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The General Arrangement Of The Garden
Lawn Paths Beds And Border
On The Duty Of Making Experiments
Some Neglected But Handsome Plants
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On The Duty Of Making Experiments

Description of a small yet lovely garden--Colour schemes--The spring

dell--A novel way of growing flowers--Variety in flower-gardens.

="Be original!"= is a motto that every amateur gardener should adopt. Far

too few experiments are made by the average owner of a garden; he jogs

along on the same old lines, without a thought of the delightful

opportunities he misses. Each garden, however small, should possess an

=individuality= of its own--some feature that stamps it as out of the

common run.

I remember seeing a tiny strip in a large town quite fairy-like in its

loveliness, and it has always been a lesson to me on what enthusiasm can

do. The old lady to whom it belonged was not rich, but an ardent lover of

all that is beautiful in nature and art; moreover, she did nearly all the

work herself. Though it was situated amid smoke and dirt, it almost

invariably looked bright and pretty, reminding one somehow, from its

quaintness, of the "days of long ago," for there were no geraniums, no

calceolarias, no lobelias, and not a single Portugal laurel in the whole

place. =Gardeners of the red, white, and blue school=, if any read this

book, will open their eyes at all this, and wonder, maybe, how a proper

garden could manage to exist without these indispensable plants. But then

it was not a proper garden in their sense of the term; paths were winding

instead of straight, flowers grew so well, and bloomed so abundantly that

they even ran into the walks occasionally, and, what was yet more

reprehensible, there was not a shadow of a box edging to =restrain= their

mad flight! Roses and jasmine threw their long flower-laden shoots over

the arches in wild luxuriance, and were a pretty sight, as viewed from the

seat hidden in a bower near by.

There was a small fernery, too, containing some of the choicest specimens

that can be grown in this country. Altogether it was a most charming

little garden, and gave infinite pleasure to the owner and her friends;

indeed, I for one have often been much less pleased with formal ground of

several acres in extent, though the latter might cost a mint of money to

keep up.

Experiments in the way of colour-schemes are most interesting, and should

appeal to ladies, who may gain ideas for their costumes from the blending

of shades in their garden, or vice-versa. Here a word of warning will

not be out of place; do not rely too much on the =coloured descriptions in

the catalogues=, for, as they are usually drawn up by men, they are

frequently inaccurate; so many men are =partially colour-blind=, and will

describe a crushed strawberry as a carmine! Frequently a flower will

change its colour, however, when in different soil and position, even in

the same district.

=THE DELL AT CHERTSEY.= A novel way of growing plants is to open up a

spring dell. I wonder if any of my readers have ever seen the one on St.

Ann's Hill, Chertsey? I will try to picture it here. A large basin is

scooped out of the hill, and on the slopes of this basin are grown masses

of rhododendrons and azaleas. Round the rim at the top is some light

rustic fencing, partially covered with climbing plants, and there was also

a narrow bridge of the same material. This dell could not be copied in

very small gardens, because it should be so placed as to come upon one

rather in the way of a surprise, but where there are any corners not quite

in view of all the windows, a little ingenuity will make a lovely thing of

it. The shrubs used need not be identical; less expensive plants may be

grown in just the same way. Those on the slope of the dell will do best;

the plants for the bottom must be carefully chosen, as, of course, they

will get =much moisture and little sun=. Wall-flowers would run to leaf in

that position; and so, I am afraid, would forget-me-not; daisies (double

ones) would revel there, however, particularly if the soil were made

fairly rich; they are extremely reasonable in price, and easily obtained.

Bluebells, wood anemones, doronicums, hepaticas, narcissus, snowdrops,

all like such a situation, but perhaps the queen of them all is dicentra

spectabilis, or "lady's locket," as it is sometimes called; it has pink

drooping racemes and finely-cut foliage, and is generally found under

glass, though it is never seen to such advantage as when well grown out of

doors. This dell is the very place for it, as, when out in the open

ground, rough winds injure its precocious blooms. The =hardy cyclamen=

would do admirably, too, but these must be planted on the slope of the

dell, as they need perfect drainage. In summer it should be a mass of

filmy ferns, foxgloves, and hardy orchids; the best of the orchids is

cypripedium spectabile, and it should be planted in peat and leaf-mould,

and in such a way that it is fairly dry in winter and well watered in

summer. Experiments in the way of growing uncommon plants are always

interesting; in the next chapter, therefore, I will mention a few

unreasonably neglected plants, including some novelties which I can

personally testify to as well worth obtaining.

Next: Some Neglected But Handsome Plants
Previous: Lawn Paths Beds And Border

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