelling of existing gardens, it is often
necessary to go to considerable labour and expense to bring the ground
back to its original form. The craze for terracing which has led to the
upheaval of banks and mounds in all sorts of impossible positions, has
led to an appearance of extreme artificiality in many modern gardens.
However, it is often possible to so alter levels that variety takes the
place of monotony, and an added charm is given to certain situations.
Perhaps the safest way to proceed in this direction is to take
advantage of some existing depression or elevation, which, probably
too slight to relieve the prevailing flatness, may be deepened or
heightened as the case may be. The natural grade should be taken as a
guide, and emphasis given to points which admit of such treatment. The
aspect of the surrounding country will exercise considerable influence
in this direction. A garden containing many mounds, hillocks, and
hollows will look absurd set in a nearly flat landscape, and in a
hilly district, cultivated land wrought into an unbroken level will
appear even more out of place. The fact that building operations has
led to the excavation of a large bulk of earth, should not lead the
designer to utilise it for promiscuous bank making. It is seldom that
a close survey of the ground will not reveal points at which it is
possible to secure variety, without altering the general contour to any
appreciable extent.
[Illustration: TERRACE CLIMBERS]
Garden paths nearly always cause monotony when too much of their length
is seen at once. This must not be considered as in any way deprecatory
to the straight walk, than which often nothing is more satisfactory.
If the path is straight, there should be compensating influences in
the way of well grown plants or shrubs along its sides to attract our
attention. Where these are impossible, the walk should be made to bend
slightly, occupying the curve with a group of flowering shrubs, or some
other suitable screen to hide its continuation from view. The garden
paths should most certainly follow the varied levels of the ground, and
nothing can be worse than to attempt to fill up the hollows and shave
off the gentle elevations in order to produce a dead level. This is
the very way to engender the monotony, which we are trying to dispel.
A wild mountain path, or the track through some woodland glade, never
lacks variety, simply because the feet that made it followed the line
of easiest gradient. In nine cases out of ten, the ugly walk is the
result of direct transgression of this simple rule, and all that is
needed to effect an improvement is the reversion of the ground to its
old level.
The variety obtainable by the judicious employment of living trees and
plants is so infinite, that there is no excuse for neglecting their
friendly aid when planning the several parts of the garden. A certain
spirit of conservatism seems to prevail among modern gardeners, and of
the thousands of beautiful subjects which exist for our benefit, not a
tithe of the number are pressed into service. Take, for example, that
large and beautiful family, the Flowering Shrubs, how very imperfectly
is their value realised in the majority of cases! Dull, gloomy
evergreens are used almost exclusively in the orthodox small garden,
and never a thought is given to the host of fine deciduous trees, many
of which are supremely lovely. The nurseryman has learnt by experience
the few stereotyped evergreens which are most in demand, and he stocks
these, and these only, so that the casual purchaser is led to believe
that the list of trees and shrubs suitable for English gardens is very
limited. For screening off unsightly corners evergreens are of the
highest value, but on the margins of lawns, and for lending interest
to mixed plantations, the designer would do well to introduce the
flowering shrubs, of which a list is given later in the book.
Anything approaching eccentricity is to be avoided in the designing
of gardens, as is also any scheme which partakes of the nature of a
sham. We all know with what eagerness the Bank-holiday crowd approaches
counterfeit ruins, trees which squirt water from their branches, or
figures of men and animals cut out of living box and yew, but such
follies are beneath the consideration of the true garden lover. After
all, the pleasure grounds are primarily intended for the owner and
his family, and nothing becomes more stupid and pointless on closer
acquaintance than these inane pranks, of which there are hundreds
of examples throughout the country. For the same reason, the making
of surprises, as the sudden revealing of unsuspected features in
the garden scene must always be considered as evidences of debased
taste, the prostituting of a beautiful art, for the sake of securing
a momentary exclamation of astonishment on the part of an ignorant
visitor. A certain amount of mystery is sometimes justifiable, and
there should always be afforded ample inducement for closer inspection
of Nature’s beauties, but when it is evident that the designer’s sole
idea in creating a certain feature was to occasion surprise, as apart
from genuine pleasure, then it becomes necessary to condemn such
artifices in unmeasured terms. The hidden ways of Nature should be
sufficient mystery for the most exacting without lowering our gardens
to the level of vulgar peepshows, by the introduction of mazes and
freaks of tree sculpture.
The attempting of too much in a small space is another fault to be
guarded against, though where the designer is not allowed his own way,
this is often a matter of difficulty. So many people when seeking the
assistance of the professional, impose upon him the necessity of giving
them “a bit of everything” in the way of design. They must have a rose
garden, a corner devoted to rock plants, a few square feet for carpet
bedding, a place for water and bog plants, a pergola, and much beside,
all without reference to the suitability or otherwise of the place for
such introductions. The idea that a garden will never lack interest
because it resembles a patchwork quilt in the number of its divisions,
is surely erroneous; the pleasure thus obtained is but momentary, and
soon ceases to become other than wearisome. We look for perfection in
detail, but we must also consider the garden as a whole, and seek to
make its various parts subservient to one another, the several units of
one well-balanced plan. Undue regularity must also be accounted a sign
of weakness,—
“Grove nods at grove, each alley at its brother,
And half the garden but reflects the other;”—
Proper balance is of course desirable, but the arrangement
of beds in well-matched pairs, or the setting of vases at each corner
of a lawn, is as unnecessary as it is opposed to all natural laws.
The faculty for seeing in the mind’s eye, the general characteristics
of the garden as it will appear when laid and planted, is a gift for
which, if possessed, the designer may be truly grateful. It enables
any weak spots which may exist in the plan to be corrected before it is
too late. Of course no one can determine the exact effect which time
will produce, and it is well we cannot, for perhaps the greatest charm
of garden design is its delightful elusiveness, the uncertainty which
exists as to the manner in which flower and tree will disport itself.
But unless we attempt to see further than the mere outlines of the
plan, we are trusting to chance to secure for us the results we most
desire. Especially are we liable to err in the matter of colour effect,
a consideration which is outside the scope of the black and white plan.
Unrelieved stretches of turf become monotonous unless afforded the foil
of suitable foliage; broad masses of bright hued flowers demand the
sober relief of grey stonework or silvery leaved trees and plants. A
certain spot is often dull and unsatisfying, simply because it lacks
this element of colour; a group of flowering shrubs with bright hued
blossoms or even a stone vase filled with climbers may dispel all idea
of monotony. In the securing of suitable contrasts, work may be raised
above the merely mediocre, to a level of high artistic merit. Easy
transition of form and colour is no doubt the safest course to pursue,
but a certain boldness of touch may in certain instances prove highly
advantageous. The shrubbery, often a tame and featureless affair,
may be rendered attractive by the sharply contrasting effects of
adjacent groups of deciduous trees, and the dark, glistening foliage of
evergreens. It is quite possible to carry the practice of rounding and
softening the corners beyond reasonable limits, and we sigh for some
prominent feature to rivet our attention, if only for the moment.
CHAPTER III
THE SELECTION OF A SITE
There are few points connected with the art of garden design over
which greater differences of opinion are likely to arise, than those
associated with the preliminary consideration—choice of site. For this
reason, the present chapter must inevitably prove more suggestive
than dogmatic; less concerned with particular instances, than with
the broader aspect of the question. It is rare, indeed, to find two
persons, each about to build a residence and lay out a garden, whose
ideas as to the most desirable site for the purpose are in any way
concurrent. One prefers an elevated situation from which a good view
of the surrounding country may be obtained; the other dislikes the
labour of climbing, and must perforce live in the valley. The proximity
of other buildings, giving a sense of companionship and security,
is essential to some; others, again, seek no better society than
that of the woods and silent heath. A man’s profession or hobby will
considerably influence his choice of locality for a home: the city
man must live near a good train service, the ardent golfer’s first
thought is for easy access to the links. Instances could be multiplied
_ad finitum_, all clearly pointing to one end, namely this: that it
is useless to regard any one position as ideal, such a conclusion
only being possible when we are fully cognisant of the peculiarities
of the individual for whom we are working. However, there are certain
characteristics which, if not indispensable, are at least highly
desirable in almost every case, and in briefly discussing a few of the
foremost considerations which must present themselves to everyone about
to build and lay out grounds, it is left to each one to modify or alter
according to his own opinions and preconceived ideas.
In the first place, the accessibility of the piece of land which it
is proposed to treat, must be carefully studied, and this before any
possible advantages or disadvantages connected with the actual site
come to be weighed. The exigencies of modern life demand that ample
facilities shall exist both for ourselves to visit others and for
others to visit us. There are many who have settled in delightful
places in country districts whose subsequent regret is that they are
out of the beaten track. They can neither make calls nor receive their
friends without great difficulty and inconvenience; and worse than
this, communication with tradesmen, and the delivery of letters and
parcels, are matters attended with serious disadvantage. A time comes
in the lives of most city people, when the only form of existence
which seems desirable is that known as “buried in the depths of the
country.” As a temporary expedient, or regarded in the light of a
picnic excursion, this is no doubt delightful enough; but a permanent
residence so situated becomes after a time well-nigh intolerable.
Convenient distance, then, from railway, post office, shops, and
other evidences of civilisation, is the first point upon which the
prospective purchaser must satisfy himself. Carrying the question of
accessibility a step further, it becomes necessary to ensure that
the property shall be approached by a convenient road. As to whether
the road is little frequented, or is in the nature of an important
thoroughfare, individual taste and opinion will necessarily be divided,
but the main consideration, applicable in both cases, is that the road
shall be a good one. No comfort can be expected if the approach to
one’s residence is ill-made and badly kept,—a mere “boreen,” as the
Irish would say. Neither should it be deemed sufficient that a road
is likely to be made in the near future. The authorities often move
with unaccountable slowness, and cases are by no means uncommon in
which unfortunate residents have been kept waiting for years before
anything more than a mere track has been made to their property. Whilst
other details may to a great extent be modified and adapted to meet
requirements, this primary consideration is unalterable: either there
is suitable access or there is not. In the latter case, it is extremely
doubtful whether a host of minor advantages will act as adequate
compensation.
Unless it is proposed to approach the residence by a fairly long drive,
a garden situated beside a main road has many drawbacks. Chief of
these is the dust which is constantly raised during the summer months.
Especially in this age of motor cars, many otherwise pretty places are
completely disfigured during the time they should be most beautiful:
shrubs, trees and hedges are alike smothered with a thick covering
of dust. On this account, and for other obvious reasons, a branch or
bye-road, if well kept, is far preferable as a boundary line.
Presuming that the question of approach has been satisfactorily solved,
the character of the land, its aspect, surroundings and other details
present themselves for careful examination. Much will depend upon
the class of soil with which we are dealing, not only as regards its
suitability or the reverse for garden operations, but because it is
a matter directly affecting the health and comfort of the owner and
his family. Heavy clays are of all things to be avoided; they spell
unceasing labour, and endless discomfort to all whose misfortune it
is to work them. Flowers and trees raised on them are always backward,
and if disease is not actually present, growth is nearly always weak
and stunted. In winter, the land is cold and wet, extremely tenacious
and demanding added strength and perseverance to dig; in summer, it
is parched and baked, whilst tender plants have no possible chance of
making headway. The greasy condition of the garden walks is another
prominent feature of soils of this description. All things considered,
a light, free-working loam, resting on a substratum of a gravelly
nature, is probably best adapted to secure greatest comfort to the
occupier, and health and prolificacy to all forms of vegetable life.
Drainage cannot be entirely depended upon to remedy soils of a cold,
heavy nature, and to all whose intention it is to devote their energies
largely to the delights of garden making, my advice is to shun clay
lands by every means in their power.
The careful designer will devote much attention to the question of
aspect, endeavouring to secure warmth and sunlight for the most
frequented portions of house and garden. It is generally conceded
that land having a gentle slope towards the south-east more nearly
approaches the ideal than any other. Especially if the public road
skirts the northern side of the property, allowing the entrance drive
to be made from that direction, and thus leaving the whole of the
southern slope free for lawns and garden, will this aspect prove
pleasing. Nothing can be more disappointing to the garden lover than
the constant trouble experienced in rearing tender plants and trees in
the damp and cheerless positions assigned to them by certain unthinking
designers. In such gardens the sun is only felt for a fraction of
the day, and as a consequence those beautiful effects of light and
shade, without which the finest scenes are flat and uninteresting, are
conspicuous by their absence. Altitude, as has been mentioned, is
generally more a matter for individual preference and opinion than for
the expression of any decided rules on the subject. Unless, however,
any real objection is felt against land situated at a fair elevation,
I should unhesitatingly prefer it, in the majority of instances, to
that found in flat, low-lying positions. There is all the difference
between the garden perched high on the bleak hillside, where cutting
winds play havoc with its contents, and that situated midway down an
easy slope, above the line of mist and fog. Providing that the aspect
is sunny, and the soil well-drained, such a situation is far warmer
and healthier than the apparently more sheltered site lower down. The
designer, too, will find his work easier in the former case than in
the latter. Privacy is seldom attainable in low-lying gardens; they
are generally overlooked, either by neighbours or by pedestrians on
the public highway. It is next to impossible to screen off unsightly
objects from view, and it is inevitable that the prospect obtained of
the surrounding country is cramped and confined, if not altogether
excluded. On the other hand, an elevated site safeguards all these
objections: it is seldom overlooked, or if it is, artificial planting
and arrangement may be depended upon to quickly remedy matters; whilst
if fine views exist in the vicinity, the designer is afforded an
opportunity of increasing the scope and charm of his own handiwork by
including them. Altitude is undoubtedly an important consideration
which must be duly weighed before a satisfactory decision can be given.
Shelter, or rather lack of it, is one of the troubles which is
almost inseparable from newly laid-out gardens; and as even the most
quick-growing trees and shrubs take some time before they can prove
efficient barriers, natural or existing wind breaks should in all cases
be sought. Natural features will consist of ranges of hills on the
sides of the property most exposed to cold winds—the north, north-west
and north-east. Where these exist, nothing could possibly be better,
but of course probably not one site in fifty will be enhanced by such
advantages. Plantations, protective belts, and stretches of woodland
are valuable features, which, if existing at a convenient distance
from the proposed site, and facing the required quarter, will secure
it from the ill effects of high winds. Should the property already
contain a well grown hedge, it may be advisable to retain it as a
feature of the new design, thus providing shelter, and doing away with
the entire appearance of newness which will otherwise be manifest.
Should mature plantations already exist on the property, great caution
must be exercised by the designer as to his treatment of them. It
often happens that a belt of trees hides a good view, or does not lend
itself to the proposed plan. In the first case the owner may be tempted
to open out vistas by the removal of timber; and in the second, the
entire demolition of the plantation may be contemplated. Before doing
either, he should be quite certain that, in addition to obtaining his
view or carrying out his scheme in its entirety, he will not also
be destroying a form of shelter which would take years to replace.
Naturally, the surroundings will exercise considerable influence on
the choice of a site, and here again the tastes of the individual
have to be considered, rather than the opinions of the idealist. The
presence of water, either a lake or stream, in the adjacent landscape
is an unfailing attraction to some; others would rather face a prospect
of meadow and woodland; whilst there are many who ask no better than
that their garden shall be within sight and sound of the restless
sea. In each respect the individual must please himself, having in
mind, however, that a style of design applicable in one instance will
probably be totally unfitted in another. There is one thing which the
garden lover will surely guard against with every possible care, and
that is the encroachments of the jerry-builder. So much depends upon
the character of the extended views obtainable from the garden, that
it would be extremely unwise to surround oneself with land which, in
all probability, will be dotted with ill-designed villas within the
course of a few years. It is worth many little inconveniences to ensure
that what we have we may hold, and that the view which affords us so
much pleasure to-day will be ours for so long as we care to enjoy
it. Factories, ugly churches (of which there are many), and cottage
property of every description, are features capable of creating a blot
on our vista of landscape, and the ideal site is one on which such
objects not only do not now intrude themselves, but have no possibility
of doing so in the future.
The outlines of the property must also be regarded as relevant to the
question of site, more especially having regard to the impossibility
which exists of making a satisfactory design for gardens of certain
shapes. All who have attempted to achieve artistic results with the
orthodox villa strip, know the extreme unsuitability of the narrow
parallelogram. It is no easy matter, again, to secure a well balanced
plan, in which the separate features are not unduly scattered,
within boundaries which are square or nearly so, though this form is
infinitely preferable to the foregoing. Perhaps the best, certainly the
easiest, results are attained when the outline is triangular, though it
is highly important that the positions of base and apex be considered.
No one desires to curtail the impression of size in their grounds, and
it is generally acknowledged that the more open and less contracted are
the distant views, the better will be the effect. For this reason the
apex of the triangle should concur with the least interesting prospect,
the base with that to which it is desired to give prominence. Taking
the case of the house and gardens on the southern slope, the residence
should be at the upper or northern extremity, with the best views,
the gardens and landscape beyond, stretching south-wards. The chief
windows will face south, and on the extent of the vista, its variety
and absence of signs of foreshortening and curtailment, the skill of
the designer will be appraised. That the garden boundaries should end
in a point does away with all illusion of space; we mark the sudden
transition from the cultivated to the wild, and our grounds appear as
a modest wedge which is in momentary danger of being demolished by the
encroachments of the neighbouring property. Irregularity of outline
is another feature to which objection may be raised on account of the
extra expense incurred in fencing. The number of angles, too, renders
the making of boundary paths a troublesome matter, and for various
reasons a free, flowing outline is far preferable.
If a site can be secured on which a number of fine trees already
stand, it should, other things considered, receive preference over one
which is bare and barren. A well grown tree, grateful on account of
its shade, and beautiful for its stately outline, is one of the most
valued objects in the garden. Should there be too many trees, it is
easy to cut down any that are not required; it is another matter to
plant fresh ones. However, nothing will be gained by endeavouring to
retain existing features of an unsuitable nature, or by altering a
well balanced plan so as to include some object foreign to the scheme.
In such cases it were better to start operations in a field destitute
of tree, shrub or living plant, thereby enabling the projected design
to be carried out unhampered by restrictions. The lack of well grown
timber is indeed the greatest drawback in new gardens, which must
perforce continue for many years before they put on the aspect of
maturity, or even middle age, so that unless there is ample reason for
the contrary, the retention of any suitable specimen trees which may
occur on the site should be ensured. Much responsibility attaches to
the designer who undertakes the laying out of a garden on an entirely
new site; he starts absolutely afresh, and cannot lay the blame for any
possible blunders on the shoulders of his predecessor. Before deciding
finally on any one position, most careful observations should be made,
and the opinion of those in the locality sought as to climate, presence
of fogs, and other details which only extended residence in the
neighbourhood can determine. A good site, favourable alike as regards
soil, aspect and elevation, is certainly the surest foundation which
can be laid for the future designing of a beautiful garden.
CHAPTER IV
WALKS AND LAWNS
Directly we leave the public road and enter upon the precincts of the
dwelling, the question of suitable walks and paths at once demands
attention. According to the size of the house and its surroundings,
we may have to traverse a stately drive bordered with noble trees,
or simply a flower-fringed pathway, to reach the entrance door. The
subject of carriage drives must necessarily be somewhat outside the
scope of this little book, which is destined as a guide for those
possessing grounds of small or medium extent. We find, however, that
the desire for an imposing approach is by no means confined to those
whose property demands a certain amount of pretension; the owners of
quite small places will often sacrifice anything, that they may have
a drive of even humble proportions. It is to attain this object that
the most fantastically contorted approaches are devised, many actually
running parallel with the main road for almost their entire length. It
may be taken as a fixed rule, only alterable under rare circumstances,
that a drive should be as direct as possible in its course; the idea
that needless twistings will give an air of importance and dignity
to a place is totally erroneous. I remember once visiting a house of
quite unpretending dimensions, the approach to which was by way of a
drive of astonishing length. In driving up, one actually passed twice
within close view of the house before arriving at the front door; each
time, instead of taking a direct route, the drive meandered away into
a wilderness of shrubs. The effect, needless to say, was supremely
ridiculous. If the public road be straight, or nearly so, the entrance
drive should leave it at right angles, an oblique juncture only being
permissible when the road is decidedly curved. Privacy should be
secured by suitable planting, as it is by no means desirable that the
best parts of the garden or the windows of the house be overlooked by
persons using the general approach.
Another point which must necessarily be borne in mind when
contemplating a feature of this description is the expense of
up-keep—no insignificant item in the case of a considerable length of
drive. Nothing looks worse than ill-kept, weedy pathways, and unless
constantly tended and regravelled from time to time, they soon present
a spectacle of dismal neglect. The small house is generally better
approached by a short direct route, omitting even a carriage court
or turn, unless ample space can be allowed. The seclusion afforded
by a drive is easily obtainable by other means, and the feeling of
pretentious importance which this feature often imparts is scant
compensation for loss of needed ground for lawns and flower-garden.
Garden walks are capable of great variety of treatment; they may be
laid in several materials, and by their presence, both utilitarian
and artistic ends may be compassed. The most common fault with
designers is the formation of too many walks, a style of arrangement
which is particularly objectionable in small gardens. An artificially
constructed pathway is rarely in itself a beautiful object, though
it may often appear so owing to the nature of its surroundings. For
this reason a walk should generally be made to serve a useful purpose,
rather than act as a mere foil to surroundings of a different type.
The walks nearest to the house will, in many cases, form part of a
terrace scheme, and it is well that these should be made a distinctive
feature. Stone flags look extremely well, much better, in fact, than
cobbles, which are tiring to walk upon. Dressed stone is expensive,
but it is often possible to obtain suitable material at fairly cheap
rates from the town authorities who have the disposal of old street
pavements. Terrace walks are necessarily both formal and artificial,
and remarks as to natural levels have no application where they are
concerned. A fair width is advisable, but care must be taken that
the house itself is not dwarfed by an undue expanse of terracing.
If different levels are attempted, steps should be employed to give
access from one to the other; a sloping path is quite out of place in a
terrace scheme. I do not care for the practice of working in different
coloured materials to form a mosaic; there should be sufficient
variety, both of colour and form, in the living contents of the garden,
without having to face the necessity for embellishments in stone and
brick.
[Illustration: A PAVED WALK]
When contemplating any special features in the way of design, always
consider whether it is possible to approach them conveniently by a
suitable pathway. All the best views should be readily accessible
without the necessity for traversing possibly wet lawns, or pushing
through heavy undergrowth. Paths leading direct from the stables to
the flower-garden must be broad and well made, as they will be in
constant use for heavy traffic, carting manure, water barrows, etc. The
lesser frequented walks need not be so wide, and providing that they
do not lead through highly cultivated portions, and are dry and well
made, need not be kept scrupulously gravelled. A degree of wildness is
quite in keeping with certain parts of the garden, though an ill-kept,
weed-grown path is never permissible. The walks which traverse the wild
garden, orchard and woodland, will destroy much of the charm of these
sylvan retreats if they betray signs of too constant attention—their
surface smooth, the grass edges rigorously trimmed, and evidences of
the line, shears and roller everywhere apparent. A prim pathway would
be a sad eyesore on the ragged face of the hillside, the mountain track
equally ridiculous winding among shaven lawns and glowing flower-beds.
It is often necessary to effect a satisfactory transition between
these two styles, and this can only be done by means of a well-marked
boundary. Either a broad hedge, a small gateway, or a short pergola may
be depended upon in most instances to render the passage from one to
the other free from incongruity. Two walks should never be seen running
parallel to one another for any considerable distance; one or other
is almost sure to appear needless. If the second path is a necessity,
it should be screened from its fellow by suitable planting. In the
same way, the junction of two distinct paths should be so arranged
that there is no reason to suppose that either one or the other is
superfluous. Repton’s ideas on this and kindred matters relating to
walks are worthy of study and imitation. He makes it a rule that in
the case of two walks branching off from one another, each should take
a decided outward turn, as though there were no possibility of their
meeting again.
Paths which lead “nowhere” are usually a failure, and we can most
of us recall the annoyance experienced after following a walk for
some distance only to find that it ended in a cul-de-sac. If such
arrangement be necessary, as it sometimes is, some compensating
influence should always be provided at the end. A small summer-house,
a curved seat and sundial, a well grown tree inviting rest and shade
beneath its branches—any of these will remove the pointless appearance.
There are absolutely no rules regarding the formation of serpentine
walks, unless they be those of a negative quality. Such walks are
always permissible and often charming if they are made in deference
to the natural form of the ground. Divergence from the straight line
is necessary to avoid a group of trees, to skirt a piece of water, or
to embrace some particular view, but not for the purpose of deceiving
the visitor as to the extent of the property. Twisted walks look very
foolish in a place which obviously possesses straight boundaries, and
however delightful it may be to lovers in the twilight to linger thus
lovingly on their homeward way, the majority of us are merely annoyed
by the mazelike contortions which the average “landscape gardener” sees
fit to inflict upon us. So long as the curves are pleasing to the eye,
there is no need to make them equal, rather the contrary; the great
point to avoid is the creation of a hard line between two neighbouring
bends.
Grass forms a delightful edging to garden paths, but it requires to
be well kept, otherwise it is unsightly. To afford facilities for
mowing, a level breadth of turf sufficient in width to accommodate
the lawn-mower should be laid along either side; this is especially
necessary if sloping banks rise immediately from the sides of the walk.
In the wild garden, natural edgings, ground ivy, cotoneaster, or St
John’s wort will look more appropriate than either mown turf or tiles.
Walks and pathways must always be considered as part of design, but
their utility and convenience should be the first point studied. It is
disappointing to see in many places the arid stretches of gravel, walks
of more than necessary width, and carriage sweeps large enough to turn
a coach and four: all this lessens the space available for turf and
flowers, and offers nothing in return, as the cost of up-keep is in no
way decreased.
As a recent garden artist has declared, the lawn is the heart of the
British garden. It is the centre of the social life which, in our too
brief summer, is enacted out of doors; it is the setting for the
host of beautiful flowers and shrubs which come to gladden our hearts
as the warm sun dispels the snows and mists of winter. That style of
design must be accounted best which spares no pains to give a fair
spreading lawn to every garden, no matter what its size. Nothing tends
to give greater breadth and dignity to a place than a stretch of well
kept turf, and nothing is more restful to the eye than the prospect of
cool greensward. The lawn, or a portion of it, should always be seen
from the best parts of the house; not even the choicest shrubs, or the
richest terrace gardens, will satisfy in the same manner. On large
lawns there may be recesses at intervals, in which tender plants or
choice colonies of lilies, backed with rhododendrons and azalea, will
receive comparative shelter.
The size and shape of lawns intended for croquet and tennis
will necessarily be determined by the rules of the game, often,
unfortunately, to the detriment of the general effect. The sunk lawn,
surrounded with a low bank, which is often made for croquet, is by no
means beautiful, and the banks, unless made with an easy slope, are
difficult to keep evenly trimmed. For both games the designer would
do well to consider the comfort of spectators, who are frequently
compelled to sit in the blazing sun. A shady pergola with convenient
openings would be very welcome if covering a path running parallel to
the lawn; or a clipped yew hedge, though somewhat heavy and lacking
both colour and variety, might add considerably to the pleasures of the
onlookers. At any rate, a shady cloister of living plants would be far
preferable to the stuffy little summer-house which is often the only
form of shelter.
The impression of space is very ably conveyed by a good lawn, and
this is the more easily attained if there are but few walks in the
vicinity. An irregular fringe of shrubs, with taller trees behind,
the whole gradually merging into the distant vista, is one of the most
satisfactory ways of closing in the lawn from the rest of the garden.
It is often a temptation when space is limited to sacrifice a large
portion of greensward, so that more flowers may be grown. It would
be best to consider matters very carefully before removing a single
sod of turf. If more room is needed, a few bold masses of herbaceous
plants near the edge of the lawn will probably give the best results.
There is no defence for the barbarous practice of dotting the grass
with flower-beds, cut in a variety of ill-considered shapes, neither
should clumps of shrubs be placed so that they destroy all sense
of perspective. The softly undulating meadow lands of the English
landscape, with their rich fringe of native woodland, will teach the
designer much of the beauty and value of the garden lawn; and in the
planning of the best effects, he may with safety study the lessons
which Nature provides in almost every direction.
CHAPTER V
FORMAL AND LANDSCAPE PLANTING
A certain sense of responsibility attaches to those who plant timber,
quite out of proportion to that incurred in the pursuit of the minor
and more transitory forms of garden arrangement and design. The
builder oak, the vine-prop elm and sailing pine, which to-day are so
small that we can carry them unaided, will develop into mighty trees,
silent witnesses of the times and doings of generations yet unborn.
We are planting for posterity, and shall be held accountable for the
good or evil that we do. Tree planting calls forth certain motives of
unselfishness, for it will be given to others than ourselves to see the
full beauty which only maturity can show. All honour, then, to those
old designers, to whose thought and care we owe the stately avenues,
the pride and glory of many an English home. A beautiful tree, Nature’s
gift of shade and shelter to man and beast, is the most precious
picture in a fair landscape, and we are doing good work when with care
and foresight we increase, even in ever so humble a way, the timber
supplies of our country.
Avenues are perhaps the most important example of formal planting, but
as they concern park and woodland effects rather than those pertaining
to the garden, their discussion is somewhat outside the scope of this
book. Of recent years, however, a practice has arisen among designers
of making an approach of this kind to quite unpretentious dwellings.
Even in suburban grounds we frequently see an avenue, perhaps no more
than fifty yards in length, leading to a modern villa. Against this
we protest, as a form of pretentious imitation, foolish to the last
degree. The avenue, which should never be less than one hundred yards
long, is essentially associated with a house and estate of considerable
size and some measure of importance, and to attach it to a small
residence is merely to cast ridicule on the owner. Plantations of
shrubs, with a few bold groups of deciduous trees, will give the needed
shelter to carriage drives, and at the same time allow of far greater
freedom of design than is permissible with a style of planting which is
both formal and exacting.
As regards the use of clipped yews for garden hedges, much diversity of
opinion exists among designers. On the one hand, we have men who employ
them in nearly every garden they undertake to lay out, and argue that,
far from being objectionable, every opportunity should be embraced for
planting them; on the other, a class who regard them as wholly foreign
to the ideals of beauty and the picturesque. Which is right? Certainly
not the former, for of all things tending towards monotony both in
summer and winter, an undue proportion of evergreens—clipped evergreens
especially—must be considered the most likely. If people must have
topiary gardens, such as exist at Levens and Elvaston, by all means let
them; but, at the same time, they should not fail to realise that these
are gardens of deformity, mere curiosities in no way connected with the
teachings of Nature. Yew hedges are the great delight of the “office
designer,” whose thought is less for the true beauty of the living
plant than for the elegant completeness of his deftly-drawn plan. An
ill-kept hedge is a wretched sight, thin at the bottom, full of holes,
and generally decrepit, and the labour of keeping some hundreds of
yards of clipped yew in repair entails an amount of labour not easily
realised by those who have not attempted to do so. There can be no
doubt, too, that the near presence of hungry evergreens is prejudicial
to roses and tender plants on account of the nourishment they demand,
and the idea that they act as harbourage to insect and other pests
is also well founded. Their merit consists in the fact that they
form an admirable shelter, certainly the best obtainable after walls
and fences, and a certain old-world air of picturesque dignity which
they impart. Despite this, their use is constantly overdone; they are
planted to distraction, dividing the garden into chess-board squares
and alleys leading nowhere; they render the soil sour and cold, exclude
sunlight, and sooner or later wear an appearance of gloomy desolation,
especially in the cheerless days of winter and late autumn. Had they
been used sparingly, instead of to excess, it is possible they would
still be regarded with the favour they once enjoyed, for we must not
forget the charm of the old manorhouse gardens, where yew hedges were,
and still are, true ornaments, because highly appropriate. It is all
a question of environment, and the greatest discretion is needed when
transferring a feature of this description to modern surroundings,
depriving it in the process of its old traditions—a relic of the past
in a new and often incongruous setting. A yew hedge sometimes looks
well when used as a boundary between the flower and vegetable garden,
a convenient arch or archways being cut to afford communication
from one to the other. A level top is preferable to one cut into
semi-circular hollows or crenelations; and any further embellishment,
such as standard trees with oddly-shaped heads planted at intervals, is
certainly to be avoided.
Isolated trees, whether yew, box, mopheaded acacias or holly, are
objects of pity to the lover of natural beauty, when he sees them
transferred by the shears into cones, umbrellas, and other stupid
shapes. There are many reasons, some practical, others sentimental,
for refraining from this barbarous practice, which is carried on
mainly at the instigation of the architect, who is apparently ashamed
of associating his walls and terraces with any but mutilated forms of
plant life. The cost of maintenance, as in the case of clipped hedges,
is an item not to be disparaged; the loss of form and individual
character is scant compensation for well matched regularity; and by the
absence of varied colour, the rich tints of maturity and the delicate
green of budding branch, the clipped tree is reduced to the level of an
unresponsive object, dull and inanimate. If formality is needed, why
not make use of such trees as have a naturally well-defined outline—the
Irish yew, cupressus, and the hardy junipers, they give a better effect
with a tithe of the trouble.
The bower walks, once so favoured, are now seldom made in gardens,
though as an example of formal planting they are not without a certain
charm. Adequate protection from hot sun and cold winds is afforded at
all times, and the garden scenes are not hidden from view, as is the
case with evergreen hedges. In the neighbourhood of the orchard, a
filbert walk would be a pleasing object, and even on poor soils, heavy
crops of nuts may be obtained after a few years.
The “mirthful maze” is but a stupid survival, and has no place in
gardens intended for other purposes than beanfeasts, or for the
edification of any who would not derive equal satisfaction from a Punch
and Judy show. The pity is that places which have none too much space
for flowers and the rational arrangement of trees and shrubs, should
be cumbered with anything so utterly unproductive of either beauty or
satisfactory achievement.
[Illustration: SUNDIAL IN GARDEN WALK]
Natural planting as opposed to that which is guided by the laws
of geometry, is infinitely more pleasing in the majority of English
gardens. The effective grouping of trees, either in the form of
isolated clumps or boundary plantations, is a matter requiring great
skill and artistic perception, and it is only right that the designer
should have a hand in their disposal, even if they occur outside the
strict boundaries of the garden. A mistaken idea, prevalent among
certain owners of property, is that garden design affects only that
piece of ground which it is proposed to lay out with beds, lawns and
walks. This is not so, for the beauty of certain gardens lies not so
much in their own attractiveness, as on the distant views obtainable
from them. Of course there are limits to this theory, as for example
the hill gardens of Italy, with their extended vistas of rolling
mountains and fertile valleys—the hand of man is not responsible for
scenery of this type. But in English gardens, especially those which
are set in a small park, or paddock, we expect that the same mind
that designed the garden shall also have the direction of such of the
surrounding property as is observable from it. Unsightly objects,
factory chimneys, ugly buildings, or workmen’s cottages can usually
be screened from view by suitably disposed groups of hardy trees. The
attainment of some measure of beauty in the home landscape will also
provide an excuse for the opening out of the garden, the reduction of
boundary walls and hedges, letting in air and sunlight, without of
course rendering the place wind swept.
In forming boundary plantations, there is seldom any need for making
them continuous, a form of planting which becomes exceedingly
monotonous, at the same time defining the limits of the property in an
unmistakable fashion. Privacy and shelter are of necessity considered,
but if without defeating these objects we can secure a vista of distant
country, rich meadowlands and purple hills, it would be waste of
opportunity not to do so. As the outline of boundary plantations will
in many cases cut the horizon, leaving the tops of the trees showing
clear against a background of sky, great attention should be paid to
making this outline as attractive as possible. It is a mistake to use
trees of only one kind, as this results in a level monotonous outline
anything but pleasing. The tall spire of a poplar will give variety and
point to a plantation composed almost entirely of trees with rounded
heads; a graceful birch with its feathery outline would break the level
of a smooth belt of shrubs. Colour too is all important, a judicious
mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees is generally preferable to a
plantation composed entirely of one class. There is no need to make
the boundary plantation straight on the inner side, whatever may be
required on the outer, and the formation of well marked swells and bays
will lend an air of charm and indefiniteness. It is usual to plant
trees of large growth on rising ground, reserving dwarf varieties and
bushes for the hollows, but this is a rule which must be modified
according to circumstances. By a continuous system of grouping the eye
may be carried from the garden itself to the very outskirts of the
property, and this is much more satisfactory than the plan of treating
the outer plantation as a mere fence, quite independent of what may lie
within it.
The indiscriminate dotting of specimen trees about a park or garden
is much overdone, and in the greater number of cases irregular groups
of trees having somewhat similar characteristics would be far more
satisfactory. Certain trees, as the tulip tree, and the wych elm, are
well adapted for isolation on the lawn, and are welcome for the shade
they afford; but thorns, the flowering crabs, and the Scotch firs
should always be planted in groups. As these smaller plantations are
often required to hide some unsightly object, care must be taken when
marking out the ground that the eyesore is hidden from every point of
view. This can generally be contrived by small subsidiary plantings,
dependent on the main group. Having staked out an area of ground which
when planted will hide the object from the principal point, proceed
to view the site from all quarters, adding and remodelling as may
be necessary. For this, and work of a similar character, the use of
ranging poles of various heights is helpful. Supposing that it is
desired to make a small plantation with the object of concealing an
ugly building, the designer will take up his position at the principal
vantage point. An assistant will move the poles from place to place
until the necessary width of the plantation is determined. To decide
the class of trees needed, and their height, which should not be
greater than absolutely necessary, poles of varying heights may be
raised perpendicularly, noting the particular one which just clears the
object. Supposing this to be twenty-five feet, then trees twenty-five
feet high will be required, and knowing this it remains to select those
which are most in keeping with the surroundings, or supply the special
effects desired.
CHAPTER VI
KITCHEN-GARDEN AND ORCHARD
Hitherto we have mainly considered that part of garden design which has
for its object the production of pleasant scenes, of pictures formed
by gay flowers, and beauteous carpets and backgrounds of greenery. But
utilitarian ends have yet to be served, and fruits and vegetables must
be grown to supply our needs. There need be nothing dull or prosaic
about the kitchen-garden and orchard, distinct though they be from that
which is purely ornamental. The truest garden pictures are often to be
found in these seemingly severe and business-like quarters, and these
without in any way varying the keynote of utility, which is the chief
reason for their existence.
A foolish prejudice has of recent years been raised against the
kitchen-garden, and the designer is often asked to hide it away in some
remote corner of the plan. It must be carefully screened away from the
gaze of visitors, as though there were something to be ashamed of in
being the possessor of a piece of ground, where the best of fruits may
be grown, and gathered in the freshest condition. Personally I would
rather wander in such plebeian quarters than in many of the tricked-out
landscape gardens which excite such wonderment and admiration. Are
there not a thousand sights dear to the heart of the nature lover—the
tender blossoms of the fruit-trees, the drowsy hum of bees, the
old-fashioned lavender hedges and reserve borders of mixed flowers
for cutting? Even is there beauty of flower and foliage in many of the
humblest vegetables, a beauty which, because unlooked for, is doubly
welcome.
The site of the kitchen-garden should be fixed in close proximity to
the house and stables. On no account should it be so arranged that a
portion of the pleasure ground must be traversed to reach it. If it can
be walled in so much the better, both on account of the added shelter
and for the facilities afforded for the growing of wall fruit. The plan
should be entirely regular, the walks crossing one another at right
angles, the fruit borders and vegetable beds laid out with due regard
to convenience and economy of space.
A suitable aspect is very important—land having a gentle slope to the
south being by far the most suitable. In any case the position should
be an open one, with free exposure to the sunlight. The presence of
large trees, whose branches overshade and roots impoverish the soil,
will be extremely prejudicial. The question of boundaries is one in
which the initial cost will be more considered than the adaptability
of various forms to certain situations. A good yew hedge, or even a
split oak fence, may occasionally prove useful, but nothing can equal
the merits of well built walls. No doubt they are expensive, but a
close examination proves that they are really more economical in the
long run. If well built, and properly treated, they last some hundreds
of years; they provide the best form of shelter, enabling a variety of
tender vegetables to be grown, without the loss occasioned by cold and
exposure: they afford support for trained fruit-trees, which by their
high-class crops return no insignificant proportion of the initial
outlay. The hedge, cheaper though it is at the outset, possesses few
of these advantages. Constant attention, in the shape of clipping and
training, is necessary, if it is to afford adequate shelter; it is
many years before it is of sufficient size to compete with the wall;
it is useless as a support for fruit-trees, and its roots deprive
the crops in neighbouring borders of much of the fertility which is
rightly theirs. The highest walls should face the coldest quarters,
the north, east and west. A good height for a north wall would be
twelve or even fourteen feet; for the two side walls ten feet, and for
the south wall six or seven feet. A coping, either of stone or bricks
set at an angle, should always be found on kitchen-garden walls, the
projection on either side being at least two inches. The face of the
wall should be perfectly smooth to facilitate the training of trees,
but on the outer side buttresses or any ornamental details harmonising
with the architectural work in the rest of the garden, may be employed
to obviate monotony. Detailed descriptions of mural work would be out
of place here, but the owner is advised to see that the wall is well
pointed, so that there shall be no crevices likely to harbour vermin.
Training wires are much better than nailing the branches to the wall,
a practice which weakens the brickwork and involves more trouble and
risk of injury. The eyelets, at any rate the chief ones, to which the
wires will be attached and strained, should be built into the wall and
not driven in subsequently. They will thus be much firmer in position,
and the wall will remain uninjured. Suitable irons, from which nets may
be hung as a protection from frost and birds, may also be fixed at the
same time.
In a stone country, this material will take the place of bricks, as
being more in keeping for garden walls.
A delightful approach to the kitchen-garden may be made by way of a
deeply-arched opening in the wall; a pair of bent iron gates would
look charming set in a grey stone wall, much better than a door. Too
often the kitchen garden is gained by passing through a doorway which
suggests the entrance of a prison cell: these massive, nail-studded
arrangements are strangely out of keeping with the freedom and
freshness of the garden. By means of a few clumps of gay herbaceous
flowers just inside the kitchen-garden entrance, there will be no need
to screen this department off from the rest of the garden: in fact, a
very pleasant vista may be arranged from one to the other.
Whether the garden is surrounded by walls or hedge, a wide border
should be formed immediately next the boundary line. In the case of
walls, this is especially desirable, as enabling a suitable root medium
to be provided for the choice fruit-trees which will be trained to
them. These borders will vary in width, partly according to the aspect,
but mainly with reference to the size of the garden. A twelve-foot
border is perhaps as satisfactory as any, but eighteen feet is no
uncommon width in larger establishments. Under a wall facing north,
the width of the border need seldom be more than six feet. It is well
to devote very careful attention to the preparation of these borders,
thorough drainage being the first essential. The soil may also be
removed to a depth of two and a half feet, and a layer of stones, brick
rubbish, and other material spread at the bottom; this will prevent the
roots of the fruit-trees from striking too deeply. If some old turf and
manure be placed above and the soil finally returned, the border will
be in the best condition for planting. A gentle fall from back to front
should be contrived, so that sun and air may reach all parts of the
crop.
One of the primary essentials for the kitchen-garden is the formation
of really good walks. Constant traffic, the passage to and fro of
water-carts and wheelbarrows, would soon cut up a half-made pathway
and render it almost useless. Nothing can be nicer than broad
flags, both for appearance and utility, but unless stone happens to
be plentiful in the neighbourhood, the expense of these would be
considerable. Tar walks, though entirely objectionable in the flower
garden, are sometimes tolerated here, and are both durable and fairly
satisfactory. A good gravel path lasts a long time if kept constantly
in repair, but the main considerations are good gravel and plenty of
it. Kitchen-garden paths should always be of fair width, though in a
small place every available inch of ground must be pressed into service
for cropping purposes. A wide walk possesses many advantages—it enables
barrows and carts to pass without the necessity of one or other being
taken back, and generally facilitates those operations which are in a
sense peculiar to the vegetable department.
Next to the pathway on the inner side, a smaller border for herbaceous
plants may be made. From these plants the chief supplies of cut
flowers for the house would be obtained, as it is often undesirable to
denude the garden borders for the purpose. A four-foot border would be
sufficient, and when filled with gay perennials would prove a charming
and useful feature of the design. Behind this border a suitable
opportunity occurs for a row of espalier fruit-trees, and these might
be continued round each division of the garden, with suitable breaks
at intervals for obtaining access to the ground behind them. The
smaller the garden, the more suitable would be the espalier method of
training, as it occupies the minimum of space, allows the fruit to
ripen freely, and gives opportunity for those cultural details which
are with difficulty performed on standard or bush trees. The usual
style of fence is one formed of iron uprights and strained wires, but
this is not so picturesque as a combination of wood and wire. If in
addition to wooden posts, a top rail is added, the effect of the whole
when covered with branches in full blossom is beautiful in the extreme.
In suitable situations, notably short pathways leading from one part
of the kitchen-garden to another, the espalier fences may be brought
almost to the edge of the walk, and the two joined by a succession of
iron arches with strained wires from one to the other. Long bowers of
fruit-trees may thus be made, and having regard to the economy of space
thus effected, and the high quality crops which may be obtained by this
means, the practice is worthy of further extension.
A good water supply, either in or near the kitchen-garden, is very
necessary. It is advisable also that some provision exist for exposing
water intended for garden plants to the air for some time before
use. A pump with an open cistern attached is good, if not altogether
picturesque, but a circular tank, such as may be found in many old
gardens, combines both principles. A good position for a sunk tank
would be at the junction of four paths, which if the garden is laid out
on the rectangular system advised, would be the exact centre, thereby
giving convenient access from all points. A stone coping would give
the necessary finish to the tank and at the same time prevent anyone
falling in. By the by, it would be well if designers would sometimes
devote more attention towards rendering fountains, lily ponds, and
other such introductions, safe. I remember once looking over some fine
gardens in company with other visitors, when an incident of this kind
occurred. A lady, carried away by the beauty of the surroundings,
entirely failed to notice a small lily tank placed at the angle of a
pathway. The consequences were disastrous, but I hardly know which of
the two suffered the more—the lady, as she surveyed the bedraggled
remains of a Paris frock, or the owner, at the loss of a specially
choice Nymphæa. Such is the enthusiasm of the lily specialist, that I
rather incline towards the latter!
Adjoining the kitchen-garden and communicating easily with it, there
should be a sufficiently large enclosure to contain the frame ground,
hot beds, compost and manure heaps. It is a great advantage to have
these outside the walls of the garden itself, as a certain amount of
untidiness is inseparable from such quarters. An entrance from the
stable yard, large enough to admit a horse and cart, will be needed,
as naturally much of the manure will be brought here for hot beds,
preparation of compost heaps, etc. A small reserve ground would also
fittingly adjoin, where plants for bedding and other purposes could be
grown until needed.
In gardens of considerable extent, a well built toolhouse would prove
an inestimable benefit. If built in two stories, the upper portion
might be used as a fruit room, though I certainly prefer underground
structures for the purpose; whilst the lower would accommodate lawn
mowers, garden implements, and other impedimenta. As only places of
considerable extent will require buildings of this description, it is
unnecessary to do more than make passing reference to them; however,
those whom it may concern should devote some attention to the matter,
as it is surprising to note the number of large gardens which are
miserably provided with suitable structures.
The orchard is the glory of many of our old country gardens, providing
scenes of beauty which not even the choicest artificial planning
and arrangement can compass. The orchard beautiful is perfectly
distinct from the orchard utilitarian, though owing to neglect and the
consequent assertion of Nature’s ways, the former often takes the place
of the latter. Shelter is perhaps the most important consideration
where fruit-trees are concerned, and as in the orchard this will not
be attained by walls, thick belts of evergreen and deciduous trees
should be planted on the more exposed sides. Damsons make excellent
shelter trees, and are both beautiful in flower and welcome in fruit.
A well-drained, sunny position should always be chosen, and if the
trees are to be grown on the plantation system, that is on arable land,
there is no need for the site to be easily approached from the pleasure
grounds. Except during the blossom season the utility orchard is not
particularly beautiful, and there is little inducement for visitors to
make it part of their round of inspection. However, it should always be
so situated that the fruit may be safe from trespassers, who are often
troublesome when the orchard is close to a main road.
The old grass land orchard, filled with picturesque standard trees, is
capable of being made a wild garden of true beauty. In early spring
we may have troops of golden daffodils and silvery narcissi, making
vistas of colour among the lines of grey trunks. Ropes of purple
and white clematis may festoon the trees, and some of the semi-wild
roses, with their rich foliage and single flowers will fill the hedges
and ramble over the banks. The cool swordlike foliage of Iris, with
the stately spikes of flowers, the old-fashioned holly-hocks and
spreading clumps of poppies, may all find a home in the chequered shade
of the orchard. White Madonna lilies will fringe the pathway, and
honeysuckle and sweetbriar would welcome us at the gate. But lest I be
misunderstood—this orchard, lovely though it be and easy of attainment,
is not for fruit; at least the crops will be small and blemished, and
very different to those from the market grower’s plantation, where
the idea of climbers twisting among the branches of the trees would
be regarded as an act of vandalism. But to the lover of flowers, the
setting of an old orchard is so precious, that some sacrifice is
willingly made to enable the possession of this kind of wild garden.
CHAPTER VII
THE TREATMENT OF WATER
Happy indeed are they whose gardens contain a piece of water,—for
water when properly treated is one of the first aids to beauty and
completeness in design. It may be a stately lake, large enough to
permit of boating in summer and skating in winter, or perhaps only
a small artificially constructed tank, a home for lilies and choice
aquatics. Water is Nature’s mirror, in which some of her choicest
pictures are reflected; the ever-changing features of cloud and
sky, the broken outline of hill and wood, and the nearer fringe of
vegetation which rises softly from the bank. It is because water is so
essentially a handmaiden of Nature, that we must exercise the greatest
care and skill in our introduction of it, into scenes which are purely
artificial in character. Water gardens and “water works” have nothing
in common, though designers of the latter will unhesitatingly apply
the former term to their wretched creations. What would the beautiful
old gardens of Italy be without their fountains?—Torlania, Frascati,
and the cypress terraces of D’Este, Tivoli, their charm is not to be
equalled. But how can we reconcile to the true ideals of a garden, the
monstrous outpourings of the great fountain and cascades at Chatsworth,
the canals and fountains at Versailles and Caserta, and those very
triumphs of ugliness the water squirts of the Crystal Palace? As well
call Trafalgar Square a garden as apply the name to these freakish show
places.
Water may occur naturally in the garden scene, as in the form of lakes,
ponds, rivers and streams, or artificially by the introduction of
fountains, cascades, and architectural objects, connected with a supply
obtained from waterworks or pumped on the estate. In the former case,
the designer usually resorts to means more or less artificial, whereby
he may alter existing features to suit his plan or fall in with his
ideas. Whilst it would be idle to assert that the pond or stream in its
original form would prove best adapted for securing good effects in
laid-out grounds, there can be no gainsaying the fact, that alteration
and adaptation too often mar their natural beauty and give but little
in return. The native brook winding its way among ragged banks,
fringed with yellow flag and purple loosestrife, is charming when its
surroundings consist of wood and brake and lush meadowland; it becomes
a weedy ditch when shaven lawns and trim pathways have taken their
place. The designer’s first thought when he approaches a site on which
there is a stream or pond, must be to choose between two alternatives:
either the water shall be left much as it is, and the garden planned
in harmony with its unadorned simplicity, or the grounds be designed
first, and the stream entirely altered in consequence. Needless to say,
the latter step is by far the more expensive.
The “landscape gardener” who has pronounced leanings towards
architecture, will treat our streamlet with scant courtesy. Probably he
will alter its course altogether, bringing it up to his terrace garden
and confining it between strictly parallel walls of stone or brick.
The pond will fare no better, its swampy sides, the former home of
bulrushes and sedge, will be drained, promontories will be cut away,
the outline made regular, and the whole surrounded with a balustrade,
on which stone vases will rise at intervals. This is the view which
has been embodied in the design of hundreds of English gardens; the
possession of a scrap of water being seized upon as an opportunity for
a lavish display of dressed stone or artificial rockwork built into an
endless variety of grotesque forms. Extremes are seldom pleasing, and
the lover of flowers and sylvan scenes will regard these monotonous
canals and round ponds as scant compensation for the loss of much
natural beauty. The artificial treatment of water, especially when it
is required to form part of a formal scheme, is one of the most costly
undertakings in the whole practice of garden craft, and there are many
who bitterly regret the day when they took the first step towards
taming this fickle ally.
From this it will be inferred that I have little sympathy with
those elaborate arrangements which were considered of such supreme
beauty by Le Notre and certain of the older designers. Not the least
objectionable feature of water which has been conveyed by pipes or
other means into basins and similar receptacles, is that it is nearly
always stagnant. Movement is essential if sweetness and purity are to
be obtained; the offensive condition during hot weather of water in
garden tanks is the surest confirmation of this. Water is precious
because it enables the cultivation of a host of beautiful plants, whose
presence we should otherwise lack; but healthy vegetation is almost
impossible amidst the decay occasioned by stagnation.
[Illustration: STREAM AND WOODLAND]
On a small property water generally occurs in the shape of a stream or
brook, often running an irregular course, with possibly small falls
between the different levels. A case of this kind recently came under
my notice, and I was interested to see how the owner proposed including
it in his plan. The stream entered somewhere on the outskirts of the
property, and on no occasion passed nearer than 300 yards of the lawns
and highly cultivated portion of the grounds. Hence there was no
question of any necessity for formal treatment; the stream as a matter
of fact might have been left exactly as it was, without incongruity.
However, it offered opportunities of a kind not to be missed, and a few
months later I went to see what had been effected. To begin with, the
stream had been “cleaned out” for its entire length, which meant that
every particle of water weed, every tuft of rush and sedge had been
destroyed; a quantity of mud and sludge had been dredged up and thrown
on either bank, and a bridge or two was thrown across for no apparent
purpose. By means of a small dam, a suitable depression in the ground
had been flooded into a miniature lake, from whose surface rose two
aggressive little islands, planted with small conifers and dotted with
rocks. Clumps of iris lined the shore, lilies had been planted, and
twining round the whole so as to give easy access to every part, was
a serpentine path, immaculately gravelled. As I believe the owner has
since repented, I mention this as an instance of what should not be
done in similar cases.
A more rational and certainly more artistic way of treating this same
stream, would have been to consider it as part of the wild garden.
By free drainage of the surrounding land its volume might have been
increased, so as to give it more the appearance of an impetuous
mountain brook than a sluggish and somewhat tame little piece of water.
Each cascade might have been deepened so as to give the water a greater
fall, and small backwater pools where lilies and water plants could be
introduced, would have added to the interest without appearing in any
way artificial. Any increased force of water would necessitate higher
banks, and these would be built in close imitation of those already
existing. The strata being rocky, the soil might have been cleared in
places, and the bare stone exposed; it would become moss grown in
a short time, and with a growth of ferns in the crevices would look
exceedingly well. Frequently such streams are fringed by a plantation,
through which a pathway could be made; the walk should be brought close
to the stream at the most interesting points, and may then meander away
among the trees. The Torrent Walk at Dolgelly is a stream of this kind,
and though in a sense a show place, parts of it are delightfully wild
and free.
The worst possible treatment of the stream is to make it an excuse for
the erection of trumpery rustic bridges, unnecessary stepping stones
and those varied etceteras which are only possible near water of some
description. The designer should have in view the opportunity which is
presented him of making the stream and its banks the home of a good
collection of aquatics; if the requirements of plant life are closely
studied and carried into effect, there will be little chance of the
stream proving anything but satisfactory.
Irregular shaped pieces of water are seldom satisfactory, unless
they are closely modelled on those found in nature. Varied outline
is usually considered satisfactory in that it enables a spirit of
indefiniteness to be preserved, and the true extent of the pond or
lake to be concealed from view. Whilst this is occasionally desirable,
it is by no means invariably so, and it often happens that all idea
of breadth and dignity is lost in the effort to secure irregularity.
Numerous curves along the shore line, and the formation of unnecessary
bays and promontories, generally stamp the work as artificial to the
last degree. To realise the principle which partly governs the shape
of such pieces of water, it is helpful to note the action of a quick
rushing stream or river on the banks which confine it. A lake is often
but a swollen section of a stream. The only thing to cause a deviation
in the course of a river is the encountering of some obstacle, either
a rocky promontory, a small hill or some such obstruction. On reaching
this obstacle we invariably find that the stream is thrown against the
opposite bank with considerable force. If a rocky strata be encountered
it will be many years before an impression is made, if the bank is soft
it will be mined away in a short time. In any case, the final results
are the same, namely the formation of a bay on the side opposite a
promontory; the more abrupt the obstruction, the greater the force of
the water, and consequently the deeper recess of the bay. This is an
elementary law which the designer must carry into practice in order
to achieve some measures of reality in artificial lakes. Islands are
rarely necessary except in the case of large lakes, as they lessen the
extent of water, cramp the proportions, and are in themselves of no
particular beauty.
The saying “Plant the hills and flood the hollows” is as true to-day as
when it was first uttered. Artificial sheets of water, constructed at
great expense in elevated positions are almost invariably incongruous.
True we have the lonely tarns perched far up on the mountain side,
but these have no semblance to the garden lake, either in form or
surroundings. Unless there is a natural inlet and outfall for our
proposed lake, the probability is that it will ere long become foul and
stagnant, and in the absence of a feeding stream, may run dry in the
summer.
On the character of the planting near the margins, will depend almost
entirely the good or bad effect of the lake. The fringe of vegetation,
the overhanging branches, and soft lawns which fall gently to the edge,
are the true beauties of which water is but the foil. Too few trees
will result in a bald, unfinished appearance, too many will cause
the water to become foul, and at the same time destroy its power of
reflection. The proper spots for plantations are the rising banks and
promontories, for which irregular groups of such trees as willows,
alders, rhododendrons, dogwood and birch are particularly suited.
Scrappy planting is to be avoided, boldly defined masses of certain
varieties being far more effective. In the marshy ground near the bays,
the noble gunneras, rheum palmatum, and certain varieties of spiræa and
the larger grasses look extremely well. A list of suitable plants for
such situations will be found in another chapter.
If possible, portions at any rate of the lake should be visible from
the best parts of the flower-garden, or even from the house itself,
and to attain this end vistas should be carefully preserved by the due
regulation of timber and plantations.
Stone embankments quite spoil the appearance of sheets of water,
giving them a semblance to those miniature lakes which are frequently
encountered in public gardens at the seaside. If there is a likelihood
of the banks being seriously damaged by the wash of water, a suitable
protection in exposed places may be made by stones set in cement, the
whole being afterwards hidden with grass and trailing plants. Where the
general surroundings are wild or rocky, a lake with gently undulating
banks and sweeping outline will look out of place; the promontories
will require rougher and more broken treatment, whilst firs, such as
may be seen on Brathay Crag, Windermere, would be more in keeping than
willows and alders, which are associated with scenery of a milder type.
If the site commands a view of a fine natural sheet of water, it is
seldom advisable to create an artificial lake. The latter is almost
bound to look puny and ridiculous, whilst comparison is invited, which
seldom tells favourably on the work of the designer. Similarly, the
artificial stream only too surely betrays its character when a free
flowing river is also included in the line of sight. It is seldom
nowadays that we hear of water being treated in the lavish style of
design which made Brown famous among his contemporaries. So far as the
small property is concerned, the less of Art and the more of Nature we
have, the better. In most cases, existing effects should be jealously
preserved, the designer making it his business merely to amplify and
elaborate these without destroying their individuality. Above all, the
presence of water should be made the excuse for an aquatic garden,
than which nothing gives greater interest and pleasure. Fountains and
cascades are very well, but they are always alike and present from day
to day the same prospect of rising or falling water. The water garden
is ever fresh, ever new, its aspect undergoes constant alteration,
owing to the growth and change of the plants it contains. Above all the
reflected beauty of flower and branch, of cloud and summer sky, are
never failing sources of attraction, bringing home to the most jaded
mind some of the fairest and most subtle charms of the great world of
Nature.
CHAPTER VIII
HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS
As the glowing colours to a beautiful picture, so are the flowers to
our gardens. In many books written on garden design, we find no mention
whatever of the best kinds of plants, wherewith to fill the beds and
borders when they are made. Surely this is a mistake, for our object
in making a garden is to provide a home for flowers and trees. Were an
artist attempting to instruct us in the making of a picture, he would
not stop when he had completed the rough sketch in charcoal. The most
important work has yet to come. The filling in of the colours, the
harmonising of the various shades, and the final touches which proclaim
the good or bad workman, are points over which the novice is likely
to stumble. A faulty, ill-balanced plan will to a certain extent ruin
the appearance of our garden for all time; but Nature is kind, and
the flowers which spring luxuriantly from the earth will by degrees
help to hide many crudities. But this fact must not be abused, as is
frequently the case with the careless worker. How often it is said
in effect “Oh, of course the garden does not look nice yet, but wait
until the things have grown, so as to hide the ugly corners.” It is
the designer’s duty to see that there are no “ugly corners,” and there
ought to be beauty, because so full of promise, in the bare outlines
of paths, beds and lawns—the charcoal sketch of the picture. The
best effects are generally obtained by boldly defined colour masses,
providing of course that these are arranged so as to harmonise well
with each other. The choicest flowers are of very little use if they
are jumbled heedlessly together; tall and dwarf reds, blues, whites
and yellows heterogeneously mixed. In suggesting suitable subjects for
beds and borders, I have endeavoured to arrange the plants in sections,
according to colour, at the same time giving a rough idea as to the
height, which under ordinary circumstances each will attain. The list
makes no pretensions whatever to completeness, the object being rather
to suggest a few really desirable subjects, many of which are too
seldom seen in our gardens.
HARDY BORDER PLANTS WITH WHITE FLOWERS
_Lupins._—Extremely valuable plants for the back of the border, free
flowering, and with handsome foliage.
_Chrysanthemum Maximum._—A daisy-like flower, useful for cutting. When
established it forms bold, handsome clumps.
_Asters_, Michælmas Daisies or Starworts.—One of the best of these is
A. Harpur Crewe; _multiflorus_ with small flowers is also desirable.
_Delphiniums_, Larkspurs.—Well-known hardy perennials. They are of
easy culture, bloom profusely over an extended period, and the hybrid
varieties are especially lovely.
_Eremurus._—These stately flowers are comparatively little known,
and the belief that they are difficult to grow is much exaggerated.
Provided that a warm sheltered situation can be given, and that
adequate protection against severe frost is supplied, their culture
is quite simple. _E. himalaicus_ is one of the hardiest of the group,
the flowers are produced in a dense raceme often 2 feet long, and
individually are of considerable size. A delightful border plant.
The height of the above may be taken roughly at six feet.
_Anemone Japonica Alba._—The well-known autumn blooming anemone,
which yields quantities of flowers for cutting. Honorine Jobert is a
particularly handsome variety.
_Pæonies._—These are undoubtedly the flowers of the moment, and out of
the great number of varieties catalogued, the only difficulty lies in
the selection of a few for our needs.
_Campanulas._—The Peach-leaved Bellflower (_C. persicaefolia_ _alba
grandiflora_) is a handsome border plant with cup-shaped flowers. Its
blooming period is July.
_Achillea Ptarmica._—Sneezewort. A free growing plant, producing
numerous small flowers, useful for cutting.
_Acanthus Mollis._—A stately perennial, which is worth growing if only
for its handsomely serrated foliage. It requires a warm, well-drained
soil.
_Phloxes._—Both classes of perennial phloxes, the summer and autumn
flowering varieties, should be included wherever space can be found for
them. Among the former, which come into bloom during June and July, Mrs
Forbes is to be recommended; in the latter class, flowering from July
to October, few are more desirable than Avalanche.
The above range in height from 2 to 4 ft., and are suitable for the
middle line of the border.
_Iberis._—Candytuft. A suitable plant for use on the margin of the
mixed border. The variety _correaefolia_ is the best, flowering later
than the ordinary kinds. _Sempervirens_ is also useful.
_Saxifraga._—Rockfoils. Though these plants are generally considered
more as alpines than border subjects, they are well adapted for the
latter purpose. The beautiful fresh coloured tufts of foliage, and the
myriad blossoms gracefully produced, render them especially noteworthy.
The variety _camposii_ is pretty.
_Pinks._—These are too well-known to need comment. In the section of
the border devoted to white flowers, a variety, like Her Majesty, can
ill be spared.
_Dwarf Phlox._—The clustering blossoms of these charming plants show
to advantage in the front of the border. The _alba_ variety of the
well-known _P. Subulata_, and _P. Nelsonii_ are both good whites.
These are all under a foot in height, and make a pleasant foreground
for the nobler plants behind them.
White flowers require to be used sparingly, as constant repetition
wearies the eye. Though generally regarded as a positive colour, there
are various shades, and it is best to include cream tinted flowers in
the same section, using the hardest whites to give the effect of a high
light.
PLANTS WITH YELLOW FLOWERS
_Heleniums._—Few plants are better adapted for giving quantities of cut
bloom. Either _H. autumnale_ or the improved variety _superbum_, which
is a noble flower, should be grown. August to October.
_Helianthus._—A beautiful race of showy flowers. The _rigidus_ variety
Miss Mellish, and Soleil d’Or in the _decapetalus_ section, are both
worthy of a place; also _giganteus_ with flowers of a paler colour.
_Bocconia Cordata._—Plume Poppy. A good foliage plant.
_Rudbeckia._—Coneflower. Late summer and autumn flowering plants. _R.
laciniata_, Golden Glow is one of the best, the flowers being produced
on slender stalks in great profusion.
_Verbascum._—Mullein. Stately plants, attaining, when well grown, a
height of 10 ft. _V. Chaixi, syn. V. vernale_, is a true perennial,
which is not the case with several members of the same family.
All attain a height of 6 feet or over.
_Oenothera._—Evening Primrose. Several varieties, in spite of their
name, bloom during the day. The Sundrops (_Oe. fruticosa_) with richly
coloured flowers, and strong, shrubby habit look charming in the mixed
border.
_Coreopsis Grandiflora._—The finest of all the Tickseeds, with
beautiful flowers on long stems. Especially adapted for cutting. This
should be grown in every garden.
_Doronicum Plantagineum Excelsum._—Leopard’s Bane. During the early
spring and summer months, this is one of the gayest plants in the
garden. _D. Harpur Crewe_ is the best.
_Lilium Testaceum._—Nankeen Lily. This beautiful lily resembles the
well-known Madonna in habit, but the delicate apricot blooms, which are
fragrant, make it a welcome addition to the section embracing yellow
flowers. A good lily for town gardens.
_Anthemis Tinctoria._—Camomile. Generally called the Sulphur
Marguerite. A dainty flower, unequalled for cutting. On good soil it
grows very free and bushy.
_Hemerocallis._—Day Lilies. These are delicately scented, and the
foliage of a well grown clump affords a welcome break in the border.
_H. flava_ is the best known.
Any of the above would be suitable as intermediates between the tall
growing plants at the back and the dwarf subjects in front, of which
the following are desirable.
_Alyssum._—_A. saxatile_, Gold Dust, as its name suggests, produces
myriads of golden blossoms. It flowers in spring and succeeds best in
an open, sunny position.
_Cheiranthus Alpinus._—Alpine Wallflower. A dwarf plant, very suitable
for edging.
[Illustration: HERBACEOUS GROUPING]
_Linum Flavum._—Yellow Flax. A hardy little plant with gaily-coloured
blossoms.
_Œnothera Macrocarpa._—A dwarf evening Primrose with trailing stems on
which the large flowers are freely produced. It is perhaps better known
as _Oe._ _missouriensis._
The majority of the above flowers are pure yellow in colour. Variety
would of course be given by including others varying from deep orange
to pale sulphur. An extended list is impossible in the limited space,
the object being to suggest a few flowers in the principal colours;
however, there will be no difficulty in finding others equally suitable.
PLANTS WITH BLUE FLOWERS
_Aconitum._—Monk’s Hood. Well-known, old-fashioned perennials, with
poisonous roots. Among the best for this section are _A. chinense_
and _A. Napellus_, the former continuing in bloom until the end of
September.
_Delphiniums._
_Eryngium._—Sea Holly. These strong growing plants, with their
beautiful steel-blue stems and foliage, should be in every collection.
The flower heads can be dried and used for winter decoration. _E.
Oliverianum._
_Scabiosa Caucasica._—On any but very cold soils this is a true
perennial. The flowers are abundantly produced on long stalks, and are
useful for cutting.
_Polemonium Cæruleum._—Jacob’s Ladder. An old-fashioned plant, worthy
of inclusion in modern gardens. It blooms from early June to September.
_Catanache Cærulea._—Blue Cupidone. An easily grown, free flowering
plant. The colour is especially pleasing.
_Centaurea._—Knapweed. One of the best of this family is _C. montana_,
a variety with cottony leaves, and a profusion of flowers not unlike
the blue Cornflower.
_Iris Pallida._—Great Purple Flag. The stately, swordlike leaves rising
in sheaves amid the border plants are most welcome, and the rich
velvety colouring of the quaint flowers must appeal to all. The variety
_Mandraliscæ_ should also be grown.
The following are dwarf growing subjects:—
_Veronica._—Speedwell. Among the varieties having flowers of a true
blue shade are _dentata_ and _incana_, the latter with pretty silvery
foliage. _V. prostrata_ is a free bloomer of dwarf, spreading habit.
_Gentiana Acaulis._—Gentianella. One of the most beautiful blue flowers
we have.
_Statice._—Sea Lavender. The small flowers borne on wiry stems may be
cut and used for winter decoration. _S. latifolia_ is the finest of the
genus.
_Ajuga Osnafera._—Bugle. These plants bear close spikes of small
flowers, and the effect, when boldly grouped, is decidedly pleasing.
_Anemone Angulosa._—Great Hepatica. A larger flower than the Common
Hepatica; it does best in partial shade.
The scarcity of really good blue flowers is known to every gardener
who has made a special study of colour effect. Certainly the range is
limited, but we are apt to be somewhat conservative in our choice, and
many desirable plants which are now seldom seen might be included with
advantage.
PLANTS WITH FLOWERS IN SHADES OF RED.
_Kniphofia._—Torch Lilies. The old Torch Lily of the cottage gardens
has been superseded by some of the new hybrids. One of the finest of
the group is _K. Burchelli_, with purple spotted stem. _K. nobilis_
is another beautiful variety. Except in quite sheltered situations
_Kniphofias_ should be protected with a covering of ashes or dry litter
during winter.
_Lilium Chalcedonicum._—One of the hardiest of the lily tribe. The
colour is exceedingly rich, and the effect of the clustering flowers on
the tall stems is remarkably handsome.
_Papaver Orientale._—Oriental Poppies. Too well-known to need comment.
They should be in every herbaceous border.
_Lychnis._—Another old-fashioned flower, giving glowing spikes of
colour. In a rich sandy loam it attains a large size.
_Monarda Didyma._—Bergamot. An easily grown plant, with flowers
produced in whorls.
_Tritonia syn. Montbretia._ In addition to _crocosmiflora_ which is
generally grown, such kinds as _Etoile de Feu_, and _Phare_ should
be included. The whole group is very charming, resembling as they do
miniature _gladioli._
_Gladiolus Brenchleyensis_, and hybrids, of which there are innumerable
varieties, should be found in every garden.
For the front of the border the following are valuable.
_Mimulus Cardinalis._—Monkey Flower. This showy plant does best on a
moist border, and should not be planted if the situation is dry and
parched.
_Lychnis Viscaria._—German Catchfly. The variety _splendens_ is the
best, as being brighter in colour than the type.
_Dianthus Barbatus._—Sweet Williams.
_Agrostemma._—Rose Campion. Well-known hardy plants, suitable for the
border. The best variety is _A._ _Walkeri_, with compact flowers of
great depth and richness.
The above lists do not include plants with flowers in shades of pink,
mauve, rose, purple, violet and other elusive hues. These, however,
must be used in conjunction with the more pronounced colours to produce
the best effects. In order to avoid discord, red flowers should not be
grouped near those in shades of blue, purple or lilac. The warm colours
are easily arranged, and beginning with pink, may pass to rose, crimson
and finally scarlet. Following these comes a procession of yellows,
from orange to pale sulphur, when an opportunity occurs for introducing
flowers in shades of mauve, lilac and violet. Blues are best approached
by pale yellows and creamy whites. However no absolute rules can be
given, the matter being one for the exercise of good taste and an eye
for colour.
CHAPTER IX
PLANTS FOR ALPINE, AQUATIC, AND BOG GARDENS
Whilst every garden, no matter how small, should contain its herbaceous
border, well stocked with hardy perennials, only a comparatively small
number will admit of those delightful features, the bog, aquatic and
alpine gardens. For this reason I shall not attempt to give more than
a brief list of the plants suited to each. In a book which attempts
to outline all, or at any rate the chief points connected with garden
design, consideration of individual sections must necessarily be brief.
I have endeavoured to mention all the most deserving plants in the
following lists, but for further and fuller information the reader
is advised to consult a work specially dealing with the particular
“garden” in which he is interested.
A list of deserving plants for inclusion in the alpine garden:—
Gentiana
Scilla
Soldanella
Anemone Pulsatilla
Veronica
Aubrietia
Erigeron
Linaria antirrhinifolia
Muscari
Iris pumila
Linum narbonnense
Dracocephalum
All with blue or purplish flowers.
Saponaria
Colchicum
Silene
Armeria
Bulbocodium
Mesembryanthemum (_not hardy_)
Tunica saxifraga
Daphne
Menziesia
All with rose or pink flowers.
Alyssum
Cheiranthus
Ranunculus
Narcissi (Queen of Spain, etc.)
Oenothera
Linaria dalmatica
Genista
All with yellow flowers.
Saxifraga
Iberis
Sanguinaria
Leucojum
Arabis
Cyclamen
Silene
Asperula
Galanthus
Linnæa
Helleborus
Cerastium
All with white flowers.
In many places there are pieces of rough marshy land, unsightly through
neglect, filled with sedges and rough tussocky grass, which might, with
the expenditure of a little trouble, be converted into charming bog
and water gardens. There are such hosts of delightful little plants,
which thrive only in thoroughly moist situations, and are, therefore,
but seldom seen in English gardens, that an opportunity for growing
them must not be lost. Bog plants are many of them diminutive, but
there are few which are not interesting, and to know them a little is
to desire their further acquaintance. The same may be said of aquatics,
though these belong to a very different class. Anyone who has seen the
gorgeous water-lilies, which have been steadily finding their way into
English ponds and tanks during the last few years, must realise that a
water garden is worth making for their sake alone.
* * * * *
The following plants are suitable either for growing in the water
itself or for grouping on the margins of ponds and streams:—
[Illustration: A LILY TANK]
_Nymphæa._—Water-Lilies. The beautiful hybrids, which are associated
with the name of M. Marliac are by far the most handsome of available
kinds. Among them the Canary Water-lily (_N. M. chromatella_),
with reddish brown leaves and soft yellow flowers, darkening to the
centre, is very beautiful. _N. Robinsoni_ is another fine variety
with rose-coloured blooms, abundantly produced. Our own native lily
(_N. alba_) flowers early, and should be in every collection, but
the variety _rosea_ is a shy bloomer, though the colour is extremely
pretty. _N. tuberosa._
_Aponogeton._—The Cape Pond-flower. A pretty water plant, the flowers
are white and delicately scented. It requires fairly deep water, and
does best in a warm district. _A. distachyon._
_Villarsia._ Yellow Buckbean. Small lily-like leaves, and a profusion
of yellow flowers.
_Stratiotes._—Water Soldier. Interesting on account of its foliage.
Shallow water is needed for the following:—
_Typha Latifolia._—The Common Bulrush.
_Sagittaria._—Arrowhead. Handsome plants with white blossoms and
arrow-shaped leaves.
_Caltha Palustris._—Marsh Marigold.
_Pontederia._—Pickerel Weed. Graceful foliage, with spikes of blue
flowers.
_Butomus Umbellatus._—Flowering Rush. Bears umbels of rosy flowers.
_Menyanthes Trifoliata._—Buckbean. Grows freely, the scented white
flowers being faintly suffused with pink.
A few good plants for localising in marshy ground on the margin:—
_Iris Kaempferi._ The Japanese Flag. A more strikingly beautiful
subject for the position could scarcely be found. The swordlike
foliage, and large handsome flowers render it especially noteworthy.
_Gunnera._—Prickly Rhubarb. Noble plants, with immense fan-shaped
leaves. They should be slightly protected during winter.
_Osmunda Regalis._—Royal Fern.
_Spiræa Palmata._ Fine foliage. The flowers produced in dense clusters
are a soft rosy pink.
_Arundo Donax._—The Great Reed.
_Buphthalmum Speciosum._ A handsome plant with heart-shaped leaves. The
flowers are yellow with dark centres.
_Gynerium Argenteum._—Pampas Grass.
_Lythrum Salicaria._—Purple Loosestrife. This is the well-known showy
plant of the country streams. For garden culture the improved variety
_roseum_ should be grown.
The plants enumerated above will make an interesting collection for the
water garden, others can be added from time to time. The great point to
be observed is the proper regulation of plants of varying growth, so as
to prevent overcrowding. Water gardens are frequently made and filled
with interesting subjects, but owing to neglect the coarse growing
plants are allowed to monopolise the space and crowd out those of shyer
habit.
PLANTS FOR THE BOG GARDEN
_Cypripedium Spectabile._—Mocassin-flower. This is perhaps the finest
of all bog plants, and hails from the woods of North America, where it
grows to perfection. The plant forms handsome clumps, and the flowers
are white marked with a rosy blotch.
_Primula Japonica._—This plant revels in the cool surroundings of the
bog garden, and produces an abundance of rich crimson blossoms. _P.
rosea_ is a smaller variety, with polyanthus tufts of delicate pink
flowers. _P. sikkimensis_, with pale yellow flowers, is distinct.
_Dielytra Spectabilis._—Bleeding Heart.
_Trillium._—Wood Lily. A beautiful plant, with rich green foliage and
snowy three-petalled flowers.
_Parnassia Palustris._—Grass of Parnassus. An easily grown plant, with
white flowers on long straight stems.
_Anagallis Tenella._—Bog Pimpernel. Creeping habit. The flowers are
pink.
_Pinguicula._—Butterwort. The wettest spots in the bog should be chosen
for this little plant.
_Adiantum Pedatum._—Maidenhair fern. This is the hardy North American
kind, which looks well associated with the flowering plants in
sheltered corners.
_Orchis Foliosa._—Madeira Orchis. One of the finest of the family. It
produces bold spikes of purplish flowers.
_Ficaria Grandiflora._—An improved form of the common Pilewort. Its
bright masses of golden flowers render it a welcome addition to the bog
garden in spring.
_Saxifraga Peltata._
The above are all more or less dwarf growing plants, and suited for
bog gardens on a small scale. In larger places good use will be made
of Rhododendrons, Ferns of various kinds, Sedges, and numerous Lilies,
especially _superbum_, to give boldness and distinction to the scene.
It is a mistake, when it can be managed otherwise, to grow only
small plants, as the effect is generally patchy and insignificant,
besides giving the bog a dull, flat appearance. So many beautiful
flowering shrubs and hardy lilies grow best in a peaty soil, so that
on the fringe of the bog, where the ground is drier, whole colonies
of beautiful plants may come trooping down to the edge, shutting off
the little enclosure from the rest of the garden. Good drainage and
the destruction of weeds are points essential to success, and a close
watch should be kept for stray plants of Sheep Rot, which if allowed to
spread will choke the whole bog in a short time.
CHAPTER X
FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS
The majority of English gardeners are slow to recognise the value of
the various flowering shrubs as an aid to the carrying out of design.
Our gardens, as a whole, are far too sombre, a result of planting
extensively with dark, close growing evergreens, which keep out the
light, and reduce our pleasure grounds to the verge of monotony.
Evergreens are well enough in their way, and in certain instances form
valuable screens to unsightly corners at all times of the year. But
their use has been overdone, and by their presence they are crowding
out a host of beautiful subjects, graceful and varied in their mode
of growth, and productive, also, of that most needed element in our
often saddening atmosphere—colour. Small gardens, especially, can ill
afford to be overplanted with laurel and privet, a form of encroachment
to which they are particularly liable. The majority of evergreens
are greedy feeders, and their hungry roots travel in all directions,
impoverishing the soil in the beds and borders, which, owing to lack of
space, have to be formed in their near vicinity. The prejudice which
exists against deciduous trees is in reality quite unfounded, as anyone
must realise who has taken the trouble to examine the structural beauty
of trees which shed their leaves. The exquisite tints of autumn, the
gradual revealing of hidden beauties in bark and stem as the summer
mantle is discarded, are sights we look for in vain in evergreens.
Summer and winter they hardly vary, and gardens in which stiffly
growing hollies, dusty yews, and straggling laurels monopolise nearly
all the space, are usually lacking in interest just when they should
be full of charm. If some of the old shrubberies filled with worn
out, decaying evergreens could be rooted up, letting in the air and
sunshine, how much better would it be. Their place might be taken by a
varied collection of graceful, deciduous trees and shrubs, which during
their flowering period would afford constant interest and pleasure. Of
course a garden from which evergreens were entirely banished, would
be bare and cheerless to a degree during the winter months. Besides,
the more tender plants would undoubtedly suffer, owing to the sudden
inlet of cold winds, from which they had previously been protected. As
shelter trees and wind breaks, evergreens are of the utmost utility,
and their value in this direction cannot be over-estimated. Judiciously
planted and used in moderation they are always pleasing, it is only by
constant repetition, and the formation of dense, gloomy thickets, that
the designer wearies us by their presence.
Granted, however, that evergreens have a certain value, there is no
reason why we should not aim at greater variety than is at present the
case. In addition to the ever present laurels, there are whole families
of Rhododendrons, Barberries, Olearia, Kalmia, certain of the Heaths,
Daphne in sheltered situations, Cotoneaster, and many others. These are
all beautiful at their flowering period, and at other times, by their
diversity of form and habit, will make a welcome change to the existing
conditions. I have felt it desirable to draw attention to the need
for further recognition of the flowering shrubs, both deciduous and
evergreen; they present so much variety and charm, and are, moreover,
adapted to such a variety of situations, that it seems unreasonable
to exclude them from our gardens. Another point in their favour is
the supply of decorative bloom which is obtainable from such free
flowering subjects as the various Quinces, Brooms, Weigela, Syringa,
and others. Whole branches of bud and blossom look exquisite when
lightly arranged in jars and vases, the Japanese methods being worthy
of imitation, so that in both garden and house endless possibilities
are presented to the modern gardener. In order to recall a few of the
best varieties, nearly all of which are hardy, I give a list of those
which have proved deserving of a place.
_Azalea._—These beautiful flowers should be grown much more
extensively. Not only during their flowering period, but in the full
glory of their autumn foliage, they are supremely lovely. An endless
number of varieties are available, the hardy Ghent Azaleas with a fine
range of colour being perhaps best for general purposes. _A. mollis_,
a dwarf Japanese variety, is useful for grouping in front of the
larger kinds. Those living in the south, or having gardens with sunny,
sheltered dells, may also plant _A. Indica_, which is a sub-evergreen.
Let no one be deterred from growing these beautiful shrubs under the
impression that they require peat; in ordinary garden soil they thrive
wonderfully, if protected from cold winds.
_Magnolia._—Beautiful flowering shrubs from China and Japan. _M.
conspicua_ bears a profusion of snowy blossoms early in May. A dwarf
growing variety with starry white flowers, _M. stellata_, should be
grown in sheltered corners. At Kew the effect of bold groups of Azaleas
and Magnolias in the open may be seen during the spring and early
summer months.
[Illustration: A GARDEN HOUSE]
_Rhododendrons_ form gardens in themselves, such is the variety of
habit and colouring which they display. Nevertheless they are often
overplanted, and when out of flower the banks of evergreen foliage
become monotonous. A better plan is to choose a few really good hybrid
varieties and group them carefully according to colour and period of
flowering, interspersing with shrubs of different growth to prevent
monotony. Almost every shade from white to deep crimson is to be found
in these showy flowers. Limestone soils are very prejudicial to their
welfare, but otherwise they succeed in a diversity of situations.
Numbers of hybrid kinds are catalogued, and it is an easy matter to
choose a dozen or so really desirable varieties.
_Cytisus._—Broom. The Common Broom (_C. Scoparius_) is by no means
to be excluded from our gardens, where its cheerful presence in the
semi-wild parts is very welcome. Among cultivated varieties the
beautiful white form _C. albus_ is very graceful, with its long dark
green sprays covered with snowy flowers. _C. Andreanus_ is similar in
form to the common variety, but the yellow flowers are richly marked
with blotches of reddish chestnut.
_Prunus._—This is a large family containing the flowering Plums,
Almonds, Peaches, and Cherries. Almost all are beautiful, with their
soft masses of rosy pink and white flowers borne on branching twigs
and sprays. The Japanese Cherry (_P. pseudo-Cerasus_), which the Japs
will tramp for miles to see in all its beauty, has many good double
varieties, one of the best being _Cerasus Watereri_. _P. Padus_,
the Bird Cherry, should, in its double form, certainly be included
among the garden trees. Then there is the Double Chinese Plum (_P.
japonica_), with delicate pink and white flowers borne on slender
shoots. _P. Lauro-Ceraus_, the Cherry Laurel, a fine evergreen, which
requires plenty of space, and should not be crowded in among more
delicate growers. The common Almond (_P. amygdalus_) is well-known,
especially in town gardens, its beautiful pink flowers being produced
early in the season. In spite of its general use in our gardens we
could ill spare the Portugal Laurel (_P. lusitanica_), it is a noble
evergreen, and worthy in many cases of better treatment. A beautiful
little dwarf shrub is _P. triloba fl. pl._, with large blush flowers,
changing with age to pure white. It is worth almost any consideration
to secure a small representative collection of this family for our
gardens. _P. pissardi._
_Pyrus (Cydonia) Japonica._—A well-known shrub, producing a profusion
of vivid scarlet blossoms over an extended period. The fruit, which
appears in autumn, is of considerable size. A variety _alba_, with
white flowers, should also be grown.
_Philadelphus._—Mock Orange. Well-known old-fashioned shrubs, the
syringa of the cottage gardens. They deserve an open, sunny position,
when they will form really handsome bushes, covered with a wealth of
sweetly scented blossoms. _P. coronarius_ is the common variety, and in
the same section we have _aureus_ with golden leaves; _primulæflorus_
with double white flowers; and _nanus_, a dwarf form, which, however,
is a shy bloomer. _P. grandiflorus_ has much finer flowers than
_coronarius_, and is but slightly scented, an advantage when the
branches are used for indoor decoration, the common form being almost
too powerful in a room. _P. microphyllus_ is an excellent dwarf
variety, forming a compact bush about 3 feet high.
_Viburnum._—Guelder Rose. The beautiful snowball-like flowers of this
shrub are extremely ornamental, and it deserves a worthy place in the
garden. _Sterile_, the cultivated form of the native _V. opulus_, grows
to a good height, and may be planted well back in the mixed shrubbery.
_V. plicatum_ is somewhat different in habit, producing continuous
sprays of large, white blossoms.
_Stuartia._—A deciduous shrub bearing flowers something like the
_Camellia_. _S. pseudo-Camellia_ has creamy-white blossoms with yellow
stamens. _S. virginica_ forms a handsome bush, the flowers the same
colour as the foregoing, with the addition of blood red stamens.
_Ribes._—Flowering Currant. Too well-known to need description. In
addition to the common variety _R. sanguinea_, the Buffalo Currant (_R.
aureum_), with yellow flowers, and the double form _flore-pleno_, which
blooms later than the type, should also be grown.
_Syringa._—Lilac. Grouped in bold masses, the Lilac family is
a charming one in the garden. A sheltered corner devoted to a
representative collection, or a good hedge formed of several varieties,
is the way in which they should be grown. A straggling bush, hemmed
in by coarse evergreens, is a poor way of displaying so charming a
flower. The following are worthy of notice: _S. chinensis_, with rich
violet flowers; _S. japonica_, with large creamy-coloured flowers; and
_S. persica_, the Persian Lilac, a much smaller kind, which looks well
planted in the foreground of large groups. The flowers are pale mauve.
The white variety, _Marie Lagrange_, is very handsome.
_Choisya Ternata._—Mexican Orange-flower. Not quite hardy, but worth
a sheltered position, on account of its shining evergreen foliage and
abundance of pure white flowers. It is a good plant for warm seaside
districts.
_Cotoneaster._—Rockspray. Hardy and easily grown rock-shrubs. _C.
buxifolia_ forms a good-sized bush, the flowers white, and produced
abundantly. _C. microphylla_ is useful for walls or sloping banks in
the rock garden, where there is a bare space which needs covering. The
Cotoneasters are evergreen, and in winter are rendered bright and showy
by clusters of scarlet or crimson berries.
_Forsythia._—Golden Bell. Dwarf growing subjects, of exceedingly
graceful habit. _F. suspensa_ is the best known, and the long trailing
branches, covered with golden blossoms, look especially well hanging
over a bank or low wall. _F. viridissima_ is more compact than the
foregoing, and likes a position fully exposed to the sun.
_Deutzia._—The hardy outdoor kinds are _crenata_ and _flore-pleno_,
both with white flowers, those of the latter being faintly tinged with
pink. The slender stems and clustering racemes of flowers render this a
delightful shrub.
_Kalmia._—Mountain Laurel. Charming evergreen shrubs from North
America. The waxy flowers are produced in clusters, the colour being a
delicate rose. _K. latifolia_ is the best, and will thrive in garden
soil in which there is a slight admixture of peat. On limestone soils
they are seldom a success.
_Berberis._—Barberry. The best of the group is _B. Darwinii_, an
evergreen variety with showy orange flowers. _B. vulgaris_, the Common
Barberry, is more beautiful in fruit than in flower, a charming
companion being _B. Thunbergii_, with bright scarlet berries, and
foliage turning to a rich tint in autumn. The _Mahonias_ are also
included under this head, of which the common variety, _M. aquifolium_,
should be in every collection. Its copper-coloured leaves, bright
yellow flowers and purple berries, afford a good contrast to other
plants in the shrubbery.
_Weigela._—Bush Honeysuckle. Charming groups of these shrubs may be
formed on the edges of lawns and other suitable places. There are
many varieties, nearly all beautiful, their autumn foliage being
particularly well coloured. _W. rosea_ is the form generally met with,
but it is hardly so deserving as _W. grandiflora_, or _anabilis_, as
it is often known. There is a fine golden-leaved kind, _W. Looymansi
aurea_, which may be grown if space can be found.
_Rhus._—Sumach. More quaint, perhaps, than beautiful, but worth
planting, if only for their truly gorgeous foliage during the fall of
the leaf. The Venetian Sumach (_R. cotinus_) is one of the best.
_Tamarix._—Tamarisk. Excellent shrubs for seaside gardens. The flowers
of _T. gallica_ are white, tinged with pink, and the small spikes look
exceedingly well among the feathery leaves.
_Spiræa_.—Shrubby Meadow Sweet. A large family numbering many
delightful varieties. It is useless crowding these Spiræas among a
tangle of rampant evergreens, as their graceful beauty is lost and they
are soon destroyed. Well-defined clumps on lawn margins show them at
their best. _S. ariæfolia_, the Spray Bush, is very lovely with its
panicles of white flowers. _S. japonica_, with clusters of pink flowers
borne on slender stems, is another good kind; and the improved variety,
Anthony Waterer, with blossoms of a rich crimson hue, is most striking.
The Plume Meadow Sweet (_S. Lindleyana_) is a large and handsome kind,
which requires a fairly warm position, when its beautiful foliage is
particularly attractive.
_Hydrangea Paniculata Grandiflora._—Plumed Hydrangea. During the autumn
this is one of the handsomest plants in the shrubbery. Under good
culture it produces enormous clusters of white flowers, the whole bush
being often covered with a profusion of bloom.
_Kerria Japonica._—There are few cottage gardens without a bush of
old-fashioned Jew’s Mallow. The long shoots are wreathed with small
golden blossoms. There is a variegated form of the single variety,
which is dwarfer than the commonly grown _flore-plena_.
There is hardly a plant in the above list which is not really
beautiful, and fully deserving a place in the garden. But space cannot
be found for even half of them, still less for many more which I have
not mentioned, if the old-fashioned shrubbery is to still monopolise
all the available ground. By all means let us have a few evergreens
to clothe our gardens during their winter nakedness, but in spring
and summer the beautiful flowering trees and shrubs should be there
to brighten with their blossomed sprays the corners where now sombre,
dusty foliage forms the only relief. If many desirable names have
been omitted, it is because space cannot possibly be found for all,
or perhaps that they lack the hardiness which is one of the first
points which must be considered when introducing new varieties. In
warm, sheltered spots, such as occur in Devon and Cornwall, there is
no end to the really beautiful trees and shrubs which may be grown.
Here fuchsias and members of the magnolia family will thrive and bloom
freely, but in less favoured localities we must content ourselves with
more hardy subjects, of which there are numbers from which to make a
choice.
CHAPTER XI
HARDY CLIMBERS
It would be impossible to over-estimate the value of the various
climbing plants to the designer; without them our gardens would lose
half their beauty and charm. This much we owe to them, that without
their graceful presence many beautiful garden houses, outbuildings
and walls, would be intolerable eyesores. But for our climbing
roses, clematis, honeysuckle, and fragrant jasmine, there would be
no possibility of shady pergolas, flower-clad archways, and welcome
arbour. The crudities of the architect, his ugly terrace walls and
staring porticos, may all be softened and veiled by a tender covering
of flowery sprays and rich green foliage. Yet, in spite of this, more
effective use might be made of plants of twining and scandent habit,
not only by calling in the aid of several beautiful subjects which are
now seldom seen, but by displaying those we have to further advantage.
In the wild gardens of Nature we find that climbers choose for their
support living trees and shrubs, and who will gainsay the charm of the
hedgerow wreathed in honeysuckle, or of the beauty of the wild rose
which has scrambled by chance amid the branches of some forest tree.
How seldom we afford the cultivated climbers this form of support. On
the stronger growing trees we may have the snowy _clematis montana_,
flinging its blossom-clad trails from branch to branch; vines and
gorgeous Virginian creeper garlanding the trunks, and hanging pendant
from the nethermost boughs. The axe may even be stayed from a dead
or dying elm; instead, allowing the mauve and white wistarias to
twine their way upwards, and cover the withered stump with new life
and loveliness. By selecting climbers of less rampant growth, the
evergreen shrubs may be wreathed with many a fragrant spray, all the
more beautiful because of the freedom from artificial planning and
arrangement. In this way endless possibilities are opened before us, of
which we should not fail to take advantage. The following list of hardy
climbers will, it is hoped, afford some assistance to those in need of
suitable plants for a variety of purposes:—
_Roses._—The Queen of Flowers is worthy of a volume to herself, and it
would be impossible to give anything like an adequate description of a
tithe of the climbing varieties, within the limits of this chapter. The
following list embraces some of the most beautiful climbing forms in
cultivation.
_Aimée Vibert._—Small white flowers borne in large clusters. Beautiful
for the pergola.
_Celine Forestier._—Sulphur-yellow, free blooming.
_Devoniensis._—White, with creamy shading, large and full.
_Felicité Perpétue._—_R. Sempervirens._ The foliage is evergreen, and
the clustering white flowers are faintly tinged with pink.
_Crimson Rambler._—Invaluable. A quick grower, soon clothing pillar or
pergola with its bright green foliage, among which the trusses of vivid
blossoms show to advantage. _Euphrosyne_ with rosy flowers; _Thalia_,
white; and _Aglaia_, yellow are also useful, but the crimson form is
the best.
_W. A. Richardson._—Yellow and orange flowers, with beautiful copper
coloured buds. Fine for arches and low walls.
_Paul’s Carmine Pillar._—A single variety with bright carmine flowers.
It is quite hardy and looks well covering a trellis. One of the best
single climbers. The Single White is also desirable.
_Alice Grey._—Belonging to the Ayrshire section. Blooms in summer, the
flowers are creamy white, edged with pink.
_Banksia._—Delicately scented and well adapted for walls. Both the
yellow and white should be grown, also the improved variety _Fortunei_.
_Gloire de Dijon._—Well-known, should be in every garden.
_Rosa Brunonis._—White Indian Rose. Fine foliage. The single creamy
flowers are beautifully centred with yellow. A lovely variety for
rambling among trees.
_Rosa Moschata Nivea._—Musk Rose. Another single. The flowers are
scented, the colour white, suffused with pink, and the centre of each
occupied by a bunch of golden anthers, the buds pink. Very free growing.
_Austrian Briars._—For rambling over dwarf trellis or about the base
of stone balconies these roses are most useful. Both the yellow and
copper-red forms are worth growing.
_Rosa Rubrifolia._—Red-leaved Rose. Of little importance, so far as its
flowers are concerned, but delightful for its richly coloured leaves
and purple shoots.
_Rêve d’Or._—Belonging to the _Noisette_ section. A favourite variety
with nankeen copper flowers, and a profusion of rich brown shoots.
_Lamarque._—White with yellow centre, a free flowering kind, growing
well on a wall.
_Sweet Briar._—(Lord Penzance Hybrids.) These are a lovely new race,
combining the sweetness of the old Sweet Briar, with a wonderful colour
range in the flowers. They are generally used for hedges, but look well
trained as pillar roses. A few ought to be in every garden on account
of their fragrance. The following are good kinds:—Meg Merrilies, rich
crimson; Lady Penzance, soft copper; Brenda, blush; Julie Mannering,
delicate pink; Minna, white; Anne of Geierstein, deep crimson; Jeannie
Deans, semi-double, vivid crimson; Rose Bradwardine, clear rose.
_Clematis._—There are but few positions in which these will not appear
charming. Porches, arbours, trellis and pergola all look lovely when
wreathed with some of the new hybrids; whilst the Traveller’s Joy (_C.
Vitalba_) forms beautiful garlands among the branches of the larger
trees. _C. montana_, with its myriad white blossoms, is one of the
best for the house. _C. Jackmanii_, with purple flowers, looks well
among the grey oaken beams of the pergola, but neither this nor other
of the mauve and violet kinds show to advantage near red walls. Among
the hybrids are Beauty of Worcester, Duchess of Edinburgh, Mme. Edouard
Andre, Jackmanii alba, Miss Bateman, Stella, and Belle of Woking, all
beautiful. The Scarlet Clematis (_C. coccinea_) is very pretty and
distinct, but a warm sheltered position is essential to its well-being.
The flowers are bell-shaped, the sepals fleshy, and the colour a rich
carmine scarlet.
_Lonicera._—Honeysuckle. Fragrant climbers for trellis or pergola.
They also look well twining among the branches of trees with dark
foliage. A sunny, open position suits them best. _L. Japonica_, with
leaves somewhat like the oak, is a pretty form, quite hardy; the
variety _aureo-reticulata_, with leaves overlaid with a network of
gold, is also beautiful. A warm wall is needed for _L. sempervirens_,
with handsome tubular flowers in shades of scarlet and yellow. The
winter flowering kind, _fragrantissima_, with white flowers, is sweetly
scented. An early bloomer.
_Jasminum._—_J. officinale_, the White Jasmine, is a quick grower,
soon covering an arbour, for which position it is perhaps best suited.
_Nudiflorum_ should be grown on account of its welcome note of colour,
when the garden is otherwise dull and bare.
_Wistaria Sinensis._—A beautiful woody climber, delightful for the
pergola, in which position its long racemes of mauve flowers are seen
to great advantage. The variety _alba_ is also fine. _Wistarias_ might
be more often grown among trees, especially if the latter are past
their prime, and so will not suffer from the embrace of so large and
free growing a climber.
_Tecoma._—Trumpet Creeper. Fine scarlet corymbs, but must have the
shelter of a south wall in all but southern counties.
_Tropæolum Speciosum._—Flame Flower. A gorgeous creeper which often
defies all efforts at establishment. The Lakeland cottages are often
enveloped in its glowing trails, which also look beautiful wandering
over sombre yews or dark leaved shrubs. Partial shade.
_Cratægus Pyracantha._—Evergreen foliage and brilliant scarlet berries.
Suitable for a wall.
To this list must be added the Ivies in great variety, _Ampelopsis
tricuspidata_ (syn. _Veitchi_), _A. quinquefolia_, Virginian Creeper
and the Vines.
More fragile than the foregoing, yet of distinct value, are the Hops,
the gaily-flowered _Cobæa scandens_, _Eccremocarpus_, the double pink
_Calystegia_, and the Everlasting Peas. These look well among the
smaller shrubs, which would soon be choked out of existence by the more
rampant varieties which have been noticed. In really warm districts
the beautiful _Passiflora_ will also be pressed into service, but it
belongs to the fortunate few to grow these and other tender climbers in
the open.
INDEX
Architect, garden, 3.
Aspect, 24.
Avenues, 37.
Blenheim, 5.
Bog garden, plants for, 72.
Buildings, ugly, 27.
“Capability Brown,” 5.
Climbers, on trees, 83.
—— value of, 83.
—— varieties of, 84.
Design, artificial, 8.
—— competitions in, 10.
—— duplicating, 9.
—— eccentric, 18.
—— importance of flowers to, 60.
—— natural, 8.
—— simplicity of, 14.
—— variety in, 15.
Designers, landscape, 5.
—— paper, 3.
—— qualifications, 2.
Drives, carriage, 30.
Edgings, grass, 34.
—— natural, 34.
Elvaston, 38.
Espaliers, 48.
Evergreens, flowering, 75.
—— objections to, 74.
Garden, orchard, 51.
Gardens, formal, 4.
—— of Nature, 1.
Haddon, 4.
Hedges, yew, 38.
Kitchen garden, approach to, 46.
—— —— aspect, 45.
—— —— borders, 47.
—— —— buildings, 50.
—— —— prejudice against, 44.
—— —— walks, 47.
—— —— water supply, 49.
Lake, marginal planting, 57.
—— outlines of, 56.
Langley, Batty, 9.
Lawns, treatment of, 36.
—— value of, 35.
Levens, 38.
Maze, the, 40.
Orchard, beautiful, the, 51.
Paths, 17.
—— rules for making, 33
Perennials, blue-flowered, 65.
—— red-flowered, 66.
—— white-flowered, 61.
—— yellow-flowered, 63.
Plantations, boundary, 26, 41.
—— forming, 43.
Plants, Alpine, 69.
—— border, 61.
—— water, 70.
Property, approaches to, 22.
Property, outlines of, 27.
Repton, 6.
Results, forecasting, 20.
Roses, 84.
Shelter, 25.
Shrubs, flowering, 17, 76.
Site, accessibility of, 22.
Soils, 23.
Stream, example of treatment, 54.
Styles, multiplicity of, 12.
Terracing, 16.
Timber, existing, 28.
Toolhouse, 50.
Topiary, 38.
Torrent Walk, Dolgelly, 56.
Trees, clipped, 40.
Turf, value of, 35.
Walks, bower, 40.
—— paving of, 32.
—— serpentine, 34.
—— terrace, 32.
Walls, kitchen garden, 46.
Water, artificial treatment of, 53.
—— garden, the, 59.
—— stagnant, 54.
—— supply. 49.
—— works, 52.
Wires, fruit training, 46.
Yews, clipped, 38.
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grounds, &c.]
ROLLERS FOR HAND AND HORSE
A. SHANKS & SON, LTD., ARBROATH AND LONDON
ONE & ALL SEEDS.
_Illustrated Catalogues Post Free._
ESTD. 1867.
[Illustration: (One & All logo)]
=ONE & ALL SEEDS= are reliable, pure and guaranteed.
Each packet bears the Trade Mark, “One & All” in a garter.
Each packet has an imprint of signature of the Managing Director.
Each packet is dated with the year of issue.
“=ONE & ALL GARDENER’S CALENDAR AND GUIDE.=”
Post free on application. May also be had from all Agents.
=ONE & ALL= productions and publications are supplied by thousands
of Local Representatives throughout the Kingdom. They are delivered,
carriage free, in large or small quantities.
=ONE & ALL= is the Registered Trade Mark of the =AGRICULTURAL AND
HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION, LIMITED=. Established 1867. The Pioneer
Mutual Profit-sharing Society of rural supply. Founded by Judge
Thomas Hughes, Q.C. (Tom Brown), John Ruskin, Edwd. Vansittart Neale,
Lord Mount Temple, and other distinguished friends of purity of
supply. Details sent free by post of the Association’s organisation,
the interest it allows on Special Deposits (five per cent.), its
Membership, &c., on application to =EDWD. OWEN GREENING=, Managing
Director, Wholesale Seed Warehouses, 92 Long Acre, W.C.
ONE & ALL FERTILISERS.
_Illustrated Catalogues Post Free._
TO CULTIVATE
THE GARDEN
IN PERFECTION, USE
CLAY’S FERTILIZER
The Indispensable Food for all Flowers, Fruits,
Vegetables and Foliage.
_It is used by the LEADING GROWERS, and is unsurpassed
for all Horticultural purposes._
[Illustration:
CLAYS
FERTILIZER
LONDON
TRADE MARK]
Sold everywhere in Tins, =6d.= and =1s.=; and in =Sealed Bags=—7 lb.,
=2s. 6d.=; 14 lb., =4s. 6d.=; 28 lb., =7s. 6d.=; 56 lb., =12s. 6d.=;
112 lb., =20s.=
Or direct from the Works, Carriage Paid in the United Kingdom for Cash
with Order (except 6d. Tins).
[Illustration: (hand pointing right)]
Every Genuine TIN, BAG and SEAL bears the TRADE MARK.
Full Directions for use appear in
CLAY’S SUCCESSFUL GARDENING,
Containing Instructions upon all Horticultural
Topics by Eminent Writers. Illustrated.
Third Edition, Enlarged and Revised, =9d.= post free,
or of Seedsmen.
Write for Full Price List of Manures, Chemicals,
and Sundries.
CLAY & SON,
Manure Manufacturers, Bone Crushers, &c.,
STRATFORD, LONDON, E.
THE COUNTRY HANDBOOKS
_An Illustrated Series of Practical Handbooks dealing with Country
Life. Suitable for the Pocket or Knapsack_
EDITED BY HARRY ROBERTS
Price 3s. net. Bound in Limp Cloth. Price $1.00 net
Price 4s. net. Bound in Limp Leather. Price $1.20 net
Vol. I.—THE TRAMP’S HANDBOOK. By HARRY ROBERTS. With over fifty
illustrations by WALTER PASCOE. A volume containing much valuable
advice to the amateur gipsy, traveller, or cyclist, as to
camping-out, cooking, &c.
Vol. II.—THE MOTOR BOOK. By R. T. MECREDY. With numerous
illustrations. An invaluable handbook that should find a place in the
library of every motorist, or even in the car itself.
CONTENTS:—The Motor—Change Speed Gear and Transmission—How to
Drive—Care of the Car—Repairs and Adjustments.
Vol. III.—THE TREE BOOK. By MARY KNOWLES JARVIS. Containing varied
and useful information relating to forests, together with a special
chapter on Practical Forestry.
CONTENTS:—Some Famous British Forests—In the Sweet of the
Year—Autumn’s Fiery Finger—The Woods in Winter—The Music of the
Trees—The King of the Forest—The Beech and the Elm—Plane and
Poplar, &c., &c.—Practical Forestry.
Vol. IV.—THE STILL ROOM. By Mrs CHARLES ROUNDELL. A book of
information upon preserving, pickling, bottling, distilling, &c.,
with many useful hints upon the dairy.
CONTENTS:—The Pickling of Meat—Butter, Eggs, and Cheese—Bottling
Fruit and Vegetables—Preserves and Jellies—Wines and
Cups—Distilling Herbs—Pickles—Refreshments for Garden Parties and
Picnics—Pot Pourri—Food for Invalids.
Vol. V.—THE BIRD BOOK. By A. J. R. ROBERTS. A guide to the study of
bird life, with hints as to recognising various species by their
flight or their note.
CONTENTS:—General Structure and Flight—The Music of the
Birds—Around the House—Birds of the Hedgerow—Birds of the Field—By
the Riverside—Woodland Birds—By Marsh and Mere—Moorland Birds—Birds
of the Shore—Along the Rock-bound Coast.
Vol. VI.—THE WOMAN OUT OF DOORS. By MÉNIE MURIEL DOWIE.
Vol. VII.—THE STABLE HANDBOOK. By J. F. DALE. With numerous
illustrations.
Vol. VIII.—THE FISHERMAN’S HANDBOOK. By EDGAR S. SHRUBSOLE. With
numerous illustrations and diagrams.
Vol. IX.—THE SAILING HANDBOOK. By CLOVE HITCH. With numerous
illustrations.
Vol. X.—THE KENNEL HANDBOOK. By C. J. DAVIES. With numerous
illustrations.
Vol. XI.—THE GUN ROOM. By ALEXANDER INNES SHAND, Author of “Shooting”
in “The Haddon Hall” Library. With numerous illustrations.
Vol. XII.—THE LITTLE FARM. By “HOME COUNTIES.” With numerous
illustrations.
JOHN LANE: LONDON AND NEW YORK
Handbooks of Practical Gardening
EDITED BY HARRY ROBERTS
_Price 2s. 6d. net each._ _Crown 8vo._ _Illustrated._ _Price $1.00_
Vol. I.—THE BOOK OF ASPARAGUS. With sections on Celery, Salsify,
Scorzonera, and Seakale; and a chapter on their cooking and
preparation for the table. By CHARLES ILOTT, F.R.H.S., Lecturer on
Horticulture to the Cornwall County Council.
“The work of a specialist. Mr Ilott gives us—for a matter of
half-a-crown—the ripe experience of a life-time.” _The Speaker._
Vol. II.—THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE. By J. C. TALLACK. F.R.H.S., Head
Gardener at Shipley Hall.
“A serviceable handbook for the practical gardener, written with
exceptional knowledge of horticultural work.” _The Outlook._
Vol. III.—THE BOOK OF THE GRAPE. With a chapter on the History and
Decorative Value of the Vines. By H. W. WARD, F.R.H.S., late Head
Gardener at Longford Castle.
“A mine of useful information.” _The St James’s Gazette._
Vol. IV.—THE BOOK OF OLD-FASHIONED FLOWERS. By HARRY ROBERTS, Author
of “The Chronicle of a Cornish Garden.”
“All who wish for a real old-fashioned garden should certainly
study this most excellent and practical book.” _The Bookman._
Vol. V.—THE BOOK OF BULBS. By S. ARNOTT, F.R.H.S., of Carsethorne,
near Dumfries. Together with an introductory chapter on the Botany of
Bulbs by the Editor.
“Skilled and instructive. It notably enriches the series in which
it appears.” _The Scotsman._
Vol. VI.—THE BOOK OF THE APPLE. By H. H. THOMAS, Assistant Editor
of _The Garden_, late of the Royal Gardens, Windsor. Together with
chapters by the Editor on the History and Cooking of the Apple and
the Preparation of Cider.
“This is a most useful volume which every grower, whether for his
own use or for the market, should consult.” _The Spectator._
Vol. VII.—THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES. By GEORGE WYTHES, V.M.H., Head
Gardener to the Duke of Northumberland. Together with chapters on the
History and Cookery by the Editor.
“Thoroughly practical. The book can be highly recommended.” _The
Morning Post._
Vol. VIII.—THE BOOK OF ORCHIDS. By W. H. WHITE, F.R.H.S., Orchid
Grower to Sir Trevor Lawrence, President of the Royal Horticultural
Society.
“There are few writers so well qualified to write with authority
upon these flowers.” _The Scotsman._
Vol. IX.—THE BOOK OF THE STRAWBERRY. With chapters on the Raspberry,
Blackberry, Loganberry, Japanese Wineberry, and Allied Fruits. By
EDWIN BECKETT, F.R.H.S.
“Mr Beckett deals with his subject in a thorough practical manner
... and fully maintains the general excellence shown in the
previous volumes of this series.” _The Morning Post._
Vol. X.—THE BOOK OF CLIMBING PLANTS. By S. ARNOTT, F.R.H.S., Author
of “The Book of Bulbs.”.
“This is a concise, practical, and well-informed exposition of
skilled knowledge as to the training of creepers, &c.” _The
Scotsman._
JOHN LANE, Publisher: LONDON: VIGO STREET, W.
NEW YORK: 67 FIFTH AVENUE
Vol. XI.—THE BOOK OF PEARS AND PLUMS. By the Rev. E. BARTRUM, D.D.
“The writer knew as much about the growing of Pears and Plums as
Dean Hole knows about the cultivation of Roses.” _The Scotsman._
Vol. XII.—THE BOOK OF HERBS. By LADY ROSALIND NORTHCOTE.
Vol. XIII.—THE BOOK OF THE WILD GARDEN. By S. W. FITZHERBERT.
Vol. XIV.—THE BOOK OF THE HONEY-BEE. By CHARLES HARRISON.
This book will be of great assistance to the beginner as
showing the practical side of bee-keeping. It contains numerous
illustrations which will be of interest to experienced bee-keepers
as well as to the novice.
Vol. XV.—THE BOOK OF SHRUBS. By GEORGE GORDON, V.M.H., Editor of _The
Gardener’s Magazine_.
A special feature of this book lies in the distinction which
it makes between shrubs and trees peculiarly suited to garden
cultivation, and those appropriate to the park and woodland. The
author desires to encourage the culture of shrubs in gardens, and
indicates those most suitable for various purposes and situations.
Vol. XVI.—THE BOOK OF THE DAFFODIL. By the Rev. S. EUGENE BOURNE.
The author supplies valuable information on the cultivation of
daffodils gained by the results of his own personal experience.
Vol. XVII.—THE BOOK OF THE LILY. By W. GOLDRING.
A description of, and a practical guide to, the cultivation of all
the lilies usually to be found in British gardens.
Vol. XVIII.—THE BOOK OF TOPIARY. By CHARLES H. CURTIS and W. GIBSON,
Head Gardener at Levens Hall.
A textbook of the topiary art, together with some account and
famous examples of the application of that art.
Vol. XIX.—THE BOOK OF TOWN AND WINDOW GARDENING. By Mrs F. A.
BARDSWELL.
A handbook for those lovers of flowers who are compelled to live
in a town. The book should be helpful even to those who are quite
ignorant in the art of growing plants, and advice is given as to
the plants most suitable to the various adverse conditions which
town gardens afford.
Vol. XX.—THE BOOK OF RARER VEGETABLES. By GEORGE WYTHES, V.M.H., Head
Gardener to the Duke of Northumberland, and HARRY ROBERTS.
This work deals with a number of vegetables possessing choice
flavour, that are little grown in modern gardens. Not only does the
book explain the best methods of cultivation, but also describes
the ways in which the several vegetables should be cooked and
dressed for the table.
Vol. XXI.—THE BOOK OF THE IRIS.
A practical guide to the cultivation of the Iris, and also a
description of and key to all the garden species and varieties. The
book will interest equally the botanical student, the practical
gardener, and the lover of beautiful flowers.
Vol. XXII.—THE BOOK OF GARDEN FURNITURE.
A practical handbook to the selection, construction, and
arrangement of the various buildings, trellises, pergolas, arches,
seats, sundials, fountains, and other structures.
Vol. XXIII.—THE BOOK OF THE CARNATION. By C. P. BROTHERSTON and
MARTIN R. SMITH.
Vol. XXIV.—THE BOOK OF THE SCENTED GARDEN. By F. W. BURBIDGE.
Vol. XXV.—THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN. By CHARLES THONGER.
JOHN LANE, Publisher: LONDON: VIGO STREET, W.
NEW YORK: 67 FIFTH AVENUE
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Illustrations have been positioned between paragraphs
and outside quotations.
Illustrations without captions have had a description added, this
is denoted with parentheses.
The index was not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page
references.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added,
when a predominant preference was found in the original book.
Except as noted below, all misspellings in the text, and
inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.
Pg 14: Replaced ‘cherised’ with ‘cherished’
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