,,handbooks ,,of ,,practical ,,gardening--,,xix ,,edited ,,by ,,harry ,,roberts ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,town ,,and ,,window ,,gardening ,illustration3 ,a ,,window ,,box ,,in ,,june ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,town ,,window ,,gardening ,,by ,,mrs ,f4 ,a4 ,,bardswell ,,john ,,lane3 ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,london ,,and ,,new ,,york4 ,,mcmiii ,,william ,,clowes ,,and ,,sons1 ,,limited1 ,,london ,,and ,,beccles4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,,town-,,gardening ,,page ,london in summer-time--,bought flowers versus growing plants--,plants that do well in towns--,gardens of the suburbs--,some of their joys #a ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,early ,,window-,,box ,spring gardening in the window-box--,bulbs3 gold1 white1 and blue--,moss carpets1 dainty beds--,flowers that grow well together--,some combinations--,encouragements #h ,,chapter ,,iii 8,,the ,,season0 ,,window-,,box ,not to start summer flowers too soon--,not to buy plants that have been forced--,not to be like everybody else--,asparagus ,sprengeri--,a kitchen window-box--,herbs--,the watched pot--,prize window-boxes at ,exeter--,the nursery window-box--,seed ,song #ad ,,chapter ,,iv ,,balcony-,,gardening ,pot-plants--,climbers--,tubs--,london in ,june--,the pleasant balcony--,practical hints #bj ,,chapter ,v ,,roof ,,and ,,back-,,yard ,,gardens ,,in ,,the ,,city ,st ,andrew's ,rectory garden1 ,doctor's ,commons--8,struggles in ,smoke0--,roof-jungle at the ,home for ,working ,boys1 at ,bishopsgate ,street1 ,e4,c4--,amateur gardening among the slates and chimney-pots--,city gardens--,tempting the sea-gull1 land-bird1 and butterfly #bf ,,chapter ,,vi ,,plants ,,for ,,the ,,city ,,poor ,window-box ,society1 ,st4 ,cuthbert's ,lodge1 ,millwall--,mr4 ,cadbury and his operatives--,town board schools--,gardening at ,crook's ,place ,board ,school1 ,norwich--,country board schools in ,england and in ,germany--,helping the poor--,miss ,jekyll and the factory lad #ca ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,beginner ,choosing the window-box--,making it--,placing it--,filling it--,the hanging basket--,cleansing--,watering--,the ,fern window-box--,virginia ,stock #cf ,,chapter ,,viii ,,foliage ,,plants ,,for ,,towns ,the window-box and the man in the street--,the advantages and merits of the foliage-plants--,which to order #dd ,,chapter ,,ix ,,fog1 ,,flowers1 ,,and ,,foliage ,air--,fog--,what urban fog is made of--,darkness--,poison--,an analysis from ,kew--,can we counteract effects of fog8--,mr4 ,toope at ,stepney--,fog-filters--,what plants suffer least8--,professor ,oliver's report on ferns in fogs--,bulbous plants--,precautions--,coal-smoke ,abatement ,society--,resolutions #dh ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,lady ,,decorator ,,and ,,the ,,flower-,,girl ,arranging flowers--,balls1 dinner-parties1 weddings--,fashions in flowers--,dyed flowers--,flowers as symbols--,primrose ,day--,floral trophies--,the early and mid-,victorian bouquet--,street-selling flower-girls--,buttonhole-making--,a skeleton parasol in ,france #ee ,,chapter ,,xi ,,the ,,small ,,suburban ,,garden ,a good word for it--,the motor-car--,corner houses--,making the most of a small garden--,turf--,trees--,back and front gardens--,individuality--,good taste #fb ,,chapter ,,xii 8,,next ,,door0--,a ,,parenthetical ,,chapter ,garden etiquette in ,suburbia--,codes and customs--,barriers--,brides--,music--,ch ildren--,bonfires--,the family wash #ga ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,grass1 ,,ground1 ,,or ,,gravel ,the new suburban garden--,the restful garden--,country ,life on ,english and ,continental suburban gardens--,the lawn and flower-beds--,grass walks #ge ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,ferns ,,and ,,wild ,,flowers ,the hardy fernery--,how we made our own--,wild flowers for the fernery--,the fernery all the year round--,amusing ,may--,the ,pale ,osmunda--,the neglected fernery of ,london and the suburbs--,roadside ,ferns and hedge-haunters #hj ,,chapter ,,xv ,,creepers ,,and ,,climbers ,the ,vine and ,fig-tree--,ampelopsis ,veitchii--,trellis-work--,wire netting--,supports--,roses1 ,jasmine and ,magnolia--,the ,passion-flower--,hops and ,honeysuckle--,morning ,glories--8,ivy ,lane0 #hh ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,easy ,,rock ,,and ,,wall ,,gardening ,how to get 8rock0 and place it--,alpine and ,english rock-plants--,mr4 ,barr's nursery ground--,encrusted ,saxifrages--,the double wall--,thrift1 ,wallflower1 and ,red ,valerian--,one pleasing ,thought #ie ,,index #ajc ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,a ,,window-,,box ,,in ,,june ,frontispiece ,photo by ,mrs4 ,bardswell ,,to ,,face ,,page ,,double ,,and ,,single ,,pyrethrums #b ,by courtesy of ,messrs4 ,barr ,,michaelmas ,,daisies #f ,by courtesy of ,messrs4 ,barr ,,overlooking ,,the ,,town #af ,photo by ,t4 ,w4 ,scott ,a ,,hanging ,,basket #bj ,photo by ,mrs4 ,bardswell ,a ,,boat-,,shelter ,,with ,,cerastium ,,on ,,roof #bf ,photo by ,d4 ,t4 ,fish ,,an ,,east-,,end ,,roof ,,garden #bh ,a ,,roof ,,garden #cj ,photo by ,d4 ,t4 ,fish ,,poor ,,man',s ,,window-,,box ,,at ,,millwall #cb ,by courtesy of ,mrs4 ,richard ,frere ,,poor ,,man',s ,,house-,,front1 ,,with ,,inside ,,parlour ,,group1 ,,at ,,millwall #cd ,by courtesy of ,mrs4 ,richard ,frere ,,spring ,,in ,,the ,,crook',s ,,place ,,board ,,school ,,garden1 ,,norwich #cf ,by courtesy of ,mr4 ,edward ,peake ,,pansy ,,bed ,,in ,,crook',s ,,place ,,board ,,school ,,garden1 ,,norwich #ch ,by courtesy of ,mr4 ,edward ,peake ,,part ,,of ,,rock-,,garden1 ,,crook',s ,,place ,,board ,,school1 ,,norwich #db ,by courtesy of ,mr4 ,edward ,peake ,a ,,water ,,garden #ej ,by courtesy of ,messrs4 ,barr ,,lilies ,,in ,,lord ,,ilchester',s ,,japanese ,,garden1 ,,at ,,holland ,,house1 ,,kensington #ed ,by courtesy of 8,country ,life0 ,,bulrushes ,,and ,,bog ,,beans ,,in ,,small ,,tank ,,in ,,garden #eh ,photo by ,t4 ,w4 ,scott ,,in ,a ,,small ,,suburban ,,garden #fb ,photo by ,john ,scott ,,late ,,summer #fh ,photo by ,t4 ,w4 ,scott ,,early ,,autumn #gd ,photo by ,t4 ,w4 ,scott ,a ,,town ,,fernery #hj ,photo by ,mrs4 ,bardswell ,,the ,,osmunda ,,in ,,may #hd ,photo by ,mrs4 ,bardswell ,,virginian ,,creeper ,,over ,,porch #hh ,photo by ,mrs4 ,bardswell ,a ,,rockery #if ,photo by ,john ,scott ,a ,,rockery ,,in ,,early ,,summer #ajj ,photo by ,john ,scott ,acknowledgment is due to the ,editors of 8,the ,garden10 8,the ,lady10 and the 8,pall ,mall ,gazette0 for their courtesy in permitting the reproduction in this book of certain chapters which appeared as articles in their respective journals4 ,,chapter ,i ,,town-,,gardening 8,i'll take the showers as they fall1 ,i will not vex my bosom2 ,enough if at the end of all ,a little garden blossom40 ,courage is wanted to write a book about ,town-gardening4 ,is there such a thing8 ,some would say 8,no2 cats1 fogs1 and smuts forbid40 ,yet how inseparable from ,london is the thought of flowers6 ,can we picture the ,west ,end on a summer's day without them8 ,the dust-laid1 freshly sprinkled squares and streets1 where behind half-drawn blinds there is the fragrance of many blossoms2 the bright harness of horses jangling as they champ the bit1 a knot of flowers at every bridle2 flower-sellers with baskets at all convenient corners1 and along the roadway carts of ,palms and growing plants bending and waving in the wind2 every man one meets has got his button-hole1 and every maiden wears her posy2 even the butcher-boy holds a bud between his thumb and finger1 twirling it and smelling at it as he goes4 ,the love of flowers and an almost passionate delight in cultivating them has ever been a feature of ,english life1 and of late years the old taste has been renewed and strengthened3 no mere whim of fashion's fancy is it1 but the outcome of a nation's feeling1 deep and true2 and what the ,english people love and long for1 that they will have1 despite all difficulties4 ,thus it comes about that ,london's heart is gay with flowers4 ,they strew our parks and open spaces1 they fill the cheerful window-box and seed-sown area1 and make the cold grey balcony to blossom as the rose2 even where ,london's traffic roars the loudest1 one lights upon the pathetic back-yard garden1 hemmed in by church and factory walls1 the high-hung garden of the roof and parapet1 the little beau-pot of the window-sill1 the poetic window-plant1 that shares its owner's only living-room1--everywhere flowers1 flowers1 for rich and poor1 especially for the rich4 8,there's never a delicate nursling of the year1 ,but our huge ,london hails it1 and delights ,to wear it on her heart or at her ear1 ,her days to colour and make sweet her nights40 ,buying flowers is easy enough1 it is the growing of them in big towns that is so difficult2 but the struggle is not a hopeless one1 there is much that may encourage4 ,when we hear of what others have done1 still more1 when we have seen their successes for ourselves1 despair gives way to animation and activity4 ,no one will deny for a moment that there is more real joy to be felt over one plant that we have grown for ourselves than over ninety and nine bought ones2 and this is not only because attending to its needs has made us love the flower as we love children and other pets and dear dependents--there is another reason4 ,in shop-flowers the method of growth 7one of a plant's greatest beauties7 is a charm left out4 ,sweet ,peas1 for instance2 we buy them squeezed up in tight bunches1 all pink ones massed together1 or all white or purple4 ,where is the grace of the clinging tendril1 the tender poising of the dainty blooms8 ,illustration3 ,,double ,,and ,,single ,,pyrethrums ,i have seen these beauties where ,sweet ,peas were blowing and growing in the depths of a ,london area along with white ,pinks1 ,candy-tuft1 and the gold-flowered ,canary ,creeper1 but never have ,i beheld them in the shop3 bunches of ,cornflowers and even ,roses1 will be laid against a trail of ,smilax1 or something else that does not belong to either of them1 such as the ever-present 8,french ,fern0 or ,new ,zealand grass4 ,flower-artists of ,japan1 who willingly spend hours in coaxing each separate twig and flower to show its natural grace and habit1 would not much care to arrange the cut flowers we buy in towns1 that have been divorced completely from the stems and branches where they grow2 and to say this is not to grumble at the florists1 who cannot do impossibilities1 but to accentuate the fact that cut flowers cannot take the place of growing ones4 ,happily for the town gardener1 many plants and flowers do well among the chimney-pots4 ,annuals less so than some1 perhaps1 but many of these flower satisfactorily if thinly sowed4 ,nasturtiums1 ,virginia ,stock1 ,coreopsis1 ,marigold1 ,scabious1 ,sunflower1 ,lupin1 ,love-in-a-mist1 ,candy-tuft and ,larkspur never fail us1 nor ,sweet ,pea1 if we can keep the sparrows from eating the seeds4 ,some town-folk tell me they think ,carnations really like smoke1 so well they thrive in it4 ,pyrethrums1 both single and double1 are among our best town flowers1 and will grow almost anywhere and in any ordinary garden soil4 ,the one drawback to their well-being is slugs1 who find the young growths too enticing2 but we can circumvent this enemy if in autumn we sprinkle ashes1 soot1 or lime around the crowns4 ,in ,london it is never difficult to get soot1 though1 oddly enough1 every chimney-sweeper considers our own home-made soot his perquisite1 and makes us pay for it4 ,the really best way to get rid of slugs is to catch them in orange-peel traps1 made of empty half-oranges1 under which they crawl1 and can then be killed4 ,sliced potatoe is another good bait1 or beet-root4 ,the drawback of using traps is the danger of attracting the enemy4 ,on the other hand1 ashes1 soot1 and lime are unsightly1 and may spoil our plants if allowed to touch them4 ,a pail of salt and water we find the least unpleasing medium when culprits must be executed4 ,in a town garden where there is room for them1 no plants do better than the ,star-worts or ,michaelmas ,daisies4 ,they are so easy of cultivation and so comforting late in the season1 when the 8bedders0 of every public and private garden have succumbed to cold and wet4 ,later there are ,chrysanthemums4 ,lilies and all bulbous plants show unexpected hardiness4 ,our parks both east and west familiarize us with ,snowdrop1 ,crocus1 ,jonquil1 ,narcissus1 and ,daffodil2 and to see how happy ,valley-lilies can make themselves within earshot of the bustling ,strand1 we need only turn our footsteps towards the dim green gardens of the ,temple1 where banks and parterres of them unfold their verdant cloaks beneath every ,april sky4 ,farther west1 if eyes could pierce the trees and shrubs that guard the gardens of the ,king and ,queen at ,buckingham ,palace1 or those round ,marlborough ,house1 they would see ,lilacs1 ,laburnums1 ,pinks1 and ,roses2 and from the knife-board of a ,bayswater omnibus1 if our field of vision were a little broader1 we should catch glimpses of ,lord ,ilchester's fair gardens about ,holland ,house1 where languorous ,lilies of ,japan luxuriate in all their native splendour1 and much of their native wildness2 and this but a stone's throw from the ,great ,western ,railway ,station and the ,world's ,fair of ,william ,whiteley4 ,among the gardens of the suburbs most of our town difficulties disappear2 the many nursery1 and market1 and ,rose1 and ,rock1 and ,daffodil gardens that flourish in ,london's outskirts abundantly prove this4 ,once away from fog and smoke1 there are few limitations except those that come of want of space2 but land is dear1 and there is little ground to spare1 except for public and general gardens1 where again individual joys are lost4 ,the suburban garden1 in spite of all the hard things that have been said of it1 is really not so much to be despised1 and so large a part does it play in the social life of the twentieth century1 that it is worth a moment's thought4 ,suburban gardens are of many kinds2 there are all manner of notes in the scale4 ,the squalid ones--alas6 some are squalid--we see in ,london's shabbiest border-lands4 ,they often belong to houses filled with many different families1 and are a kind of no man's land4 ,hardly can we call them gardens2 little enough is grown in them1 though sometimes among the straggling ,runner-beans and rubbish-heaps there will be a tree1 a beautiful spreading tree1 like a green-winged angel4 ,then there are the tidy patches of the fairly well-to-do workman2 some made hideous by mounds of shells and grottoes1 others filled with useful and pretty plants4 ,so we go upwards1 step by step1 to the good-sized strip or more ambitious villa garden4 ,wonders are done in these4 ,many a busy ,city man1 whose garden is not far from the ,marble ,arch1 knows all about ,roses1 and might give lessons on ,grape-growing and ,orchid-forcing to his relations in the real country4 ,suburban gardens naturally have not the same good chances as are enjoyed by country gardens1 but they do know some joys that may be envied4 ,one is the birds4 ,it is not that there are more of them1 but those there are1 are such a pleasure4 ,when a new bird of a rarer kind than ordinary is coaxed into the precincts of one's own domain1 how great the interest1 and how many friendly traps are laid for him in the way of food1 water1 and material for building4 ,and wild flowers2 when unfamiliar seedlings appear1 one knows not whence1 here is another joy4 ,few people in country gardens know every leaf and blade by heart as do the owners of the small suburban garden1 so carefully watched1 so tenderly made the most of4 ,there is many a quaint touch about these gardens of the suburbs4 ,they are often1 like blouses and children's frocks after sale-time1 made of remnants4 ,some large old holding is cut into blocks4 ,block ,a gets bits of orchard2 ,block ,b1 a piece of garden-ground with ,roses and blossoming trees1 ,block ,c may have nothing but ,briars and ,blackberries4 ,or in another place a stately avenue has been cut down for building1 and some magnificent ,elm or ,oak or ,cedar has been spared1 and is stranded1 a forlorn-looking prisoner1 in the back garden of some modern villa4 ,well1 he is a blessing to somebody2 little children may still play about beneath his sheltering arms1 where the rooks yet cling to their old haunts1 croaking cheerfully as ever4 ,nor is it altogether unpleasing to have a garden near the busy haunts of men2 the roar and rattle of the streets1 that sound like the humming of innumerable bees1 the strange glow of lights in the distance1 the pealing of bells and the striking of many clocks1 the thunder and whistle of the trains that link us with friends far off1 the stir and throb of human life1 that chimes in1 not inharmoniously with the calmer life of ,nature--all these things combine in making up the unexpressed enjoyments of the dwellers in gardens that lie close to the heart of towns4 8,not wholly in the busy world1 nor quite ,beyond it1 blooms the garden that ,i love4 ,news from the humming city comes to it1 ,in sound of funeral or marriage bells40 ,illustration3 ,,michaelmas ,,daisies ,my own belief is1 that ever such a small garden is better than none1 and that life without its flowers is not worth living4 ,should this little book be found a help or encouragement to any town-dwellers who love plants and flowers well enough to wish to see them as they live and grow1 as well as to enjoy their beauty and sweetness when they are cut1 the pleasant time of writing it will not have been ill spent4 ,in every case1 where possible the fruits of practical experiences have been given1 imagination and exaggeration have been excluded4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,early ,,window-,,box 8,yet sun and wind1 what can ye do ,but make the leaves more brightly show80 ,since ,londoners have learned that life without scent and colour is not worth living1 ,england's capital has become a ,city of ,flowers4 ,it is not only ,covent ,garden and the great floral shops of the ,west ,end that blaze with blossoms2 the same idea has spread into every little outlying suburb1 wherein no self-respecting greengrocer1 however small his frontage1 would fail to fill a shelf or two with fresh-cut flowers several times a week4 ,here every careful housewife holds her ,saturday marketing incomplete till she has bought the bunch of sweetness that is destined to adorn the ,sunday sitting-room or grace the midday meal4 ,cold winds of wintry spring may blow1 but1 wrapped in folds of pale green tissue 7which sets them off amazingly71 bright yellow ,daffodils1 purple ,violets1 white ,narcissus1 or branches of the almond-sweet ,mimosa1 are carried through the streets by thousands4 ,all this is delightful2 but cut flowers1 lovely and decorative as they are1 can never satisfy the deeper necessities of the soul4 ,we admire them1 we enjoy them1 but it can hardly be said we love them2 they are too strange to us1 like new friends that we have not had time to cultivate1 but must let go ere we know them4 ,as we agreed just now1 really to enjoy a flower we must have grown it4 ,in ,london and all large towns gardening has its trials4 ,many will not attempt the task1 and rely wholly on the cut flowers of the florist or the daintily filled pots and baskets he sells us1 the blossoms in which last hardly longer than those we buy by handfuls4 ,what are the inhabitants of flats and tall town tenements to do when they long for the joys of a little gardening--real gardening--and have not so much as a bit of a back-yard to call their own8 ,well1 even in towns and cities1 where there is a will there is a way4 ,one or two alternatives are open to us2 one is the ,window-box1 another is the ,roof-garden1 and there is the ,balcony4 ,the window-box is both the easiest and the most general1 but1 common as are these town adornments1 it is a matter of fact that very little 8gardening0 is done in them4 ,for the most part the man in the street gets as much sthetic enjoyment out of a window-box as its owner1 and often1 except in the matter of payment1 has about as much to do with it4 ,the lordly mansions1 in front of which are displayed the most beautiful colour-schemes during the fashionable season1 are often closed at other periods of the year1 while their owners are away enjoying flowers in distant places4 ,it is of the window-gardening of that far larger class that lives in ,london all the year round we would say a word or two4 ,window-gardening might become ten times more interesting than it is now if people only woke up to a sense of its possibilities4 ,too frequently the window-boxes of the million follow the fashions that are set them by the 8ton10 and come out radiant only with the dawn of summer4 ,true1 in some cases1 the baldness of winter and early spring is mitigated by the planting of a few small shrubs1 green or variegated2 but not infrequently so little interest is taken in them that the poor things are allowed to wither on their stems1 either parched with thirst or frozen with cold4 ,one would almost prefer the sight of the clean1 quite empty flower-box1 which does1 at any rate1 give a sense of rest4 ,can nothing better than this be done8 ,why should not everybody who owns a window-box make and enjoy a spring garden in it8 ,nothing is easier1 and it may be done in an endless variety of ways4 ,to begin with1 a whole chapter could be written about ,bulbs for the window-box4 ,these friendly little plantlets1 if we invite them1 will keep us bright for the first three months of any year4 ,gold1 white1 and blue1--these are the colours we will choose1 and we will start with a very cheap and simple scheme4 ,nothing is better for planting at the same time 7quite early in the autumn7 than ,winter ,aconites1 ,snowdrops1 and blue ,scillas4 ,these give us brilliant colours in quick succession1 and1 what is more1 they overlap each other1 and the grass that belongs to each plant helps to make a background for the rest4 ,in planting ,snowdrops ,i would counsel everybody to put in two kinds1 not one double and one single 7to my mind a ,snowdrop doubled is a ,snowdrop spoiled74 ,what we like is to place a long-stalked and a short-stalked flowerlet side by side1 so as to give the same appearance of lightness we aim at in the arrangement of cut flowers in the house4 ,for a long-stalked ,snowdrop1 ,mr4 ,barr's ,galanthus ,whittalli could not be improved upon4 ,it never looks prettier than when rising from a bed of its lowlier sisters1 just the little common kind we are so familiar with in ,london shops and baskets1 where1 for some inscrutable reason1 they are generally bound up stiffly with twigs or box1 which do their best to overpower the fresh sweet scent that properly belongs to every ,snowdrop4 ,if our window-box is in a sunny position1 these little flowers of early spring will peep up at us even during the frosts of ,january4 ,the golden ,aconite cares nothing for the cold of a ,london winter2 he is used to ,himalayan snows1 and shows his schoolboy shining face and frilled green collar so early that he invariably takes us by surprise1 though we have been looking for him4 ,next come the flake-white ,snowdrops1 8offering their frail cup of three leaves to the cold sun20 lastly the ,scillas1 brightly1 beautifully blue4 ,to set these flowers off to the best advantage one must have given them a dainty bed on which to lie4 ,when the ,bulbs are planted some tufts of hardy1 free-growing1 flowering ,moss should be put in at the same time4 ,the common ,iceland ,moss does very well2 it stands any amount of cold1 and spreads out thickly as the days grow light4 ,every scrap of soil is hidden1 and the flower-spikes look doubly pretty pushing through the green4 ,if ,ivy-trails are wanted1 this is easily managed1 but great care has to be taken with ,ivy4 ,once started1 it grows so strongly1 and may injure other things4 ,crocuses of every hue blend well with any of the flowers just mentioned1 and bloom about the same time4 ,another window-scheme is charming1 but will be at its best a little later1 through the months of ,april and of ,may4 ,instead of ,moss 7or as well as ,moss1 if we like both7 we can make our carpet this time of ,forget-me-not1 through which white ,cottage ,tulips grow delightfully1 and so do white or pale pink ,hyacinths4 ,thus grown the ,hyacinth loses the look of stiffness1 which is its only fault4 ,white ,arabis is another grounding flower1 which sets off scarlet ,tulips 7,van ,thol's we choose by preference7 to perfection4 ,the double ,arabis is even prettier than the single1 and very nearly as hardy4 ,either with or without the addition of bulbs1 a very inexpensive yet pleasing combination for the window-box1 that will be a joy through the most inclement ,may1 is ,london ,pride and ,forget-me-not growing side by side4 ,the tender pinks and blues blend charmingly1 and when gathered last a long time in water4 ,miss ,jekyll says one of her favourite combinations is ,london ,pride and ,st4 ,bruno's ,lilies4 ,we have not tried this for boxes1 but can well believe it2 ,london ,pride is such a sympathetic little flower1 and sets off everything it accompanies4 ,we have sometimes let the delicious ,poet's ,narcissus 7,pheasant's-eye7 spring up amid these charming flowers of later spring2 tall1 fair1 and gracious1 they give an added charm4 ,if a tone of pink is wanted1 not a better spring flower can be chosen than ,silene1 sometimes better known as the ,campion or ,catchfly4 ,it can be bought in clumps at any flower-market4 ,if we like1 it is quite possible to grow the very early bulbs along with all these flowers3 they do not interfere with each other in the least4 ,every one takes his turn to 8show off0 like the ballet-dancers of grand opera1 and does his part to keep a window-box bright with blossoms right on from ,january to the end of ,may4 ,for the encouragement of those who have to grow their spring flowers in window-boxes instead of in the open1 ,i may quote some wise words written by one who knows4 8,the window-gardener10 he says1 8equally with the possessor of extensive flower-borders1 may enjoy the early spring flowers1 and in almost as great variety as his more fortunate neighbours4 ,bulbous plants will grow equally well in well-drained boxes1 filled with soil that is fairly good1 as in the open border4 ,they may1 indeed1 grow better1 for window-boxes are invariably sheltered to a great extent1 and bulbs in the border have sometimes much to contend with--insufficient drainage1 insect enemies1 inclement weather1 to which they are fully exposed1 etc40 ,every one can vary his flower-scheme as he likes1 season by season4 ,anemones1 some ,irises1 ,jonquils1 and ,daffodils1 must never be forgotten1 nor yet the simple ,primrose1 which looks so fair near beds of heavenly blue 7,grape-hyacinth1 ,forget-me-not1 and ,bluebell1 are contemporaries71 and we should start our window-garden as soon as we come back from seaside holidays1 say in the quiet days of late ,september4 ,through the long winter nothing gives a more delightful sense of restful expectation than a box or border we have filled with bulbs and covered comfortably with some simple greenery4 ,it secures for us a taste of the real pleasures of gardening4 ,our part is done2 ,nature1 even in towns1 will do the rest4 8,the bulbs lie close ,in the earth's warm keeping2 ,but when ,spring wakes1 ,that now is sleeping1 ,crocus and daffodil1 ,hyacinth and jonquil1 ,their dreams unfold ,in blue and gold1 ,for lovers reaping40 ,,chapter ,,iii 8,,the ,,season0 ,,window-,,box 8,the summer approaching with richness-- ,and the infinite separate houses40 ,the spring months over1 and our early blossom faded1 how joyfully one hails the crowd of summer flowers1 that appear as if by magic1 begging us to buy them4 ,market-carts and barrows filled with 8bedders0 meet us at every turn1 and their wafted sweetness in square and street is intoxicating4 ,we must clutch these old joys and hold them4 ,how now about the window-box8 ,to be practical1 two courses are open to us4 ,bulbs are not at all fond of being moved2 they like to rest in peace while their grass grows long and straggly1 to feed the bulblets underground2 but this does not look pretty1 so if we have any place where we can store the spring flower-box1 we may remove it bodily1 and leave the rest to ,nature4 ,if not1 we had much better clear it all out ruthlessly1 and start afresh4 ,one mistake that should be guarded against is that of filling the summer window-box too soon4 ,people are in such a hurry2 they want to smarten up their houses with growing summer flowers1 even before the end of ,may4 ,to put it on the lowest ground1 this is waste of money2 but worse1 it is cruelty4 ,we might as well stand our darling occupants of the warm nursery outside their open windows1 with nothing on but pinafores6 ,all these summer flowers have been grown in a hot place4 ,at all times it is well to know the previous history of each plant we buy1 and something of its pedigree4 ,plants have their pasts as well as people1 and they should be considered4 ,we want those that have been brought up hardily1 not forced4 ,in early summer the multitude of floral beauties before us to choose from is bewildering1 yet nearly every one fixes his affections on the same flowers year by year1 and no doubt will continue to do so1 for they never fail to please4 ,london would not be itself without its windows framed with clusters of white ,marguerites and bright ,geraniums 7generally pink71 with a neat edging of ,lobelia4 ,there will be slight variations in the kind and colour of the flowers1 and sometimes trailing ,ivy-leafed ,geraniums will add a note of grace4 ,for a lovely pink nothing surpasses the ,geraniums 8,christine ,nielson0 or 8,olive ,carr40 ,but variety is the spice of life4 ,why cannot some of us1 for a change1 choose white ,geraniums--8,queen of ,whites10 for instance--and fill the spaces in between with ,petunias1 single and double8 ,petunias are now brought to the greatest perfection1 and may be had in splendid colours1 shading from palest pink to the deepest crimson1 and the fringed blossoms are exquisite4 ,the freedom of their growth is a welcome set-off to the stately deportment of ,geranium 8,queens40 ,and we might have yellow ,marguerites1 with ,marigolds and ,nasturtiums deepening to brown and orange1 ,fuchsias with ,heliotrope 7only we must keep the ,heliotrope out of a draught71 or gold and spotted ,calceolarias mingled with white ,daisies4 ,but is it of any use to advise ,calceolarias8 ,they are so unpopular nowadays1 though some of them are not so bad1 even if they do remind a little of the gaping1 wide-mouthed toad4 ,one would gladly see more ,musk used2 it is delicious billowing over pots of dark red ,roses4 ,some say ,carnations do well in window-boxes4 ,we have never tried them4 ,they are capricious always and anywhere4 ,walking or driving about the streets and squares of the ,west ,end of ,london on a ,june day1 when all the window-boxes are at their gayest1 it is amusing to notice how some localities favour certain flowers4 ,at ,queen's ,gate for several seasons past there has been what shopkeepers call 8a great feeling0 for white ,marguerites and ,genista4 ,here1 again1 ,i use shopkeeper language4 8,genista0 is ,london shop for the almond-scented1 yellow-flowered ,citisus which1 though really a conservatory plant1 deigns to brighten the window-boxes of ,london faades1 reminding delightfully of the golden gorse-blossoms that have the same sweet smell1 and are blooming at the same moment about the heaths and waste-lands of the country4 ,genista must have the sunny side of the street2 we should bear that in mind4 ,some ,clubs1 too1 adopt certain flowers and colours1 remaining very constant to their specialities4 ,it would be interesting to reckon up the number of ,daisies that bud and blow in town during the 8season40 ,never need ,londoners quit the region of bricks and mortar to count the 8daisies of the dappled field20 there are nearly as many of them to be seen in town4 ,the ,daisy is such a human flower4 ,nettles1 they say1 are never met with but near the haunts of man1 and we are really very much obliged to them1 for boiled ,nettle is nearly as good as ,spinach1 and ,daisies are just as friendly4 ,i have seen them on the golf-links of ,norfolk in chill ,december1 their fringed and yellow eyes gazing benevolently at the golfers4 ,wordsworth knew all about the ,daisy4 8,methinks that there abides in thee ,some concord with humanity ,given to no other flower ,i see ,the forest through40 ,illustration3 ,,overlooking ,,the ,,town ,one very charming scheme that has been adopted with great success for the sunny side of the street is to have the whole house painted white1 and to fill every box and balcony with the lovely tendrils of ,asparagus ,sprengeri1 and nothing else4 ,this ripples over most luxuriantly2 to look at it makes one feel cool on the hottest day4 ,after two hours' eye-strain at the ,royal ,academy no sight could be more refreshing4 ,the ,sprengeri is often used for pendant baskets1 which it furnishes to perfection4 ,however handsome may be the receptacle for our flowers1 no arrangement is really so pretty as that which gives them trailing blossoms and greenery to hang and cluster over the hard edge4 ,campanulas are always ready to do this gracious task1 and can be had either in pink or white to suit every requirement4 ,if we live in a flat that has a good many windows and aspects1 we may enjoy a great number of different growing plants4 ,before the kitchen-window ,i should have a box for parsley and a herb or two4 ,they make for grace as well as use4 ,some herbs grow very prettily1 and their aromatic1 refreshing scent 7so unaccustomed in a town drawing-room7 will please more than that of the costliest exotic4 ,i have sometimes amused myself by making a nosegay out of nothing but herbs4 ,in a sick-room it is priceless4 ,wormwood--the herb that in ,france is used for making absinthe--is a very graceful grower1 of pale grey green not unlike ,southernwood or ,old-,man1 but finer1 and it has a more delicate and subtle scent4 ,another herb1 ,sweet ,cicely1 is often mistaken for a fern1 though it is softer and bears flowers4 ,mint1 ,balm1 ,sage1 and ,rue make a pleasing bunch1 and these herbs will grow anywhere2 they are not afraid of ,london smoke4 ,parsley is more difficult to manage1 but is just as tricky in the garden as in the box4 ,it is perhaps as well to buy this with our cabbages and cauliflowers4 ,some of the other herbs are really not procurable in towns1 however gladly we would pay their price1 so it is worth while trying to grow them for ourselves1 and it can be done4 ,all town gardeners must make up their mind to contend with difficulties4 ,the worst of them are smoke and smuts4 ,smoke1 however1 is not nearly so bad in summer as in winter1 nor are there then so many flying children of the soot4 ,we must wash and sponge and syringe1 and we must use soft water4 ,oh1 the magic of soft water in the plant-world6 but how often the dry and panting flowers sigh for it in vain4 ,we forget or omit to store the water heaven sends us1 though nothing is simpler to arrange than a pipe leading from the gutter on the roof down to the ground4 ,instead of feeding our plants with rain-water we turn the nearest tap1 and torment them with hard water from the main4 ,this is what ,londoners do1 anyway2 ,i hope it is not the same in other towns4 ,on the whole1 growing plants give very little trouble1 and make slight demands upon our time1 but1 like children1 they are ruined by alternations of petting and neglect2 the little care we give them must be constant1 and1 as usual1 experience is the best teacher4 8,the watched pot never boils10 they say1 and picnic experiences have taught us to believe the proverb2 but it does not apply to plants and flowers1 which always do better for being noticed4 ,it has come to be a family fiction1 in which we more than half believe1 that flowers will not thrive unless they are watched4 ,looking at them seems to make them grow1 which of course is only another way of saying that they pay for close attention1 and the stitch in time that saves4 ,at ,exeter1 already one of the most beautifully kept of ,english towns1 the window-box bids fair to become a striking feature4 ,an enthusiast in horticulture1 anxious to improve its southern entrance1 is offering prizes for the best window-sill gardening in that locality4 ,three months are allowed for exhibition1 and consolation prizes give a chance to all4 ,the idea is a good one1 and almost sure to be imitated in other places4 ,i have often wished that every nursery-window in ,london might have its window-box for simple flowers4 ,a child's delight in the first shoot above the ground is a pretty thing to see1 and after that there is the miracle of the bud and bloom4 ,how much more meaning has the pretty 8,seed ,song0 to a town child who has himself with his own hands sowed the little seedlets and watched the wonder of their birth in his very own window-box6 ,i borrow two half verses of it1 for the benefit of those to whom it is unfamiliar4 8,little brown seed1 oh6 little brown brother1 ,are you awake in the dark8 ,here we lie cosily1 close to each other3-- ,hark to the song of the lark6 8,little brown seed1 oh6 little brown brother1 ,what kind of flower will you be8 ,i'll be a ,poppy--all white like my mother4 ,do be a ,poppy like me40 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,balcony-,,gardening 8,visions of blue ,violet plots1 ,white ,daisies and ,forget-me-nots40 ,some of us have a balcony as well as a window-box4 ,here is a field indeed2 we have more space1 more opportunity for display4 ,rescued from the hands of the florist1 balcony-gardening becomes one of the most interesting of occupations4 ,here we may aspire to creepers and climbers in a good aspect1 even to ,roses4 ,imagine it in ,london6 8,rose-trees1 either side the doorway ,growing lithe and growing tall1 ,each one set1 a summer ,warder ,for the keeping of the hall40 ,climbers in pots that make thick summer growth are easiest to manage2 these we can get fresh every season1 and they greatly brighten up the old friends that have lived with us from year to year through the adversities of frost and fog4 ,major ,convolvulus and the perennial 8,morning ,glories0 do well1 also ,canariensis2 but all these must have sun4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,hanging ,,basket ,for a town wall-plant nothing can surpass the ,winter ,jasmine1 whose yellow blossoms cheer the dullest months1 and in summer we welcome its long green trails1 which we must not forget to cut back every autumn1 or it will get too straggly4 ,it is always the year's young shoots that are wanted for beauty4 ,forsythia1 with its golden flowers of ,february and ,march1 delight us sometimes on the fronts of ,london houses in very early spring1 but the foliage is not so decorative afterwards1 and for the balcony we must have summer beauty4 ,the ,virginia ,creeper1 that we have brought from the generous ,west 7along with other pretty things and people71 is now so familiar that we forget that it is really a new-comer4 ,it was in #ahda1 at the back of a house in ,rutland ,gate1 that the ,virginia ,creeper made its first appearance in ,london4 ,since then how much it has done to beautify our towns1 both the common kind and the small-leaved ,ampelopsis ,veitchii1 whose habit of self-clinging renders it so invaluable4 ,some critics think we use this ,creeper too freely1 but ,i do not agree with them4 ,either on grey stone or brick1 or trellis-work or rails1 its light festoons of green1 or red1 or crimson--as the sun has dyed them--give summer grace and autumn colour4 ,of the ,ivy there is no occasion to speak1 except to remind that there are more kinds than one4 ,good balcony shrubs for backgrounds are easily found1 and in many contrasting tints of green and gold4 ,with respect to pot plants1 ,mrs4 ,earle gives a suggestion that is worth following up3-- 8,one day outside a dining-room window of a ,london house ,i noticed some large1 heavy1 oblong ,japanese flower-pots planted with single plants4 ,they looked very well1 as one was able to see the growth of the plants4 ,the pots were glazed1 and much thicker than the ordinary flower-pot4 ,this lessens evaporation1 and their weight prevents them from being blown over40 ,ordinary flower-pots are not suitable in our climate for outer windows and balconies4 ,i am convinced that for furnishing the balcony there is a great future for strong1 well-made1 handsome pots4 ,it is wonderful what can be grown in them4 ,no one understands this better than the flower-lover who has ever lived in any of the ,west ,indian ,islands1 where there is no soil1 and everything has to be grown in pots and tubs4 ,tubs are charming1 so cheap1 so easy to manage1 and so decorative when tastefully painted4 ,plants always take kindly to tubs1 and both tubs and pots can be arranged and moved about with ease--a great convenience when ladies undertake the work4 ,but tubs and pots are not the only receptacles that are useful for balconies1 verandahs1 leads1 and window-doorways4 ,italian oil-jars answer very well1 either whole or sawn in half to make two4 ,seakale pots serve the same purpose4 ,for painting them in colour1 nothing is better than a low-toned green1 which harmonizes with all else4 ,there is a certain dull red that pleases some tastes2 but red is a colour that tires4 ,the quality of the material of which the receptacles are made must be considered1 as it has a great deal to do with the amount of water the plants will require4 ,ordinary flower-pot ware is very porous1 and plants grown in large flower-pots require more frequent watering than when grown in anything else4 ,the evaporation through plain wood is not nearly so great as through unglazed earthenware1 and when the wood is painted it is still less4 ,glazing an ordinary flower-pot makes it more protective4 ,old petroleum barrels 7when the oil has been turned out7 and butter-tubs are excellent plant-holders1 but of course must have ample provision made for drainage1 and several good-sized holes must be pierced at the bottom4 ,if the tub or pot has not much depth of room underneath1 it should be set on bricks1 or raised in some other way4 ,this assists drainage1 and keeps the holes from being blocked by worms or otherwise4 ,re-potting is very seldom required if in the first instance good compost is freely given4 ,the best way of feeding our tub plants and shrubs is very clearly explained in a paper on 8,tub ,gardening10 by ,mr4 ,alger ,petts in ,the ,garden of ,september #ba1 #ahia4 ,it is well worth study by those who mean to take seriously to tub-gardening2 but most likely the tub-gardeners of the ,london balcony do not expect their plants to live long4 ,they would do so1 however1 if properly looked after and given a fair chance4 ,one great advantage about flowering pot and tub plants is that they bear more blossoms grown in this way than if they were in the open border2 the strength of them goes to blossom instead of root1 as everybody knows4 ,london in ,june6 ,how beautiful it is1 especially at the ,west ,end1 the best ,end6 and who can doubt it owes much of its beauty to plants and flowers8 ,there they are1 in shops and dairies1 even among the delicate confections of the modiste1 pots of green ,ferns1 even fragrant blossoms4 ,on a summer's day in ,bond ,street ,i have sometimes stopped involuntarily to feast my eyes on the artistic arrangement of a shop-front1 where blocks of ice and silvery white-bait1 the scarlet lobster and the subtle pinks of salmon mingle with trails of grass and seaweed green4 ,this is delightful1 but we should like more of it4 ,why should not our streets be even gayer than they are now1 and sweeter8 ,over the shop-fronts and on leads1 as well as in the window-box or on the balcony1 we would see something fresh and growing4 ,cut flowers are all very well1 but they make only for beauty4 ,the growing plant is a health-helper1 as well as pleasing to the eye1 for the carbonic fumes that kill us are positively good for plants2 they live on and enjoy them4 ,trees and all green things are good2 but trees1 unless a street is very wide indeed1 take up too much room1 robbing us of light and preventing the air from circulating4 ,balcony-gardening need never do this2 we can keep to low-growing things and creepers4 ,many a town house has balconies large enough to lounge in4 ,on a ,july evening1 under the delicate thin curve of a new moon1 or in starlight1 how sweet the summer dusk1 even in ,london1 and flowers are just as fragrant here as in the country4 ,where so welcome as in cities are 8pointed blossoms rising delicate1 with the perfume strong we love08 ,i was once a frequent visitor at a ,london house which was always kept full of growing plants1 and could never enjoy one of them4 ,why8 ,because ,i knew each one was dying every moment4 ,they were treated exactly like furniture4 ,a dark corner would be 8lighted up0 by the splendour of a ,scarlet ,geranium in full bloom2 7it did not remain scarlet long72 a ,daphne showed its fragrant stars on a davenport close to the fireplace1 and a long way off the window4 ,no one ever picked off a dead leaf or gave the plants so much as a cupful of cold water4 ,every few days the florist's man came round1 took away the invalids--for such they had become--and arranged a fresh lot4 ,poor plants1 they had my sympathy6 ,i do not think this treatment of flowers shows the least real love for them2 better were it to grow the humblest blooms out in the open air1 upon the balcony4 ,in a lady's paper the other day ,i chanced to see some practical hints on how to convert a ,london balcony into a miniature garden1 and thought them worth transcribing4 8,one of the first things to be considered is what flowers will flourish in the smoky atmosphere4 ,i have noticed that the ivy-leaf ,geranium does well1 and this makes a brave show1 and grows rapidly4 ,close to the front of the balcony have some narrow boxes made of wood1 painted green1 and fill these with plenty of plants1 which can be trained to the rails of the ironwork1 and thus make quite a screen4 ,a striped awning should be fixed to the wall of the house just above the drawing-room windows1 and this can be made removable by driving iron staples into the wall and sewing rings on to the canvas awning4 ,in the front three iron uprights must be fixed to the balcony1 one at each end1 and one in the middle4 ,the top of each upright can be bent over to form a ring1 and the awning can be tied on to these with strong tapes4 ,two large hanging baskets of ferns should be suspended from a thin rod1 which is passed from end to end of the iron uprights1 and if two more baskets are hung from the lowest rail of the balcony in front1 the bower will be complete4 ,with some matting on the floor and two lounge wicker chairs1 this will make a charming retreat on a hot day and a cool lounge on a sultry evening40 ,i can exactly picture such a balcony as this1 and would edge the box with plants of musk1 the smell of which would be delicious in the drawing-room1 especially on a summer's afternoon1 just after it had been watered4 ,,chapter ,v ,,roof ,,and ,,back-,,yard ,,gardens ,,in ,,the ,,city 8,high over roaring ,temple ,bar ,and set in ,heaven's third story40 8,o1 green is the colour of faith and truth40 ,when one comes to write of roof and back-yard gardens the pen must run less glibly2 such oases in the dust and drouth of towns are few and rare4 ,the roofs of ,english houses are not shaped well for gardening1 and if there happen to be a back-yard1 it is often more like a well than a garden2 not a dripping well lined with fern and soft with moss1 but a well walled round with smoke-black bricks1 and not much of a sky above it4 ,yet garden-lovers do make their little plots somehow1 even in ,london's heart1 and live there happily tending their flowers4 ,in the broad ,city thoroughfare that leads from ,blackfriar's ,bridge to ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral stands a church among the shops and marts--an old church built by ,sir ,christopher ,wren4 ,behind this building1 up a narrow street--little more than a passage--is a ,rectory-house hemmed in at back and sides with factories2 yet1 hidden away in this strange corner may be found a bower of greenery4 ,mrs4 ,clementi-,smith1 the ,rector's wife1 shall tell the story of her ,city garden in her own words4 ,we must imagine it to be in the month of ,march4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,boat-,,shelter ,,with ,,cerastium ,,on ,,roof 8,the foreground of our garden consists of a bank of rock work1 interspersed by hundreds of the very finest ,crocuses which one could find anywhere1 mostly purple1 bright mauve1 pure white1 and a few yellow4 ,these were put in last autumn1 and have certainly done splendidly1 in spite of smuts and smoke4 ,the only grievous thing about them is that1 when the flowers are over1 the bulbs will have to be pulled up and thrown away1 as we have found that one season is quite enough for them2 they would not flower again if left in for another year40 ,in gardens such as this bulbs do better than anything else2 they give back the treasure that was stored up by them when living in the air and sunshine4 ,a little greenhouse between the wall and rock garden is full of ferns4 ,geraniums will not grow1 but ,cyclamen and ,palms are well content1 and ,azaleas manage to bloom for one year--not more1 as there is not enough sun to ripen the new wood4 ,one fair-sized tree stands in the middle of the plot1 a ,lime2 not a good town tree1 because its foliage fades and falls so soon4 ,this one is to come down and make room for an apple-tree4 ,the annals of another ,city garden are worth recording because so instructive4 ,they were confided to the sympathetic ears of the editor of ,the ,garden under the title of 8,struggles in ,smoke40 ,every reader sympathized4 ,this garden1 too1 lay in the shadow of a cathedral1 but in the north of ,england4 8,everything we touched was black1 and how strong it all smelt of smoke and the mingled fumes of fried fish and burnt shoe-leather from the small shops that backed on to it6 ,the garden was at the very edge of a wind-swept hill1 the ground falling away so suddenly below it that the tops of the chimneys of the ,city beneath were just at the proper level to pour their smoke right into it4 ,when the wind blew from the south1 the thick clouds from the foundry and factory chimneys made it impossible to see across the garden4 ,then we had to set to work40 ,nothing teaches so well as an object-lesson4 ,let us hear what flowers were persuaded to grow in this garden of difficulties1 where cats and sparrows1 we learn1 were nearly as troublesome as the smoke4 8,tiger ,lilies seemed to love us best4 ,these grew and spread and triumphed1 till at times the garden glowed with an orange glory4 ,their cousins1 the ,white ,lilies1 would have nothing to do with us4 ,naturally1 bulbs were the most satisfactory things1 and ,crocus1 ,narcissus and ,tulip were joyful1 but soot-coloured ,snowdrops were not inspiring4 ,we felt rich when the ,lilies of the ,valley were in bloom--there were always enough to give away4 ,we revelled in the carpets of ,woodruffe and white ,periwinkle1 from which sprang great clumps of the yellow ,trollius and the silvery stars of ,astrantia4 ,auriculas1 ,double ,daisies1 ,violas and ,pansies did their best to make up to us for the lack of ,violets and ,mignonette40 ,a good list1 and there is more to follow4 8,christmas ,roses did well1 but very few bedding plants answered4 ,various ,irises1 ,campanulas1 ,monkshood1 ,canterbury ,bells1 ,lychnis and masses of ,epilobium-,angustifolium made things bright4 ,the old pink ,cabbage ,rose and ,gloire-de-,dijon flowered well4 ,cornflowers and ,larkspurs were happy1 and one small ,pear-tree yielded fruit40 ,what love and toil must have gone to give such rich results1 and how great the joy1 can only be guessed by those who have had a like experience4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,east-,,end ,,roof ,,garden ,roof-gardens are even rarer than yard-gardens4 ,one that is full of interest may be seen in ,bishopsgate ,street1 ,e4,c41 at the ,home for ,working ,boys4 ,trees of quite a respectable size are grown in it2 ,sycamore trees twenty feet high1 ,limes from eight to ten feet1 with ,nut and ,cedar1 ,chestnut1 ,holly1 ,fir1 and ,plane4 ,cats are1 of course1 a hindrance1 but the wire netting which keeps them out is hidden in summer by ,virginia ,creeper1 and on the parapets and in tubs and boxes are ,evergreens and ,orange plants1 and bushes of ,rose and ,lilac4 ,eight or ten sorts of flowers bloom freely1 ,petunias doing best of all4 ,gardening operations1 as carried on by the boys and ,superintendent1 are an unfailing source of amusement to the children of the surrounding poor4 ,a pond and fountain with spray rising sixteen feet high are crowning glories of this shady jungle1 where1 but a few years since there was nothing to be seen but a bare zinc roof1 some twelve yards square4 ,the place has now been pet-named 8,pelham ,park40 ,a private roof-garden at the back of a ,london house1 four stories from the ground1 is graphically described by an amateur gardener1 who says he 8fights for failure10 but he does so cheerfully4 ,there are some points1 he says1 on which the many-acred owner of a country garden might envy his rival on the roof4 ,one is his personal intimacy with his garden kingdom and its subjects4 8,up among the chimney pots he has watched each plant through all difficulties struggling up into timid blossoms2 he has washed away daily smuts and combated incessant sparrows with cotton entanglements1 and now knows every flower1 nay1 every petal1 with a personal love4 ,he will tell you which day of the week the ,pansy lost its second bud through the sparrows1 just when it looked certain to be quite as good as the flower he got last year2 or he will show you how the ,canariensis1 baffled by the same marauders last ,friday week1 has tried again with a second shoot which will be out before ,wednesday2 those ,pansies were specially bought at ,covent ,garden2 as for the ,sweet ,peas1 they came as seedlings1 not a tenth their present size1 and they will be even better in a fortnight4 ,the ,solanum is a special prize1 and comes from a country garden2 but dearer than that is the ,geranium1 grown from one of his own cuttings1 a real scion of the family40 ,a ,geranium among the slates and chimney stacks6 ,this was a triumph indeed2 enough to make the ,clementi-,smiths at ,st4 ,andrew's ,rectory envious4 ,in these roof-gardens there are joys undreamed of by the stranger4 ,a real honey-bee buzzing and working over the flower-beds1 even a spider--a real garden spider1 with a shining web1 a country-looking weed1 a stinging nettle1--a lively one that knows how to sting1 and on one bright still evening1 when the sunshine lingered on the gas-work's chimneys1 a humming-bird hawk-moth fluttering well-pleased among the flowers4 ,after these flights among the tiles and chimney-stacks it is tame work1 talking of the ,city gardens of the level ground2 but1 after all1 they are the commonest and most generally useful4 ,the dreary churchyards now made into play-grounds1 where a few simple flowers bloom1 and there is a shrub or two2 we may see such any day at ,st4 ,john's in the ,waterloo ,road4 ,and there are the old1 old gardens about the ,temple and the ,law ,courts2 how many generations of lawyers they have cheered 7not one space can be spared72 and who has not felt a thrill of joy when nearing ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 to see the fresh green of the trees and the indescribable beauty of the rustling1 swaying boughs1 so strangely sweet in such a spot4 ,not the least good done by our ,city gardens is the welcome given by them to bird and butterfly2 even the seagulls did not come to ,london till after we had planted trees on the ,embankment and laid down turf4 ,the more gardens we make1 the more country visitors will come to them1 gladdening the ,londoner with rural sounds4 8,a cuckoo cried at ,lincoln's ,inn ,last ,april1 somewhere else one heard ,the missel-thrush with throat of glee2 ,and nightingales at ,battersea40 ,illustration3 ,a ,,roof ,,garden ,,chapter ,,vi ,,plants ,,for ,,the ,,city ,,poor 8,along the dense-packed cities all1 and the teeming wharves and ways--every leaf a miracle40 ,a kindly ,k4,c4 of my acquaintance is always telling us we ought to provide pianos for the poor4 8,so elevating0--this is his argument4 ,mine is1 that pianos want too much practising--poor people have no time for it2 much better give them window-boxes and a spade4 ,a taste for gardening raises the most uneducated1 and the mixed elements of chance and skill secure perennial freshness1 giving a zest to the pursuit that makes it like the best kind of game4 ,mrs4 ,free1 of ,st4 ,cuthbert's ,lodge1 ,millwall1 is doing an excellent work in encouraging a love of flowers among her poor4 ,about four years ago1 through her efforts1 a ,window-box ,society was started4 ,members 7there are now about seventy7 pay twopence annually1 and in return receive gifts in kind of bulbs and plants4 ,prizes are awarded for the best display of flowers4 ,few families1 alas6 possess the smallest bit of garden ground1 and many have no space for a window-box1 but must make the best of a few plants indoors1 on a table as near the light as possible4 ,this arrangement1 often as ,i see it1 never fails to give a double pang4 ,the first is for the owners1 and the second for the plants1 that1 although taking up more room than ought to be allowed them1 are themselves starving for want of air and light4 ,last summer1 travelling by railway in the heart of ,london1 a poorish-looking1 but respectable man entered our carriage1 carrying a basket of really beautiful flowers4 ,he had grown them all himself1 in a narrow little plot of ground where every single flower was a personal acquaintance4 ,his ,lilies were as fragrant as if from a cottage garden in the country4 ,the ,madonna-,lily always does grow well for poor people1 as we have noticed in many a country garden4 ,many good-hearted people have tried to bring the pleasure of plants and gardens to the ,city poor4 ,many of the schemes set out are quite ,utopian4 ,we cannot build cities after a plan1 they grow1 but individual enterprise may do much4 ,i had enjoyed ,mr4 ,cadbury's well-made chocolate for many a year1 before ,i found out a very good1 and to me quite new reason for liking it4 ,for forty years the good man had watched the class of people who worked for him in ,birmingham1 and came to the conclusion that the only practical way of raising them up from the degradation of their surroundings was to bring the factory-worker out on to the land1 and give him a piece of garden1 in which he could enjoy that most delightful of all recreations--the coming in touch with ,nature on the soil4 ,so he withdrew his great cocoa manufactory from the town1 and established it in the pretty village of ,bournville4 ,the move was a great success4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,poor ,,man',s ,,window-,,box ,,at ,,millwall ,town board schools in some places are doing what they can to give their scholars practical instruction in ,nature knowledge4 ,in cities this is very difficult4 ,seeds do not germinate well in pots indoors4 ,a school garden1 however small1 is worth anything2 results are so much more satisfactory4 ,the boys' garden at ,crook's ,place ,board ,school1 ,norwich1 is an example of what may be done in a town4 ,the enclosure measures #ej yards by #bj1 and was formerly an ugly and uninviting corner of the ,chapel ,field4 ,builders' rubbish has been cleared away1 and replaced by good soil4 ,friends have sent seeds and bulbs and plants2 stones have been gathered for a rock-garden1 the boys work with enthusiasm1 and the ,norwich school-garden in summer is as bright a spot as one could see4 ,the young gardeners are instructed for an hour a day three times a week1 and show great aptitude in learning4 ,what a pleasant change from books and slates1 and how educating in the best sense of the word6 ,no occupation brings to light the better qualities of the mind so much as gardening1 even if it is on ever so small a scale4 ,patience1 forethought1 sympathy1 and tenderness all belong to the gardener--they must do so or his work will be a failure4 ,it has often struck me that country board schools are not doing the good they might1 in the way of influencing their scholars to love the land and take an interest in it4 ,children are very happy in their board schools4 ,they hurry away as early in the morning as possible1 from comfortless stuffy cottages to the well-warmed1 well-aired school-room1 where they find the joys of emulation and intelligent companionship4 ,in the afternoon it is the same1 with intervals for football or games4 ,what time is left to help with work in their own little garden-patches8 ,these lie neglected1 while vegetables and garden-produce are purchased by mother from the travelling market-cart1 dearer and less fresh than if home-grown4 ,when the boys come home they pore over a borrowed book1 or practice sums and easy drawing4 ,every one of them 8means to go to ,london10 and live by his brains1 not at all by his hands2 and he is no more at home with a spade or a pitchfork than if he came out of a ,london slum4 ,there must be something wrong about this1 and the something could very easily be remedied4 ,at the risk of being digressive1 ,i cannot help saying that ,i am afraid that ,germany is ahead of us in the matter of school-gardens4 ,the clever educationists of the ,fatherland have found out that book-work1 valuable as it is and dear to the heart of a schoolmaster1 is barren and unproductive while divorced from the labour of the hands4 ,garden-schools are established up and down the country1 with courses of instruction2 elementary village-schools are provided with educational garden-ground1 and even town schools have their garden-plots4 ,as usual1 these good and useful efforts are most successful where personal practical influence is brought to bear on them4 ,with regard to supplying the very poor of ,london and other towns with plants for their little yards and gardens and window-boxes1 ,i have often thought how easily this could be done if owners of large or even moderate-sized gardens did not mind the little trouble of giving to them of their abundance4 ,we all know how hardy things come up of themselves1 and are thrown away as weeds by the gardener unless we prevent it4 ,forget-me-nots among the ,cabbages1 ,violets under the ,gooseberry bushes1 ,creeping-,jenny1 ,foxgloves and ,evening-,primroses wherever they can find a footing4 ,why not at every change of season send off hampers and baskets to those who would find priceless treasure in our rubbish8 ,better with them than on the burn-heap4 ,londoners are surprisingly clever in cultivating flowers4 ,a poor woman in the ,city had a small plant given her1 and was not very sure what it was1 but put it in a sunny place on a parapet outside her garret window4 ,it grew six feet high1 and turned out to be a ,sunflower6 ,eventually the best blossom was presented as a contribution to the harvest decorations at a neighbouring church4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,poor ,,man',s ,,house ,,front ,,in ,,millwall ,miss ,jekyll1 in ,home and ,garden1 tells the prettiest story ,i know of plants given to the poor4 ,a factory lad in one of the great northern manufacturing towns had advertised in a mechanical paper that he wanted a tiny garden in a window-box2 he knew nothing--would somebody help him with advice8 ,that some one was ,gertrude ,jekyll4 ,little plants of mossy and silvery ,saxifrages and a few small bulbs were sent him1 also some stones1 for this was to be a rock-garden4 ,it had two hills of different heights1 with rocky tops1 and a longish valley1 with a sunny and a shady side1 all in a box that measured three feet by ten inches6 ,imagine the delight of the factory child when he saw the milk-white of the modest ,snowdrop and the brilliant blue of the early ,squill as they came up1 jewel bright1 in the grey1 soot-laden atmosphere of the smoky town6 ,the boy's happy letters showed that1 in his childish way1 he shared the rapture of the poet4 8,the simplest flower that blows can give ,thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears40 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,beginner 8,when spring unlocks the flowers40 ,now and again we meet with beginners who really seem hardly to know one end of a plant from another4 ,always buying their flowers in bunches1 they have no idea how they look when growing1 and seeing flowers placed side by side that have been sent from the widest different zones and climates1 they are not even very sure which of them may be claimed as ,english grown4 ,shiploads of flowers from warmer latitudes keep ,london and other large towns far in advance of the seasons as seen in country districts1 and it is misleading4 ,at last some enterprising spirit begins to long for the pleasure of the growing plant4 ,it is a trial to be always buying and bringing home fresh flowering plants only to see them die off in their new quarters 7for this is what they generally do71 so a balcony or window-box is started4 ,we will suppose its owner to be living quite in town2 country1 and1 as ,i think1 even suburban folk with gardens have little need of window-boxes1 which are make-shifts1 after all1 though not to be despised on that account4 ,the enterpriser must now choose his window-box1 and is lucky if his house is built handily for it1 and if his aspects are favourable4 ,but what is one plant's good is another plant's poison4 ,no aspect is without some advantages1 if only it has light and air2 even shady places can do with ,ferns4 ,illustration3 ,,spring ,,in ,,the ,,crook',s ,,hill ,,board-,,school ,,garden1 ,,norwich ,the style and material for our window-box must depend on circumstances--size1 for instance1 and the style of the house4 ,it may be rustic1 severe1 or plain1 and made either of wood1 or tiles1 or cork4 ,all are good in their way4 ,some modern builders arrange the stone-work of the window-sills purposely to facilitate window-gardening1 and it is to be hoped this good fashion will be continued and improved upon2 it is a great assistance4 ,there will often be an amateur carpenter who is quite capable of building his window-box for himself4 ,it is nothing but a strong wooden case1 in which holes must be bored at the bottom2 the box once made1 it is easy to tack on pieces of virgin cork4 ,this can be bought1 seven pounds for a shilling1 and nothing looks neater4 ,last spring ,i noticed all the window-boxes in a row of small semi-detached suburban villas4 ,the prettiest were made of cork1 and were filled with blood-red ,tulips and ,wallflowers almost exactly the same shade1 and lovely they all looked among the ,wallflower green4 ,the next-door boxes were made of upright lengths of bamboo1 and had a very stiff appearance2 they were filled with ,tulips only1 packed very close together1 and mostly yellow2 the effect was anything but good4 ,by good luck we chanced to see the identical row of pretty small houses again in early ,june1 when our old admiration was furnished afresh with summer flowers4 ,the photograph we begged for1 and were kindly allowed to take1 has become our frontispiece4 ,having settled about our box1 the next point to be considered is the mould to fill it4 ,this we can buy either by the load or sack4 ,good leaf mould can be had for six shillings a load1 or some get it by the sack1 and give two shillings for that4 ,under the box should be a plate of zinc to prevent drips making the house damp4 ,i have known enthusiasts to bring mould from the country to town places in boxes like ordinary luggage4 ,except in extreme cases1 when a particular soil is wanted for particular plants1 ,i do not recommend this plan1 especially now that the railway authorities are so strict about the weight of luggage2 and besides this1 plants often enjoy a change of soil2 it does them good4 ,it is a good plan personally to superintend the first filling of the box4 ,to cast the mould into it and shake it down1 as if we were filling a pudding-basin1 would never do4 ,drainage is necessary1 so we must fill the bottom of the box with crocks4 ,old flower-pots broken up do excellently1 but must be perfectly clean1 and a few lumps of charcoal are useful to keep all sweet4 ,then we can lay the mould in with a clear conscience4 ,to those who would like to economize by using the mould from their own little back-yards1 if they have any1 ,i would emphatically say 8,don't60 ,it is sure to be poor stuff1 and full of soot and other undesirable things4 ,soot1 by the way1 is a capital stimulant2 if kept some time till it has lost its first crudeness1 and mixed with water till the liquid is about the colour of beer1 here is an excellent tonic which will invigorate many weakly plants4 ,but no plants like to live on physic1 any more than we do4 ,now for the flowers1 or1 if winter is coming on1 the shrubs4 ,small ,conifers do very well in winter-boxes1 or ,golden ,privet1 or ,acuba1 or tiny ,box-trees4 ,there is the widest range4 ,suppose we choose a set of the prettiest shrubs we can get1 and plant between them and in front of them hardy bulbs1 with a sprinkling of small-leafed ,ivy to hang over the edge of the box4 ,this will give us something pretty to look at throughout the winter and the early spring4 ,we must water carefully1 as required1 and keep all foliage quite clean4 ,there are hundreds of other schemes4 ,the difficulty is to choose between them4 ,it is a capital plan to take in a gardening paper4 ,many excellent journals can be had for one penny weekly1 and any of their editors1 when written to1 are ready to give advice4 ,they will tell us what are suitable plants for special situations1 and ease our path by smoothing difficulties as they arise4 ,illustration3 ,,pansy ,,bed ,,in ,,crook',s ,,hill ,,board-,,school ,,garden1 ,,norwich ,in ,april the time approaches for a quick change4 ,we find shrubs no longer satisfy1 and the early bulbs are over4 ,we now want spring flowers1 and can buy small ones ready to be planted at ,covent ,garden1 or from any good florist near at hand4 ,we can propagate them ourselves if we have ever so small a garden to fall back upon--if not1 why1 then we must buy from the shops and market-gardens4 ,aubrietia1 ,wallflowers1 ,anemones1 ,narcissus1 ,myosotis1 ,tulips1 and ,iris will all be coming on now1 and their flowers are charming4 ,at this season a little fresh mould may be advisable1 and a good clean up4 ,in ,may we can make up hanging baskets for the balcony4 ,large ones do better than small1 as a good body of soil can be kept in a more equable state of moisture4 ,fuchsias are lovely for the basket1 and so are all kinds of trailing geraniums4 ,moss is of course indispensable1 and small pieces will soon spread4 ,daisies1 both white and yellow1 are always ready and welcome4 ,alpine ,strawberries hanging or trailing over a basket look very pretty4 ,june is here before we know where we are1 and the long sweet summer days4 ,even our miniature gardens will keep us busy4 ,watering1 staking1 thinning out1 and weeding--all these things will have to be done1 as well as cutting off dead leaves4 ,if a plant looks sickly1 do not let that make us too sad4 ,we had better take it out from among its fellows and nurse it up elsewhere4 ,in ,paris1 there is a hospital for invalid plants1 where they are taken care of and restored to health4 ,i am afraid no one has yet started a ,flower ,hospital for ,london4 ,petunias come on later1 and are splendid plants for town people2 they are brilliant1 and do not put themselves out because of smoke and smuts4 ,they climb about1 and fling themselves all over the place1 so it is a good plan to associate them with sturdy plants for a contrast1 and the filling up of gaps4 ,insects must be destroyed as they appear1 but soap and water will keep them from appearing at all4 ,a daily wash is the best thing in the world for town plants1 and if we cannot give it every day1 we must give it as often as we can4 ,watering is always a difficult matter with beginners4 ,no exact rules can be laid down4 ,it is not like clock-winding or anything mechanical4 ,plants must be watered just when they want it1 and if we give it them when they don't1 it makes them sick4 ,still1 they must never be forgotten2 if once allowed to get dust-dry1 it is an injury from which they will not recover4 ,we must watch them carefully1 and shall thus soon learn their needs4 ,weather has a great deal to do with it4 ,wind and sun are wonderfully drying4 ,during the heat of summer it is a good plan to water in the evening1 so that the plants enjoy the moisture through the night4 ,one axiom is drummed into the heads of all beginners1 8,never water in the sunshine40 ,but sometimes one must do it to avoid casualties1 and no harm need come of it if we water the ground thoroughly without touching the leaves or flowers4 ,let it be a good soak4 ,to give water in driblets is fatal4 ,after a little water1 the upper surface of the soil may cake and dry and harden1 and the plant be worse off than ever1 or the water may run through some dry channel in the mould and never reach the roots at all4 ,it is best to water pot-plants by standing them in a pail or tub1 the water coming quite over the rim2 the leaves can be washed separately1 and should not be left too wet1 which rots them2 efforts must be made to get soft water4 ,if we really are compelled to use hard1 some good may be done by standing it for a time in shallow pans1 or even in the water-pots we are going to use4 ,this improves its temperature2 it will be far better for the plants than cold hard water from the tap4 ,baby's bath-water1 when he has done with it1 is excellent to water with4 ,sometimes one sees the beginner put his pot-plants out in the rain1 thinking it to be ever so generous to them4 ,see that the leaves do not get all the wet1 leaving none for the soil2 this often happens1 and the poor plants suffer thirst in the midst of plenty4 ,we want to keep the leaves washed clean1 so that the skin of the leaves can breathe 7they are full of pores71 but it is through their roots that plants drink in the water4 ,our interest in tending plants is enhanced tenfold by the study of their nature4 ,then common sense comes in to help us2 anything like good gardening without this is nearly as impossible as it would be for doctors to cure their patients without having first been through a course of training in physiology and physics4 ,plants in pots set out on the balcony do well if we stand them on a layer of coke ashes1 or1 indeed1 any ashes that are going4 ,of course1 we must hide them in some cunning way4 ,little pots of ,campanulas1 pink or white1 drooping about are a help1 and always decorative4 ,so is ,musk--delicious1 delightful1 shade-loving ,musk6 ,what a treat when the time for the ,musk comes round6 ,but ,musk wants a great deal of watering1 and we must never water its flowers1 only its leaves2 and no plant scorches up so easily in a hot sun4 ,it just wants care1 and to be in a sheltered1 yet not altogether sunless place4 ,for the autumn many people like ,asters4 ,i am not very fond of ,asters personally2 but they are gay1 and will pass in a crowd4 ,small ,myrtles are helpful1 but our ,geraniums and ,petunias1 ,ferns and ,daisies may be relied on to keep us going till flower-time is over and we begin to be thankful for the small mercies of the evergreen old ,ivy1 and enjoy the colours of the ,virginia ,creeper1 more beautiful than ever when reddened by the fiery fingers of the frost4 ,it is hardly fair to end without a word or two about the open-air ,fern-box4 ,for beginners1 and in fact for everybody1 nothing requires so little trouble to cultivate as ,ferns4 ,let us suppose a young lady's room in a north-east aspect1 or north-west with only afternoon sunshine4 ,here is the very place for a ,fern window-box4 ,all ,ferns and nothing else4 ,nothing but the common ,harts-tongue looks lovely2 so do ,male ,ferns and ,lady ,ferns growing together4 ,ferns want more drainage and more water than flowers1 and that is all they do want4 ,when in the autumn they die down1 the old fronds must not be cut off4 ,let them be1 and give a very little water now and again to prevent an utter dryness4 ,in the spring they will come up again as good as ever1 and would be glad of a sprinkling of fresh leaf-mould over the top just as an encouragement for the fresh growth4 ,when the new fronds appear we shall find them folded at the base very tight and cosy4 ,then1 and then only1 must last year's dead leaves be removed4 ,they have protected and even nourished4 ,it is better not to arrange the ,fern-box for a very conspicuous room2 people get impatient during the resting-time of the plants1 and want to turn them out1 which is too bad4 ,nothing and nobody can be always at its best1 not even human beings4 ,the only remedy is a second box1 and to put the ,fern-box away to go through its dormant stage unseen4 ,the danger of this is that it may be forgotten1 like canaries are sometimes2 but the ,fern-box is worth trying for4 ,in summer it is a treat1 and its fresh green never looks prettier than in a case of pale blue tiles2 ,i like this better for ,ferns than the more conventional box of rustic-work4 ,illustration3 ,,part ,,of ,,rock-,,garden1 ,,crook',s ,,hill ,,board-,,school1 ,,norwich ,seeds are fascinating1 but ,i cannot cordially recommend them for window-box use2 there are too many chances of failure4 ,but if there are any who wish to make the experiment ,nasturtiums are the hardiest1 and ,californian ,nemophila is pretty and easy to grow2 but my favourite of all1 and the most unfailingly good-tempered1 is ,virginia ,stock1 which does equally well in all aspects4 ,give it good ground and sufficient water1 and its pretty1 simple1 many-coloured flowers will not fail to please4 ,they always remind me of the sugar hundreds-and-thousands of our youth1 one colour blending with another4 ,a modern poetess has written about these flowers very prettily1 and the good character she gives them is the outcome of no poetical license2 it is simple truth4 8,the ,lily's ignorant white is glad of cheer1 ,but these are high of courage2 glad are these1 ,against all changes of the changing year1 ,untempered sun or overshadowing trees40 8,lilac and lavender and hoar-frost white1 ,my border waves its colour to the sun4 ,virginia ,stocks grow low1 but every one ,gives all her colour to the questing light40 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,foliage ,,plants ,,for ,,towns 8,oh1 give me the sweet shady side of ,pall ,mall40 8,sweet leaves to the air40 ,we have said a good deal about ,flowering ,plants for town decoration2 there are also non-flowering sets of plants to choose from1 which are just as lovely and far more uncommon2 ,i mean the grand array of foliage plants4 ,some years ago it was my good fortune to be present at one of the prettiest weddings of the season4 ,not one of the bridesmaids wore a flower4 ,every bouquet was made of leaves1 shaded1 striped and coloured2 they were as bright as they were graceful1 the effect was indescribably fresh and charming1 and was a lesson for ever on what can be done with leaves4 ,furnishing the box or balcony with foliage-plants may be more costly than flowers in the first place1 and they require more consideration in arrangement2 but they have useful qualities which render them invaluable4 ,they are much more durable than flowering plants1 and less affected by accidents of weather4 ,about their beauty there is no question1 and their variety1 even if we exclude ,palms and ,ferns1 is endless4 ,luckily for their admirers1 it is found that many of those we have been taught to consider hot-house nurslings do just as well in the open air4 ,nor is there any difficulty in marketing for them4 ,growers are quite alive to the situation1 and those who can afford the luxury have nothing to do but make their choice4 ,covent ,garden market1 that fairyland of flowers1 is1 ,i suppose1 at the head and front of the forward movement in the sale of plants4 ,twenty years ago only about thirty growers attended and sold plants there4 ,now there are over three hundred2 and it is no exaggeration to count the plants and flowers yearly sold by them in millions4 ,with cordial sympathy we note the small green painted window-box on the garret window-sill of the artisan4 ,it generally consists of a neat row of palings with a realistic stile or gateway in the middle1 and bubbles over with ,creeping-,jenny and ,nasturtiums2 the man in the street who passes the costly window-gardens of the rich1 how he must sympathize with them1 and revel in the sights we give him6 ,this is the best of window-gardening1 it is such an unselfish pleasure4 ,every passer-by is made happier by it4 ,in the love of ,nature and of flowers we all join hands1 meeting on common ground4 8,oh1 the joy of the vast elemental sympathy which only the human soul is capable of generating60 ,few things call it forth more pleasantly than the mutual enjoyment of earth's fair treasures1 plants and trees and flowers4 ,nowadays we have learned to expect great things from the wealthy people who live in the many-windowed mansions of our ,capital4 ,when spring comes back again with sunshine1 like an old smile1 we look for the flowers outside the houses as well as those that grow in the ,parks1 and we are not disappointed4 ,but there are one or two districts that still want waking up4 ,some people are content to spend their money and display their taste only now and then at great entertainments or on special occasions1 when enough is lavished in one night to furnish the whole roadway for a season6 ,if we could read the annals of some of our great floral firms1 we should be startled to see what immense sums are paid for one month's decorations only by one family4 ,several thousand pounds are soon dispensed1 when the flowers for a single entertainment have cost five hundred4 ,orchids and ,roses cannot be had in huge quantities for nothing1 and it is all good for trade1 so nobody need pretend to be shocked or call out about extravagance4 ,we all love the best when we see it1 and why not secure the same--those who can8 but ,i do not think that people who have made their ball-rooms into bowers of beauty1 and transformed their houses into paradises for one night1 have done their duty till they have contributed their quota to the street4 ,yet it never looks well when outside decoration is overdone4 ,all should be in keeping1 and never an obtrusive glare4 ,here our foliage-plants come in well4 ,they look so good and so refined4 ,a list of plants to choose from may be useful4 ,i will cull one from a paper on 8,plants for ,house ,decoration10 read by ,mr4 ,john ,wills1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 at a meeting of the ,horticultural ,society on ,march #hth1 #ahib1 and published ,january1 #aijc4 ,even if one cannot remember the ,latin names very well1 it is easy to make a copied catalogue to show our florist when giving orders4 ,he always does his best for those who show an intelligent interest and appear to know what they are talking about4 ,among ,palms1 ,corypha australis1 ,latania borbonica1 and ,cocos ,weddelliana are recommended1 especially this last2 it is so graceful and enduring1 and has been known to last for more than two years in a draughty room4 ,kentia ,belmoreana is another good plant of the same habit4 ,any of the following are also available for room or flower-box decoration3 ,areca ,baueri1 and ,a4 lutescens1 ,cocos flexuosa1 ,geonoma gracilis1 ,phoenix reclinata1 ,p4 tenuis and ,thrinax elegans4 ,so much for the ,palms4 ,now for the coloured and ornamental foliage plants4 ,the following may be relied upon as being very useful and satisfactory1 as well as possessing the quality of endurance3 ,ananassa satina1 ,asparagus plumosa1 and ,a4 procumbens4 ,these last are the most graceful1 feathery1 branching things in the world1 delighting everybody4 ,many handsome ,crotons mix in well1 and may be used with impunity1 out-of-doors4 ,the following ,dracaenas are also pretty1 and hardy enough to brave an ,english summer4 ,dracaena australis1 ,d4 fragrans1 ,d4 linita1 ,d4 ,goldiana1 and many other varieties4 ,bromeliads may be freely planted1 and will retain their beauty for a long time4 ,tillandsias1 ,aspidistra lurida and its variegated form1 are most useful and never-failing plants4 ,several of the ,fittonias are also pretty4 ,the never-dying ,ophiopogon1 any number of ,ferns1 and various other decorative foliage-plants too numerous to mention1 are available for either house1 balcony1 or window-box purposes4 ,we might add ,kentias of different kinds1 ,nidularium fulgens1 and ,bamboos4 ,every plant mentioned will keep in good looks from ,june to the end of ,october4 ,anybody who wants more sorts than these1 had better consult his florist4 ,i do not think ,i could resist adding some old-fashioned scented-leaf ,geraniums for the sake of their delicious fragrance2 both the ,oak-leafed1 the ,peppermint1 and the ,musk1 all of which are more valuable for their foliage than their flowers4 ,so 8out of fashion0 these are now1 that it is quite difficult to get them from the ,nurseryman2 we must invade the floral sanctums of our friends1 where a pot or two may often be found hidden away in a ,melon bed1 or in a corner of the ,peach house1 or keeping company with the sweet leaves of the ,grape-vine4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,fog1 ,,flowers1 ,,and ,,foliage 8,air1 air1 fresh life-blood1 thin and searching air1 ,the clear1 dear breath of ,god that loveth us40 ,air is invisible1 and earth a very tangible thing indeed1 which makes us forget sometimes how much air does for us1 to feed and nourish4 ,we do not only live in it1 we live of it2 and by we ,i mean all breathing creatures1 whether men or lower animals or plants4 ,what brings the truth most home to us is having to do without air--in a ,london fog1 for instance4 ,we have been talking a great deal about the flowers and plants of ,london4 ,alas6 very few of them are grown there2 most of them have to be imported4 ,during the winter months fog is too terrible an enemy1 so insidious is it1 playing havoc even with our indoor and conservatory plants4 ,it is interesting to learn from the researches of the savants1 that the evil effect of urban fog on flowers and foliage is twofold4 ,the injuries are produced in two quite separate ways3 one is the presence of poison in the atmosphere2 the other1 the reduction of light1 which is the invariable result of the fog of cities and manufacturing towns4 ,darkness and poison6 ,does not this sound worse than a plague of ,egypt8 ,yet we town-folk suffer it without much grumbling1 and scientists spend as much time in learning what the poison consists of1 and in tracing exactly how the injuries come about1 as would suffice1 one would imagine1 to discover a cure4 ,oddly enough1 more poisons are found in fog than even coal-burning altogether accounts for2 the exact nature of some of the substances which are present in the atmosphere of foggy weather is a matter about which scientists themselves confess to ignorance4 ,still1 there is one thing on which all agree1 and that is the perfect harmlessness of clean mist4 ,neither mountain nor country mists do any wrong to plant life1 and from the coasts of ,kent and ,sussex1 ,essex and ,norfolk1 come assurances of the innocuous character of sea-fogs4 ,of the known impurities of town-fog the following list gives most of those suspected of being inimical to plants4 8,suspected0 is the scientific way of putting it4 ,our scientists are wary2 they must be1 for they know how everybody weighs their words2 and besides that1 they can never be sure what fresh discoveries will be made to-morrow2 the latest are oftentimes upsetting4 ,the amount of miscellaneous ingredients that enrich a ,london fog is startling4 ,our list is taken from an analysis of the deposits left on the glass roofs of plant-houses at ,chelsea and ,kew during the severe fogs of ,february1 #ahia3-- ,carbon1 hydrocarbons1 organic bases1 sulphuric acid1 hydrochloric acid1 ammonia1 metallic iron1 and magnetic oxide1 with other mineral matter1 chiefly silica and ferric-oxide4 ,sulphuric acid1 it seems1 is the principal cause of injury to trees and shrubs1 and sulphurous acid to herbaceous and soft-wooded plants4 ,the effects of fog are seen sometimes in the breaking-down of the plant1 sometimes in its discoloration2 leaves gradually turn yellow1 progressing from below upwards1 and they drop off in the order in which they showed the change of colour4 ,thus two things have happened3 destruction of the green colouring matter1 and structural injury at the point where leaf meets stalk4 ,where is the ,london flower-grower who has not watched these processes with sad eyes8 ,when an ill wind blows soot-laden fog towards ,kew or ,chelsea--places where so many of our choicest plants and trees and flowers are cherished--loud are the lamentations because of damage done4 ,mr4 ,watson1 assistant curator of the ,royal ,kew ,gardens1 says he gathers up bushels of leaves in the palm-houses every morning while a bad fog lasts1 and after a long spell of it many hard-wooded as well as the more delicate plants are reduced to an unsightly condition of almost bare stems1 blotched and discoloured leaves1 and fallen foliage4 ,among certain groups even the soft stems disarticulate at the nodes4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,thiselton-,dye1 ,director of ,kew ,gardens1 describes the substance deposited on his glass-houses as a solid brown paint1 weighing about twenty-two pounds to the acre1 or six tons to the square mile4 ,this makes our fog enemy appear a very real thing indeed2 no wonder it breaks plants down1 and is the ruin of many fruit and floral industries in the south of ,london4 ,are there any means by which town cultivators may counteract these malign influences8 ,only by very expensive appliances4 ,the grower wants an air-tight greenhouse1 with definite openings where the admitted air can be filtered4 ,filtering foggy air may counteract or even keep out poison1 but even then one has to make up for the darkness4 ,this can only be done by a generous installation of electric light4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,water ,,garden ,horticulture thus carried on is extremely interesting from a scientific point of view1 but is not commercially desirable1 nor could the ordinary flower-grower afford it4 ,fog-annihilators1 and the use of chemicals in conservatories have also been tried1 the latter with very scant success4 ,charcoal seems to be by far the best filtering medium4 ,there is a ,mr4 ,toope1 who1 in a small conservatory at his offices at ,stepney1 is endeavouring to cultivate a collection of orchids and other stove plants in safety by the use of charcoal filters and warmed air4 ,the method he uses is ingenious4 ,boxes containing open-work trays1 upon which sticks of charcoal are loosely placed1 are set upon the floor under the staging4 ,these communicate with the exterior by means of apertures which can be opened or closed at will4 ,the air 7fog and all7 is led from outside through these trays1 passes the charcoal1 impinges upon the hot-water pipes1 and is then allowed to reach the plants4 ,draught is regulated by valves4 ,results so far are considered very encouraging1 but not convincing4 ,mr4 ,toope has other things to occupy his attention1 and sometimes has to trust his pets to others2 if it were not for this1 he thinks he would ensure a greater measure of success4 ,it seems curious to think of plants taking to respirators1 just as human beings have discarded them2 but the use of charcoal does sound common-sensible4 ,we are all familiar with the extraordinary power charcoal has of absorbing and oxidizing the products of decomposition of organic matter1 and of rendering harmless the greater number of easily alterable gases and vapours4 ,a few years since1 after some nursing lectures at the ,royal ,hospital for children and women at the ,waterloo ,road1 the following examination question was put to the students3 8,how would you ventilate a room of a smallpox patient on the night of a dense fog80 ,the question puzzled us all4 ,we were told the right answer afterwards4 8,open the window at the top1 and hang up a blanket40 ,this appeared to me to be a stifling arrangement2 as at present advised1 ,i would treat patients as ,mr4 ,toope treats his plants1 and give them charcoal filters instead of the blanket4 ,the chemist ,stenhouse has devised a respirator for human beings on the charcoal principle1 for use in districts smitten with cholera or yellow fever4 ,what ,plants suffer least from ,fog8 ,this is such an important question for town people that ,i have given it a separate heading4 ,here is the answer3 ,ferns and bulbous plants4 ,the latter have but a short reign ere they die off1 so that we must put down ,ferns as the ,londoners' greatest stand-by4 ,considering the tender and delicate nature of their foliage1 this is one of the things we should deem a miracle if we were not used to it1 but the frailty of the ,fern is only in appearance4 ,professor ,oliver1 in a ,report to the ,scientific ,committee of the ,royal ,horticultural ,society1 says1 8,at ,kew ,gardens ,i have examined the various ,fern-houses after spells of severe fog1 when the collections of stove plants in adjacent houses were completely disfigured from this cause1 without remarking any damage to the ,ferns to speak of40 ,how is this8 ,ferns are shade-loving plants1 so that darkness1 such a terrible foe to most plants1 is to them comparatively harmless4 ,other things being equal1 the more greedy a plant is of sunlight1 the more will it suffer when its illumination is reduced4 ,there is another point that tells in favour of the ,fern4 ,during the sunless months of autumn and early winter the vitality of most flowering plants is lowered1 which renders them unfit to bear a strain--they are 8run down10 and1 like ourselves in the same circumstances1 liable to 8catch0 anything1 and go under4 ,ferns1 on the other hand1 meet the enemy and battle with it in good condition2 no doubt their excellent constitutions are largely inherited from early forefathers who lived in an age that was far too rough for flowers2 they were giants in those days4 ,bulbous plants stand fog well for a different reason4 ,they rely on the stores collected1 each one for himself1 in his own compact small body4 ,no squirrel nor dormouse is more thrifty1 nor better understands the art of making hay while the sun shines4 ,this is how it is that ,londoners are so successful in growing bulbs4 ,look at the parks in the spring-time1 with their sheets of ,crocuses1 ,snowdrops1 and ,tulips4 ,allium1 too1 and ,narcissus and ,hyacinth1 are just as happy close to1 and even in the midst of towns1 showing very little injury after being exposed to fog4 ,flowers and flower-buds are the first parts of any plant to evince suffering2 six or seven hours of a bad fog will suffice to leave a scar1 but the flower that shows the blemish is pretty sure to be growing on a plant that has no useful bulb set at its base4 ,london fog is often the signal for much burning of gas4 ,the usual hardiness of the ,fern deserts it here2 no plants have a greater dislike to fumes of gas2 they resent them as much as any other of ,god's creatures who were meant to live and breathe in the sweet air which is heaven's best gift4 ,what precautions can be used in foggy weather8 ,experience shows that a low temperature and a moist atmosphere are most conducive to the well-being of plants indoors4 ,it is not very easy to secure these conditions2 glass roofs are a source of dryness in cold weather4 ,the temperature of a roof is lowered by the external air1 in consequence of which1 the moisture of the hot-house air is precipitated upon the inside of the glass1 whence it runs down in the form of 8drip40 ,drip and dryness1 what plants can put up with these8 ,we must guard against them4 ,the more one reads about and learns the ways of fogs1 the more one longs to scotch the snake itself1 instead of endeavouring to cure its bites4 ,why does not the ,coal-smoke ,abatement ,society wake up and try a little harder to do something8 ,at a meeting of this society at ,grosvenor ,house1 presided over by ,sir ,w4 ,b4 ,richmond1 there was a good deal of talk that was well worth listening to4 ,principal ,lodge moved that1 8,the injury and waste caused by the escape of coal-smoke in cities demand the strict enforcement of the laws existing for its elimination1 and the adoption of such further remedies as it is within the present power of science to devise40 ,very good1 all that1 but he went on to say that he thought the continuance of the evil was largely due to the apathy of the public4 ,this resolution was seconded1 and carried unanimously4 ,the ,apathy of the ,public--that means you and me1 reader4 ,what can we do to express our feelings8 ,sir ,w4 ,b4 ,richmond moved another resolution1 which was also agreed to4 ,he said the clause of the ,public ,health ,act1 #ahia1 which related to the smoke nuisance1 was practically set aside by many authorities entrusted with its execution4 8,three strong obstructions to the purity and cleanliness of ,london air were--apathy1 vested interests1 and insufficient fines for breaking the law40 ,an account of this meeting was published in ,the ,garden of ,december #adth1 #aija1 where ,i read it with mingled feelings of anger and amusement1 but my conscience did not accuse me of apathy4 ,illustration3 ,,lilies ,,in ,,lord ,,ilchester',s ,,japanese ,,garden ,,at ,,holland ,,house1 ,,kensington ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,lady ,,decorator ,,and ,,the ,,flower-,,girl 8,pink1 primrose1 valley-lily1 clove-carnation2 ,red rose and white rose1 wall-flower1 mignonette1 ,the daisies all--these be her recreation1 ,her gaudies these40 ,during the rush of the ,london season many hostesses1 much as they love to have their houses made sweet and beautiful with flowers1 find it impossible to attend to the work of decoration themselves2 they must entrust the task to others4 ,to meet the want of chtelaines such as these1 there is the lady decorator1 with her train of flower-fairies1 ready to fill the breach4 ,and they will not only bring us flowers2 lights1 too1 they can adjust at will1 not fire-flies but electric1 which1 after all1 are most to be depended on4 ,arranging flowers is one of those things that every woman in the world thinks nobody can do but herself2 she is as much addicted to self-esteem in this direction as a man is over mending the fire2 and who does not enjoy the pleasing excitement of setting out the flowers for a ball or dinner-party8 ,the very smell of the wet moss1 the cool feel of the stalks1 the bunches of pliant fern1 the baskets ready to be unpacked1 every circumstance is in itself a pleasure1 but it is not so nice if you are hurried and interrupted4 ,better by far is it for very busy people to think out the scheme of decoration with one of the above-named fairies1 who will appear exactly at the right moment1 while you are resting1 and scatter your board with beauty4 ,one of the most experienced among these lady-workers has told me that1 of all colour-schemes1 the best for lighting up well at night is pink and silver4 ,pink ,roses in silver bowls are lovely1 but invisible receptacles1 meandering about a table1 are pretty too4 ,sometimes1 at the last moment1 the particular flower desired will not be procurable--the market has been cleared--and pink ,sweet ,peas or ,pelargoniums must take the place of ,roses1 purple ,stock do duty for ,pansies1 or ,scarlet ,geranium for fallen ,poppies4 ,it is anxious work4 ,the lady decorator is wonderfully quick4 ,she has to be4 ,james the ,first--all the ,jameses1 indeed--plushed1 powdered1 silk-stockinged1 and calmly insistent1 say1 8,you cannot have the table till such-and-such an hour40 ,very well2 then all the flowers must be prepared before they are packed to bring--every single leaf and every blossom1 all must be wired4 ,this makes them go much further1 besides keeping them in their places1 and it does give the effect of lightness2 but it is a thing to which ,i am never able to reconcile myself4 ,you take a ,lily-of-the-,valley from its vase1 attracted irresistibly by its scent1 and find it fast set in a corsetire of steel--each leaf and stalk1 almost each separate blossom1 wired4 ,this gives you a horrid feeling2 you idly untwist the cruel bonds1 and then the poor flower droops or falls to pieces4 ,in the ballroom dreadful things are suffered by the ,roses4 ,fancy a curtain all made of these lovely flowers1 wired together in long trails to match the festoons that wave softly overhead6 ,the lady decorator is pleasant to work with2 she will use your own flowers if you like1 so that one's country-houses can send their quota1 and one always enjoys the things from home4 ,she is equally ready to fill your window-box or balcony1 to furnish your dwelling-rooms with flowers both cut and growing1 to smarten up your concert-platforms or theatrical scenes1 to dress your bazaar-stalls for you1 to make your ,court bouquets1 or sprays for hair and dress2 she will even help you to decorate your churches2 and1 after once experiencing the delight of skilled assistance1 few ladies in the world of fashion take these graceful duties entirely on themselves4 ,a lady flower-decorator is almost as much wanted as a lady type-writer1 and has a far pleasanter time of it4 ,but1 like all trades1 this one has to be learned4 ,i believe an apprenticeship of two years is considered necessary4 ,it is at a wedding1 perhaps1 the flower-lady is at her best4 ,the entire dwelling of the bride is made whitely beautiful1 and the church becomes a green and scented sanctuary4 ,palms and ,ferns are lent4 ,i hope ,i am right in saying that the lady decorator never dyes her flowers4 ,i am certain she would not do so except to order2 but the present year1 which promises to be one of ,eastern magnificence and gorgeous colouring1 has begun badly in the matter of flower-dyeing2 even the simple spring flowers have not escaped the ban4 ,early in ,march1 when pacing ,regent ,street1 and pausing1 as one cannot help doing1 to admire the display of flowers in certain shops1 it was with a shock of horror one beheld dyed daffodils6 ,they formed the upstanding group of blossoms in crosses and garlands1 the groundwork of which consisted entirely of ,wallflower2 and the dye that reddened the ,daffodils1 leaving some of the petals their natural colour1 matched the red-brown of the ,wallflowers exactly4 ,for one moment it was a puzzle--only one4 ,shade of ,herrick6 who could mistake a ,daffodil8 ,a dyed ,daffodil is several degrees more agonizing than a green ,carnation1 and nearly as bad as a blue ,rose4 ,the fashion for certain flowers and colours at different seasons is quite harmless1 though one may smile at it2 but sometimes there is a reason behind the mode4 ,for instance1 one could understand the use of national colours in ,coronation year1 and yearly is ,london brightened by ,st4 ,patrick's ,day1 ,st4 ,george's ,day1 and the unforgettable day of the ,primrose4 ,it is human nature1 and ever has been1 to use flowers as symbols2 they express our feelings better than anything1 and more pleasantly4 ,happily1 the 8wearin' o' the green0 is a privilege no longer denied to any of our ,irish soldiers4 ,it is a smaller thing1 but still worth noticing1 as a proof of the part flowers play in daily life1 and the way they illustrate feeling1 that at the ,eton and ,harrow cricket-matches it is a flower that is worn for party-colour--a ,corn-flower or a ,parma ,violet--and in a less degree1 two shades of blue in flowers stand for ,oxford and ,cambridge colours on boat-race day4 ,herein we do but follow the fashion of our forefathers and of days still older1 when crowns of ,olive1 ,myrtle1 ,bay1 and ,violet were worn symbolically4 ,time was when rival ,roses1 red and white1 grew wild1 and soldiers gathered them for badges1 where now the ,temple ,gardens stand2 and every nation has its patriot flower--for ,france the ,lily1 for ,germany the ,linden1 and for us the ,rose4 ,it is unfortunate that ,st4 ,george's festival of ,roses comes so early in the year4 ,april ,roses are plentiful enough in florists' shops1 but not elsewhere2 few of them have been grown in ,england4 ,primroses come more seasonably2 of them we need only wear true home-grown blossoms1 nor need a scarcity be feared while country hedgerows continue to provide such yellow millions4 ,primrose ,day in ,london1 independently of its meaning1 is always enjoyable2 8,that subtle smell the spring unbinds-- ,the faint sweet scent of ,primroses0 is everywhere1 and ,primroses1 like ,violets1 want no arranging1 but look their best in simplest bunch or basket4 ,an ,irish poetess sings a song about it1 which ,i give1 as it is always a pleasure to see ,london through a poet's eyes4 8,make me a song for ,primrose ,day4 ,along the streets of ,london town ,a ,primrose snowstorm settles down1 ,and makes each street an amber way4 ,here are tall baskets that o'erbrim ,with posies bound for one day's whim4 ,here are shrill voices that would drown ,all singing1 crying their gold wares2 ,and many buy1 if no one cares ,how lonesome are the country places ,deserted by these ,primrose faces40 ,illustration3 ,,bulrushes ,,and ,,bog ,,beans ,,in ,,small ,,tank ,,in ,,garden ,thus it has been for more than twenty years on ,april the #aith1 and whether the pretty flower was really loved best by its hero as a salad or as an ornament does not matter4 ,the ,primrose1 so plentiful1 so popular1 as a memory-flower is perfect1 none the less so because ,shakespeare has pervaded it with a touch of sadness4 ,floral trophies are1 in my opinion1 little to be admired2 dreadful things are done in their name4 ,flower hearts and harps and crowns1 and cushions with cords and tassels1 made by stripping ,violets from their stalks and stringing them on lengths of wire like beads--how terrible are all these6 ,and so it is to see in ,christmas churches chains of ,holly-berries hung about like rosaries1 though of the two one would rather stab a berry than a ,violet4 ,ballroom bouquets are less fashionable now than in early and mid-,victorian days1 when a pretty girl would have as many as a dozen sent her on one evening by different admirers4 ,what changes1 too1 in the method of arrangement6 ,instead of the trailing posy or picturesque bunch1 every flower individualized1 one had then stiff circles of blossoms tightly packed4 ,violets and white ,camelias thus arranged were very popular1 and one ,camelia1 with a glossy leaf or two1 would be worn upon a smooth and shining head of hair1 dressed in bandeaux 7bandolined--that is1 gummed down if necessary71 long1 loose ringlets 7the ,alexandra curl71 or rolled back l',imperatrice4 ,the prettiest nosegay of that period was the ample bunch of pink ,moss-rose buds2 nothing modern could be lovelier than that1 nor sweeter4 ,i have often wished that ,london's bevy of street-selling flower-girls were more picturesque4 ,why cannot the ,society for beautifying ,london do something in this direction8 ,the snowy caps of the grisette1 or the ,italian kerchief--anything would be better than the feathered hat and grimy jacket1 and ,i would like neat shoes instead of boots4 ,w4 ,e4 ,henley1 another poet who finds inspiration in ,london streets1 has sketched her with vivid pen-- 8,forth from ,drury ,lane1 ,trapesing in any of her whirl of weathers ,the flower-girl foots it1 honest and hoarse and vain1 ,all boot and little shawl and wilted feathers1 ,of populous corners right advantage taking ,and1 where they squat1 endlessly posy-making40 ,if we watch the working-up of the button-holes--a thing ,i have often done--what a joyless1 monotonous task it looks6 ,two ivy-leaves picked from the stalk with as little joy as if they were oakum1 wired together1 and flung into a basket like malefactors' heads4 ,two more1 and then two more1 ad infinitum4 ,when the basket is quite full1 to each pair of leaves a little cluster of ,violets is added1 or a ,rose-bud1 or a few ,pinks1 or a ,primrose or two1 according to the season4 ,later on1 it will be sprigs of ,maiden-hair4 ,oh dear1 that ,maiden-hair6 ,when will it cease to remind of ,harry and ,harriet8 ,neither of these good folk feels fully dressed without the spray of ,maiden-hair2 yet it soon dies1 and its latest breaths are bitter--we know exactly the smell of it1 in its death-throes1 mingled with that of cheap tobacco-smoke4 ,but the love of flowers is such a good thing that one must1 one should not1 begrudge any one of its manifestations2 there is something beautiful even in the worst of them4 ,the bunch of ,violets is a natural and graceful gift1 the birthday posy an offering the most fastidious will not refuse1 the basket of flowers the sweetest present to the dbutante or the diva4 ,in a ,french town ,i once saw a skeleton parasol1 trimmed with flowers1 opened and handed to a lady-singer on the stage4 ,i did not admire that1 but the general applause was deafening1 and it was impossible to repress a smile as the encore song was gravely given beneath its shelter4 ,there is room in our towns for both the lady decorator and the flower-girl2 to both we cry a welcome6 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,the ,,small ,,suburban ,,garden 8,the size of a garden has very little to do with its merit1--it is the size of the heart and brain and the goodwill of the owner that will make his garden either delightful or dull40--,g4 ,,jekyll4 ,the small ,suburban ,garden--it is time some one said a good word for it4 ,what other place has been so much abused1 maligned8 ,it may1 it does1 in fact1 go on improving with the march of time and the general up-waking of the gardening world2 but the ill name sticks1 and will most likely continue to do so till the cult of the motor-car drives everybody out of the towns to live in the suburbs4 ,yet1 if the truth were known1 for the last thirty years at least the little garden spaces that skirt our towns have1 for the room they occupy1 given more pleasure and done more good than the like area in any other part of the ,king's dominions4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,a ,,small ,,suburban ,,garden ,the suburbs of ,london are certainly looking up4 ,thanks partly to the motor-car1 they are no longer the terra-incognita they used to be1 for it is impossible for people to drive out in any direction without making acquaintance with them4 ,travelling by road in this way1 one gets a much better idea of the capacities of the suburban garden than is possible from the windows of the railway-carriage4 ,these1 especially as we are just leaving ,london1 show us only the pathetic garden of the flowerless kind1 belonging mostly to the very poor2 some with a stunted cabbage or two1 other with a rabbit-hutch or a handful of dilapidated fowls1 another with clothes hanging out to dry4 ,sometimes there will be a summer-house1 but very seldom anybody sitting in it1 nor does one often catch sight of children playing happily about2 they prefer the more exciting street or the playground of their school4 ,but travelling by road1 what do we see8 ,whether we steam along the great high-road to ,acton and ,ealing1 or towards the hills of ,highgate and ,hampstead1 or rattle through ,richmond to ,wimbledon1 or vi ,kingston's quaint old town to ,surbiton and its precincts1 it is always the same2 hundreds and thousands of villas and small houses are met with1 each of which is a castle to some ,englishman4 ,interspersed with them are large gardens of older houses2 but these1 as a rule1 are hidden from view by high walls and trees4 ,they have a different story1 are sometimes of great beauty1 and do not belong at all to the class we are now considering4 ,before every one of the small suburban houses1 certainly before all that are detached1 there is a little plot of ground with trees and shrubs4 ,these plots are typically suburban1 and are often very severely censured by careless critics for their monotony and gracelessness4 ,unjustly so1 ,i think2 it appears to me that1 in most cases1 pains have been taken to make the most of opportunities1 and considering that in a whole row of small gardens every one has a different owner1 and a different mind behind it1 it is wonderful things are not more patchy than they are4 ,let us look at some of these suburban highways on a smiling day of very early summer2 it is a cheerful prospect4 ,there will be flowering and foliage trees1 neat gravel paths1 and carefully kept shrubs4 ,lilacs1 ,syringas 7properly called ,mock-orange71 ,laburnums dropping fires1 ,rowan-trees that by-and-by will be brilliant with berries1 bronze-brown ,copper-beech trees1 ,guelder-roses tossing up their creamy balls1 the ,white ,may and the rose-pink ,double ,thorn--all these are as common along the road as are the nursery-maids and perambulators upon the sidewalks and pavements4 ,if our survey had been taken either earlier or a good deal later in the year1 so far as the season would allow1 the outlook would have been just as pleasing4 ,we should have seen the ,fire-thorn's splendid red1 the ,cotoneaster's softer crimson1 the gold flowers of the ,winter ,jasmine1 the bare-branched ,almond trees kindled with rosy fire1 or brick walls blazoned with yellow blooms of ,february's ,forsythia1 above borders brimming with the gallant ,crocus4 ,the people who live in the houses behind these fore-courts 7if we may not call them gardens7 are not very rich perhaps1 but may be educated folk of taste and culture1 doing their best to make beautiful their surroundings1 though often but birds of passage who look forward to a time not far away1 when the little home will be left for larger borders4 ,many are presided over by the wives of barristers and other men of business or of law1 who prefer renting a small house away from town to living in the whirl and dust of ,london2 or sometimes by the widows and daughters of country clergymen1 who do not possess too much of this world's goods1 but cannot exist without some of their former favourites growing around them in their new suburban homes4 ,we are so much accustomed to the scenes ,i have described that we do not take much heed of them2 they are a matter of course1 but they do surprise the stranger that is within our gates4 ,people ,i have met abroad1 both in ,germany and ,switzerland1 have told me that one of the things that struck them most in ,england was the beauty of ,london's outskirts1 owing largely to the little gardens before each private house4 ,we must hope the fashionable flat will not rob us wholly of this charm4 ,whenever ,i see a pretty front suburban garden1 a wild curiosity as to the back premises arises within me4 ,herein are opportunities for the most dreadful mistakes and the most wonderful successes2 all depends on the presiding genius4 ,corner houses are the luckiest2 they get more room1 and the gardens are of quainter shapes4 ,but we will begin by considering the ordinary strip4 ,it may be long1 it is almost sure to be narrow--anyhow1 no expansion is possible2 we must make the best of what we have4 ,a general consensus of opinion has decided on having a border for flowers all round the edge against the outer wall or paling1 fronting this a gravel path2 and the centre is turfed over and called the 8lawn40 ,in very small gardens it is difficult to improve on this plan1 though other suggestions are made--such as gravelling the garden entirely1 and having a large bed for flowers in the middle1 and a bank at the end4 ,in practice1 this does not make a garden so comfortable to sit and to walk about in4 ,one does want pathways1 and to be able to get at the flowers easily4 ,if the garden is long enough1 it is a very good plan to turf quite up to the wall or paling1 on the shady side1 and have a bank raised across the middle of the garden about halfway down it4 ,a path may then be carried all round the remainder of the plot where we can walk on firm1 dry ground4 ,behind the bank we can revel in ,currant and ,gooseberry bushes and fruit trees1 and grow ,violets and ,crocusses underneath them1 and ,parsley and all manner of herbs that love the partial shelter of the bush4 ,near where the bank comes1 a ,willow tree may be planted4 ,the common ,weeping-willow grows faster than anything1 and will soon give enough shelter for enjoyment4 ,i much prefer the loose growth of the common ,willow to the tight little tents made by some ,willow trees that are considered more choice4 ,under the shadow of a simple tree like this1 father1 mother1 and little ones may sit and enjoy the beauty of the sun-flecked turf and leaf-entangled sunbeams1 as well as if they were in the grandest gardens that could be imagined4 ,it is often objected that turf does not do well in suburban gardens4 ,turf does not do well anywhere1 unless it is looked after1 and put down carefully in the first place4 ,people seem to think grass has no roots4 ,i have seen the jobbing gardener1 as well as the amateur1 lay his squares of new turf on anything that came first6 ,this is to court disaster4 ,turf wants feeding as much as anything else4 ,it is1 of course1 useless to expect it to do well right under the shadow of a house1 or under most trees2 but ,i love grass so much that ,i consider it indispensable even in the smallest garden1 and would not begrudge the trifling expense of laying down fresh turves1 where wanted1 every season4 ,we should not hesitate to spend the same sum on a book or a theatre-ticket2 why refuse it to the garden which we shall very likely be looking at and living in the summer through8 ,if one ever has a chance of viewing a roadful of back suburban gardens when their owners are not there to distract attention1 nothing could be more entertaining4 ,through the medium of a friendly railway-track1 ,i once enjoyed this treat4 ,houses looked pretty much alike1 but the gardens were strikingly dissimilar4 ,in some cases the minds of the owners were pleasingly reflected in their gardens2 in others one saw nothing but the tracks of the jobbing gardener2 in none1 except the empty and ownerless1 did one see neglect--so much must be said for all of them4 ,one or two things that were noticed were worthy of remark4 ,it was abundantly clear that the best results came about where owners themselves had personally shared in the gardening work2 it is quite easy to pick out those cases where mere neatness ended1 and mind came in1 and taste4 ,one garden 7by no means among the largest7 was particularly attractive4 ,nothing much was attempted in it1 but the little that was attempted was so well done4 ,the turf was of the finest1 like dark green velvet1 soft to the foot4 ,only a few kinds of flowers1 but all of the very best4 ,choice ,roses clustered against the west wall--not nailed to the wall1 but trained carefully on wood against it2 in front of these grew dwarf standard ,rose trees1 and before them again stretched a long border of ,carnations1 ready to bloom when their turn came4 ,the grey-green spears were beautiful already1 and a pleasure to see1 even before a bud among them was unfolded1 because so well kept and so healthy4 ,massed richly in one corner near the house the still bright foliage of the ,lily-of-the-,valley showed that a wealth of these flowers must have made the garden sweet in ,june4 ,a tree or two at the far end 7,i was peeping through them7 gave the shelter and comfort no garden should be without4 ,this little strip1 small as it was1 deserved the lovely name of 8garden40 ,one could not help observing with amusement that in some cases back and front gardens did not match2 like goods in a shop-window front1 the best had been put out for the public4 ,the public is very much obliged for the show1 but how about the family1 if there is one8 ,no pretty flowers for them1 no comfortable nooks1 no pleasant sward1 no borders of white ,pinks nor clumps of ,mignonette4 ,next door1 perhaps would be seen the other extreme--too much fussing1 too much detail1 too many rustic shelters1 even the flowers too much crowded together2 but to gardens that err in this way much may be forgiven1 for much they have been loved4 ,there is nothing like individuality for making a small garden attractive4 ,few gardens are too small for the careful cultivation of one particular flower or series of flowers4 ,a sunny little patch entirely given up to rock and wall plants would be an interest and education to one's neighbours as well as to one's self2 or a system of tubs and tubes might result in a pond-garden for many kinds of water-flowers2 or one might have a ,carnation garden1 or a garden where all the ,star-worts had a chance--there are now so many varieties that well repay for cultivation2 or there could be a collection of the best ,violas1 ,sweet-peas or ,columbines2--any of these would afford the sort of hobby that occupies and makes content the man of leisure as much as it refreshes him who has to work4 ,miniature rock and water gardens are among the latest and most pleasing developments 7it would be unfair to call them fashions7 of the gardening world1 though for obvious reasons they are not well represented at our flower-shows4 ,to begin with1 it is impossible to cart about the kind of plants that belong to them1 and they are never suitable for exhibition2 unlike the placid ,roses and smart ,orchids1 who are used to being stared at1 and appear to like it4 ,but we can enjoy the 8,rockies0 and the ,water-plants at home4 ,one gentleman of my acquaintance--by profession a man of law1 by taste a gardener and engineer--has so arranged his small suburban plot with rills and fountains that in it ,pond-weeds and ,water-lilies are waving and lolling4 ,no ,joseph ,paxton ruling the length and breadth of the ,crystal ,palace grounds could be more content than he is with his small domain4 ,illustration3 ,,late ,,summer ,it is strange how the owners of small suburban gardens1 where every inch is of importance1 idealize the gardens of their country cousins4 ,did they but know it1 these are often nothing but disappointments4 ,what opportunities are lost for want of enterprise6 ,instead of all that might and could be done in them1 nothing is done4 ,bushes and trees and shrubberies are allowed to overgrow2 poultry are considered of more importance than ,peonies1 or any other flowers1 and are allowed to get through hedges and scrape about among the borders4 ,the troublesome things are hustled away1 after a fashion1 but are under no real control1 and two or three eggs are supposed to atone for the severest damage4 ,the old herbaceous plants that have been growing and spreading for years attain to any age and size1 which does not improve their shapes or blossoms4 ,the country garden is lovely sometimes of its own sweet wayward will1 but its owner might frequently do worse than take a lesson in up-to-date gardening from the proprietor of the small suburban patch4 ,a writer who always says the things ,i wanted to say first1 has just confided to the public the particulars of the arrangement of his own small garden near a town1 and seems astonished at himself to find how fond he gets of it4 ,it would not astonish me4 ,we all get more fond of small gardens than we do of large ones--great lawns and shrubberies are for the crowd--the brilliant crowd2 we crave a niche in which to work and live1 a little corner of our very own1 to plan1 to perfect1 and to stamp with our own impress4 ,so if we happen to have 8grounds0 instead of gardens1 why1 then1 to put things right1 we make a garden within a garden1 and it is in this small spot we feel at home2 it is familiar1 and it fits us1 like the old friend or the long-worn glove1 and in our eyes it is beautiful as ,corisande's own garden when she picked the ,rose4 ,as to beauty1 either real or fancied1 it is lucky that size is not everything4 ,here are a few words ,i found the other day in a book called 8,art out of ,doors40 ,it was not meant for the suburban garden1 but well applies to it3 8,two trees and six shrubs1 a scrap of lawn1 and a dozen flowering plants1 may form either a beautiful little picture1 or a huddled disarray of forms and colours40 ,on our own taste it depends whether the little garden is to be the 8picture0 or the 8disarray40 ,perhaps if it is the latter we shall not be aware of it1 for love is blind2 anyhow1 even bad players may enjoy the game1 and1 happily1 like chess1 the gardening game is one that can be played1 and played well too1 with little pieces on a tiny board4 ,,chapter ,,xii 8,,next ,,door0--,a ,,parenthetical ,,chapter 8,united1 yet divided40 ,one matter of the deepest import confronts the owner of the small suburban garden1 from which his prototype in the country is generally free2 it is the question of 8next door40 ,inevitable1 critical1 all-important1 almost uncontrollable as it is1 8next door0 has to be faced and made the best of4 ,sometimes the best is very good indeed2 sometimes there is no best1 but a thorn4 ,in the suburbs a kind of etiquette exists which helps to smooth the way4 ,people must not stare at each other1 children must not throw things over the wall4 ,nobody should play games on ,sunday1 or make much noise if one or other of the neighbours has a garden-party4 7,suburbia revels in garden-parties47 ,snails must never be dropped over the fence1 nor stones1 and boughs that hang over are not to be robbed of fruit2 rules as to fallen fruit vary1 but are not so strict as some others4 ,these codes prevent much friction4 ,the discordant apple is as tempting in the suburban garden as ever it was in ,eden4 ,i have known a generous apple-tree owner present the rights of an overhanging branch in perpetuo to a family where there were schoolboys1 thereby securing their lifelong friendship4 ,such acts of grace as this make next-door neighbourdom a pleasant thing4 ,and there are customs4 ,it is allowable to borrow garden-rollers1 but not brooms1 nor spades1 nor lawn-mowing machines2 this is considered encroachment1 and 8going too far40 ,neither is it considered ladylike or gentlemanly to pass unsolicited remarks about the next-door garden1 even in praise2 nor is it good form to scrape acquaintance across the fence--proper introductions in the drawing-room must be waited for2 windows must not be looked out of obtrusively2 and lost balls must be searched for by going round to the front gate and ringing the bell--no short cuts4 ,putting up barriers to shut out 8next door0 is liable to offend4 ,manoeuvring is here advisable1 and wire netting comes in useful4 ,it is insidious4 ,at the outset barely visible1 as creepers clamber over and cover it1 the screen becomes impervious imperceptibly2 there is no grievance4 ,it is not thought good manners to work too hard on ,sundays2--not like a navvy1 and the shirt-sleeve would annoy4 ,anything like serious work should be done before breakfast4 ,pruning and light gardening1 however 7in the ,sunday coat71 may go on at any time1 and one may see friends and give them tea2 but decorum must prevail1 and loud laughter is avoided by the well-behaved4 ,yet great happiness has resulted from1 and many a friendship been cemented by1 handshakes across the garden-wall2 children have thus found playmates1 and older people kindred souls4 ,to the little houses of ,suburbia come many brides4 ,what an interest the new bride takes in the one-year-longer-married matron of the next-door garden as she paces round it with the nurse-maid and the brand-new baby4 ,by-and-by what comparisons and friendly talks1 what advisings and what exchanging of plants and flowers1 what sage remarks from the old inhabitants to the new1 what pleasant evenings in the summer dusk1 when husbands appear upon the scene in restful undress with tobacco-smoke1 the spark of cigarette1 and the latest news from town4 ,there are no unwritten laws about music and practising in ,suburbia4 ,every one plays as loudly and as much as he can or likes4 ,this is a pity1 but it is difficult to see how it can be prevented4 8,sound loves to revel in a summer night10 says the poet2 indeed he would have said so if ever he had sojourned in the suburbs2 but many of the sounds are pleasing4 ,there is the indescribable hum of the distant ,city1 which seems to match the red glow on the sky-line of its countless fires2 there is the chime of clocks1 the ringing of church bells1 the thrum of the banjo from a holiday group1 the trumpet call and drum of the ,salvationist4 ,but it is not for sentimental or ethical reasons alone that 8next door0 exercises so great1 so extraordinary an influence2 horticultural affairs of the deepest moment are also implicated4 ,imagine somebody1 a yard or so removed from your most cherished border1 planting a row of ,poplar trees close on to the very boundary fence4 ,nothing can stop it--the hungry roots may burrow as they choose4 ,they are not liable to the law of trespass2 there is no redress4 ,or for years you have been enjoying some comfortable nook under the shelter of your next-door neighbour's ,elm or ,oak tree4 ,one fine morning you get up to find it has disappeared in the night1 and with it your cosy corner2 but this you must take in good part4 ,it was your neighbour's tree1 not yours4 ,or upon the next-door frowning house-wall you have 7on the sly7 been planting ,ivy4 ,what a trial to see this carelessly or ruthlessly cut down1 or injudiciously lopped2 again you have to suffer in silence4 ,it is extraordinary how most children idealize 8next door10 particularly if it so happen that the inhabitants thereof are personally unknown4 ,everything beyond their own wall is pervaded by a sense of mystery4 ,they see a halo round every flower1 which blooms more brightly than any in the home patch2 the lawns are greener1 and the trees and bushes give a pleasanter shade4 ,things half seen and only guessed at are fraught with breathless interest1 and stray glimpses from the top of a dust-bin are heaven itself4 ,the barriers of reserve once down1 more than half of the excitement and all the glamour have departed4 ,then there is the question of bonfires4 ,some people enjoy bonfires--,i do myself--but the smoke of burning weeds in an adverse wind is liable to be too choky for choice4 ,i have known the bonfire to rankle4 ,as regards the hanging out of clothes to dry 7smoke reminds me of them71 ,i am informed that in the lease of many a suburban house a clause is inserted to forbid the family wash4 ,i am quite sure1 were such a thing attempted1 the breach of good manners would not be tolerated for one moment in polite suburban circles4 ,in one suburban house ,i knew1 the coachman's wife was allowed--once a week--to dry her linen for two hours of the very early morning1 before the world was up4 ,she was quite alive to the fearful necessity for punctuality1 and this is really all ,i know about 8next door10 except that1 oddly enough1 it is possible to live for thirty years without making any acquaintance with a neighbour of the next-door garden1 and this simply for accidental reasons4 ,in the thirty-first year the neighbours may meet abroad and find themselves dear friends6 ,such are the fruits of the whimsical juxtaposition of small suburban gardens--8,united1 yet divided40 ,illustration3 ,,early ,,autumn ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,grass1 ,,ground1 ,,or ,,gravel 8,where a green1 grassy turf is all ,i crave40 8,a turf of dull1 down-trodden grass ,brings summer to my heart40 ,when people first take possession of the new suburban garden1 be it ever so small or empty1 three things are sure to be found in it2 even the builder bestows as much as that upon them1 though it may not be much to boast of either in quantity or quality4 ,the three things are grass1 ground1 and gravel2 grass for the tiny lawn1 ground for the flower-beds1 and gravel for the paths4 ,now1 how are these to be apportioned8 ,some people crave for nothing but flowers and vegetables1 so they are keenest about soil and ground2 others desire to have a dry place always ready to walk about or sit in1 cheap to keep up1 and handy for their dog-kennels and other fancies4 ,they are gravelites4 ,another set of folk are only to be made happy by grass1 and ,i am of that number4 ,one of the most extraordinary things in the world is that so many garden-lovers who are kind enough to give advice about suburban plots seldom have a good word for grass4 ,i always think it must be because they have never had to do without it themselves4 ,the love of green turf is1 ,i think1 one of the most deeply rooted feelings of human nature2 maybe it is a heritage from the days when pasture-land meant more to us than it does now1 and the coming or withholding of the green blade spelled life or death4 8,the king himself is served by the field40 ,the restful charm of the grassy garden appeals to me so much1 that with a tree or two1 the simplest of flowers1 and a rose-bush here and there1 ,i could content myself with nothing else1 so ,i 7for once 7 cannot see eye to eye with ,mrs4 ,earle when she says1 8,i am all for reducing lawns and turf except for paths in small gardens20 and elsewhere we are advised to have red gravel or a bricked or tiled square to sit on while we admire a wide border of flowers all round the edge4 ,i should not like such a garden as this at all1 and could never feel at home in it4 ,fancy no kindly turf to throw one's self down upon in the noonday heat1 with a book in hand and a tree overhead1 or if not a tree1 a parasol4 ,if we had no lawn to be cut and trimmed1 where would be the sounds that most do 8rout the brood of care1 the sigh of scythe in morning dew10 or the less poetical but still soothing monotone of the mowing-machine8 ,and what a loss never to smell the fresh scent of the new-cut blades of grass as they are collected in box or barrow1 and used to mulch the wilting flowers2 nor to note the deliciously neat appearance of the well-rolled1 carefully swept grass-plot1 looking so much like a good child that has just been washed and dressed1 and repays so fully for the sweet trouble it has given4 ,a writer on the subject of very diminutive gardens has described one that belonged to a small suburban villa4 ,it captivated my fancy4 ,narrow was this tiny plot and very old1 but it was grassed all over1 and at one end a child's swing had been left standing1 which was covered with a thick growth of ,ivy4 ,how quaint and cool and pleasant on a summer's day1 and what a setting for a touch of white or scarlet6 ,any flower would look its best in such a garden4 ,not long ago a contributor to ,country ,life wrote an article on ,english and ,continental suburban gardens that interested me very much1 but ,i am sorry to say there was no mention whatever in it of turf4 ,certainly there was not much room for grass in the plots that were described1 and in some of them the gradients were too steep for grass-growing4 ,the garden ,i liked best out of those mentioned was a mere strip about thirty yards long by about ten or eleven yards wide4 ,in this small space 7little more than a courtyard7 was a border with vines and fruit trees and flowers1 a broad brick path1 and then a pleached alley of small ,lime trees1 the outer row close against the boundary wall4 ,this is another of the small gardens ,i have read of that live in my memory and are a pleasure to think of4 ,under the circumstances1 it is difficult to see how its arrangement could have been improved upon4 ,i am sure the owners1 being people of taste1 would have had turf also if possible1 and ,i am still wondering what was done under the ,lime avenue4 ,the trees must have been sweet when in flower1 but alas6 ,lime foliage falters and falls down with the first touch of frost1 and then what a litter it makes4 ,but no trees are more delightful in summer2 the wind stirs so gently in the boughs1 with eloquent soft speech of leaves4 ,it is now a good many years since it fell to my lot to plan and lay out a new suburban garden1 fortunately not one of the smallest1 and happily placed1 inasmuch as the ground ran down to a railway cutting1 at that period almost sylvan in its wildness1 with scattered ,birch and ,fir trees and banks of ,primroses4 ,how many of this garden's inhabitants have been grateful since for the good broad stretch of turf that then was carefully put down and has gone on improving and mellowing with time and age4 ,blackbirds and thrushes have hopped about all over it1 finding many a meal1 and so have round-eyed robins1 though not at the same moment2 croquet and tennis have been played upon it1--first croquet1 then tennis1 then croquet again in the cycle of the mde2 dainty tea-cups' cheerful chink has softly sounded over it1 and oft has it been dinted by childish feet4 ,in the morning it has been dim with early dew1 at noon a carpet all alive with shadows flung from leaves1 and in the evening warm and smooth and barred by sunshine4 ,the lawn has been as good as a sun-dial for telling the hours2 the trees are the pointers1 here a ,willow and there an ,oak1 and the dial-plate is the grass itself4 ,whether in shade or sunshine1 the lawn is always soft to the foot and pleasant to the eye4 ,in this garden grass was made the keynote4 ,turf is the favourite bordering for the shrubbery--a good wide border1 that makes a handsome edge and is pretty for flowers to tumble over2 grass again where there is room for another little lawn1 that can be given up to flower-beds4 ,how much is said now about the dreadful practice of cutting up a lawn to stick flower-beds in it1 8shrieking spots of colour set down here and there with little thought40 ,an authority ,i revere says 8a lawn is a place for grass2 to spot bright beds all over it is to ruin it40 ,i quite admit that to 8spot10 if there is only room for one lawn1 is gross ,vandalism1 but ,i am quite as firmly convinced that no garden is complete without some flower-beds set in turf4 ,what else shows the colours to so much advantage8 ,flower-beds in gravel1 with a stiff edging of ,box1 do not please me at all2 they are formal1 and the effect is hard4 ,even these can be improved by a broad edging of grass to every bed4 ,herbaceous borders are delightful2 we cannot live without them1 but we do want beds too1 they are so brilliant1 so useful1 and so well-behaved4 8,bedders0 are the good children of the garden1 herbaceous plants the wayward4 ,to manage them is like playing a game of croquet with ,wonderland ,alice's live flamingoes for hoops and mallets2 the plants have the same habit of taking their way1 not ours1 and this puts us more than ever in conceit with our little plots of green enamel1 set with coloured flowers like jewels4 ,a grass walk1 where there is room for it1 is another charming feature4 ,in dry weather1 when well kept1 nothing is so pleasant to walk on4 ,but no small suburban garden can hope for this luxury2 it is only to be attained in large gardens1 that have other walks for everyday wear and tear4 ,one of the gardens haunted by me as a child had a very long grass walk4 ,there was a flower border on each side of it1 and behind the borders there were trees4 ,how we all delighted in this part of the garden-ground2 how many were the friendships sworn along that silent scented pathway4 ,it was said1 moreover1 that every engagement in the family dated from it4 ,perhaps it is going too far to praise turf because it is healthy1 and poetry is no argument2 but ,fuller1 about #afbj1 said that 8to smell to a turf of fresh earth is wholesome to the body40 ,ruskin in his best prose speaks lovingly of its 8soft and countless peaceful spears10 and ,shakespeare simply revels in grass4 ,the ,bible1 too1 generally the first poem a child loves and is influenced by1 may be responsible for some of the fascination of the green herb3 8,like rain upon the mown grass20 8,thou shalt lead me in the green pastures20 8,he maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains40 ,no wonder one loves and even idealizes grass4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,ferns ,,and ,,wild ,,flowers 8,wood-sorrel and wild violet ,ease my soul's fret40 8,how ,i do envy you your bank of ,ferns0 is the remark made to me almost daily during the summer months when the green background of our outdoor fernery looks so pretty as it throws up the colours of the flower-beds on the little lawn that flanks it4 ,this is the brightest bit of the whole garden1 and its beauty is very largely due to the ,ferns4 ,then we get talking about ,ferns1 and everybody says1 8,what a pity ,ferns are out of fashion40 ,this is what ,i think4 ,there was a ,fern-craze about five and thirty years ago1 when crinolines were worn1 and long riding-habits1 and every drawing-room had its tank of sea-flowers2 but times have changed1 and the day of the outdoor fernery is over4 ,one reason given for its disappearance is what people say is its untidiness4 8,we cannot have ,ferns near the house1 because they look ragged in autumn and winter40 ,this is what ,i am told so constantly1 but do not agree with at all4 ,in the first place1 to my way of thinking1 ,ferns are picturesque all the year round1 not less so when they are brown and yellow than at the time of their greenest luxuriance1 and hardy ,ferns are the very best things in the world for ,londoners to cultivate1 because their foliage is so tolerant of smoke-poison1 even in the most aggravated form of it known as 8urban fog40 ,no town nor suburban garden1 however unfavourably placed1 need be without its ,ferns4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,town ,,fernery ,it was against a blank wall facing east1 in a brand-new garden of the suburbs1 that our own fernery was started1 and turned despair into delight4 ,this part of the garden had looked so hopeless4 ,what were we to do with it8 ,we knew that flowers would not bloom there1 and yet we wanted something cheerful to look at1 because the door-windows of our favourite sitting-rooms 8gave on to it10 as the ,french say1 and it would always be in sight4 ,then some one suggested ferns1 and it was felt at once the right note had been struck4 ,between the house and the wall there was chaos for about sixty-five feet2 then the bare wall4 ,behind that in the next-door garden were an ,oak and one or two ,apple trees1 that gave some shelter4 ,beside the house we made a terrace1 high and dry1 and planted a ,magnolia against the wall1 and ,rose trees4 ,then came a gravel path1 and beyond the path we laid a little lawn2 this left room for a four or five-foot border by the wall4 ,here was to be the fernery4 ,good drainage was secured by digging down and filling up with crocks and broken tiles and cinders4 ,then we got together a goodly store of stones1 tree-stumps1 and gnarled roots1 choosing ,oak when possible1 because of all woods it is the least liable to decay4 ,oak will even resist damp1 though damp is a thing a fernery should never be4 ,that is the mistake most people make4 ,ferns want a great deal of water1 but never to be water-logged--always dewy1 fresh1 and sprinkled4 ,now it was time to think about the soil4 ,we got in leaf-mould1 loam1 and a little peat1 which in those days was easier to get than it is now4 ,the building up of all these good materials was a pleasant task4 ,it is so nice to work with one's gardeners4 ,we cannot expect them to have the same cultivated tastes as some of ourselves1 who have travelled1 and read1 and thought1 and got out of old grooves2 but they can do the hard work1 and are quick to take ideas4 ,our ,fern-bank was not allowed to be grotto-y4 ,not a scrap of clinker1 nor a flint1 nor a shell--least of all a fossil--was permitted to come near it4 ,we waved the border up and down in quite irregular fashion with hills and dales and comfortable crannies to hold the plants when they should come4 ,a month or two had to pass before we could plant1 and this was fortunate in a way1 as things could settle down4 ,we had made the fernery in the spring1 and in the autumn we furnished it--a good time for doing so1 for in the autumn holidays one finds so many treasures to bring home in box or basket4 ,this was what we did2 and besides that1 had ordered a good many beautiful and hardy ,ferns from some growers in the south of ,england4 ,i do think this is such a good plan4 ,the more frequented country places have been so depleted by the careless ,fern-hunter and the over-zealous field-class1 that really there are now few wild ,ferns to spare4 ,whenever ,i come across any1 growing in all their beauty1 my impulse is to leave them1 not to take them away1 especially delicate ,ferns like ,tricomanes1 or the ,sea or ,bladder ,spleenwort2 nor would ,i ever rifle a lake-side of the ,royal ,osmunda1 unless in ,ireland1 where it might be growing like a weed4 ,quite common things we may take a portion of1 with care--not the whole root--the ,male and ,lady-,fern for instance1 the ,blecknums1 the ,hart's-tongues from the well-side1 and the ,polypodies of the wood and hedgerow4 ,ferns can be moved and planted with safety either in spring or autumn4 ,in the garden for dividing and replanting1 we find ,february the best month4 ,in making a ,fern-bank it must never be forgotten that1 though the hardy kinds stand cold well1 they do hate draught4 ,we carried our border round a little at both ends1 and planted shrubs so as to make it quite a cosy corner4 ,the wall itself had been stocked with climbers--,ivy1 ,virginian ,creeper1 and some ,briar ,roses and ,honeysuckle--the latter not with the hope of flowers1 but for a change of foliage4 ,in ,october the brown and yellowing fronds1 with green and gold and red and crimson leaves behind them1 are splendid4 ,our ugly patch is now the best part of the garden--the flower-beds on the turf a little formal1 perhaps1 but always bright either with spring or summer flowers4 ,both grass and blossoms are in clover here2 they get a sideways benefit from the constant spraying of the bank1 and the close-cut turf grows very fine and soft1 keeping its greenness through the hottest weather4 ,has any one noticed the beauty of the growth of fresh young pale-green ,fern-fronds1 among the old dark foliage8 ,sometimes we secure this by leaving the ,fern-bank for a dry hot day or two without much water1 then we give it a deluge over-night4 ,next day new growth begins to show1 and the fernery1 so far from being cross at so much teasing1 puts on its fairest smiles1 and looks prettier than ever4 ,but one of the greatest delights of a fernery in ,london or suburban gardens is the opportunity it gives of growing wild flowers4 ,there are so many of these one longs to have1 but there is no room for them4 ,in the herbaceous border they would be pulled up as weeds1 and on the rockery they would overgrow the other things4 ,what the dear weeds want is a place where they can rest harmless and unmolested4 ,the outdoor fernery is their ,promised ,land2 there they are good and happy4 ,many a wilding has a home in ours4 ,sometimes we wonder how they get there1 for generally they are not of our own planting4 ,some1 of course1 are 8stowaways0--vagrants that have travelled with ,fern-roots sent from far2 others may be wind or bird-sown--there is no lack of bird-life in suburban gardens4 ,any way1 the weeds are welcome4 ,amongst the strangers are ,wind-flowers1 wild ,hyacinth1 ,wood-violets1 and ,celandine4 ,enchanter's ,night-shade is a visitor that is inclined to be too pushful1 but we like a little left1 to study its life-history as related so delightfully by ,grant ,allen4 ,under the ,osmundas there is a carpet of ,oak and ,beech ,fern1 but below the hardy common ,ferns we let the ,alpine ,strawberry run about--how bright its scarlet berries in the cool green leaves6--and ,wood-sorrel1 that most engaging weed1 claimed by many as the true ,shamrock of ,st4 ,patrick4 ,there is no wild flower more interesting2 its triune leaflets are so sensitive1 closing if startled1 or if the wind be chill1 and on hot summer afternoons it is amusing to listen for the cracking of its tiny artillery as the seed-pods burst1 to fling their harmless contents all around4 ,in very early spring ,blue-bells and the constant ,primrose find warm corners on our ,fern-bank1 and show bright faces sooner than elsewhere4 ,it is here the 8spotted ,orchis takes his annual step across the earth0--why is this plant so walkative8 ,wood-sanicle is another weed we allow no one to pull up2 it is to us a living lyric of copse and woodland4 ,such simple plants are doubly sweet when growing in the small suburban garden1 houses to right of us1 houses to left of us1 and houses over the way4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,osmunda ,,in ,,may ,and now a word or two to those who fear to make a fernery too near the house4 ,here is an extract from my garden log-book1 written in ,december #aija3 8,the ,fern-bank against the ,ivied wall is looking almost as well as in ,august4 ,the plants are simply revelling in the moist still air4 ,the undergrowth of ,oak1 ,beech1 ,limestone and ,bladder ,fern is gone1 and some of the ,lady ,fern is yellowing1 but the ,hart's-tongues are greener than ever2 their bosses show up well1 and the ,male ,fern and hardy ,polystichums and ,polypodies are still flourishing1 many of them growing from a centre like gigantic shuttlecocks4 ,the ,osmunda is a little withered1 but in its golden yellow stage is very lovely40 ,the present prevailing fashion of a lingering autumn and mild ,december leaves the ,fern-bank beautiful through ,october1 ,november1 and the months that follow1 till the very hard frosts come1 which nowadays is generally not till the days have begun to lengthen4 ,in sheltered corners many plants are green the whole year round4 ,so things go on till ,january1 when some few heads are lying low1 but even then the bank is quaintly pretty4 ,february is1 ,i admit1 the least attractive month for the ,ferns themselves1 but by that time the little lowly flowers that grow among them are coming up1 and a careful look will show how fast the fronds are spreading and thickening amid the ,wood-violets' gentle blue and the pale stars of the ,primrose4 ,may is here the most amusing month2 in their growing-up stage ,ferns are funnier than schoolboys1 and more uncouth4 ,how tall and lanky is this pale ,osmunda2 he has shot up too quickly1 and there is nothing but a little bullet head at the top of every attenuated stalk4 ,he bends this backwards1 the colour changes1 and lo6 the round ball opens into the splendour of branching leaves4 ,warm rain of a day or two will do this and many another miracle will it work2 the rolled-up1 wriggling snakes and viperlings that hid away in white and woolly fleeces1 and seemed so frightened of coming out too soon1 one by one now show themselves to be the ,scolopendriums1 ,aspleniums1 ,polypodiums and ,polystichums that were so beautiful last ,july--it would really be mean to remind them in summer-time of how they looked while yet unfledged4 ,the great charm of a fernery1 well kept and long-established1 is now forgotten by most1 for it is seldom seen4 ,what we do see in many a ,london and suburban garden is the extinct or neglected fernery1 an arid spot1 most likely under a tree or trees1 which have drained every drop of moisture from the soil4 ,people have such odd notions about ,ferns2 they do not discriminate4 ,all kinds are lumped together1 and expected to look after themselves and do all right1 if they are given a few stones or a clinker or two to play with4 ,i do not think under trees the very best place for ,ferns1 for the trees get all the moisture4 ,when we know that one fair-sized ,oak tree will draw up as much as a hundred and twenty-three tons of water in a season1 we cannot wonder that there is not much left to nourish the plants beneath2 and then the rain1 the kindly rain that drops from heaven upon the earth beneath1 how are the poor overshadowed ,ferns to get that8 ,speaking generally1 all ,ferns like shade and moisture1 but different members of the ,fern family show as many individual tastes and likes and dislikes as we should find in any school or nursery4 ,some are for the cool depths of the woodland1 some for the breezy heath or open moor2 others sun themselves like chameleons on a dry and stony wall1 where they live on nothing but lime and light2 and there are the lake-lovers1 who1 poet-like1 would sit with their feet in the brook1 and gaze at the blue of the sky2 and the mountain-climbers who hide under the slates of ,skiddaw2 and the roadside ,ferns that grow beneath1 and sometimes upon1 the bossy branches of ,elms and ,oaks4 ,these hardy hedge-haunters were for a long time the only ,ferns that would not grow for us2 at last we discovered the reason why4 ,they will not drink anything but soft water1 sooner would they die4 ,all the other ,ferns ,i have mentioned live as happily in a suburban garden as they did in their native haunts1 and attain to an even greater size and luxuriance4 ,they give no trouble1 most of them do not mind hard water1 but this is much better if sprayed or sprinkled than if hosed4 ,sprinklers can be bought for a shilling or two at any ironmonger's shop1 and are most useful4 ,even the ,holly fern1 and the ,hay-scented1 and the pretty ,polystichum-proliferum that most people consider a greenhouse plant1 come up every year1 punctual as the morning sunshine1 and want nothing but water1 and some fresh leaf-mould to grow into1 now and then4 ,sometimes in the autumn we scatter them with dead leaves1 and always leave the fronds to wither as they will2 no tidying up is allowed4 ,here ,nature holds her sway1 and the touch of wildness in an otherwise well-ordered garden is refreshing4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,creepers ,,and ,,climbers 8,our tallest rose ,peeped in at the chamber window40 ,no cottage1 villa1 hut1 nor any other human dwelling1 however small and gardenless1 need be without some leaves and flowers1 for it must have walls1 and up them may the ,ivy wander and the ,jasmine cling4 ,quaintly enough1 both ,vine and ,fig tree are tolerant of town air1 and1 suggestive as they are of sylvan and patriarchal life1 might flourish in ,seven-,dials if there were room enough for them to grow4 ,the ,vine1 in fact1 is one of the best climbers it is possible to find for ,london and the suburbs2 one regrets that it is not oftener made use of1 for1 to say nothing of its fruits1 the foliage is so exquisitely decorative3 in summer of a pure green1 and in autumn rich in yellows1 reds1 and browns4 ,the ,fig tree is another handsome plant1 well worth growing if only for the sake of its comfortable triple leaves that in ,eden were found so useful4 ,there is no occasion to mention ,virginian ,creepers2 everybody already knows and appreciates them4 ,the large-leafed1 loosely flowing1 common kind is preferred by some1 but is not so neat and compact as the small-foliaged ,ampelopsis ,veitchii1 which clings wherever it can place a finger with extraordinary tenacity1 and never needs a nail4 ,naturally1 this clinging habit makes the ,veitchii very popular where gardeners are scarce4 ,illustration3 ,,virginian ,,creeper ,,over ,,porch ,in planting creepers and climbers we find it the best of methods always to put in two or three at a time2 winter and summer ones grow happily side by side2 after one has had his turn1 another takes the floor1 and things are always lively4 ,even in drear ,november there are berries1 whose shining colours are cotemporary with the bright yellows of the ,winter ,jasmine1 and these together provide a feast of colour from ,october to the end of ,january4 ,on taking possession of a house near town1 or in any of the suburbs1 we must consider well its different aspects before we choose our creepers1 and after that must settle on the best means of training them4 ,some people like to have a trellis-work of wood against the walls1 and upon grey1 or white1 old-fashioned houses this looks very well4 ,others will stretch wire-netting against the walls1 a method convenient in one way1 because a width or two can always be added as it is wanted1 and it is cheap2 but wire is not a very genial support to live on4 ,many plants do not like it1 and ,i am not at all fond of it myself2 but it comes in useful sometimes if a very ugly1 bare side wall has to be hidden by degrees4 ,virginian ,creepers do not disdain to use it when they want to climb2 but others turn from it most amusingly4 ,the other alternative is the ordinary garden-nail and shred1 and a very good one1 too1 it is4 ,every gardener should be generously supplied with nails of different sizes and strong1 clean shreds of cloth4 ,in stormy weather they save many a wreck4 ,sometimes stout string will be required1 and stakes1 and something in the nature of a pad to soften the rub of the support against the stem4 ,cloth shreds must be looked to now and then1 and renewed when necessary1 for the ravages of moth and rust are only to be expected4 ,it is wise to use tarred string1 which is very wholesome and durable4 ,many plants that find a place on walls can neither climb nor creep2 these must be strongly held in place4 ,of such are the ,cape and ,winter ,jasmines1 many ,roses1 ,forsythia1 the ,fire-thorn 7,pyracanthus71 and ,cotoneaster1 whose soft berries1 with a crimson bloom upon them1 are a pleasant change from the ,fire-thorn's brilliant red and the scarlet of the ,holly4 ,roses certainly do better against wood than when growing flush against the brick of any wall1 especially if it happens to be an old one3 they keep more free from insects4 ,how different from ,ivy1 whose feelings are deeply hurt and injured if it is torn from its dear walls1 where it so gladly feeds on lime and air1 and makes a clustered home for twilight moths4 ,jasmines and other plants that have the same habit of growth must not be allowed to run too much to riot4 ,they should be well cut in every autumn1 as soon as frost is threatening2 the new growths of each recurring season amply suffice to provide the graceful trails that hang about with great luxuriance1 and will be full of flowers4 ,two years running a pair of spotted fly-catchers built their nests in the ,jasmine-withes close to our windows2 by ,june the new growths were already thick enough to hold their tiny homes4 ,a delightful plant to cover a house-wall1 and one that is quite content to live in ,london and its suburbs1 is the evergreen ,magnolia grandiflora4 ,our own was planted1 in the first instance1 against a south wall1 where afterwards we put a ,passion-flower1 and have now two kinds of ,jasmine4 ,in this aspect the ,magnolia did not thrive at all4 ,then we moved it to the west1 where it started growth at once1 and rose with wonderful rapidity house-high and thickly branched4 ,it is a lovely place for blackbirds2 they never fail to build in it1 so we get music as well as scent2 but the birds have flown before the flowers come4 ,these bloom from ,august to ,october1 sweetening every dwelling-room that is near them1 and every one loves to watch the big white buds as they unfold so slowly to show their satin linings and the big gold jewel that lies inside each cup4 ,both on our north and south and west walls we plant ,gloire-de-,dijon ,roses along with purple ,clematis1 not for a succession of flowers1 but so that they may bloom together4 ,few things in nature are more truly satisfactory than the way these two plants have of blossoming at the same time2 the colours contrast so perfectly4 ,passion-flowers and ,clematis ,montana are two creepers that1 as a rule1 do well on warm south walls4 ,for a long time we revelled in these upon the house2 but both are delicate4 ,even so far south as ,surrey we found a very cold1 damp winter would kill them1 and it is dreadful to see an empty wall which once was full of leaves and blossoms1 so we now grow these creepers in some sheltered corner2 arch of door and window-mullion must have stronger plants4 ,no creepers are hardier than the ,virginians1 nor could any look prettier as they wreath above a porch4 ,more than once the shelter of ours has been chosen for a rare bird's nesting1 and the author of a gardening dictionary was so taken with it that he begged for its photograph1 as an illustration of that particular creeper1 in his book4 ,i have never known anything to kill this plant except drought or sunstroke4 ,do give it a little water in dry1 hot weather4 ,our south wall has been the scene of many adventures in the plant world4 ,there is a family legend about the ,passion-flower that for years grew high enough to look in 7along with the roses7 at our chamber windows4 ,it did not survive the foot-treads of ,mr4 ,peace1 the thief and murderer1 who1 one fine day at the luncheon hour1 climbed up by it over a portico and into a bedroom1 whence he made off with all the jewellery he could find2 die the ,passion-flower certainly did1 and that before the following winter's frost4 ,another creeper of great value to the suburban gardener is ,honeysuckle2 the ,dutch variety for its sweetness1 the ,japanese for its leaves of yellow1 green1 and gold4 ,not for the house1 but for pergolas1 or as a blind to hide 8next door10 or for a rustic arbour1 what is more cheerful than the ,hop1 which climbs to the height of many yards in one season1 and drops its pretty blooms1 that have so queer and pleasant a smell1 as merrily in a sunny corner of any town garden as if it were clambering up the hop-poles of ,kent or ,sussex8 ,hop-bines might be used a great deal more freely than they are to hide unsightly outhouses and barren places1 but even ,hops want a little care2 they must have some good stuff to grow into1 and they do like sunshine4 ,gourds are magnificent for all these purposes4 ,i know one gentleman who so much admires the leaves and flowers of the common domestic ,vegetable ,marrow that he cultivates it as an ornament and not for eating1 much as the ,king of ,siam grows carrots1 with whose charming foliage he fell in love when sojourning in ,england4 ,of all creepers we are familiar with1 ,clematis ,montana is least tolerant of the knife4 ,if we happen to meet with a very old one1 that has been allowed to wander unchecked all over the place1 and is untidy at the bottom1 it is quite useless to attempt to cut and prune it into shape4 ,such treatment would be certain to destroy2 it is better to take it away bodily and put in a new one4 ,the yearly pruning already spoken of may be pursued in safety4 ,honeysuckles behave much in the same way as to their dislike of too much cutting1 otherwise they give no trouble at all1 and thrive in any garden soil that is fairly good4 ,sometimes one has to deal with old house-walls whereon neglected creepers show unsightly stems1 and yet we cannot part with them1 because of the value of the upper growth4 ,the best thing to be done--so we find--is to plant some gay perennial climber that will hide defects4 ,one of the best is the ,morning ,glory 7,ipomoea7 ,if given a sunny place1 this creeper will throw up long free garlands every summer4 ,the leaves are prettily shaped1 and each new morning brings new buds1 wonderful1 twisted1 spiral buds1 that open into cup-shaped flowers1 pink1 or white1 or blue1 or streaked1 or crimson4 ,ivy deserves a chapter all to itself2 it is the kindest and most beneficent climber in all the world1 never shabby1 never tired1 blooming in ,november and ,december1 when flowers are scarcest2 and it owns such an endless variety of leaf-forms and colours that one might make an interesting garden by filling it with nothing but different kinds of ,ivy4 ,and the same ,ivy behaves so differently at different periods of its life1 that sometimes one can hardly believe one is not being cheated by a changeling4 ,see the ,ivy that is busy climbing up a tree or wall1 how tightly it catches hold1 and how industriously it wins its way to the very summit4 ,no leisure now for play or flowering1 it is a steady onward march--eyes right1 no looking round2 but once the top is reached there comes a change4 ,like a successful man of business1 whose work is done1 it has time now for life's graces2 the ,ivy settles down and clusters1 and bears flowers and berries4 ,it loves pretty shapes and pictures--in short1 takes kindly to the ,arts4 ,for the borders of shrubberies no edgings are prettier than ,gold and ,silver ,ivies trailed over stones or rock-work1 and ,irish ,ivy is invaluable to fill bare patches under trees on lawns1 where nothing else will grow1 or for covering up old tree-stumps or unsightly barns or sheds4 ,ivy at first grows slowly4 ,any one who is impatient for immediate effect had better buy well-rooted plants of it in pots2 by this means a good length can be secured at once4 ,if a small piece is planted1 a little lime-rubbish in the ground helps very much1 and so does watering for a week or two till well-established1 after which any ,ivy can be trusted to look after itself4 ,ivy in ,london is no new favourite4 ,close to ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral is a thoroughfare where once the ,prebendaries of ,st4 ,paul lived peaceful lives in quaint old-fashioned houses1 whose walls were smothered in it2 houses and ,ivy have disappeared1 but the old name lingers--it is 8,ivy ,lane40 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,easy ,,rock ,,and ,,wall ,,gardening 8,the stems are faithful to the root ,that worketh out of view1 ,and to the rock the root adheres ,in every fibre true40 ,a rock-garden1 even in a simple way1 is a great joy1 and there is no reason why we should not try to possess one even in a town or in the suburbs4 ,writers in the best horticultural papers are sometimes a little discouraging2 they tell us that the rock-garden near a house is out of place1 and that it should never be made near trees1 nor buildings1 nor any other objects1 but stand apart in stony isolation2 they also tell us by no means to make a rockery ourselves1 any more than we should try to mend a broken limb without the doctor3 we are to call in an experienced garden-artist blessed with good taste1 a knowledge of rocks1 and the requirements of ,alpine plants4 ,no doubt1 the owners of large grounds and long purses will do well to take this advice1 but people must cut their coats according to their cloth1 and no one who does not mind taking a little trouble need despair4 ,it is not so very difficult a matter to build a home for1 and to get together1 a pretty collection of ,alpine and other rock-plants4 ,one's pains are well repaid1 for no class of growing things is more interesting2 besides this1 we shall be in the fashion4 ,in our own garden1 which ,i have said before is not a large one 7close to other people's houses1 and much too full of trees71 we have contrived to make two rock-gardens1 one in shade and one in sunshine4 ,neither of them is far from our own house1 and one is much too near some ,fir trees2 but the plants do not seem to mind either of these things in the very least4 ,the first thing we have to consider in establishing a rockery 7after settling where to place it7 is the rock1 and 8rock10 as we all know1 is geology for every kind of earth and stone4 ,limestone is about the best rock we can choose2 there are so many plants that love to live in it1 and it is easier to procure than granite4 ,need it be said that we must not dream of using clinker8 ,stone is a little difficult to get1 and dear to buy and cart about1 but we lighted upon a cunning plan in getting ours4 ,we looked up a neighbouring builder1 and for a trifle and the cartage he let us have a number of disused steps and sinks and stones that came out of old houses1 and to him were so much lumber2 they were just the thing for us1 and were already nicely weathered4 ,i think we knew the right way to build a rockery1 for we had read many papers on the subject in ,the ,garden1 and also possessed ,miss ,jekyll's delightful book on 8,wall and ,water ,gardens10 the pictures in which are very helpful2 and though we could not do all the best things that might be done1 for want of room1 we succeeded fairly well1 but we had to superintend and do all except the heavy work ourselves4 ,no gardener of the ordinary jobbing or suburban type can be trusted to make a rockery4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,rockery ,the natural soil of our garden made drainage requisite1 so we began with that2 then we laid in a store of loam1 a little leaf-mould1 and a great deal of coarse sand4 ,rock-plants look as if they grew on the surface1 lying on it like water-flies upon a stream4 ,this appearance is deceitful2 they have particularly long roots1 which strike down any distance in search of food4 ,no one1 therefore1 need expect to have a successful rockery who first dumps his stones down in a heap1 and then piles the earth on the top of them4 ,each stone or piece of rock must be planted firmly1 ends pointing downwards1 as in building a flint wall1 so that roots can run down easily through the soil between them2 and it is best to work after a plan1 arranging the 8rock0 in a sort of orderly disorder like a stratification1 with here and there a 8fault40 ,so anxious were we to make our rockery look natural1 that we referred to one of ,mr4 ,geikie's geology books1 and chose our style of stratification from that4 ,it was a long time before we managed to place the stones exactly to our minds1 but we did succeed at last1 after one or two trials and a few alterations4 ,then came a period of waiting till things had settled down4 ,we gave temporary lodgings among the rocks to tufts of ,london ,pride1 the pretty pink ,saxifrage1 that so well deserves its name and is so invaluable a plant in any difficult garden1 as it will grow anywhere and remains in bloom so many months4 ,creeping ,jenny was another stop-gap1 quite as hardy as ,london ,pride1 and flowering almost directly after you plant it1 if it is given a little water and some sunshine2 ,lung-wort and common ,campanulas we put in too1 with odds and ends of all the weedy things that inhabit every garden and consider themselves1 as it were1 joint owners of it4 ,we robbed the ,herb-border1 too1 of bits of gold and silver ,thyme1 that so much loves growing on a bank and is so fragrant2 these latter were allowed to stay1 and we would have had ,balm too1 had space permitted4 ,later on came a visit to ,mr4 ,barr's nursery-ground1 from whence we drove home the richer by a number of little sandy pots1 in each pot a treasure4 ,whenever ,i visit this flowery region in search of ,daffodils1 ,i never can find time to admire the ,daffodils because of being so taken up with rock plants4 ,they are grown so beautifully here2 with nothing but flat fields to work upon1 a stretch of rocks has been imported into them so skilfully as to wear a very natural look1 and one cannot walk among them without taking an object-lesson on the beauty of bold effects4 ,after falling in love with wide expanses of trailing1 creeping1 rooting1 and clinging ,alpine and native rock-plants1 one can visit the open frames where small pieces of them are growing in pots4 ,nothing could be more convenient or pleasanter than the choosing of these and the bearing of them away in safety to individual hearts and homes4 ,grown in pots1 the most delicate things can be moved in safety4 ,the great danger among so much that attracts is that of being tempted to buy more sorts and kinds of plants than can have justice done them in a small garden2 much wiser is it to choose but a few of the best1 and let those have space to grow and spread4 ,a cranny can always be found for any rarity1 but no 8scrappy0 rockery1 any more than a 8scrappy0 garden1 will ever make for beauty4 ,in a gardening paper the other day there was a piece of advice that amused us by its navet4 ,it was1 8never to buy plants1 but always to get them given you by friends1 because that way you get much bigger pieces40 ,certainly friends who have a well-established rockery can assist greatly1 and a hamper sent us one ,october was a treasure-trove indeed1 not only for the plants we saw and handled1 but also for its waifs and strays4 ,like the magic ferry-boat1 that hamper had brought more travellers than eye could see4 ,next summer they appeared4 ,one was a vigorous plant of bright pink ,yarrow1 another a fairy ,flax 7oh1 what a delicious blue671 and one day a weird-looking stranger popped up suddenly4 ,he had a beautiful cream-coloured suit1 and peacock's eyes1 which the gardener said quite frightened him4 ,his name we discovered afterwards was ,calochortus1 a ,lily from ,california1 which is supposed to require a good deal of warmth and some care1 so we were very proud of his appearance in our rockery4 ,we contrived to find room for many pretty things3 ,campanula ,bavarica1 in falls of azure blue2 the white ,iberis and ,arabis1 double and single2 yellow ,alysum2 ,aubrietia1 pink and mauve2 as well as one or two ,rock ,pinks and some crimson ,thrift4 ,the ,bird's-eye ,primrose1 and ,rock ,primulas1 and ,alpine ,poppies 7these are lovely71 we could not run to for want of space4 ,saxifrages are a blessing in the shady rockery4 ,here1 as well as the sunshiny one1 mossy and encrusted ,saxifrages do very well4 ,some of the mossy ,saxifrages are early bloomers1 opening in ,february with large white flowers1 in striking contrast to their tufted dark-green leaves4 ,the encrusted ,saxifrages are the most wonderful of rock-plants2 any one unfamiliar with their shining silver edges might fancy the foliage were frosted2 but the edging is really an incrustation of lime4 ,in some form or other lime is a food these plants must have1 or they cannot thrive2 it is pretty to see them using their food-stuff to adorn themselves as well as in support of life4 ,some small ,saxifrages we liked are ,s4 sancta1 with yellow flowers1 ,s4 oppositifolia1 with red-purple blooms1 and the double-flowered native ,s4 granulata4 ,perhaps the handsomest of all is ,s4 longifolia1 which grows in huge rosettes1 throwing from the centre of each a panicle of creamy white flower nearly two feet long4 ,wall-planting is easier to manage in the small garden than the rockery because it so economizes space4 ,many1 in fact most1 rock-plants do well in walls if made with mould enough to give root-room4 ,a double wall is a delightful thing4 ,on the broad top of it ,roses can be planted1 and soft-stemmed ,roses look even prettier when falling down than when climbing up4 ,pink blossoms are lovely on grey stone4 ,cerastium's grey foliage should always rove about among the green things2 grey leaves are so pretty1 and there are many plants of this colour4 ,the ,cotton plant1 often called ,french ,lavender1 is a good one4 ,anemone apennina is a wall and rock plant that ought to be mentioned first instead of last2 ,anemone sylvestris and hepatica also love the stones1 and so do the homely ,houseleeks that remind us of cottage roofs1 and the grey-green ,cobweb-leeks that are smothered in downy thread4 ,it would be quite easy to make a beautiful rock or wall garden without going away from our own country to people it2 many of our common native stone-loving plants are so good4 ,snap-dragons are grand1 and we could have ,foxgloves1 the great ,mulleins and the delicate ,stitchwort1 the shining ,crane's-bell--so scarlet of leaf as summer wanes--the ,wall-,pennywort1 and the pink-flowered tiny ,toad-flax4 ,some ,ferns1 too1 could find a place in it1 ,cetrach and ,wall-,rue in the sun1 and ,polypody and the black-stemmed ,adiantum nigrum anywhere4 ,polypodies run freely about the joints of walls1 and will keep green all the winter4 ,the three commonest of our ,english wall-plants are those we love most dearly2 they are ,thrift1 ,wallflower1 and ,red ,valerian4 ,our own ,valerian was brought from the top of a castle-wall in the ,isle of ,wight1 close to the sea1 wind-swept and bathed in sunshine4 ,there were masses of it1 in patches of deep crimson2 we took some while it was in full flower1 in spite of the risk4 ,no easy matter was it to get a root1 so deeply had every one gone down between the stones1 but we managed to secure one or two with fibre on them1 and these have grown and spread4 ,wallflowers are never so happy as on stone-work with air and light all round them1 and they are all the better for the slight protection given by a wall4 ,ivy-leaved ,toad-flax was growing merrily near the ,valerian1 and was not half so difficult to get out4 ,all of these are now quite content in the suburban garden to which they were brought1 and in which they thrive and bloom1 the red ,valerian a special joy to every pussy-cat4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,rockery ,,in ,,early ,,summer ,one pleasing thought may cheer the most disheartened while going through the troubles of making a rockery2 it will be a delicious salve to one's conscience when running away with roots of dainty little plants from wall1 or moor1 or mountain1 either in ,england or abroad1 to know that at home a comfortable shelter is awaiting them where not even the ,edelweis need feel the pangs of ,heimweh4 ,flowers we bring home that live and grow are about the pleasantest log-books it is possible to possess4 8,oh1 to what uses shall we put ,the wild weed-flower that simply blows80 ,this is what ,tennyson says1 and the question is easily answered by another3 ,could it have a better use than to bring happiness to those who dearly love the country and its flowers1 but are obliged by stress of circumstance to live their lives in towns8 ,,index ,ampelopsis ,veitchii1 #ba1 #hh4 ,analysis of fog at ,kew and ,chelsea in #ahia1 #di4 ,apathy of the public about fog1 #ed4 ,arabis1 double and single1 #aa4 ,area garden1 #b4 8,art out of ,doors10 #fi4 ,asparagus ,plumosa1 #dg4 ,asparagus ,sprengeri1 #ag4 ,back and front gardens1 #fd1 #fg4 ,balcony-fitting1 #be4 ,barr's1 ,messrs41 rock-garden1 #ig4 ,birds and butterflies in ,london1 #cj4 ,bournville1 workman's village1 #cb4 ,bonfires1 #gd4 ,bulbs for the window-box1 #aj4 ,bulbs after flowering1 #ad4 ,bulbous plants in smoke1 #bh4 ,bulbous plants for parks in town1 #d4 ,bulbous plants in fog1 #ec4 ,button-hole bouquet-making in ,london streets1 #fj4 ,campanulas1 #d1 #ag1 #da1 #ig4 ,campanula ,bavarica1 #ii4 ,candy-tuft 7,iberis71 #ii4 ,charcoal filters for fog1 #ea4 ,children's window-boxes1 #ai4 ,children's ideas of 8,next-door10 #gc4 ,choosing the window-box1 #cg4 ,cleansing foliage1 #ch1 #da4 ,clean mist1 #di4 ,clematis ,montana1 #ia4 ,clementi-,smith's1 ,mrs41 rectory-garden in the ,city1 #bf1 #cj4 ,climbers1 #hi4 ,climbers in pots1 #bj4 ,country ,life on suburban gardens1 #gf4 ,country board schools1 #cc4 ,covent ,garden ,market1 #de4 ,coal-smoke ,abatement ,society1 #ed ,crocus1 #aa1 #fd1 #fe4 ,crook's ,place ,board ,school1 ,norwich1 #cb4 ,creepers1 #hi4 ,cut flowers from the florist1 #c ,daisies1 field1 #af4 ,daisies1 ,michaelmas1 #d4 ,double-wall gardening1 #ii4 ,dracaenas1 #dg4 ,drainage for window-box1 #cc4 ,drainage for fernery1 #ha4 ,drainage for rockery1 #if4 ,dyed flowers1 #eg4 ,early and mid-,victorian bouquets1 #ei4 ,encrusted ,saxifrages1 #ii4 ,establishing a rockery1 #if4 ,etiquette in suburban gardens1 #ga4 ,exeter prize window-boxes1 #ah4 ,factory-lad's window-box and ,miss ,jekyll1 #ce4 ,ferns for window-box1 #db4 ,ferns at ,kew after fog1 #eb4 ,ferns all the year round1 #hj4 ,ferns and gas1 #ec4 ,ferns under trees1 #he4 ,flower ,hospital1 #ci4 ,flower-girls of ,london1 #fj4 ,flowers as symbols1 #eh4 ,flower-beds in turf1 #gh4 ,flower-pots1 #ba1 #bb4 ,floral trophies1 #ei4 ,foreign opinions on ,english suburban gardens1 #fd4 ,fog filters and annihilators1 #ej4 ,foliage plants1 #dd4 ,free's1 ,mrs4 ,richard1 ,window-box ,society at ,millwall1 #ca4 ,front and back gardens1 #fd1 #fg4 ,furnishing the fernery1 #hb4 ,garden-schools in ,germany1 #cc ,gardens we grow fond of1 #fi4 ,genista1 #af4 ,giant ,snowdrop1 ,galanthus ,whittalli1 #aj4 ,giving away our surplus plants1 #cd4 ,grassy gardens1 #gf4 ,grass walks1 #gi4 ,hanging baskets1 #ci4 ,herbs in the window-box1 #ag4 ,honeysuckle1 #ib4 ,hops1 #ib4 ,home for ,working ,boys1 roof-garden at1 #bh4 ,impurities of town fog1 #di4 ,individuality in gardens1 #fg4 ,injuries from fog1 #di4 ,iberis1 candy-tuft1 #ii4 ,insects1 #dj4 ,ipomoea 7,morning ,glory71 #ib4 ,ivy1 #aa1 #ic4 ,jasmines1 #ij4 ,kitchen window-boxes1 #ag4 ,kew ,gardens1 fog at1 #ej1 #eb4 ,kew and ,chelsea1 fog at1 #di4 ,lady decorators1 #he4 ,lawn1 the1 #fe1 #gf1 #gh4 ,lilies1 ,japanese1 at ,holland ,house1 #d4 ,lilies in poor man's garden1 #cb4 ,limestone for rockeries1 #if4 ,london in ,june1 #bc4 ,london flower-girls1 #fj4 ,london ,pride1 #aa1 #ig4 ,love of small gardens1 #fi4 ,maiden-hair sprigs1 #fj4 ,making a balcony-garden1 #be4 ,making a rockery1 #if4 ,magnolia ,grandiflora1 #ij4 ,michaelmas ,daisies1 #d4 ,miniature rock and water gardens1 #fh4 ,moss1 #aa1 #ci4 ,musk1 #ae1 #be1 #da4 ,narcissus1 #ab1 #ci4 ,nasturtiums1 #c1 #dc1 #de4 ,open-air fern-box1 #db4 ,ornamental foliage plants1 #dg4 ,osmunda ,regalis in ,may1 #he4 ,osmunda ,regalis in autumn1 #he4 ,passion-flowers on south wall1 #ia4 ,palms1 #df4 ,petunias1 #ae1 #bi1 #ci4 ,pelham ,park 7,home for working boys71 #bi4 ,plants for house-decoration1 #df4 ,poplar trees next door1 #gc4 ,pots for balconies1 #ba4 ,pot-plants1 watering1 #da4 ,precautions in foggy weather1 #ec4 ,primrose ,day1 #eh4 ,pruning creepers1 #ib4 ,public ,health ,act1 #ed4 ,pyrethrums as town flowers1 #c4 ,queen's ,gate window-boxes1 #af4 ,rain-water1 #ah1 #hf4 ,rock-gardening1 #ie4 ,rock-plants1 hardy ,english1 #ajj4 ,roof-garden in ,bishopsgate ,st41 #bh4 ,roof-garden on ,london leads1 #bi4 ,roses1 #d1 #bj1 #ef1 #eh1 #fg1 #ij4 ,saxifrages in rockery1 #ii4 ,seeds for window-box1 #db4 ,seed ,song1 #ah4 ,shop-front in ,bond ,street1 #bc4 ,shrubs for window-box1 #ch4 ,silene 7,campion or ,catchfly71 #ab4 ,slugs1 #c4 ,snowdrops1 #aj4 ,smoke-poison1 #dh4 ,soil for window-box1 #cg4 ,soot1 #c1 #ch4 ,study of plants1 #da4 ,stone for rockery1 #if4 ,suburban gardens1 #d1 #fb4 ,suburban highways1 #fc4 ,sunflower1 a city1 #cd4 ,summer flowers for window-box1 #ad4 ,tiger ,lilies1 #bh4 ,town board schools1 #cb4 ,tubs for verandahs and balconies1 #bb4 ,turf for small gardens1 #ff4 ,turf1 love of green1 #ge4 ,turf1 flower-beds in1 #gh4 ,turf for games1 #gg4 ,turf for bordering shrubberies1 #gh4 ,urban fog1 #dh4 ,valerian1 #ajj4 ,villa window-box in ,march and ,june1 #cg4 ,virginia ,creeper for bird's nests1 #ia4 ,virginia ,stock1 #dc4 ,washing leaves1 #da4 ,watering1 #dj1 #ha1 #hc4 ,weeping ,willows1 #fe4 ,weeds that are welcome1 #cj1 #hc4 ,winter ,jasmine 7nudiflorum71 #fd1 #ij4 ,winter ,aconite1 #aa4 ,wild flowers in the garden1 #hc4 ,window-box in spring1 #aj4 ,wire netting1 #hi4 ,wired flowers1 #ef4 ,wormwood1 #ag4 ,handbooks of ,practical ,gardening ,under the ,general ,editorship of ,,harry ,,roberts ,price #bs4 #f;d4 net1 each4 ,crown #hvo4 ,illustrated4 ,price #a4jj4 ,vol4 ,i4--,the ,book of ,asparagus4 ,with ,sections on ,celery1 ,salsify1 ,scorzonera1 and ,seakale2 and a chapter on their cooking and preparation for the table4 ,by ,,charles ,,ilott1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,lecturer on ,horticulture to the ,cornwall ,county ,council4 ,the ,speaker4--8,the work of a specialist4 ,mr4 ,ilott gives us--for a matter of half a crown--the ripe experience of a life-time40 ,vol4 ,,ii4--,the ,book of the ,greenhouse4 ,by ,j4 ,c4 ,,tallack1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,head ,gardener at ,shipley ,hall4 ,the ,outlook4--8,a serviceable handbook for the practical gardener1 written with exceptional knowledge of horticultural work4 ,a special chapter deals with the little town greenhouse40 ,vol4 ,,iii4--,the ,book of the ,grape4 ,together with a chapter on the ,history and ,decorative ,value of the ,vines4 ,by ,h4 ,w4 ,,ward1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 for twenty-five years ,head ,gardener at ,longford ,castle4 ,the ,st4 ,james's ,gazette4--8,a mine of useful information40 ,vol4 ,,iv4--,the ,book of ,old-,fashioned ,flowers4 ,by ,,harry ,,roberts1 ,author of 8,the ,chronicle of a ,cornish ,garden40 ,the ,bookman4--8,all who wish for a real old-fashioned garden should certainly study this most excellent and practical book40 ,vol4 ,v4--,the ,book of ,bulbs4 ,by ,s4 ,,arnott1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 of ,carsethorne1 near ,dumfries4 ,together with an introductory chapter on the ,botany of ,bulbs by the ,editor4 ,the ,scotsman4--8,skilled and instructive4 ,it notably enriches the series in which it appears40 ,vol4 ,,vi4--,the ,book of the ,apple4 ,by ,h4 ,h4 ,,thomas1 ,assistant ,editor of ,the ,garden1 late of the ,royal ,gardens1 ,windsor4 ,together with chapters by the ,editor on the ,history and ,cooking of the ,apple and the ,preparation of ,cider4 ,the ,spectator4--8,this is a most useful volume1 which every grower1 whether for his own use or for the market1 should consult40 ,vol4 ,,vii4--,the ,book of ,vegetables4 ,by ,,george ,,wythes1 ,v4,m4,h41 ,head ,gardener to the ,duke of ,northumberland4 ,together with chapters on the ,history and ,cookery by the ,editor4 ,the ,morning ,post4--8,thoroughly practical4 ,the book can be highly recommended40 ,vol4 ,,viii4--,the ,book of ,orchids4 ,by ,w4 ,h4 ,,white1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,orchid ,grower to ,sir ,trevor ,lawrence1 ,president of the ,royal ,horticultural ,society4 ,the ,scotsman4--8,there are few writers so well qualified to write with authority upon these flowers40 ,vol4 ,,ix4--,the ,book of the ,strawberry4 ,with chapters on the ,raspberry1 ,blackberry1 ,loganberry1 ,japanese ,wineberry1 and ,allied ,fruits4 ,by ,,edwin ,,beckett1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,head ,gardener at ,aldenham ,park4 ,the ,morning ,post4--8,mr4 ,beckett deals with his subject in a thorough practical manner1 444 and fully maintains the general excellence shown in the previous volumes of this series40 ,vol4 ,x4--,the ,book of ,climbing ,plants4 ,by ,s4 ,,arnott1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,author of 8,the ,book of ,bulbs40 ,the ,scotsman4--8,this is a concise1 practical1 and well-informed exposition of skilled knowledge as to the training of creepers1 c40 ,vol4 ,,xi4--,the ,book of ,pears and ,plums4 ,by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,,bartrum1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,scotsman4--8,the writer knew as much about the growing of ,pears and ,plums as ,dean ,hole knows about the cultivation of ,roses40 ,vol4 ,,xii4--,the ,books of ,herbs4 ,by ,,lady ,,rosalind ,,northcote4 ,vol4 ,,xiii4--,the ,book of the ,wild ,garden4 ,by ,s4 ,w4 ,,fitzherbert4 ,the ,scotsman says--8,mr4 ,fitzherbert indicates very clearly how the most satisfactory results may be brought about1 and how the most charming effects may be produced4 ,the volume has a number of very beautiful illustrations40 ,vol4 ,,xiv4--,the ,book of the ,honey-,bee4 ,by ,,charles ,,harrison4 ,this book will be of great assistance to the beginner as showing the practical side of bee-keeping4 ,the handbook contains numerous illustrations which will be of interest to experienced bee-keepers as well as to the novice4 ,vol4 ,,xv4--,the ,book of ,shrubs4 ,by ,,george ,,gordon1 ,v4,m4,h41 ,editor of ,the ,gardener's ,magazine4 ,a special feature of this book lies in the distinction which it makes between shrubs and trees peculiarly suited to garden cultivation1 and those appropriate to the park and woodland4 ,the author desires to encourage the culture of shrubs in gardens1 and indicates those most suitable for various purposes and situations4 ,vol4 ,,xvi4--,the ,book of the ,daffodil4 ,by the ,rev4 ,s4 ,,eugene ,,bourne4 ,the author supplies valuable information on the cultivation of daffodils gained by the results of his own personal experience4 8,it is to be hoped10 he says in his introduction 8that the information may help the lover of ,daffodils1 not only to grow good flowers1 but also to maintain his collection at a high standard1 and generally to hold his own with other ,daffodil people40 ,vol4 ,,xvii4--,the ,book of the ,lily4 ,by ,w4 ,,goldring4 ,a description of1 and a practical guide to1 the cultivation of all the lilies usually found in ,british gardens4 ,vol4 ,,xviii4--,the ,book of ,topiary4 ,by ,,charles ,h4 ,,curtis and ,w4 ,,gibson1 ,head ,gardener at ,levens ,hall4 ,a textbook of the topiary art1 together with some account and famous examples of the application of that art4 ,vol4 ,,xix4--,the ,book of ,town and ,window ,gardening4 ,by ,mrs4 ,f4 ,a4 ,,bardswell4 ,a handbook for those lovers of flowers who are compelled to live in a town4 ,the book should be helpful even to those who are quite ignorant in the art of growing plants1 and advice is given as to the most suitable plants to grow under the various adverse conditions which town gardens afford4 ,vol4 ,,xx4--,the ,book of ,rarer ,vegetables4 ,by ,,george ,,wythes1 ,v4,m4,h41 ,head ,gardener to the ,duke of ,northumberland1 and ,,harry ,,roberts4 ,this work deals with a number of vegetables possessing choice flavour1 that are little grown in modern gardens4 ,not only does the book explain the best methods of cultivation1 but also describes the ways in which the several vegetables should be cooked and dressed for the table4 ,vol4 ,,xxi4--,the ,book of the ,iris4 ,a practical guide to the cultivation of the ,iris1 and also a description of and key to all the garden species and varieties4 ,the book will interest equally the botanical student1 the practical gardener1 and the lover of beautiful flowers4 ,vol4 ,,xxii4--,the ,book of ,garden ,furniture4 ,by ,,charles ,,thonger4 ,a practical handbook to the selection1 construction1 and arrangement of the various buildings1 trellises1 pergolas1 arches1 seats1 sundials1 fountains1 and other structures which necessity or taste may suggest as additions to our garden ornaments4 ,,john ,,lane1 ,,publisher1 ,,london3 ,,vigo ,,street1 ,w4 ,,new ,,york3 #fg1 ,,fifth ,,avenue4 ,the ,country ,handbooks ,an ,illustrated ,series of ,practical ,handbooks dealing with ,country ,life4 ,suitable for the ,pocket or ,knapsack4 ,,edited ,,by ,,harry ,,roberts ,fcap4 #hvo 7#f-a_/b by #d in474 ,price #cs4 net1 bound in ,limp ,cloth4 #a4jj net4 ,price #ds4 net1 bound in ,limp ,leather4 #a4bj net4 ,vol4 ,i4--,the ,tramp's ,handbook4 ,by ,,harry ,,roberts4 ,with over fifty ,illustrations by ,,walter ,,pascoe4 ,a volume written in defence of vagabondage1 containing much valuable advice to the amateur gipsy1 traveller1 or cyclist1 as to camping-out1 cooking1 etc4 ,vol4 ,,ii4--,the ,motor ,book4 ,by ,r4 ,t4 ,,mecredy4 ,with numerous ,illustrations4 ,an invaluable handbook that should find a place in the library of every motorist1 or even in the car itself4 ,vol4 ,,iii4--,the ,tree ,book4 ,by ,,mary ,,rowles ,,jarvis4 ,containing varied and useful information relating to forests1 together with a special chapter on ,practical ,forestry4 ,vol4 ,,iv4--,the ,still ,room4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,charles ,,roundell4 ,a book of information upon all subjects pertaining to preserving1 pickling1 bottling1 distilling1 c41 with many useful hints upon the dairy4 ,vol4 ,v4--,the ,bird ,book4 ,by ,a4 ,j4 ,r4 ,,roberts4 ,a guide to the study of bird life1 with hints as to recognising various species by their flight or their note4 ,vol4 ,,vi4--,the ,woman ,out of ,doors4 ,by ,m,,nie ,,muriel ,,dowie4 ,a book of practical value and interest to every sportswoman1 lady gardener1 and out-of-door woman of every kind4 ,vol4 ,,vii4--,the ,stable ,handbook4 ,vol4 ,,viii4--,the ,fisherman's ,handbook4 ,by ,,edgar ,,shrubsole4 ,,john ,,lane1 ,,london ,,and ,,new ,,york ,illustration3 ,,agricultural ,,horticultural ,,association ,l,,td ,,london ,,one ,,all ,,council ,hon4 ,h4 ,a4 ,,stanhope1 ,president4 ,captain ,j4 ,n4 ,,preston1 ,vice-,pres4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,whitaker1 ,esq4 ,,stanes ,,chamberlayne1 ,esq4 ,,egbert ,,de ,,hamel1 ,esq4 ,,edward ,,owen ,,greening1 ,esq41 ,managing-,director4 ,,edward ,w4 ,,greening1 ,esq41 ,secretary4 ,,reliable ,,productions ,,of ,,the ,,association 8,,one ,,all0 ,,special ,,oilcakes ,,for ,,cattle3--,no4 #a1 ,dairy ,cake for ,milk ,production2 ,no4 #b1 ,feeding ,cake for ,young ,stock2 ,no4 #c1 ,fatting ,cake for ,rapid ,fattening2 ,no4 #d1 ,store ,cake for ,summer ,feed4 8,one ,all0 ,linseed and ,decorticated ,cotton ,cakes4 8,one ,all0 ,milk ,meal for ,calves4 8,one ,all0 ,condiment1 a pure spice for cattle1 horses1 etc4 8,,one ,,all0 ,,complete ,,fertilisers ,,for ,,farm ,,and ,,garden1 properly proportioned for different crops and varying soils4 8,,one ,,all0 ,,seeds ,,for ,,farm ,,and ,,garden of the highest excellence and purity4 ,catalogues ,post ,free on ,application4 ,,publications ,,of ,,the ,,agricultural ,,and ,,horticultural ,,association1 ,,ltd4 ,,the 8,,agricultural ,,economist40--,an ,illustrated ,art ,magazine of ,agriculture1 ,horticulture1 and ,co-operation4 ,published monthly4 ,price #f;d41 or #es4 per annum1 post free4 ,specimen ,copy free on application4 8#8,,one ,,all' ,,gardening10--,a popular ,annual for ,amateurs1 ,allotment ,holders1 and ,working ,gardeners4 ,about #bjj pages1 profusely illustrated4 ,price #b;d41 all booksellers4 8,,vegetable ,,and ,,flower ,,seeds40--,free by post on application4 8,,farm ,,seeds40--,free by post on application4 8,,artificial ,,fertilisers40--,free by post on application4 8,,feeding ,,stuffs40--,free by post on application4 ,the ,book ,department of the ,association supplies all ,works on ,farming and ,gardening4 ,all details respecting the ,association and its operations sent post free on application to ,illustration3 ,edwd4 ,owen ,greening ,managing ,director4 ,,central ,,offices ,,wholesale ,,seed ,,warehouses3 #ib ,,long ,,acre1 ,,london1 ,w4,c4 ,,oilcake ,,mill ,,manure ,,works3 8,,one ,,all0 ,,wharf1 ,,greek ,,road1 ,,deptford1 ,,london1 ,s4,e4 ,the ,crown ,library ,a ,,series ,,of ,,volumes ,,embracing ,,memoirs1 ,,history1 ,,belles-,,lettres1 ,,poetry1 ,,natural ,,history1 ,,etc4 ,crown #hvo4 ,price #es4 net1 postage #d;d4 ,price #a4ej net4 ,first ,volumes4 ,i4 ,the ,natural ,history of ,selborne4 ,by ,,gilbert ,,white4 ,edited1 with an ,introduction1 by ,,grant ,,allen1 and containing #bia ,illustrations by ,,edmund ,h4 ,,new1 and ,photogravure ,portraits of ,gilbert ,white's ,correspondents3 ,daines ,barrington and ,thomas ,pennant4 999999 ,this volume includes ,white's 8,observations on ,nature0 and 8,poems02 also some interesting ,notes by ,samuel ,taylor ,coleridge4 ,,ii4 ,the ,compleat ,angler4 ,by ,,isaac ,,walton and ,,charles ,,cotton4 ,edited1 with an ,introduction1 by ,,richard ,,le ,,gallienne1 and containing #bcg ,illustrations by ,,edmund ,h4 ,,new1 and ,photogravure ,portraits of ,walton and ,cotton4 999999 ,mr4 ,edmund ,h4 ,new spent some two years in following the footsteps of the ,father of ,angling1 and the present edition includes drawings of the majority of the places mentioned in the text4 ,a special feature is the drawings of fish4 ,,iii4 ,memoirs of ,mademoiselle des cherolles4 ,translated from the ,french by ,,marie ,,clothilde ,,balfour4 ,with an ,introduction1 ,portraits1 etc4 999999 ,these 8,side ,lights on the ,reign of ,terror0 were originally published under the title of 8,some ,years of ,my ,life02 and ,m4 de ,lamartine1 who consulted them when writing his 8,histoire des ,girondins10 expressed himself as delighted with the work1 and declared he had never met with one so interesting4 ,there is contained in ,mdlle4 des cherolles' pages a vivid and touching account of the privations of those so remorselessly pursued by tyrants1 to whom the name of 8the people0 was a means that enabled them to satisfy their hatreds and desires for vengeance4 ,,iv4 ,memoirs of ,lady ,fanshawe1 ,wife of the ,right ,hon4 ,sir ,roland ,fanshawe1 ,bart41 ,ambassador from ,charles the ,second to the ,court of ,madrid4 ,written by ,herself4 ,to which are added ,extracts from the ,correspondence of ,sir ,richard ,fanshawe4 ,a ,new ,edition4 ,edited1 with an ,introduction1 by ,,beatrice ,,marshall4 ,with ,new ,portraits1 ,illustrations1 etc4 ,,john ,,lane1 ,,publisher1 ,,london3 ,,vigo ,,street1 ,w4 ,,new ,,york3 #fg1 ,,fifth ,,avenue4 ,,books ,,about ,,gardens ,seven ,gardens and a ,palace4 ,by 8,e4 ,v4 ,b410 ,author of 8,days and ,hours in a ,garden40 ,illustrated by ,f4 ,l4 ,,griggs and ,,arthur ,,gordon4 ,price #es4 net4 ,crown #hvo4 ,price #a4ej4 ,third ,edition4 ,the ,chronicle of a ,cornish ,garden4 ,by ,,harry ,,roberts4 ,with ,seven ideal ,illustrations by ,f4 ,l4 ,,griggs4 ,price #es4 net4 ,crown #hvo4 ,price #a4ej4 ,of ,gardens3 ,an ,essay4 ,by ,,francis ,,bacon4 ,with an ,introduction by ,,helen ,,milman and a ,cover-design and ,frontispiece by ,,edmund ,h4 ,,new4 ,demy #afmo4 ,price #bs4 #f;d4 net4 ,a ,garden in the ,suburbs4 ,by ,mrs ,,leslie ,,williams4 ,with ,eight ,illustrations4 ,price #es4 net4 ,crown #hvo4 ,price #a4ej4 ,stray ,leaves from a ,border ,garden4 ,by ,mrs ,,milne-,,home4 ,with ,eight ,illustrations by ,f4 ,l4 ,,griggs4 ,price #fs4 net4 ,crown #hvo4 ,price #b4jj4 ,my ,vicarage ,garden4 ,by ,canon ,,ellacombe1 ,author of 8,in a ,gloucestershire ,garden10 c4 ,with ,illustrations by ,f4 ,l4 ,,griggs4 ,price #es4 net4 ,crown #hvo4 ,price #a4ej4 ,,john ,,lane3 ,,london3 ,,vigo ,,street1 ,w4 ,,new ,,york3 #fg ,,fifth ,,avenue4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3 ,text in italics is surrounded by underscores3 italics4 ,superscripted text is preceded by a carat character3 ,l,,td4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized4 ,archaic or alternate spelling that may have been in use at the time of publication has been retained4 ,the illustration on page #bh was omitted from the ,list of ,illustrations4 ,it has been added in this e,book4