Or our Groves and Gardens made beautiful by the Naturalisation of Hardy Exotic Plants ; being one way onwards from the Dark Ages of Flower Gardening , with suggestions for the Regeneration of the Bare Borders of the London Parks . By W. ROBINSON, F. L. S. THIRD EDITION Illustrated by Alfred Parsons LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET NEW YORK: SCRIBNER AND WELFORD 1883 By the same Author. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN: ITS STYLE AND ARRANGEMENT. Followed by an ALPHABETICAL DESCRIPTION of all the PL

When I began, some years ago, to plead the cause of the innumerable hardy flowers against the few tender ones, put out at that time in a formal way, the answer frequently was, “We cannot go back to the mixed border”—that is to say, the old way of arranging flowers in borders. Knowing, then, a little of the vast world of plant beauty quite shut out of our gardens by the “system,” in vogue, I was led to consider the ways in which it might be introduced to our gardens; and, among various ideas that

Its highest results need hardly be described; they are seen in all our great public gardens; our London and many other city parks show them in the shape of beds filled with vast quantities of flowers, covering the ground frequently in a showy way, or in a repulsively gaudy manner: nearly every private garden is taken possession of by the same things. I will not here enter into the question of the merits of this system; it is enough to state that even on its votaries it is beginning to pall. Some

EXAMPLE FROM THE FORGET–ME–NOT FAMILY. ill9 Caucasian Comfrey in shrubbery. I will now endeavour to illustrate my meaning by showing what may be done with one type of northern vegetation— that of the Forget–me–not order, one far from being as rich as others in subjects suited for the wild garden. Through considering its capabilities in this way, the reader may be able to form some idea of what we may do by selecting from the numerous plants that grow in the meadows and mountain–woods of Europe,

The association of exotic and British wild flowers in the Wild Garden.—The Bell–flowered Scilla, naturalised with our own Wood Hyacinth. Their leaves die down so early in spring that they would scarcely interfere with the mowing of the grass, if that were desired, but I should not attempt to mow the grass in such places till the season of vernal beauty had quite passed by. Surely it is enough to have a portion of lawn as smooth as a carpet at all times, without sending the mower to shave the “lo

The Mountain Clematis (C. montana). Next in this order we come to the Wind Flowers, or Anemones, and here we must pause to select, for more beautiful flowers do not adorn this world of flowers. Have we a bit of rich grass not mown? If so, the beautiful downy white and yellow Anemones of the Alps (A. alpina and A. sulphurea) may be grown there. Any sunny bushy bank or southern slope which we wish to embellish with vernal beauty? Then select Anemone blanda, a small but lovely blue kind; place it i

PLANTS CHIEFLY FITTED FOR THE WILD GARDEN. ill32 The Giant Scabious (8 feet high). (Cephalaria procera.) What first suggested the idea of the wild garden, and even the name to me, was the desire to provide a home for a great number of exotic plants that are unfitted for garden culture in the old sense. Many of these plants have great beauty when in flower, and perhaps at other seasons, but they are frequently so free and vigorous in growth that they overrun and destroy all their more delicate ne

DITCHES AND NARROW SHADY LANES, COPSES, HEDGEROWS, AND THICKETS. ill36 Foliage of Dipsacus, on hedge–bank in spring. Men usually seek sunny positions for their gardens, so that even those obliged to be contented with the north side of the hill would scarcely appreciate some of the above–named positions. What, the gloomy and weedy dyke as a garden! Yes, there are ditches, dry and wet, in every district, that may readily be made more beautiful than many a “modern flower–garden.” But what would gro

DRAPERY FOR TREES AND BUSHES. ill43 The numerous hardy climbers which we possess are very rarely seen to advantage, owing to their being stiffly trained against walls. Indeed, the greater number of hardy climbers have gone out of cultivation mainly for this reason. One of the happiest of all ways of using them is that of training them in a free manner over trees; in this way many beautiful effects may be secured. Established trees have usually exhausted the ground near their base, which may, how

Although three years have elapsed since the illustrations of this book were commenced, I regret to issue it without a satisfactory one showing the beauty which may be obtained in the orchard from flowers in the grass or fences around. In our orchard counties—pity it is that all our counties are not worthy of the name within the possibilities of their position and climate—one may now and then see a cloud of Daffodils or a tuft of Summer Snowflake, enough to suggest what happy places they would be

A correspondent of the “Garden” writes:— After reading in the “Garden” of November 16, about the Bullace there named, and the Cranberries, the idea struck me of adding unto our Orchard in Sussex “a wild Orchard,” with fruit trees such as follows, viz.—Quince, Medlar, Mulberry, Bullace, Crab, Pyrus Maulei, Barberries, Blackberries (the large kinds for preserving), Filberts, and in a suitable place, Cranberries. All these, besides the interest of cultivating them, would yield fruit for preserving,

THE BROOK–SIDE, WATER–SIDE, AND BOG GARDENS. ill67 Solomon’s Seal and Herb Paris, in copse by streamlet. Nearly all landscape gardeners seem to have put a higher value on the lake or fish–pond than on the brook as an ornament to the garden; but, while we allow that many places are enhanced in beauty and dignity, by a broad expanse of water, many pictures might be formed by taking advantage of a brook as it meanders through woody glade or meadow. No such beauty is afforded by a pond or lake, whic

Wild Rose growing on a Pollard Ash in Orchardleigh Park, Somerset. “We have,” says a correspondent, “a pretty extensive collection of Roses, but one of the most attractive specimens on the place is an old double white Ayrshire Rose, growing in a group of common Laurel in the shrubberies. We cannot tell how old the plant may be, but it has probably been in its present situation for thirty years, struggling the best way it could to keep its place among the tall–growing Laurels, sometimes sending o

WILD GARDENING ON WALLS OR RUINS. ill88 Arenaria balearica, in a hole in wall at Great Tew. There are many hundred species of mountain and rock plants which will thrive much better on an old wall, a ruin, a sunk fence, a sloping bank of stone, with earth behind, than they do in the most carefully prepared border, and therefore their culture may be fittingly considered here, particularly, as once established in such positions they increase and take care of themselves unaided. Indeed, many an alpi

Probably many of your readers will ask, “What is a wild garden?” When I came to London, about fifteen years ago, “flower–gardening” had but one mode of expression only, viz. “bedding out,” and that in its harshest form—ribbons, borders, and solid masses of flowers of one colour and one height. The old hardy flowers had been completely swept away; the various and once popular race of so–called florist’s flowers were rarely or never seen. As a consequence, gardens were indescribably monotonous to

Now, such beauty could be obtained without any further aid from other plants; and in many cases it might be desirable to consider the trees and shrubs and their effect only, and let the turf spread in among them; but we have the privilege of adding to this beautiful tree and shrub life another world of beauty—the bulbs and herbaceous plants, and innumerable beautiful things which go to form the ground flora, so to say, of northern and temperate countries, and which light up the world with loveli

Monkshood , Aconitum .—These are tall, handsome perennials, with very poisonous roots, which make it dangerous to plant them in or near gardens. Being usually very vigorous in constitution, they spread freely, and hold their own amongst the strongest herbaceous plants and weeds; masses of them seen in flower in copses or near hedgerows afford a very fine effect. There are many species, all nearly of equal value for the wild garden. Coming from the plains and mountains of Siberia and Northern Eur

This sad subject has been kept for the last, as the only disagreeable one in connection with the wild garden. All I have to say of it is, there should be no rabbits in the wild garden; but the following suggestions may prove useful. The subject should be presented in a practical light to landowners and preservers of game, and if it can be shown that the preservation, or rather toleration, of rabbits on an estate is a dead loss both to the proprietor and his tenants, probably more active measures