,,wood ,,and ,,garden ,illustration3 ,frontispiece4 ,,wood ,,and ,,garden ,,notes ,,and ,,thoughts1 ,,practical ,,and ,,critical1 ,,of ,a ,,working ,,amateur ,by ,,gertrude ,,jekyll ,with #ga ,illustrations from ,photographs by the ,author ,illustration ,second ,edition ,longmans1 ,green1 and ,co4 #ci ,paternoster ,row1 ,london ,new ,york and ,bombay #ahii ,all rights reserved ,printed by ,,ballantyne1 ,,hanson ,,co4 ,at the ,ballantyne ,press ,,preface ,from its simple nature1 this book seems scarcely to need any prefatory remarks1 with the exception only of certain acknowledgments4 ,a portion of the contents 7about one-third7 appeared during the years #ahif and #ahig in the pages of the ,guardian1 as ,notes from ,garden and ,woodland4 ,i am indebted to the courtesy of the editor and proprietors of that journal for permission to republish these notes4 ,the greater part of the photographs from which the illustrations have been prepared were done on my own ground--a space of some fifteen acres4 ,some of them1 owing to my want of technical ability as a photographer1 were very weak1 and have only been rendered available by the skill of the reproducer1 for whose careful work my thanks are due4 ,a small number of the photographs were done for reproduction in wood-engraving for ,mr4 ,robinson's ,garden1 ,gardening ,illustrated1 and ,english ,flower ,garden4 ,i have his kind permission to use the original plates4 ,g4 ,j4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,,introductory #a-f ,,chapter ,,ii ,,january #g-ah ,beauty of woodland in winter -- ,the nut-walk -- ,thinning the overgrowth -- ,a nut nursery -- ,iris stylosa -- ,its culture -- ,its home in ,algeria -- ,discovery of the white variety -- ,flowers and branches for indoor decoration4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,february #ai-ca ,distant promise of summer -- ,ivy-berries -- ,coloured leaves -- ,berberis ,aquifolium -- ,its many merits -- ,thinning and pruning shrubs -- ,lilacs -- ,removing ,suckers -- ,training ,clematis flammula -- ,forms of trees -- ,juniper1 a neglected native evergreen -- ,effect of snow -- ,power of recovery -- ,beauty of colour -- ,moss-grown stems4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,march #cb-de ,flowering bulbs -- ,dog-tooth ,violet -- ,rock-garden -- ,variety of ,rhododendron foliage -- ,a beautiful old kind -- ,suckers on grafted plants -- ,plants for filling up the beds -- ,heaths -- ,andromedas -- ,lady ,fern -- ,lilium auratum -- ,pruning ,roses -- ,training and tying climbing plants -- ,climbing and free-growing ,roses -- ,the ,vine the best wall-covering -- ,other climbers -- ,wild ,clematis -- ,wild ,rose4 ,,chapter ,v ,,april #df-eh ,woodland spring flowers -- ,daffodils in the copse -- ,grape ,hyacinths and other spring bulbs -- ,how best to plant them -- ,flowering shrubs -- ,rock-plants -- ,sweet scents of ,april -- ,snowy ,mespilus1 ,marsh ,marigolds1 and other spring flowers -- ,primrose garden -- ,pollen of ,scotch ,fir -- ,opening seed-pods of ,fir and ,gorse -- ,auriculas -- ,tulips -- ,small shrubs for rock-garden -- ,daffodils as cut flowers -- ,lent ,hellebores -- ,primroses -- ,leaves of wild ,arum4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,may #ei-gf ,cowslips -- ,morells -- ,woodruff -- ,felling oak timber -- ,trillium and other wood-plants -- ,lily of the ,valley naturalised -- ,rock-wall flowers -- ,two good wall-shrubs -- ,queen wasps -- ,rhododendrons -- ,arrangement for colour -- ,separate colour-groups -- ,difficulty of choosing -- ,hardy ,azaleas -- ,grouping flowers that bloom together -- ,guelder-rose as climber -- ,the garden-wall door -- ,the ,paeony garden -- ,moutans -- ,paeony varieties -- ,species desirable for garden4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,june #gg-hh ,the gladness of ,june -- ,the time of ,roses -- ,garden ,roses -- ,reine ,blanche -- ,the old white ,rose -- ,old garden ,roses as standards -- ,climbing and rambling ,roses -- ,scotch ,briars -- ,hybrid ,perpetuals a difficulty -- ,tea ,roses -- ,pruning -- ,sweet ,peas autumn sown -- ,elder-trees -- ,virginian ,cowslip -- ,dividing spring-blooming plants -- ,two best ,mulleins -- ,white ,french ,willow -- ,bracken4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,july #hi-ii ,scarcity of flowers -- ,delphiniums -- ,yuccas -- ,cottager's way of protecting tender plants -- ,alstroemerias -- ,carnations -- ,gypsophila -- ,lilium giganteum -- ,cutting fern-pegs4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,august #ajj-aaa ,leycesteria -- ,early recollections -- ,bank of choice shrubs -- ,bank of ,briar ,roses -- ,hollyhocks -- ,lavender -- ,lilies -- ,bracken and ,heaths -- ,the ,fern-walk -- ,late-blooming rock-plants -- ,autumn flowers -- ,tea ,roses -- ,fruit of ,rosa rugosa -- ,fungi -- ,chantarelle4 ,,chapter ,x ,,september #aab-abd ,sowing ,sweet ,peas -- ,autumn-sown annuals -- ,dahlias -- ,worthless kinds -- ,staking -- ,planting the rock-garden -- ,growing small plants in a wall -- ,the old wall -- ,dry-walling -- ,how built -- ,how planted -- ,hyssop -- ,a destructive storm -- ,berries of ,water-elder -- ,beginning ground-work4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,october #abe-adc ,michaelmas ,daisies -- ,arranging and staking -- ,spindle-tree -- ,autumn colour of ,azaleas -- ,quinces -- ,medlars -- ,advantage of early planting of shrubs -- ,careful planting -- ,pot-bound roots -- ,cypress hedge -- ,planting in difficult places -- ,hardy flower border -- ,lifting ,dahlias -- ,dividing hardy plants -- ,dividing tools -- ,plants difficult to divide -- ,periwinkles -- ,sternbergia -- ,czar ,violets -- ,deep cultivation for ,lilium giganteum4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,november #add-aeg ,giant ,christmas ,rose -- ,hardy ,chrysanthemums -- ,sheltering tender shrubs -- ,turfing by inoculation -- ,transplanting large trees -- ,sir ,henry ,steuart's experience early in the century -- ,collecting fallen leaves -- ,preparing grubbing tools -- ,butcher's ,broom -- ,alexandrian ,laurel -- ,hollies and ,birches -- ,a lesson in planting4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,december #aeh-agj ,the woodman at work -- ,tree-cutting in frosty weather -- ,preparing sticks and stakes -- ,winter ,jasmine -- ,ferns in the wood-walk -- ,winter colour of evergreen shrubs -- ,copse-cutting -- ,hoop-making -- ,tools used -- ,sizes of hoops -- ,men camping out -- ,thatching with hoop-chips -- ,the old thatcher's bill4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,large ,,and ,,small ,,gardens #aga-ahg ,a well done villa-garden -- ,a small town-garden -- ,two delightful gardens of small size -- ,twenty acres within the walls -- ,a large country house and its garden -- ,terrace -- ,lawn -- ,parterre -- ,free garden -- ,kitchen garden -- ,buildings -- ,ornamental orchard -- ,instructive mixed gardens -- ,mr4 ,wilson's at ,wisley -- ,a window garden4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,beginning ,,and ,,learning #ahh-aii ,the ignorant questioner -- ,beginning at the end -- ,an example -- ,personal experience -- ,absence of outer help -- ,johns' ,flowers of the ,field -- ,collecting plants -- ,nurseries near ,london -- ,wheel-spokes as labels -- ,garden friends -- ,mr4 ,robinson's ,english ,flower-,garden -- ,mr4 ,nicholson's ,dictionary of ,gardening -- ,one main idea desirable -- ,pictorial treatment -- ,training in fine art -- ,adapting from ,nature -- ,study of colour -- ,ignorant use of the word artistic4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,the ,,flower-,,border ,,and ,,pergola #bjj-bae ,the flower-border -- ,the wall and its occupants -- ,choisya ternata -- ,nandina -- ,canon ,ellacombe's garden -- ,treatment of colour-masses -- ,arrangement of plants in the border -- ,dahlias and ,cannas -- ,covering bare places -- ,the ,pergola -- ,how made -- ,suitable climbers -- ,arbours of trained ,planes -- ,garden houses4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,the ,,primrose ,,garden #baf-bbj ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,colours ,,of ,,flowers #bba-bbh ,,chapter ,,xix ,,the ,,scents ,,of ,,the ,,garden #bbi-bdj ,,chapter ,,xx ,,the ,,worship ,,of ,,false ,,gods #bda-bdh ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,novelty ,,and ,,variety #bdi-bee ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,weeds ,,and ,,pests #bef-bfb ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,the ,,bedding ,,fashion ,,and ,,its ,,influence #bfc-bgj ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,masters ,,and ,,men #bga-bgi ,,index #bhj ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,frontispiece face title ,a ,,wild ,,juniper face page #ai ,,scotch ,,firs ,,thrown ,,on ,,to ,,frozen ,,water ,,by ,,snowstorm #bg ,,old ,,juniper1 ,,showing ,,former ,,injuries #bi ,,juniper1 ,,lately ,,wrecked ,,by ,,snowstorm #bi ,,garden ,,door-,,way ,,wreathed ,,with ,,clematis ,,graveolens #ci ,,cottage ,,porch ,,wreathed ,,with ,,the ,,double ,,white ,,rose 7,r4 alba7 #ci ,,wild ,,hop1 ,,entwining ,,wormwood ,,and ,,cow-,,parsnip #dc ,,daffodils ,,in ,,the ,,copse #dh ,,magnolia ,,stellata #ej ,,daffodils ,,among ,,junipers ,,where ,,garden ,,joins ,,copse #ea ,,tiarella ,,cordifolia #ec ,,hollyhock1 ,,pink ,,beauty4 7,see page #aje7 #ec ,,tulipa ,,retroflexa #ee ,,late ,,single ,,tulips1 ,,breeders ,,and ,,bybloemen #ee ,,trillium ,,in ,,the ,,wild ,,garden #fa ,,rhododendrons ,,where ,,the ,,copse ,,and ,,garden ,,meet #fe ,,grass ,,walks ,,through ,,the ,,copse #ff ,,rhododendrons ,,at ,,the ,,edge ,,of ,,the ,,copse #fh ,,south ,,side ,,of ,,door1 ,,with ,,clematis ,,montana ,,and ,,choisya #gb ,,north ,,side ,,of ,,the ,,same ,,door1 ,,with ,,clematis ,,montana ,,and ,,guelder-,,rose #gb ,,free ,,cluster-,,rose ,,as ,,standard ,,in ,a ,,cottage ,,garden #gg ,,double ,,white ,,scotch ,,briar #ha ,,part ,,of ,a ,,bush ,,of ,,rosa ,,polyantha #hb ,,garland-,,rose ,,showing ,,natural ,,way ,,of ,,growth #hb ,,lilac ,,marie ,,legraye 7,see page #bc7 #hd ,,flowering ,,elder ,,and ,,path ,,from ,,garden ,,to ,,copse #hd ,,the ,,giant ,,lily #if ,,cistus ,,florentinus #aja ,,the ,,great ,,asphodel #aja ,,lavender ,,hedge ,,and ,,steps ,,to ,,the ,,loft #aje ,,hollyhock1 ,,pink ,,beauty #aje ,,solomon',s ,,seal ,,in ,,spring1 ,,in ,,the ,,upper ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,fern-,,walk #ajg ,,the ,,fern-,,walk ,,in ,,august #ajg ,,jack 7,see page #gi7 #aag ,,the ,,old ,,wall #aag ,,erinus ,,alpinus1 ,,clothing ,,steps ,,in ,,rock-,,wall #aba ,,borders ,,of ,,michaelmas ,,daisies #abf ,,pens ,,for ,,storing ,,dead ,,leaves #aej ,,careful ,,wild-,,gardening--,,white ,,foxgloves ,,at ,,the ,,edge ,,of ,,the ,,fir ,,wood4 7,see page #bgj7 #aej ,,holly ,,stems ,,in ,,an ,,old ,,hedge-,,row #aec ,,wild ,,junipers #aed ,,wild ,,junipers #aef ,,the ,,woodman #aeh ,,grubbing ,a ,,tree-,,stump #afa ,,felling ,,and ,,grubbing ,,tools 7,see page #aej7 #afa ,,hoop-,,making ,,in ,,the ,,woods #afg ,,hoop-,,shaving #afi ,,shed-,,roof1 ,,thatched ,,with ,,hoop-,,chip #afi ,,garland-,,rose ,,wreathing ,,the ,,end ,,of ,a ,,terrace ,,wall #agh ,a ,,roadside ,,cottage ,,garden #ahe ,a ,,flower-,,border ,,in ,,june #bjj ,,pathway ,,across ,,the ,,south ,,border ,,in ,,july #bjb ,,outside ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,brick ,,pergola ,,shown ,,at ,,page #bad1 ,,after ,,six ,,years' ,,growth #bjb ,,end ,,of ,,flower-,,border ,,and ,,entrance ,,of ,,pergola #baj ,,south ,,border ,,door ,,and ,,yuccas ,,in ,,august #baj ,,stone-,,built ,,pergola ,,with ,,wrought ,,oak ,,beams #bad ,,pergola ,,with ,,brick ,,piers ,,and ,,beams ,,of ,,rough ,,oak #bad ,,evening ,,in ,,the ,,primrose ,,garden #bag ,,tall ,,snapdragons ,,growing ,,in ,a ,,dry ,,wall #bea ,,mulleins ,,growing ,,in ,,the ,,face ,,of ,,dry ,,wall 7,see ,old ,wall1 page #aaf7 #bea ,,geraniums ,,in ,,neapolitan ,,pots #bfg ,,space ,,in ,,step ,,and ,,tank-,,garden ,,for ,,lilies1 ,,cannas1 ,,and ,,geraniums #bfh ,,hydrangeas ,,in ,,tubs1 ,,in ,a ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,same ,,garden #bfh ,,mullein 7,,verbascum ,,phlomoides7 ,,at ,,the ,,edge ,,of ,,the ,,fir ,,wood #bgj ,a ,,grass ,,path ,,in ,,the ,,copse #bgj ,,wood ,,and ,,garden ,,chapter ,i ,,introductory ,there are already many and excellent books about gardening2 but the love of a garden1 already so deeply implanted in the ,english heart1 is so rapidly growing1 that no excuse is needed for putting forth another4 ,i lay no claim either to literary ability1 or to botanical knowledge1 or even to knowing the best practical methods of cultivation2 but ,i have lived among outdoor flowers for many years1 and have not spared myself in the way of actual labour1 and have come to be on closely intimate and friendly terms with a great many growing things1 and have acquired certain instincts which1 though not clearly defined1 are of the nature of useful knowledge4 ,but the lesson ,i have thoroughly learnt1 and wish to pass on to others1 is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives4 ,i rejoice when ,i see any one1 and especially children1 inquiring about flowers1 and wanting gardens of their own1 and carefully working in them4 ,for the love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies1 but always grows and grows to an enduring and ever-increasing source of happiness4 ,if in the following chapters ,i have laid special stress upon gardening for beautiful effect1 it is because it is the way of gardening that ,i love best1 and understand most of1 and that seems to me capable of giving the greatest amount of pleasure4 ,i am strongly for treating garden and wooded ground in a pictorial way1 mainly with large effects1 and in the second place with lesser beautiful incidents1 and for so arranging plants and trees and grassy spaces that they look happy and at home1 and make no parade of conscious effort4 ,i try for beauty and harmony everywhere1 and especially for harmony of colour4 ,a garden so treated gives the delightful feeling of repose1 and refreshment1 and purest enjoyment of beauty1 that seems to my understanding to be the best fulfilment of its purpose2 while to the diligent worker its happiness is like the offering of a constant hymn of praise4 ,for ,i hold that the best purpose of a garden is to give delight and to give refreshment of mind1 to soothe1 to refine1 and to lift up the heart in a spirit of praise and thankfulness4 ,it is certain that those who practise gardening in the best ways find it to be so4 ,but the scope of practical gardening covers a range of horticultural practice wide enough to give play to every variety of human taste4 ,some find their greatest pleasure in collecting as large a number as possible of all sorts of plants from all sources1 others in collecting them themselves in their foreign homes1 others in making rock-gardens1 or ferneries1 or peat-gardens1 or bog-gardens1 or gardens for conifers or for flowering shrubs1 or special gardens of plants and trees with variegated or coloured leaves1 or in the cultivation of some particular race or family of plants4 ,others may best like wide lawns with large trees1 or wild gardening1 or a quite formal garden1 with trim hedge and walk1 and terrace1 and brilliant parterre1 or a combination of several ways of gardening4 ,and all are right and reasonable and enjoyable to their owners1 and in some way or degree helpful to others4 ,the way that seems to me most desirable is again different1 and ,i have made an attempt to describe it in some of its aspects4 ,but ,i have learned much1 and am always learning1 from other people's gardens1 and the lesson ,i have learned most thoroughly is1 never to say ,i know--there is so infinitely much to learn1 and the conditions of different gardens vary so greatly1 even when soil and situation appear to be alike and they are in the same district4 ,nature is such a subtle chemist that one never knows what she is about1 or what surprises she may have in store for us4 ,often one sees in the gardening papers discussions about the treatment of some particular plant4 ,one man writes to say it can only be done one way1 another to say it can only be done quite some other way1 and the discussion waxes hot and almost angry1 and the puzzled reader1 perhaps as yet young in gardening1 cannot tell what to make of it4 ,and yet the two writers are both able gardeners1 and both absolutely trustworthy1 only they should have said1 ,in my experience in this place such a plant can only be done in such a way4 ,even plants of the same family will not do equally well in the same garden4 ,every practical gardener knows this in the case of strawberries and potatoes2 he has to find out which kinds will do in his garden2 the experience of his friend in the next county is probably of no use whatever4 ,i have learnt much from the little cottage gardens that help to make our ,english waysides the prettiest in the temperate world4 ,one can hardly go into the smallest cottage garden without learning or observing something new4 ,it may be some two plants growing beautifully together by some happy chance1 or a pretty mixed tangle of creepers1 or something that one always thought must have a south wall doing better on an east one4 ,but eye and brain must be alert to receive the impression and studious to store it1 to add to the hoard of experience4 ,and it is important to train oneself to have a good flower-eye2 to be able to see at a glance what flowers are good and which are unworthy1 and why1 and to keep an open mind about it2 not to be swayed by the petty tyrannies of the florist or show judge2 for1 though some part of his judgment may be sound1 he is himself a slave to rules1 and must go by points which are defined arbitrarily and rigidly1 and have reference mainly to the show-table1 leaving out of account1 as if unworthy of consideration1 such matters as gardens and garden beauty1 and human delight1 and sunshine1 and varying lights of morning and evening and noonday4 ,but many1 both nurserymen and private people1 devote themselves to growing and improving the best classes of hardy flowers1 and we can hardly offer them too much grateful praise1 or do them too much honour4 ,for what would our gardens be without the ,roses1 ,paeonies1 and ,gladiolus of ,france1 and the ,tulips and ,hyacinths of ,holland1 to say nothing of the hosts of good things raised by our home growers1 and of the enterprise of the great firms whose agents are always searching the world for garden treasures8 ,let no one be discouraged by the thought of how much there is to learn4 ,looking back upon nearly thirty years of gardening 7the earlier part of it in groping ignorance with scant means of help71 ,i can remember no part of it that was not full of pleasure and encouragement4 ,for the first steps are steps into a delightful ,unknown1 the first successes are victories all the happier for being scarcely expected1 and with the growing knowledge comes the widening outlook1 and the comforting sense of an ever-increasing gain of critical appreciation4 ,each new step becomes a little surer1 and each new grasp a little firmer1 till1 little by little1 comes the power of intelligent combination1 the nearest thing we can know to the mighty force of creation4 ,and a garden is a grand teacher4 ,it teaches patience and careful watchfulness2 it teaches industry and thrift2 above all1 it teaches entire trust4 ,paul planteth and ,apollos watereth1 but ,god giveth the increase4 ,the good gardener knows with absolute certainty that if he does his part1 if he gives the labour1 the love1 and every aid that his knowledge of his craft1 experience of the conditions of his place1 and exercise of his personal wit can work together to suggest1 that so surely as he does this diligently and faithfully1 so surely will ,god give the increase4 ,then with the honestly-earned success comes the consciousness of encouragement to renewed effort1 and1 as it were1 an echo of the gracious words1 ,well done1 good and faithful servant4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,january ,beauty of woodland in winter -- ,the nut-walk -- ,thinning the overgrowth -- ,a nut nursery -- ,iris stylosa -- ,its culture -- ,its home in ,algeria -- ,discovery of the white variety -- ,flowers and branches for indoor decoration4 ,a hard frost is upon us4 ,the thermometer registered eighteen degrees last night1 and though there was only one frosty night next before it1 the ground is hard frozen4 ,till now a press of other work has stood in the way of preparing protecting stuff for tender shrubs1 but now ,i go up into the copse with a man and chopping tools to cut out some of the ,scotch fir that are beginning to crowd each other4 ,how endlessly beautiful is woodland in winter6 ,to-day there is a thin mist2 just enough to make a background of tender blue mystery three hundred yards away1 and to show any defect in the grouping of near trees4 ,no day could be better for deciding which trees are to come down2 there is not too much at a time within sight2 just one good picture-full and no more4 ,on a clear day the eye and mind are distracted by seeing away into too many planes1 and it is much more difficult to decide what is desirable in the way of broad treatment of nearer objects4 ,the ground has a warm carpet of pale rusty fern2 tree-stem and branch and twig show tender colour-harmonies of grey bark and silver-grey lichen1 only varied by the warm feathery masses of birch spray4 ,now the splendid richness of the common holly is more than ever impressive1 with its solid masses of full1 deep colour1 and its wholesome look of perfect health and vigour4 ,sombrely cheerful1 if one may use such a mixture of terms2 sombre by reason of the extreme depth of tone1 and yet cheerful from the look of glad life1 and from the assurance of warm shelter and protecting comfort to bird and beast and neighbouring vegetation4 ,the picture is made complete by the slender shafts of the silver-barked birches1 with their half-weeping heads of delicate1 warm-coloured spray4 ,has any tree so graceful a way of throwing up its stems as the birch8 ,they seem to leap and spring into the air1 often leaning and curving upward from the very root1 sometimes in forms that would be almost grotesque were it not for the never-failing rightness of free-swinging poise and perfect balance4 ,the tints of the stem give a precious lesson in colour4 ,the white of the bark is here silvery-white and there milk-white1 and sometimes shows the faintest tinge of rosy flush4 ,where the bark has not yet peeled1 the stem is clouded and banded with delicate grey1 and with the silver-green of lichen4 ,for about two feet upward from the ground1 in the case of young trees of about seven to nine inches diameter1 the bark is dark in colour1 and lies in thick and extremely rugged upright ridges1 contrasting strongly with the smooth white skin above4 ,where the two join1 the smooth bark is parted in upright slashes1 through which the dark1 rough bark seems to swell up1 reminding one forcibly of some of the old fifteenth-century ,german costumes1 where a dark velvet is arranged to rise in crumpled folds through slashings in white satin4 ,in the stems of older birches the rough bark rises much higher up the trunk and becomes clothed with delicate grey-green lichen4 ,the nut-walk was planted twelve years ago4 ,there are two rows each side1 one row four feet behind the other1 and the nuts are ten feet apart in the rows4 ,they are planted zigzag1 those in the back rows showing between the front ones4 ,as the two inner rows are thirteen feet apart measuring across the path1 it leaves a shady border on each side1 with deeper bays between the nearer trees4 ,lent ,hellebores fill one border from end to end2 the other is planted with the ,corsican and the native kinds1 so that throughout ,february and ,march there is a complete bit of garden of one kind of plant in full beauty of flower and foliage4 ,the nut-trees have grown into such thick clumps that now there must be a vigorous thinning4 ,each stool has from eight to twelve main stems1 the largest of them nearly two inches thick4 ,some shoot almost upright1 but two or three in each stool spread outward1 with quite a different habit of growth1 branching about in an angular fashion4 ,these are the oldest and thickest4 ,there are also a number of straight suckers one and two years old4 ,now when ,i look at some fine old nut alley1 with the tops arching and meeting overhead1 as ,i hope mine will do in a few years1 ,i see that the trees have only a few stems1 usually from three to five at the most1 and ,i judge that now is the time to thin mine to about the right number1 so that the strength and growing power may be thrown into these1 and not allowed to dilute and waste itself in growing extra faggoting4 ,the first to be cut away are the old crooked stems4 ,they grow nearly horizontally and are all elbows1 and often so tightly locked into the straighter rods that they have to be chopped to pieces before they can be pulled out4 ,when these are gone it is easier to get at the other stems1 though they are often so close together at the base that it is difficult to chop or saw them out without hurting the bark of the ones to be left4 ,all the young suckers are cut away4 ,they are of straight1 clean growth1 and we prize them as the best possible sticks for ,chrysanthemums and potted ,lilies4 ,after this bold thinning1 instead of dense thickety bushes we have a few strong1 well-branched rods to each stool4 ,at first the nut-walk looks wofully naked1 and for the time its pictorial value is certainly lessened2 but it has to be done1 and when summer side-twigs have grown and leafed1 it will be fairly well clothed1 and meanwhile the ,hellebores will be the better for the thinner shade4 ,the nut-catkins are already an inch long1 but are tightly closed1 and there is no sign as yet of the bright crimson little sea-anemones that will appear next month and will duly grow into nut-bearing twigs4 ,round the edges of the base of the stools are here and there little branching suckers4 ,these are the ones to look out for1 to pull off and grow into young trees4 ,a firm grasp and a sharp tug brings them up with a fine supply of good fibrous root4 ,after two years in the nursery they are just right to plant out4 ,the trees in the nut-walk were grown in this way fourteen years ago1 from small suckers pulled off plants that came originally from the interesting cob-nut nursery at ,calcot1 near ,reading4 ,i shall never forget a visit to that nursery some six-and-twenty years ago4 ,it was walled all round1 and a deep-sounding bell had to be rung many times before any one came to open the gate2 but at last it was opened by a fine1 strongly-built1 sunburnt woman of the type of the good working farmer's wife1 that ,i remember as a child4 ,she was the forewoman1 who worked the nursery with surprisingly few hands--only three men1 if ,i remember rightly--but she looked as if she could do the work of all two men herself4 ,one of the specialties of the place was a fine breed of mastiffs2 another was an old ,black ,hamburg vine1 that rambled and clambered in and out of some very old greenhouses1 and was wonderfully productive4 ,there were alleys of nuts in all directions1 and large spreading patches of palest yellow ,daffodils--the double ,narcissus cernuus1 now so scarce and difficult to grow4 ,had ,i then known how precious a thing was there in fair abundance1 ,i should not have been contented with the modest dozen that ,i asked for4 ,it was a most pleasant garden to wander in1 especially with the old ,mr4 ,webb who presently appeared4 ,he was dressed in black clothes of an old-looking cut--a ,quaker1 ,i believe4 ,never shall ,i forget an apple-tart he invited me to try as a proof of the merit of the ,wellington apple4 ,it was not only good1 but beautiful2 the cooked apple looking rosy and transparent1 and most inviting4 ,he told me he was an ardent preacher of total abstinence1 and took me to a grassy1 shady place among the nuts1 where there was an upright stone slab1 like a tombstone1 with the inscription3 ,,to ,,alcohol4 ,he had dug a grave1 and poured into it a quantity of wine and beer and spirits1 and placed the stone as a memorial of his abhorrence of drink4 ,the whole thing remains in my mind like a picture--the shady groves of old nuts1 in tenderest early leaf1 the pale ,daffodils1 the mighty chained mastiffs with bloodshot eyes and murderous fangs1 the brawny1 wholesome forewoman1 and the trim old gentleman in black4 ,it was the only nursery ,i ever saw where one would expect to see fairies on a summer's night4 ,i never tire of admiring and praising ,iris stylosa1 which has proved itself such a good plant for ,english gardens2 at any rate1 for those in our southern counties4 ,lovely in form and colour1 sweetly-scented and with admirable foliage1 it has in addition to these merits the unusual one of a blooming season of six months' duration4 ,the first flowers come with the earliest days of ,november1 and its season ends with a rush of bloom in the first half of ,april4 ,then is the time to take up old tufts and part them1 and plant afresh2 the old roots will have dried up into brown wires1 and the new will be pushing4 ,it thrives in rather poor soil1 and seems to bloom all the better for having its root-run invaded by some stronger plant4 ,when ,i first planted a quantity ,i had brought from its native place1 ,i made the mistake of putting it in a well-prepared border4 ,at first ,i was delighted to see how well it flourished1 but as it gave me only thick masses of leaves a yard long1 and no flowers1 it was clear that it wanted to be less well fed4 ,after changing it to poor soil1 at the foot of a sunny wall close to a strong clump of ,alstroemeria1 ,i was rewarded with a good crop of flowers2 and the more the ,alstroemeria grew into it on one side and ,plumbago ,larpenti on the other1 the more freely the brave little ,iris flowered4 ,the flower has no true stem2 what serves as a stem1 sometimes a foot long1 is the elongated style1 so that the seed-pod has to be looked for deep down at the base of the tufts of leaves1 and almost under ground4 ,the specific name1 stylosa1 is so clearly descriptive1 that one regrets that the longer1 and certainly uglier1 unguicularis should be preferred by botanists4 ,what a delight it was to see it for the first time in its home in the hilly wastes1 a mile or two inland from the town of ,algiers6 ,another lovely blue ,iris was there too1 ,i4 alata or scorpioides1 growing under exactly the same conditions2 but this is a plant unwilling to be acclimatised in ,england4 ,what a paradise it was for flower-rambles1 among the giant ,fennels and the tiny orange ,marigolds1 and the immense bulbs of ,scilla maritima standing almost out of the ground1 and the many lovely ,bee-orchises and the fairy-like ,narcissus serotinus1 and the groves of ,prickly ,pear wreathed and festooned with the graceful tufts of bell-shaped flower and polished leaves of ,clematis cirrhosa6 ,it was in the days when there were only a few ,english residents1 but among them was the ,rev4 ,edwyn ,arkwright1 who by his happy discovery of a white-flowered ,iris stylosa1 the only one that has been found wild1 has enriched our gardens with a most lovely variety of this excellent plant4 ,i am glad to be able to quote his own words3-- ,the finding of the white ,iris stylosa belongs to the happy old times twenty-five years ago1 when there were no social duties and no vineyards#a in ,algiers4 ,my two sisters and ,i bought three horses1 and rode wild every day in the scrub of ,myrtle1 ,cistus1 ,dwarf ,oak1 c4 ,it was about five miles from the town1 on what is called the ',sahel1' that the one plant grew that ,i was told botanists knew ought to exist1 but with all their searching had never found4 ,i am thankful that ,i dug it up instead of picking it1 only knowing that it was a pretty flower4 ,then after a year or two ,durando saw it1 and took off his hat to it1 and told me what a treasure it was1 and proceeded to send off little bits to his friends2 and among them all1 ,ware of ,tottenham managed to be beforehand1 and took a first-class certificate for it4 ,it is odd that there should never have been another plant found1 for there never was such a free-growing and multiplying plant4 ,my sister in ,herefordshire has had over fifty blooms this winter2 but we count it by thousands1 and it is the feature in all decorations in every ,english house in ,algiers4 #a ,the planting of large vineyards1 in some cases of private enterprise1 had not proved a financial success4 ,throughout ,january1 and indeed from the middle of ,december1 is the time when outdoor flowers for cutting and house decoration are most scarce2 and yet there are ,christmas ,roses and yellow ,jasmine and ,laurustinus1 and in all open weather ,iris stylosa and ,czar ,violets4 ,a very few flowers can be made to look well if cleverly arranged with plenty of good foliage2 and even when a hard and long frost spoils the few blooms that would otherwise be available1 leafy branches alone are beautiful in rooms4 ,but1 as in all matters that have to do with decoration1 everything depends on a right choice of material and the exercise of taste in disposing it4 ,red-tinted ,berberis always looks well alone1 if three or four branches are boldly cut from two to three feet long4 ,branches of the spotted ,aucuba do very well by themselves1 and are specially beautiful in blue china2 the larger the leaves and the bolder the markings1 the better4 ,where there is an old ,exmouth ,magnolia that can spare some small branches1 nothing makes a nobler room-ornament4 ,the long arching sprays of ,alexandrian ,laurel do well with green or variegated ,box1 and will live in a room for several weeks4 ,among useful winter leaves of smaller growth1 those of ,epimedium pinnatum have a fine red colour and delicate veining1 and ,i find them very useful for grouping with greenhouse flowers of delicate texture4 ,gaultheria ,shallon is at its best in winter1 and gives valuable branches and twigs for cutting2 and much to be prized are sprays of the ,japan ,privet1 with its tough1 highly-polished leaves1 so much like those of the orange4 ,there is a variegated ,eurybia1 small branches of which are excellent2 and always useful are the gold and silver ,hollies4 ,there is a little plant1 ,ophiopogon spicatum1 that ,i grow in rather large quantity for winter cutting1 the leaves being at their best in the winter months4 ,they are sword-shaped and of a lively green colour1 and are arranged in flat sheaves after the manner of a flag-,iris4 ,i pull up a whole plant at a time--a two-year-old plant is a spreading tuft of the little sheaves--and wash it and cut away the groups of leaves just at the root1 so that they are held together by the root-stock4 ,they last long in water1 and are beautiful with ,roman ,hyacinths or ,freesias or ,iris stylosa and many other flowers4 ,the leaves of ,megaseas1 especially those of the cordifolia section1 colour grandly in winter1 and look fine in a large bowl with the largest blooms of ,christmas ,roses1 or with forced ,hyacinths4 ,much useful material can be found among ,ivies1 both of the wild and garden kinds4 ,when they are well established they generally throw out rather woody front shoots2 these are the ones to look out for1 as they stand out with a certain degree of stiffness that makes them easier to arrange than weaker trailing pieces4 ,i do not much care for dried flowers--the bulrush and pampas-grass decoration has been so much overdone1 that it has become wearisome--but ,i make an exception in favour of the flower of ,eulalia japonica1 and always give it a place4 ,it does not come to its full beauty out of doors2 it only finishes its growth late in ,october1 and therefore does not have time to dry and expand4 ,i grew it for many years before finding out that the closed and rather draggled-looking heads would open perfectly in a warm room4 ,the uppermost leaf often confines the flower1 and should be taken off to release it2 the flower does not seem to mature quite enough to come free of itself4 ,bold masses of ,helichrysum certainly give some brightness to a room during the darkest weeks of winter1 though the brightest yellow is the only one ,i much care to have2 there is a look of faded tinsel about the other colourings4 ,i much prize large bunches of the native ,iris berries1 and grow it largely for winter room-ornament4 ,among the many valuable suggestions in ,mrs4 ,earle's delightful book1 ,pot-pourri from a ,surrey ,garden1 is the use indoors of the smaller coloured gourds4 ,as used by her they give a bright and cheerful look to a room that even flowers can not surpass4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,wild ,,juniper4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,february ,distant promise of summer -- ,ivy-berries -- ,coloured leaves -- ,berberis ,aquifolium -- ,its many merits -- ,thinning and pruning shrubs -- ,lilacs -- ,removing suckers -- ,training ,clematis flammula -- ,forms of trees -- ,juniper1 a neglected native evergreen -- ,effect of snow -- ,power of recovery -- ,beauty of colour -- ,moss-grown stems4 ,there is always in ,february some one day1 at least1 when one smells the yet distant1 but surely coming1 summer4 ,perhaps it is a warm1 mossy scent that greets one when passing along the southern side of a hedge-bank2 or it may be in some woodland opening1 where the sun has coaxed out the pungent smell of the trailing ground ,ivy1 whose blue flowers will soon appear2 but the day always comes1 and with it the glad certainty that summer is nearing1 and that the good things promised will never fail4 ,how strangely little of positive green colour is to be seen in copse and woodland4 ,only the moss is really green4 ,the next greenest thing is the northern sides of the trunks of beech and oak4 ,walking southward they are all green1 but looking back they are silver-grey4 ,the undergrowth is of brambles and sparse fronds of withered bracken2 the bracken less beaten down than usual1 for the winter has been without snow2 only where the soil is deeper1 and the fern has grown more tall and rank1 it has fallen into thick1 almost felted masses1 and the stalks all lying one way make the heaps look like lumps of fallen thatch4 ,the bramble leaves--last year's leaves1 which are held all the winter--are of a dark1 blackish-bronze colour1 or nearly red where they have seen the sun4 ,age seems to give them a sort of hard surface and enough of a polish to reflect the sky2 the young leaves that will come next month are almost woolly at first4 ,grassy tufts show only bleached bents1 so tightly matted that one wonders how the delicate young blades will be able to spear through4 ,ivy-berries1 hanging in thick clusters1 are still in beauty2 they are so heavy that they weigh down the branches4 ,there is a peculiar beauty in the form and veining of the plain-shaped leaves belonging to the mature or flowering state that the plant reaches when it can no longer climb1 whether on a wall six feet high or on the battlements of a castle4 ,cuttings grown from such portions retain this habit1 and form densely-flowering bushes of compact shape4 ,beautiful colouring is now to be seen in many of the plants whose leaves do not die down in winter4 ,foremost amongst these is the ,foam-flower 7,tiarella cordifolia74 ,its leaves1 now lying on the ground1 show bright colouring1 inclining to scarlet1 crimson1 and orange4 ,tellima1 its near relation1 is also well coloured4 ,galax aphylla1 with its polished leaves of hard texture1 and stalks almost as stiff as wire1 is nearly as bright2 and many of the ,megaseas are of a fine bronze red1 the ones that colour best being the varieties of the well-known ,m4 crassifolia and ,m4 cordifolia4 ,among shrubs1 some of the nearly allied genera1 popularly classed under the name ,andromeda1 are beautiful in reddish colour passing into green1 in some of the leaves by tender gradation1 and in others by bold splashing4 ,berberis ,aquifolium begins to colour after the first frosts2 though some plants remain green1 the greater number take on some rich tinting of red or purple1 and occasionally in poor soil and in full sun a bright red that may almost be called scarlet4 ,what a precious thing this fine old ,berberis is6 ,what should we do in winter without its vigorous masses of grand foliage in garden and shrubbery1 to say nothing of its use indoors8 ,frequent as it is in gardens1 it is seldom used as well or thoughtfully as it deserves4 ,there are many places where1 between garden and wood1 a well-considered planting of ,berberis1 combined with two or three other things of larger stature1 such as the fruiting ,barberry1 and ,whitethorn and ,holly1 would make a very enjoyable piece of shrub wild-gardening4 ,when one reflects that ,berberis ,aquifolium is individually one of the handsomest of small shrubs1 that it is at its very best in mid-winter1 that every leaf is a marvel of beautiful drawing and construction1 and that its ruddy winter colouring is a joy to see1 enhanced as it is by the glistening brightness of the leaf-surface2 and further1 when one remembers that in spring the whole picture changes--that the polished leaves are green again1 and the bushes are full of tufted masses of brightest yellow bloom1 and fuller of bee-music than any other plant then in flower2 and that even then it has another season of beauty yet to come1 when in the days of middle summer it is heavily loaded with the thick-clustered masses of berries1 covered with a brighter and bluer bloom than almost any other fruit can show1--when one thinks of all this brought together in one plant1 it seems but right that we should spare no pains to use it well4 ,it is the only hardy shrub ,i can think of that is in one or other of its varied forms of beauty throughout the year4 ,it is never leafless or untidy2 it never looks mangy like an ,ilex in ,april1 or moulting like a ,holly in ,may1 or patchy and unfinished like ,yew and ,box and many other evergreens when their young leafy shoots are sprouting4 ,we have been thinning the shrubs in one of the rather large clumps next to the lawn1 taking the older wood in each clump right out from the bottom and letting more light and air into the middle4 ,weigelas grow fast and very thick4 ,quite two-thirds have been cut out of each bush of ,weigela1 ,philadelphus1 and ,ribes1 and a good bit out of ,ceanothus1 ,gloire de ,versailles1 my favourite of its kind1 and all the oldest wood from ,viburnum plicatus4 ,the stuff cut out makes quite a respectable lot of faggoting4 ,how extremely dense and hard is the wood of ,philadelphus6 as close-grained as ,box1 and almost as hard as the bright yellow wood of ,berberis4 ,some of the ,lilacs have a good many suckers from the root1 as well as on the lower part of the stem4 ,these must all come away1 and then the trees will have a good dressing of manure4 ,they are greedy feeders1 and want it badly in our light soil1 and surely no flowering shrub more truly deserves it4 ,the ,lilacs ,i have are some of the beautiful kinds raised in ,france1 for which we can never be thankful enough to our good neighbours across the ,channel4 ,the white variety1 ,marie ,legraye1 always remains my favourite4 ,some are larger and whiter1 and have the trusses more evenly and closely filled1 but this beautiful ,marie fills one with a satisfying conviction as of something that is just right1 that has arrived at the point of just the best and most lovable kind of beauty1 and has been wisely content to stay there1 not attempting to pass beyond and excel itself4 ,its beauty is modest and reserved1 and temperate and full of refinement4 ,the colour has a deliciously-tender warmth of white1 and as the truss is not over-full1 there is room for a delicate play of warm half-light within its recesses4 ,among the many beautiful coloured ,lilacs1 ,i am fond of ,lucie ,baltet and ,princesse ,marie4 ,there may be better flowers from the ordinary florist point of view1 but these have the charm that is a good garden flower's most precious quality4 ,i do not like the cold1 heavy-coloured ones of the bluish-slaty kinds4 ,no shrub is hardier than the ,lilac2 ,i believe they flourish even within the ,arctic ,circle4 ,it is very nearly allied to ,privet2 so nearly1 that the oval-leaved ,privet is commonly used as a stock4 ,standard trees flower much better than bushes2 in this form all the strength seems to go directly to the flowering boughs4 ,no shrub is more persistent in throwing up suckers from the root and from the lower part of the stem1 but in bush trees as well as in standards they should be carefully removed every year4 ,in the case of bushes1 three or four main stems will be enough to leave4 ,when taking away suckers of any kind whatever1 it is much better to tear them out than to cut them off4 ,a cut1 however close1 leaves a base from which they may always spring again1 but if pulled or wrenched out they bring away with them the swollen base that1 if left in1 would be a likely source of future trouble4 ,before the end of ,february we must be sure to prune and train any plants there may be of ,clematis flammula4 ,its growth is so rapid when once it begins1 that if it is overlooked it soon grows into a tangled mass of succulent weak young stuff1 quite unmanageable two months hence1 when it will be hanging about in helpless masses1 dead and living together4 ,if it is left till then1 one can only engirdle the whole thing with a soft tarred rope and sling it up somehow or anyhow4 ,but if taken now1 when the young growths are just showing at the joints1 the last year's mass can be untangled1 the dead and the over-much cut out1 and the best pieces trained in4 ,in gardening1 the interests of the moment are so engrossing that one is often tempted to forget the future2 but it is well to remember that this lovely and tenderly-scented ,clematis will be one of the chief beauties of ,september1 and well deserves a little timely care4 ,in summer-time one never really knows how beautiful are the forms of the deciduous trees4 ,it is only in winter1 when they are bare of leaves1 that one can fully enjoy their splendid structure and design1 their admirable qualities of duly apportioned strength and grace of poise1 and the way the spread of the many-branched head has its equivalent in the wide-reaching ground-grasp of the root4 ,and it is interesting to see how1 in the many different kinds of tree1 the same laws are always in force1 and the same results occur1 and yet by the employment of what varied means4 ,for nothing in the growth of trees can be much more unlike than the habit of the oak and that of the weeping willow1 though the unlikeness only comes from the different adjustment of the same sources of power and the same weights1 just as in the movement of wind-blown leaves some flutter and some undulate1 while others turn over and back again4 ,old apple-trees are specially noticeable for their beauty in winter1 when their extremely graceful shape1 less visible when in loveliness of spring bloom or in rich bounty of autumn fruit1 is seen to fullest advantage4 ,few in number are our native evergreens1 and for that reason all the more precious4 ,one of them1 the common ,juniper1 is one of the best of shrubs either for garden or wild ground1 and yet1 strangely enough1 it is so little appreciated that it is scarcely to be had in nurseries4 ,chinese ,junipers1 ,north ,american ,junipers1 ,junipers from ,spain and ,greece1 from ,nepaul and ,siberia1 may be had1 but the best ,juniper of all is very rarely grown4 ,were it a common tree one could see a sort of reason 7to some minds7 for overlooking it1 but though it is fairly abundant on a few hill-sides in the southern counties1 it is by no means widely distributed throughout the country4 ,even this reason would not be consistent with common practice1 for the ,holly is abundant throughout ,england1 and yet is to be had by the thousand in every nursery4 ,be the reason what it may1 the common ,juniper is one of the most desirable of evergreens1 and is most undeservedly neglected4 ,even our botanists fail to do it justice1 for ,bentham describes it as a low shrub growing two feet1 three feet1 or four feet high4 ,i quote from memory only2 these may not be the words1 but this is the sense of his description4 ,he had evidently seen it on the chalk downs only1 where such a portrait of it is exactly right4 ,but in our sheltered uplands1 in sandy soil1 it is a small tree of noble aspect1 twelve to twenty-eight feet high4 ,in form it is extremely variable1 for sometimes it shoots up on a single stem and looks like an ,italian ,cypress or like the upright ,chinese ,juniper1 while at other times it will have two or more tall spires and a dense surrounding mass of lower growth1 while in other cases it will be like a quantity of young trees growing close together1 and yet the trees in all these varied forms may be nearly of an age4 ,illustration3 ,,scotch ,,firs ,,thrown ,,on ,,to ,,frozen ,,water ,,by ,,snowstorm4 ,the action of snow is the reason of this unlikeness of habit4 ,if1 when young1 the tree happens to have one main stem strong enough to shoot up alone1 and if at the same time there come a sequence of winters without much snow1 there will be the tall1 straight1 cypress-like tree4 ,but if1 as is more commonly the case1 the growth is divided into a number of stems of nearly equal size1 sooner or later they are sure to be laid down by snow4 ,such a winter storm as that of the end of ,december #ahhf was especially disastrous to ,junipers4 ,snow came on early in the evening in this district1 when the thermometer was barely at freezing point and there was no wind4 ,it hung on the trees in clogging masses1 with a lowering temperature that was soon below freezing4 ,the snow still falling loaded them more and more2 then came the fatal wind1 and all through that night we heard the breaking trees4 ,when morning came there were eighteen inches of snow on the ground1 and all the trees that could be seen1 mostly ,scotch fir1 seemed to be completely wrecked4 ,some were entirely stripped of branches1 and stood up bare1 like scaffold-poles4 ,until the snow was gone or half gone1 no idea could be formed of the amount of damage done to shrubs2 all were borne down and buried under the white rounded masses4 ,a great ,holly on the edge of the lawn1 nearly thirty feet high and as much in spread1 whose head in summer is crowned with a great tangle of ,honeysuckle1 had that crowned head lying on the ground weighted down by the frozen mass4 ,but when the snow was gone and all the damage could be seen1 the ,junipers looked worse than anything4 ,what had lately been shapely groups were lying perfectly flat1 the bare-stemmed1 leafless portions of the inner part of the group showing1 and looking like a faggot of dry brushwood1 that1 having been stood upright1 had burst its band and fallen apart in all directions4 ,some1 whose stems had weathered many snowy winters1 now had them broken short off half-way up2 while others escaped with bare life1 but with the thick1 strong stem broken down1 the heavy head lying on the ground1 and the stem wrenched open at the break1 like a half-untwisted rope4 ,the great wild ,junipers were the pride of our stretch of heathy waste just beyond the garden1 and the scene of desolation was truly piteous1 for though many of them already bore the marks of former accidents1 never within our memory had there been such complete and comprehensive destruction4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,juniper1 ,,showing ,,former ,,injuries4 ,illustration3 ,,juniper1 ,,lately ,,wrecked ,,by ,,snowstorm4 ,but now1 ten years later1 so great is their power of recovery1 that there are the same ,junipers1 and1 except in the case of those actually broken off1 looking as well as ever4 ,for those with many stems that were laid down flat have risen at the tips1 and each tip looks like a vigorous young ten-year-old tree4 ,what was formerly a massive1 bushy-shaped ,juniper1 some twelve feet to fifteen feet high1 now covers a space thirty feet across1 and looks like a thick group of closely-planted1 healthy young ones4 ,the half broken-down trees have also risen at the tips1 and are full of renewed vigour4 ,indeed1 this breaking down and splitting open seems to give them a new energy1 for individual trees that ,i have known well1 and observed to look old and over-worn1 and to all appearance on the downward road of life1 after being broken and laid down by snow1 have some years later1 shot up again with every evidence of vigorous young life4 ,it would be more easily accounted for if the branch rooted where it touched the ground1 as so many trees and bushes will do2 but as far as ,i have been able to observe1 the ,juniper does not layer itself4 ,i have often thought ,i had found a fine young one fit for transplanting1 but on clearing away the moss and fern at the supposed root have found that it was only the tip of a laid-down branch of a tree perhaps twelve feet away4 ,in the case of one of our trees1 among a group of laid-down and grown-up branches1 one old central trunk has survived4 ,it is now so thick and strong1 and has so little top1 that it will be likely to stand till it falls from sheer old age4 ,close to it is another1 whose main stem was broken down about five feet from the ground2 now1 what was the head rests on the earth nine feet away1 and a circle of its outspread branches has become a wholesome group of young upright growths1 while at the place where the stem broke1 the half-opened wrench still shows as clearly as on the day it was done4 ,among the many merits of the ,juniper1 its tenderly mysterious beauty of colouring is by no means the least2 a colouring as delicately subtle in its own way as that of cloud or mist1 or haze in warm1 wet woodland4 ,it has very little of positive green2 a suspicion of warm colour in the shadowy hollows1 and a blue-grey bloom of the tenderest quality imaginable on the outer masses of foliage4 ,each tiny1 blade-like leaf has a band of dead1 palest bluish-green colour on the upper surface1 edged with a narrow line of dark green slightly polished2 the back of the leaf is of the same full1 rather dark green1 with slight polish2 it looks as if the green back had been brought up over the edge of the leaf to make the dark edging on the upper surface4 ,the stems of the twigs are of a warm1 almost foxy colour1 becoming darker and redder in the branches4 ,the tips of the twigs curl over or hang out on all sides towards the light1 and the set of the individual twigs is full of variety4 ,this arrangement of mixed colouring and texture1 and infinitely various position of the spiny little leaves1 allows the eye to penetrate unconsciously a little way into the mass1 so that one sees as much tender shadow as actual leaf-surface1 and this is probably the cause of the wonderfully delicate and1 so to speak1 intangible quality of colouring4 ,then1 again1 where there is a hollow place in a bush1 or group1 showing a cluster of half-dead stems1 at first one cannot tell what the colour is1 till with half-shut eyes one becomes aware of a dusky and yet luminous purple-grey4 ,the merits of the ,juniper are not yet done with1 for throughout the winter 7the time of growth of moss and lichen7 the rugged-barked old stems are clothed with loveliest pale-green growths of a silvery quality4 ,standing before it1 and trying to put the colour into words1 one repeats1 again and again1 pale-green silver--palest silvery green6 ,where the lichen is old and dead it is greyer2 every now and then there is a touch of the orange kind1 and a little of the branched stag-horn pattern so common on the heathy ground4 ,here and there1 as the trunk or branch is increasing in girth1 the silvery1 lichen-clad1 rough outer bark has parted1 and shows the smooth1 dark-red inner bark2 the outer covering still clinging over the opening1 and looking like grey ribands slightly interlaced4 ,many another kind of tree-stem is beautiful in its winter dress1 but it is difficult to find any so full of varied beauty and interest as that of the ,juniper2 it is one of the yearly feasts that never fails to delight and satisfy4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,march ,flowering bulbs -- ,dog-tooth ,violet -- ,rock-garden -- ,variety of ,rhododendron foliage -- ,a beautiful old kind -- ,suckers on grafted plants -- ,plants for filling up the beds -- ,heaths -- ,andromedas -- ,lady ,fern -- ,lilium auratum -- ,pruning ,roses -- ,training and tying climbing plants -- ,climbing and free-growing ,roses -- ,the ,vine the best wall-covering -- ,other climbers -- ,wild ,clematis -- ,wild ,rose4 ,in early ,march many and lovely are the flowering bulbs1 and among them a wealth of blue1 the more precious that it is the colour least frequent among flowers4 ,the blue of ,scilla sibirica1 like all blues that have in them a suspicion of green1 has a curiously penetrating quality2 the blue of ,scilla bifolia does not attack the eye so smartly4 ,chionodoxa sardensis is of a full and satisfying colour1 that is enhanced by the small space of clear white throat4 ,a bed of it shows very little variation in colour4 ,chionodoxa ,lucilliae1 on the other hand1 varies greatly2 one may pick out light and dark blue1 and light and dark of almost lilac colour4 ,the variety ,c4 gigantea is a fine plant4 ,there are some pretty kinds of ,scilla bifolia that were raised by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,g4 ,nelson of ,aldborough1 among them a tender flesh-colour and a good pink4 ,leucojum vernum1 with its clear white flowers and polished dark-green leaves1 is one of the gems of early ,march2 and1 flowering at the same time1 no flower of the whole year can show a more splendid and sumptuous colour than the purple of ,iris reticulata4 ,varieties have been raised1 some larger1 some nearer blue1 and some reddish purple1 but the type remains the best garden flower4 ,iris stylosa1 in sheltered nooks open to the sun1 when well established1 gives flower from ,november till ,april1 the strongest rush of bloom being about the third week in ,march4 ,it is a precious plant in our southern counties1 delicately scented1 of a tender and yet full lilac-blue4 ,the long ribbon-like leaves make handsome tufts1 and the sheltered place it needs in our climate saves the flowers from the injury they receive on their native windy ,algerian hills1 where they are nearly always torn into tatters4 ,what a charm there is about the common ,dogtooth ,violet2 it is pretty everywhere1 in borders1 in the rock-garden1 in all sorts of corners4 ,but where it looks best with me is in a grassy place strewn with dead leaves1 under young oaks1 where the garden joins the copse4 ,this is a part of the pleasure-ground that has been treated with some care1 and has rewarded thought and labour with some success1 so that it looks less as if it had been planned than as if it might have come naturally4 ,at one point the lawn1 trending gently upward1 runs by grass paths into a rock-garden1 planted mainly with dwarf shrubs4 ,here are ,andromedas1 ,pernettyas1 ,gaultherias1 and ,alpine ,rhododendron1 and with them three favourites whose crushed leaves give a grateful fragrance1 ,sweet ,gale1 ,ledum palustre1 and ,rhododendron myrtifolium4 ,the rock part is unobtrusive2 where the ground rises rather quickly are a couple of ridges made of large1 long lumps of sandstone1 half buried1 and so laid as to give a look of natural stratification4 ,hardy ,ferns are grateful for the coolness of their northern flanks1 and ,cyclamens are happy on the ledges4 ,beyond and above is the copse1 or thin wood of young silver ,birch and ,holly1 in summer clothed below with bracken1 but now bristling with the bluish spears of ,daffodils and the buds that will soon burst into bloom4 ,the early ,pyrenean ,daffodil is already out1 gleaming through the low-toned copse like lamps of pale yellow light4 ,where the rough path enters the birch copse is a cheerfully twinkling throng of the ,dwarf ,daffodil 7,n4 nanus71 looking quite at its best on its carpet of moss and fine grass and dead leaves4 ,the light wind gives it a graceful1 dancing movement1 with an active spring about the upper part of the stalk4 ,some of the heavier trumpets not far off answer to the same wind with only a ponderous1 leaden sort of movement4 ,farther along the garden joins the wood by a plantation of ,rhododendrons and broad grassy paths1 and farther still by a thicket of the free-growing ,roses1 some forming fountain-like clumps nine paces in diameter1 and then again by masses of flowering shrubs1 gradating by means of ,sweetbriar1 ,water-elder1 ,dogwood1 ,medlar1 and ,thorn from garden to wild wood4 ,now that the ,rhododendrons1 planted nine years ago1 have grown to a state and size of young maturity1 it is interesting to observe how much they vary in foliage1 and how clearly the leaves show the relative degree of relationship to their original parents1 the wild mountain plants of ,asia ,minor and the ,united ,states4 ,these1 being two of the hardiest kinds1 were the ones first chosen by hybridisers1 and to these kinds we owe nearly all of the large numbers of beautiful garden ,rhododendrons now in cultivation4 ,the ones more nearly related to the wild ,r4 ponticum have long1 narrow1 shining dark-green leaves1 while the varieties that incline more to the ,american ,r4 catawbiense have the leaves twice as broad1 and almost rounded at the shoulder where they join the stalk2 moreover1 the surface of the leaf has a different texture1 less polished1 and showing a grain like morocco leather4 ,the colour also is a lighter and more yellowish green1 and the bush is not so densely branched4 ,the leaves of all the kinds are inclined to hang down in cold weather1 and this habit is more clearly marked in the catawbiense varieties4 ,there is one old kind called ,multum maculatum--,i dare say one of the earliest hybrids--for which ,i have a special liking4 ,it is now despised by florists1 because the flower is thin in texture and the petal narrow1 and the truss not tightly filled4 ,nevertheless ,i find it quite the most beautiful ,rhododendron as a cut flower1 perhaps just because of these unorthodox qualities4 ,and much as ,i admire the great bouncing beauties that are most justly the pride of their raisers1 ,i hold that this most refined and delicate class of beauty equally deserves faithful championship4 ,the flowers of this pretty old kind are of a delicate milk-white1 and the lower petals are generously spotted with a rosy-scarlet of the loveliest quality4 ,the leaves are the longest and narrowest and darkest green of any kind ,i know1 making the bush conspicuously handsome in winter4 ,i have to confess that it is a shy bloomer1 and that it seems unwilling to flower in a young state1 but ,i think of it as a thing so beautiful and desirable as to be worth waiting for4 ,within ,march1 and before the busier season comes upon us1 it is well to look out for the suckers that are likely to come on grafted plants4 ,they may generally be detected by the typical ponticum leaf1 but if the foliage of a branch should be suspicious and yet doubtful1 if on following the shoot down it is seen to come straight from the root and to have a redder bark than the rest1 it may safely be taken for a robber4 ,of course the invading stock may be easily seen when in flower1 but the good gardener takes it away before it has this chance of reproaching him4 ,a lady visitor last year told me with some pride that she had a most wonderful ,rhododendron in bloom2 all the flower in the middle was crimson1 with a ring of purple-flowered branches outside4 ,i am afraid she was disappointed when ,i offered condolence instead of congratulation1 and had to tell her that the phenomenon was not uncommon among neglected bushes4 ,when my ,rhododendron beds were first planted1 ,i followed the usual practice of filling the outer empty spaces of the clumps with hardy ,heaths4 ,perhaps it is still the best or one of the best ways to begin when the bushes are quite young2 for if planted the right distance apart--seven to nine feet--there must be large bare spaces between2 but now that they have filled the greater part of the beds1 ,i find that the other plants ,i tried are more to my liking4 ,these are1 foremost of all1 ,andromeda ,catesbaei1 then ,lady ,fern1 and then the dwarf ,rhododendron myrtifolium4 ,the main spaces between the young bushes ,i plant with ,cistus laurifolius1 a perfectly hardy kind2 this grows much faster than the ,rhododendrons1 and soon fills the middle spaces2 by the time that the best of its life is over--for it is a short-lived bush--the ,rhododendrons will be wanting all the space4 ,here and there in the inner spaces ,i put groups of ,lilium auratum1 a ,lily that thrives in a peaty bed1 and that looks its best when growing through other plants2 moreover1 when the ,rhododendrons are out of flower1 the ,lily1 whose blooming season is throughout the late summer and autumn1 gives a new beauty and interest to that part of the garden4 ,the time has come for pruning ,roses1 and for tying up and training the plants that clothe wall and fence and pergola4 ,and this sets one thinking about climbing and rambling plants1 and all their various ways and wants1 and of how best to use them4 ,one of my boundaries to a road is a fence about nine feet high1 wall below and close oak paling above4 ,it is planted with free-growing ,roses of several types--,aimee ,vibert1 ,madame ,alfred ,carriere1 ,reine ,olga de ,wurtemburg1 and ,bouquet d',or1 the strongest of the ,dijon teas4 ,then comes a space of ,clematis ,montana and ,clematis flammula1 and then more ,roses--,madame ,plantier1 ,emelie ,plantier 7a delightful ,rose to cut71 and some of the grand ,sweetbriars raised by ,lord ,penzance4 ,from midsummer onward these ,roses are continually cut for flower1 and yield an abundance of quite the most ornamental class of bloom4 ,for ,i like to have cut ,roses arranged in a large1 free way1 with whole branches three feet or four feet long1 easy to have from these free-growing kinds1 that throw out branches fifteen feet long in one season1 even on our poor1 sandy soil1 that contains no particle of that rich loam that ,roses love4 ,i think this same ,reine ,olga1 the grand grower from which have come our longest and largest prunings1 must be quite the best evergreen ,rose1 for it holds its full clothing of handsome dark-green leaves right through the winter4 ,it seems to like hard pruning4 ,i have one on a part of the pergola1 but have no pleasure from it1 as it has rushed up to the top1 and nothing shows but a few naked stems4 ,illustration3 ,,garden ,,door-,,way ,,wreathed ,,with ,,clematis ,,graveolens4 ,illustration3 ,,cottage ,,porch ,,wreathed ,,with ,,the ,,double ,,white ,,rose 7,r4 alba74 ,one has to find out how to use all these different ,roses4 ,how often one sees the wrong ,roses used as climbers on the walls of a house4 ,i have seen a ,gloire de ,dijon covering the side of a house with a profitless reticulation of bare stem1 and a few leaves and flowers looking into the gutter just under the edge of the roof4 ,what are generally recommended as climbing ,roses are too ready to ramp away1 leaving bare1 leggy growth where wall-clothing is desired4 ,one of the best is climbing ,aimee ,vibert1 for with very little pruning it keeps well furnished nearly to the ground1 and with its graceful clusters of white bloom and healthy-looking1 polished leaves is always one of the prettiest of ,roses4 ,its only fault is that it does not shed its dead petals1 but retains the whole bloom in dead brown clusters4 ,but if a ,rose wishes to climb1 it should be accommodated with a suitable place4 ,that excellent old ,rose1 the ,dundee ,rambler1 or the still prettier ,garland ,rose1 will find a way up a ,holly-tree1 and fling out its long wreaths of tenderly-tinted bloom2 and there can be no better way of using the lovely ,himalayan ,r4 ,brunonis1 with its long1 almost blue leaves and wealth of milk-white flower4 ,a common ,sweetbriar will also push up among the branches of some dark evergreen1 ,yew or ,holly1 and throw out aloft its scented branches and rosy bloom1 and look its very best4 ,but some of these same free ,roses are best of all if left in a clear space to grow exactly as they will without any kind of support or training4 ,so placed1 they grow into large rounded groups4 ,every year1 just after the young laterals on the last year's branches have flowered1 they throw out vigorous young rods that arch over as they complete their growth1 and will be the flower-bearers of the year to come4 ,two kinds of ,roses of rambling growth that are rather tender1 but indispensable for beauty1 are ,fortune's ,yellow and the ,banksias4 ,pruning the free ,roses is always rough work for the hands and clothes1 but of all ,roses ,i know1 the worst to handle is ,fortune's ,yellow4 ,the prickles are hooked back in a way that no care or ingenuity can escape2 and whether it is their shape and power of cruel grip1 or whether they have anything of a poisonous quality1 ,i do not know2 but whereas hands scratched and torn by ,roses in general heal quickly1 the wounds made by ,fortune's ,yellow are much more painful and much slower to get well4 ,i knew an old labourer who died of a rose-prick4 ,he used to work about the roads1 and at cleaning the ditches and mending the hedges4 ,for some time ,i did not see him1 and when ,i asked another old countryman1 ,what's gone o' ,master ,trussler8 the answer was1 ,he's dead--died of a canker-bush4 ,the wild ,dog-rose is still the canker in the speech of the old people1 and a thorn or prickle is still a bush4 ,a ,dog-rose prickle had gone deep into the old hedger's hand--a bush more or less was nothing to him1 but the neglected little wound had become tainted with some impurity1 blood-poisoning had set in1 and my poor old friend had truly enough died of a canker-bush4 ,the flowering season of ,fortune's ,yellow is a very short one1 but it comes so early1 and the flowers have such incomparable beauty1 and are so little like those of any other ,rose1 that its value is quite without doubt4 ,some of the ,tea ,roses approach it in its pink and copper colouring1 but the loose1 open1 rather flaunting form of the flower1 and the twisted set of the petals1 display the colour better than is possible in any of the more regular-shaped ,roses4 ,it is a good plan to grow it through some other wall shrub1 as it soon gets bare below1 and the early maturing flowering tips are glad to be a little sheltered by the near neighbourhood of other foliage4 ,i do not think that there is any other ,rose that has just the same rich butter colour as the ,yellow ,banksian1 and this unusual colouring is the more distinct because each little ,rose in the cluster is nearly evenly coloured all over1 besides being in such dense bunches4 ,the season of bloom is very short1 but the neat1 polished foliage is always pleasant to see throughout the year4 ,the white kind and the larger white are both lovely as to the individual bloom1 but they flower so much more shyly that the yellow is much the better garden plant4 ,but the best of all climbing or rambling plants1 whether for wall or arbour or pergola1 is undoubtedly the ,grape-,vine4 ,even when trimly pruned and trained for fruit-bearing on an outer wall it is an admirable picture of leafage and fruit-cluster2 but to have it in fullest beauty it must ramp at will1 for it is only when the fast-growing branches are thrown out far and wide that it fairly displays its graceful vigour and the generous magnificence of its incomparable foliage4 ,the hardy ,chasselas1 known in ,england by the rather misleading name ,royal ,muscadine1 is one of the best1 both for fruit and foliage4 ,the leaves are of moderate size1 with clearly serrated edges and that strongly waved outline that gives the impression of powerful build1 and is1 in fact1 a mechanical contrivance intended to stiffen the structure4 ,the colour of the leaves is a fresh1 lively green1 and in autumn they are prettily marbled with yellow4 ,where a very large-leaved ,vine is wanted nothing is handsomer than the ,north ,american ,vitis ,labrusca or the ,asiatic ,vitis ,coignettii1 whose autumn leaves are gorgeously coloured4 ,for a place that demands more delicate foliage there is the ,parsley-,vine1 that has a delightful look of refinement1 and another that should not be forgotten is the ,claret-,vine1 with autumnal colouring of almost scarlet and purple1 and abundance of tightly clustered black fruit1 nearly blue with a heavy bloom4 ,many an old house and garden can show the far-rambling power of the beautiful ,wistaria ,chinensis1 and of the large-leaved ,aristolochia ,sipho1 one of the best plants for covering a pergola1 and of the varieties of ,ampelopsis1 near relations of the ,grape-,vine4 ,the limit of these notes only admits of mention of some of the more important climbers2 but among these the ever-delightful white ,jasmine must have a place4 ,it will ramble far and fast if it has its own way1 but then gives little flower2 but by close winter pruning it can be kept full of bloom and leaf nearly to the ground4 ,illustration3 ,,wild ,,hop1 ,,entwining ,,wormwood ,,and ,,cow-,,parsnip4 ,the woods and hedges have also their beautiful climbing plants4 ,honeysuckle in suitable conditions will ramble to great heights--in this district most noticeable in tall ,hollies and ,junipers as well as in high hedges4 ,the wild ,clematis is most frequent on the chalk1 where it laces together whole hedges and rushes up trees1 clothing them in ,july with long wreaths of delicate bloom1 and in ,september with still more conspicuous feathery seed4 ,for rapid growth perhaps no ,english plant outstrips the ,hop1 growing afresh from the root every year1 and almost equalling the ,vine in beauty of leaf4 ,the two kinds of wild ,bryony are also herbaceous climbers of rapid growth1 and among the most beautiful of our hedge plants4 ,the wild ,roses run up to great heights in hedge and thicket1 and never look so well as when among the tangles of mixed growth of wild forest land or clambering through some old gnarled thorn-tree4 ,the common ,brambles are also best seen in these forest groups2 these again in form of leaf show somewhat of a vine-like beauty4 ,in the end of ,march1 or at any time during the month when the wind is in the east or north-east1 all increase and development of vegetation appears to cease4 ,as things are1 so they remain4 ,plants that are in flower retain their bloom1 but1 as it were1 under protest4 ,a kind of sullen dulness pervades all plant life4 ,sweet-scented shrubs do not give off their fragrance2 even the woodland moss and earth and dead leaves withhold their sweet1 nutty scent4 ,the surface of the earth has an arid1 infertile look2 a slight haze of an ugly grey takes the colour out of objects in middle distance1 and seems to rob the flowers of theirs1 or to put them out of harmony with all things around4 ,but a day comes1 or1 perhaps1 a warmer night1 when the wind1 now breathing gently from the south-west1 puts new life into all growing things4 ,a marvellous change is wrought in a few hours4 ,a little warm rain has fallen1 and plants1 invisible before1 and doubtless still underground1 spring into glad life4 ,what an innocent charm there is about many of the true spring flowers4 ,primroses of many colours are now in bloom1 but the prettiest1 this year1 is a patch of an early blooming white one1 grouped with a delicate lilac4 ,then comes ,omphalodes verna1 with its flowers of brilliant blue and foliage of brightest green1 better described by its pretty north-country name1 ,blue-eyed ,mary4 ,there are ,violets of many colours1 but daintiest of all is the pale-blue ,st4 ,helena2 whether it is the effect of its delicate colouring1 or whether it has really a better scent than other varieties of the common ,violet1 ,i cannot say1 but it always seems to have a more refined fragrance4 ,,chapter ,v ,,april ,woodland spring flowers -- ,daffodils in the copse -- ,grape ,hyacinths and other spring bulbs -- ,how best to plant them -- ,flowering shrubs -- ,rock-plants -- ,sweet scents of ,april -- ,snowy ,mespilus1 ,marsh ,marigolds1 and other spring flowers -- ,primrose garden -- ,pollen of ,scotch ,fir -- ,opening seed-pods of ,fir and ,gorse -- ,auriculas -- ,tulips -- ,small shrubs for rock-garden -- ,daffodils as cut flowers -- ,lent ,hellebores -- ,primroses -- ,leaves of wild ,arum4 ,in early ,april there is quite a wealth of flower among plants that belong half to wood and half to garden4 ,epimedium pinnatum1 with its delicate1 orchid-like spike of pale-yellow bloom1 flowers with its last year's leaves1 but as soon as it is fully out the young leaves rush up1 as if hastening to accompany the flowers4 ,dentaria pinnata1 a woodland plant of ,switzerland and ,austria1 is one of the handsomest of the white-flowered cruciferae1 with well-filled heads of twelve to fifteen flowers1 and palmate leaves of freshest green4 ,hard by1 and the best possible plant to group with it1 is the lovely ,virginian ,cowslip 7,mertensia virginica71 the very embodiment of the freshness of early spring4 ,the sheaf of young leafage comes almost black out of the ground1 but as the leaves develop1 their dull1 lurid colouring changes to a full1 pale green of a curious texture1 quite smooth1 and yet absolutely unreflecting4 ,the dark colouring of the young leaves now only remains as a faint tracery of veining on the backs of the leaves and stalks1 and at last dies quite away as the bloom expands4 ,the flower is of a rare and beautiful quality of colour1 hard to describe--a rainbow-flower of purple1 indigo1 full and pale blue1 and daintiest lilac1 full of infinite variety and indescribable charm4 ,the flowers are in terminal clusters1 richly filled2 lesser clusters springing from the axils of the last few leaves and joining with the topmost one to form a gracefully drooping head4 ,the lurid colouring of the young leaves is recalled in the flower-stems and calix1 and enhances the colour effect of the whole4 ,the flower of the common ,dog-tooth ,violet is over1 but the leaves have grown larger and handsomer4 ,they look as if1 originally of a purplish-red colour1 some liquid had been dropped on them1 making confluent pools of pale green1 lightest at the centre of the drop4 ,the noblest plant of the same family 7,erythronium giganteum7 is now in flower--a striking and beautiful wood plant1 with turn-cap shaped flowers of palest straw-colour1 almost white1 and large leaves1 whose markings are not drop-like as in the more familiar kind1 but are arranged in a regular sequence of bold splashings1 reminding one of a ,maranta4 ,the flowers1 single or in pairs1 rise on stems a foot or fifteen inches high2 the throat is beautifully marked with flames of rich bay on a yellow ground1 and the handsome group of golden-anthered stamens and silvery pistil make up a flower of singular beauty and refinement4 ,that valuable ,indian ,primrose1 ,p4 denticulata1 is another fine plant for the cool edge or shady hollows of woodland in rather good1 deep soil4 ,but the glory of the copse just now consists in the great stretches of ,daffodils4 ,through the wood run shallow1 parallel hollows1 the lowest part of each depression some nine paces apart4 ,local tradition says they are the remains of old pack-horse roads2 they occur frequently in the forest-like heathery uplands of our poor-soiled1 sandy land1 running1 for the most part1 three or four together1 almost evenly side by side4 ,the old people account for this by saying that when one track became too much worn another was taken by its side4 ,where these pass through the birch copse the ,daffodils have been planted in the shallow hollows of the old ways1 in spaces of some three yards broad by thirty or forty yards long--one kind at a time4 ,two of such tracks1 planted with ,narcissus princeps and ,n4 ,horsfieldi1 are now waving rivers of bloom1 in many lights and accidents of cloud and sunshine full of pictorial effect4 ,the planting of ,daffodils in this part of the copse is much better than in any other portions where there were no guiding track-ways1 and where they were planted in haphazard sprinklings4 ,illustration3 ,,daffodils ,,in ,,the ,,copse4 ,the ,grape ,hyacinths are now in full bloom4 ,it is well to avoid the common one 7,muscari racemosum71 at any rate in light soils1 where it becomes a troublesome weed4 ,one of the best is ,m4 conicum2 this1 with the upright-leaved ,m4 botryoides1 and its white variety1 are the best for general use1 but the ,plume ,hyacinth1 which flowers later1 should have a place4 ,ornithogalum nutans is another of the bulbous plants that1 though beautiful in flower1 becomes so pestilent a weed that it is best excluded4 ,where and how the early flowering bulbs had best be planted is a question of some difficulty4 ,perhaps the mixed border1 where they are most usually put1 is the worst place of all1 for when in flower they only show as forlorn little patches of bloom rather far apart1 and when their leaves die down1 leaving their places looking empty1 the ruthless spade or trowel stabs into them when it is desired to fill the space with some other plant4 ,moreover1 when the border is manured and partly dug in the autumn1 it is difficult to avoid digging up the bulbs just when they are in full root-growth4 ,probably the best plan is to devote a good space of cool bank to small bulbs and hardy ferns1 planting the ferns in such groups as will leave good spaces for the bulbs2 then as their leaves are going the fern fronds are developing and will cover the whole space4 ,another way is to have them among any groups of newly planted small shrubs1 to be left there for spring blooming until the shrubs have covered their allotted space4 ,many flowering shrubs are in beauty4 ,andromeda floribunda still holds its persistent bloom that has endured for nearly two months4 ,the thick1 drooping1 tassel-like bunches of bloom of ,andromeda japonica are just going over4 ,magnolia stellata1 a compact bush some five feet high and wide1 is white with the multitude of its starry flowers2 individually they look half double1 having fourteen to sixteen petals4 ,forsythia suspensa1 with its graceful habit and tender yellow flower1 is a much better shrub than ,f4 viridissima1 though1 strangely enough1 that is the one most commonly planted4 ,corchorus1 with its bright-yellow balls1 the fine old rosy ,ribes1 the ,japan ,quinces and their salmon-coloured relative ,pyrus ,mauleii1 ,spiraea ,thunbergi1 with its neat habit and myriads of tiny flowers1 these make frequent points of beauty and interest4 ,in the rock-garden1 ,cardamine trifoliata and ,hutchinsia alpina are conspicuous from their pure white flowers and neat habit2 both have leaves of darkest green1 as if the better to show off the bloom4 ,ranunculus montanus fringes the cool base of a large stone2 its whole height not over three inches1 though its bright-yellow flowers are larger than field buttercups4 ,the surface of the petals is curiously brilliant1 glistening and flashing like glass4 ,corydalis capnoides is a charming rock-plant1 with flowers of palest sulphur colour1 one of the neatest and most graceful of its family4 ,illustration3 ,,magnolia ,,stellata4 ,illustration3 ,,daffodils ,,among ,,junipers ,,where ,,garden ,,joins ,,copse4 ,border plants are pushing up vigorous green growth2 finest of all are the ,veratrums1 with their bold1 deeply-plaited leaves of brilliant green4 ,delphiniums and ,oriental ,poppies have also made strong foliage1 and ,daylilies are conspicuous from their fresh masses of pale greenery4 ,flag ,iris have their leaves three parts grown1 and ,paeonies are a foot or more high1 in all varieties of rich red colouring4 ,it is a good plan1 when they are in beds or large groups1 to plant the dark-flowered ,wallflowers among them1 their colour making a rich harmony with the reds of the young ,paeony growths4 ,there are balmy days in mid-,april1 when the whole garden is fragrant with ,sweetbriar4 ,it is not fast of its smell1 as ,bacon says of the damask rose1 but gives it so lavishly that one cannot pass near a plant without being aware of its gracious presence4 ,passing upward through the copse1 the warm air draws a fragrance almost as sweet1 but infinitely more subtle1 from the fresh green of the young birches2 it is like a distant whiff of ,lily of the ,valley4 ,higher still the young leafage of the larches gives a delightful perfume of the same kind4 ,it seems as if it were the office of these mountain trees1 already nearest the high heaven1 to offer an incense of praise for their new life4 ,few plants will grow under ,scotch fir1 but a notable exception is the ,whortleberry1 now a sheet of brilliant green1 and full of its arbutus-like1 pink-tinged flower4 ,this plant also has a pleasant scent in the mass1 difficult to localise1 but coming in whiffs as it will4 ,the snowy ,mespilus 7,amelanchier7 shows like puffs of smoke among the firs and birches1 full of its milk-white1 cherry-like bloom--a true woodland shrub or small tree4 ,it loves to grow in a thicket of other trees1 and to fling its graceful sprays about through their branches4 ,it is a doubtful native1 but naturalised and plentiful in the neighbouring woods4 ,as seen in gardens1 it is usually a neat little tree of shapely form1 but it is more beautiful when growing at its own will in the high woods4 ,marshy hollows in the valleys are brilliant with ,marsh ,marigold 7,caltha palustris72 damp meadows have them in plenty1 but they are largest and handsomest in the alder-swamps of our valley bottoms1 where their great luscious clumps rise out of pools of black mud and water4 ,adonis vernalis is one of the brightest flowers of the middle of ,april1 the flowers looking large for the size of the plant4 ,the bright-yellow1 mostly eight-petalled1 blooms are comfortably seated in dense1 fennel-like masses of foliage4 ,it makes strong tufts1 that are the better for division every four years4 ,the spring ,bitter-vetch 7,orobus vernus7 blooms at the same time1 a remarkably clean-looking plant1 with its cheerful red and purple blossom and handsomely divided leaves4 ,it is one of the toughest of plants to divide1 the mass of black root is like so much wire4 ,it is a good plan with plants that have such roots1 when dividing-time comes1 to take the clumps to a strong bench or block and cut them through at the crown with a sharp cold-chisel and hammer4 ,another of the showiest families of plants of the time is ,doronicum4 ,d4 ,austriacum is the earliest1 but it is closely followed by the fine ,d4 ,plantagineum4 ,the large form of wood ,forget-me-not 7,myosotis sylvatica major7 is in sheets of bloom1 opening pink and changing to a perfect blue4 ,this is a great improvement on the old smaller one4 ,grouped with it1 as an informal border1 and in patches running through and among its clumps1 is the ,foam-flower 7,tiarella cordifolia71 whose flower in the mass looks like the wreaths of foam tossed aside by a mountain torrent4 ,by the end of the month the ,satin-leaf 7,heuchera ,richardsoni7 is pushing up its richly-coloured leaves1 of a strong bronze-red1 gradating to bronze-green at the outer edge4 ,the beauty of the plant is in the colour and texture of the foliage4 ,to encourage full leaf growth the flower stems should be pinched out1 and as they push up rather persistently1 they should be looked over every few days for about a fortnight4 ,illustration3 ,,tiarella ,,cordifolia4 7,height1 #ab inches47 ,illustration3 ,,hollyhock1 ,,pink ,,beauty4 7,see page #aje47 7,height1 #i feet47 ,the ,primrose garden is now in beauty1 but ,i have so much to say about it that ,i have given it a chapter to itself towards the end of the book4 ,the ,scotch firs are shedding their pollen2 a flowering branch shaken or struck with a stick throws out a pale-yellow cloud4 ,heavy rain will wash it out1 so that after a storm the sides of the roads and paths look as if powdered sulphur had been washed up in drifts4 ,the sun has gained great power1 and on still bright days sharp snicking sounds are to be heard from the firs4 ,the dry cones of last year are opening1 and the flattened seeds with their paper-like edges are fluttering down4 ,another sound1 much like it but just a shade sharper and more staccato1 is heard from the ,gorse bushes1 whose dry pods are flying open and letting fall the hard1 polished1 little bean-like seeds4 ,border ,auriculas are making a brave show4 ,nothing in the flower year is more interesting than a bed of good seedlings of the ,alpine class4 ,i know nothing better for pure beauty of varied colouring among early flowers4 ,except in varieties of ,salpiglossis1 such rich gradation of colour1 from pale lilac to rich purple1 and from rosy pink to deepest crimson1 is hardly to be found in any one family of plants4 ,there are varieties of cloudings of smoky-grey1 sometimes approaching black1 invading1 and at the same time enhancing1 the purer colours1 and numbers of shades of half-tones of red and purple1 such as are comprised within the term murrey of heraldry1 and tender blooms of one colour1 sulphurs and milk-whites--all with the admirable texture and excellent perfume that belong to the ,bear's-ears of old ,english gardens4 ,for practical purposes the florist's definition of a good ,auricula is of little value2 that is for the show-table1 and1 as ,bacon says1 ,nothing to the true pleasure of a garden4 ,the qualities to look for in the bed of seedlings are not the narrowing ones of proportion of eye to tube1 of exact circle in the circumference of the individual pip1 and so on1 but to notice whether the plant has a handsome look and stands up well1 and is a delightful and beautiful thing as a whole4 ,illustration3 ,,tulipa ,,retroflexa4 ,illustration3 ,,late ,,single ,,tulips1 ,,breeders ,,and ,,bybloemen4 ,tulips are the great garden flowers in the last week of ,april and earliest days of ,may4 ,in this plant also the rule of the show-table is no sure guide to garden value2 for the show ,tulip1 beautiful though it is1 is of one class alone--namely1 the best of the broken varieties of the self-coloured seedlings called breeders4 ,these seedlings1 after some years of cultivation1 change or break into a variation in which the original colouring is only retained in certain flames or feathers of colour1 on a ground of either white or yellow4 ,if the flames in each petal are symmetrical and well arranged1 according to the rules laid down by the florist1 it is a good flower2 it receives a name1 and commands a certain price4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the markings are irregular1 however beautiful the colouring1 the flower is comparatively worthless1 and is thrown into mixture4 ,the kinds that are the grandest in gardens are ignored by the florist4 ,one of the best for graceful and delicate beauty is ,tulipa retroflexa1 of a soft lemon-yellow colour1 and twisted and curled petals2 then ,silver ,crown1 a white flower with a delicate picotee-like thread of scarlet along the edge of the sharply pointed and reflexed petals4 ,a variety of this called ,sulphur ,crown is only a little less beautiful4 ,then there is ,golden ,crown1 also with pointed petals and occasional threadings of scarlet4 ,nothing is more gorgeous than the noble ,gesneriana major1 with its great chalice of crimson-scarlet and pools of blue in the inner base of each petal4 ,the gorgeously flamed ,parrot ,tulips are indispensable1 and the large double ,yellow ,rose1 and the early double white ,la ,candeur4 ,of the later kinds there are many of splendid colouring and noble port2 conspicuous among them are ,reine d',espagne1 ,couleur de vin1 and ,bleu celeste4 ,there are beautiful colourings of scarlet1 crimson1 yellow1 chocolate1 and purple among the breeders1 as well as among the so-called bizarres and bybloemen that comprise the show kinds4 ,the best thing now in the rock-garden is a patch of some twenty plants of ,arnebia echioides1 always happy in our poor1 dry soil4 ,it is of the ,borage family1 a native of ,armenia4 ,it flowers in single or double-branching spikes of closely-set flowers of a fine yellow4 ,just below each indentation of the five-lobed corolla is a spot which looks black by contrast1 but is of a very dark1 rich1 velvety brown4 ,the day after the flower has expanded the spot has faded to a moderate brown1 the next day to a faint tinge1 and on the fourth day it is gone4 ,the legend1 accounting for the spots1 says that ,mahomet touched the flower with the tips of his fingers1 hence its ,english name of ,prophet-flower4 ,the upper parts of the rock-garden that are beyond hand-reach are planted with dwarf shrubs1 many of them sweetly scented either as to leaf or flower--,gaultherias1 ,sweet ,gale1 ,alpine ,rhododendron1 ,skimmias1 ,pernettyas1 ,ledums1 and hardy ,daphnes4 ,daphne pontica now gives off delicious wafts of fragrance1 intensely sweet in the evening4 ,in ,march and ,april ,daffodils are the great flowers for house decoration1 coming directly after the ,lent ,hellebores4 ,many people think these beautiful late-flowering ,hellebores useless for cutting because they live badly in water4 ,but if properly prepared they live quite well1 and will remain ten days in beauty4 ,directly they are cut1 and immediately before putting in water1 the stalks should be slit up three or four inches1 or according to their length1 and then put in deep1 so that the water comes nearly up to the flowers2 and so they should remain1 in a cool place1 for some hours1 or for a whole night1 after which they can be arranged for the room4 ,most of them are inclined to droop2 it is the habit of the plant in growth2 this may be corrected by arranging them with something stiff like ,box or ,berberis4 ,anemone fulgens is a grand cutting flower1 and looks well with its own leaves only or with flowering twigs of ,laurustinus4 ,then there are ,pansies1 delightful things in a room1 but they should be cut in whole branches of leafy stem and flower and bud4 ,at first the growths are short and only suit dish-shaped things1 but as the season goes on they grow longer and bolder1 and graduate first into bowls and then into upright glasses4 ,i think ,pansies are always best without mixture of other flowers1 and in separate colours1 or only in such varied tints as make harmonies of one class of colour at a time4 ,the big yellow and white bunch ,primroses are delightful room flowers1 beautiful1 and of sweetest scent4 ,when full-grown the flower-stalks are ten inches long and more4 ,among the seedlings there are always a certain number that are worthless4 ,these are pounced upon as soon as they show their bloom1 and cut up for greenery to go with the cut flowers1 leaving the root-stock with all its middle foliage1 and cutting away the roots and any rough outside leaves4 ,when the first ,daffodils are out and suitable greenery is not abundant in the garden 7for it does not do to cut their own blades71 ,i bring home handfuls of the wild ,arum leaves1 so common in roadside hedges1 grasping the whole plant close to the ground2 then a steady pull breaks it away from the tuber1 and you have a fine long-stalked sheaf of leafage held together by its own underground stem4 ,this should be prepared like the ,lent ,hellebores1 by putting it deep in water for a time4 ,i always think the trumpet ,daffodils look better with this than with any other kind of foliage4 ,when the wild ,arum is full-grown the leaves are so large and handsome that they do quite well to accompany the white ,arum flowers from the greenhouse4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,may ,cowslips -- ,morells -- ,woodruff -- ,felling oak timber -- ,trillium and other wood-plants -- ,lily of the ,valley naturalised -- ,rock-wall flowers -- ,two good wall-shrubs -- ,queen wasps -- ,rhododendrons -- ,arrangement for colour -- ,separate colour-groups -- ,difficulty of choosing -- ,hardy ,azaleas -- ,grouping flowers that bloom together -- ,guelder-rose as climber -- ,the garden-wall door -- ,the ,paeony garden -- ,moutans -- ,paeony varieties -- ,species desirable for garden4 ,while ,may is still young1 ,cowslips are in beauty on the chalk lands a few miles distant1 but yet within pleasant reach4 ,they are finest of all in orchards1 where the grass grows tall and strong under the half-shade of the old apple-trees1 some of the later kinds being still loaded with bloom4 ,the blooming of the ,cowslip is the signal for a search for the ,morell1 one of the very best of the edible fungi4 ,it grows in open woods or where the undergrowth has not yet grown high1 and frequently in old parks and pastures near or under elms4 ,it is quite unlike any other fungus2 shaped like a tall egg1 with the pointed end upwards1 on a short1 hollow stalk1 and looking something like a sponge4 ,it has a delicate and excellent flavour1 and is perfectly wholesome4 ,the pretty little ,woodruff is in flower2 what scent is so delicate as that of its leaves8 ,they are almost sweeter when dried1 each little whorl by itself1 with the stalk cut closely away above and below4 ,it is a pleasant surprise to come upon these fragrant little stars between the leaves of a book4 ,the whole plant revives memories of rambles in ,bavarian woodlands1 and of ,mai-trank1 that best of the cup tribe of pleasant drinks1 whose flavour is borrowed from its flowering tips4 ,in the first week in ,may oak-timber is being felled4 ,the wood is handsomer1 from showing the grain better1 when it is felled in the winter1 but it is delayed till now because of the value of the bark for tanning1 and just now the fast-rising sap makes the bark strip easily4 ,a heavy fall is taking place in the fringes of a large wood of old ,scotch fir4 ,where the oaks grow there is a blue carpet of wild ,hyacinth2 the pathway is a slightly hollowed lane1 so that the whole sheet of flower right and left is nearly on a level with the eye1 and looks like solid pools of blue4 ,the oaks not yet felled are putting forth their leaves of golden bronze4 ,the song of the nightingale and the ring of the woodman's axe gain a rich musical quality from the great fir wood4 ,why a wood of ,scotch fir has this wonderful property of a kind of musical reverberation ,i do not know2 but so it is4 ,any sound that occurs within it is1 on a lesser scale1 like a sound in a cathedral4 ,the tree itself when struck gives a musical note4 ,strike an oak or an elm on the trunk with a stick1 and the sound is mute2 strike a ,scotch fir1 and it is a note of music4 ,illustration3 ,,trillium ,,in ,,the ,,wild ,,garden4 ,in the copse are some prosperous patches of the beautiful ,north ,american ,wood-lily 7,trillium grandiflorum74 ,it likes a bed of deep leaf-soil on levels or cool slopes in woodland1 where its large white flowers and whorls of handsome leaves look quite at home4 ,beyond it are widely spreading patches of ,solomon's ,seal and tufts of the ,wood-rush 7,luzula sylvatica71 showing by their happy vigour how well they like their places1 while the natural woodland carpet of moss and dead leaves puts the whole together4 ,higher in the copse the path runs through stretches of the pretty little ,smilacina bifolia1 and the ground beyond this is a thick bed of ,whortleberry1 filling all the upper part of the copse under oak and birch and ,scotch fir4 ,the little flower-bells of the ,whortleberry have already given place to the just-formed fruit1 which will ripen in ,july1 and be a fine feast for the blackbirds4 ,other parts of the copse1 where there was no ,heath or ,whortleberry1 were planted thinly with the large ,lily of the ,valley4 ,it has spread and increased and become broad sheets of leaf and bloom1 from which thousands of flowers can be gathered without making gaps1 or showing that any have been removed2 when the bloom is over the leaves still stand in handsome masses till they are hidden by the fast-growing bracken4 ,they do not hurt each other1 as it seems that the ,lily of the ,valley1 having the roots running just underground1 while the fern-roots are much deeper1 the two occupy their respective strata in perfect good fellowship4 ,the neat little ,smilacina is a near relation of the ,lily of the ,valley2 its leaves are of an even more vivid green1 and its little modest spikes of white flower are charming4 ,it loves the poor1 sandy soil1 and increases in it fast1 but will have nothing to say to clay4 ,a very delicate and beautiful ,north ,american fern 7,dicksonia punctilobulata7 proves a good colonist in the copse4 ,it spreads rapidly by creeping roots1 and looks much like our native ,thelipteris1 but is of a paler green colour4 ,in the rock-garden the brightest patches of bloom are shown by the tufts of dwarf ,wallflowers2 of these1 ,cheiranthus alpinus has a strong lemon colour that is of great brilliancy in the mass1 and ,c4 ,marshalli is of a dark orange colour1 equally powerful4 ,the curiously-tinted ,c4 mutabilis1 as its name implies1 changes from a light mahogany colour when just open1 first to crimson and then to purple4 ,in length of life ,c4 alpinus and ,c4 ,marshalli are rather more than biennials1 and yet too short-lived to be called true perennials2 cuttings of one year flower the next1 and are handsome tufts the year after1 but are scarcely worth keeping longer4 ,c4 mutabilis is longer lived1 especially if the older growths are cut right away1 when the tuft will generally spring into vigorous new life4 ,orobus aurantiacus is a beautiful plant not enough grown1 one of the handsomest of the ,pea family1 with flowers of a fine orange colour1 and foliage of a healthy-looking golden-green4 ,a striking and handsome plant in the upper part of the rockery is ,othonna cheirifolia2 its aspect is unusual and interesting1 with its bunches of thick1 blunt-edged leaves of blue-grey colouring1 and large yellow daisy flowers4 ,there is a pretty group of the large white ,thrift1 and near it a spreading carpet of blue ,veronica and some of the splendid gentian-blue ,phacelia campanularia1 a valuable annual for filling any bare patches of rockery where its brilliant colouring will suit the neighbouring plants1 or1 best of all1 in patches among dwarf ferns1 where its vivid blue would be seen to great advantage4 ,two wall-shrubs have been conspicuously beautiful during ,may2 the ,mexican ,orange-flower 7,choisya ternata7 has been smothered in its white bloom1 so closely resembling orange-blossom4 ,with a slight winter protection of fir boughs it seems quite at home in our hot1 dry soil1 grows fast1 and is very easy to propagate by layers4 ,when cut1 it lasts for more than a week in water4 ,piptanthus nepalensis has also made a handsome show1 with its abundant yellow1 pea-shaped bloom and deep-green trefoil leaves4 ,the dark-green stems have a slight bloom on a half-polished surface1 and a pale ring at each joint gives them somewhat the look of bamboos4 ,now is the time to look out for the big queen wasps and to destroy as many as possible4 ,they seem to be specially fond of the flowers of two plants1 the large perennial ,cornflower 7,centaurea montana7 and the common ,cotoneaster4 ,i have often secured a dozen in a few minutes on one or other of these plants1 first knocking them down with a battledore4 ,now1 in the third week of ,may1 ,rhododendrons are in full bloom on the edge of the copse4 ,the plantation was made about nine years ago1 in one of the regions where lawn and garden were to join the wood4 ,during the previous blooming season the best nurseries were visited and careful observations made of colouring1 habit1 and time of blooming4 ,the space they were to fill demanded about seventy bushes1 allowing an average of eight feet from plant to plant--not seventy different kinds1 but1 perhaps1 ten of one kind1 and two or three fives1 and some threes1 and a few single plants1 always bearing in mind the ultimate intention of pictorial aspect as a whole4 ,in choosing the plants and in arranging and disposing the groups these ideas were kept in mind3 to make pleasant ways from lawn to copse2 to group only in beautiful colour harmonies2 to choose varieties beautiful in themselves2 to plant thoroughly well1 and to avoid overcrowding4 ,plantations of these grand shrubs are generally spoilt or ineffective1 if not absolutely jarring1 for want of attention to these simple rules4 ,the choice of kinds is now so large1 and the variety of colouring so extensive1 that nothing can be easier than to make beautiful combinations1 if intending planters will only take the small amount of preliminary trouble that is needful4 ,some of the clumps are of brilliant scarlet-crimson1 rose and white1 but out of the great choice of colours that might be so named only those are chosen that make just the colour-harmony that was intended4 ,a large group1 quite detached from this one1 and more in the shade of the copse1 is of the best of the lilacs1 purples1 and whites4 ,when some clumps of young hollies have grown1 those two groups will not be seen at the same time1 except from a distance4 ,the purple and white group is at present rather the handsomest1 from the free-growing habit of the fine old kind ,album elegans1 which forms towering masses at the back4 ,a detail of pictorial effect that was aimed at1 and that has come out well1 was devised in the expectation that the purple groups would look richer in the shade1 and the crimson ones in the sun4 ,this arrangement has answered admirably4 ,before planting1 the ground1 of the poorest quality possible1 was deeply trenched1 and the ,rhododendrons were planted in wide holes filled with peat1 and finished with a comfortable mulch1 or surface-covering of farmyard manure4 ,from this a supply of grateful nutriment was gradually washed in to the roots4 ,this beneficial surface-dressing was renewed every year for two years after planting1 and even longer in the case of the slower growing kinds4 ,no plant better repays care during its early years4 ,broad grass paths leading from the lawn at several points pass among the clumps1 and are continued through the upper parts of the copse1 passing through zones of different trees2 first a good stretch of birch and holly1 then of ,spanish chestnut1 next of oak1 and finally of ,scotch fir1 with a sprinkling of birch and mountain ash1 all with an undergrowth of heath and whortleberry and bracken4 ,thirty years ago it was all a wood of old ,scotch fir4 ,this was cut at its best marketable maturity1 and the present young wood is made of what came up self-sown4 ,this natural wild growth was thick enough to allow of vigorous cutting out1 and the preponderance of firs in the upper part and of birch in the lower suggested that these were the kinds that should predominate in their respective places4 ,illustration3 ,,rhododendrons ,,where ,,the ,,copse ,,and ,,garden ,,meet4 ,it may be useful to describe a little more in detail the plan ,i followed in grouping ,rhododendrons1 for ,i feel sure that any one with a feeling for harmonious colouring1 having once seen or tried some such plan1 will never again approve of the haphazard mixtures4 ,there may be better varieties representing the colourings aimed at in the several groups1 but those named are ones that ,i know1 and they will serve as well as any others to show what is meant4 ,the colourings seem to group themselves into six classes of easy harmonies1 which ,i venture to describe thus3-- #a4 ,crimsons inclining to scarlet or blood-colour grouped with dark claret-colour and true pink4 ,in this group ,i have planted ,nigrescens1 dark claret-colour2 ,john ,waterer and ,james ,marshall ,brook1 both fine red-crimsons2 ,alexander ,adie and ,atrosanguineum1 good crimsons1 inclining to blood-colour2 ,alarm1 rosy-scarlet2 and ,bianchi1 pure pink4 #b4 ,light scarlet rose colours inclining to salmon1 a most desirable range of colour1 but of which the only ones ,i know well are ,mrs4 ,r4 ,s4 ,holford1 and a much older kind1 ,lady ,eleanor ,cathcart4 ,these ,i put by themselves1 only allowing rather near them the good pink ,bianchi4 #c4 ,rose colours inclining to amaranth4 #d4 ,amaranths or magenta-crimsons4 #e4 ,crimson or amaranth-purples4 #f4 ,cool clear purples of the typical ponticum class1 both dark and light1 grouped with lilac-whites1 such as ,album elegans and ,album grandiflorum4 ,the beautiful partly-double ,everestianum comes into this group1 but nothing redder among purples4 ,fastuosum florepleno is also admitted1 and ,luciferum and ,reine ,hortense1 both good lilac-whites4 ,but the purples that are most effective are merely ponticum seedlings1 chosen when in bloom in the nursery for their depth and richness of cool purple colour4 ,my own space being limited1 ,i chose three of the above groups only1 leaving out1 as of colouring less pleasing to my personal liking1 groups #c1 #d1 and #e4 ,the remaining ones gave me examples of colouring the most widely different1 and at the same time the most agreeable to my individual taste4 ,it would have been easier1 if that had been the object1 to have made groups of the three other classes of colouring1 which comprise by far the largest number of the splendid varieties now grown4 ,there are a great many beautiful whites2 of these1 two that ,i most admire are ,madame ,carvalho and ,sappho2 the latter is an immense flower1 with a conspicuous purple blotch4 ,there is also a grand old kind called ,minnie1 a very large-growing one1 with fine white trusses2 and a dwarf-growing white that comes early into bloom is ,cunningham's ,white1 also useful for forcing1 as it is a small plant1 and a free bloomer4 ,illustration3 ,,grass ,,walks ,,through ,,the ,,copse4 ,nothing is more perplexing than to judge of the relative merits of colours in a ,rhododendron nursery1 where they are all mixed up4 ,i have twice been specially to look for varieties of a true pink colour1 but the quantity of untrue pinks is so great that anything approaching a clear pink looks much better than it is4 ,in this way ,i chose ,kate ,waterer and ,sylph1 both splendid varieties2 but when ,i grew them with my true pink ,bianchi they would not do1 the colour having the suspicion of rank quality that ,i wished to keep out of that group4 ,this same ,bianchi1 with its mongrel-sounding name1 ,i found was not grown in the larger nurseries4 ,i had it from ,messrs4 ,maurice ,young1 of the ,milford ,nurseries1 near ,godalming4 ,i regretted to hear lately from some one to whom ,i recommended it that it could not be supplied4 ,it is to be hoped that so good a thing has not been lost4 ,a little way from the main ,rhododendron clumps1 and among bushy ,andromedas1 ,i have the splendid hybrid of ,r4 ,aucklandi1 raised by ,mr4 ,a4 ,waterer4 ,the trusses are astoundingly large1 and the individual blooms large and delicately beautiful1 like small richly-modelled lilies of a tender1 warm1 white colour4 ,it is quite hardy south of ,london1 and unquestionably desirable4 ,its only fault is leggy growth2 one year's growth measures twenty-three inches1 but this only means that it should be planted among other bushes4 ,illustration3 ,,rhododendrons ,,at ,,the ,,edge ,,of ,,the ,,copse4 ,the last days of ,may see hardy ,azaleas in beauty4 ,any of them may be planted in company1 for all their colours harmonise4 ,in this garden1 where care is taken to group plants well for colour1 the whites are planted at the lower and more shady end of the group2 next come the pale yellows and pale pinks1 and these are followed at a little distance by kinds whose flowers are of orange1 copper1 flame1 and scarlet-crimson colourings2 this strong-coloured group again softening off at the upper end by strong yellows1 and dying away into the woodland by bushes of the common yellow ,azalea pontica1 and its variety with flowers of larger size and deeper colour4 ,the plantation is long in shape1 straggling over a space of about half an acre1 the largest and strongest-coloured group being in an open clearing about midway in the length4 ,the ground between them is covered with a natural growth of the wild ,ling 7,calluna7 and ,whortleberry1 and the small1 white-flowered ,bed-straw1 with the fine-bladed ,sheep's-fescue grass1 the kind most abundant in heathland4 ,the surrounding ground is copse1 of a wild1 forest-like character1 of birch and small oak4 ,a wood-path of wild heath cut short winds through the planted group1 which also comprises some of the beautiful white-flowered ,californian ,azalea occidentalis1 and bushes of some of the ,north ,american ,vacciniums4 ,azaleas should never be planted among or even within sight of ,rhododendrons4 ,though both enjoy a moist peat soil1 and have a near botanical relationship1 they are incongruous in appearance1 and impossible to group together for colour4 ,this must be understood to apply to the two classes of plants of the hardy kinds1 as commonly grown in gardens4 ,there are tender kinds of the ,east ,indian families that are quite harmonious1 but those now in question are the ordinary varieties of so-called ,ghent ,azaleas1 and the hardy hybrid ,rhododendrons4 ,in the case of small gardens1 where there is only room for one bed or clump of peat plants1 it would be better to have a group of either one or the other of these plants1 rather than spoil the effect by the inharmonious mixture of both4 ,i always think it desirable to group together flowers that bloom at the same time4 ,it is impossible1 and even undesirable1 to have a garden in blossom all over1 and groups of flower-beauty are all the more enjoyable for being more or less isolated by stretches of intervening greenery4 ,as one lovely group for ,may ,i recommend ,moutan ,paeony and ,clematis montana1 the ,clematis on a wall low enough to let its wreaths of bloom show near the ,paeony4 ,the old ,guelder ,rose or ,snowball-tree is beautiful anywhere1 but ,i think it best of all on the cold side of a wall4 ,of course it is perfectly hardy1 and a bush of strong1 sturdy growth1 and has no need of the wall either for support or for shelter2 but ,i am for clothing the garden walls with all the prettiest things they can wear1 and no shrub ,i know makes a better show4 ,moreover1 as there is necessarily less wood in a flat wall tree than in a round bush1 and as the front shoots must be pruned close back1 it follows that much more strength is thrown into the remaining wood1 and the blooms are much larger4 ,i have a north wall eleven feet high1 with a ,guelder ,rose on each side of a doorway1 and a ,clematis montana that is trained on the top of the whole4 ,the two flower at the same time1 their growths mingling in friendly fashion1 while their unlikeness of habit makes the companionship all the more interesting4 ,the ,guelder ,rose is a stiff-wooded thing1 the character of its main stems being a kind of stark uprightness1 though the great white balls hang out with a certain freedom from the newly-grown shoots4 ,the ,clematis meets it with an exactly opposite way of growth1 swinging down its great swags of many-flowered garland masses into the head of its companion1 with here and there a single flowering streamer making a tiny wreath on its own account4 ,on the southern sides of the same gateway are two large bushes of the ,mexican ,orange-flower 7,choisya ternata71 loaded with its orange-like bloom4 ,buttresses flank the doorway on this side1 dying away into the general thickness of the wall above the arch by a kind of roofing of broad flat stones that lay back at an easy pitch4 ,in mossy hollows at their joints and angles1 some tufts of ,thrift and of little ,rock ,pinks have found a home1 and show as tenderly-coloured tufts of rather dull pink bloom4 ,above all is the same white ,clematis1 some of its abundant growth having been trained over the south side1 so that this one plant plays a somewhat important part in two garden-scenes4 ,through the gateway again1 beyond the wall northward and partly within its shade1 is a portion of ground devoted to ,paeonies1 in shape a long triangle1 whose proportion in length is about thrice its breadth measured at the widest end4 ,a low cross-wall1 five feet high1 divides it nearly in half near the ,guelder ,roses1 and it is walled again on the other long side of the triangle by a rough structure of stone and earth1 which1 in compliment to its appearance1 we call the ,old ,wall1 of which ,i shall have something to say later4 ,thus the ,paeonies are protected all round1 for they like a sheltered place1 and the ,moutans do best with even a little passing shade at some time of the day4 ,moutan is the ,chinese name for ,tree ,paeony4 ,for an immense hardy flower of beautiful colouring what can equal the salmon-rose ,moutan ,reine ,elizabeth8 ,among the others that ,i have1 those that give me most pleasure are ,baronne d',ales and ,comtesse de ,tuder1 both pinks of a delightful quality1 and a lovely white called ,bijou de ,chusan4 ,the ,tree ,paeonies are also beautiful in leaf2 the individual leaves are large and important1 and so carried that they are well displayed4 ,their colour is peculiar1 being bluish1 but pervaded with a suspicion of pink or pinkish-bronze1 sometimes of a metallic quality that faintly recalls some of the variously-coloured alloys of metal that the ,japanese bronze-workers make and use with such consummate skill4 ,illustration3 ,,south ,,side ,,of ,,door1 ,,with ,,clematis ,,montana ,,and ,,choisya4 ,illustration3 ,,north ,,side ,,of ,,the ,,same ,,door1 ,,with ,,clematis ,,montana ,,and ,,guelder-,,rose4 ,it is a matter of regret that varieties of the better kinds of ,moutans are not generally grown on their own roots1 and still more so that the stock in common use should not even be the type ,tree ,paeony1 but one of the herbaceous kinds1 so that we have plants of a hard-wooded shrub worked on a thing as soft as a ,dahlia root4 ,this is probably the reason why they are so difficult to establish1 and so slow to grow1 especially on light soils1 even when their beds have been made deep and liberally enriched with what one judges to be the most gratifying comfort4 ,every now and then1 just before blooming time1 a plant goes off all at once1 smitten with sudden death4 ,at the time of making my collection ,i was unable to visit the ,french nurseries where these plants are so admirably grown1 and whence most of the best kinds have come4 ,i had to choose them by the catalogue description--always an unsatisfactory way to any one with a keen eye for colour1 although in this matter the compilers of foreign catalogues are certainly less vague than those of our own4 ,many of the plants therefore had to be shifted into better groups for colour after their first blooming1 a matter the more to be regretted as ,paeonies dislike being moved4 ,the other half of the triangular bit of ,paeony ground--the pointed end--is given to the kinds ,i like best of the large ,june-flowered ,paeonies1 the garden varieties of the ,siberian ,p4 albiflora1 popularly known as ,chinese ,paeonies4 ,though among these1 as is the case with all the kinds1 there is a preponderance of pink or rose-crimson colouring of a decidedly rank quality1 yet the number of varieties is so great1 that among the minority of really good colouring there are plenty to choose from1 including a good number of beautiful whites and whites tinged with yellow4 ,of those ,i have1 the kinds ,i like best are-- ,hypatia1 pink4 ,madame ,benare1 salmon-rose4 ,the ,queen1 pale salmon-rose4 ,leonie1 salmon-rose4 ,virginie1 warm white4 ,solfaterre1 pale yellow4 ,edouard ,andre1 deep claret4 ,madame ,calot1 flesh pink4 ,madame ,breon4 ,alba sulfurea4 ,triomphans gandavensis4 ,carnea elegans 7,guerin74 ,curiosa1 pink and blush4 ,prince ,pierre ,galitzin1 blush4 ,eugenie ,verdier1 pale pink4 ,elegans superbissima1 yellowish-white4 ,virgo ,maria1 white4 ,philomele1 blush4 ,madame ,dhour1 rose4 ,duchesse de ,nemours1 yellow-white4 ,faust4 ,belle ,douaisienne4 ,jeanne d',arc4 ,marie ,lemoine4 ,many of the lovely flowers in this class have a rather strong1 sweet smell1 something like a mixture of the scents of ,rose and ,tulip4 ,then there are the old garden ,paeonies1 the double varieties of ,p4 officinalis4 ,they are in three distinct colourings--full rich crimson1 crimson-rose1 and pale pink changing to dull white4 ,these are the earliest to flower1 and with them it is convenient1 from the garden point of view1 to class some of the desirable species4 ,some years ago my friend ,mr4 ,barr kindly gave me a set of the ,paeony species as grown by him4 ,i wished to have them1 not for the sake of making a collection1 but in order to see which were the ones ,i should like best to grow as garden flowers4 ,in due time they grew into strong plants and flowered4 ,a good many had to be condemned because of the raw magenta colour of the bloom1 one or two only that had this defect being reprieved on account of their handsome foliage and habit4 ,prominent among these was ,p4 decora1 with bluish foliage handsomely displayed1 the whole plant looking strong and neat and well-dressed4 ,others whose flower-colour ,i cannot commend1 but that seemed worth growing on account of their rich masses of handsome foliage1 are ,p4 triternata and ,p4 ,broteri4 ,though small in size1 the light red flower of ,p4 lobata is of a beautiful colour4 ,p4 tenuifolia1 in both single and double form1 is an old garden favourite4 ,p4 ,wittmanniana1 with its yellow-green leaves and tender yellow flower1 is a gem2 but it is rather rare1 and probably uncertain1 for mine1 alas6 had no sooner grown into a fine clump than it suddenly died4 ,all ,paeonies are strong feeders4 ,their beds should be deeply and richly prepared1 and in later years they are grateful for liberal gifts of manure1 both as surface dressings and waterings4 ,friends often ask me vaguely about ,paeonies1 and when ,i say1 ,what kind of ,paeonies8 they have not the least idea4 ,broadly1 and for garden purposes1 one may put them into three classes-- #a4 ,tree ,paeonies 7,p4 moutan71 shrubby1 flowering in ,may4 #b4 ,chinese ,paeonies 7,p4 albiflora71 herbaceous1 flowering in ,june4 #c4 ,old garden ,paeonies 7,p4 officinalis71 herbaceous1 including some other herbaceous species4 ,i find it convenient to grow ,paeony species and ,caulescent 7,lent7 ,hellebores together4 ,they are in a wide border on the north side of the high wall and partly shaded by it4 ,they are agreed in their liking for deeply-worked ground with an admixture of loam and lime1 for shelter1 and for rich feeding2 and the ,paeony clumps1 set1 as it were1 in picture frames of the lower-growing ,hellebores1 are seen to all the more advantage4 ,illustration3 ,,free ,,cluster-,,rose ,,as ,,standard ,,in ,a ,,cottage ,,garden4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,june ,the gladness of ,june -- ,the time of ,roses -- ,garden ,roses -- ,reine ,blanche -- ,the old white ,rose -- ,old garden ,roses as standards -- ,climbing and rambling ,roses -- ,scotch ,briars -- ,hybrid ,perpetuals a difficulty -- ,tea ,roses -- ,pruning -- ,sweet ,peas1 autumn sown -- ,elder-trees -- ,virginian ,cowslip -- ,dividing spring-blooming plants -- ,two best ,mulleins -- ,white ,french ,willow -- ,bracken4 ,what is one to say about ,june--the time of perfect young summer1 the fulfilment of the promise of the earlier months1 and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade8 ,for my own part ,i wander up into the wood and say1 ,june is here--,june is here2 thank ,god for lovely ,june6 ,the soft cooing of the wood-dove1 the glad song of many birds1 the flitting of butterflies1 the hum of all the little winged people among the branches1 the sweet earth-scents--all seem to say the same1 with an endless reiteration1 never wearying because so gladsome4 ,it is the offering of the ,hymn of ,praise6 ,the lizards run in and out of the heathy tufts in the hot sunshine1 and as the long day darkens the night-jar trolls out his strange song1 so welcome because it is the prelude to the perfect summer night2 here and there a glowworm shows its little lamp4 ,june is here--,june is here2 thank ,god for lovely ,june6 ,and ,june is the time of ,roses4 ,i have great delight in the best of the old garden ,roses2 the ,provence 7,cabbage ,rose71 sweetest of all sweets1 and the ,moss ,rose1 its crested variety2 the early ,damask1 and its red and white striped kind2 the old1 nearly single1 ,reine ,blanche4 ,i do not know the origin of this charming ,rose1 but by its appearance it should be related to the ,damask4 ,a good many years ago ,i came upon it in a cottage garden in ,sussex1 and thought ,i had found a white ,damask4 ,the white is a creamy white1 the outsides of the outer petals are stained with red1 first showing clearly in the bud4 ,the scent is delicate and delightful1 with a faint suspicion of ,magnolia4 ,a few years ago this pretty old ,rose found its way to one of the meetings of the ,royal ,horticultural ,society1 where it gained much praise4 ,it was there that ,i recognised my old friend1 and learned its name4 ,i am fond of the old ,rosa alba1 both single and double1 and its daughter1 ,maiden's ,blush4 ,how seldom one sees these ,roses except in cottage gardens2 but what good taste it shows on the cottager's part1 for what ,rose is so perfectly at home upon the modest little wayside porch8 ,i have also learnt from cottage gardens how pretty are some of the old ,roses grown as standards4 ,the picture of my neighbour1 ,mrs4 ,edgeler1 picking me a bunch from her bush1 shows how freely they flower1 and what fine standards they make4 ,i have taken the hint1 and have now some big round-headed standards1 the heads a yard through1 of the lovely ,celeste and of ,madame ,plantier1 that are worth looking at1 though one of them is rather badly-shaped this year1 for my handsome ,jack 7donkey7 ate one side of it when he was waiting outside the studio door1 while his cart-load of logs for the ingle fire was being unloaded4 ,what a fine thing1 among the cluster ,roses1 is the old ,dundee ,rambler6 ,i trained one to go up a rather upright green ,holly about twenty-five feet high1 and now it has rushed up and tumbles out at the top and sides in masses of its pretty bloom4 ,it is just as good grown as a fountain1 giving it a free space where it can spread at will with no training or support whatever4 ,these two ways ,i think are much the best for growing the free1 rambling ,roses4 ,in the case of the fountain1 the branches arch over and display the flowers to perfection2 if you tie your ,rose up to a tall post or train it over an arch or pergola1 the birds flying overhead have the best of the show4 ,the ,garland ,rose1 another old sort1 is just as suitable for this kind of growth as ,dundee ,rambler1 and the individual flowers1 of a tender blush-colour1 changing to white1 are even more delicate and pretty4 ,the newer ,crimson ,rambler is a noble plant for the same use1 in sunlight gorgeous of bloom1 and always brilliant with its glossy bright-green foliage4 ,of the many good plants from ,japan1 this is the best that has reached us of late years4 ,the ,himalayan ,rosa ,brunonii is loaded with its clusters of milk-white bloom1 that are so perfectly in harmony with its very long1 almost blue leaves4 ,but of all the free-growing ,roses1 the most remarkable for rampant growth is ,r4 polyantha4 ,one of the bushes in this garden covers a space thirty-four feet across--more than a hundred feet round4 ,it forms a great fountain-like mass1 covered with myriads of its small white flowers1 whose scent is carried a considerable distance4 ,directly the flower is over it throws up rods of young growth eighteen to twenty feet long2 as they mature they arch over1 and next year their many short lateral shoots will be smothered with bloom4 ,two other ,roses of free growth are also great favourites--,madame ,alfred ,carriere1 with long-stalked loose white flowers1 and ,emilie ,plantier4 ,i have them on an east fence1 where they yield a large quantity of bloom for cutting2 indeed1 they have been so useful in this way that ,i have planted several more1 but this time for training down to an oak trellis1 like the one that supports the row of ,bouquet d',or1 in order to bring the flowers within easier reach4 ,now we look for the bloom of the ,burnet ,rose 7,rosa spinosissima71 a lovely native plant1 and its garden varieties1 the ,scotch ,briars4 ,the wild plant is widely distributed in ,england1 though somewhat local4 ,it grows on moors in ,scotland1 and on ,beachy ,head in ,sussex1 and near ,tenby in ,south ,wales1 favouring wild places within smell of the sea4 ,the rather dusky foliage sets off the lemon-white of the wild1 and the clear white1 pink1 rose1 and pale yellow of the double garden kinds4 ,the hips are large and handsome1 black and glossy1 and the whole plant in late autumn assumes a fine bronzy colouring between ashy black and dusky red4 ,other small old garden ,roses are coming into bloom4 ,one of the most desirable1 and very frequent in this district1 is ,rosa lucida1 with red stems1 highly-polished leaves1 and single1 fragrant flowers of pure rosy-pink colour4 ,the leaves turn a brilliant yellow in autumn1 and after they have fallen the bushes are still bright with the coloured stems and the large clusters of bright-red hips4 ,it is the ,st4 ,mark's ,rose of ,venice1 where it is usually in flower on ,st4 ,mark's ,day1 ,april #beth4 ,the double variety is the old ,rose d'amour1 now rare in gardens2 its half-expanded bud is perhaps the most daintily beautiful thing that any ,rose can show4 ,illustration3 ,,double ,,white ,,scotch ,,briar4 ,after many years of fruitless effort ,i have to allow that ,i am beaten in the attempt to grow the ,grand ,roses in the ,hybrid ,perpetual class4 ,they plainly show their dislike to our dry hill1 even when their beds are as well enriched as ,i can contrive or afford to make them4 ,the rich loam that they love has to come many miles from the ,weald by hilly roads in four-horse waggons1 and the haulage is so costly that when it arrives ,i feel like distributing it with a spoon rather than with the spade4 ,moreover1 even if a bed is filled with the precious loam1 unless constantly watered the plants seem to feel and resent the two hundred feet of dry sand and rock that is under them before any moister stratum is reached4 ,but the ,tea ,roses are more accommodating1 and do fairly well1 though1 of course1 not so well as in a stiffer soil4 ,if ,i were planting again ,i should grow a still larger proportion of the kinds ,i have now found to do best4 ,far beyond all others is ,madame ,lambard1 good alike early and late1 and beautiful at all times4 ,in this garden it yields quite three times as much bloom as any other2 nothing else can approach it either for beauty or bounty4 ,viscountess ,folkestone1 not properly a ,tea1 but classed among ,hybrid ,noisettes1 is also free and beautiful and long-enduring2 and ,papa ,gontier1 so like a deeper-coloured ,lambard1 is another favourite4 ,bouquet d',or is here the strongest of the ,dijon ,teas4 ,i grow it in several positions1 but most conveniently on a strong bit of oak post and rail trellis1 keeping the long growths tied down1 and every two years cutting the oldest wood right out4 ,it is well to remember that the tying or pegging down of ,roses always makes them bloom better3 every joint from end to end wants to make a good ,rose2 if the shoots are more upright1 the blooming strength goes more to the top4 ,the pruning of ,tea ,roses is quite different from the pruning required for the ,hybrid ,perpetuals4 ,in these the last year's growth is cut back in ,march to within two to five eyes from where it leaves the main branch1 according to the strength of the kind4 ,this must not be done with the ,teas4 ,with these the oldest wood is cut right out from the base1 and the blooming shoots left full length4 ,but it is well1 towards the end of ,july or beginning of ,august1 to cut back the ends of soft summer shoots in order to give them a chance of ripening what is left4 ,when an old ,tea looks worn out1 if cut right down in ,march or ,april it will often throw out vigorous young growth1 and quite renew its life4 ,illustration3 ,,part ,,of ,a ,,bush ,,of ,,rosa ,,polyantha4 ,illustration3 ,,garland-,,rose1 ,,showing ,,natural ,,way ,,of ,,growth4 ,within the first days of ,june we can generally pick some ,sweet ,peas from the rows sown in the second week of ,september4 ,they are very much stronger than those sown in spring4 ,by ,november they are four inches high1 and seem to gain strength and sturdiness during the winter2 for as soon as spring comes they shoot up with great vigour1 and we know that the spray used to support them must be two feet higher than for those that are spring-sown4 ,the flower-stalks are a foot long1 and many have four flowers on a stalk4 ,they are sown in shallow trenches2 in spring they are earthed up very slightly1 but still with a little trench at the base of the plants4 ,a few doses of liquid manure are a great help when they are getting towards blooming strength4 ,i am very fond of the ,elder-tree4 ,it is a sociable sort of thing2 it seems to like to grow near human habitations4 ,in my own mind it is certainly the tree most closely associated with the pretty old cottage and farm architecture of my part of the country2 no bush or tree1 not even the apple1 seems to group so well or so closely with farm buildings4 ,when ,i built a long thatched shed for the many needs of the garden1 in the region of pits and frames1 compost1 rubbish and burn-heap1 ,i planted ,elders close to the end of the building and on one side of the yard4 ,they look just right1 and are1 moreover1 every year loaded with their useful fruit4 ,this is ripe quite early in ,september1 and is made into ,elder wine1 to be drunk hot in winter1 a comfort by no means to be despised4 ,my trees now give enough for my own wants1 and there are generally a few acceptable bushels to spare for my cottage neighbours4 ,about the middle of the month the ,virginian ,cowslip 7,mertensia virginica7 begins to turn yellow before dying down4 ,now is the time to look out for the seeds4 ,a few ripen on the plant1 but most of them fall while green1 and then ripen in a few days while lying on the ground4 ,i shake the seeds carefully out1 and leave them lying round the parent-plant2 a week later1 when they will be ripe1 they are lightly scratched into the ground4 ,some young plants of last year's growth ,i mark with a bit of stick1 in case of wanting some later to plant elsewhere1 or to send away2 the plant dies away completely1 leaving no trace above ground1 so that if not marked it would be difficult to find what is wanted4 ,illustration3 ,,lilac ,,marie ,,legraye4 7,see page #bc47 ,illustration3 ,,flowering ,,elder ,,and ,,path ,,from ,,garden ,,to ,,copse4 ,this is also the time for pulling to pieces and replanting that good spring plant1 the large variety of ,myosotis dissitiflora2 ,i always make sure of divisions1 as seed does not come true4 ,primula rosea should also be divided now1 and planted to grow on in a cool place1 such as the foot of a north or east wall1 or be put at once in its place in some cool1 rather moist spot in the rock-garden4 ,two-year-old plants come up with thick clumps of matted root that is now useless4 ,i cut off the whole mass of old root about an inch below the crown1 when it can easily be divided into nice little bits for replanting4 ,many other spring-flowering plants may with advantage be divided now1 such as ,aubrietia1 ,arabis1 ,auricula1 ,tiarella1 and ,saxifrage4 ,the young ,primrose plants1 sown in ,march1 have been planted out in their special garden1 and are looking well after some genial rain4 ,the great branching ,mullein1 ,verbascum olympicum1 is just going out of bloom1 after making a brilliant display for a fortnight4 ,it is followed by the other of the most useful tall1 yellow-flowered kinds1 ,v4 phlomoides4 ,both are seen at their best either quite early in the morning1 or in the evening1 or in half-shade1 as1 like all their kind1 they do not expand their bloom in bright sunshine4 ,both are excellent plants on poor soils4 ,v4 olympicum1 though classed as a biennial1 does not come to flowering strength till it is three or four years old2 but meanwhile the foliage is so handsome that even if there were no flower it would be a worthy garden plant4 ,it does well in any waste spaces of poor soil1 where1 by having plants of all ages1 there will be some to flower every year4 ,the ,mullein moth is sure to find them out1 and it behoves the careful gardener to look for and destroy the caterpillars1 or he may some day find1 instead of his stately ,mulleins1 tall stems only clothed with unsightly grey rags4 ,the caterpillars are easily caught when quite small or when rather large2 but midway in their growth1 when three-quarters of an inch long1 they are wary1 and at the approach of the avenging gardener they will give a sudden wriggling jump1 and roll down into the lower depths of the large foliage1 where they are difficult to find4 ,but by going round the plants twice a day for about a week they can all be discovered4 ,the white variety of the ,french ,willow 7,epilobium angustifolium7 is a pretty plant in the edges of the copse1 good both in sun and shade1 and flourishing in any poor soil4 ,in better ground it grows too rank1 running quickly at the root and invading all its neighbours1 so that it should be planted with great caution2 but when grown on poor ground it flowers at from two feet to four feet high1 and its whole aspect is improved by the proportional amount of flower becoming much larger4 ,towards the end of ,june the bracken that covers the greater part of the ground of the copse is in full beauty4 ,no other manner of undergrowth gives to woodland in so great a degree the true forest-like character4 ,this most ancient plant speaks of the old1 untouched land of which large stretches still remain in the south of ,england--land too poor to have been worth cultivating1 and that has therefore for centuries endured human contempt4 ,in the early part of the present century1 ,william ,cobbett1 in his delightful book1 ,rural ,rides1 speaking of the heathy headlands and vast hollow of ,hindhead1 in ,surrey1 calls it certainly the most villainous spot ,god ever made4 ,this gives expression to his view1 as farmer and political economist1 of such places as were incapable of cultivation1 and of the general feeling of the time about lonely roads in waste places1 as the fields for the lawless labours of smuggler and highwayman4 ,now such tracts of natural wild beauty1 clothed with stretches of ,heath and ,fern and ,whortleberry1 with beds of ,sphagnum ,moss1 and little natural wild gardens of curious and beautiful sub-aquatic plants in the marshy hollows and undrained wastes1 are treasured as such places deserve to be1 especially when they still remain within fifty miles of a vast city4 ,the height to which the bracken grows is a sure guide to the depth of soil4 ,on the poorest1 thinnest ground it only reaches a foot or two2 but in hollow places where leaf-mould accumulates and surface soil has washed in and made a better depth1 it grows from six feet to eight feet high1 and when straggling up through bushes to get to the light a frond will sometimes measure as much as twelve feet4 ,the old country people who have always lived on the same poor land say1 ,where the farn grows tall anything will grow2 but that only means that there the ground is somewhat better and capable of cultivation1 as its presence is a sure indication of a sandy soil4 ,the timber-merchants are shy of buying oak trees felled from among it1 the timber of trees grown on the wealden clay being so much better4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,july ,scarcity of flowers -- ,delphiniums -- ,yuccas -- ,cottager's way of protecting tender plants -- ,alstroemerias -- ,carnations -- ,gypsophila -- ,lilium giganteum -- ,cutting fern-pegs4 ,after the wealth of bloom of ,june1 there appear to be but few flowers in the garden2 there seems to be a time of comparative emptiness between the earlier flowers and those of autumn4 ,it is true that in the early days of ,july we have ,delphiniums1 the grandest blues of the flower year4 ,they are in two main groups in the flower border1 one of them nearly all of the palest kind--not a solid clump1 but with a thicker nucleus1 thinning away for several yards right and left4 ,only white and pale-yellow flowers are grouped with this1 and pale1 fresh-looking foliage of maize and ,funkia4 ,the other group is at some distance1 at the extreme western end4 ,this is of the full and deeper blues1 following a clump of ,yuccas1 and grouped about with things of important silvery foliage1 such as ,globe ,artichoke and ,silver ,thistle 7,eryngium74 ,i have found it satisfactory to grow ,delphiniums from seed1 choosing the fine strong ,cantab as the seed-parent1 because the flowers were of a medium colour--scarcely so light as the name would imply--and because of its vigorous habit and well-shaped spike4 ,it produced flowers of all shades of blue1 and from these were derived nearly all ,i have in the border4 ,i found them better for the purpose in many cases than the named kinds of which ,i had a fair collection4 ,the seedlings were well grown for two years in nursery lines1 worthless ones being taken out as soon as they showed their character4 ,there is one common defect that ,i cannot endure--an interrupted spike1 when the flowers1 having filled a good bit of the spike1 leave off1 leaving a space of bare stem1 and then go on again4 ,if this habit proves to be persistent after the two years' trial1 the plant is condemned4 ,for my liking the spike must be well filled1 but not overcrowded4 ,many of the show kinds are too full for beauty2 the shape of the individual flower is lost4 ,some of the double ones are handsome1 but in these the flower takes another shape1 becoming more rosette-like1 and thereby loses its original character4 ,some are of mixed colouring1 a shade of lilac-pink sliding through pale blue4 ,it is very beautiful in some cases1 the respective tints remaining as clear as in an opal1 but in many it only muddles the flower and makes it ineffective4 ,delphiniums are greedy feeders1 and pay for rich cultivation and for liberal manurial mulches and waterings4 ,in a hot summer1 if not well cared for1 they get stunted and are miserable objects1 the flower distorted and cramped into a clumsy-looking1 elongated mop-head4 ,though weak in growth the old ,delphinium ,belladonna has so lovely a quality of colour that it is quite indispensable2 the feeble stem should be carefully and unobtrusively staked for the better display of its incomparable blue4 ,some of the ,yuccas will bloom before the end of the month4 ,i have them in bold patches the whole fifteen-feet depth of the border at the extreme ends1 and on each side of the pathway1 where1 passing from the lawn to the ,paeony ground1 it cuts across the border to go through the arched gateway4 ,the kinds of ,yucca are gloriosa1 recurva1 flaccida1 and filamentosa4 ,they are good to look at at all times of the year because of their grand strong foliage1 and are the glory of the garden when in flower4 ,one of the gloriosa threw up a stout flower-spike in ,january4 ,i had thought of protecting and roofing the spike1 in the hope of carrying it safely through till spring1 but meanwhile there came a damp day and a frosty night1 and when ,i saw it again it was spoilt4 ,the ,yucca filamentosa that ,i have ,i was told by a trusty botanist was the true plant1 but rather tender1 the one commonly called by that name being something else4 ,i found it in a cottage garden1 where ,i learnt a useful lesson in protecting plants1 namely1 the use of thickly-cut peaty sods4 ,the goodwife had noticed that the peaty ground of the adjoining common1 covered with heath and gorse and mossy grass1 resisted frost much better than the garden or meadow1 and it had been her practice for many years to get some thick dry sods with the heath left on and to pack them close round to protect tender plants4 ,in this way she had preserved her ,fuchsias of greenhouse kinds1 and ,calceolarias1 and the ,yucca in question4 ,the most brilliant mass of flower in early ,july is given by the beds of ,alstroemeria aurantiaca2 of this we have three distinct varieties1 all desirable4 ,there is a four feet wide bed1 some forty feet long1 of the kind most common in gardens1 and at a distance from it a group grown from selected seed of a paler colour2 seedlings of this remain true to colour1 or1 as gardeners say1 the variety is fixed4 ,the third sort is from a good old garden in ,ireland1 larger in every way than the type1 with petals of great width1 and extremely rich in colour4 ,alstroemeria chilense is an equally good plant1 and beds of it are beautiful in their varied colourings1 all beautifully harmonious1 and ranging through nearly the same tints as hardy ,azaleas4 ,these are the best of the ,alstroemerias for ordinary garden culture2 they do well in warm1 sheltered places in the poorest soil1 but the soil must be deep1 for the bunches of tender1 fleshy roots go far down4 ,the roots are extremely brittle1 and must be carefully handled4 ,alstroemerias are easily raised from seed1 but when the seedlings are planted out the crowns should be quite four inches under the surface1 and have a thick bed of leaves or some other mild mulching material over them in winter to protect them from frost1 for they are ,chilian plants1 and demand and deserve a little surface comfort to carry them safely through the average ,english winter4 ,sea-holly 7,eryngium7 is another family of ,july-flowering plants that does well on poor1 sandy soils that have been deeply stirred4 ,of these the more generally useful is ,e4 ,oliverianum1 the ,e4 amethystinum of nurserymen1 but so named in error1 the true plant being rare and scarcely known in gardens4 ,the whole plant has an admirable structure of a dry and nervous quality1 with a metallic colouring and dull lustre that are in strong contrast to softer types of vegetation4 ,the black-coated roots go down straight and deep1 and enable it to withstand almost any drought4 ,equalling it in beauty is ,e4 giganteum1 the ,silver ,thistle1 of the same metallic texture1 but whitish and almost silvery4 ,this is a biennial1 and should be sown every year4 ,a more lowly plant1 but hardly less beautiful1 is the wild ,sea-holly of our coasts 7,e4 maritimum71 with leaves almost blue1 and a handsome tuft of flower nearly matching them in colour4 ,it occurs on wind-blown sandhills1 but is worth a place in any garden4 ,it comes up rather late1 but endures1 apparently unchanged1 except for the bloom1 throughout the late summer and autumn4 ,but the flower of this month that has the firmest hold of the gardener's heart is the ,carnation--the ,clove ,gilliflower of our ancestors4 ,why the good old name ,gilliflower has gone out of use it is impossible to say1 for certainly the popularity of the flower has never waned4 ,indeed1 in the seventeenth century it seems that it was the best-loved flower of all in ,england2 for ,john ,parkinson1 perhaps our earliest writer on garden plants1 devotes to it a whole chapter in his ,paradisus ,terrestris1 a distinction shared by no other flower4 ,he describes no less than fifty kinds1 a few of which are still to be recognised1 though some are lost4 ,for instance1 what has become of the great gray ,hulo which he describes as a plant of the largest and strongest habit8 ,the gray in this must refer to the colour of the leaf1 as he says the flower is red2 but there is also a variety called the blew ,hulo1 with flowers of a purplish murrey colouring1 answering to the slate colour that we know as of not unfrequent occurrence4 ,the branch of the family that we still cultivate as ,painted ,lady is named by him ,dainty ,lady1 the present name being no doubt an accidental and regrettable corruption4 ,but though some of the older sorts may be lost1 we have such a wealth of good known kinds that this need hardly be a matter of regret4 ,the old red ,clove always holds its own for hardiness1 beauty1 and perfume2 its newer and dwarfer variety1 ,paul ,engleheart1 is quite indispensable1 while the beautiful salmon-coloured ,raby is perhaps the most useful of all1 with its hardy constitution and great quantity of bloom4 ,but it is difficult to grow ,carnations on our very poor soil2 even when it is carefully prepared they still feel its starving and drying influence1 and show their distaste by unusual shortness of life4 ,gypsophila paniculata is one of the most useful plants of this time of year2 its delicate masses of bloom are like clouds of flowery mist settled down upon the flower borders4 ,shooting up behind and among it is a tall1 salmon-coloured ,gladiolus1 a telling contrast both in form and manner of inflorescence4 ,nothing in the garden has been more satisfactory and useful than a hedge of the white everlasting ,pea4 ,the thick1 black roots that go down straight and deep have been undisturbed for some years1 and the plants yield a harvest of strong white bloom for cutting that always seems inexhaustible4 ,they are staked with stiff1 branching spray1 thrust into the ground diagonally1 and not reaching up too high4 ,this supports the heavy mass of growth without encumbering the upper blooming part4 ,hydrangeas are well in flower at the foot of a warm wall1 and in the same position are spreading masses of the beautiful ,clematis ,davidiana1 a herbaceous kind1 with large1 somewhat vine-like leaves1 and flowers of a pale-blue colour of a delicate and uncommon quality4 ,the blooming of the ,lilium giganteum is one of the great flower events of the year4 ,it is planted in rather large straggling groups just within the fringe of the copse4 ,in ,march the bulbs1 which are only just underground1 thrust their sharply-pointed bottle-green tips out of the earth4 ,these soon expand into heart-shaped leaves1 looking much like ,arum foliage of the largest size1 and of a bright-green colour and glistening surface4 ,the groups are so placed that they never see the morning sun4 ,they require a slight sheltering of fir-bough1 or anything suitable1 till the third week of ,may1 to protect the young leaves from the late frosts4 ,in ,june the flower-stem shoots up straight and tall1 like a vigorous young green-stemmed tree4 ,if the bulb is strong and the conditions suitable1 it will attain a height of over eleven feet1 but among the flowering bulbs of a group there are sure to be some of various heights from differently sized bulbs2 those whose stature is about ten feet are perhaps the handsomest4 ,the upper part of the stem bears the gracefully drooping great white ,lily flowers1 each bloom some ten inches long1 greenish when in bud1 but changing to white when fully developed4 ,inside each petal is a purplish-red stripe4 ,in the evening the scent seems to pour out of the great white trumpets1 and is almost overpowering1 but gains a delicate quality by passing through the air1 and at fifty yards away is like a faint waft of incense4 ,in the evening light1 when the sun is down1 the great heads of white flower have a mysterious and impressive effect when seen at some distance through the wood1 and by moonlight have a strangely weird dignity4 ,the flowers only last a few days1 but when they are over the beauty of the plant is by no means gone1 for the handsome leaves remain in perfection till the autumn1 while the growing seed-pods1 rising into an erect position1 become large and rather handsome objects4 ,the rapidity and vigour of the four months' growth from bulb to giant flowering plant is very remarkable4 ,the stem is a hollow1 fleshy tube1 three inches in diameter at the base1 and the large radiating roots are like those of a tree4 ,the original bulb is1 of course1 gone1 but when the plants that have flowered are taken up at the end of ,november1 offsets are found clustered round the root2 these are carefully detached and replanted4 ,the great growth of these ,lilies could not be expected to come to perfection in our very poor1 shallow soil1 for doubtless in their mountain home in the ,eastern ,himalayas they grow in deep beds of cool vegetable earth4 ,here1 therefore1 their beds are deeply excavated1 and filled to within a foot of the top with any of the vegetable rubbish of which only too much accumulates in the late autumn4 ,holes twelve feet across and three feet deep are convenient graves for frozen ,dahlia-tops and half-hardy ,annuals2 a quantity of such material chopped up and tramped down close forms a cool subsoil that will comfort the ,lily bulbs for many a year4 ,the upper foot of soil is of good compost1 and when the young bulbs are planted1 the whole is covered with some inches of dead leaves that join in with the natural woodland carpet4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,giant ,,lily4 ,in the end of ,july we have some of the hottest of the summer days1 only beginning to cool between six and seven in the evening4 ,one or two evenings ,i go to the upper part of the wood to cut some fern-pegs for pegging ,carnation layers1 armed with fag-hook and knife and rubber1 and a low rush-bottomed stool to sit on4 ,the rubber is the stone for sharpening the knife--a long stone of coarse sandstone grit1 such as is used for scythes4 ,whenever ,i am at work with a knife there is sure to be a rubber not far off1 for a blunt knife ,i cannot endure1 so there is a stone in each department of the garden sheds1 and a whole series in the workshop1 and one or two to spare to take on outside jobs4 ,the ,bracken has to be cut with a light hand1 as the side-shoots that will make the hook of the peg are easily broken just at the important joint4 ,the fronds are of all sizes1 from two to eight feet long2 but the best for pegs are the moderate-sized1 that have not been weakened by growing too close together4 ,where they are crowded the main stalk is thick1 but the side ones are thin and weak2 whereas1 where they get light and air the side branches are carried on stouter ribs1 and make stronger and better-balanced pegs4 ,the cut fern is lightly laid in a long ridge with the ends all one way1 and the operator sits at the stalk end of the ridge1 a nice cool shady place having been chosen4 ,four cuts with the knife make a peg1 and each frond makes three pegs in about fifteen seconds4 ,with the fronds laid straight and handy it goes almost rhythmically1 then each group of three pegs is thrown into the basket1 where they clash on to the others with a hard ringing sound4 ,in about four days the pegs dry to a surprising hardness2 they are better than wooden ones1 and easier and quicker to make4 ,people who are not used to handling ,bracken should be careful how they cut a frond with a knife2 they are almost sure to get a nasty little cut on the second joint of the first finger of the right hand--not from the knife1 but from the cut edge of the fern4 ,the stalk has a silicious coating1 that leaves a sharp edge like a thin flake of glass when cut diagonally with a sharp knife2 they should also beware how they pick or pull off a mature frond1 for even if the part of the stalk laid hold of is bruised and twisted1 some of the glassy structure holds together and is likely to wound the hand4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,august ,leycesteria -- ,early recollections -- ,bank of choice shrubs -- ,bank of ,briar ,roses -- ,hollyhocks -- ,lavender -- ,lilies -- ,bracken and ,heaths -- ,the ,fern-walk -- ,late-blooming rock-plants -- ,autumn flowers -- ,tea ,roses -- ,fruit of ,rosa rugosa -- ,fungi -- ,chantarelle4 ,leycesteria formosa is a soft-wooded shrub1 whose beauty1 without being showy1 is full of charm and refinement4 ,i remember delighting in it in the shrub-wilderness of the old home1 where ,i first learnt to know and love many a good bush and tree long before ,i knew their names4 ,there were towering ,rhododendrons 7all ponticum7 and ,ailanthus and ,hickory and ,magnolias1 and then ,spiraea and ,snowball tree and tall yellow ,azalea1 and ,buttercup bush and shrubby ,andromedas1 and in some of the clumps tall ,cypresses and the pretty cut-leaved ,beech1 and in the edges of others some of the good old garden ,roses1 double ,cinnamon and ,r4 lucida1 and ,damask and ,provence1 ,moss-rose and ,sweetbriar1 besides tall-grown ,lilacs and ,syringa4 ,it was all rather overgrown1 and perhaps all the prettier1 and some of the wide grassy ways were quite shady in summer4 ,and ,i look back across the years and think what a fine lesson-book it was to a rather solitary child2 and when ,i came to plant my own shrub clump ,i thought ,i would put rather near together some of the old favourites1 so here again we come back to ,leycesteria1 put rather in a place of honour1 and near it ,buttercup bush and ,andromeda and ,magnolias and old garden ,roses4 ,illustration3 ,,cistus ,,florentinus4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,great ,,asphodel4 ,i had no space for a shrub wilderness1 but have made a large clump for just the things ,i like best1 whether new friends or old4 ,it is a long1 low bank1 five or six paces wide1 highest in the middle1 where the rather taller things are planted4 ,these are mostly ,junipers and ,magnolias2 of the ,magnolias1 the kinds are ,soulangeana1 conspicua1 purpurea1 and stellata4 ,one end of the clump is all of peat earth2 here are ,andromedas1 ,skimmeas1 and on the cooler side the broad-leaved ,gale1 whose crushed leaves have almost the sweetness of ,myrtle4 ,one long side of the clump faces south-west1 the better to suit the things that love the sun4 ,at the farther end is a thrifty bush of ,styrax japonica1 which flowers well in hot summers1 but another bush under a south wall flowers better4 ,it must be a lovely shrub in the south of ,europe and perhaps in ,cornwall2 here the year's growth is always cut at the tip1 but it flowers well on the older wood1 and its hanging clusters of white bloom are lovely4 ,at its foot1 on the sunny side1 are low bushy plants of ,cistus florentinus4 ,i am told that this specific name is not right2 but the plant so commonly goes by it that it serves the purpose of popular identification4 ,then comes ,magnolia stellata1 now a perfectly-shaped bush five feet through1 a sheet of sweet-scented bloom in ,april4 ,much too near it are two bushes of ,cistus ladaniferus4 ,they were put there as little plants to grow on for a year in the shelter and comfort of the warm bank1 but were overlooked at the time they ought to have been shifted1 and are now nearly five feet high1 and are crowding the ,magnolia4 ,i cannot bear to take them away to waste1 and they are much too large to transplant1 so ,i am driving in some short stakes diagonally and tying them down by degrees1 spreading out their branches between neighbouring plants4 ,it is an upright-growing ,cistus that would soon cover a tallish wall-space1 but this time it must be content to grow horizontally1 and ,i shall watch to see whether it will flower more freely1 as so many things do when trained down4 ,next comes a patch of the handsome ,bambusa ,ragamowski1 dwarf1 but with strikingly-broad leaves of a bright yellow-green colour4 ,it seems to be a slow grower1 or more probably it is slow to grow at first2 ,bamboos have a good deal to do underground4 ,it was planted six years ago1 a nice little plant in a pot1 and now is eighteen inches high and two feet across4 ,just beyond it is the ,mastic bush 7,caryopteris mastacanthus71 a neat1 grey-leaved small shrub1 crowded in ,september with lavender-blue flowers1 arranged in spikes something like a ,veronica2 the whole bush is aromatic1 smelling strongly like highly-refined turpentine4 ,then comes ,xanthoceras sorbifolia1 a handsome bush from ,china1 of rather recent introduction1 with saw-edged pinnate leaves and white flowers earlier in the summer1 but now forming its bunches of fruit that might easily be mistaken for walnuts with their green shucks on4 ,here a wide bushy growth of ,phlomis fruticosa lays out to the sun1 covered in early summer with its stiff whorls of hooded yellow flowers--one of the best of plants for a sunny bank in full sun in a poor soil4 ,a little farther along1 and near the path1 comes the neat little ,deutzia parviflora and another little shrub of fairy-like delicacy1 ,philadelphus microphyllus4 ,behind them is ,stephanandra flexuosa1 beautiful in foliage1 and two good ,st4 ,john's worts1 ,hypericum aureum and ,h4 ,moserianum1 and again in front a ,cistus of low1 spreading growth1 ,c4 halimifolius1 or something near it4 ,one or two favourite kinds of ,tree ,paeonies1 comfortably sheltered by ,lavender bushes1 fill up the other end of the clump next to the ,andromedas4 ,in all spare spaces on the sunny side of the shrub-clump is a carpeting of ,megasea ligulata1 a plant that looks well all the year round1 and gives a quantity of precious flower for cutting in ,march and ,april4 ,i was nearly forgetting ,pavia macrostachya1 now well established among the choice shrubs4 ,it is like a bush ,horse-chestnut1 but more refined1 the white spikes standing well up above the handsome leaves4 ,on the cooler side of the clump is a longish planting of dwarf ,andromeda1 precious not only for its beauty of form and flower1 but from the fine winter colouring of the leaves1 and those two useful ,spiraeas1 ,s4 ,thunbergi1 with its countless little starry flowers1 and the double prunifolia1 the neat leaves of whose long sprays turn nearly scarlet in autumn4 ,then there comes a rather long stretch of ,artemisia ,stelleriana1 a white-leaved plant much like ,cineraria maritima1 answering just the same purpose1 but perfectly hardy4 ,it is so much like the silvery ,cineraria that it is difficult to remember that it prefers a cool and even partly-shaded place4 ,beyond the long ridge that forms the shrub-clump is another1 parallel to it and only separated from it by a path1 also in the form of a long low bank4 ,on the crown of this is the double row of cob-nuts that forms one side of the nut-alley4 ,it leaves a low sunny bank that ,i have given to various ,briar ,roses and one or two other low1 bushy kinds4 ,here is the wild ,burnet ,rose1 with its yellow-white single flowers and large black hips1 and its garden varieties1 the ,scotch ,briars1 double white1 flesh-coloured1 pink1 rose1 and yellow1 and the hybrid briar1 ,stanwell ,perpetual4 ,here also is the fine hybrid of ,rosa rugosa1 ,madame ,george ,bruant1 and the lovely double ,rosa lucida1 and one or two kinds of small bush ,roses from out-of-the-way gardens1 and two wild ,roses that have for me a special interest1 as ,i collected them from their rocky home in the island of ,capri4 ,one is a ,sweetbriar1 in all ways like the native one1 except that the flowers are nearly white1 and the hips are larger4 ,last year the bush was distinctly more showy than any other of its kind1 on account of the size and unusual quantity of the fruit4 ,the other is a form of ,rosa sempervirens1 with rather large white flowers faintly tinged with yellow4 ,illustration3 ,,lavender ,,hedge ,,and ,,steps ,,to ,,the ,,loft4 ,illustration3 ,,hollyhock1 ,,pink ,,beauty4 ,hollyhocks have been fine1 in spite of the disease1 which may be partly checked by very liberal treatment4 ,by far the most beautiful is one of a pure pink colour1 with a wide outer frill4 ,it came first from a cottage garden1 and has always since been treasured4 ,i call it ,pink ,beauty4 ,the wide outer petal 7a heresy to the florist7 makes the flower infinitely more beautiful than the all-over full-double form that alone is esteemed on the show-table4 ,i shall hope in time to come upon the same shape of flower in white1 sulphur1 rose-colour1 and deep blood-crimson1 the colours most worth having in ,hollyhocks4 ,lavender has been unusually fine2 to reap its fragrant harvest is one of the many joys of the flower year4 ,if it is to be kept and dried1 it should be cut when as yet only a few of the purple blooms are out on the spike2 if left too late1 the flower shakes off the stalk too readily4 ,some plantations of ,lilium ,harrisi and ,lilium auratum have turned out well4 ,some of the ,harrisi were grouped among tufts of the bright-foliaged ,funkia grandiflora on the cool side of a ,yew hedge4 ,just at the foot of the hedge is ,tropaeolum speciosum1 which runs up into it and flowers in graceful wreaths some feet above the ground4 ,the masses of pure white lily and cool green foliage below are fine against the dark1 solid greenery of the ,yew1 and the brilliant flowers above are like little jewels of flame4 ,the ,bermuda ,lilies 7,harrisi7 are intergrouped with ,l4 speciosum1 which will follow them when their bloom is over4 ,the ,l4 auratum were planted among groups of ,rhododendrons2 some of them are between tall ,rhododendrons1 and have large clumps of ,lady ,fern 7,filix foemina7 in front1 but those that look best are between and among ,bamboos 7,b4 ,metake72 the heavy heads of flower borne on tall stems bend gracefully through the ,bamboos1 which just give them enough support4 ,here and there in the copse1 among the thick masses of green ,bracken1 is a frond or two turning yellow4 ,this always happens in the first or second week of ,august1 though it is no indication of the approaching yellowing of the whole4 ,but it is taken as a signal that the ,fern is in full maturity1 and a certain quantity is now cut to dry for protection and other winter uses4 ,dry ,bracken lightly shaken over frames is a better protection than mats1 and is almost as easily moved on and off4 ,the ,ling is now in full flower1 and is more beautiful in the landscape than any of the garden ,heaths2 the relation of colouring1 of greyish foliage and low-toned pink bloom with the dusky spaces of purplish-grey shadow1 are a precious lesson to the colour-student4 ,illustration3 ,,solomon',s ,,seal ,,in ,,spring1 ,,in ,,the ,,upper ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,fern-,,walk4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fern-,,walk ,,in ,,august4 ,the fern-walk is at its best4 ,it passes from the garden upwards to near the middle of the copse4 ,the path1 a wood-path of moss and grass and short-cut heath1 is a little lower than the general level of the wood4 ,the mossy bank1 some nine feet wide1 and originally cleared for the purpose1 is planted with large groups of hardy ,ferns1 with a preponderance 7due to preference7 of ,dilated ,shield ,fern and ,lady ,fern4 ,once or twice in the length of the bank are hollows1 sinking at their lowest part to below the path-level1 for ,osmunda and ,blechnum4 ,when rain is heavy enough to run down the path it finds its way into these hollow places4 ,among the groups of ,fern are a few plants of true wood-character--,linnaea1 ,trientalis1 ,goodyera1 and ,trillium4 ,at the back of the bank1 and stretching away among the trees and underwood1 are wide-spreading groups of ,solomon's-seal and ,wood-rush1 joining in with the wild growth of ,bracken and ,bramble4 ,most of the ,alpines and dwarf-growing plants1 whose home is the rock-garden1 bloom in ,may or ,june1 but a few flower in early autumn4 ,of these one of the brightest is ,ruta patavina1 a dwarf plant with lemon-coloured flowers and a very neat habit of growth4 ,it soon makes itself at home in a sunny bank in poor soil4 ,pterocephalus parnassi is a dwarf ,scabious1 with small1 grey foliage keeping close to the ground1 and rather large flowers of a low-toned pink4 ,the white ,thyme is a capital plant1 perfectly prostrate1 and with leaves of a bright yellow-green1 that with the white bloom give the plant a particularly fresh appearance4 ,it looks at its best when trailing about little flat spaces between the neater of the hardy ,ferns1 and hanging over little rocky ledges4 ,somewhat farther back is the handsome dwarf ,platycodon ,mariesi1 and behind it the taller ,platycodons1 among full-flowered bushes of ,olearia ,haasti4 ,by the middle of ,august the garden assumes a character distinctly autumnal4 ,much of its beauty now depends on the many non-hardy plants1 such as ,gladiolus1 ,canna1 and ,dahlia1 on ,tritomas of doubtful hardiness1 and on half-hardy annuals--,zinnia1 ,helichrysum1 ,sunflower1 and ,french and ,african ,marigold4 ,fine as are the newer forms of hybrid ,gladiolus1 the older strain of gandavensis hybrids are still the best as border flowers4 ,in the large flower border1 tall1 well-shaped spikes of a good pink one look well shooting up through and between a wide-spreading patch of glaucous foliage of the smaller ,yuccas1 ,tritoma caulescens1 ,iris pallida1 and ,funkia ,sieboldi1 while scarlet and salmon-coloured kinds are among groups of ,paeonies that flowered in ,june1 whose leaves are now taking a fine reddish colouring4 ,between these and the edge of the border is a straggling group some yards in length of the dark-foliaged ,heuchera ,richardsoni1 that will hold its satin-surfaced leaves till the end of the year4 ,farther back in the border is a group of the scarlet-flowered ,dahlia ,fire ,king1 and behind these1 ,dahlias ,lady ,ardilaun and ,cochineal1 of deeper scarlet colouring4 ,the ,dahlias are planted between groups of ,oriental ,poppy1 that flower in ,may and then die away till late in autumn4 ,right and left of the scarlet group are ,tritomas1 intergrouped with ,dahlias of moderate height1 that have orange and flame-coloured flowers4 ,this leads to some masses of flowers of strong yellow colouring2 the old perennial ,sunflower1 in its tall single form1 and the best variety of the old double one of moderate height1 the useful ,h4 laetiflorus and the tall ,miss ,mellish1 the giant form of ,harpalium rigidum4 ,rudbeckia ,newmanni reflects the same strong colour in the front part of the border1 and all spaces are filled with orange ,zinnias and ,african ,marigolds and yellow ,helichrysum4 ,as we pass along the border the colour changes to paler yellow by means of a pale perennial ,sunflower and the sulphur-coloured annual kind1 with ,paris ,daisies1 ,oenothera ,lamarkiana and ,verbascum phlomoides4 ,the two last were cut down to about four feet after their earliest bloom was over1 and are now again full of profusely-flowered lateral growths4 ,at the farther end of the border we come again to glaucous foliage and pale-pink flower of ,gladiolus and ,japan ,anemone4 ,it is important in such a border of rather large size1 that can be seen from a good space of lawn1 to keep the flowers in rather large masses of colour4 ,no one who has ever done it1 or seen it done1 will go back to the old haphazard sprinkle of colouring without any thought of arrangement1 such as is usually seen in a mixed border4 ,there is a wall of sandstone backing the border1 also planted in relation to the colour-massing in the front space4 ,this gives a quiet background of handsome foliage1 with always in the flower season some show of colour in one part or another of its length4 ,just now the most conspicuous of its clothing shrubs or of the somewhat tall growing flowers at its foot are a fine variety of ,bignonia radicans1 a hardy ,fuchsia1 the ,claret ,vine covering a good space1 with its red-bronze leaves and clusters of blue-black grapes1 the fine hybrid ,crinums and ,clerodendron foetidum4 ,tea ,roses have been unusually lavish of autumn bloom1 and some of the garden climbing ,roses1 hybrids of ,china and ,noisette1 have been of great beauty1 both growing and as room decoration4 ,many of them flower in bunches at the end of the shoots2 whole branches1 cut nearly three feet long1 make charming arrangements in tall glasses or high vases of ,oriental china4 ,perhaps their great autumnal vigour is a reaction from the check they received in the earlier part of the year1 when the bloom was almost a failure from the long drought and the accompanying attacks of blight and mildew4 ,the great hips of the ,japanese ,rosa rugosa are in perfection2 they have every ornamental quality--size1 form1 colour1 texture1 and a delicate waxlike bloom2 their pulp is thick and luscious1 and makes an excellent jam4 ,the quantity of fungous growth this year is quite remarkable4 ,the late heavy rain coming rather suddenly on the well-warmed earth has no doubt brought about their unusual size and abundance2 in some woodland places one can hardly walk without stepping upon them4 ,many spots in the copse are brilliant with large groups of the scarlet-capped ,fly ,agaric 7,amanita muscaria74 ,it comes out of the ground looking like a dark scarlet ball1 generally flecked with raised whitish spots2 it quickly rises on its white stalk1 the ball changing to a brilliant flat disc1 six or seven inches across1 and lasting several days in beauty4 ,but the most frequent fungus is the big brown ,boletus1 in size varying from a small bun to a dinner-plate4 ,some kinds are edible1 but ,i have never been inclined to try them1 being deterred by their coarse look and uninviting coat of slimy varnish4 ,and why eat doubtful ,boletus when one can have the delicious ,chantarelle 7,cantharellus cibarius71 also now at its best8 ,in colour and smell it is like a ripe apricot1 perfectly wholesome1 and1 when rightly cooked1 most delicate in flavour and texture4 ,it should be looked for in cool hollows in oak woods2 when once found and its good qualities appreciated1 it will never again be neglected4 ,,chapter ,x ,,september ,sowing ,sweet ,peas -- ,autumn-sown annuals -- ,dahlias -- ,worthless kinds -- ,staking -- ,planting the rock-garden -- ,growing small plants in a wall -- ,the old wall -- ,dry-walling -- ,how built -- ,how planted -- ,hyssop -- ,a destructive storm -- ,berries of ,water-elder -- ,beginning ground-work4 ,in the second week of ,september we sow ,sweet ,peas in shallow trenches4 ,the flowers from these are larger and stronger and come in six weeks earlier than from those sown in the spring2 they come too at a time when they are especially valuable for cutting4 ,many other hardy ,annuals are best sown now4 ,some indeed1 such as the lovely ,collinsia verna and the large white ,iberis1 only do well if autumn-sown4 ,among others1 some of the most desirable are ,nemophila1 ,platystemon1 ,love-in-a-,mist1 ,larkspurs1 ,pot ,marigold1 ,virginian ,stock1 and the delightful ,venus's ,navel-wort 7,omphalodes linifolia74 ,i always think this daintily beautiful plant is undeservedly neglected1 for how seldom one sees it4 ,it is full of the most charming refinement1 with its milk-white bloom and grey-blue leaf and neat habit of growth4 ,any one who has never before tried ,annuals autumn-sown would be astonished at their vigour4 ,a single plant of ,nemophila will often cover a square yard with its beautiful blue bloom2 and then1 what a gain it is to have these pretty things in full strength in spring and early summer1 instead of waiting to have them in a much poorer state later in the year1 when other flowers are in plenty4 ,hardy ,poppies should be sown even earlier2 ,august is the best time4 ,dahlias are now at their full growth4 ,to make a choice for one's own garden1 one must see the whole plant growing4 ,as with many another kind of flower1 nothing is more misleading than the evidence of the show-table1 for many that there look the best1 and are indeed lovely in form and colour as individual blooms1 come from plants that are of no garden value4 ,for however charming in humanity is the virtue modesty1 and however becoming is the unobtrusive bearing that gives evidence of its possession1 it is quite misplaced in a ,dahlia4 ,here it becomes a vice1 for the ,dahlia's first duty in life is to flaunt and to swagger and to carry gorgeous blooms well above its leaves1 and on no account to hang its head4 ,some of the delicately-coloured kinds lately raised not only hang their heads1 but also hide them away among masses of their coarse foliage1 and are doubly frauds1 looking everything that is desirable in the show1 and proving worthless in the garden4 ,it is true that there are ways of cutting out superfluous green stuff and thereby encouraging the blooms to show up1 but at a busy season1 when rank leafage grows fast1 one does not want to be every other day tinkering at the ,dahlias4 ,careful and strong staking they must always have1 not forgetting one central stake to secure the main growth at first4 ,it is best to drive this into the hole made for the plant before placing the root1 to avoid the danger of sending the point of the stake through the tender tubers4 ,its height out of the ground should be about eighteen inches less than the expected stature of the plant4 ,as the ,dahlia grows1 there should be at least three outer stakes at such distance from the middle one as may suit the bulk and habit of the plant2 and it is a good plan to have wooden hoops to tie to these1 so as to form a girdle round the whole plant1 and for tying out the outer branches4 ,the hoop should be only loosely fastened--best with roomy loops of osier1 so that it may be easily shifted up with the growth of the plant4 ,we make the hoops in the winter of long straight rent rods of ,spanish ,chestnut1 bending them while green round a tub1 and tying them with tarred twine or osier bands4 ,they last several years4 ,all this care in staking the ,dahlias is labour well bestowed1 for when autumn storms come the wind has such a power of wrenching and twisting1 that unless the plant1 now grown into a heavy mass of succulent vegetation1 is braced by firm fixing at the sides1 it is in danger of being broken off short just above the ground1 where its stem has become almost woody1 and therefore brittle4 ,now is the moment to get to work on the rock-garden2 there is no time of year so precious for this work as ,september4 ,small things planted now1 while the ground is still warm1 grow at the root at once1 and get both anchor-hold and feeding-hold of the ground before frost comes4 ,those that are planted later do not take hold1 and every frost heaves them up1 sometimes right out of the ground4 ,meanwhile those that have got a firm root-hold are growing steadily all the winter1 underground if not above2 and when the first spring warmth comes they can draw upon the reserve of strength they have been hoarding up1 and make good growth at once4 ,except in the case of a rockery only a year old1 there is sure to be some part that wants to be worked afresh1 and ,i find it convenient to do about a third of the space every year4 ,many of the indispensable ,alpines and rock-plants of lowly growth increase at a great rate1 some spreading over much more than their due space1 the very reason of this quick-spreading habit being that they are travelling to fresh pasture2 many of them prove it clearly by dying away in the middle of the patch1 and only showing vigorous vitality at the edges4 ,such plants as ,silene alpestris1 ,hutchinsia alpina1 ,pterocephalus1 the dwarf alpine kinds of ,achillea and ,artemisia1 ,veronica and ,linaria1 and the mossy ,saxifrages1 in my soil want transplanting every two years1 and the silvery ,saxifrages every three years4 ,as in much else1 one must watch what happens in one's own garden4 ,we practical gardeners have no absolute knowledge of the constitution of the plant1 still less of the chemistry of the soil1 but by the constant exercise of watchful care and helpful sympathy we acquire a certain degree of instinctive knowledge1 which is as valuable in its way1 and probably more applicable to individual local conditions1 than the tabulated formulas of more orthodox science4 ,one of the best and simplest ways of growing rock-plants is in a loose wall4 ,in many gardens an abrupt change of level makes a retaining wall necessary1 and when ,i see this built in the usual way as a solid structure of brick and mortar--unless there be any special need of the solid wall--,i always regret that it is not built as a home for rock-plants4 ,an exposure to north or east and the cool backing of a mass of earth is just what most ,alpines delight in4 ,a dry wall1 which means a wall without mortar1 may be anything between a wall and a very steep rock-work1 and may be built of brick or of any kind of local stone4 ,i have built and planted a good many hundred yards of dry walling with my own hands1 both at home and in other gardens1 and can speak with some confidence both of the pleasure and interest of the actual making and planting1 and of the satisfactory results that follow4 ,the best example ,i have to show in my own garden is the so-called ,old ,wall1 before mentioned4 ,it is the bounding and protecting fence of the ,paeony ground on its northern side1 and consists of a double dry wall with earth between4 ,an old hedge bank that was to come away was not far off1 within easy wheeling distance4 ,so the wall was built up on each side1 and as it grew1 the earth from the hedge was barrowed in to fill up4 ,a dry wall needs very little foundation2 two thin courses underground are quite enough4 ,the point of most structural importance is to keep the earth solidly trodden and rammed behind the stones of each course and throughout its bulk1 and every two or three courses to lay some stones that are extra long front and back1 to tie the wall well into the bank4 ,a local sandstone is the walling material4 ,in the pit it occurs in separate layers1 with a few feet of hard sand between each4 ,the lowest layer1 sometimes thirty to forty feet down1 is the best and thickest1 but that is good building stone1 and for dry walling we only want tops or seconds1 the later and younger formations of stone in the quarry4 ,the very roughness and almost rotten state of much of this stone makes it all the more acceptable as nourishment and root-hold to the tiny plants that are to grow in its chinks1 and that in a few months will change much of the rough rock-surface to green growth of delicate vegetation4 ,moreover1 much of the soft sandy stone hardens by exposure to weather2 and even if a stone or two crumbles right away in a few years' time1 the rest will hold firmly1 and the space left will make a little cave where some small fern will live happily4 ,the wall is planted as it is built with hardy ,ferns--,blechnum1 ,polypody1 ,hartstongue1 ,adiantum1 ,ceterach1 ,asplenium1 and ,ruta muraria4 ,the last three like lime1 so a barrow of old mortar-rubbish is at hand1 and the joint where they are to be planted has a layer of their favourite soil4 ,each course is laid fairly level as to its front top edge1 stones of about the same thickness going in course by course4 ,the earth backing is then carefully rammed into the spaces at the uneven backs of the stones1 and a thin layer of earth over the whole course1 where the mortar would have been in a built wall1 gives both a bed for the next row of stones and soil for the plants that are to grow in the joints4 ,illustration3 ,,jack4 7,see page #gi47 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old ,,wall4 ,the face of the wall slopes backward on both sides1 so that its whole thickness of five feet at the bottom draws in to four feet at the top4 ,all the stones are laid at a right angle to the plane of the inclination--that is to say1 each stone tips a little down at the back1 and its front edge1 instead of being upright1 faces a little upward4 ,it follows that every drop of gentle rain that falls on either side of the wall is carried into the joints1 following the backward and downward pitch of the stones1 and then into the earth behind them4 ,the mass of earth in the middle of the wall gives abundant root-room for bushes1 and is planted with bush ,roses of three kinds1 of which the largest mass is of ,rosa lucida4 ,then there is a good stretch of ,berberis2 then ,scotch ,briars1 and in one or two important places ,junipers2 then more ,berberis1 and ,ribes1 and the common ,barberry1 and neat bushes of ,olearia ,haastii4 ,the wall was built seven years ago1 and is now completely clothed4 ,it gives me a garden on the top and a garden on each side1 and though its own actual height is only #d-a_/b feet1 yet the bushes on the top make it a sheltering hedge from seven to ten feet high4 ,one small length of three or four yards of the top has been kept free of larger bushes1 and is planted on its northern edge with a very neat and pretty dwarf kind of ,lavender1 while on the sunny side is a thriving patch of the hardy ,cactus 7,opuntia ,raffinesquiana74 ,just here1 in the narrow border at the foot of the wall1 is a group of the beautiful ,crinum ,powelli1 while a white ,jasmine clothes the face of the wall right and left1 and rambles into the ,barberry bushes just beyond4 ,it so happened that these things had been planted close together because the conditions of the place were likely to favour them1 and not1 as is my usual practice1 with any intentional idea of harmonious grouping4 ,i did not even remember that they all flower in ,july1 and at nearly the same time2 and one day seeing them all in bloom together1 ,i was delighted to see the success of the chance arrangement1 and how pretty it all was1 for ,i should never have thought of grouping together pink and lavender1 yellow and white4 ,the northern face of the wall1 beginning at its eastern end1 is planted thus3 ,for a length of ten or twelve paces there are ,ferns1 ,polypody and ,hartstongue1 and a few ,adiantum nigrum1 with here and there a ,welsh ,poppy4 ,there is a clump of the wild ,stitchwort that came by itself1 and is so pretty that ,i leave it4 ,at the foot of the wall are the same1 but more of the ,hartstongue2 and here it grows best1 for not only is the place cooler1 but ,i gave it some loamy soil1 which it loves4 ,farther along the ,hartstongue gives place to the wild ,iris 7,i4 foetidissima71 a good long stretch of it4 ,nothing1 to my mind1 looks better than these two plants at the base of a wall on the cool side4 ,in the upper part of the wall are various ,ferns1 and that interesting plant1 ,wall ,pennywort 7,cotyledon umbilicus74 ,it is a native plant1 but not found in this neighbourhood2 ,i brought it from ,cornwall1 where it is so plentiful in the chinks of the granite stone-fences4 ,it sows itself and grows afresh year after year1 though ,i always fear to lose it in one of our dry summers4 ,next comes the common ,london ,pride1 which ,i think quite the most beautiful of the ,saxifrages of this section4 ,if it was a rare thing1 what a fuss we should make about it6 ,the place is a little dry for it1 but all the same1 it makes a handsome spreading tuft hanging over the face of the wall4 ,when its pink cloud of bloom is at its best1 ,i always think it the prettiest thing in the garden4 ,then there is the ,yellow ,everlasting 7,gnaphalium orientale71 a fine plant for the upper edge of the wall1 and even better on the sunny side1 and the white form of ,campanula caespitosa1 with its crowd of delicate little white bells rising in ,june1 from the neatest foliage of tender but lively green4 ,then follow deep-hanging curtains of ,yellow ,alyssum and of hybrid rock ,pinks4 ,the older plants of ,alyssum are nearly worn out1 but there are plenty of promising young seedlings in the lower joints4 ,illustration3 ,,erinus ,,alpinus1 ,,clothing ,,steps ,,in ,,rock-,,wall4 ,throughout the wall there are patches of ,polypody ,fern1 one of the best of cool wall-plants1 its creeping root-stock always feeling its way along the joints1 and steadily furnishing the wall with more and more of its neat fronds2 it is all the more valuable for being at its best in early winter1 when so few ferns are to be seen4 ,every year1 in some bare places1 ,i sow a little seed of ,erinus alpinus1 always trying for places where it will follow some other kind of plant1 such as a place where rock ,pink or ,alyssum has been4 ,all plants are the better for this sort of change4 ,in the seven years that the wall has stood1 the stones have become weathered1 and the greater part of the north side1 wherever the stone work shows1 is hoary with mosses1 and looks as if it might have been standing for a hundred years4 ,the sunny side is nearly clear of moss1 and ,i have planted very few things in its face1 because the narrow border at its foot is so precious for shrubs and plants that like a warm1 sheltered place4 ,here are several ,choisyas and ,sweet ,verbenas1 also ,escallonia1 ,stuartia1 and ,styrax1 and a long straggling group of some very fine ,pentstemons4 ,in one space that was fairly clear ,i planted a bit of ,hyssop1 an old sweet herb whose scent ,i delight in2 it grows into a thick bush-like plant full of purple flower in the late summer1 when it attracts quantities of bumble-bees4 ,it is a capital wall-plant1 and has sown its own seed1 till there is a large patch on the top and some in its face1 and a broadly-spreading group in the border below4 ,it is one of the plants that was used in the old ,tudor gardens for edgings2 the growth is close and woody at the base1 and it easily bears clipping into shape4 ,the fierce gales and heavy rains of the last days of ,september wrought sad havoc among the flowers4 ,dahlias were virtually wrecked4 ,though each plant had been tied to three stakes1 their masses of heavy growth could not resist the wrenching and twisting action of the wind1 and except in a few cases where they were well sheltered1 their heads lay on the ground1 the stems broken down at the last tie4 ,if anything about a garden could be disheartening1 it would be its aspect after such a storm of wind4 ,wall shrubs1 only lately made safe1 as we thought1 have great gaps torn out of them1 though tied with tarred string to strong iron staples1 staples and all being wrenched out4 ,everything looks battered1 and whipped1 and ashamed2 branches of trees and shrubs lie about far from their sources of origin2 green leaves and little twigs are washed up into thick drifts2 apples and quinces1 that should have hung till mid-,october1 lie bruised and muddy under the trees4 ,newly-planted roses and hollies have a funnel-shaped hole worked in the ground at their base1 showing the power of the wind to twist their heads1 and giving warning of a corresponding disturbance of the tender roots4 ,there is nothing to be done but to look round carefully and search out all disasters and repair them as well as may be1 and to sweep up the wreckage and rubbish1 and try to forget the rough weather1 and enjoy the calm beauty of the better days that follow1 and hope that it may be long before such another angry storm is sent4 ,and indeed a few quiet days of sunshine and mild temperature work wonders4 ,in a week one would hardly know that the garden had been so cruelly torn about4 ,fresh flowers take the place of bruised ones1 and wholesome young growths prove the enduring vitality of vegetable life4 ,still we cannot help feeling1 towards the end of ,september1 that the flower year is nearly at an end1 though the end is a gorgeous one1 with its strong yellow masses of the later perennial ,sunflowers and ,marigolds1 ,goldenrod1 and a few belated ,gladioli2 the brilliant foliage of ,virginian ,creepers1 the leaf-painting of ,vitis ,coignettii1 and the strong crimson of the ,claret ,vine4 ,the ,water-elder 7,viburnum opulus7 now makes a brave show in the edge of the copse4 ,it is without doubt the most beautiful berry-bearing shrub of mid-,september4 ,the fruit hangs in ample clusters from the point of every branch and of every lateral twig1 in colour like the brightest of red currants1 but with a translucent lustre that gives each separate berry a much brighter look2 the whole bush shows fine warm colouring1 the leaves having turned to a rich red4 ,perhaps it is because it is a native that this grand shrub or small tree is generally neglected in gardens1 and is almost unknown in nurserymen's catalogues4 ,it is the parent of the well-known ,guelder-,rose1 which is merely its double-flowered form4 ,but the double flower leaves no berry1 its familiar white ball being formed of the sterile part of the flower only1 and the foliage of the garden kind does not assume so bright an autumn colouring4 ,the nights are growing chilly1 with even a little frost1 and the work for the coming season of dividing and transplanting hardy plants has already begun4 ,plans are being made for any improvements or alterations that involve ground work4 ,already we have been at work on some broad grass rides through the copse that were roughly levelled and laid with grass last winter4 ,the turf has been raised and hollows filled in1 grass seed sown in bare patches1 and the whole beaten and rolled to a good surface1 and the job put out of hand in good time before the leaves begin to fall4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,october ,michaelmas ,daisies -- ,arranging and staking -- ,spindle-tree -- ,autumn colour of ,azaleas -- ,quinces -- ,medlars -- ,advantage of early planting of shrubs -- ,careful planting -- ,pot-bound roots -- ,cypress hedge -- ,planting in difficult places -- ,hardy flower border -- ,lifting ,dahlias -- ,dividing hardy plants -- ,dividing tools -- ,plants difficult to divide -- ,periwinkles -- ,sternbergia -- ,czar ,violets -- ,deep cultivation for ,lilium giganteum4 ,the early days of ,october bring with them the best bloom of the ,michaelmas ,daisies1 the many beautiful garden kinds of the perennial ,asters4 ,they have1 as they well deserve to have1 a garden to themselves4 ,passing along the wide path in front of the big flower border1 and through the pergola that forms its continuation1 with eye and brain full of rich1 warm colouring of flower and leaf1 it is a delightful surprise to pass through the pergola's last right-hand opening1 and to come suddenly upon the ,michaelmas ,daisy garden in full beauty4 ,its clean1 fresh1 pure colouring1 of pale and dark lilac1 strong purple1 and pure white1 among masses of pale-green foliage1 forms a contrast almost startling after the warm colouring of nearly everything else2 and the sight of a region where the flowers are fresh and newly opened1 and in glad spring-like profusion1 when all else is on the verge of death and decay1 gives an impression of satisfying refreshment that is hardly to be equalled throughout the year4 ,their special garden is a wide border on each side of a path1 its length bounded on one side by a tall hedge of filberts1 and on the other side by clumps of yew1 holly1 and other shrubs4 ,it is so well sheltered that the strongest wind has its destructive power broken1 and only reaches it as a refreshing tree-filtered breeze4 ,the ,michaelmas ,daisies are replanted every year as soon as their bloom is over1 the ground having been newly dug and manured4 ,the old roots1 which will have increased about fourfold1 are pulled or chopped to pieces1 nice bits with about five crowns being chosen for replanting2 these are put in groups of three to five together4 ,tall-growing kinds like ,novi ,belgi ,robert ,parker are kept rather towards the back1 while those of delicate and graceful habit1 such as ,cordifolius elegans and its good variety ,diana are allowed to come forward4 ,the fine dwarf ,aster amellus is used in rather large quantity1 coming quite to the front in some places1 and running in and out between the clumps of other kinds4 ,good-sized groups of ,pyrethrum uliginosum are given a place among the ,asters1 for though of quite another family1 they are ,daisies1 and bloom at ,michaelmas1 and are admirable companions to the main occupants of the borders4 ,the only other plants admitted are white ,dahlias1 the two differently striped varieties of ,eulalia japonica1 the fresh green foliage of ,indian ,corn1 and the brilliant light-green leafage of ,funkia grandiflora4 ,great attention is paid to staking the ,asters4 ,nothing is more deplorable than to see a neglected1 overgrown plant1 at the last moment1 when already half blown down1 tied up in a tight bunch to one stake4 ,when we are cutting underwood in the copse in the winter1 special branching spray is looked out for our ,michaelmas ,daisies and cut about four feet or five feet long1 with one main stem and from two to five branches4 ,towards the end of ,june and beginning of ,july these are thrust firmly into the ground among the plants1 and the young growths are tied out so as to show to the best advantage4 ,good kinds of ,michaelmas ,daisies are now so numerous that in selecting those for the special garden it is well to avoid both the ones that bloom earliest and also the very latest1 so that for about three weeks the borders may show a well-filled mass of bloom4 ,illustration3 ,,borders ,,of ,,michaelmas ,,daisies4 ,the bracken in the copse stands dry and dead1 but when leaves are fluttering down and the chilly days of mid-,october are upon us1 its warm1 rusty colouring is certainly cheering2 the green of the freshly grown mossy carpet below looks vividly bright by contrast4 ,some bushes of ,spindle-tree 7,euonymus europaeus7 are loaded with their rosy seed-pods2 some are already burst1 and show the orange-scarlet seeds--an audacity of colouring that looks all the brighter for the even1 lustreless green of the leaves and of the green-barked twigs and stems4 ,the hardy ,azaleas are now blazing masses of crimson1 almost scarlet leaf2 the old ,a4 pontica1 with its large foliage1 is as bright as any4 ,with them are grouped some of the ,north ,american ,vacciniums and ,andromedas1 with leaves almost as bright4 ,the ground between the groups of shrubs is knee-deep in heath4 ,the rusty-coloured withered bloom of the wild heath on its purplish-grey masses and the surrounding banks of dead fern make a groundwork and background of excellent colour-harmony4 ,how seldom does one see ,quinces planted for ornament1 and yet there is hardly any small tree that better deserves such treatment4 ,some ,quinces planted about eight years ago are now perfect pictures1 their lissome branches borne down with the load of great1 deep-yellow fruit1 and their leaves turning to a colour almost as rich and glowing4 ,the old ,english rather round-fruited kind with the smooth skin is the best both for flavour and beauty--a mature tree without leaves in winter has a remarkably graceful1 arching1 almost weeping growth4 ,the other kind is of a rather more rigid form1 and though its woolly-coated1 pear-shaped fruits are larger and strikingly handsome1 the whole tree has a coarser look1 and just lacks the attractive grace of the other4 ,they will do fairly well almost anywhere1 though they prefer a rich1 loamy soil and a cool1 damp1 or even swampy place4 ,the ,medlar is another of the small fruiting trees that is more neglected than it should be1 as it well deserves a place among ornamental shrubs4 ,here it is a precious thing in the region where garden melts into copse4 ,the fruit-laden twigs are just now very attractive1 and its handsome leaves can never be passed without admiration4 ,close to the ,medlars is a happy intergrowth of the wild ,guelder-,rose1 still bearing its brilliant clusters1 a strong-growing and far-clambering garden form of ,rosa arvensis1 full of red hips1 ,sweetbriar1 and ,holly--a happy tangle of red-fruited bushes1 all looking as if they were trying to prove1 in friendly emulation1 which can make the bravest show of red-berried wild-flung wreath1 or bending spray1 or stately spire2 while at their foot the bright colour is repeated by the bending1 berried heads of the wild ,iris1 opening like fantastic dragons' mouths1 and pouring out the red bead-like seeds upon the ground2 and1 as if to make the picture still more complete1 the leaves of the wild ,strawberry that cover the ground with a close carpet have also turned to a crimson1 and here and there to an almost scarlet colour4 ,during the year ,i make careful notes of any trees or shrubs that will be wanted1 either to come from the nursery or to be transplanted within my own ground1 so as to plant them as early as possible4 ,of the two extremes it is better to plant too early than too late4 ,i would rather plant deciduous trees before the leaves are off than wait till after ,christmas1 but of all planting times the best is from the middle of ,october till the end of ,november1 and the same time is the best for all hardy plants of large or moderate size4 ,i have no patience with slovenly planting4 ,i like to have the ground prepared some months in advance1 and when the proper time comes1 to do the actual planting as well as possible4 ,the hole in the already prepared ground is taken out so that the tree shall stand exactly right for depth1 though in this dry soil it is well to make the hole an inch or two deeper1 in order to leave the tree standing in the centre of a shallow depression1 to allow of a good watering now and then during the following summer4 ,the hole must be made wide enough to give easy space for the most outward-reaching of the roots2 they must be spread out on all sides1 carefully combing them out with the fingers1 so that they all lay out to the best advantage4 ,any roots that have been bruised1 or have broken or jagged ends1 are cut off with a sharp knife on the homeward side of the injury4 ,most gardeners when they plant1 after the first spadeful or two has been thrown over the root1 shake the bush with an up and down joggling movement4 ,this is useful in the case of plants with a good lot of bushy root1 such as ,berberis1 helping to get the grains of earth well in among the root2 but in tree planting1 where the roots are laid out flat1 it is of course useless4 ,in our light soil1 the closer and firmer the earth is made round the newly-planted tree the better1 and strong staking is most important1 in order to save the newly-placed root from disturbance by dragging4 ,some trees and shrubs one can only get from nurseries in pots4 ,this is usually the case with ,ilex1 ,escallonia1 and ,cydonia4 ,such plants are sure to have the roots badly matted and twisted4 ,the main root curls painfully round and round inside the imprisoning pot1 but if it is a clever root it works its way out through the hole in the bottom1 and even makes quite nice roots in the bed of ashes it has stood on4 ,in this case1 as these are probably its best roots1 we do not attempt to pull it back through the hole1 but break the pot to release it without hurt4 ,if it is possible to straighten the pot-curled root1 it is best to do so2 in any case1 the small fibrous ones can be laid out4 ,often the potful of roots is so hard and tight that it cannot be disentangled by the hand2 then the only way is to soften it by gentle bumping on the bench1 and then to disengage the roots by little careful digs all round with a blunt-pointed stick4 ,if this is not done1 and the plant is put in in its pot-bound state1 it never gets on2 it would be just as well to throw it away at once4 ,nine years ago a hedge of ,lawson's ,cypress was planted on one side of the kitchen garden4 ,three years later1 when the trees had made some growth1 ,i noticed in the case of three or four that they were quite bare of branches on one side all the way up for a width of about one-sixth of the circumference1 leaving a smooth1 straight1 upright strip4 ,suspecting the cause1 ,i had them up1 and found in every case that the root just below the bare strip had been doubled under the stem1 and had therefore been unable to do its share of the work4 ,nothing could have pointed out more clearly the defect in the planting4 ,there are cases where ground cannot be prepared as one would wish1 and where one has to get over the difficulty the best way one can4 ,such a case occurred when ,i had to plant some ,yews and ,savins right under a large ,birch-tree4 ,the ,birch is one of several large ones that nearly surround the lawn4 ,this one stands just within the end of a large shrub-clump1 near the place of meeting of some paths with the grass and with some planting2 here some further planting was wanted of dark-leaved evergreens4 ,there is no tree more ground-robbing than a ,birch1 and under the tree in question the ground was dust-dry1 extremely hard1 and nothing but the poorest sand4 ,looking at the foot of a large tree one can always see which way the main roots go1 and the only way to get down any depth is to go between these and not many feet away from the trunk4 ,farther away the roots spread out and would receive more injury4 ,so the ground was got up the best way we could1 and the ,yews and ,savins planted4 ,now1 after some six years1 they are healthy and dark-coloured1 and have made good growth4 ,but in such a place one cannot expect the original preparation of the ground1 such as it was1 to go for much4 ,the year after planting they had some strong1 lasting manure just pricked in over the roots--stuff from the shoeing-forge1 full of hoof-parings4 ,hoof-parings are rich in ammonia1 and decay slowly4 ,every other year they have either a repetition of this or some cooling cow manure4 ,the big ,birch no doubt gets some of it1 though its hungriest roots are farther afield1 but the rich colour of the shrubs shows that they are well nourished4 ,as soon as may be in ,november the big hardy flower-border has to be thoroughly looked over4 ,the first thing is to take away all soft stuff4 ,this includes all dead annuals and biennials and any tender things that have been put in for the summer1 also ,paris ,daisies1 ,zinnias1 ,french and ,african ,marigolds1 ,helichrysums1 ,mulleins1 and a few ,geraniums4 ,then ,dahlias are cut down4 ,the waste stuff is laid in big heaps on the edge of the lawn just across the footpath1 to be loaded into the donkey-cart and shot into some large holes that have been dug up in the wood1 whose story will be told later4 ,the ,dahlias are now dug up from the border1 and others collected from different parts of the garden4 ,the labels are tied on to the short stumps that remain1 and the roots are laid for a time on the floor of a shed4 ,if the weather has been rainy just before taking them up1 it is well to lay them upside down1 so that any wet there may be about the bases of the large hollow stalks may drain out4 ,they are left for perhaps a fortnight without shaking out the earth that holds between the tubers1 so that they may be fairly dry before they are put away for the winter in a cellar4 ,then we go back to the flower border and dig out all the plants that have to be divided every year4 ,it will also be the turn for some others that only want division every two or three or more years1 as the case may be4 ,first1 out come all the perennial ,sunflowers4 ,these divide themselves into two classes2 those whose roots make close clumpy masses1 and those that throw out long stolons ending in a blunt snout1 which is the growing crown for next year4 ,to the first division belong the old double ,sunflower 7,helianthus multiflorus71 of which ,i only keep the well-shaped variety ,soleil d',or1 and the much taller large-flowered single kind1 and a tall pale-yellow flowered one with a dark stem1 whose name ,i do not know4 ,it is not one of the kinds thought much of1 and as usually grown has not much effect2 but ,i plant it at the back and pull it down over other plants that have gone out of flower1 so that instead of having only a few flowers at the top of a rather bare stem eight feet high1 it is a spreading cloud of pale yellow bloom2 the training down1 as in the case of so many other plants1 inducing it to throw up a short flowering stalk from the axil of every leaf along the stem4 ,the kinds with the running roots are ,helianthus rigidus1 and its giant variety ,miss ,mellish1 ,h4 decapetalus and ,h4 laetiflorus4 ,i do not know how it may be in other gardens1 but in mine these must be replanted every year4 ,phloxes must also be taken up4 ,they are always difficult here1 unless the season is unusually rainy2 in dry summers1 even with mulching and watering1 ,i cannot keep them from drying up4 ,the outside pieces are cut off and the woody middle thrown away4 ,it is surprising what a tiny bit of ,phlox will make a strong flowering plant in one season4 ,the kinds ,i like best are the pure whites and the salmon-reds2 but two others that ,i find very pretty and useful are ,eugenie1 a good mauve1 and ,le ,soleil1 a strong pink1 of a colour as near a really good pink as in any ,phlox ,i know4 ,both of these have a neat and rather short habit of growth4 ,i do not have many ,michaelmas ,daisies in the flower border1 only some early ones that flower within ,september2 of these there are the white-flowered ,a4 paniculatus1 ,shortii1 acris1 and amellus4 ,these of course come up1 and any patches of ,gladiolus are collected1 to be dried for a time and then stored4 ,the next thing is to look through the border for the plants that require occasional renewal4 ,in the front ,i find that a longish patch of ,heuchera ,richardsoni has about half the plants overgrown4 ,these must come up1 and are cut to pieces4 ,it is not a nice plant to divide2 it has strong middle crowns1 and though there are many side ones1 they are attached to the main ones too high up to have roots of their own2 but ,i boldly slice down the main stocky stem with straight downward cuts1 so as to give a piece of the thick stock to each side bit4 ,i have done this both in winter and spring1 and find the spring rather the best1 if not followed by drought4 ,groups of ,anemone japonica and of ,polygonum compactum are spreading beyond bounds and must be reduced4 ,neither of these need be entirely taken up4 ,without going into further detail1 it may be of use to note how often ,i find it advisable to lift and divide some of the more prominent hardy plants4 ,every year ,i divide ,michaelmas ,daisies1 ,goldenrod1 ,helianthus1 ,phlox1 ,chrysanthemum maximum1 ,helenium pumilum1 ,pyrethrum uliginosum1 ,anthemis tinctoria1 ,monarda1 ,lychnis1 ,primula1 except ,p4 denticulata1 rosea1 and auricula1 which stand two years4 ,every two years1 ,white ,pinks1 ,cranesbills1 ,spiraea1 ,aconitum1 ,gaillardia1 ,coreopsis1 ,chrysanthemum indicum1 ,galega1 ,doronicum1 ,nepeta1 ,geum aureum1 ,oenothera ,youngi1 and ,oe4 riparia4 ,every three years1 ,tritoma1 ,megasea1 ,centranthus1 ,vinca1 ,iris1 ,narcissus4 ,a plasterer's hammer is a tool that is very handy for dividing plants4 ,it has a hammer on one side of the head1 and a cutting blade like a small chopper on the other4 ,with this and a cold chisel and a strong knife one can divide any roots in comfort4 ,i never divide things by brutally chopping them across with a spade4 ,plants that have soft fleshy tubers like ,dahlias and ,paeonies want the cold chisel2 it can be cleverly inserted among the crowns so that injury to the tubers is avoided1 and it is equally useful in the case of some plants whose points of attachment are almost as hard as wire1 like ,orobus vernus1 or as tough as a door-mat1 like ,iris graminia4 ,the ,michaelmas ,daisies of the ,novae ,angliae section make root tufts too close and hard to be cut with a knife1 and here the chopper of the plasterer's hammer comes in4 ,where the crowns are closely crowded1 as in this ,aster1 ,i find it best to chop at the bottom of the tuft1 among the roots2 when the chopper has cut about two-thirds through1 the tuft can be separated with the hands1 dividing naturally between the crowns1 whereas if chopped from the top many crowns would have been spoilt4 ,tritomas want dividing with care2 it always looks as if one could pull every crown apart1 but there is a tender point at the collar1 where they easily break off short2 with these also it is best to chop from below or to use the chisel1 making the cut well down in the yellow rooty region4 ,veratrums divide much in the same way1 wanting a careful cut low down1 the points of their crowns being also very easy to break off4 ,the ,christmas ,rose is one of the most awkward plants to divide successfully4 ,it cannot be done in a hurry4 ,the only safe way is to wash the clumps well out and look carefully for the points of attachment1 and cut them either with knife or chisel1 according to their position4 ,in this case the chisel should be narrower and sharper4 ,three-year-old tufts of ,st4 ,bruno's ,lily puzzled me at first4 ,the rather fleshy roots are so tightly interlaced that cutting is out of the question2 but ,i found out that if the tuft is held tight in the two hands1 and the hands are worked opposite ways with a rotary motion of about a quarter of a circle1 that they soon come apart without being hurt in the least4 ,delphiniums easily break off at the crown if they are broken up by hand1 but the roots cut so easily that it ought not to be a difficulty4 ,there are some plants in whose case one can never be sure whether they will divide well or not1 such as ,oriental ,poppies and ,eryngium ,oliverianum4 ,they behave in nearly the same way4 ,sometimes a ,poppy or an ,eryngium comes up with one thick root1 impossible to divide1 while the next door plant has a number of roots that are ready to drop apart like a bunch of ,salsafy4 ,everlasting ,peas do nearly the same4 ,one may dig up two plants--own brothers of say seven years old--and a rare job it is1 for they go straight down into the earth nearly a yard deep4 ,one of them will have a straight black post of a root #b-a_/b inches thick without a break of any sort till it forks a foot underground1 while the other will be a sort of loose rope of separate roots from half to three-quarters of an inch thick1 that if carefully followed down and cleverly dissected where they join1 will make strong plants at once4 ,but the usual way to get young plants of ,everlasting ,pea is to look out in earliest spring for the many young growths that will be shooting1 for these if taken off with a good bit of the white underground stem will root under a hand-light4 ,most of the ,primrose tribe divide pleasantly and easily3 the worst are the auricula section2 with these1 for outdoor planting1 one often has to slice a main root down to give a share of root to the offset4 ,when one is digging up plants with running roots1 such as ,gaultheria1 ,honeysuckle1 ,polygonum1 ,scotch ,briars1 and many of the ,rubus tribe1 or what is better1 if one person is digging while another pulls up1 it never does for the one who is pulling to give a steady haul2 this is sure to end in breakage1 whereas a root comes up willingly and unharmed in loosened ground to a succession of firm but gentle tugs1 and one soon learns to suit the weight of the pulls to the strength of the plant1 and to learn its breaking strain4 ,towards the end of ,october outdoor flowers in anything like quantity cannot be expected1 and yet there are patches of bloom here and there in nearly every corner of the garden4 ,the pretty ,mediterranean ,periwinkle 7,vinca acutiflora7 is in full bloom4 ,as with many another southern plant that in its own home likes a cool and shady place1 it prefers a sunny one in our latitude4 ,the flowers are of a pale and delicate grey-blue colour1 nearly as large as those of the common ,vinca major1 but they are borne more generously as to numbers on radical shoots that form thick1 healthy-looking tufts of polished green foliage4 ,it is not very common in gardens1 but distinctly desirable4 ,in the bulb-beds the bright-yellow ,sternbergia lutea is in flower4 ,at first sight it looks something like a ,crocus of unusually firm and solid substance2 but it is an ,amaryllis1 and its pure and even yellow colouring is quite unlike that of any of the ,crocuses4 ,the numerous upright leaves are thick1 deep green1 and glossy4 ,it flowers rather shyly in our poor soil1 even in well-made beds1 doing much better in chalky ground4 ,czar ,violets are giving their fine and fragrant flowers on stalks nine inches long4 ,to have them at their best they must be carefully cultivated and liberally enriched4 ,no plants answer better to good treatment1 or spoil more quickly by neglect4 ,a miserable sight is a forgotten violet-bed where they have run together into a tight mat1 giving only few and poor flowers4 ,i have seen the owner of such a bed stand over it and blame the plants1 when he should have laid the lash on his own shoulders4 ,violets must be replanted every year4 ,when the last rush of bloom in ,march is over1 the plants are pulled to pieces1 and strong single crowns from the outer edges of the clumps1 or from the later runners1 are replanted in good1 well-manured soil1 in such a place as will be somewhat shaded from summer sun4 ,there should be eighteen inches between each plant1 and as they make their growth1 all runners should be cut off until ,august4 ,they are encouraged by liberal doses of liquid manure from time to time1 and watered in case of drought2 and the heart of the careful gardener is warmed and gratified when friends1 seeing them at midsummer1 say 7as has more than once happened71 ,what a nice batch of young ,hollyhocks6 ,in such a simple matter as the culture of this good hardy ,violet1 my garden1 though it is full of limitations1 and in all ways falls short of any worthy ideal1 enables me here and there to point out something that is worth doing1 and to lay stress on the fact that the things worth doing are worth taking trouble about4 ,but it is a curious thing that many people1 even among those who profess to know something about gardening1 when ,i show them something fairly successful--the crowning reward of much care and labour--refuse to believe that any pains have been taken about it4 ,they will ascribe it to chance1 to the goodness of my soil1 and even more commonly to some supposed occult influence of my own--to anything rather than to the plain fact that ,i love it well enough to give it plenty of care and labour4 ,they assume a tone of complimentary banter1 kindly meant no doubt1 but to me rather distasteful1 to this effect3 ,oh yes1 of course it will grow for you2 anything will grow for you2 you have only to look at a thing and it will grow4 ,i have to pump up a laboured smile and accept the remark with what grace ,i can1 as a necessary civility to the stranger that is within my gates1 but it seems to me evident that those who say these things do not understand the love of a garden4 ,i could not help rejoicing when such a visitor came to me one ,october4 ,i had been saying how necessary good and deep cultivation was1 especially in so very poor and shallow a soil as mine4 ,passing up through the copse where there were some tall stems of ,lilium giganteum bearing the great upturned pods of seed1 my visitor stopped and said1 ,i don't believe a word about your poor soil--look at the growth of that ,lily4 ,nothing could make that great stem ten feet high in a poor soil1 and there it is1 just stuck into the wood6 ,i said nothing1 knowing that presently ,i could show a better answer than ,i could frame in words4 ,a little farther up in the copse we came upon an excavation about twelve feet across and four deep1 and by its side a formidable mound of sand1 when my friend said1 ,why are you making all this mess in your pretty wood8 are you quarrying stone1 or is it for the cellar of a building8 and what on earth are you going to do with that great heap of sand8 why1 there must be a dozen loads of it4 ,that was my moment of secret triumph1 but ,i hope ,i bore it meekly as ,i answered1 ,i only wanted to plant a few more of those big ,lilies1 and you see in my soil they would not have a chance unless the ground was thoroughly prepared2 look at the edge of the scarp and see how the solid yellow sand comes to within four inches of the top2 so ,i have a big wide hole dug2 and look1 there is the donkey-cart coming with the first load of ,dahlia-tops and soft plants that have been for the summer in the south border4 ,there will be several of those little cartloads1 each holding three barrowfuls4 ,as it comes into the hole1 the men will chop it with the spade and tread it down close1 mixing in a little sand4 ,this will make a nice cool1 moist bottom of slowly-rotting vegetable matter4 ,some more of the same kind of waste will come from the kitchen garden--cabbage-stumps1 bean-haulm1 soft weeds that have been hoed up1 and all the greenest stuff from the rubbish-heap4 ,every layer will be chopped and pounded1 and tramped down so that there should be as little sinking as possible afterwards4 ,by this time the hole will be filled to within a foot of the top2 and now we must get together some better stuff--road-scrapings and trimmings mixed with some older rubbish-heap mould1 and for the top of all1 some of our precious loam1 and the soil of an old hotbed and some well-decayed manure1 all well mixed1 and then we are ready for the ,lilies4 ,they are planted only just underground1 and then the whole bed has a surfacing of dead leaves1 which helps to keep down weeds1 and also looks right with the surrounding wild ground4 ,the remains of the heap of sand we must deal with how we can2 but there are hollows here and there in the roadway and paths1 and a place that can be levelled up in the rubbish-yard1 and some kitchen-garden paths that will bear raising1 and so by degrees it is disposed of4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,november ,giant ,christmas ,rose -- ,hardy ,chrysanthemums -- ,sheltering tender shrubs -- ,turfing by inoculation -- ,transplanting large trees -- ,sir ,henry ,steuart's experience early in the century -- ,collecting fallen leaves -- ,preparing grubbing tools -- ,butcher's ,broom -- ,alexandrian ,laurel -- ,hollies and ,birches -- ,a lesson in planting4 ,the giant ,christmas ,rose 7,helleborus maximus7 is in full flower2 it is earlier than the true ,christmas ,rose1 being at its best by the middle of ,november4 ,it is a large and massive flower1 but compared with the later kinds has a rather coarse look4 ,the bud and the back of the flower are rather heavily tinged with a dull pink1 and it never has the pure-white colouring throughout of the later ones4 ,i have taken some pains to get together some really hardy ,november-blooming ,chrysanthemums4 ,the best of all is a kind frequent in neighbouring cottage-gardens1 and known hereabouts as ,cottage ,pink4 ,i believe it is identical with ,emperor of ,china1 a very old sort that used to be frequent in greenhouse cultivation before it was supplanted by the many good kinds now grown4 ,but its place is not indoors1 but in the open garden2 if against a south or west wall1 so much the better4 ,perhaps one year in seven the bloom may be spoilt by such a severe frost as that of ,october #ahie1 but it will bear unharmed several degrees of frost and much rain4 ,i know no ,chrysanthemum of so true a pink colour1 the colour deepening to almost crimson in the centre4 ,after the first frost the foliage of this kind turns to a splendid colour1 the green of the leaves giving place to a rich crimson that sometimes clouds the outer portion of the leaf1 and often covers its whole expanse4 ,the stiff1 wholesome foliage adds much to the beauty of the outdoor kinds1 contrasting most agreeably with the limp1 mildewed leafage of those indoors4 ,following ,cottage ,pink is a fine pompone called ,soleil d',or1 in colour the richest deep orange1 with a still deeper and richer coloured centre4 ,the beautiful crimson ,julie ,lagravere flowers at the same time4 ,both are nearly frost-proof1 and true hardy ,november flowers4 ,the first really frosty day we go to the upper part of the wood and cut out from among the many young ,scotch ,firs as many as we think will be wanted for sheltering plants and shrubs of doubtful hardiness4 ,one section of the high wall at the back of the flower border is planted with rather tender things1 so that the whole is covered with sheltering fir-boughs4 ,here are ,loquat1 ,fuchsia1 ,pomegranate1 ,edwardsia1 ,piptanthus1 and ,choisya1 and in the narrow border at the foot of the wall1 ,crinum1 ,nandina1 ,clerodendron1 and ,hydrangea4 ,in the broad border in front of the wall nothing needs protection except ,tritomas2 these have cones of coal-ashes heaped over each plant or clump4 ,the ,crinums also have a few inches of ashes over them4 ,some large ,hydrangeas in tubs are moved to a sheltered place and put close together1 a mound of sand being shovelled up all round to nearly the depth of the tubs2 then a wall is made of thatched hurdles1 and dry fern is packed well in among the heads of the plants4 ,they would be better in a frost-proof shed1 but we have no such place to spare4 ,the making of a lawn is a difficulty in our very poor sandy soil4 ,in this rather thickly-populated country the lords of the manor had been so much pestered for grants of road-side turf1 and the privilege when formerly given had been so much abused1 that they have agreed together to refuse all applications4 ,opportunities of buying good turf do not often occur1 and sowing is slow1 and not satisfactory4 ,i am told by a seedsman of the highest character that it is almost impossible to get grass seed clean and true to name from the ordinary sources2 the leading men therefore have to grow their own4 ,in my own case1 having some acres of rough heath and copse where the wild grasses are of fine-leaved kinds1 ,i made the lawn by inoculation4 ,the ground was trenched and levelled1 then well trodden and raked1 and the surface stones collected4 ,tufts of the wild grass were then forked up1 and were pulled into pieces about the size of the palm of one's hand1 and laid down eight inches apart1 and well rolled in4 ,during the following summer we collected seed of the same grasses to sow early in spring in any patchy or bare places4 ,one year after planting the patches had spread to double their size1 and by the second year had nearly joined together4 ,the grasses were of two kinds only1 namely1 ,sheep's ,fescue 7,festuca ovina7 and ,crested ,dog's-tail 7,agrostis canina74 ,they make a lawn of a quiet1 low-toned colour1 never of the bright green of the rather coarser grasses2 but in this case ,i much prefer it2 it goes better with the ,heath and ,fir and ,bracken that belong to the place4 ,in point of labour1 a lawn made of these fine grasses has the great merit of only wanting mowing once in three weeks4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i have never undertaken the transplanting of large trees1 but there is no doubt that it may be done with success1 and in laying out a new place where the site is bare1 if suitable trees are to be had1 it is a plan much to be recommended4 ,it has often been done of late years1 but until a friend drew my attention to an article in the ,quarterly ,review1 dated ,march #ahbh1 ,i had no idea that it had been practised on a large scale so early in the century4 ,the article in question was a review of ,the ,planter's ,guide1 by ,sir ,henry ,steuart1 ,bart41 ,,ll4,d4 7,edinburgh1 #ahbh47 ,it quoted the opinion and observation of a committee of gentlemen1 among whom was ,sir ,walter ,scott1 who visited ,allanton 7,sir ,henry ,steuart's place7 in ,september #ahbh1 when the trees had been some years planted4 ,they found them growing with vigour and luxuriance1 and in the most exposed situations making shoots of eighteen inches4444 ,from the facts which they witnessed the committee reported it as their unanimous opinion that the art of transplantation1 as practised by ,sir ,henry ,steuart1 is calculated to accelerate in an extraordinary degree the power of raising wood1 whether for beauty or shelter4 ,the reviewer then quotes the method of transplantation1 describing the extreme care with which the roots are preserved1 men with picks carefully trying round the ground beneath the outer circumference of the branches for the most outlying rootlets1 and then gradually approaching the bole4 ,the greatest care was taken not to injure any root or fibre1 these as they were released from the earth being tied up1 and finally the transplanting machine1 consisting of a strong pole mounted on high wheels1 was brought close to the trunk and attached to it1 and the tree when lowered1 carefully transported to its new home4 ,every layer of roots was then replanted with the utmost care1 with delicate fingering and just sufficient ramming1 and in the end the tree stood without any artificial support whatever1 and in positions exposed to the fiercest gales4 ,the average size of tree dealt with seems to have had a trunk about a foot in diameter1 but some were removed with complete success whose trunks were two feet thick4 ,in order that his trees might be the better balanced in shape1 ,sir ,henry boldly departed from the older custom of replanting a tree in its original aspect1 for he reversed the aspect1 so that the more stunted and shorter-twigged weather side now became the lee side1 and could grow more freely4 ,he insists strongly on the wisdom of transplanting only well-weathered trees1 and not those of tender constitution that had been sheltered by standing among other close growths1 pointing out that these have a tenderer bark and taller top and roots less well able to bear the strain of wind and weather in the open4 ,he reckons that a transplanted tree is in full new growth by the fourth or fifth year1 and that an advantage equal to from thirty to forty years' growth is gained by the system4 ,as for the expense of the work1 ,sir ,henry estimated that his largest trees each cost from ten to thirteen shillings to take up1 remove half a mile1 and replant4 ,in the case of large trees the ground that was to receive them was prepared a twelvemonth beforehand4 99 99 99 99 99 ,now1 in the third week of ,november1 the most pressing work is the collecting of leaves for mulching and leaf-mould4 ,the oaks have been late in shedding their leaves1 and we have been waiting till they are down4 ,oak-leaves are the best1 then hazel1 elm1 and ,spanish chestnut4 ,birch and beech are not so good2 beech-leaves especially take much too long to decay4 ,this is1 no doubt1 the reason why nothing grows willingly under beeches4 ,horse and cart and three hands go out into the lanes for two or three days1 and the loads that come home go three feet deep into the bottom of a range of pits4 ,the leaves are trodden down close and covered with a layer of mould1 in which winter salad stuff is immediately planted4 ,the mass of leaves will soon begin to heat1 and will give a pleasant bottom-heat throughout the winter4 ,other loads of leaves go into an open pen about ten feet square and five feet deep4 ,two such pens1 made of stout oak post and rail and upright slabs1 stand side by side in the garden yard4 ,the one newly filled has just been emptied of its two-year-old leaf-mould1 which has gone as a nourishing and protecting mulch over beds of ,daffodils and choice bulbs and ,alstroemerias1 some being put aside in reserve for potting and various uses4 ,the other pen remains full of the leaves of last year1 slowly rotting into wholesome plant-food4 ,with works of wood-cutting and stump-grubbing near at hand1 we look over the tools and see that all are in readiness for winter work4 ,axes and hand-bills are ground1 fag-hooks sharpened1 picks and mattocks sent to the smithy to be drawn out1 the big cross-cut saw fresh sharpened and set1 and the hand-saws and frame-saws got ready4 ,the rings of the bittle are tightened and wedged up1 so that its heavy head may not split when the mighty blows1 flung into the tool with a man's full strength1 fall on the heads of the great iron wedges4 ,illustration3 ,,pens ,,for ,,storing ,,dead ,,leaves4 ,illustration3 ,,careful ,,wild-,,gardening--,,white ,,foxgloves ,,at ,,the ,,edge ,,of ,,the ,,fir ,,wood4 7,see page #bgj47 ,some thinning of birch-trees has to be done in the lowest part of the copse1 not far from the house4 ,they are rather evenly distributed on the ground1 and ,i wish to get them into groups by cutting away superfluous trees4 ,on the neighbouring moorland and heathy uplands they are apt to grow naturally in groups1 the individual trees generally bending outward towards the free1 open space1 the whole group taking a form that is graceful and highly pictorial4 ,i hope to be able to cut out trees so as to leave the remainder standing in some such way4 ,but as a tree once cut cannot be put up again1 the condemned ones are marked with bands of white paper right round the trunks1 so that they can be observed from all sides1 thus to give a chance of reprieve to any tree that from any point of view may have pictorial value4 ,frequent in some woody districts in the south of ,england1 though local1 is the ,butcher's ,broom 7,ruscus aculeatus74 ,its stiff green branches that rise straight from the root bear small1 hard leaves1 armed with a sharp spine at the end4 ,the flower1 which comes in early summer1 is seated without stalk in the middle of the leaf1 and is followed by a large red berry4 ,in country places where it abounds1 butchers use the twigs tied in bunches to brush the little chips of meat off their great chopping-blocks1 that are made of solid sections of elm trees1 standing three and a half feet high and about two and a half feet across4 ,its beautiful garden relative1 the ,alexandrian or ,victory ,laurel 7,ruscus racemosus71 is also now just at its best4 ,nothing makes a more beautiful wreath than two of its branches1 suitably arched and simply bound together near the butts and free ends4 ,it is not a laurel1 but a ,ruscus1 the name laurel having probably grown on to it by old association with any evergreen suitable for a victor's wreath4 ,it is a slow-growing plant1 but in time makes handsome tufts of its graceful branches4 ,few plants are more exquisitely modelled1 to use a term familiar to the world of fine art1 or give an effect of more delicate and perfect finish4 ,it is a valuable plant in a shady place in good1 cool soil4 ,early in summer1 when the young growths appear1 the old1 then turning rusty1 should be cut away4 ,no trees group together more beautifully than ,hollies and ,birches4 ,one such happy mixture in one part of the copse suggested further plantings of ,holly1 ,birches being already in abundance4 ,every year some more ,hollies are planted2 those put in nine years ago are now fifteen feet high1 and are increasing fast4 ,they are slow to begin growth after transplanting1 perhaps because in our very light soil they cannot be moved with a ball2 all the soil shakes away1 and leaves the root naked2 but after about three years1 when the roots have got good hold and begun to ramble1 they grow away well4 ,the trunk of an old ,holly has a smooth pale-grey bark1 and sometimes a slight twist1 that makes it look like the gigantic bone of some old-world monster4 ,the leaves of some old trees1 especially if growing in shade1 change their shape1 losing the side prickles and becoming longer and nearly flat and more of a dark bottle-green colour1 while the lower branches and twigs1 leafless except towards their ends1 droop down in a graceful line that rises again a little at the tip4 ,illustration3 ,,holly ,,stems ,,in ,,an ,,old ,,hedge-,,row4 ,the leaves are all down by the last week of ,november1 and woodland assumes its winter aspect2 perhaps one ought rather to say1 some one of its infinite variety of aspects1 for those who live in such country know how many are the winter moods of forest land1 and how endless are its variations of atmospheric effect and pictorial beauty--variations much greater and more numerous than are possible in summer4 ,with the wind in the south-west and soft rain about1 the twigs of the birches look almost crimson1 while the dead bracken at their foot1 half-draggled and sodden with wet1 is of a strong1 dark rust colour4 ,now one sees the full value of the good evergreens1 and1 rambling through woodland1 more especially of the ,holly1 whether in bush or tree form1 with its masses of strong green colour1 dark and yet never gloomy4 ,whether it is the high polish of the leaves1 or the lively look of their wavy edges1 with the short prickles set alternately up and down1 or the brave way the tree has of shooting up among other thick growth1 or its massive sturdiness on a bare hillside1 one cannot say1 but a ,holly in early winter1 even without berries1 is always a cheering sight4 ,john ,evelyn is eloquent in his praise of this grand evergreen1 and lays special emphasis on this quality of cheerfulness4 ,near my home is a little wild valley1 whose planting1 wholly done by ,nature1 ,i have all my life regarded with the most reverent admiration4 ,the arable fields of an upland farm give place to hazel copses as the ground rises4 ,through one of these a deep narrow lane1 cool and dusky in summer from its high steep banks and over-arching foliage1 leads by a rather sudden turn into the lower end of the little valley4 ,its grassy bottom is only a few yards wide1 and its sides rise steeply right and left4 ,looking upward through groups of wild bushes and small trees1 one sees thickly-wooded ground on the higher levels4 ,the soil is of the very poorest2 ridges of pure yellow sand are at the mouths of the many rabbit-burrows4 ,the grass is of the short fine kinds of the heathy uplands4 ,bracken grows low1 only from one to two feet high1 giving evidence of the poverty of the soil1 and yet it seems able to grow in perfect beauty clumps of ,juniper and ,thorn and ,holly1 and ,scotch ,fir on the higher ground4 ,on the steeply-rising banks are large groups of ,juniper1 some tall1 some spreading1 some laced and wreathed about with tangles of ,honeysuckle1 now in brown winter dress1 and there are a few bushes of ,spindle-tree1 whose green stems and twigs look strangely green in winter4 ,the ,thorns stand some singly1 some in close companionship1 impenetrable masses of short-twigged prickly growth1 with here and there a wild ,rose shooting straight up through the crowded branches4 ,one thinks how lovely it will be in early ,june1 when the pink ,rose-wreaths are tossing out of the foamy sea of white ,thorn blossom4 ,the ,hollies are towering masses of health and vigour4 ,some of the groups of ,thorn and ,holly are intermingled2 all show beautiful arrangements of form and colour1 such as are never seen in planted places4 ,the track in the narrow valley trends steadily upwards and bears a little to the right4 ,high up on the left-hand side is an old wood of ,scotch ,fir4 ,a few detached trees come half-way down the valley bank to meet the gnarled1 moss-grown ,thorns and the silver-green ,junipers4 ,as the way rises some ,birches come in sight1 also at home in the sandy soil4 ,their graceful1 lissome spray moving to the wind looks active among the stiffer trees1 and their white stems shine out in startling contrast to the other dusky foliage4 ,so the narrow track leads on1 showing the same kinds of tree and bush in endless variety of beautiful grouping1 under the sombre half-light of the winter day4 ,it is afternoon1 and as one mounts higher a pale bar of yellow light gleams between the farther tree-stems1 but all above is grey1 with angry1 blackish drifts of ragged wrack4 ,now the valley opens out to a nearly level space of rough grass1 with grey tufts that will be pink bell-heather in summer1 and upstanding clumps of sedge that tell of boggy places4 ,in front and to the right are dense fir-woods4 ,to the left is broken ground and a steep-sided hill1 towards whose shoulder the track rises4 ,here are still the same kinds of trees1 but on the open hillside they have quite a different effect4 ,now ,i look into the ruddy heads of the ,thorns1 bark and fruit both of rich warm colouring1 and into the upper masses of the ,hollies1 also reddening into wealth of berry4 ,illustration3 ,,wild ,,junipers4 ,throughout the walk1 pacing slowly but steadily for nearly an hour1 only these few kinds of trees have been seen1 ,juniper1 ,holly1 ,thorn1 ,scotch ,fir1 and ,birch 7a few small ,oaks excepted71 and yet there has not been once the least feeling of monotony1 nor1 returning downward by the same path1 could one wish anything to be altered or suppressed or differently grouped4 ,and ,i have always had the same feeling about any quite wild stretch of forest land4 ,such a bit of wild forest as this small valley and the hilly land beyond are precious lessons in the best kind of tree and shrub planting4 ,no artificial planting can ever equal that of ,nature1 but one may learn from it the great lesson of the importance of moderation and reserve1 of simplicity of intention1 and directness of purpose1 and the inestimable value of the quality called breadth in painting4 ,for planting ground is painting a landscape with living things2 and as ,i hold that good gardening takes rank within the bounds of the fine arts1 so ,i hold that to plant well needs an artist of no mean capacity4 ,and his difficulties are not slight ones1 for his living picture must be right from all points1 and in all lights4 ,illustration3 ,,wild ,,junipers4 ,no doubt the planting of a large space with a limited number of kinds of trees cannot be trusted to all hands1 for in those of a person without taste or the more finely-trained perceptions the result would be very likely dull or even absurd4 ,it is not the paint that make the picture1 but the brain and heart and hand of the man who uses it4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,december ,the woodman at work -- ,tree-cutting in frosty weather -- ,preparing sticks and stakes -- ,winter ,jasmine -- ,ferns in the wood-walk -- ,winter colour of evergreen shrubs -- ,copse-cutting -- ,hoop-making -- ,tools used -- ,sizes of hoops -- ,men camping out -- ,thatching with hoop-chips -- ,the old thatcher's bill4 ,it is good to watch a clever woodman and see how much he can do with his simple tools1 and how easily one man alone can deal with heavy pieces of timber4 ,an oak trunk1 two feet or more thick1 and weighing perhaps a ton1 lies on the ground1 the branches being already cut off4 ,he has to cleave it into four1 and to remove it to the side of a lane one hundred feet away4 ,his tools are an axe and one iron wedge4 ,the first step is the most difficult--to cut such a nick in the sawn surface of the butt of the trunk as will enable the wedge to stick in4 ,he holds the wedge to the cut and hammers it gently with the back of the axe till it just holds1 then he tries a moderate blow1 and is quite prepared for what is almost sure to happen--the wedge springs out backwards2 very likely it springs out for three or four trials1 but at last the wedge bites and he can give it the dexterous1 rightly-placed blows that slowly drive it in4 ,before the wedge is in half its length a creaking sound is heard2 the fibres are beginning to tear1 and a narrow rift shows on each side of the iron4 ,a few more strokes and the sound of the rending fibres is louder and more continuous1 with sudden cracking noises1 that tell of the parting of larger bundles of fibres1 that had held together till the tremendous rending power of the wedge at last burst them asunder4 ,now the man looks out a bit of strong branch about four inches thick1 and with the tree-trunk as a block and the axe held short in one hand as a chopper1 he makes a wooden wedge about twice the size of the iron one1 and drives it into one of the openings at its side4 ,for if you have only one iron wedge1 and you drive it tight into your work1 you can neither send it farther nor get it out1 and you feel and look foolish4 ,the wooden wedge driven in releases the iron one1 which is sent in afresh against the side of the wedge of oak1 the trunk meanwhile rending slowly apart with much grieving and complaining of the tearing fibres4 ,as the rent opens the axe cuts across diagonal bundles of fibres that still hold tightly across the widening rift4 ,and so the work goes on1 the man unconsciously exercising his knowledge of his craft in placing and driving the wedges1 the helpless wood groaning and creaking and finally falling apart as the last holding fibres are severed by the axe4 ,meanwhile the raw green wood gives off a delicious scent1 sweet and sharp and refreshing1 not unlike the smell of apples crushing in the cider-press4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,woodman4 ,the woodman has still to rend the two halves of the trunk1 but the work is not so heavy and goes more quickly4 ,now he has to shift them to the side of the rough track that serves as a road through the wood4 ,they are so heavy that two men could barely lift them1 and he is alone4 ,he could move them with a lever1 that he could cut out of a straight young tree1 a foot or so at a time at each end1 but it is a slow and clumsy way2 besides1 the wood is too much encumbered with undergrowth4 ,so he cuts two short pieces from a straight bit of branch four inches or five inches thick1 levers one of his heavy pieces so that one end points to the roadway1 prises up this end and kicks one of his short pieces under it close to the end1 settling it at right angles with gentle kicks4 ,the other short piece is arranged in the same way1 a little way beyond the middle of the length of quartered trunk4 ,now1 standing behind it1 he can run the length easily along on the two rollers1 till the one nearest him is left behind2 this one is then put under the front end of the weight1 and so on till the road is reached4 ,trees that stand where paths are to come1 or that for any reason have to be removed1 root and all1 are not felled with axe or saw1 but are grubbed down4 ,the earth is dug away next to the tree1 gradually exposing the roots2 these are cut through with axe or mattock close to the butt1 and again about eighteen inches away1 so that by degrees a deep trench1 eighteen inches wide1 is excavated round the butt4 ,a rope is fastened at the right distance up the trunk1 when1 if the tree does not hold by a very strong tap-root1 a succession of steady pulls will bring it down2 the weight of the top thus helping to prise the heavy butt out of the ground4 ,we come upon many old stumps of ,scotch fir1 the remains of the original wood2 they make capital firewood1 though some burn rather too fiercely1 being full of turpentine4 ,many are still quite sound1 though it must be six-and-twenty years since they were felled4 ,they are very hard to grub1 with their thick taproots and far-reaching laterals1 and still tougher to split up1 their fibres are so much twisted1 and the dark-red heart-wood has become hardened till it rings to a blow almost like metal4 ,but some1 whose roots have rotted1 come up more easily1 and with very little digging may be levered out of the ground with a long iron stone-bar1 such as they use in the neighbouring quarries1 putting the point of the bar under the stam1 and having a log of wood for a hard fulcrum4 ,or a stout young stem of oak or chestnut is used for a lever1 passing a chain under the stump and over the middle of the bar and prising upwards with the lever4 ,stam is the word always used by the men for any stump of a tree left in the ground4 ,illustration3 ,,grubbing ,a ,,tree-,,stump4 ,illustration3 ,,felling ,,and ,,grubbing ,,tools4 7,see page #aej47 ,a spell of frosty days at the end of ,december puts a stop to all planting and ground work4 ,now we go into the copse and cut the trees that have been provisionally marked1 judged1 and condemned1 with the object of leaving the remainder standing in graceful groups4 ,the men wonder why ,i cut some of the trees that are best and straightest and have good tops1 and leave those with leaning stems4 ,anything of seven inches or less diameter is felled with the axe1 but thicker trees with the cross-cut saw4 ,for these our most active fellow climbs up the tree with a rope1 and makes it fast to the trunk a good way up1 then two of them1 kneeling1 work the saw4 ,when it has cut a third of the way through1 the rope is pulled on the side opposite the cut to keep it open and let the saw work free4 ,when still larger trees are sawn down this is done by driving in a wedge behind the saw1 when the width of the saw-blade is rather more than buried in the tree4 ,when the trunk is nearly sawn through1 it wants care and judgment to see that the saw does not get pinched by the weight of the tree2 the clumsy workman who fails to clear his saw gets laughed at1 and probably damages his tool4 ,good straight trunks of oak and chestnut are put aside for special uses2 the rest of the larger stuff is cut into cordwood lengths of four feet4 ,the heaviest of these are split up into four pieces to make them easier to load and carry away1 and eventually to saw up into firewood4 ,the best of the birch tops are cut into pea-sticks1 a clever1 slanting cut with the hand-bill leaving them pointed and ready for use4 ,throughout the copse are stools of ,spanish chestnut1 cut about once in five years4 ,from this we get good straight stakes for ,dahlias and ,hollyhocks1 also beanpoles2 while the rather straight-branched boughs are cut into branching sticks for ,michaelmas ,daisies1 and special lengths are got ready for various kinds of plants--,chrysanthemums1 ,lilies1 ,paeonies and so on4 ,to provide all this in winter1 when other work is slack or impossible1 is an important matter in the economy of a garden1 for all gardeners know how distressing and harassing it is to find themselves without the right sort of sticks or stakes in summer1 and what a long job it then seems to have to look them up and cut them1 of indifferent quality1 out of dry faggots4 ,by the plan of preparing all in winter no precious time is lost1 and a tidy withe-bound bundle of the right sort is always at hand4 ,the rest of the rough spray and small branching stuff is made up into faggots to be chopped up for fire-lighting2 the country folk still use the old word bavin for faggots4 ,the middle-sized branches--anything between two inches and six inches in diameter--are what the woodmen call top and lop2 these are also cut into convenient lengths1 and are stacked in the barn1 to be cut into billets for next year's fires in any wet or frosty weather1 when outdoor work is at a standstill4 ,what a precious winter flower is the yellow ,jasmine 7,jasminum nudiflorum74 ,though hard frost spoils the flowers then expanded1 as soon as milder days come the hosts of buds that are awaiting them burst into bloom4 ,its growth is so free and rapid that one has no scruple about cutting it freely2 and great branching sprays1 cut a yard or more long1 arranged with branches of ,alexandrian ,laurel or other suitable foliage--such as ,andromeda or ,gaultheria--are beautiful as room decoration4 ,christmas ,roses keep on flowering bravely1 in spite of our light soil and frequent summer drought1 both being unfavourable conditions2 but bravest of all is the blue ,algerian ,iris 7,iris stylosa71 flowering freely as it does1 at the foot of a west wall1 in all open weather from ,november till ,april4 ,in the rock-garden at the edge of the copse the creeping evergreen ,polygala chamaebuxus is quite at home in beds of peat among mossy boulders4 ,where it has the ground to itself1 this neat little shrub makes close tufts only four inches or five inches high1 its wiry branches being closely set with neat1 dark-green1 box-like leaves2 though where it has to struggle for life among other low shrubs1 as may often be seen in the ,alps1 the branches elongate1 and will run bare for two feet or three feet to get the leafy end to the light4 ,even now it is thickly set with buds and has a few expanded flowers4 ,this bit of rock-garden is mostly planted with dwarf shrubs--,skimmia1 ,bog-myrtle1 ,alpine ,rhododendrons1 ,gaultheria1 and ,andromeda1 with drifts of hardy ferns between1 and only a few soft plants4 ,but of these1 two are now conspicuously noticeable for foliage--the hardy ,cyclamens and the blue ,himalayan ,poppy 7,meconopsis ,wallichi74 ,every winter ,i notice how bravely the pale woolly foliage of this plant bears up against the early winter's frost and wet4 ,the wood-walk1 whose sloping banks are planted with hardy ferns in large groups1 shows how many of our common kinds are good plants for the first half of the winter4 ,now1 only a week before ,christmas1 the male fern is still in handsome green masses2 ,blechnum is still good1 and common ,polypody at its best4 ,the noble fronds of the ,dilated ,shield-fern are still in fairly good order1 and ,ceterach in rocky chinks is in fullest beauty4 ,beyond1 in large groups1 are prosperous-looking tufts of the ,wood-rush 7,luzula sylvatica72 then there is wood as far as one can see1 here mostly of the silver-stemmed ,birch and rich green ,holly1 with the woodland carpet of dusky low-toned bramble and quiet dead leaf and brilliant moss4 ,by the middle of ,december many of the evergreen shrubs that thrive in peat are in full beauty of foliage4 ,andromeda ,catesbaei is richly coloured with crimson clouds and splashes2 ,skimmias are at their best and freshest1 their bright1 light green1 leathery foliage defying all rigours of temperature or weather4 ,pernettyas are clad in their strongest and deepest green leafage1 and show a richness and depth of colour only surpassed by that of the yew hedges4 ,copse-cutting is one of the harvests of the year for labouring men1 and all the more profitable that it can go on through frosty weather4 ,a handy man can earn good wages at piece-work1 and better still if he can cleave and shave hoops4 ,hoop-making is quite a large industry in these parts1 employing many men from ,michaelmas to ,march4 ,they are barrel-hoops1 made of straight poles of six years' growth4 ,the wood used is ,birch1 ,ash1 ,hazel and ,spanish ,chestnut4 ,hazel is the best1 or as my friend in the business says1 ,hazel1 that's the master6 ,the growths of the copses are sold by auction in some near county town1 as they stand1 the buyer clearing them during the winter4 ,they are cut every six years1 and a good copse of ,chestnut has been known to fetch ,l#ed an acre4 ,a good hoop-maker can earn from twenty to twenty-five shillings a week4 ,he sets up his brake1 while his mate1 who will cleave the rods1 cuts a post about three inches thick1 and fixes it into the ground so that it stands about three feet high4 ,to steady it he drives in another of rather curly shape by its side1 so that the tops of the two are nearly even1 but the foot of the curved spur is some nine inches away at the bottom1 with its top pressing hard against the upright4 ,to stiffen it still more he makes a long withe of a straight hazel rod1 which he twists into a rope by holding the butt tightly under his left foot and twisting with both hands till the fibres are wrenched open and the withe is ready to spring back and wind upon itself4 ,with this he binds his two posts together1 so that they stand perfectly rigid4 ,on this he cleaves the poles1 beginning at the top4 ,the tool is a small one-handed adze with a handle like a hammer4 ,a rod is usually cleft in two1 so that it is only shaved on one side2 but sometimes a pole of ,chestnut1 a very quick-growing wood1 is large enough to cleave into eight1 and when the wood is very clean and straight they can sometimes get two lengths of fourteen feet out of a pole4 ,illustration3 ,,hoop-,,making ,,in ,,the ,,woods4 ,the brake is a strong flat-shaped post of oak set up in the ground to lean a little away from the workman4 ,it stands five and a half feet out of the ground4 ,a few inches from its upper end it has a shoulder cut in it which acts as the fulcrum for the cross-bar that supports the pole to be shaved1 and that leans down towards the man4 ,the relative position of the two parts of the brake reminds one of the mast and yard of a lateen-rigged boat4 ,the bar is nicely balanced by having a hazel withe bound round a groove at its upper short end1 about a foot beyond the fulcrum1 while the other end of the withe is tied round a heavy bit of log or stump that hangs clear of the ground and just balances the bar1 so that it see-saws easily4 ,the cleft rod that is to be shaved lies along the bar1 and an iron pin that passes through the head of the brake just above the point where the bar rides over its shoulder1 nips the hoop as the weight of the stroke comes upon it2 the least lifting of the bar releases the hoop1 which is quickly shifted onwards for a new stroke4 ,the shaving tool is a strong two-handled draw-knife1 much like the tool used by wheelwrights4 ,it is hard work1 wunnerful tryin' across the chest4 ,the hoops are in several standard lengths1 from fourteen to two and a half feet4 ,the longest go to the ,west ,indies for sugar hogsheads1 and some of the next are for tacking round pipes of wine4 ,the wine is in well-made iron-hooped barrels1 but the wooden hoops are added to protect them from the jarring and bumping when rolled on board ship1 and generally to save them during storage and transit4 ,these hoops are in two sizes1 called large and small pipes4 ,a thirteen-foot size go to foreign countries for training vines on4 ,a large quantity that measure five feet six inches1 and called long pinks1 are for cement barrels4 ,a length of seven feet six inches are used for herring barrels1 and are called kilderkins1 after the name of the size of tub4 ,smaller sizes go for gunpowder barrels1 and for tacking round packing-cases and tea-chests4 ,the men want to make all the time they can in the short winter daylight1 and often the work is some miles from home1 so if the weather is not very cold they make huts of the bundles of rods and chips1 and sleep out on the job4 ,i always admire the neatness with which the bundles are fastened up1 and the strength of the withe-rope that binds them1 for sixty hoops1 or thirty pairs1 as they call them1 of fourteen feet1 are a great weight to be kept together by four slight hazel bands4 ,illustration3 ,,hoop-,,shaving4 ,illustration3 ,,shed-,,roof1 ,,thatched ,,with ,,hoop-,,chip4 ,in this industry there is a useful by-product in the shavings1 or chips as they call them4 ,they are eighteen inches to two feet long1 and are made up into small faggots or bundles and stacked up for six months to a year to dry1 and then sell readily at twopence a bundle to cut up for fire-lighting4 ,they also make a capital thatch for sheds1 a thatch nearly a foot thick1 warm in winter1 and cool in summer1 and durable1 for if well made it will last for forty years4 ,i got a clever old thatcher to make me a hoop-chip roof for the garden shed2 it was a long job1 and he took his time 7although it was piece-work71 preparing and placing each handful of chips as carefully as if he was making a wedding bouquet4 ,he was one of the old sort--no scamping of work for him2 his work was as good as he could make it1 and it was his pride and delight4 ,the roof was prepared with strong laths nailed horizontally across the rafters as if for tiling1 but farther apart2 and the chips1 after a number of handfuls had been duly placed and carefully poked and patted into shape1 were bound down to the laths with soft tarred cord guided by an immense iron needle4 ,the thatching1 as in all cases of roof-covering1 begins at the eaves1 so that each following layer laps over the last4 ,only the ridge has to be of straw1 because straw can be bent over2 the chips are too rigid4 ,when the thatch is all in place the whole is drove1 that is1 beaten up close with a wooden bat that strikes against the ends of the chips and drives them up close1 jamming them tight into the fastening4 ,after six months of drying summer weather he came and drove it all over again4 ,thatching is done by piece-work1 and paid at so much a square of ten by ten feet4 ,when ,i asked for his bill1 the old man brought it made out on a hazel stick1 in a manner either traditional1 or of his own devising4 ,this is how it runs1 in notches about half an inch long1 and dots dug with the point of the knife4 ,it means1 ,to so much work done1 ,l#d1 #es4 #j;d4 ,,iixxx4,i41 ,,iixxxx4,,ii,v ,,iiii,v,,xx1,,iixx ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,large ,,and ,,small ,,gardens ,a well done villa garden -- ,a small town garden -- ,two delightful gardens of small size -- ,twenty acres within the walls -- ,a large country house and its garden -- ,terrace -- ,lawn -- ,parterre -- ,free garden -- ,kitchen garden -- ,buildings -- ,ornamental orchard -- ,instructive mixed gardens -- ,mr4 ,wilson's at ,wisley -- ,a window garden4 ,the size of a garden has very little to do with its merit4 ,it is merely an accident relating to the circumstances of the owner4 ,it is the size of his heart and brain and goodwill that will make his garden either delightful or dull1 as the case may be1 and either leave it at the usual monotonous dead-level1 or raise it1 in whatever degree may be1 towards that of a work of fine art4 ,if a man knows much1 it is more difficult for him to deal with a small space than a larger1 for he will have to make the more sacrifice2 but if he is wise he will at once make up his mind about what he will let go1 and how he may best treat the restricted space4 ,some years ago ,i visited a small garden attached to a villa on the outskirts of a watering-place on the south coast4 ,in ordinary hands it would have been a perfectly commonplace thing1 with the usual weary mixture1 and exhibiting the usual distressing symptoms that come in the train of the ministrations of the jobbing-gardener4 ,in size it may have been a third of an acre1 and it was one of the most interesting and enjoyable gardens ,i have ever seen1 its master and mistress giving it daily care and devotion1 and enjoying to the full its glad response of grateful growth4 ,the master had built with his own hands1 on one side where more privacy was wanted1 high rugged walls1 with spaces for many rock-loving plants1 and had made the wall die away so cleverly into the rock-garden1 that the whole thing looked like a garden founded on some ancient ruined structure4 ,and it was all done with so much taste that there was nothing jarring or strained-looking1 still less anything cockneyfied1 but all easy and pleasant and pretty1 while the happy look of the plants at once proclaimed his sympathy with them1 and his comprehensive knowledge of their wants4 ,in the same garden was a walled enclosure where ,tree ,paeonies and some of the hardier of the oriental ,rhododendrons were thriving1 and there were pretty spaces of lawn1 and flower border1 and shrub clump1 alike beautiful and enjoyable1 all within a small space1 and yet not crowded--the garden of one who was a keen flower lover1 as well as a world-known botanist4 ,i am always thankful to have seen this garden1 because it showed me1 in a way that had never been so clearly brought home to me1 how much may be done in a small space4 ,another and much smaller garden that ,i remember with pleasure was in a sort of yard among houses1 in a country town4 ,the house it belonged to1 a rather high one1 was on its east side1 and halfway along on the south2 the rest was bounded by a wall about ten feet high4 ,opposite the house the owner had built of rough blocks of sandstone what served as a workshop1 about twelve feet long along the wall1 and six feet wide within4 ,a low archway of the same rough stone was the entrance1 and immediately above it a lean-to roof sloped up to the top of the wall1 which just here had been carried a little higher4 ,the roof was of large flat sandstones1 only slightly lapping over each other1 with spaces and chinks where grew luxuriant masses of ,polypody ,fern4 ,it was contrived with a cement bed1 so that it was quite weather-tight1 and the room was lighted by a skylight at one end that did not show from the garden4 ,a small surface of lead-flat1 on a level with the top of the wall1 in one of the opposite angles1 carried an old oil-jar1 from which fell masses of gorgeous ,tropaeolum1 and the actual surface of the flat was a garden of ,stonecrops4 ,the rounded coping of the walls1 and the joints in many places 7for the wall was an old one71 were gay with yellow ,corydalis and ,snapdragons and more ,stonecrops4 ,the little garden had a few pleasant flowering bushes1 ,ribes and ,laurustinus1 a ,bay and an ,almond tree4 ,in the coolest and shadiest corner were a fern-grotto and a tiny tank4 ,the rest of the garden1 only a few yards across1 was laid out with a square bed in the middle1 and a little path round1 then a three-feet-wide border next the wall1 all edged with rather tall-grown ,box4 ,the middle bed had garden ,roses and ,carnations1 and ,mignonette and ,stocks4 ,all round were well-chosen plants and shrubs1 looking well and happy1 though in a confined and rather airless space4 ,every square foot had been made the most of with the utmost ingenuity1 but the ingenuity was always directed by good taste1 so that nothing looked crowded or out of place4 ,and ,i think of two other gardens of restricted space1 both long strips of ground walled at the sides1 whose owners ,i am thankful to count among my friends--one in the favoured climate of the ,isle of ,wight1 a little garden where ,i suppose there are more rare and beautiful plants brought together within a small space than perhaps in any other garden of the same size in ,england2 the other in a cathedral town1 now a memory only1 for the master of what was one of the most beautiful gardens ,i have ever seen now lives elsewhere4 ,the garden was long in shape1 and divided about midway by a wall4 ,the division next the house was a quiet lawn1 with a mulberry tree and a few mounded borders near the sides that were unobstrusive1 and in no way spoilt the quiet feeling of the lawn space4 ,then a doorway in the dividing wall led to a straight path with a double flower border4 ,i suppose there was a vegetable garden behind the borders1 but of that ,i have no recollection1 only a vivid remembrance of that brilliantly beautiful mass of flowers4 ,the picture was good enough as one went along1 especially as at the end one came first within sound and then within sight of a rushing river1 one of those swift1 clear1 shallow streams with stony bottom that the trout love2 but it was ten times more beautiful on turning to go back1 for there was the mass of flowers1 and towering high above it the noble mass of the giant structure--one of the greatest and yet most graceful buildings that has ever been raised by man to the glory of ,god4 ,it is true that it is not every one that has the advantage of a garden bounded by a river and a noble church1 but even these advantages might have been lost by vulgar or unsuitable treatment of the garden4 ,but the mind of the master was so entirely in sympathy with the place1 that no one that had the privilege of seeing it could feel that it was otherwise than right and beautiful4 ,both these were the gardens of clergymen2 indeed1 some of our greatest gardeners are1 and have been1 within the ranks of the ,church4 ,for have we not a brilliantly-gifted dignitary whose loving praise of the ,queen of flowers has become a classic8 and have we not among churchmen the greatest grower of seedling ,daffodils the world has yet seen1 and other names of clergymen honourably associated with ,roses and ,auriculas and ,tulips and other good flowers1 and all greatly to their bettering8 ,the conditions of the life of a parish priest would tend to make him a good gardener1 for1 while other men roam about1 he stays mostly at home1 and to live with one's garden is one of the best ways to ensure its welfare4 ,and then1 among the many anxieties and vexations and disappointments that must needs grieve the heart of the pastor of his people1 his garden1 with its wholesome labour and all its lessons of patience and trust and hopefulness1 and its comforting power of solace1 must be one of the best of medicines for the healing of his often sorrowing soul4 ,i do not envy the owners of very large gardens4 ,the garden should fit its master or his tastes just as his clothes do2 it should be neither too large nor too small1 but just comfortable4 ,if the garden is larger than he can individually govern and plan and look after1 then he is no longer its master but its slave1 just as surely as the much-too-rich man is the slave and not the master of his superfluous wealth4 ,and when ,i hear of the great place with a kitchen garden of twenty acres within the walls1 my heart sinks as ,i think of the uncomfortable disproportion between the man and those immediately around him1 and his vast output of edible vegetation1 and ,i fall to wondering how much of it goes as it should go1 or whether the greater part of it does not go dribbling away1 leaking into unholy back-channels2 and of how the looking after it must needs be subdivided2 and of how many side-interests are likely to steal in1 and altogether how great a burden of anxiety or matter of temptation it must give rise to4 ,a grand truth is in the old farmer's saying1 ,the master's eye makes the pig fat2 but how can any one master's eye fat that vast pig of twenty acres1 with all its minute and costly cultivation1 its two or three crops a year off all ground given to soft vegetables1 its stoves1 greenhouses1 orchid and orchard houses1 its vineries1 pineries1 figgeries1 and all manner of glass structures8 ,but happily these monstrous gardens are but few--,i only know of or have seen two1 but ,i hope never to see another4 ,nothing is more satisfactory than to see the well-designed and well-organised garden of the large country house1 whose master loves his garden1 and has good taste and a reasonable amount of leisure4 ,i think that the first thing in such a place is to have large unbroken lawn spaces--all the better if they are continuous1 passing round the south and west sides of the house4 ,i am supposing a house of the best class1 but not necessarily of the largest size4 ,immediately adjoining the house1 except for the few feet needed for a border for climbing plants1 is a broad walk1 dry and smooth1 and perfectly level from end to end4 ,this1 in the case of many houses1 and nearly always with good effect1 is raised two or three feet above the garden ground1 and if the architecture of the house demands it1 has a retaining wall surmounted by a balustrade of masonry and wrought stone4 ,broad and shallow stone steps lead down to the turf both at the end of the walk and in the middle of the front of the house1 the wider and shallower the better1 and at the foot of the wall may be a narrow border for a few climbing plants that will here and there rise above the coping of the parapet4 ,i do not think it desirable where there are stone balusters or other distinct architectural features to let them be smothered with climbing plants1 but that there should be1 say1 a ,pyrus japonica or an ,escallonia1 and perhaps a white ,jasmine1 and on a larger space perhaps a cut-leaved or a ,claret ,vine4 ,some of the best effects of the kind ,i have seen were where the bush1 being well established1 rose straight out of the grass1 the border being unnecessary except just at the beginning4 ,the large lawn space ,i am supposing stretches away a good distance from the house1 and is bounded on the south and west by fine trees2 away beyond that is all wild wood4 ,on summer afternoons the greater part of the lawn expanse is in cool shade1 while winter sunsets show through the tree stems4 ,towards the south-east the wood would pass into shrub plantations1 and farther still into garden and wild orchard 7of which ,i shall have something to say presently74 ,at this end of the lawn would be the brilliant parterre of bedded plants1 seen both from the shaded lawn and from the terrace1 which at this end forms part of its design4 ,beyond the parterre would be a distinct division from the farther garden1 either of ,yew or ,box hedge1 with bays for seats1 or in the case of a change of level1 of another terrace wall4 ,the next space beyond would be the main garden for hardy plants1 at its southern end leading into the wild orchard4 ,this would be the place for the free garden or the reserve garden1 or for any of the many delightful ways in which hardy flowers can be used2 and if it happened by good fortune to have a stream or any means of having running water1 the possibilities of beautiful gardening would be endless4 ,illustration3 ,,garland-,,rose ,,wreathing ,,the ,,end ,,of ,a ,,terrace ,,wall4 ,beyond this again would come the kitchen garden1 and after that the stables and the home farm4 ,if the kitchen garden had a high wall1 and might be entered on this side by handsome wrought-iron gates1 ,i would approach it from the parterre by a broad grass walk bounded by large ,bay trees at equal intervals to right and left4 ,through these to the right would be seen the free garden of hardy flowers4 ,for the kitchen garden a space of two acres would serve a large country house with all that is usually grown within walls1 but there should always be a good space outside for the rougher vegetables1 as well as a roomy yard for compost1 pits and frames1 and rubbish4 ,and here ,i wish to plead on behalf of the gardener that he should have all reasonable comforts and conveniences4 ,nothing is more frequent1 even in good places1 than to find the potting and tool sheds screwed away into some awkward corner1 badly lighted1 much too small1 and altogether inadequate1 and the pits and frames scattered about and difficult to get at4 ,nothing is more wasteful of time1 labour1 or temper4 ,the working parts of a large garden form a complicated organisation1 and if the parts of the mechanism do not fit and work well1 and are not properly eased and oiled1 still more1 if any are missing1 there must be disastrous friction and damage and loss of power4 ,in designing garden buildings1 ,i always strongly urge in connection with the heating system a warmed potting shed and a comfortable messroom for the men1 and over this a perfectly dry loft for drying and storing such matters as shading material1 nets1 mats1 ropes1 and sacks4 ,if this can be warmed1 so much the better4 ,there must also be a convenient and quite frost-proof place for winter storing of vegetable roots and such plants as ,dahlias1 ,cannas1 and ,gladiolus2 and also a well-lighted and warmed workshop for all the innumerable jobs put aside for wet weather1 of which the chief will be repainting and glazing of lights1 repairing implements1 and grinding and setting tools4 ,this shop should have a carpenter's bench and screw1 and a smith's anvil1 and a proper assortment of tools4 ,such arrangements1 well planned and thought out1 will save much time and loss of produce1 besides helping to make all the people employed more comfortable and happy4 ,i think that a garden should never be large enough to be tiring1 that if a large space has to be dealt with1 a great part had better be laid out in wood4 ,woodland is always charming and restful and enduringly beautiful1 and then there is an intermediate kind of woodland that should be made more of--woodland of the orchard type4 ,why is the orchard put out of the way1 as it generally is1 in some remote region beyond the kitchen garden and stables8 ,i should like the lawn1 or the hardy flower garden1 or both1 to pass directly into it on one side1 and to plant a space of several acres1 not necessarily in the usual way1 with orchard standards twenty-five feet apart in straight rows 7though in many places the straight rows might be best71 but to have groups and even groves of such things as ,medlars and ,quinces1 ,siberian and ,chinese ,crabs1 ,damsons1 ,prunes1 ,service trees1 and ,mountain ,ash1 besides ,apples1 ,pears1 and ,cherries1 in both standard and bush forms4 ,then alleys of ,filbert and ,cob-nut1 and in the opener spaces tangles or brakes of the many beautiful bushy things allied to the ,apple and ,plum tribe--,cydonia and ,prunus triloba and ,crataegus of many kinds 7some of them are tall bushes or small trees with beautiful fruits72 and the wild ,blackthorn1 which1 though a plum1 is so nearly related to pear that pears may be grafted on it4 ,and then brakes of ,blackberries1 especially of the ,parsley-leaved kind1 so free of growth and so generous of fruit4 ,how is it that this fine native plant is almost invariably sold in nurseries as an ,american bramble8 ,if ,i am mistaken in this ,i should be glad to be corrected1 but ,i believe it to be only the cut-leaved variety of the native ,rubus affinis4 ,i have tried the best of the ,american kinds1 and with the exception of one year1 when ,i had a few fine fruits from ,kittatinny1 they had been a failure1 whereas invariably when people have told me that their ,american ,blackberries have fruited well1 ,i have found them to be the ,parsley-leaved4 ,some members of the large ,rose-,apple-,plum tribe grow to be large forest trees1 and in my wild orchard they would go in the farther parts4 ,the ,bird-cherry 7,prunus padus7 grows into a tree of the largest size4 ,a ,mountain ,ash will sometimes have a trunk two feet in diameter1 and a head of a size to suit4 ,the ,american kind1 its near relation1 but with larger leaves and still grander masses of berries1 is a noble small tree2 and the native white ,beam should not be forgotten1 and choice places should be given to ,amelanchier and the lovely double ,japan ,apple 7,pyrus malus floribunda74 ,to give due space and effect to all these good things my orchard garden would run into a good many acres1 but every year it would be growing into beauty and profit4 ,the grass should be left rough1 and plentifully planted with ,daffodils1 and with ,cowslips if the soil is strong4 ,the grass would be mown and made into hay in ,june1 and perhaps mown once more towards the end of ,september4 ,under the nut-trees would be ,primroses and the garden kinds of wood ,hyacinths and ,dogtooth ,violets and ,lily of the ,valley1 and perhaps ,snowdrops1 or any of the smaller bulbs that most commended themselves to the taste of the master4 ,such an orchard garden1 well-composed and beautifully grouped1 always with that indispensable quality of good drawing1 would not only be a source of unending pleasure to those who lived in the place1 but a valuable lesson to all who saw it2 for it would show the value of the simple and sensible ways of using a certain class of related trees and bushes1 and of using them with a deliberate intention of making the best of them1 instead of the usual meaningless-nohow way of planting4 ,this1 in nine cases out of ten1 means either ignorance or carelessness1 the planter not caring enough about the matter to take the trouble to find out what is best to be done1 and being quite satisfied with a mixed lot of shrubs1 as offered in nursery sales1 or with the choice of the nurseryman4 ,i do not presume to condemn all mixed planting1 only stupid and ignorant mixed planting4 ,it is not given to all people to take their pleasures alike2 and ,i have in my mind four gardens1 all of the highest interest1 in which the planting is all mixed2 but then the mixture is of admirable ingredients1 collected and placed on account of individual merit1 and a ramble round any one of these in company with its owner is a pleasure and a privilege that one cannot prize too highly4 ,where the garden is of such large extent that experimental planting is made with a good number of one good thing at a time1 even though there was no premeditated intention of planting for beautiful effect1 the fact of there being enough plants to fall into large groups1 and to cover some extent of ground1 produces numbers of excellent results4 ,i remember being struck with this on several occasions when ,i have had the happiness of visiting ,mr4 ,g4 ,f4 ,wilson's garden at ,wisley1 a garden which ,i take to be about the most instructive it is possible to see4 ,in one part1 where the foot of the hill joined the copse1 there were hosts of lovely things planted on a succession of rather narrow banks4 ,almost unthinkingly ,i expressed the regret ,i felt that so much individual beauty should be there without an attempt to arrange it for good effect4 ,mr4 ,wilson stopped1 and looking at me straight with a kindly smile1 said very quietly1 ,that is your business1 not mine4 ,in spite of its being a garden whose first object is trial and experiment1 it has left in my memory two pictures1 among several lesser ones1 of plant-beauty that will stay with me as long as ,i can remember anything1 one an autumn and one a spring picture--the hedge of ,rosa rugosa in full fruit1 and a plantation of ,primula denticulata4 ,the ,primrose was on a bit of level ground1 just at the outer and inner edges of the hazel copse4 ,the plants were both grouped and thinly sprinkled1 just as nature plants--possibly they grew directly there from seed4 ,they were in superb and luxuriant beauty in the black peaty-looking half-boggy earth1 the handsome leaves of the brilliant colour and large size that told of perfect health and vigour1 and the large round heads of pure lilac flower carried on strong stalks that must have been fifteen inches high4 ,i never saw it so happy and so beautiful4 ,it is a plant ,i much admire1 and ,i do the best ,i can for it on my dry hill2 but the conditions of my garden do not allow of any approach to the success of the ,wisley plants2 still ,i have treasured that lesson among many others ,i have brought away from that good garden1 and never fail to advise some such treatment when ,i see the likely home for it in other places4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,roadside ,,cottage ,,garden4 ,some of the most delightful of all gardens are the little strips in front of roadside cottages4 ,they have a simple and tender charm that one may look for in vain in gardens of greater pretension4 ,and the old garden flowers seem to know that there they are seen at their best2 for where else can one see such ,wallflowers1 or ,double ,daisies1 or ,white ,rose bushes2 such clustering masses of perennial ,peas1 or such well-kept flowery edgings of ,pink1 or ,thrift1 or ,london ,pride8 ,among a good many calls for advice about laying out gardens1 ,i remember an early one that was of special interest4 ,it was the window-box of a factory lad in one of the great northern manufacturing towns4 ,he had advertised in a mechanical paper that he wanted a tiny garden1 as full of interest as might be1 in a window-box2 he knew nothing--would somebody help him with advice8 ,so advice was sent and the box prepared4 ,if ,i remember rightly the size was three feet by ten inches4 ,a little later the post brought him little plants of mossy and silvery saxifrages1 and a few small bulbs4 ,even some stones were sent1 for it was to be a rock-garden1 and there were to be two hills of different heights with rocky tops1 and a longish valley with a sunny and a shady side4 ,it was delightful to have the boy's letters1 full of keen interest and eager questions1 and only difficult to restrain him from killing his plants with kindness1 in the way of liberal doses of artificial manure4 ,the very smallness of the tiny garden made each of its small features the more precious4 ,i could picture his feeling of delightful anticipation when he saw the first little bluish blade of the ,snowdrop patch pierce its mossy carpet4 ,would it1 could it really grow into a real ,snowdrop1 with the modest1 milk-white flower and the pretty green hearts on the outside of the inner petals1 and the clear green stripes within8 and would it really nod him a glad good-morning when he opened his window to greet it8 ,and those few blunt reddish horny-looking snouts just coming through the ground1 would they really grow into the brilliant blue of the early ,squill1 that would be like a bit of midsummer sky among the grimy surroundings of the attic window1 and under that grey1 soot-laden northern sky8 ,i thought with pleasure how he would watch them in spare minutes of the dinner-hour spent at home1 and think of them as he went forward and back to his work1 and how the remembrance of the tender beauty of the full-blown flower would make him glad1 and lift up his heart while minding his mule in the busy restless mill4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,beginning ,,and ,,learning ,the ignorant questioner -- ,beginning at the end -- ,an example -- ,personal experience -- ,absence of outer help -- ,johns' ,flowers of the ,field -- ,collecting plants -- ,nurseries near ,london -- ,wheel-spokes as labels -- ,garden friends -- ,mr4 ,robinson's ,english ,flower-,garden -- ,mr4 ,nicholson's ,dictionary of ,gardening -- ,one main idea desirable -- ,pictorial treatment -- ,training in fine art -- ,adapting from ,nature -- ,study of colour -- ,ignorant use of the word artistic4 ,many people who love flowers and wish to do some practical gardening are at their wit's end to know what to do and how to begin4 ,like a person who is on skates for the first time1 they feel that1 what with the bright steel runners1 and the slippery surface1 and the sense of helplessness1 there are more ways of tumbling about than of progressing safely in any one direction4 ,and in gardening the beginner must feel this kind of perplexity and helplessness1 and indeed there is a great deal to learn1 only it is pleasant instead of perilous1 and the many tumbles by the way only teach and do not hurt4 ,the first few steps are perhaps the most difficult1 and it is only when we know something of the subject and an eager beginner comes with questions that one sees how very many are the things that want knowing4 ,and the more ignorant the questioner1 the more difficult it is to answer helpfully4 ,when one knows1 one cannot help presupposing some sort of knowledge on the part of the querist1 and where this is absent the answer we can give is of no use4 ,the ignorance1 when fairly complete1 is of such a nature that the questioner does not know what to ask1 and the question1 even if it can be answered1 falls upon barren ground4 ,i think in such cases it is better to try and teach one simple thing at a time1 and not to attempt to answer a number of useless questions4 ,it is disheartening when one has tried to give a careful answer to have it received with an ,oh6 of boredom or disappointment1 as much as to say1 ,you can't expect me to take all that trouble2 and there is the still more unsatisfactory sort of applicant1 who plies a string of questions and will not wait for the answers6 ,the real way is to try and learn a little from everybody and from every place4 ,there is no royal road4 ,it is no use asking me or any one else how to dig--,i mean sitting indoors and asking it4 ,better go and watch a man digging1 and then take a spade and try to do it1 and go on trying till it comes1 and you gain the knack that is to be learnt with all tools1 of doubling the power and halving the effort2 and meanwhile you will be learning other things1 about your own arms and legs and back1 and perhaps a little robin will come and give you moral support1 and at the same time keep a sharp look-out for any worms you may happen to turn up2 and you will find out that there are all sorts of ways of learning1 not only from people and books1 but from sheer trying4 ,i remember years ago having to learn to use the blow-pipe1 for soldering and other purposes connected with work in gold and silver4 ,the difficult part of it is to keep up the stream of air through the pipe while you are breathing the air in2 it is easy enough when you only want a short blast of a few seconds1 within the compass of one breath or one filling of the bellows 7lungs71 but often one has to go on blowing through several inspirations4 ,it is a trick of muscular action4 ,my master who taught me never could do it himself1 but by much trying one day ,i caught the trick4 ,the grand way to learn1 in gardening as in all things else1 is to wish to learn1 and to be determined to find out--not to think that any one person can wave a wand and give the power and knowledge4 ,and there will be plenty of mistakes1 and there must be1 just as children must pass through the usual childish complaints4 ,and some people make the mistake of trying to begin at the end1 and of using recklessly what may want the utmost caution1 such1 for instance1 as strong chemical manures4 ,some ladies asked me why their plant had died4 ,they had got it from the very best place1 and they were sure they had done their very best for it1 and--there it was1 dead4 ,i asked what it was1 and how they had treated it4 ,it was some ordinary border plant1 whose identity ,i now forget2 they had made a nice hole with their new trowel1 and for its sole benefit they had bought a tin of ,concentrated ,fertiliser4 ,this they had emptied into the hole1 put in the plant1 and covered it up and given it lots of water1 and--it had died6 ,and yet these were the best and kindest of women1 who would never have dreamed of feeding a new-born infant on beefsteaks and raw brandy4 ,but they learned their lesson well1 and at once saw the sense when ,i pointed out that a plant with naked roots just taken out of the ground or a pot1 removed from one feeding-place and not yet at home in another1 or still more after a journey1 with the roots only wrapped in a little damp moss and paper1 had its feeding power suspended for a time1 and was in the position of a helpless invalid4 ,all that could be done for it then was a little bland nutriment of weak slops and careful nursing2 if the planting took place in the summer it would want shading and only very gentle watering1 until firm root-hold was secured and root-appetite became active1 and that in rich and well-prepared garden ground such as theirs strong artificial manure was in any case superfluous4 ,when the earlier ignorances are overcome it becomes much easier to help and advise1 because there is more common ground to stand on4 ,in my own case1 from quite a small child1 ,i had always seen gardening going on1 though not of a very interesting kind4 ,nothing much was thought of but bedding plants1 and there was a rather large space on each side of the house for these1 one on gravel and one on turf4 ,but ,i had my own little garden in a nook beyond the shrubbery1 with a seat shaded by a ,boursault elegans ,rose1 which ,i thought then1 and still think1 one of the loveliest of its kind4 ,but my first knowledge of hardy plants came through wild ones4 ,some one gave me that excellent book1 the ,rev4 ,c4 ,a4 ,johns' ,flowers of the ,field4 ,for many years ,i had no one to advise me 7,i was still quite small7 how to use the book1 or how to get to know 7though it stared me in the face7 how the plants were in large related families1 and ,i had not the sense to do it for myself1 nor to learn the introductory botanical part1 which would have saved much trouble afterwards2 but when ,i brought home my flowers ,i would take them one by one and just turn over the pages till ,i came to the picture that looked something like4 ,but in this way ,i got a knowledge of individuals1 and afterwards the idea of broad classification and relationship of genera to species may have come all the easier4 ,i always think of that book as the most precious gift ,i ever received4 ,i distinctly trace to its teaching my first firm steps in the path of plant knowledge1 and the feeling of assured comfort ,i had afterwards in recognising the kinds when ,i came to collect garden plants2 for at that time ,i had no other garden book1 no means of access to botanic gardens or private collections1 and no helpful adviser4 ,one copy of ,johns ,i wore right out2 ,i have now two1 of which one is in its second binding1 and is always near me for reference4 ,i need hardly say that this was long before the days of the ,english ,flower-,garden1 or its helpful predecessor1 ,alpine ,plants4 ,by this time ,i was steadily collecting hardy garden plants wherever ,i could find them1 mostly from cottage gardens4 ,many of them were still unknown to me by name1 but as the collection increased ,i began to compare and discriminate1 and of various kinds of one plant to throw out the worse and retain the better1 and to train myself to see what made a good garden plant1 and about then began to grow the large yellow and white bunch ,primroses1 whose history is in another chapter4 ,and then ,i learnt that there were such places 7though then but few7 as nurseries1 where such plants as ,i had been collecting in the cottage gardens1 and even better1 were grown4 ,and ,i went to ,osborne's at ,fulham 7now all built over71 and there saw the original tree of the fine ,ilex known as the ,fulham ,oak1 and several spring-flowering bulbs ,i had never seen before1 and what ,i felt sure were numbers of desirable summer-flowering plants1 but not then in bloom4 ,soon after this ,i began to learn something about ,daffodils1 and enjoyed much kind help from ,mr4 ,barr1 visiting his nursery 7then at ,tooting7 several times1 and sometimes combining a visit to ,parker's nursery just over the way1 a perfect paradise of good hardy plants4 ,i shall never forget my first sight here of the ,cape ,pondweed 7,aponogeton distachyon7 in full flower and great vigour in the dipping tanks1 and overflowing from them into the ditches4 ,also ,i was delighted to see the use as labels of old wheel-spokes4 ,i could not help feeling that if one had been a spoke of a cab-wheel1 and had passed all one's working life in being whirled and clattered over ,london pavements1 defiled with street mud1 how pleasant a way to end one's days was this2 to have one's felloe end pointed and dipped in nice wholesome rot-resisting gas-tar and thrust into the quiet cool earth1 and one's nave end smoothed and painted and inscribed with some such soothing legend as ,vinca minor or ,dianthus fragrans6 ,later ,i made acquaintance with several of the leading amateur and professional gardeners1 and with ,mr4 ,robinson1 and to their good comradeship and kindly willingness to let me pick their brains ,i owe a great advance in garden lore4 ,moreover1 what began by the drawing together of a common interest has grown into a still greater benefit1 for several acquaintances so made have ripened into steady and much-valued friendships4 ,it has been a great interest to me to have had the privilege of watching the gradual growth1 through its several editions1 of ,mr4 ,robinson's ,english ,flower-,garden1 the one best and most helpful book of all for those who want to know about hardy flowers1 offering as it does in the clearest and easiest way a knowledge of the garden-treasures of the temperate world4 ,no one who has not had occasional glimpses behind the scenes can know how much labour and thought such a book represents1 to say nothing of research and practical experiment1 and of the trouble and great expense of producing the large amount of pictorial illustration4 ,another book1 though on quite different lines1 that ,i find most useful is ,mr4 ,nicholson's ,illustrated ,dictionary of ,gardening1 in eight handy volumes4 ,it covers much the same ground as the useful old ,johnson's ,gardener's ,dictionary1 but is much more complete and comprehensive1 and is copiously illustrated with excellent wood-cuts4 ,it is the work of a careful and learned botanist1 treating of all plants desirable for cultivation from all climates1 and teaching all branches of practical horticulture and such useful matters as means of dealing with insect pests4 ,the old ,johnson is still a capital book in one volume2 mine is rather out of date1 being the edition of #ahge1 but it has been lately revised and improved4 ,it would be delightful to possess1 or to have easy access to1 a good botanical library2 still1 for all the purposes of the average garden lover1 these books will suffice4 ,i think it is desirable1 when a certain degree of knowledge of plants and facility of dealing with them has been acquired1 to get hold of a clear idea of what one most wishes to do4 ,the scope of the subject is so wide1 and there are so many ways to choose from1 that having one general idea helps one to concentrate thought and effort that would otherwise be wasted by being diluted and dribbled through too many probable channels of waste4 ,ever since it came to me to feel some little grasp of knowledge of means and methods1 ,i have found that my greatest pleasure1 both in garden and woodland1 has been in the enjoyment of beauty of a pictorial kind4 ,whether the picture be large as of a whole landscape1 or of lesser extent as in some fine single group or effect1 or within the space of only a few inches as may be seen in some happily-disposed planting of ,alpines1 the intention is always the same2 or whether it is the grouping of trees in the wood by the removal of those whose lines are not wanted in the picture1 or in the laying out of broad grassy ways in woody places1 or by ever so slight a turn or change of direction in a wood path1 or in the alteration of some arrangement of related groups for form or for massing of light and shade1 or for any of the many local conditions that guide one towards forming a decision1 the intention is still always the same--to try and make a beautiful garden-picture4 ,and little as ,i can as yet boast of being able to show anything like the number of these ,i could wish1 yet during the flower-year there is generally something that at least in part answers to the effort4 ,i do not presume to urge the acceptance of my own particular form of pleasure in a garden on those to whom1 from different temperament or manner of education1 it would be unwelcome2 ,i only speak of what ,i feel1 and to a certain degree understand2 but ,i had the advantage in earlier life of some amount of training in appreciation of the fine arts1 and this1 working upon an inborn feeling of reverent devotion to things of the highest beauty in the works of ,god1 has helped me to an understanding of their divinely-inspired interpretations by the noblest minds of men1 into those other forms that we know as works of fine art4 ,and so it comes about that those of us who feel and understand in this way do not exactly attempt to imitate ,nature in our gardens1 but try to become well acquainted with her moods and ways1 and then discriminate in our borrowing1 and so interpret her methods as best we may to the making of our garden-pictures4 ,i have always had great delight in the study of colour1 as the word is understood by artists1 which again is not a positive matter1 but one of relation and proportion4 ,and when one hears the common chatter about artistic colours1 one receives an unpleasant impression about the education and good taste of the speaker2 and one is reminded of an old saying which treats of the unwisdom of rushing in where angels fear to tread1 and of regret that a good word should be degraded by misuse4 ,it may be safely said that no colour can be called artistic in itself2 for1 in the first place1 it is bad ,english1 and in the second1 it is nonsense4 ,even if the first objection were waived1 and the second condoned1 it could only be used in a secondary sense1 as signifying something that is useful and suitable and right in its place4 ,in this limited sense the scarlet of the soldier's coat1 and of the pillar-box and mail-cart1 and the bright colours of flags1 or of the port and starboard lights of ships1 might be said to be just so far artistic 7again if grammar would allow71 as they are right and good in their places4 ,but then those who use the word in the usual ignorant1 random way have not even this simple conception of its meaning4 ,those who know nothing about colour in the more refined sense 7and like a knowledge of everything else it wants learning7 get no farther than to enjoy it only when most crude and garish--when1 as ,george ,herbert says1 it bids the rash gazer wipe his eye1 or when there is some violent opposition of complementary colour--forgetting1 or not knowing1 that though in detail the objects brought together may make each other appear brighter1 yet in the mass1 and especially when mixed up1 the one actually neutralises the other4 ,and they have no idea of using the colour of flowers as precious jewels in a setting of quiet environment1 or of suiting the colour of flowering groups to that of the neighbouring foliage1 thereby enhancing the value of both1 or of massing related or harmonious colourings so as to lead up to the most powerful and brilliant effects2 and yet all these are just the ways of employing colour to the best advantage4 ,but the most frequent fault1 whether in composition or in colour1 is the attempt to crowd too much into the picture2 the simpler effect obtained by means of temperate and wise restraint is always the more telling4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,the ,,flower-,,border ,,and ,,pergola ,the flower-border -- ,the wall and its occupants -- ,choisya ternata -- ,nandina -- ,canon ,ellacombe's garden -- ,treatment of colour-masses -- ,arrangement of plants in the border -- ,dahlias and ,cannas -- ,covering bare places -- ,the pergola -- ,how made -- ,suitable climbers -- ,arbours of trained ,planes -- ,garden houses4 ,i have a rather large mixed border of hardy flowers4 ,it is not quite so hopelessly mixed as one generally sees1 and the flowers are not all hardy2 but as it is a thing everybody rightly expects1 and as ,i have been for a good many years trying to puzzle out its wants and ways1 ,i will try and describe my own and its surroundings4 ,there is a sandstone wall of pleasant colour at the back1 nearly eleven feet high4 ,this wall is an important feature in the garden1 as it is the dividing line between the pleasure garden and the working garden2 also1 it shelters the pleasure garden from the sweeping blasts of wind from the north-west1 to which my ground is much exposed1 as it is all on a gentle slope1 going downward towards the north4 ,at the foot of the wall is a narrow border three feet six inches wide1 and then a narrow alley1 not a made path1 but just a way to go along for tending the wall shrubs1 and for getting at the back of the border4 ,this little alley does not show from the front4 ,then the main border1 fourteen feet wide and two hundred feet long4 ,about three-quarters of the way along a path cuts through the border1 and passes by an arched gateway in the wall to the ,paeony garden and the working garden beyond4 ,just here ,i thought it would be well to mound up the border a little1 and plant with groups of ,yuccas1 so that at all times of the year there should be something to make a handsome full-stop to the sections of the border1 and to glorify the doorway4 ,the two extreme ends of the border are treated in the same way with ,yuccas on rather lesser mounds1 only leaving space beyond them for the entrance to the little alley at the back4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,flower-,,border ,,in ,,june4 ,the wall and border face two points to the east of south1 or1 as a sailor would say1 south-south-east1 half-way between south and south-east4 ,in front of the border runs a path seven feet wide1 and where the border stops at the eastern end it still runs on another sixty feet1 under the pergola1 to the open end of a summer-house4 ,the wall at its western end returns forward1 square with its length1 and hides out greenhouses1 sheds1 and garden yard4 ,the path in front of the border passes through an arch into this yard1 but there is no view into the yard1 as it is blocked by some ,yews planted in a quarter-circle4 ,though wall-space is always precious1 ,i thought it better to block out this shorter piece of return wall on the garden side with a hedge of ,yews4 ,they are now nearly the height of the wall1 and will be allowed to grow a little higher1 and will eventually be cut into an arch over the arch in the wall4 ,i wanted the sombre duskiness of the ,yews as a rich1 quiet background for the brightness of the flowers1 though they are rather disappointing in ,may and ,june1 when their young shoots are of a bright and lively green4 ,at the eastern end of the border there is no return wall1 but another planting of ,yews equal to the depth of the border4 ,notched into them is a stone seat about ten feet long2 as they grow they will be clipped so as to make an arching hood over the seat4 ,the wall is covered with climbers1 or with non-climbing shrubs treated as wall-plants4 ,they do not all want the wall for warmth or protection1 but are there because ,i want them there2 because1 thinking over what things would look best and give me the greatest pleasure1 these came among them4 ,all the same1 the larger number of the plants on the wall do want it1 and would not do without it4 ,at the western end1 the only part which is in shade for the greater part of the day1 is a ,garrya elliptica4 ,so many of my garden friends like a quiet journey along the wall to see what is there1 that ,i propose to do the like by my reader2 so first for the wall1 and then for the border4 ,beyond the ,garrya1 in the extreme angle1 is a ,clematis montana4 ,when the ,garrya is more grown there will not be much room left for the ,clematis1 but then it will have become bare below1 and can ramble over the wall on the north side1 and1 in any case1 it is a plant with a not very long lifetime1 and will be nearly or quite worn out before its root-space is reached or wanted by its neighbours4 ,next on the wall is the beautiful ,rose ,acacia 7,robinia hispida74 ,it is perfectly hardy1 but the wood is so brittle that it breaks off short with the slightest weight of wind or snow or rain4 ,i never could understand why a hardy shrub was created so brittle1 or how it behaves in its native place4 ,i look in my ,nicholson1 and see that it comes from ,north ,america4 ,now1 ,north ,america is a large place1 and there may be in it favoured spots where there is no snow1 and only the very gentlest rain1 and so well sheltered that the wind only blows in faintest breaths2 and to judge by its behaviour in our gardens1 all these conditions are necessary for its well-being4 ,this troublesome quality of brittleness no doubt accounts for its being so seldom seen in gardens4 ,i began to think it hopeless when1 after three plantings in the open1 it was again wrecked1 but at last had the happy idea of training it on a wall4 ,even there1 though it is looked over and tied in twice a year1 a branch or two often gets broken4 ,but ,i do not regret having given it the space1 as the wall could hardly have had a better ornament1 so beautiful are its rosy flower-clusters and pale-green leaves4 ,as it inclines to be leggy below1 ,i have trained a ,crimson ,rambler ,rose over the lower part1 tying it in to any bare places in the ,robinia4 ,illustration3 ,,pathway ,,across ,,the ,,south ,,border ,,in ,,july4 ,illustration3 ,,outside ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,brick ,,pergola ,,shown ,,at ,,page #bad1 ,,after ,,six ,,years' ,,growth4 ,next along the wall is ,solanum crispum1 much to be recommended in our southern counties4 ,it covers a good space of wall1 and every year shoots up some feet above it2 indeed it is such a lively grower that it has to endure a severe yearly pruning4 ,every season it is smothered with its pretty clusters of potato-shaped bloom of a good bluish-lilac colour4 ,after these ,i wanted some solid-looking dark evergreens1 so there is a ,loquat1 with its splendid foliage equalling that of ,magnolia grandiflora1 and then ,black ,laurustinus1 ,bay1 and ,japan ,privet2 and from among this dark-leaved company shoots up the tender green of a ,banksian ,rose1 grown from seed of the single kind1 the gift of my kind friend ,commendatore ,hanbury1 whose world-famed garden of ,la ,mortola1 near ,ventimiglia1 probably contains the most remarkable collection of plants and shrubs that have ever been brought together by one man4 ,this ,rose has made good growth1 and a first few flowers last year--seedling ,roses are slow to bloom--lead me to expect a good show next season4 ,in the narrow border at the foot of the wall is a bush of ,raphiolepis ovata1 always to me an interesting shrub1 with its thick1 roundish1 leathery leaves and white flower-clusters1 also bushes of ,rosemary1 some just filling the border1 and some trained up the wall4 ,our ,tudor ancestors were fond of ,rosemary-covered walls1 and ,i have seen old bushes quite ten feet high on the garden walls of ,italian monasteries4 ,among the ,rosemaries ,i always like1 if possible1 to tickle in a ,china ,rose or two1 the tender pink of the ,rose seems to go so well with the dark but dull-surfaced ,rosemary4 ,then still in the wall-border comes a long straggling mass of that very pretty and interesting herbaceous ,clematis1 ,c4 ,davidiana4 ,the colour of its flower always delights me2 it is of an unusual kind of greyish-blue1 of very tender and lovely quality4 ,it does well in this warm border1 growing about three feet high4 ,then on the wall come ,pyrus ,maulei and ,chimonanthus1 ,claret-,vine1 and the large-flowered ,ceanothus ,gloire de ,versailles1 hardy ,fuchsia1 and ,magnolia ,soulangeana1 ending with a big bush of ,choisya ternata1 and rambling above it a very fine kind of ,bignonia grandiflora4 ,then comes the archway1 flanked by thick buttresses4 ,a ,choisya was planted just beyond each of these1 but it has grown wide and high1 spreading across the face of the buttress on each side1 and considerably invading the pathway4 ,there is no better shrub here than this delightful ,mexican plant2 its long whippy roots ramble through our light soil with every sign of enjoyment2 it always looks clean and healthy and well dressed1 and as for its lovely and deliciously sweet flowers1 we cut them by the bushel1 and almost by the faggot1 and the bushes scarcely look any the emptier4 ,beyond the archway comes the shorter length of wall and border4 ,for convenience ,i planted all slightly tender things together on this bit of wall and border2 then we make one job of covering the whole with fir-boughs for protection in winter4 ,on the wall are ,piptanthus nepalensis1 ,cistus ladaniferus1 ,edwardsia grandiflora1 and another ,loquat1 and in the border a number of ,hydrangeas1 ,clerodendron foetidum1 ,crinums1 and ,nandina domestica1 the ,chinese so-called sacred ,bamboo4 ,it is not a ,bamboo at all1 but allied to ,berberis2 the ,chinese plant it for good luck near their houses4 ,if it is as lucky as it is pretty1 it ought to do one good6 ,i first made acquaintance with this beautiful plant in ,canon ,ellacombe's most interesting garden at ,bitton1 in ,gloucestershire1 where it struck me as one of the most beautiful growing things ,i had ever seen1 the beauty being mostly in the form and colouring of the leaves4 ,it is not perhaps a plant for everybody1 and barely hardly2 it seems slow to get hold1 and its full beauty only shows when it is well established1 and throws up its wonderfully-coloured leaves on tall bamboo-like stalks4 ,there is nothing much more difficult to do in outdoor gardening than to plant a mixed border well1 and to keep it in beauty throughout the summer4 ,every year1 as ,i gain more experience1 and1 ,i hope1 more power of critical judgment1 ,i find myself tending towards broader and simpler effects1 both of grouping and colour4 ,i do not know whether it is by individual preference1 or in obedience to some colour-law that ,i can instinctively feel but cannot pretend even to understand1 and much less to explain1 but in practice ,i always find more satisfaction and facility in treating the warm colours 7reds and yellows7 in graduated harmonies1 culminating into gorgeousness1 and the cool ones in contrasts2 especially in the case of blue1 which ,i like to use either in distinct but not garish contrasts1 as of full blue with pale yellow1 or in separate cloud-like harmonies1 as of lilac and pale purple with grey foliage4 ,i am never so much inclined to treat the blues1 purples1 and lilacs in gradations together as ,i am the reds and yellows4 ,purples and lilacs ,i can put together1 but not these with blues2 and the pure blues always seem to demand peculiar and very careful treatment4 ,the western end of the flower-border begins with the low bank of ,yuccas1 then there are some rather large masses of important grey and glaucous foliage and pale and full pink flower4 ,the foliage is mostly of the ,globe ,artichoke1 and nearer the front of ,artemisia and ,cineraria maritima4 ,among this1 pink ,canterbury ,bell1 ,hollyhock1 ,phlox1 ,gladiolus1 and ,japan ,anemone1 all in pink colourings1 will follow one another in due succession4 ,then come some groups of plants bearing whitish and very pale flowers1 ,polygonum compactum1 ,aconitum lycoctonum1 ,double ,meadowsweet1 and other ,spiraeas1 and then the colour passes to pale yellow of ,mulleins1 and with them the palest blue ,delphiniums4 ,towards the front is a wide planting of ,iris pallida dalmatica1 its handsome bluish foliage showing as outstanding and yet related masses with regard to the first large group of pale foliage4 ,then comes the pale-yellow ,iris flavescens1 and meanwhile the group of ,delphinium deepens into those of a fuller blue colour1 though none of the darkest are here4 ,then more pale yellow of ,mullein1 ,thalictrum1 and ,paris ,daisy1 and so the colour passes to stronger yellows4 ,these change into orange1 and from that to brightest scarlet and crimson1 coming to the fullest strength in the ,oriental ,poppies of the earlier year1 and later in ,lychnis1 ,gladiolus1 ,scarlet ,dahlia1 and ,tritoma4 ,the colour-scheme then passes again through orange and yellow to the paler yellows1 and so again to blue and warm white1 where it meets one of the clumps of ,yuccas flanking the path that divides this longer part of the border from the much shorter piece beyond4 ,this simple procession of colour arrangement has occupied a space of a hundred and sixty feet1 and the border is all the better for it4 ,the short length of border beyond the gateway has again ,yuccas and important pale foliage1 and a preponderance of pink bloom1 ,hydrangea for the most part2 but there are a few tall ,mulleins1 whose pale-yellow flowers group well with the ivory of the ,yucca spikes and the clear pink of the tall ,hollyhocks4 ,these all show up well over the masses of grey and glaucous foliage1 and against the rich darkness of dusky ,yew4 ,dahlias and ,cannas have their places in the mixed border4 ,when it is being dismantled in the late autumn all bare places are well dug and enriched1 so that when it comes to filling-up time1 at the end of ,may1 ,i know that every spare bit of space is ready and at the time of preparation ,i mark places for special ,dahlias1 according to colour1 and for groups of the tall ,cannas where ,i want grand foliage4 ,there are certain classes of plants that are quite indispensable1 but that leave a bare or shabby-looking place when their bloom is over4 ,how to cover these places is one of the problems that have to be solved4 ,the worst offender is ,oriental ,poppy2 it becomes unsightly soon after blooming1 and is quite gone by midsummer4 ,i therefore plant ,gypsophila paniculata between and behind the ,poppy groups1 and by ,july there is a delicate cloud of bloom instead of large bare patches4 ,eryngium ,oliverianum has turned brown by the beginning of ,july1 but around the group some ,dahlias have been planted1 that will be gradually trained down over the space of the departed ,sea-,holly1 and other ,dahlias are used in the same way to mask various weak places4 ,there is a perennial ,sunflower1 with tall black stems1 and pale-yellow flowers quite at the top1 an old garden sort1 but not very good as usually grown2 this ,i find of great value to train down1 when it throws up a short flowering stem from each joint1 and becomes a spreading sheet of bloom4 ,one would rather not have to resort to these artifices of sticking and training2 but if a certain effect is wanted1 all such means are lawful1 provided that nothing looks stiff or strained or unsightly2 and it is pleasant to exercise ingenuity and to invent ways to meet the needs of any case that may arise4 ,but like everything else1 in good gardening it must be done just right1 and the artist-gardener finds that hardly the placing of a single plant can be deputed to any other hand than his own2 for though1 when it is done1 it looks quite simple and easy1 he must paint his own picture himself--no one can paint it for him4 ,i have no dogmatic views about having in the so-called hardy flower-border none but hardy flowers4 ,all flowers are welcome that are right in colour1 and that make a brave show where a brave show is wanted4 ,it is of more importance that the border should be handsome than that all its occupants should be hardy4 ,therefore ,i prepare a certain useful lot of half-hardy annuals1 and a few of what have come to be called bedding-plants4 ,i like to vary them a little from year to year1 because in no one season can ,i get in all the good flowers that ,i should like to grow2 and ,i think it better to leave out some one year and have them the next1 than to crowd any up1 or to find ,i have plants to put out and no space to put them in4 ,but ,i nearly always grow these half-hardy annuals2 orange ,african ,marigold1 ,french ,marigold1 sulphur ,sunflower1 orange and scarlet tall ,zinnia1 ,nasturtiums1 both dwarf and trailing1 ,nicotiana affinis1 ,maize1 and ,salpiglossis4 ,then ,stocks and ,china ,asters4 ,the ,stocks are always the large white and flesh-coloured summer kinds1 and the ,asters1 the ,white ,comet1 and one of the blood-red or so-called scarlet sorts4 ,then ,i have yellow ,paris ,daisies1 ,salvia patens1 ,heliotrope1 ,calceolaria amplexicaulis1 ,geraniums1 scarlet and salmon-coloured and ivy-leaved kinds1 the best of these being the pink ,madame ,crousse4 ,illustration3 ,,end ,,of ,,flower-,,border ,,and ,,entrance ,,of ,,pergola4 ,illustration3 ,,south ,,border ,,door ,,and ,,yuccas ,,in ,,august4 ,the front edges of the border are also treated in rather a large way4 ,at the shadier end there is first a long straggling bordering patch of ,anemone sylvestris4 ,when it is once above ground the foliage remains good till autumn1 while its soft white flower comes right with the colour of the flowers behind4 ,then comes a long and large patch of the larger kind of ,megasea cordifolia1 several yards in length1 and running back here and there among taller plants4 ,i am never tired of admiring the fine solid foliage of this family of plants1 remaining1 as it does1 in beauty both winter and summer1 and taking on a splendid winter colouring of warm red bronze4 ,it is true that the flowers of the two best-known kinds1 ,m4 cordifolia and ,m4 crassifolia1 are coarse-looking blooms of a strong and rank quality of pink colour1 but the persistent beauty of the leaves more than compensates2 and in the rather tenderer kind1 ,m4 ligulata and its varieties1 the colour of the flower is delightful1 of a delicate good pink1 with almost scarlet stalks4 ,there is nothing flimsy or temporary-looking about the ,megaseas1 but rather a sort of grave and monumental look that specially fits them for association with masonry1 or for any place where a solid-looking edging or full-stop is wanted4 ,to go back to those in the edge of the border3 if the edging threatens to look too dark and hard1 ,i plant among or just behind the plants that compose it1 pink or scarlet ,ivy ,geranium or trailing ,nasturtium1 according to the colour demanded by the neighbouring group4 ,heuchera ,richardsoni is another good front-edge plant2 and when we come to the blue and pale-yellow group there is a planting of ,funkia grandiflora1 whose fresh-looking pale-green leaves are delightful with the brilliant light yellow of ,calceolaria amplexicaulis1 and the farther-back planting of pale-blue ,delphinium1 ,mullein1 and sulphur ,sunflower2 while the same colour of foliage is repeated in the fresh green of the ,indian ,corn4 ,small spaces occur here and there along the extreme front edge1 and here are planted little jewels of colour1 of blue ,lobelia1 or dwarf ,nasturtium1 or anything of the colour that the place demands4 ,the whole thing sounds much more elaborate than it really is2 the trained eye sees what is wanted1 and the trained hand does it1 both by an acquired instinct4 ,it is painting a picture with living plants4 ,i much enjoy the pergola at the end of the sunny path4 ,it is pleasant while walking in full sunshine1 and when that sunny place feels just a little too hot1 to look into its cool depth1 and to feel that one has only to go a few steps farther to be in shade1 and to feel that little air of wind that the moving summer clouds say is not far off1 and is only unfelt just here because it is stopped by the wall4 ,it feels wonderfully dark at first1 this gallery of cool greenery1 passing into it with one's eyes full of light and colour1 and the open-sided summer-house at the end looks like a black cavern2 but on going into it1 and sitting down on one of its broad1 low benches1 one finds that it is a pleasant subdued light1 just right to read by4 ,the pergola has two openings out of it on the right1 and one on the left4 ,the first way out on the right is straight into the nut-walk1 which leads up to very near the house4 ,the second goes up two or three low1 broad steps made of natural sandstone flags1 between groups of ,ferns1 into the ,michaelmas ,daisy garden4 ,the opening on the left leads into a quiet space of grass the width of the flower and wall border 7twenty feet71 having only some peat-beds planted with ,kalmia4 ,this is backed by a ,yew hedge in continuation of the main wall1 and it will soon grow into a cool1 quiet bit of garden1 seeming to belong to the pergola4 ,now1 standing midway in the length of the covered walk1 with the eye rested and refreshed by the leafy half-light1 on turning round again towards the border it shows as a brilliant picture through the bowery framing1 and the value of the simple method of using the colours is seen to full advantage4 ,i do not like a mean pergola1 made of stuff as thin as hop-poles4 ,if means or materials do not admit of having anything better1 it is far better to use these in some other simple way1 of which there are many to choose from--such as uprights at even intervals1 braced together with a continuous rail at about four feet from the ground1 and another rail just clear of the ground1 and some simple trellis of the smaller stuff between these two rails4 ,this is always pretty at the back of a flower-border in any modest garden4 ,but a pergola should be more seriously treated1 and the piers at any rate should be of something rather large--either oak stems ten inches thick1 or1 better still1 of fourteen-inch brickwork painted with lime-wash to a quiet stone-colour4 ,in ,italy the piers are often of rubble masonry1 either round or square in section1 coated with very coarse plaster1 and lime-washed white4 ,for a pergola of moderate size the piers should stand in pairs across the path1 with eight feet clear between4 ,ten feet from pier to pier along the path is a good proportion1 or anything from eight to ten feet1 and they should stand seven feet two inches out of the ground4 ,each pair should be tied across the top with a strong beam of oak1 either of the natural shape1 or roughly adzed on the four faces2 but in any case1 the ends of the beams1 where they rest on the top of the piers1 should be adzed flat to give them a firm seat4 ,if the beams are slightly curved or cambered1 as most trunks of oak are1 so much the better1 but they must always be placed camber side up4 ,the pieces that run along the top1 with the length of the path1 may be of any branching tops of oak1 or of larch poles4 ,these can easily be replaced as they decay2 but the replacing of a beam is a more difficult matter1 so that it is well to let them be fairly durable from the beginning4 ,illustration3 ,,stone-,,built ,,pergola ,,with ,,wrought ,,oak ,,beams4 ,illustration3 ,,pergola ,,with ,,brick ,,piers ,,and ,,beams ,,of ,,rough ,,oak4 7,see opposite page #bjb47 ,the climbers ,i find best for covering the pergola are ,vines1 ,jasmine1 ,aristolochia1 ,virginia ,creeper1 and ,wistaria4 ,roses are about the worst1 for they soon run up leggy1 and only flower at the top out of sight4 ,a sensible arrangement1 allied to the pergola1 and frequent in ,germany and ,switzerland1 is made by planting young ,planes1 pollarding them at about eight feet from the ground1 and training down the young growths horizontally till they have covered the desired roof-space4 ,there is much to be done in our better-class gardens in the way of pretty small structures thoroughly well-designed and built4 ,many a large lawn used every afternoon in summer as a family playground and place to receive visitors would have its comfort and usefulness greatly increased by a pretty garden-house1 instead of the usual hot and ugly1 crampy and uncomfortable tent4 ,but it should be thoroughly well designed to suit the house and garden4 ,a pigeon-cote would come well in the upper part1 and the face or faces open to the lawn might be closed in winter with movable shutters1 when it would make a useful store-place for garden seats and much else4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,the ,,primrose ,,garden ,it must be some five-and-twenty years ago that ,i began to work at what ,i may now call my own strain of ,primroses1 improving it a little every year by careful selection of the best for seed4 ,the parents of the strain were a named kind1 called ,golden ,plover1 and a white one1 without name1 that ,i found in a cottage garden4 ,i had also a dozen plants about eight or nine years ago from a strong strain of ,mr4 ,anthony ,waterer's that was running on nearly the same lines2 but a year later1 when ,i had flowered them side by side1 ,i liked my own one rather the best1 and ,mr4 ,waterer1 seeing them soon after1 approved of them so much that he took some to work with his own4 ,i hold ,mr4 ,waterer's strain in great admiration1 and1 though ,i tried for a good many years1 never could come near him in red colourings4 ,but as my own taste favoured the delicately-shaded flowers1 and the ones most liked in the nursery seemed to be those with strongly contrasting eye1 it is likely that the two strains may be working still farther apart4 ,they are1 broadly speaking1 white and yellow varieties of the strong bunch-flowered or ,polyanthus kind1 but they vary in detail so much1 in form1 colour1 habit1 arrangement1 and size of eye and shape of edge1 that one year thinking it might be useful to classify them ,i tried to do so1 but gave it up after writing out the characters of sixty classes6 ,their possible variation seems endless4 ,every year among the seedlings there appear a number of charming flowers with some new development of size1 or colour of flower1 or beauty of foliage1 and yet all within the narrow bounds of--white and yellow ,primroses4 ,illustration3 ,,evening ,,in ,,the ,,primrose ,,garden4 ,their time of flowering is much later than that of the true or single-stalked ,primrose4 ,they come into bloom early in ,april1 though a certain number of poorly-developed flowers generally come much earlier1 and they are at their best in the last two weeks of ,april and the first days of ,may4 ,when the bloom wanes1 and is nearly overtopped by the leaves1 the time has come that ,i find best for dividing and replanting4 ,the plants then seem willing to divide1 some almost falling apart in one's hands1 and the new roots may be seen just beginning to form at the base of the crown4 ,the plants are at the same time relieved of the crowded mass of flower-stem1 and1 therefore1 of the exhausting effort of forming seed1 a severe drain on their strength4 ,a certain number will not have made more than one strong crown1 and a few single-crown plants have not flowered2 these1 of course1 do not divide4 ,during the flowering time ,i keep a good look-out for those that ,i judge to be the most beautiful and desirable1 and mark them for seed4 ,these are also taken up1 but are kept apart1 the flower stems reduced to one or two of the most promising1 and they are then planted in a separate place--some cool nursery corner4 ,i find that the lifting and replanting in no way checks the growth or well-being of the seed-pods4 ,i remember some years ago a warm discussion in the gardening papers about the right time to sow the seed4 ,some gardeners of high standing were strongly for sowing it as soon as ripe1 while others equally trustworthy advised holding it over till ,march4 ,i have tried both ways1 and have satisfied myself that it is a matter for experiment and decision in individual gardens4 ,as nearly as ,i can make out1 it is well in heavy soils to sow when ripe1 and in light ones to wait till ,march4 ,in some heavy soils ,primroses stand well for two years without division2 whereas in light ones1 such as mine1 they take up the food within reach in a much shorter time1 so that by the second year the plant has become a crowded mass of weak crowns that only throw up poor flowers1 and are by then so much exhausted that they are not worth dividing afterwards4 ,in my own case1 having tried both ways1 ,i find the ,march sown ones much the best4 ,the seed is sown in boxes in cold frames1 and pricked out again into boxes when large enough to handle4 ,the seedlings are planted out in ,june1 when they seem to go on without any check whatever1 and are just right for blooming next spring4 ,the ,primrose garden is in a place by itself--a clearing half shaded by ,oak1 ,chestnut1 and ,hazel4 ,i always think of the ,hazel as a kind nurse to ,primroses2 in the copses they generally grow together1 and the finest ,primrose plants are often nestled close in to the base of the nut-stool4 ,three paths run through the ,primrose garden1 mere narrow tracks between the beds1 converging at both ends1 something like the lines of longitude on a globe1 the ground widening in the middle where there are two good-sized ,oaks1 and coming to a blunt point at each end1 the only other planting near it being two other long-shaped strips of ,lily of the ,valley4 ,every year1 before replanting1 the ,primrose ground is dug over and well manured4 ,all day for two days ,i sit on a low stool dividing the plants2 a certain degree of facility and expertness has come of long practice4 ,the rubber for frequent knife-sharpening is in a pail of water by my side2 the lusciously fragrant heap of refuse leaf and flower-stem and old stocky root rises in front of me1 changing its shape from a heap to a ridge1 as when it comes to a certain height and bulk ,i back and back away from it4 ,a boy feeds me with armfuls of newly-dug-up plants1 two men are digging-in the cooling cow-dung at the farther end1 and another carries away the divided plants tray by tray1 and carefully replants them4 ,the still air1 with only the very gentlest south-westerly breath in it1 brings up the mighty boom of the great ship guns from the old seaport1 thirty miles away1 and the pheasants answer to the sound as they do to thunder4 ,the early summer air is of a perfect temperature1 the soft coo of the wood-dove comes down from the near wood1 the nightingale sings almost overhead1 but--either human happiness may never be quite complete1 or else one is not philosophic enough to contemn life's lesser evils1 for--oh1 the midges6 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,colours ,,of ,,flowers ,i am always surprised at the vague1 not to say reckless1 fashion in which garden folk set to work to describe the colours of flowers1 and at the way in which quite wrong colours are attributed to them4 ,it is done in perfect good faith1 and without the least consciousness of describing wrongly4 ,in many cases it appears to be because the names of certain substances have been used conventionally or poetically to convey the idea of certain colours4 ,and some of these errors are so old that they have acquired a kind of respectability1 and are in a way accepted without challenge4 ,when they are used about familiar flowers it does not occur to one to detect them1 because one knows the flower and its true colour2 but when the same old error is used in the description of a new flower1 it is distinctly misleading4 ,for instance1 when we hear of golden buttercups1 we know that it means bright-yellow buttercups2 but in the case of a new flower1 or one not generally known1 surely it is better and more accurate to say bright yellow at once4 ,nothing is more frequent in plant catalogues than bright golden yellow1 when bright yellow is meant4 ,gold is not bright yellow4 ,i find that a gold piece laid on a gravel path1 or against a sandy bank1 nearly matches it in colour2 and ,i cannot think of any flower that matches or even approaches the true colour of gold1 though something near it may be seen in the pollen-covered anthers of many flowers4 ,a match for gold may more nearly be found among dying beech leaves1 and some dark colours of straw or dry grass bents1 but none of these when they match the gold are bright yellow4 ,in literature it is quite another matter2 when the poet or imaginative writer says1 a field of golden buttercups1 or a golden sunset1 he is quite right1 because he appeals to our artistic perception1 and in such case only uses the word as an image of something that is rich and sumptuous and glowing4 ,the same irrelevance of comparison seems to run through all the colours4 ,flowers of a full1 bright-blue colour are often described as of a brilliant amethystine blue4 ,why amethystine8 ,the amethyst1 as we generally see it1 is a stone of a washy purple colour1 and though there are amethysts of a fine purple1 they are not so often seen as the paler ones1 and ,i have never seen one even faintly approaching a really blue colour4 ,what1 therefore1 is the sense of likening a flower1 such as a ,delphinium1 which is really of a splendid pure-blue colour1 to the duller and totally different colour of a third-rate gem8 ,another example of the same slip-slop is the term flame-coloured1 and it is often preceded by the word gorgeous4 ,this contradictory mixture of terms is generally used to mean bright scarlet4 ,when ,i look at a flame1 whether of fire or candle1 ,i see that the colour is a rather pale yellow1 with a reddish tinge about its upper forks1 and side wings often of a bluish white--no scarlet anywhere4 ,the nearest approach to red is in the coals1 not in the flame4 ,in the case of the candle1 the point of the wick is faintly red when compared with the flame1 but about the flame there is no red whatever4 ,a distant bonfire looks red at night1 but ,i take it that the apparent redness is from seeing the flames through damp atmosphere1 just as the harvest-moon looks red when it rises4 ,and the strange thing is that in all these cases the likeness to the unlike1 and much less bright1 colour is given with an air of conferring the highest compliment on the flower in question4 ,it is as if1 wishing to praise some flower of a beautiful blue1 one called it a brilliant slate-roof blue4 ,this sounds absurd1 because it is unfamiliar1 but the unsuitability of the comparison is scarcely greater than in the examples just quoted4 ,it seems most reasonable in describing the colour of flowers to look out for substances whose normal colour shows but little variation--such1 for example1 as sulphur4 ,the colour of sulphur is nearly always the same4 ,citron1 lemon1 and canary are useful colour-names1 indicating different strengths of pure pale yellow1 inclining towards a tinge of the palest green4 ,gentian-blue is a useful word1 bringing to mind the piercingly powerful hue of the ,gentianella4 ,so also is turquoise-blue1 for the stone has little variety of shade1 and the colour is always of the same type4 ,forget-me-not blue is also a good word1 meaning the colour of the native water ,forget-me-not4 ,sky-blue is a little vague1 though it has come by the crystallising force of usage to stand for a blue rather pale than full1 and not far from that of the ,forget-me-not2 indeed1 ,i seem to remember written passages in which the colours of flower and firmament were used reciprocally1 the one in describing the other4 ,cobalt is a word sometimes used1 but more often misused1 for only water-colour painters know just what it represents1 and it is of little use1 as it so rarely occurs among flowers4 ,crimson is a word to beware of2 it covers such a wide extent of ground1 and is used so carelessly in plant-catalogues1 that one cannot know whether it stands for a rich blood colour or for a malignant magenta4 ,for the latter class of colour the term amaranth1 so generally used in ,french plant-lists1 is extremely useful1 both as a definition and a warning4 ,salmon is an excellent colour-word1 copper is also useful1 the two covering a limited range of beautiful colouring of the utmost value4 ,blood-red is also accurately descriptive4 ,terra-cotta is useful but indefinite1 as it may mean anything between brick-red and buff4 ,red-lead1 if it would be accepted as a colour-word1 would be useful1 denoting the shades of colour between the strongest orange and the palest scarlet1 frequent in the lightest of the ,oriental ,poppies4 ,amber is a misleading word1 for who is to know when it means the transparent amber1 whose colour approaches that of resin1 or the pale1 almost opaque1 dull-yellow kind4 ,and what is meant by coral-red8 ,it is the red of the old-fashioned dull-scarlet coral1 or of the pink kind more recently in favour4 ,the terms bronze and smoke may well be used in their place1 as in describing or attempting to describe the wonderful colouring of such flowers as ,spanish ,iris1 and the varieties of ,iris of the squalens section4 ,but often in describing a flower a reference to texture much helps and strengthens the colour-word4 ,i have often described the modest little ,iris tuberosa as a flower made of green satin and black velvet4 ,the green portion is only slightly green1 but is entirely green satin1 and the black of the velvet is barely black1 but is quite black-velvet-like4 ,the texture of the flower of ,ornithogalum nutans is silver satin1 neither very silvery nor very satin-like1 and yet so nearly suggesting the texture of both that the words may well be used in speaking of it4 ,indeed1 texture plays so important a part in the appearance of colour-surface1 that one can hardly think of colour without also thinking of texture4 ,a piece of black satin and a piece of black velvet may be woven of the same batch of material1 but when the satin is finished and the velvet cut1 the appearance is often so dissimilar that they may look quite different in colour4 ,a working painter is never happy if you give him an oil-colour pattern to match in distemper2 he must have it of the same texture1 or he will not undertake to get it like4 ,what a wonderful range of colouring there is in black alone to a trained colour-eye6 ,there is the dull brown-black of soot1 and the velvety brown-black of the bean-flower's blotch2 to my own eye1 ,i have never found anything so entirely black in a natural product as the patch on the lower petals of ,iris iberica4 ,is it not ,ruskin who says of ,velasquez1 that there is more colour in his black than in many another painter's whole palette8 ,the blotch of the bean-flower appears black at first1 till you look at it close in the sunlight1 and then you see its rich velvety texture1 so nearly like some of the brown-velvet markings on butterflies' wings4 ,and the same kind of rich colour and texture occurs again on some of the tough flat half-round funguses1 marked with shaded rings1 that grow out of old posts1 and that ,i always enjoy as lessons of lovely colour-harmony of grey and brown and black4 ,much to be regretted is the disuse of the old word murrey1 now only employed in heraldry4 ,it stands for a dull red-purple1 such as appears in the flower of the ,virginian ,allspice1 and in the native ,hound's-tongue1 and often in seedling ,auriculas4 ,a fine strong-growing border ,auricula was given to me by my valued friend the ,curator of the ,trinity ,college ,botanic ,garden1 ,dublin1 to which he had given the excellently descriptive name1 ,old ,murrey4 ,sage-green is a good colour-word1 for1 winter or summer1 the sage-leaves change but little4 ,olive-green is not so clear1 though it has come by use to stand for a brownish green1 like the glass of a wine-bottle held up to the light1 but perhaps bottle-green is the better word4 ,and it is not clear what part or condition of the olive is meant1 for the ripe fruit is nearly black1 and the tree in general1 and the leaf in detail1 are of a cool-grey colour4 ,perhaps the colour-word is taken from the colour of the unripe fruit pickled in brine1 as we see them on the table4 ,grass-green any one may understand1 but ,i am always puzzled by apple-green4 ,apples are of so many different greens1 to say nothing of red and yellow2 and as for pea-green1 ,i have no idea what it means4 ,i notice in plant-lists the most reckless and indiscriminate use of the words purple1 violet1 mauve1 lilac1 and lavender1 and as they are all related1 ,i think they should be used with the greater caution4 ,i should say that mauve and lilac cover the same ground2 the word mauve came into use within my recollection4 ,it is ,french for mallow1 and the flower of the wild plant may stand as the type of what the word means4 ,lavender stands for a colder or bluer range of pale purples1 with an inclination to grey2 it is a useful word1 because the whole colour of the flower spike varies so little4 ,violet stands for the dark garden violet1 and ,i always think of the grand colour of ,iris reticulata as an example of a rich violet-purple4 ,but purple equally stands for this1 and for many shades redder4 ,snow-white is very vague4 ,there is nearly always so much blue about the colour of snow1 from its crystalline surface and partial transparency1 and the texture is so unlike that of any kind of flower1 that the comparison is scarcely permissible4 ,i take it that the use of snow-white is1 like that of golden-yellow1 more symbolical than descriptive1 meaning any white that gives an impression of purity4 ,nearly all white flowers are yellowish-white1 and the comparatively few that are bluish-white1 such1 for example1 as ,omphalodes verna1 are of a texture so different from snow that one cannot compare them at all4 ,i should say that most white flowers are near the colour of chalk2 for although the word chalky-white has been used in rather a contemptuous way1 the colour is really a very beautiful warm white1 but by no means an intense white4 ,the flower that always looks to me the whitest is that of ,iberis sempervirens4 ,the white is dead and hard1 like a piece of glazed stoneware1 quite without play or variation1 and hence uninteresting4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,the ,,scents ,,of ,,the ,,garden ,the sweet scents of a garden are by no means the least of its many delights4 ,even ,january brings ,chimonanthus fragrans1 one of the sweetest and strongest scented of the year's blooms--little half-transparent yellowish bells on an otherwise naked-looking wall shrub4 ,they have no stalks1 but if they are floated in a shallow dish of water1 they last well for several days1 and give off a powerful fragrance in a room4 ,during some of the warm days that nearly always come towards the end of ,february1 if one knows where to look in some sunny1 sheltered corner of a hazel copse1 there will be sure to be some ,primroses1 and the first scent of the year's first ,primrose is no small pleasure4 ,the garden ,primroses soon follow1 and1 meanwhile1 in all open winter weather there have been ,czar ,violets and ,iris stylosa1 with its delicate scent1 faintly violet-like1 but with a dash of tulip4 ,iris reticulata is also sweet1 with a still stronger perfume of the violet character4 ,but of all ,irises ,i know1 the sweetest to smell is a later blooming one1 ,i4 graminea4 ,its small purple flowers are almost hidden among the thick mass of grassy foliage which rises high above the bloom2 but they are worth looking for1 for the sake of the sweet and rather penetrating scent1 which is exactly like that of a perfectly-ripened plum4 ,all the scented flowers of the ,primrose tribe are delightful--,primrose1 ,polyanthus1 ,auricula1 ,cowslip4 ,the actual sweetness is most apparent in the ,cowslip2 in the ,auricula it has a pungency1 and at the same time a kind of veiled mystery1 that accords with the clouded and curiously-blended colourings of many of the flowers4 ,sweetbriar is one of the strongest of the year's early scents1 and closely following is the woodland incense of the ,larch1 both freely given off and far-wafted1 as is also that of the hardy ,daphnes4 ,the first quarter of the year also brings the bloom of most of the deciduous ,magnolias1 all with a fragrance nearly allied to that of the large one that blooms late in summer1 but not so strong and heavy4 ,the sweetness of a sun-baked bank of ,wallflower belongs to ,april4 ,daffodils1 lovely as they are1 must be classed among flowers of rather rank smell1 and yet it is welcome1 for it means spring-time1 with its own charm and its glad promise of the wealth of summer bloom that is soon to come4 ,the scent of the ,jonquil1 ,poeticus1 and ,polyanthus sections are best1 ,jonquil perhaps best of all1 for it is without the rather coarse scent of the ,trumpets and ,nonsuch1 and also escapes the penetrating lusciousness of poeticus and tazetta1 which in the south of ,europe is exaggerated in the case of tazetta into something distinctly unpleasant4 ,what a delicate refinement there is in the scent of the wild ,wood-,violet2 it is never overdone4 ,it seems to me to be quite the best of all the violet-scents1 just because of its temperate quality4 ,it gives exactly enough1 and never that perhaps-just-a-trifle-too-much that may often be noticed about a bunch of frame-,violets1 and that also in the south is intensified to a degree that is distinctly undesirable4 ,for just as colour may be strengthened to a painful glare1 and sound may be magnified to a torture1 so even a sweet scent may pass its appointed bounds and become an overpoweringly evil smell4 ,even in ,england several of the ,lilies1 whose smell is delicious in open-air wafts1 cannot be borne in a room4 ,in the south of ,europe a ,tuberose cannot be brought indoors1 and even at home ,i remember one warm wet ,august how a plant of ,balm of ,gilead 7,cedronella triphylla7 had its always powerful but usually agreeably aromatic smell so much exaggerated that it smelt exactly like coal-gas6 ,a brother in ,jamaica writes of the large white ,jasmine3 ,it does not do to bring it indoors here2 the scent is too strong4 ,one day ,i thought there was a dead rat under the floor 7a thing which did happen once71 and behold1 it was a glassful of fresh white ,jasmine that was the offender6 ,while on this less pleasant part of the subject1 ,i cannot help thinking of the horrible smell of the ,dragon ,arum2 and yet how fitting an accompaniment it is to the plant1 for if ever there was a plant that looked wicked and repellent1 it is this2 and yet1 like ,medusa1 it has its own kind of fearful beauty4 ,in this family the smell seems to accompany the appearance1 and to diminish in unpleasantness as the flower increases in amiability2 for in our native wild ,arum the smell1 though not exactly nice1 is quite innocuous1 and in the beautiful white ,arum or ,calla of our greenhouses there is as little scent as a flower can well have1 especially one of such large dimensions4 ,in ,fungi the bad smell is nearly always an indication of poisonous nature1 so that it would seem to be given as a warning4 ,but it has always been a matter of wonder to me why the root of the harmless and friendly ,laurustinus should have been given a particularly odious smell--a smell ,i would rather not attempt to describe4 ,on moist warmish days in mid-seasons ,i have sometimes had a whiff of the same unpleasantness from the bushes themselves2 others of the same tribe have it in a much lesser degree4 ,there is a curious smell about the yellow roots of ,berberis1 not exactly nasty1 and a strong odour1 not really offensive1 but that ,i personally dislike1 about the root of ,chrysanthemum maximum4 ,on the other hand1 ,i always enjoy digging up1 dividing1 and replanting the ,asarums1 both the common ,european and the ,american kinds2 their roots have a pleasant and most interesting smell1 a good deal like mild pepper and ginger mixed1 but more strongly aromatic4 ,the same class of smell1 but much fainter1 and always reminding me of very good and delicate pepper1 ,i enjoy in the flowers of the perennial ,lupines4 ,the only other hardy flowers ,i can think of whose smell is distinctly offensive are ,lilium pyrenaicum1 smelling like a mangy dog1 and some of the ,schizanthus1 that are redolent of dirty hen-house4 ,there is a class of scent that1 though it can neither be called sweet nor aromatic1 is decidedly pleasing and interesting4 ,such is that of ,bracken and other ,fern-fronds1 ,ivy-leaves1 ,box-bushes1 ,vine-blossom1 ,elder-flowers1 and ,fig-leaves4 ,there are the sweet scents that are wholly delightful--most of the ,roses1 ,honeysuckle1 ,primrose1 ,cowslip1 ,mignonette1 ,pink1 ,carnation1 ,heliotrope1 ,lily of the ,valley1 and a host of others2 then there is a class of scent that is intensely powerful1 and gives an impression almost of intemperance or voluptuousness1 such as ,magnolia1 ,tuberose1 ,gardenia1 ,stephanotis1 and ,jasmine2 it is strange that these all have white flowers of thick leathery texture4 ,in strongest contrast to these are the sweet1 wholesome1 wind-wafted scents of clover-field1 of bean-field1 and of new-mown hay1 and the soft honey-scent of sun-baked heather1 and of a buttercup meadow in ,april4 ,still more delicious is the wind-swept sweetness of a wood of ,larch or of ,scotch ,fir1 and the delicate perfume of young-leaved ,birch1 or the heavier scent of the flowering ,lime4 ,out on the moorlands1 besides the sweet heather-scent1 is that of flowering ,broom and ,gorse and of the ,bracken1 so like the first smell of the sea as you come near it after a long absence4 ,how curiously scents of flowers and leaves fall into classes--often one comes upon related smells running into one another in not necessarily related plants4 ,there is a kind of scent that ,i sometimes meet with1 about clumps of ,brambles1 a little like the waft of a ,fir wood2 it occurs again 7quite naturally7 in the first taste of blackberry jam1 and then turns up again in ,sweet ,sultan4 ,it is allied to the smell of the dying ,strawberry leaves4 ,the smell of the ,primrose occurs again in a much stronger and ranker form in the root-stock1 and the same thing happens with the ,violets and ,pansies2 in ,violets the plant-smell is pleasant1 though without the high perfume of the flower2 but the smell of an overgrown bed of ,pansy-plants is rank to offensiveness4 ,perhaps the most delightful of all flower scents are those whose tender and delicate quality makes one wish for just a little more4 ,such a scent is that of ,apple-blossom1 and of some small ,pansies1 and of the wild ,rose and the ,honeysuckle4 ,among ,roses alone the variety and degree of sweet scent seems almost infinite4 ,to me the sweetest of all is the ,provence1 the old ,cabbage ,rose of our gardens4 ,when something approaching this appears1 as it frequently does1 among the hybrid perpetuals1 ,i always greet it as the real sweet ,rose smell4 ,one expects every ,rose to be fragrant1 and it is a disappointment to find that such a beautiful flower as ,baroness ,rothschild is wanting in the sweet scent that would be the fitting complement of its incomparable form1 and to perceive in so handsome a ,rose as ,malmaison a heavy smell of decidedly bad quality4 ,but such cases are not frequent4 ,there is much variety in the scent of the ,tea-,roses1 the actual tea flavour being strongest in the ,dijon class4 ,some have a powerful scent that is very near that of a ripe ,nectarine2 of this the best example ,i know is the old rose ,goubault4 ,the half-double red ,gloire de ,rosamene has a delightful scent of a kind that is rare among ,roses4 ,it has a good deal of the quality of that mysterious and delicious smell given off by the dying strawberry leaves1 aromatic1 pungent1 and delicately refined1 searching and powerful1 and yet subtle and elusive--the best sweet smell of all the year4 ,one cannot have it for the seeking2 it comes as it will--a scent that is sad as a forecast of the inevitable certainty of the flower-year's waning1 and yet sweet with the promise of its timely new birth4 ,sometimes ,i have met with a scent of somewhat the same mysterious and aromatic kind when passing near a bank clothed with the great ,st4 ,john's ,wort4 ,as this also occurs in early autumn1 ,i suppose it to be occasioned by the decay of some of the leaves4 ,and there is a small yellow-flowered ,potentilla that has a scent of the same character1 but always freely and willingly given off--a humble-looking little plant1 well worth growing for its sweetness1 that much to my regret ,i have lost4 ,i observe that when a ,rose exists in both single and double form the scent is increased in the double beyond the proportion that one would expect4 ,rosa lucida in the ordinary single state has only a very slight scent2 in the lovely double form it is very sweet1 and has acquired somewhat of the ,moss-rose smell4 ,the wild ,burnet-rose 7,r4 spinosissima7 has very little smell2 but the ,scotch ,briars1 its garden relatives1 have quite a powerful fragrance1 a pale flesh-pink kind1 whose flowers are very round and globe-like1 being the sweetest of all4 ,but of all the sweet scents of bush or flower1 the ones that give me the greatest pleasure are those of the aromatic class1 where they seem to have a wholesome resinous or balsamic base1 with a delicate perfume added4 ,when ,i pick and crush in my hand a twig of ,bay1 or brush against a bush of ,rosemary1 or tread upon a tuft of ,thyme1 or pass through incense-laden brakes of ,cistus1 ,i feel that here is all that is best and purest and most refined1 and nearest to poetry1 in the range of faculty of the sense of smell4 ,the scents of all these sweet shrubs1 many of them at home in dry and rocky places in far-away lower latitudes1 recall in a way far more distinct than can be done by a mere mental effort of recollection1 rambles of years ago in many a lovely southern land--in the islands of the ,greek ,archipelago1 beautiful in form1 and from a distance looking bare and arid1 and yet with a scattered growth of lowly1 sweet-smelling bush and herb1 so that as you move among them every plant seems full of sweet sap or aromatic gum1 and as you tread the perfumed carpet the whole air is scented2 then of dusky groves of tall ,cypress and ,myrtle1 forming mysterious shadowy woodland temples that unceasingly offer up an incense of their own surpassing fragrance1 and of cooler hollows in the same lands and in the nearer ,orient1 where the ,oleander grows like the willow of the north1 and where the ,sweet ,bay throws up great tree-like suckers of surprising strength and vigour4 ,it is only when one has seen it grow like this that one can appreciate the full force of the old ,bible simile4 ,then to find oneself standing 7while still on earth7 in a grove of giant ,myrtles fifteen feet high is like having a little chink of the door of heaven opened1 as if to show a momentary glimpse of what good things may be beyond6 ,among the sweet shrubs from the nearer of these southern regions1 one of the best for ,english gardens is ,cistus laurifolius4 ,its wholesome1 aromatic sweetness is freely given off1 even in winter4 ,in this1 as in its near relative1 ,c4 ladaniferus1 the scent seems to come from the gummy surface1 and not from the body of the leaf4 ,caryopteris ,mastacanthus1 the ,mastic plant1 from ,china1 one of the few shrubs that flower in autumn1 has strongly-scented woolly leaves1 something like turpentine1 but more refined4 ,ledum palustre has a delightful scent when its leaves are bruised4 ,the wild ,bog-myrtle1 so common in ,scotland1 has almost the sweetness of the true ,myrtle1 as has also the broad-leaved ,north ,american kind1 and the ,candleberry ,gale 7,comptonia asplenifolia7 from the same country4 ,the myrtle-leaved ,rhododendron is a dwarf shrub of neat habit1 whose bruised leaves have also a myrtle-like smell1 though it is less strong than in the ,gales4 ,i wonder why the leaves of nearly all the hardy aromatic shrubs are of a hard1 dry texture2 the exceptions are so few that it seems to be a law4 ,if my copse were some acres larger ,i should like nothing better than to make a good-sized clearing1 laying out to the sun1 and to plant it with these aromatic bushes and herbs4 ,the main planting should be of ,cistus and ,rosemary and ,lavender1 and for the shadier edges the ,myrtle-leaved ,rhododendron1 and ,ledum palustre1 and the three ,bog-myrtles4 ,then again in the sun would be ,hyssop and ,catmint1 and ,lavender-cotton and ,southernwood1 with others of the scented ,artemisias1 and ,sage and ,marjoram4 ,all the ground would be carpeted with ,thyme and ,basil and others of the dwarfer sweet-herbs4 ,there would be no regular paths1 but it would be so planted that in most parts one would have to brush up against the sweet bushes1 and sometimes push through them1 as one does on the thinner-clothed of the mountain slopes of southern ,italy4 ,among the many wonders of the vegetable world are the flowers that hang their heads and seem to sleep in the daytime1 and that awaken as the sun goes down1 and live their waking life at night4 ,and those that are most familiar in our gardens have powerful perfumes1 except the ,evening ,primrose 7,oenothera71 which has only a milder sweetness4 ,it is vain to try and smell the night-given scent in the daytime2 it is either withheld altogether1 or some other smell1 quite different1 and not always pleasant1 is there instead4 ,i have tried hard in daytime to get a whiff of the night sweetness of ,nicotiana affinis1 but can only get hold of something that smells like a horse6 ,some of the best of the night-scents are those given by the ,stocks and ,rockets4 ,they are sweet in the hand in the daytime1 but the best of the sweet scent seems to be like a thin film on the surface4 ,it does not do to smell them too vigorously1 for1 especially in ,stocks and ,wallflowers1 there is a strong1 rank1 cabbage-like under-smell4 ,but in the sweetness given off so freely in the summer evening there is none of this2 then they only give their very best4 ,but of all the family1 the finest fragrance comes from the small annual ,night-scented ,stock 7,matthiola bicornis71 a plant that in daytime is almost ugly2 for the leaves are of a dull-grey colour1 and the flowers are small and also dull-coloured1 and they are closed and droop and look unhappy4 ,but when the sun has set the modest little plant seems to come to life2 the grey foliage is almost beautiful in its harmonious relation to the half-light2 the flowers stand up and expand1 and in the early twilight show tender colouring of faint pink and lilac1 and pour out upon the still night-air a lavish gift of sweetest fragrance2 and the modest little plant that in strong sunlight looked unworthy of a place in the garden1 now rises to its appointed rank and reigns supreme as its prime delight4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,the ,,worship ,,of ,,false ,,gods ,several times during these notes ,i have spoken in a disparaging manner of the show-table2 and ,i have not done so lightly1 but with all the care and thought and power of observation that my limited capacity is worth2 and1 broadly1 ,i have come to this3 that shows1 such as those at the fortnightly meetings of the ,royal ,horticultural ,society1 and their more important one in the early summer1 whose object is to bring together beautiful flowers of all kinds1 to a place where they may be seen1 are of the utmost value2 and that any shows anywhere for a like purpose1 and especially where there are no money prizes1 are also sure to be helpful4 ,and the test question ,i put to myself at any show is this1 ,does this really help the best interests of horticulture8 ,and as far as ,i can see that it does this1 ,i think the show right and helpful2 and whenever it does not1 ,i think it harmful and misleading4 ,the love of gardening has so greatly grown and spread within the last few years1 that the need of really good and beautiful garden flowers is already far in advance of the demand for the so-called florists flowers1 by which ,i mean those that find favour in the exclusive shows of ,societies for the growing and exhibition of such flowers as ,tulips1 ,carnations1 ,dahlias1 and ,chrysanthemums4 ,in support of this ,i should like to know what proportion of demand there is1 in ,dahlias1 for instance1 between the show kinds1 whose aim and object is the show-table1 and the decorative kinds1 that are indisputably better for garden use4 ,looking at the catalogue of a leading ,dahlia nursery1 ,i find that the decorative kinds fill ten pages1 while the show kinds1 including ,pompones1 fill only three4 ,is not this some indication of what is wanted in gardens8 ,i am of opinion that the show-table is unworthily used when its object is to be an end in itself1 and that it should be only a means to a better end1 and that when it exhibits what has become merely a fancy1 it loses sight of its honourable position as a trustworthy exponent of horticulture1 and has degenerated to a baser use4 ,when1 as in ,chrysanthemum shows1 the flowers on the board are of no use anywhere but on that board1 and for the purpose of gaining a money prize1 ,i hold that the show-table has a debased aim1 and a debasing influence4 ,beauty1 in all the best sense1 is put aside in favour of set rules and measurements1 and the production of a thing that is of no use or value2 and individuals of a race of plants capable of producing the highest and most delightful forms of beauty1 and of brightening our homes1 and even gardens1 during the dim days of early winter1 are teased and tortured and fatted and bloated into ugly and useless monstrosities for no purpose but to gain money4 ,and when private gardeners go to these shows and see how the prizes are awarded1 and how all the glory is accorded to the first-prize bloated monster1 can we wonder that the effect on their minds is confusing1 if not absolutely harmful8 ,shows of ,carnations and ,pansies1 where the older rules prevail1 are equally misleading1 where the single flowers are arrayed in a flat circle of paper4 ,as with the ,chrysanthemum1 every sort of trickery is allowed in arranging the petals of the ,carnation blooms3 petals are pulled out or stuck in1 and they are twisted about1 and groomed and combed1 and manipulated with special tools--dressed1 as the show-word has it--dressed so elaborately that the dressing only stops short of applying actual paint and perfumery4 ,already in the case of ,carnations a better influence is being felt1 and at the ,london shows there are now classes for border ,carnations set up in long-stalked bunches just as they grow4 ,it is only like this that their value as outdoor plants can be tested2 for many of the show sorts have miserably weak stalks1 and a very poor1 lanky habit of growth4 ,then the poor ,pansies have single blooms laid flat on white papers1 and are only approved if they will lie quite flat and show an outline of a perfect circle4 ,all that is most beautiful in a ,pansy1 the wing-like curves1 the waved or slightly fluted radiations1 the scarcely perceptible undulation of surface that displays to perfection the admirable delicacy of velvety texture2 all the little tender tricks and ways that make the ,pansy one of the best-loved of garden flowers2 all this is overlooked1 and not only passively overlooked1 but overtly contemned4 ,the show-pansy judge appears to have no eye1 or brain1 or heart1 but to have in their place a pair of compasses with which to describe a circle6 ,all idea of garden delight seems to be excluded1 as this kind of judging appeals to no recognition of beauty for beauty's sake1 but to hard systems of measurement and rigid arrangement and computation that one would think more applicable to astronomy or geometry than to any matter relating to horticulture4 ,i do most strongly urge that beauty of the highest class should be the aim1 and not anything of the nature of fashion or fancy1 and that every effort should be made towards the raising rather than the lowering of the standard of taste4 ,the ,societies which exist throughout the country are well organised2 many have existed for a great number of years2 they are the local sources of horticultural education1 to which large circles of people naturally look for guidance2 and though they produce--and especially the ,rose shows--quantities of beautiful things1 it cannot but be perceived by all who have had the benefit of some refinement of education1 that in very many cases they either deliberately teach1 or at any rate allow to be seen with their sanction1 what cannot fail to be debasing to public taste4 ,i will just take two examples to show how obvious methods of leading taste are not only overlooked1 but even perverted2 for it is not only in the individual blooms that much of the show-teaching is unworthy1 but also in the training of the plants2 so that a plant that by nature has some beauty of form1 is not encouraged or even allowed to develop that beauty1 but is trained into some shape that is not only foreign to its own nature1 but is absolutely ugly and ungraceful1 and entirely stupid4 ,the natural habit of the ,chrysanthemum is to grow in the form of several upright stems4 ,they spring up sheaf-wise1 straight upright for a time1 and only bending a little outwards above1 to give room for the branching heads of bloom4 ,the stems are rather stiff1 because they are half woody at the base4 ,in the case of pot-plants it would seem right only so far to stake or train them as to give the necessary support by a few sticks set a little outwards at the top1 so that each stem may lean a little over1 after the manner of a ,bamboo1 when their clustered heads of flower would be given enough room1 and be seen to the greatest advantage4 ,but at shows1 the triumph of the training art seems to be to drag the poor thing round and round over an internal scaffolding of sticks1 with an infinite number of ties and cross-braces1 so that it makes a sort of shapeless ball1 and to arrange the flowers so that they are equally spotted all over it1 by tying back some almost to snapping-point1 and by dragging forward others to the verge of dislocation4 ,i have never seen anything so ugly in the way of potted plants as a certain kind of ,chrysanthemum that has incurved flowers of a heavy sort of dull leaden-looking red-purple colour trained in this manner4 ,such a sight gives me a feeling of shame1 not unmixed with wrathful indignation4 ,i ask myself1 ,what is it for8 and ,i get no answer4 ,i ask a practical gardener what it is for1 and he says1 ,oh1 it is one of the ways they are trained for shows4 ,i ask him1 ,does he think it pretty1 or is it any use8 and he says1 ,well1 they think it makes a nice variety2 and when ,i press him further1 and say ,i consider it a very nasty variety1 and does he think nasty varieties are better than none1 the question is beyond him1 and he smiles vaguely and edges away1 evidently thinking my conversation perplexing1 and my company undesirable4 ,i look again at the unhappy plant1 and see its poor leaves fat with an unwholesome obesity1 and seeming to say1 ,we were really a good bit mildewed1 but have been doctored up for the show by being crammed and stuffed with artificial aliment6 ,my second example is that of ,azalea indica4 ,what is prettier in a room than one of these in its little tree form1 a true tree1 with tiny trunk and wide-spreading branches1 and its absurdly large and lovely flowers8 ,surely it is the most perfect room ornament that we can have in tree shape in a moderate-sized pot2 and where else can one see a tree loaded with lovely bloom whose individual flowers have a diameter equal to five times that of the trunk8 ,but the show decrees that all this is wrong1 and that the tiny1 brittle branches must be trained stiffly round till the shape of the plant shows as a sort of cylinder4 ,again ,i ask myself1 ,what is this for8 ,what does it teach8 ,can it be really to teach with deliberate intention that instead of displaying its natural and graceful tree form it should aim at a more desirable kind of beauty1 such as that of the chimney-pot or drain-pipe1 and that this is so important that it is right and laudable to devote to it much time and delicate workmanship8 ,i cannot but think1 as well as hope1 that the strong influences for good that are now being brought to bear on all departments of gardening may reach this class of show1 for there are already more hopeful signs in the admission of classes for groups arranged for decoration4 ,the prize-show system no doubt creates its own evils1 because the judges1 and those who frame the schedules1 have been in most cases men who have a knowledge of flowers1 but who are not people of cultivated taste1 and in deciding what points are to constitute the merits of a flower they have to take such qualities as are within the clearest understanding of people of average intelligence and average education--such1 for instance1 as size that can be measured1 symmetry that can be easily estimated1 thickness of petal that can be felt1 and such qualities of colour as appeal most strongly to the uneducated eye2 so that a flower may possess features or qualities that endow it with the highest beauty1 but that exclude it1 because the hard and narrow limits of the show-laws provide no means of dealing with it4 ,it is1 therefore1 thrown out1 not because they have any fault to find with it1 but because it does not concern them2 and the ordinary gardener1 to whose practice it might be of the highest value1 accepting the verdict of the show-judge as an infallible guide1 also treats it with contempt and neglect4 ,now1 all this would not so much matter if it did not delude those whose taste is not sufficiently educated to enable them to form an opinion of their own in accordance with the best and truest standards of beauty2 for ,i venture to repeat that what we have to look for for the benefit of our gardens1 and for our own bettering and increase of happiness in those gardens1 are things that are beautiful1 rather than things that are round1 or straight1 or thick1 still less than for those that are new1 or curious1 or astonishing4 ,for all these false gods are among us1 and many are they who are willing to worship4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,novelty ,,and ,,variety ,when ,i look back over thirty years of gardening1 ,i see what an extraordinary progress there has been1 not only in the introduction of good plants new to general cultivation1 but also in the home production of improved kinds of old favourites4 ,in annual plants alone there has been a remarkable advance4 ,and here again1 though many really beautiful things are being brought forward1 there seems always to be an undue value assigned to a fresh development1 on the score of its novelty4 ,now it seems to me1 that among the thousands of beautiful things already at hand for garden use1 there is no merit whatever in novelty or variety unless the thing new or different is distinctly more beautiful1 or in some such way better than an older thing of the same class4 ,and there seems to be a general wish among seed growers just now to dwarf all annual plants4 ,now1 when a plant is naturally of a diffuse habit1 the fixing of a dwarfer variety may be a distinct gain to horticulture--it may just make a good garden plant out of one that was formerly of indifferent quality2 but there seems to me to be a kind of stupidity in inferring from this that all annuals are the better for dwarfing4 ,i take it that the bedding system has had a good deal to do with it4 ,it no doubt enables ignorant gardeners to use a larger variety of plants as senseless colour-masses1 but it is obvious that many1 if not most1 of the plants are individually made much uglier by the process4 ,take1 for example1 one of the dwarfest ,ageratums3 what a silly little dumpy1 formless1 pincushion of a thing it is6 ,and then the dwarfest of the ,china ,asters4 ,here is a plant 7whose chief weakness already lies in a certain over-stiffness7 made stiffer and more shapeless still by dwarfing and by cramming with too many petals4 ,the ,comet ,asters of later years are a much-improved type of flower1 with a looser shape and a certain degree of approach to grace and beauty4 ,when this kind came out it was a noteworthy novelty1 not because it was a novelty1 but because it was a better and more beautiful thing4 ,also among the same ,asters the introduction of a better class of red colouring1 first of the blood-red and then of the so-called scarlet shades1 was a good variety1 because it was the distinct bettering of the colour of a popular race of garden-flowers1 whose red and pink colourings had hitherto been of a bad and rank quality4 ,it is quite true that here and there the dwarf kind is a distinctly useful thing1 as in the dwarf ,nasturtiums4 ,in this grand plant one is glad to have dwarf ones as well as the old trailing kinds4 ,i even confess to a certain liking for the podgy little dwarf ,snapdragons2 they are ungraceful little dumpy things1 but they happen to have come in some tender colourings of pale yellow and pale pink1 that give them a kind of absurd prettiness1 and a certain garden-value4 ,i also look at them as a little floral joke that is harmless and not displeasing1 but they cannot for a moment compare in beauty with the free-growing ,snapdragon of the older type4 ,this ,i always think one of the best and most interesting and admirable of garden-plants4 ,its beauty is lost if it is crowded up among other things in a border2 it should be grown in a dry wall or steep rocky bank1 where its handsome bushy growth and finely-poised spikes of bloom can be well seen4 ,illustration3 ,,tall ,,snapdragons ,,growing ,,in ,a ,,dry ,,wall4 ,illustration3 ,,mulleins ,,growing ,,in ,,the ,,face ,,of ,,dry ,,wall4 7,see ,old ,wall1 page #aaf47 ,one of the annuals that ,i think is entirely spoilt by dwarfing is ,love-in-a-,mist1 a plant ,i hold in high admiration4 ,many years ago ,i came upon some of it in a small garden1 of a type that ,i thought extremely desirable1 with a double flower of just the right degree of fulness1 and of an unusually fine colour4 ,i was fortunate enough to get some seed1 and have never grown any other1 nor have ,i ever seen elsewhere any that ,i think can compare with it4 ,the ,zinnia is another fine annual that has been much spoilt by its would-be improvers4 ,when a ,zinnia has a hard1 stiff1 tall flower1 with a great many rows of petals piled up one on top of another1 and when its habit is dwarfed to a mean degree of squatness1 it looks to me both ugly and absurd1 whereas a reasonably double one1 well branched1 and two feet high1 is a handsome plant4 ,i also think that ,stocks and ,wallflowers are much handsomer when rather tall and branching4 ,dwarf ,stocks1 moreover1 are invariably spattered with soil in heavy autumn rain4 ,an example of the improver not knowing where to stop in the matter of colouring1 always strikes me in the ,gaillardias1 and more especially in the perennial kind1 that is increased by division as well as by seed4 ,the flower is naturally of a strong orange-yellow colour1 with a narrow ring of red round the centre4 ,the improver has sought to increase the width of the red ring4 ,up to a certain point it makes a livelier and brighter-looking flower2 but he has gone too far1 and extended the red till it has become a red flower with a narrow yellow edge4 ,the red also is of a rather dull and heavy nature1 so that instead of a handsome yellow flower with a broad central ring1 here is an ugly red one with a yellow border4 ,there is no positive harm done1 as the plant has been propagated at every stage of development1 and one may choose what one will2 but to see them together is an instructive lesson4 ,no annual plant has of late years been so much improved as the ,sweet ,pea1 and one reason why its charming beauty and scent are so enjoyable is1 that they grow tall1 and can be seen on a level with the eye4 ,there can be no excuse whatever for dwarfing this1 as has lately been done4 ,there are already plenty of good flowering plants under a foot high1 and the little dwarf white monstrosity1 now being followed by coloured ones of the same habit1 seems to me worthy of nothing but condemnation4 ,it would be as right and sensible to dwarf a ,hollyhock into a podgy mass a foot high1 or a ,pentstemon1 or a ,foxglove4 ,happily these have as yet escaped dwarfing1 though ,i regret to see that a deformity that not unfrequently appears among garden ,foxgloves1 looking like a bell-shaped flower topping a stunted spike1 appears to have been fixed1 and is being offered as a novelty4 ,here is one of the clearest examples of a new development which is a distinct debasement of a naturally beautiful form1 but which is nevertheless being pushed forward in trade3 it has no merit whatever in itself1 and is only likely to sell because it is new and curious4 ,and all this parade of distortion and deformity comes about from the grower losing sight of beauty as the first consideration1 or from his not having the knowledge that would enable him to determine what are the points of character in various plants most deserving of development1 and in not knowing when or where to stop4 ,abnormal size1 whether greatly above or much below the average1 appeals to the vulgar and uneducated eye1 and will always command its attention and wonderment4 ,but then the production of the immense size that provokes astonishment1 and the misapplied ingenuity that produces unusual dwarfing1 are neither of them very high aims4 ,and much as ,i feel grateful to those who improve garden flowers1 ,i venture to repeat my strong conviction that their efforts in selection and other methods should be so directed as to keep in view the attainment of beauty in the first place1 and as a point of honour2 not to mere increase of size of bloom or compactness of habit--many plants have been spoilt by excess of both2 not for variety or novelty as ends in themselves1 but only to welcome them1 and offer them1 if they are distinctly of garden value in the best sense4 ,for if plants are grown or advertised or otherwise pushed on any other account than that of their possessing some worthy form of beauty1 they become of the same nature as any other article in trade that is got up for sale for the sole benefit of the seller1 that is unduly lauded by advertisement1 and that makes its first appeal to the vulgar eye by an exaggerated and showy pictorial representation2 that will serve no useful purpose1 and for which there is no true or healthy demand4 ,no doubt much of it comes about from the unwholesome pressure of trade competition1 which in a way obliges all to follow where some lead4 ,i trust that my many good friends in the trade will understand that my remarks are not made in any personal sense whatever4 ,i know that some of them feel much as ,i do on some of these points1 but that in many ways they are helpless1 being all bound in a kind of bondage to the general system4 ,and there is one great evil that calls loudly for redress1 but that will endure until some of the mightiest of them have the energy and courage to band themselves together and to declare that it shall no longer exist among them4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,weeds ,,and ,,pests ,weeding is a delightful occupation1 especially after summer rain1 when the roots come up clear and clean4 ,one gets to know how many and various are the ways of weeds--as many almost as the moods of human creatures4 ,how easy and pleasant to pull up are the soft annuals like ,chickweed and ,groundsel1 and how one looks with respect at deep-rooted things like ,docks1 that make one go and fetch a spade4 ,comfrey is another thing with a terrible root1 and every bit must be got out1 as it will grow again from the smallest scrap4 ,and hard to get up are the two ,bryonies1 the green and the black1 with such deep-reaching roots1 that1 if not weeded up within their first year1 will have to be seriously dug out later4 ,the white ,convolvulus1 one of the loveliest of native plants1 has a most persistently running root1 of which every joint will quickly form a new plant4 ,some of the worst weeds to get out are ,goutweed and ,coltsfoot4 ,though ,i live on a light soil1 comparatively easy to clean1 ,i have done some gardening in clay1 and well know what a despairing job it is to get the bits of either of these roots out of the stiff clods4 ,the most persistent weed in my soil is the small running ,sheep's ,sorrel4 ,first it makes a patch1 and then sends out thready running roots all round1 a foot or more long2 these1 if not checked1 establish new bases of operation1 and so it goes on1 always spreading farther and farther4 ,when this happens in soft ground that can be hoed and weeded it matters less1 but in the lawn it is a more serious matter4 ,its presence always denotes a poor1 sandy soil of rather a sour quality4 ,goutweed is a pest in nearly all gardens1 and very difficult to get out4 ,when it runs into the root of some patch of hardy plant1 if the plant can be spared1 ,i find it best to send it at once to the burn-heap2 or if it is too precious1 there is nothing for it but to cut it all up and wash it out1 to be sure that not the smallest particle of the enemy remains4 ,some weeds are deceiving--,sow-thistle1 for instance1 which has the look of promising firm hand-hold and easy extraction1 but has a disappointing way of almost always breaking short off at the collar4 ,but of all the garden weeds that are native plants ,i know none so persistent or so insidious as the ,rampion ,bell-flower 7,campanula ,rapunculus72 it grows from the smallest thread of root1 and it is almost impossible to see every little bit2 for though the main roots are thick1 and white1 and fleshy1 the fine side roots that run far abroad are very small1 and of a reddish colour1 and easily hidden in the brown earth4 ,but some of the worst garden-weeds are exotics run wild4 ,the common ,grape ,hyacinth sometimes overruns a garden and cannot be got rid of4 ,sambucus ebulis is a plant to beware of1 its long thong-like roots spreading far and wide1 and coming up again far away from the parent stock4 ,for this reason it is valuable for planting in such places as newly-made pond-heads1 helping to tie the bank together4 ,polygonum ,sieboldi must also be planted with caution4 ,the winter ,heliotrope 7,petasites fragrans7 is almost impossible to get out when once it has taken hold1 growing in the same way as its near relative the native ,coltsfoot4 ,but by far the most difficult plant to abolish or even keep in check that ,i know is ,ornithogalum nutans4 ,beautiful as it is1 and valuable as a cut flower1 ,i will not have it in the garden4 ,i think ,i may venture to say that in this soil1 when once established1 it cannot be eradicated4 ,each mature bulb makes a host of offsets1 and the seed quickly ripens4 ,when it is once in a garden it will suddenly appear in all sorts of different places4 ,it is no use trying to dig it out4 ,i have dug out the whole space of soil containing the patch1 a barrow-load at a time1 and sent it to the middle of the burn-heap1 and put in fresh soil1 and there it is again next year1 nearly as thick as ever4 ,i have dug up individual small patches with the greatest care1 and got out every bulb and offset1 and every bit of the whitish leaf stem1 for ,i have such faith in its power of reproduction that ,i think every atom of this is capable of making a plant1 only to find next year a thriving young tuft of the grass in the same place4 ,and yet the bulb and underground stem are white1 and the earth is brown1 and ,i passed it all several times through my fingers1 but all in vain4 ,i confess that it beats me entirely4 ,coronilla varia is a little plant that appears in catalogues among desirable ,alpines1 but is a very rooty and troublesome thing1 and scarcely good enough for garden use1 though pretty in a grassy bank where its rambling ways would not be objectionable4 ,i once brought home from ,brittany some roots of ,linaria repens1 that looked charming by a roadside1 and planted them in a bit of ,alpine garden1 a planting that ,i never afterwards ceased to regret4 ,i learnt from an old farmer a good way of getting rid of a bed of nettles--to thrash them down with a stick every time they grow up4 ,if this is done about three times during the year1 the root becomes so much weakened that it is easily forked out1 or if the treatment is gone on with1 the second year the nettles die4 ,thrashing with a stick is better than cutting1 as it makes the plant bleed more2 any mutilation of bruise or ragged tearing of fibre is more harmful to plant or tree than clean cutting4 ,of bird1 beast1 and insect pests we have plenty4 ,first1 and worst1 are rabbits4 ,they will gnaw and nibble anything and everything that is newly planted1 even native things like ,juniper1 ,scotch ,fir1 and ,gorse4 ,the necessity of wiring everything newly planted adds greatly to the labour and expense of the garden1 and the unsightly grey wire-netting is an unpleasant eyesore4 ,when plants or bushes are well established the rabbits leave them alone1 though some families of plants are always irresistible--,pinks and ,carnations1 for instance1 and nearly all ,cruciferae1 such as ,wallflowers1 ,stocks1 and ,iberis4 ,the only plants ,i know that they do not touch are ,rhododendrons and ,azaleas2 they leave them for the hare1 that is sure to get in every now and then1 and who stands up on his long hind-legs1 and will eat ,rose-bushes quite high up4 ,plants eaten by a hare look as if they had been cut with a sharp knife2 there is no appearance of gnawing or nibbling1 no ragged edges of wood or frayed bark1 but just a straight clean cut4 ,field mice are very troublesome4 ,some years they will nibble off the flower-buds of the ,lent ,hellebores2 when they do this they have a curious way of collecting them and laying them in heaps4 ,i have no idea why they do this1 as they neither carry them away nor eat them afterwards2 there the heaps of buds lie till they rot or dry up4 ,they once stole all my ,auricula seed in the same way4 ,i had marked some good plants for seed1 cutting off all the other flowers as soon as they went out of bloom4 ,the seed was ripening1 and ,i watched it daily1 awaiting the moment for harvesting4 ,but a few days before it was ready ,i went round and found the seed was all gone2 it had been cut off at the top of the stalk1 so that the umbel-shaped heads had been taken away whole4 ,i looked about1 and luckily found three slightly hollow places under the bank at the back of the border where the seed-heads had been piled in heaps4 ,in this case it looked as if it had been stored for food2 luckily it was near enough to ripeness for me to save my crop4 ,the mice are also troublesome with newly-sown ,peas1 eating some underground1 while sparrows nibble off others when just sprouted2 and when outdoor ,grapes are ripening mice run up the walls and eat them4 ,even when the ,grapes are tied in oiled canvas bags they will eat through the bags to get at them1 though ,i have never known them to gnaw through the newspaper bags that ,i now use in preference1 and that ripen the ,grapes as well4 ,i am not sure whether it is mice or birds that pick off the flowers of the big bunch ,primroses1 but am inclined to think it is mice1 because the stalks are cut low down4 ,pheasants are very bad gardeners2 what they seem to enjoy most are ,crocuses--in fact1 it is no use planting them4 ,i had once a nice collection of ,crocus species4 ,they were in separate patches1 all along the edge of one border1 in a sheltered part of the garden1 where pheasants did not often come4 ,one day when ,i came to see my ,crocuses1 ,i found where each patch had been a basin-shaped excavation and a few fragments of stalk or some part of the plant4 ,they had begun at one end and worked steadily along1 clearing them right out4 ,they also destroyed a long bed of ,anemone fulgens4 ,first they took the flowers1 and then the leaves1 and lastly pecked up and ate the roots4 ,but we have one grand consolation in having no slugs1 at least hardly any that are truly indigenous2 they do not like our dry1 sandy heaths4 ,friends are very generous in sending them with plants1 so that we have a moderate number that hang about frames and pot plants1 though nothing much to boast of2 but they never trouble seedlings in the open ground1 and for this ,i can never be too thankful4 ,alas that the beautiful bullfinch should be so dire an enemy to fruit-trees1 and also the pretty little tits6 but so it is2 and it is a sad sight to see a well-grown fruit-tree with all its fruit-buds pecked out and lying under it on the ground in a thin green carpet4 ,we had some fine young cherry-trees in a small orchard that we cut down in despair after they had been growing twelve years4 ,they were too large to net1 and their space could not be spared just for the mischievous fun of the birds4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,the ,,bedding ,,fashion ,,and ,,its ,,influence ,it is curious to look back at the old days of bedding-out1 when that and that only meant gardening to most people1 and to remember how the fashion1 beginning in the larger gardens1 made its way like a great inundating wave1 submerging the lesser ones1 and almost drowning out the beauties of the many little flowery cottage plots of our ,english waysides4 ,and one wonders how it all came about1 and why the bedding system1 admirable for its own purpose1 should have thus outstepped its bounds1 and have been allowed to run riot among gardens great and small throughout the land4 ,but so it was1 and for many years the fashion1 for it was scarcely anything better1 reigned supreme4 ,it was well for all real lovers of flowers when some quarter of a century ago a strong champion of the good old flowers arose1 and fought strenuously to stay the devastating tide1 and to restore the healthy liking for the good old garden flowers4 ,many soon followed1 and now one may say that all ,england has flocked to the standard4 ,bedding as an all-prevailing fashion is now dead2 the old garden-flowers are again honoured and loved1 and every encouragement is freely offered to those who will improve old kinds and bring forward others4 ,and now that bedding as a fashion no longer exists1 one can look at it more quietly and fairly1 and see what its uses really are1 for in its own place and way it is undoubtedly useful and desirable4 ,many great country-houses are only inhabited in winter1 then perhaps for a week or two at ,easter1 and in the late summer4 ,there is probably a house-party at ,easter1 and a succession of visitors in the late summer4 ,a brilliant garden1 visible from the house1 dressed for spring and dressed for early autumn1 is exactly what is wanted--not necessarily from any special love of flowers1 but as a kind of bright and well-kept furnishing of the immediate environment of the house4 ,the gardener delights in it2 it is all routine work2 so many hundreds or thousands of scarlet ,geranium1 of yellow ,calceolaria1 of blue ,lobelia1 of golden ,feverfew1 or of other coloured material4 ,it wants no imagination2 the comprehension of it is within the range of the most limited understanding2 indeed its prevalence for some twenty years or more must have had a deteriorating influence on the whole class of private gardeners1 presenting to them an ideal so easy of attainment and so cheap of mental effort4 ,but bedding1 though it is gardening of the least poetical or imaginative kind1 can be done badly or beautifully4 ,in the parterre of the formal garden it is absolutely in place1 and brilliantly-beautiful pictures can be made by a wise choice of colouring4 ,i once saw1 and can never forget1 a bedded garden that was a perfectly satisfying example of colour-harmony2 but then it was planned by the master1 a man of the most refined taste1 and not by the gardener4 ,it was a parterre that formed part of the garden in one of the fine old places in the ,midland counties4 ,i have no distinct recollection of the design1 except that there was some principle of fan-shaped radiation1 of which each extreme angle formed one centre4 ,the whole garden was treated in one harmonious colouring of full yellow1 orange1 and orange-brown2 half-hardy annuals1 such as ,french and ,african ,marigolds1 ,zinnias1 and ,nasturtiums1 being freely used4 ,it was the most noble treatment of one limited range of colouring ,i have ever seen in a garden2 brilliant without being garish1 and sumptuously gorgeous without the reproach of gaudiness--a precious lesson in temperance and restraint in the use of the one colour1 and an admirable exposition of its powerful effect in the hands of a true artist4 ,i think that in many smaller gardens a certain amount of bedding may be actually desirable2 for where the owner of a garden has a special liking for certain classes or mixtures of plants1 or wishes to grow them thoroughly well and enjoy them individually to the full1 he will naturally grow them in separate beds1 or may intentionally combine the beds1 if he will1 into some form of good garden effect4 ,but the great fault of the bedding system when at its height was1 that it swept over the country as a tyrannical fashion1 that demanded1 and for the time being succeeded in effecting1 the exclusion of better and more thoughtful kinds of gardening2 for ,i believe ,i am right in saying that it spread like an epidemic disease1 and raged far and wide for nearly a quarter of a century4 ,its worst form of all was the ribbon border1 generally a line of scarlet ,geranium at the back1 then a line of ,calceolaria1 then a line of blue ,lobelia1 and lastly1 a line of the inevitable ,golden ,feather ,feverfew1 or what our gardener used to call ,featherfew4 ,could anything be more tedious or more stupid8 ,and the ribbon border was at its worst when its lines were not straight1 but waved about in weak and silly sinuations4 ,and when bedding as a fashion was dead1 when this false god had been toppled off his pedestal1 and his worshippers had been converted to better beliefs1 in turning and rending him they often went too far1 and did injustice to the innocent by professing a dislike to many a good plant1 and renouncing its use4 ,it was not the fault of the ,geranium or of the ,calceolaria that they had been grievously misused and made to usurp too large a share of our garden spaces4 ,not once but many a time my visitors have expressed unbounded surprise when they saw these plants in my garden1 saying1 ,i should have thought that you would have despised ,geraniums4 ,on the contrary1 ,i love ,geraniums4 ,there are no plants to come near them for pot1 or box1 or stone basket1 or for massing in any sheltered place in hottest sunshine2 and ,i love their strangely-pleasant smell1 and their beautiful modern colourings of soft scarlet and salmon-scarlet and salmon-pink1 some of these grouping beautifully together4 ,i have a space in connection with some formal stonework of steps1 and tank1 and paved walks1 close to the house1 on purpose for the summer placing of large pots of ,geranium1 with sometimes a few ,cannas and ,lilies4 ,for a quarter of the year it is one of the best things in the garden1 and delightful in colour4 ,then no plant does so well or looks so suitable in some earthen pots and boxes from ,southern ,italy that ,i always think the best that were ever made1 their shape and well-designed ornament traditional from the ,middle ,ages1 and probably from an even more remote antiquity4 ,illustration3 ,,geraniums ,,in ,,neapolitan ,,pots4 ,there are1 of course1 among bedding ,geraniums many of a bad1 raw quality of colour1 particularly among cold1 hard pinks1 but there are so many to choose from that these can easily be avoided4 ,i remember some years ago1 when the bedding fashion was going out1 reading some rather heated discussions in the gardening papers about methods of planting out and arranging various tender but indispensable plants4 ,some one who had been writing about the errors of the bedding system wrote about planting some of these in isolated masses4 ,he was pounced upon by another1 who asked1 ,what is this but bedding8 ,the second writer was so far justified1 in that it cannot be denied that any planting in beds is bedding4 ,but then there is bedding and bedding--a right and a wrong way of applying the treatment4 ,another matter that roused the combative spirit of the captious critic was the filling up of bare spaces in mixed borders with ,geraniums1 ,calceolarias1 and other such plants4 ,again he said1 ,what is this but bedding8 ,these are bedding plants4 ,when ,i read this it seemed to me that his argument was1 ,these plants may be very good plants in themselves1 but because they have for some years been used wrongly1 therefore they must not now be used rightly6 ,in the case of my own visitors1 when they have expressed surprise at my having those horrid old bedding plants in my garden1 it seemed quite a new view when ,i pointed out that bedding plants were only passive agents in their own misuse1 and that a ,geranium was a ,geranium long before it was a bedding plant6 ,but the discussion raised in my mind a wish to come to some conclusion about the difference between bedding in the better and worse sense1 in relation to the cases quoted1 and it appeared to me to be merely in the choice between right and wrong placing--placing monotonously or stupidly1 so as merely to fill the space1 or placing with a feeling for drawing or proportion4 ,for ,i had very soon found out that1 if ,i had a number of things to plant anywhere1 whether only to fill up a border or as a detached group1 if ,i placed the things myself1 carefully exercising what power of discrimination ,i might have acquired1 it looked fairly right1 but that if ,i left it to one of my garden people 7a thing ,i rarely do7 it looked all nohow1 or like bedding in the worst sense of the word4 ,illustration3 ,,space ,,in ,,step ,,and ,,tank-,,garden ,,for ,,lilies1 ,,cannas1 ,,and ,,geraniums4 ,illustration3 ,,hydrangeas ,,in ,,tubs1 ,,in ,a ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,same ,,garden4 ,even the better ways of gardening do not wholly escape the debasing influence of fashion4 ,wild gardening is a delightful1 and in good hands a most desirable1 pursuit1 but no kind of gardening is so difficult to do well1 or is so full of pitfalls and of paths of peril4 ,because it has in some measure become fashionable1 and because it is understood to mean the planting of exotics in wild places1 unthinking people rush to the conclusion that they can put any garden plants into any wild places1 and that that is wild gardening4 ,i have seen woody places that were already perfect with their own simple charm just muddled and spoilt by a reckless planting of garden refuse1 and heathy hillsides already sufficiently and beautifully clothed with native vegetation made to look lamentably silly by the planting of a nurseryman's mixed lot of exotic ,conifers4 ,in my own case1 ,i have always devoted the most careful consideration to any bit of wild gardening ,i thought of doing1 never allowing myself to decide upon it till ,i felt thoroughly assured that the place seemed to ask for the planting in contemplation1 and that it would be distinctly a gain in pictorial value2 so there are stretches of ,daffodils in one part of the copse1 while another is carpeted with ,lily of the ,valley4 ,a cool bank is covered with ,gaultheria1 and just where ,i thought they would look well as little jewels of beauty1 are spreading patches of ,trillium and the great yellow ,dog-tooth ,violet4 ,besides these there are only some groups of the ,giant ,lily4 ,many other exotic plants could have been made to grow in the wooded ground1 but they did not seem to be wanted2 ,i thought where the copse looked well and complete in itself it was better left alone4 ,but where the wood joins the garden some bold groups of flowering plants are allowed1 as of ,mullein in one part and ,foxglove in another2 for when standing in the free part of the garden1 it is pleasant to project the sight far into the wood1 and to let the garden influences penetrate here and there1 the better to join the one to the other4 ,illustration3 ,,mullein 7,,verbascum ,,phlomoides7 ,,at ,,the ,,edge ,,of ,,the ,,fir ,,wood4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,grass ,,path ,,in ,,the ,,copse4 ,under the ,bracken in both pictures is a wide planting of ,lily of the ,valley1 flowering in ,may before the ,fern is up4 7,see page #fa47 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,masters ,,and ,,men ,now that the owners of good places are for the most part taking a newly-awakened and newly-educated pleasure in the better ways of gardening1 a frequent source of difficulty arises from the ignorance and obstructiveness of gardeners4 ,the owners have become aware that their gardens may be sources of the keenest pleasure4 ,the gardener may be an excellent man1 perfectly understanding the ordinary routine of garden work2 he may have been many years in his place2 it is his settled home1 and he is getting well on into middle life2 but he has no understanding of the new order of things1 and when the master1 perfectly understanding what he is about1 desires that certain things shall be done1 and wishes to enjoy the pleasure of directing the work himself1 and seeing it grow under his hand1 he resents it as an interference1 and becomes obstructive1 or does what is required in a spirit of such sullen acquiescence that it is equal to open opposition4 ,and ,i have seen so many gardens and gardeners that ,i have come to recognise certain types2 and this one1 among men of a certain age1 is unfortunately frequent4 ,various degrees of ignorance and narrow-mindedness must no doubt be expected among the class that produces private gardeners4 ,their general education is not very wide to begin with1 and their training is usually all in one groove1 and the many who possess a full share of vanity get to think that1 because they have exhausted the obvious sources of experience that have occurred within their reach1 there is nothing more to learn1 or to know1 or to see1 or to feel1 or to enjoy4 ,it is in this that the difficulty lies4 ,the man has no doubt done his best through life2 he has performed his duties well and faithfully1 and can render a good account of his stewardship4 ,it is no fault of his that more means of enlarging his mind have not been within his grasp1 and1 to a certain degree1 he may be excused for not understanding that there is anything beyond2 but if he is naturally vain and stubborn his case is hopeless4 ,if1 on the other hand1 he is wise enough to know that he does not know everything1 and modest enough to acknowledge it1 as do all the greatest and most learned of men1 he will then be eager to receive new and enlarged impressions1 and his willing and intelligent co-operation will be a new source of interest in life both to himself and his employer1 as well as a fresh spring of vitality in the life of the garden4 ,i am speaking of the large middle class of private gardeners1 not of those of the highest rank1 who have among them men of good education and a large measure of refinement4 ,from among these ,i think of the late ,mr4 ,ingram of the ,belvoir ,castle gardens1 with regret as for a personal friend1 and also as of one who was a true garden artist4 ,but most people who have fair-sized gardens have to do with the middle class of gardener1 the man of narrow mental training4 ,the master who1 after a good many years of active life1 is looking forward to settling in his home and improving and enjoying his garden1 has had so different a training1 a course of teaching so immeasurably wider and more enlightening4 ,as a boy he was in a great public school1 where1 by wholesome friction with his fellows1 he had any petty or personal nonsense knocked out of him while still in his early teens4 ,then he goes to college1 and whether studiously inclined or not1 he is already in the great world1 always widening his ideas and experience4 ,then perhaps he is in one of the active professions1 or engaged in scientific or intellectual research1 or in diplomacy1 his ever-expanding intelligence rubbing up against all that is most enlightened and astute in men1 or most profoundly inexplicable in matter4 ,he may be at the same time cultivating his taste for literature and the fine arts1 searching the libraries and galleries of the civilised world for the noblest and most divinely-inspired examples of human work1 seeing with an eye that daily grows more keenly searching1 and receiving and holding with a brain that ever gains a firmer grasp1 and so acquires some measure of the higher critical faculty4 ,he sees the ruined gardens of antiquity1 colossal works of the rulers of ,imperial ,rome1 and the later gardens of the ,middle ,ages 7direct descendants of those greater and older ones71 some of them still among the most beautiful gardens on earth4 ,he sees how the taste for gardening grew and travelled1 spreading through ,europe and reaching ,england1 first1 no doubt1 through her ,roman invaders4 ,he becomes more and more aware of what great and enduring happiness may be enjoyed in a garden1 and how all that he can learn of it in the leisure intervals of his earlier maturity1 and then in middle life1 will help to brighten his later days1 when he hopes to refine and make better the garden of the old home by a reverent application of what he has learnt4 ,he thinks of the desecrated old bowling-green1 cut up to suit the fashion of thirty years ago into a patchwork of incoherent star and crescent shaped beds2 of how he will give it back its ancient character of unbroken repose2 he thinks how he will restore the string of fish-ponds in the bottom of the wooded valley just below1 now a rushy meadow with swampy hollows that once were ponds1 and humpy mounds1 ruins of the ancient dikes2 of how the trees will stand reflected in the still water2 and how he will live to see again in middle hours of summer days1 as did the monks of old1 the broad backs of the golden carp basking just below the surface of the sun-warmed water4 ,and such a man as this comes home some day and finds the narrow-minded gardener1 who believes that he already knows all that can be known about gardening1 who thinks that the merely technical part1 which he perfectly understands1 is all that there is to be known and practised1 and that his crude ideas about arrangement of flowers are as good as those of any one else4 ,and a man of this temperament cannot be induced to believe1 and still less can he be made to understand1 that all that he knows is only the means to a further and higher end1 and that what he can show of a completed garden can only reach to an average dead-level of dulness compared with what may come of the life-giving influence of one who has the mastery of the higher garden knowledge4 ,moreover1 he either forgets1 or does not know1 what is the main purpose of a garden1 namely1 that it is to give its owner the best and highest kind of earthly pleasure4 ,neither is he enlightened enough to understand that the master can take a real and intelligent interest in planning and arranging1 and in watching the working out in detail4 ,his small-minded vanity can only see in all this a distrust in his own powers and an intentional slight cast on his ability1 whereas no such idea had ever entered the master's mind4 ,though there are many of this kind of gardener 7and with their employers1 if they have the patience to retain them in their service1 ,i sincerely condole71 there are happily many of a widely-different nature1 whose minds are both supple and elastic and intelligently receptive1 who are eager to learn and to try what has not yet come within the range of their experience1 who show a cheerful readiness to receive a fresh range of ideas1 and a willing alacrity in doing their best to work them out4 ,such a servant as this warms his master's heart1 and it would do him good to hear1 as ,i have many times heard1 the terms in which the master speaks of him4 ,for just as the educated man feels contempt for the vulgar pretension that goes with any exhibition of ignorant vanity1 so the evidence of the higher qualities commands his respect and warm appreciation4 ,among the gardeners ,i have known1 five such men come vividly to my recollection--good men all1 with a true love of flowers1 and its reflection of happiness written on their kindly faces4 ,but then1 on the other hand1 frequent causes of irritation arise between master and man from the master's ignorance and unreasonable demands4 ,for much as the love of gardening has grown of late1 there are many owners who have no knowledge of it whatever4 ,i have more than once had visitors who complained of their gardeners1 as ,i thought quite unreasonably1 on their own showing4 ,for it is not enough to secure the services of a thoroughly able man1 and to pay good wages1 and to provide every sort of appliance1 if there is no reasonable knowledge of what it is right and just to expect4 ,i have known a lady1 after paying a round of visits in great houses1 complain of her gardener4 ,she had seen at one place remarkably fine forced strawberries1 at another some phenomenal frame ,violets1 and at a third immense ,malmaison ,carnations2 whereas her own gardener did not excel in any of these1 though she admitted that he was admirable for ,grapes and ,chrysanthemums4 ,if the others could do all these things to perfection1 she argued1 why could not he do them8 ,she expected her gardener to do equally well all that she had seen best done in the other big places4 ,it was in vain that ,i pleaded in defence of her man that all gardeners were human creatures1 and that it was in the nature of such creatures to have individual aptitudes and special preferences1 and that it was to be expected that each man should excel in one thing1 or one thing at a time1 and so on2 but it was of no use1 and she would not accept any excuse or explanation4 ,i remember another example of a visitor who had a rather large place1 and a gardener who had as good a knowledge of hardy plants as one could expect4 ,my visitor had lately got the idea that he liked hardy flowers1 though he had scarcely thrown off the influence of some earlier heresy which taught that they were more or less contemptible--the sort of thing for cottage gardens2 still1 as they were now in fashion1 he thought he had better have them4 ,we were passing along my flower-border1 just then in one of its best moods of summer beauty1 and when its main occupants1 three years planted1 had come to their full strength1 when1 speaking of a large flower-border he had lately had made1 he said1 ,i told my fellow last autumn to get anything he liked1 and yet it is perfectly wretched4 ,it is not as if ,i wanted anything out of the way2 ,i only want a lot of common things like that1 waving a hand airily at my precious border1 while scarcely taking the trouble to look at it4 ,and ,i have had another visitor of about the same degree of appreciative insight1 who1 contemplating some cherished garden picture1 the consummation of some long-hoped-for wish1 the crowning joy of years of labour1 said1 ,now look at that2 it is just right1 and yet it is quite simple--there is absolutely nothing in it2 now1 why can't my man give me that8 ,i am far from wishing to disparage or undervalue the services of the honest gardener1 but ,i think that on this point there ought to be the clearest understanding2 that the master must not expect from the gardener accomplishments that he has no means of acquiring1 and that the gardener must not assume that his knowledge covers all that can come within the scope of the widest and best practice of his craft4 ,there are branches of education entirely out of his reach that can be brought to bear upon garden planning and arrangement down to the very least detail4 ,what the educated employer who has studied the higher forms of gardening can do or criticise1 he cannot be expected to do or understand2 it is in itself almost the work of a lifetime1 and only attainable1 like success in any other fine art1 by persons of1 firstly1 special temperament and aptitude2 and1 secondly1 by their unwearied study and closest application4 ,but the result of knowledge so gained shows itself throughout the garden4 ,it may be in so simple a thing as the placing of a group of plants4 ,they can be so placed by the hand that knows1 that the group is in perfect drawing in relation to what is near2 while by the ordinary gardener they would be so planted that they look absurd1 or unmeaning1 or in some way awkward and unsightly4 ,it is not enough to cultivate plants well2 they must also be used well4 ,the servant may set up the canvas and grind the colours1 and even set the palette1 but the master alone can paint the picture4 ,it is just the careful and thoughtful exercise of the higher qualities that makes a garden interesting1 and their absence that leaves it blank1 and dull1 and lifeless4 ,i am heartily in sympathy with the feeling described in these words in a friend's letter1 ,i think there are few things so interesting as to see in what way a person1 whose perceptions you think fine and worthy of study1 will give them expression in a garden4 ,,index ,adonis vernalis1 #eb ,alcohol1 its gravestone1 #ab ,alexandrian laurel1 #af ,alstroemerias1 best kinds1 how to plant1 #ib ,amelanchier1 #eb1 #ahb ,ampelopsis1 #dc ,andromeda ,catesbaei1 #cg2 ,a4 floribunda and ,a4 japonica1 #ej2 autumn colouring1 #abh1 #afe ,anemone fulgens1 #eg2 japonica1 #aji1 #bjg ,aponogeton1 #aid ,apple1 ,wellington1 #ab2 apple-trees1 beauty of form1 #be ,aristolochia ,sipho1 #dc ,arnebia echioides1 #ef ,aromatic plants1 #bce ,artemisia ,stelleriana1 #ajd ,arum1 wild1 leaves with cut daffodils1 #eh ,auriculas1 #ed2 seed stolen by mice1 #bfj ,autumn-sown annuals1 #aac ,azaleas1 arrangement for colour1 #fi2 ,a4 occidentalis1 #gj2 autumn colouring1 #abh2 as trained for shows1 #bdf ,bambusa ,ragamowski1 #ajb ,beauty of woodland in winter1 #g1 #aec ,beauty the first aim in gardening1 #b1 #aif1 #bdd1 #bdh1 #bec1 #bed ,bedding-out as a fashion1 #bfc and onward2 bedding rightly used1 #bfe ,berberis for winter decoration1 #af2 its many merits1 #ba ,bignonia radicans1 large-flowered variety1 #aaj ,birch1 its graceful growth1 #h2 colour of bark1 #i2 fragrance in ,april1 #ea2 grouped with holly1 #aeb ,bird-cherry1 #ahb ,bitton1 ,canon ,ellacombe's garden at1 #bjf ,blue-eyed ,mary1 #dd ,books on gardening1 #aib and onward ,border plants1 their young growth in ,april1 #ea ,bracken1 #hg2 cut into layering-pegs1 #ih2 careful cutting1 #ii2 when at its best to cut1 #ajf2 autumn colouring1 #abg ,bramble1 colour of leaves in winter1 #bj2 in forest groups1 #dd2 in orchard1 #aha2 ,american kinds1 #ahb ,briar roses1 #hj1 #ajd ,bryony1 the two wild kinds1 #dc ,bulbous plants1 early blooming1 how best to plant1 #di ,bullfinch1 a garden enemy1 #bfb ,butcher's broom1 #aea ,cactus1 hardy1 on rock-wall1 #aai ,caltha palustris1 #eb ,campanula rapunculus1 #beg ,cardamine trifoliata1 #ej ,carnations1 #id2 at shows1 #bdc ,caryopteris mastacanthus1 #ajb ,ceanothus1 ,gloire de ,versailles1 #bje ,cheiranthus1 alpine kinds1 #fb ,chimonanthus fragrans1 #bbi ,chionodoxa sardensis and ,c4 ,lucilliae1 #cb ,choisya ternata1 #fc1 #ga1 #bje ,christmas rose1 giant kind1 #add ,chrysanthemums1 hardy kinds1 #add2 as trained at shows1 #bde ,cistus laurifolius1 #cg2 ,c4 florentinus1 #aja2 ,c4 ladaniferus1 #ajb1 #bjf ,claret vine1 #aaj ,clematis cirrhosa1 #ad2 ,c4 flammula when to train1 #bd2 wild clematis in trees and hedges1 #dc2 ,c4 montana1 #ga1 #bjc2 ,c4 ,davidiana1 #ie1 #bje ,clergymen as gardeners1 #age ,clerodendron foetidum1 #aaj1 #bjf ,climbing plants1 #bjb2 for pergola1 #bae ,colour1 of woodland in winter1 #ai2 of leaves of some garden plants1 #ba2 colour-grouping of rhododendrons1 #ff2 of azaleas1 #fi2 colour of foliage of tree paeonies1 #gc2 colour arrangement in the flower-border1 #hi1 #aji1 #bjg2 colour of bracken in ,october1 #abg2 of azaleas and andromedas in autumn1 #abh2 of bark of holly1 #aeb2 study of1 #aig2 of flowers1 how described1 #bba and onward ,copse-cutting1 #aff ,corchorus japonicus1 #ej ,coronilla varia1 #bei ,corydalis capnoides1 #ej ,cottage gardens1 #d1 #ahe2 roses in1 #gi ,cottager's way of protecting tender plants1 #ia ,cowslips1 #ei ,crinums1 #bjf ,crinums1 hybrid1 #aaj1 #aai2 protecting1 #adf ,crocuses1 eaten by pheasants1 #bfa ,daffodils in the copse1 #cd2 planted in old pack-horse tracks1 #dh ,dahlias1 staking1 #aad2 digging up1 #acc ,delphiniums1 #hi2 grown from seed1 #ij2 ,d4 ,belladonna1 #ia ,dentaria pinnata1 #df ,deutzia parviflora1 #ajc ,digging up plants1 #aci ,discussions about treatment of certain plants1 #c ,dividing tough-rooted plants1 #ec2 spring-blooming plants1 #he2 how often1 #acf2 suitable tools1 #acf and onward ,dog-tooth violets1 #cc1 #dg ,doronicum1 #ec ,dressing of show flowers1 #bdc ,dried flowers1 #ag ,dwarfing annuals1 #bdi ,edwardsia grandiflora1 #bjf ,elder trees1 #hc2 elder-wine1 #hd ,epilobium angustifolium1 white variety1 #hf ,epimedium pinnatum1 #af1 #df ,erinus alpinus1 sown in rock-wall1 #aba ,eryngium giganteum1 #ic2 ,e4 maritimum1 #ic2 ,e4 ,oliverianum1 #ic1 #bji4 ,eulalia japonica1 flowers dried1 #ag ,evergreen branches for winter decoration1 #af ,everlasting pea1 dividing and propagating1 #ach ,experimental planting1 #ahc ,felling trees1 #afb ,fern ,filix foemina in rhododendron beds1 #cg1 #ajf2 ,dicksonia punctilobulata1 #fb2 ferns in rock-wall1 #abj2 polypody1 #aba1 #afe ,fern-pegs for layering carnations1 #ih ,fern-walk1 suitable plants among groups of ferns1 #ajg ,flower border1 #acc1 #bjj ,forms of deciduous trees1 beauty of1 #be ,forsythia suspensa and ,f4 viridissima1 #ej ,forget-me-not1 large kind1 #ec ,foxgloves1 #bgj ,fungi1 ,amanita1 ,boletus1 ,chantarelle1 #aaa ,funkia grandiflora1 #bab ,galax aphylla1 colour of leaves in winter1 #ba ,gale1 broad-leaved1 #aja ,garden friends1 #aid ,garden houses1 #bae ,gardening1 a fine art1 #aig ,garrya elliptica1 #bjb ,gaultheria ,shallon1 value for cutting1 #af2 in rock-garden1 #afe ,geraniums as bedding plants1 #bff and onward ,gourds1 as used by ,mrs4 ,earle1 #ah ,goutweed1 #beg ,grape hyacinths1 #di1 #beh ,grass1 ,sheep's-fescue1 #fi ,grasses for lawn1 #adg ,grey-foliaged plants1 #bjg ,grouping plants that bloom together1 #gj ,grubbing1 #afj2 tools1 #aej1 #bfa ,guelder-rose as a wall-plant1 #ga2 single kind1 #abi ,gypsophila paniculata1 #ie1 #bji ,half-hardy border plants in ,august1 #ajh1 #baj ,happiness in gardening1 #a1 #bgd ,hares1 as depredators1 #bfj ,heath sods for protecting tender plants1 #ia ,heaths1 filling up ,rhododendron beds1 #cg2 wild heath among azaleas1 #fi2 cut short in paths1 #gj2 ling1 #ajf ,hellebores1 caulescent kinds in the nut-walk1 #i2 for cutting1 #eg1 #add2 buds stolen by mice1 #bfj4 ,heuchera ,richardsoni1 #ec1 #ace ,holly1 beauty in winter1 #h2 grouped with birch1 #aeb2 cheerful aspect1 #aed ,hollyhocks1 the prettiest shape1 #aje ,honey-suckle1 wild1 #dc ,hoof-parings as manure1 #acc ,hoop-making1 #aff1 and onward ,hop1 wild1 #dc ,hutchinsia alpina1 #ej ,hyacinth 7wild7 in oak-wood1 #fj ,hydrangeas1 protecting1 #adf2 at foot of wall1 #bjf ,hyssop1 a good wall-plant1 #aba ,iris alata1 #ad2 ,i4 foetidissima1 #abj2 ,i4 pallida1 #abi ,iris stylosa1 how to plant1 #ac2 white variety1 #ad2 time of blooming1 #cc1 #afd ,ivy1 shoots for cutting1 #ag ,japan ,privet1 foliage for winter decoration1 #af ,japan ,quince 7,cydonia or ,pyrus71 #ej ,jasminum nudiflorum1 #afd ,junction of garden and wood1 #cd1 #bgj ,juniper1 its merits1 #bf2 its form1 action of snow1 #bg2 power of recovery from damage1 #bi2 beauty of colouring1 #cj2 stems in winter dress1 #ca2 in a wild valley1 #aed1 and onward ,kitchen-garden1 #agi2 its sheds1 #agi1 #ahj ,larch1 sweetness in ,april1 #ea ,large gardens1 #agf ,lavender1 when to cut1 #aje ,lawn-making1 #adf2 lawn spaces1 #agg1 #agh ,leaf mould1 #adi ,learning1 #e1 #ahi1 #aij1 #bgc ,lessons of the garden1 #f2 in wild-tree planting1 #aed2 in orchard planting1 #ahc2 of the show-table1 #bda ,leucojum vernum1 #cc ,leycesteria formosa1 #ajj ,lilacs1 suckers1 as strong feeders1 good kinds1 #bc2 standards best1 #bd ,lilium auratum among rhododendrons1 #cg1 #ajf2 among bamboos1 #ajf ,lilium giganteum1 #ie2 cultivation needed in poor soil1 #adb ,lilium ,harrisi and ,l4 speciosum1 #ajf ,lily of the valley in the copse1 #fa ,linaria repens1 #bei ,london ,pride in the rock-wall1 #abj ,loquat1 #bjd ,love-in-a-mist1 #bea ,love of gardening1 #a ,luzula sylvatica1 #fa ,magnolia1 branches indoors in winter1 #af2 magnolia stellata1 #ej2 kinds in the choice shrub-bank1 #aja ,mai-trank1 #fj ,marking trees for cutting1 #aea ,marsh marigold1 #eb ,masters and men1 #bga ,mastic1 #ajb ,meconopsis ,wallichi1 #afe ,medlar1 #abi ,megaseas1 colour of foliage1 #ag2 ,m4 ligulata1 #ajc2 in front edge of flower-border1 #baa ,mertensia virginica1 #df2 sowing the seed1 #hd ,mice1 #bfj1 #bfa ,michaelmas daisies1 a garden to themselves1 #abe2 planting and staking1 #abf2 early kinds in mixed border1 #ace ,mixed planting1 #ahc2 mixed border1 #bjf ,morells1 #ei ,mulleins 7,v4 olympicum and ,v4 phlomoides71 #he2 mullein-moth1 #hf1 #bgj ,muscari of kinds1 #di ,musical reverberation in wood of ,scotch fir1 #fj ,myosotis sylvatica major1 #ec ,nandina domestica1 #bjf ,narcissus cernuus1 #ab2 ,n4 serotinus1 #ad2 ,n4 princeps and ,n4 ,horsfieldi in the copse1 #dh ,nature's planting1 #aed ,nettles1 to destroy1 #bei ,novelty1 #bdi ,nut nursery at ,calcot1 #aa ,nut-walk1 #i2 catkins1 #aa2 suckers1 #aa ,oak timber1 felling1 #fj ,old wall1 #gb1 #aaf and onward ,omphalodes verna1 #de ,ophiopogon spicatum for winter cutting1 #af ,orchard1 ornamental1 #aha ,orobus vernus1 #eb2 ,o4 aurantiacus1 #fb ,othonna cheirifolia1 #fc ,paeonies and ,lent ,hellebores grown together1 #gf ,paeony moutan grouped with ,clematis montana1 #gj2 special garden for paeonies1 #gb2 frequent sudden deaths1 #gc2 varieties of ,p4 albiflora1 #gd2 old garden kinds1 #ge2 paeony species desirable for garden use1 #ge ,pansies as cut flowers1 #eg2 at shows1 #bdc ,parkinson's chapter on carnations1 #id ,pavia macrostachya1 #ajc ,pea1 white everlasting1 #ie ,pergola1 #bab ,pernettya1 #afe ,pests1 bird1 beast1 and insect1 #bei ,phacelia campanularia1 #fc ,pheasants1 as depredators1 #bfa2 destroying crocuses1 #bfa ,philadelphus microphyllus1 #ajc ,phlomis fruticosa1 #ajc ,phloxes1 #ace ,piptanthus nepalensis1 #fc1 #bjf ,planes pollarded1 #bae ,planting early1 #abi2 careful planting1 #acj2 planting from pots1 #aca2 careful tree planting1 #adh ,platycodon ,mariesi1 #ajh ,plume hyacinth1 #di ,polygala chamaebuxus1 #afd ,polygonum compactum1 #acf2 ,sieboldi1 #beh ,pot-pourri from a ,surrey garden1 #ah ,primroses1 white and lilac1 #dd2 large bunch-flowered kinds as cut flowers1 #eh2 seedlings planted out1 #he2 primrose garden1 #baf ,primula denticulata1 #ahd ,progress in gardening1 #bdi ,prophet-flower 7,arnebia71 #ef ,protecting tender plants1 #ade ,pterocephalus parnassi1 #ajg ,pyrus ,maulei1 #ej ,queen wasps1 #fc ,quince1 #abh ,rabbits1 #bfj ,ranunculus montanus1 #ej ,raphiolepis ovata1 #bjd ,rhododendrons1 variation in foliage1 #ce2 ,r4 multum maculatum1 #ce2 plants to fill bare spaces among1 #cg2 arrangement for colour1 #fd and onward2 hybrid of ,r4 ,aucklandi1 #fi2 alpine1 #afe ,ribbon border1 #bff ,ribes1 #ej ,robinia hispida1 #bjc ,rock garden1 making and renewing1 #aae ,rock-wall1 #aaf and onward ,rosemary1 #bjd ,roses1 pruning1 tying1 and training1 #ch2 fence planted with free roses1 #ch2 ,reine ,olga de ,wurtemburg1 #ch2 climbing and rambling roses1 #ci2 ,fortune's yellow1 ,banksian1 #dj2 wild roses1 #dc2 garden roses3 ,provence1 moss1 damask1 ,r4 alba1 #gh2 roses in cottage gardens1 ramblers and fountains1 #gi2 free growth of ,rosa polyantha1 #hj2 two good1 free roses for cutting1 #hj2 ,burnet rose and ,scotch briars1 ,rosa lucida1 #ha2 tea roses3 best kinds for light soil1 pegging1 pruning1 #hb2 roses collected in ,capri1 #aje2 second bloom of tea roses1 #aaj2 jam made of hips of ,r4 rugosa1 #aaa1 #ahd2 ,r4 arvensis1 garden form of1 #abi2 ,r4 ,boursault elegans1 #aib2 ,china1 #bje2 their scents1 #bce ,ruscus aculeatus1 #aea2 ,r4 racemosus1 #aeb ,ruta patavina1 a late-flowering rock-plant1 #ajg ,sambucus ebulis1 #beh ,satin-leaf 7,heuchera ,richardsoni71 #ec ,scilla maritima1 #ad2 ,s4 sibirica1 ,s4 bifolia1 #cb ,scents of flowers1 #bbi and onward ,scotch fir1 pollen1 #ec2 cones opening1 #ed2 effect of sound in fir-wood1 #fj ,show flowers1 #bdb ,show-table1 what it teaches1 #bda ,shrub-bank1 #aja2 snug place for tender shrubs1 #aba ,shrub-wilderness of the old home1 #ajj ,skimmeas1 #aja1 #afe ,slugs1 #bfb ,smilacina bifolia1 #fa ,snapdragon1 #bea ,snowstorm of ,december #ahhf1 #bg ,snowy ,mespilus 7,amelanchier71 #eb ,solanum crispum1 #bjd ,solomon's seal1 #fa ,spindle-tree1 #abg ,spiraea ,thunbergi1 #ej1 #ajd2 ,s4 prunifolia1 #ajd ,st4 ,john's worts1 choice1 #ajc ,stephanandra flexuosa1 #ajc ,sternbergia lutea1 #aci ,sticks and stakes1 #afc ,storms in autumn1 #abb ,styrax japonica1 #aja ,suckers of nuts1 #aa2 robbers1 how to remove1 #bd2 on grafted rhododendrons1 #cf ,sunflowers1 perennial1 #acd ,sweetbriar1 rambling1 #ci2 fragrance in ,april1 #ea ,sweet-leaved small shrubs1 #cd1 #eg1 #aja ,sweet peas1 autumn sown1 #hc1 #aab ,thatching with hoop-chips1 #afi ,thinning the nut-walk1 #aj2 thinning shrubs1 #bb2 trees in copse1 #aea ,tiarella cordifolia1 #ec2 colour of leaves in winter1 #ba ,tools for dividing1 #acf2 for tree cutting and grubbing1 #aej2 woodman's1 #aeh2 axe and wedge1 #aei2 rollers1 #afj2 cross-cut saw1 #afb ,training the eye1 #d2 training ,clematis flammula1 #bd ,transplanting large trees1 #adg ,trillium grandiflorum1 #fa ,tritomas1 protecting1 #adf ,tulips1 show kinds and their origin1 #ee2 ,t4 retroflexa1 #ee2 other good garden kinds1 #ef ,various ways of gardening1 #c ,verbascum olympicum and ,v4 phlomoides1 #he ,villa garden1 #aga ,vinca acutiflora1 #aci ,vine1 black ,hamburg at ,calcot1 #ab2 as a wall-plant1 #db2 good garden kinds1 #db2 claret vine1 #aaj1 #bje2 ,vitis ,coignettii1 #abc ,violets1 the pale ,st4 ,helena1 #de2 ,czar1 #adj ,virginian cowslip1 #df2 its colouring1 #dg2 sowing seed1 #hd ,wall pennywort1 #abj ,water-elder1 a beautiful neglected shrub1 #abc ,weeds1 #bef ,wild gardening misunderstood1 #bfi ,wilson1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,f4's garden at ,wisley1 #ahd ,window garden1 #ahe ,winter1 beauty of woodland1 #g ,wistaria chinensis1 #dc ,whortleberry under ,scotch fir1 #ea1 #fa ,woodman at work1 #aeh ,woodruff1 #fj ,wood-rush1 #fa1 #afe ,wood-work1 #afc ,xanthoceras sorbifolia1 #ajc ,yellow everlasting1 #abj ,yuccas1 some of the best kinds1 #ia2 in flower-border1 #bja ,,the ,,end ,printed by ,,ballantyne1 ,,hanson ,,co4 ,edinburgh ,london ,transcriber's ,notes3 #a4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation have been retained from the original4 7where both are acceptable usage7 #b4 ,inconsistencies in the use of capitalisation and spelling within botanical names have been retained from the original 7where both are acceptable usage74 #c4 ,punctuation has been normalised4 #d4 ,page numbering format in the index has been standardised4 #e4 ,the following words have been changed3 p4 #eb ,amelancheir to ,amelanchier3 ,the snowy ,mespilus 7,amelanchier7 p4 #hi at to as3 such as ,globe ,artichoke p4 #ic ,olivieranum to ,oliverianum3 useful is ,e4 ,oliverianum p4 #aji ,rudbekia to ,rudbeckia3 ,rudbeckia ,newmanni reflects p4 #aaj accomypaning to accompanying3 the accompanying attacks p4 #ajj ,ailantus to ,ailanthus3 and ,ailanthus and ,hickory p4 #ach ,olivieranum to ,oliverianum3 and ,eryngium ,oliverianum4 p4 #bjf foetidium to foetidum3 ,hydrangeas1 ,clerodendron foetidum p4 #bji ,olivieranum to ,oliverianum3 ,eryngium ,oliverianum has turned p4 #bha ladaniferns to ladaniferus3 ,c4 ladaniferus1 #ajb1 #bjf p4 #bha ,olivieranum to ,oliverianum3 ,e4 ,oliverianum1 #ic1 #bji p4 #bhe ,coignetti to ,coignettii3 ,vitis ,coignettii1 #abc #f4 p4 #agj in the bill of sale1 a letter best described as an inverted ,v1 is here represented by ,v3 ,,iixxx4,i41 ,,iixxxx4,,ii,v ,,iiii,v,,xx1 ,,iixx