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Villa Gardens

TYPICAL TREATMENT FOR VILLA GARDEN.

Villa Gardens

How to Plan

and

How to Plant them

By

*
W: S* Rogers

Illustrated by the Author

%

London

Grant Richards

1902
$

Preface

Tue Garden, however small, is so delightful
an adjunct to the house, and gardening yields
so many pleasures to its votaries, that it is a
matter for regret that so few gardeners attempt
to give artistic shape to the plots which they
cultivate with such care, and not infrequently
with every success, so far as the flowers and
plants are concerned.

Their gardens are too often left in the form
dictated by the speculative builder, when by
the exercise of some thought and by the in-
dustrious use of a pair of hands, their little
flower-lands might be made doubly beautiful
and interesting.

This state of things doubtless results from
lack of knowledge how to set to work to im-

prove upon the builder’s ideal.

vii

Vill Preface

The purpose of this book is to give such
directions as shall render the task both simple
and easy ; and, in order to give more practical
shape to my precepts, I have included in its
pages a series of plans, which will sufficiently
illustrate my subject, comprising, as it does,
most of the types of garden one finds attached
to the suburban villa.

I may here remark that my intention is to
deal exclusively with gardens of moderate size,
gardens which can readily be managed by one
person in his leisure time.

In such gardens, the problem is how to obtain
an artistic effect in a natural manner. This
is not to be done by reproducing the features
of larger gardens, but rather by the applica-
tion of principles specially suited to the case.

This will become evident, I trust, as I pro-
ceed; and the enunciation of these principles,

their practical exposition and the consideration

Preface ix

of some of the more important details their
application involves will constitute the task I
have set myself to accomplish.

As a result, I trust that I shall have
rendered some little help to the many
gardeners who find pleasure in tilling the
few square yards of soil vouchsafed to them

by the modern suburban landlord.

W. S. ROGERS.

THE IVIEs,
NorTH MORETON,
WALLINGFORD.

Contents

PREFACE : 2 : ; vil
INTRODUCTORY. z 3 so I
THE RECTILINEAR SYSTEM . : ‘ : 6
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PICTURESQUE 15
WHAT TO PLANT : , ‘i : 21
THE BACK GARDEN . : ‘ 33
EXAMPLE I é : : 37

* 2 : F : : 39

3 3 ‘ : : : é 41

” 4 : 43

” 5 . : ; 45

» 6 . . 47

THE FRONT GARDEN . ; 49
EXAMPLE 7 ; . : : SI
THE ALL-ROUND GARDEN . 2 53
EXAMPLE 8 . 55

” 9 . . . : 57

xi

Xi Contents

PAGE

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN . ‘ ‘ es , 58
GARDEN WALKS : 4 62
Rock GARDENS 7% i < 2 . 75
THE SUMMER-HOUSE . : j 85
‘OTHER GARDEN ACCESSORIES : 94
GARDEN SEATS. : : 94
ARCHES. : : 95
THE SUN-DIAL_. : 5 : 98
SOME SMALLER ACCESSORIES : ; : 102
THE GARDEN AND THE FLOWER . ‘ ; 107
“APPENDIX ; 115

INDEX 131

Illustrations

PAGE

TYPICAL TREATMENT FOR VILLA GARDEN Frontispiece
THE BACK GARDEN, I : : : 36
” ” 2 . , 2 38

” ” 3 4o

” ” 4 » 42

” ” 5° A - 44

” ” 6 : : , ; 46

THE FRONT GARDEN, 7 F F : 50
THE ALL-ROUND GARDEN, 8 a 54
” ” 9 . 56
STRAIGHT EDGE, Fig. 1 - . é 64
GARDEN WALKS, Figs. 2, 3, 4 ; : 68
Rock GARDEN CONTOUR, Fig. 5. ‘ ‘ 79
THE SUMMER HOUSE, Figs. 6 and 7 ‘ : 86
3 ws Figs. 8 and 9 ; . go
GARDEN SEATS, Figs. 10, 11, 12. é : ‘ 96
GARDEN ARCH, Fig. 13 : ‘ 98

SUNDIALS, Figs. 14, 15, 16, 17 : 100

xiii

Introductory

TuE scope of this book being limited to the
purely practical, I do not intend to enlarge upon
the pleasures of the garden. Since our first
parents found themselves installed in their horti-
cultural paradise, the garden has never failed to
yield delight and profit to mankind, and at this
day its attractions are as well understood, and
as keenly enjoyed, as ever. Hence the modern
builder would be rash if he denied his pro-
spective tenants some space behind their
houses in which to exercise their horticultural
instincts.

But, alas, it is only necessary to make a short
railway journey through the suburbs of our
larger cities to see how rarely the householder
succeeds in giving anything like artistic form to
his garden. This is probably due to the fact
that he fails to appreciate the importance of a
definite plan in his garden. He fills his beds

A I

2 Introductory

with plants and enjoys the subsequent display
of flowers, but it never occurs to him that
anything can be done to improve the general
arrangement of beds, paths and grass, so as
to obtain a more pleasing general effect.

To those who have not considered the matter
from this point of view I would say: “ Let the
plan be your first consideration.”

It is not difficult to arrange the beds and
walks of your garden in a way to show your
flowers to the best advantage, and to secure at
the same time a really artistic result, whilst
much can be done in these preliminary opera-
tions to make the most of a small garden by
eliminating useless paths, and by otherwise
adapting the plan to the convenience of the
gardener.

It often happens that some unsightly object
on neighbouring premises intrudes too con-
spicuously on the view, and it becomes neces-
sary to consider it in your plan, for, by a judicious
use of foliage, or by the erection of a pergola
or summer-house, it may be effectively hidden
or toned down.

Introductory 3

In the garden itself no inharmonious features
should be introduced, or they will detract from
the beautiful work which nature is always ready
to do at your bidding.

I have seen gardens, in which the utmost care,
and no little expense, has been lavished in
securing a splendid succession of bloom, utterly
marred by the presence of garish and trumpery
accessories, or of objects which, even if not in
themselves inartistic, are out of place amidst
the flowers by reason of their pretentious char-
acter, or of their disproportion with | their
surroundings.

I have seen other gardens, in which the
designer has permitted his fancy to run riot in
fantastic manner, resulting in the use of mean-
ingless curves and trivial eccentricities, or has
indulged in a too rigid adherence to symmetry
and stiff geometrical forms.

In such cases the gardener mistakés the
artificial for the artistic, and subordinates his
flowers to their surroundings, a practice that
is obviously opposed to the true purpose of
gardening. He regards his flowers as the child

4 __ Introductory

does his paints, as so much colour with which
to fill in his crescents, stars and circles, ignoring
their individualities, and beauty of form and
habit. Such practice, I fear, has followed
from the undue importance attached to the so-
called system of “carpet gardening,” a mode of
horticulture with which the artist and flower-
lover is out of sympathy.

It is not rash to assert that the garden
exists for the flower, and not the flower for the
garden. The chaste beauty of the lily, the
cheery frankness of the pansy, the regal scarlet
of the geranium, the stately carriage and lavish
bloom of the snapdragon and delphinium, and
the modest quiet loveliness of the primrose and
mignonette can never be enhanced by arrang-
ing them in beds of formal shape. They, one
and all, deserve elbow room in which to develop
their various characters of form and mass, and
they appeal to us for natural treatment. One
might as well chain butterflies to a perch as
confine these beautiful flowers to the artificial
boundaries of geometrical beds.

Let us then make the form of the bed a

Introductory 5

secondary matter, so we may give our flowers
their freedom to grow in loving company in the
way nature intended.

I shall now proceed to state more particularly
how to secure so desirable a result.

The Rectilinear System

THE small garden, as I indicated in my preface,
is a thing apart.

Whatever may be attempted in the garden
of the mansion, where landscape gardening, so-
called, is put into practice, is out of place in the
tiny plots with which I am here concerned.

The limits of the villa garden are only too
obvious. Its boundaries are always in evidence,
and its size is so restricted that our first care
should be to accord it treatment which may
serve to make its squareness and small dimen-
sions not too conspicuous.

Such treatment must be based upon a studied
simplicity, and the discreet use of strazghit lines.
At first thought this may seem paradoxical,
for one naturally associates the straight line
with something formal; but in reality, when
we consider the matter more carefully, it

becomes evident that what I have termed
6

Villa Gardens 4

‘rectilinear ” treatment is the only one which
will enable us to harmonise the garden with the
general squareness of its environment. Its
boundaries are most often but the four sides of
a rectangle. The house which stands within it
is square at all its angles, and squarely placed
within the garden boundaries.

Thus to plan the garden beds and walks in
sinuous lines is but to emphasize the square-
ness of its limits.

Let us then rather assimilate the plan of
the garden to the inevitable shape of its
boundaries, and rely for the general artistic
effect on the flowers, plants and trees, for which
it is to be the home, so disposing them as to
secure that variety of form which is their great
charm equally with the beauty of their colours.

It is by the application of this principle that
I have designed the several typical examples,
which I hope will constitute the most useful
feature of this book, after having put them
into practice in more than one garden, with
results which have invariably delighted their
owners.

8 Villa Gardens

To ensure success in planning a small
garden, it is necessary to consider carefully
the four essential factors :—

The Beds.

The Walks.
The Grass.
The Aspect.

The last is important as governing the

position of the principal beds, and otherwise
determining the details. of the plan.
' Of the three other factors, the beds should
receive first consideration, and they may well
occupy more space than is usually allowed to
them. Before I deal with the beds and walks
however, I must first say a few words about
the grass, particularly in its relation to the
other two factors.

The lawn is so dear to the heart of the
average gardener — he must have his little
square of neatly mown turf—that I would not
deprive him of it, though I could design him
a garden, and a delightful one too, without
so much as a square yard of grass.

I confess, however, that, where space per-

Villa Gardens 9

mits, a square or two of green has its value.
It affords welcome relief to the eye, and by
contrast sets off the colours of the flowers.
It has also other and more utilitarian purposes,
which contribute to the owner’s enjoyment of
his garden.

But, withal, the grass is, and must remain,
a secondary consideration in the general
scheme.

On no account should it be cut into an
embroidery of beds. Rather let the beds
flank the walks, and include the grass in
their embrace.

The smaller the garden, the more desirable
it is to limit the proportion of .grass, if the
gardener be loyal to his flowers; for every
square foot of it means a substantial curtail-

ment of the flower-growing area. It should
be noted that I am writing for flower lovers,

and not for students of tennis or croquet, hence
I say “if the garden is small, confine the grass
area to a single plot if possible.” It is more
easily kept in good condition, and by present-
ing a maximum surface of green, it better

IO Villa Gardens

secures that effect of contrast with the flowers,
to which I have just alluded. .

There is no need to make the grass devel,
if the ground is not naturally so; rather let
it follow the natural slope of the surface,
thereby helping to destroy the idea of formality,
besides acting more efficiently in draining
away the rain water, which on a level plot
will always form puddles.

Now as to walks. The paths should be
laid down with but one object in view, to give
ready access to the flowers. They need not
be wide expanses of gravel, but wide enough
only to admit of two persons walking abreast,
say from 2 ft. 6 in. to 3 ft. 6 in. across.

Not an inch of path should be allowed which
does not lead somewhere.

Economy .of space demands that the path
should exist for utility alone. No considera-
tions of symmetry, or of what is common and
customary, should be permitted to influence
the gardener.

The usual go and return path is a woeful
waste of ground in a small garden.

Villa Gardens II

Having now indicated the relative utility
and importance of the beds, the walks and
the grass, of which, I may repeat, the first
is the principal, and the others but accessory,
and having shown the broad general lines to
be followed in associating them together, I
shall next deal with the remaining factor,
aspect.

Until the gardener knows from which
quarters the sun will shine upon his garden,
he cannot successfully attempt to plan it, for
aspect is the key of the whole matter.

We all know that in England the sun passes
from east to west by a sweep to the south, and
that the north side of the house, therefore,
receives no sunshine. Moreover, it should be
remembered that, as a consequence, the shadow
of a house with a southern aspect envelops a not
inconsiderable part of the back garden, when
that garden is a small one.

It will be obvious, therefore, that the principal
flower beds, in such a case, should be well
removed from the house, so that they may
receive a maximum amount of sunshine.

12 Villa Gardens

Flower gardening with us may be said to
extend from February to October, inclusive, and
it is in the spring and autumn, when. the sun’s
altitude is so much less than at midsummer,
that these house shadows deprive us of so much
of the available sunshine.

In the case of a house with a northern aspect,
the conditions are more favourable, because the
garden will have no house shadow to contend
with, but only such shadows as are cast by the
walls or fences ; but the front garden of such a
house will be in almost permanent shadow.

Aspect, therefore, gives us the starting point
from which to proceed to the planning of our
garden.

Having ascertained where the sun will shine,
there locate. your principal flower beds.

Then lead your path to them in the most
direct. way. It is by no means necessary
that every bed should have its path along-
side.

The bed on the east side in Example 1 is
edge-on to the grass. The best rule is to let
the main path go where the traffic would

Villa Gardens 13

naturally wear a path if none existed to begin
with.

There is generally one door by which the
inmates of the house most often enter the
garden. Let that be the starting point from
which the principal path shall lead directly to
the flowers. No deviations should be made
for the sake of pleasing the eye, or because
it looks symmetrical on paper.

I have not dealt more precisely with the
actual planning, because I hope to elucidate the
subject more effectually, by means of the draw-
ings which follow, than I could expect to do in
a verbal description. The general directions
already given will serve to indicate the guiding
principles to be followed, and I think the
reader and would-be garden architect will find
no difficulty in adapting one or other of the
examples to his own case, or at least in
deriving from them such guidance as will enable
him to deal with his own garden, if it should
not come in line with any of the typical cases
illustrated.

Let him first make an outline plan of the

14 Villa Gardens

garden ¢o sca/e, marking on it an arrow to show
the north. He may then proceed to lay down
his beds and walks in pencil lines, feeling his
way to a convenient arrangement as the work
proceeds. He will find ita help to examine the
ground from time to time, particularly if there
is any marked slope, or other unusual feature to
be taken into consideration.

Before his work is very far advanced, he will
find it useful to form some rough conception of
how the finished result will appear when the
flowers, shrubs and trees are in place.

I shall therefore proceed in the next section
to offer some suggestions to guide him in that
part of his task.

General Considerations of

the Picturesque

Tue garden planner will do well, at the outset,
to stand at the house door (or just within the
garden proper, if, as is sometimes the case, it is
separated from the house by a yard or other
enclosure), and endeavour to form a mental
picture of the completed result of his labours,
as he would like to see it, flowers, trees and all.

This may seem to some a difficult operation,
but in reality it is not so hard to accomplish as
one would suppose, for the shape of the garden,
or some special features in its surroundings, will
supply suggestions, on which it will be possible
to elaborate.

The first and most important aim should be
to secure a general balance of effect, without
marked symmetry—what a painter would term

composition.
4g

16 Villa Gardens

Reference to the perspective drawings in the
examples illustrated will afford some assistance.

Then the idea must be considered in relation
to the ground plan, and reconsidered from time
to time, as the latter proceeds towards com-
pletion.

In addition to the flowers, shrubs and trees,
it may be desirable to introduce some structure
which will serve a useful purpose, at the same
time adding a pleasing feature to the general
aspect of the garden. A summer-house, for in-
stance, affords welcome shelter from the sun in
the hot months, and may be embellished with
flowering creepers, ivy or other plant life.

The unpretentious summer-house, shown in
some of the examples, forms a very suitable
terminus to a path, but it should be constructed
of materials which harmonise with its sur-
roundings. Oak weather-boarding, after the
newness has worn off, is charming. in tone, and
needs neither paint nor varnish to render it
durable.

Directions will be given in a later section for
building such houses.

Villa Gardens 17

In the present connection it need only be
added that the workman you may employ to
build it, whether he be a mechanic, or your
good self, should not be permitted to de-
corate it with the so-called “ rustic” woodwork,
virgin cork, or any other similar make-believe
abominations.

There is no better way of embellishing your
summer-house than that of allowing some pretty
creeper to make it its trusted support.

It should be noted how the summer-house in
Example 1 is placed so as to mask the unfor-
tunate slant in the fence on the west side.

Of other structures I would admit such use-
ful adjuncts as arches, pergolas, seats, and even
a sun dial, but I must rigidly exclude decrepit
statuary, windmills, flagstaffs, and the like.

Vases of terra-cotta, china and cast-iron must
be uséd with discretion, as they are generally
out of scale in a small garden—better a good
oak tub, if there be need for anything of the
kind.

In a very small garden, like that illustrated

in Example 6, a tub in the centre of the grass
B

a Wally arden

plot is much more effective than a central
bed. :

Whilst referring to the exclusion of inartistic
objects, I may add to the list some minor eye-
sores, which are affected by not a few of. our
gardeners, who seem to have learnt horticul-
ture in the same school as a certain heroine of
nursery rhyme, to wit—

Mary, Mary,
Quite contrary.

“ Cowslips all of a row” may not be altogether
an outrage (though I prefer them grouped),
but this mythical Mary showed a sadly de-
praved taste in admitting to her horticultural
preserves such incongruous items as “silver
bells and cockle shells.”

Therefore away to the dustbin with your
escallop shells, alabaster lumps, nuggets of glass
and minerals.

Your garden is not to be a museum of
curiosities or natural history specimens.

Also beware of paint, crude and vicious in
colour. Your trellis must be painted, or it

Villa Gardens 19

will quickly rot, but don’t paint it yellow with
Aspinall’s enamel, as I have seen it done.
There is no better paint for garden purposes
than Brunswick green. It looks rather out of
harmony with the foliage at first, but it quickly
weathers to a charming peacock shade of blue,
which is entirely devoid of offence. Indeed, in
this condition, it reminds one of the woodwork
one meets with in some old-world country
gardens, which has known no paint for many
years, but still retains a coat or two of its
original covering.

To return to general considerations, it is not
well to aim at too comprehensive a view of the
garden from the point where it is entered.
Something by way of reticence, or in the nature
of a surprise is always welcome, such as may
be seen in Example 1, where the rock garden
is not disclosed until we have passed under the
arch beyond the second angle of the path.

In very small gardens, however, it is not
possible or desirable to contrive any such
feature.

In none of the gardens herein illustrated

20 Villa Gardens

have I contemplated a greenhouse. I have
never seen a greenhouse -in a small garden
which was not an eyesore. Its garish white
paint alone is sufficient to condemn it in the
eye of the artist. It is possible to have a
garden gay with the choicest flowers from Feb-
ruary to November without “glass,” as I know
by experience, and I cannot therefore see the
advantage of devoting ten per cent. of the
garden area to an ugly structure of questionable
value.

But there are gardeners, I know, who would
not be happy without their greenhouse, and to
them I would say : “ Do your best to conceal
your glasshouse from view by growing a few
tall shrubs between it and your house, or by
putting up a trellis screen with creepers.”

I know no reason also why these houses
should not be painted green, and thereby
rendered less conspicuous.

What to Plant

To prevent misconception, I must remind the
reader that the scheme of this book precludes
my dealing with the scientific side of horti-
culture, which is a wide subject, and has been
ably and exhaustively treated by other writers.

It is not my intention to offer advice as to
what to grow, or how to grow the countless
beautiful flowers which are available for our
gardens.

Each gardener will consult his inclinations
and individual preferences in selecting the
flowers and trees for his garden, and whatever
he may decide to grow will in no way affect the
value of the suggestions which follow, for he is
at liberty to adopt or reject as his fancy dictates.

But it will help him in the work of planning
his garden on the lines herein advocated, if he
knows something of the relative values of the
various flowers, shrubs and trees, as aids to
achieving an artistic result.

2r

22 Villa Gardens

First, then, he will use the hardy perennials
as his sheet anchor, and one at least of his
sunniest and widest beds will be reserved
mainly for them, though he may probably
decide to mix with them some roses and bulbs.

The hardy perennials not only well justify
their name, but they afford the widest possible
range of character, size, colour and season, and
thus render valuable aids in enabling us to
obtain picturesque variety in our beds.

Next in importance come the flowering
shrubs and trees, including of course the roses.
These, having a greater range of height and
mass, serve to redeem the general flatness of a
small garden, and, if judiciously disposed, add
a dignity and variety, particularly as regards
height, which it is not possible to secure with
flowers alone.

But they should be selected with special
reference to the places they will occupy
in the plan, making due allowance for
growth, and not used in excess, or they will
exhaust the soil to the detriment of the
flowers.

Villa Gardens 23

Bearing in mind the needs of a small garden
and the value of abundant blossom, I have
made the following list of flowering shrubs and
trees, which will afford sufficient selection for
most purposes :—

Almond.
Azalea.
Broom.
Daphne.
Deutzia.
Flowering Currant.
Forsythia.
Laburnum.
Lilac.

Mock Orange.
Pernettya.
Red Chestnut.
Rose Acacia.
Spireea.
Thorn.
Veronica.
Weigela.

Such showy and profuse bloomers can be
placed to secure charming effects, if used with

24 Villa Gardens

knowledge of their character, colour and season
of flowering.

Of the ordinary evergreen shrubs with
inconspicuous flowers, but few should be
admitted, as their sombre green gives a
joyless funereal aspect to the garden, which
is scarcely redeemed by their evergreen char-
acter.

Coarse-foliaged shrubs, like the laurels and
aucubas, I would entirely banish.

It is in the small garden that so much can
be done with the hardy climbers. Their
rambling habit and rapid growth give us the
means of beautifying ugly corners, bare walls
and the like, whilst the more beautiful members
of this class are worthy a special support on
which they may display their flower and
foliage.

An arch or pergola of light oak rods, placed
with an eye to its value in the general scheme
of the garden, may be quickly clothed with
Wistaria, Clematis, or one of the many beauti-
ful cluster Roses, and is always an object of
interest.

Villa Gardens 25

Here is a list to select from :—
Aristolochia.
Ceanothus.
Clematis.
Convolvulus.
Gueldre Rose.
Jasmine.
Honeysuckle.
Kerria.

Passion Flower.
Rose.
Wistaria.

To the above may be added the perennial
Peas and Tropceolum, and such delightful
annuals as Sweet Pea, Morning Glory and
Nasturtium. .

For bold effect in the border, the gardener
will receive useful assistance from the Holly-
hock, Dahlia, Sunflower, Evening Primrose,
and other handsome and abundant flowerers.

Although he will be wise to keep these
larger plants mainly for the back of his
border, he will be well advised to bring, here
and there, one or more groups of them to

.

26 Villa Gardens

the front, so as to break up his borders into
irregular sections or compartments. Such an
arrangement affords shelter to the smaller
plants, and by screening some of the flowers
reserves them for closer inspection, or as a
surprise, in accordance with the principle I
have already termed “reticence.” Nothing is
more delightful than to pass along a border
so arranged, finding something new and
unexpected every few yards.

Of purely foliage plants the small gardener
must be shy, but he will find a use for two
or three.

Ivy is always charming when not overdone,
and a Hop plant will rapidly wreathe a fence
with graceful greenery, when the position is
unfavourable for growing anything choicer. A
. few heads of Indian Corn add a welcome note
of grace to a wide border, and can hardly be ex-
cluded by reason of their semi-tropical character.

Roses suffer in no way by association with
other flowers. At the same time it is desirable
to have at least one bed in which a group of
roses is the principal feature.

Villa Gardens 27

In such a bed avoid having bare soil beneath
the roses, particularly if they are standards. It
is better to plant the space with some surface-
growing flower, like Mignonette or Musk, which
will not only make a delightful carpet, but, by
its shade, will prevent undue evaporation of
moisture from the soil in the hot season, when
the roses most need it.

The house walls should be clothed with
climbing flower-bearers. But too often Ivy
and Virginia Creeper are the only plants
allowed on the house. side, to the exclusion
of such beautiful and prolific bloomers as
Wistaria, Jasmine, Clematis and Ceanothus.

Roses will thrive in almost every aspect, if
selected according to the circumstances. I have
seen a north wall abundantly covered with the
blooms of the Gloire de Dijon. Honeysuckle
and the Flame Nasturtium are better on a north
wall than elsewhere ; Clematis loves the sun.

Thus you may, and should, choose your
climbers according to aspect, and if you can
associate plants which bloom at different
seasons so much the better.

28 Villa Gardens

Don’t plant them too close to the house
walls, where the soil is invariably dried by
contact with the brickwork, but let their
stems arch out from the wall to the ground,
to a distance sufficient to bring their roots
well into the damp soil. A foot to eighteen
inches will usually be sufficient for the purpose.
It is most important with the climbing roses,
which will never do their best if this precaution
be neglected.

In the front garden—in most cases, alas, a
small affair—the planting is a simple matter,
but it is surprising how few succeed in getting
even a passably good general effect. The
tendency is to overplant, particularly with such
uninteresting shrubs as laurels.

A common mistake is to grow a high privet
hedge on the hither side of the paling, some-
times for considerations of privacy, and some-
times “to keep out the dust.” The one motive
I can understand, but I consider the result
dearly bought at the price of so dismal an
expanse of monotonous leafage; whilst, as to
question of dust, these hedges do undoubtedly

Villa Gardens 29

collect much of it, and that increases their un-
sightliness. If the aspect is south, I prefer to
clothe the fence on the near side with Honey-
suckle, the fragrance of which, when in flower
—and it often blooms twice in a season —
amply compensates for its less efficient action
as a dust screen.

Don’t set up a row of mop-headed acacias,
and don’t indulge in vegetable sculpture on a
row of pollard limes.

The ruthless pruning of trees out of all
semblance of their proper shape and character
is little short of criminal.

Better plant a few specimens of Lilac,
Thorn, Flowering Currant and Mock Orange,
and let them grow up naturally as their habits
dictate.

The Golden Elder is an attractive foliage
tree for a front garden, bearing well the
ravages of a town atmosphere, and having
the advantage of being a quick grower. If
cut down to the ground annually, it will
send up new stems in the spring and never
get into a straggling trunky condition.

30 Villa Gardens

If the aspect is north, there will be less
scope for flowers; but, as already stated,
a Gloire de Dijon rose or Honeysuckle will
flourish, and in the beds you may grow
Solomon’s Seal, Ferns, London Pride, Lily
of the Valley, Cyclamen and Creeping Jenny,
as well as Foxgloves, Evening Primrose and
Everlasting Pea.

Some of the most charming small gardens
are those which are neither back nor front.
I have termed them “all-round gardens,”
though usually they do not entirely surround
the house. Their irregular shape lends itself
to picturesque treatment, and they are generally
more open and sunny than the more common —
back garden. The examples illustrated are
sufficiently typical to meet most cases. The
planting of such gardens will be governed, as
in the other cases, by the principles already
laid down, not overlooking the all-important
question of aspect.

One of the chief delights of a small garden
is that the gardener can manage it without
professional assistance. He is independent of

Villa Gardens 31

the journeyman gardener, whose views are so
frequently antagonistic to any form of in-
novation.

I could fill a chapter with the misdeeds of
the outside man, and the records of his amazing
ignorance. His vocabulary also is mystifying
to the verge of madness, when he attempts
to enumerate the plants by name. A pro-
fessional of my acquaintance puzzled me with
such words as “ Roaring Dandy,” “Trader's
Canter” and “Miss Emily Anthem,” and it
took some time to analyse these terms into
Rhododendron, Tradescantia and Mesem-
bryanthemum.

My advice is, “be your own gardener.”
Know your garden as you know your house
and friends. Your bulbs may be peacefully
resting beneath the soil, and you will not
forget them, but once let loose the man
amongst your beds, and he will sooner or
later put his spade through your choicest
treasures, and as likely as not never tell you
of the injury he has done.

Therefore let no one come between you

ao Villa Gardens

and your flowers. They need your constant
personal care and attention, and should be to
you as well-loved children. For them I would
wish you to provide a picturesque and well-
kept home, where they may grow and thrive
in health and beauty.

It is no more trouble, and no more expense,
to plan the garden well, than to plan it badly,
and when well done it remains for good and
all a place of beauty, light and colour, to
gladden the owner and his friends, so long
as there is a hand to give it that care and
attention, which it needs from time to time,
to enable it to bring forth its yearly charm of
flower and leaf.

The Back Garden

Tue following examples of back gardens, if
they do not meet every possible case, will I
trust prove sufficiently explicit to enable the
reader of this book to put into practice the
principles of garden planning advocated in the
foregoing pages.

Each illustration has been drawn to scale,
and a scale of feet is appended, so that the
actual dimensions of the various details may
be ascertained without difficulty.

The grass area is indicated by shading.

It is not intended that the plans should be
followed in every minute particular. Special
features on the ground, or in its surroundings,
may render modification necessary, and it may,
for reasons of economy, be desirable to omit
certain accessories.

But, given shape and aspect in agreement
c 33

34 Villa Gardens

with one of these examples, then the plan of
beds, paths and grass cannot do better than

follow the example.
A few explanatory notes accompany each

illustration.

Perspective View

No.'

Example

Plan

i ;
Scale of Feet

Villa Gardens — 37

EXAMPLE I.

This is a type of garden very commonly
annexed to the semi-detached suburban villa.
The ground falls slightly towards the west, hence
the retaining board at foot of the east border.

The curtailed angle at the end is unfortunate,
but its unsightliness is masked by the summer-
house. The single tree on the grass may be a
Thorn or Rose Acacia.

The climber on the arch might be a Wistaria.

A shrub should cover the small wedge-shaped
space on the west of the summer-house. The
structure marked verandah is a low shed, with
open front and raised floor, a pleasant shady
spot where one may sit and look out over the
flowers. It may be made to support a Honey-
suckle or Yellow Jasmine. The garden is
entered from the conservatory through the side
yard, which is screened from the garden proper

by trellis.

Villa Gardens 39

EXAMPLE 2.

A not uncommon form of garden, but need-
ing somewhat special treatment.

The transverse path against the house is to
give access to the side passage leading to the
front garden. The other transverse path leads
to the rock garden, which may be partly sunk,
z.é., the centre may be some 18 inches
below the level of the main walk. This will
enable the garden maker to excavate soil with
which to form the raised banks on either side.

If the soil is clay, or otherwise non-porous, it
would be necessary to drain the rock garden
floor, or water would settle there to the detri-
ment of the plants.

The square centre bed would be a good
position for a bold clump of Pampas Grass. Ivy
or Periwinkle might be grown beneath the trees
at the south end of the garden. The tree at
the angle, where the path diverges to the rock
garden, might be a Mulberry or Medlar, in
which case the grass should be extended be-
neath it up to the main walk.

Honeysuckle should be grown over the
summer-house.

Terrace

VY MMU

Ferns

Villa Gardens 4l

EXAMPLE 3.

This example illustrates the treatment of a
rectangular plot in a manner which avoids a too
conspicuous symmetry, and secures an ample
flower-bearing area in the parts most in sunshine.
The principal beds focus about the summer-
house, to which also the path leads.

The tall trees at the north end of the garden
cast their shadows on the wall and adjoining
premises, and may therefore be allowed full
liberty of growth, if the neighbour raises no
objection.

The border beneath them may be planted
with Ivy or Periwinkle, and a few Starworts.

The cross path leading to the summer-house
might be spanned by a pergola, if desired, on
which Rambling Roses, Clematis, Gourds or
Wistaria might be trained.

Door

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Path

Plants

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House

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Perspective View

36

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Scale of Feet

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Villa Gardens 43

EXAMPLE 4.

It sometimes happens that an entrance is
provided at the end of a garden, most usually
when the house has no side entrance. In such
case it is not advisable that its existence should
be too much in evidence.

In this example the summer-house is made to
screen the doorway from view. The aspect
being just the reverse of that assumed for the
last example, it is possible to bring the principal
beds nearer to the house.

The crook in the path gives the opportunity
for placing a sun-dial, or vase of flowers, and at
the same time permits of a direct approach to
the centrally placed summer-house. The house
back should be clothed with creepers, such as
Clematis, the Rambling Roses, and other sun-
loving wanderers.

7 Dy ad Pa a I TEE IN
SO MY A
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>» sqing

Path

House

GY
Vd).
Plan

Yard

Scale of Feet

Perspective View

Villa Gardens 45

EXAMPLE 5.

The treatment in this instance is designed to
make the best of a garden which has one side
sloping. This is always an awkward shape to
deal with successfully, and the only feasible plan
is to conceal the slope of the fence by a stepped
arrangement of the trees and other objects, as
shown in the plan.

The summer-house is set squarely with the
general plan, its back taking the slope of the
fence. The garden seat also may be made to
help the intended illusion.

The large trees on the south side will cast
shadows, but they are placed so that the
shadows fall as little as possible on the beds.

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Villa Gardens 47

EXAMPLE 6.

This is a very diminutive back garden,
where the problem is to make the most of
the space available.

The fence is raised by the addition of trellis,
thereby giving room for some climbing roses
and other creepers. The beds near the house,
being in shadow, are best devoted to Ferns,
Solomon's Seal and other shade-loving flowers
and plants, of which a list has already been
given. It may encourage owners of such re-
stricted garden space to know that the author
formerly possessed just such a garden, and,
besides some thirty-six rose trees, he managed
to grow in it, with every success, a varied
collection of other plants.

The Front Garden

In this category come all gardens which are
situated between the house front and the
street.

Some general remarks and directions have
been given for the planting of the narrow
strips which separate most houses from the
side walk.

These small spaces do not call for any de-
tailed treatment, so far as planning goes, and
no illustrated examples therefore are given.

But it sometimes happens that the principal
garden space is situated wholly in front of the
house, and then it will need the application of
the same principles which govern the planning
of the back garden.

The single example which follows will be
sufficiently suggestive to meet most cases.

Scale of Feet

Villa Gardens 51

EXAMPLE 7.

This example requires little by way of ex-
planation.

The sun-dial is introduced to break what
otherwise would be a long straight path, and
to afford a convenient place from which to lead
a transverse path to the summer-house.

The yard at the side of the house is con-
cealed by the large tree. The grass, though
divided into three separate plots, is equally
accessible from the house, the front entrance
and the summer-house. It should be remarked
that this principle has been followed in all the
plans.

The All-Round Garden

As already explained, the term “all-round” is
applied to gardens which embrace more than
one side of the house. They often occur at
street corners, and result sometimes from the
builder having planned his house of irregular
shape.

Such gardens invariably lend themselves to
picturesque treatment, and they have the ad-
vantage of being overlooked by most of the
windows of the house. Hence it repays the
owner to exercise some thought and care in
planning them.

53

sg Al
Gate

Scale of Feet

Villa Gardens 55

EXaAmPLeE 8,

This type of garden, when the aspect is
approximately that indicated in the illustration,
is always charming.

Four of the six house walls are in sunshine,
and may therefore be made gay with flowering
creepers, to the point of lavishness.

Such creepers will in no way detract from
the display in the garden proper.

The two entrances to the garden are useful
when the side walk passes along both sides.

A seat might be placed beneath the large
tree in the corner facing the porch.

Scale of Feet

Villa Gardens 57

EXAMPLE 9.

This example differs from the last, in the
__shape of the house and the position of the front
entrance.

The two principal borders receive full sun,
and should be made the main feature of the
garden.

The square bed, devoted to Roses, should
be planted with other flowers between, as
already recommended.

Annuals such as Mignonette, Verbena,
Salpiglossis, Stocks and Musk are all quite
suitable for the purpose.

The summer house is set squarely, but is
entered by a doorway on either side of the
corner post.

The Vegetable Garden

Tue villa garden is usually so small an affair
that the gardener, who loves his flowers and
desires to achieve a completely artistic general
effect in his garden, will, in most cases, be out
of sympathy with the more prosaic details of
vegetable culture, and in consequence he will
give up no part of his limited domain to a
purpose which, at best, yields him but a few
sickly cabbages and pot herbs. Hence I have
considered it as almost outside the scheme of
this book to deal at length with the vegetable
garden.

Still, for the benefit of the few gardeners
who are more bountifully blessed in the matter
of square yards than the average, and who, in
spite of their loyalty to their flowers, cherish
also a sneaking regard for the home-grown
vegetable, I may offer a few remarks on the

vegetable garden in its relation to the general
58

Villa Gardens 59

plan. To the man who devotes his whole
garden to vegetables I have naught to say.
He will not be influenced by considerations of
the picturesque, and, if he were, I fear there is
no rule for his guidance.

But there are some gardeners who will desire
to reserve space for vegetables, without wishing
to detract from the general picturesqueness of
their gardens, and to such I may offer a few sug-
gestions. In the foregoing illustrated examples
of garden planning it will be seen that the main
walk is generally flanked on both sides by
flower borders. That part of the garden which
is to be devoted to vegetables will of necessity
be approached by a walk, either a continuation
of the main walk, or an offshoot from it. If,
therefore, the flower borders are continued into
and through the vegetable ground, along with
the path, it will achieve the result of render-
ing the presence of the vegetables less con-
spicuous, as well as giving the impression that
the flower garden proper covers the whole of
the space.

The borders, where they pass through the

60 Villa Gardens

vegetable ground, may be reduced in width, if
desired, in which case it would be well to erect
an arch at the break, so that the fact becomes
less apparent.

I have in mind a very charming suburban
garden treated in the way just described,
wherein the presence of vegetables and a
goodly collection of fruit trees is hardly
noticeable, and is certainly no blemish.

Then it is always useful to have reserve
space for raising seedlings and striking cuttings.
If some of the space between the vegetable
rows is used for this purpose, it helps to
redeem the sober character of. that part of the
garden, whilst the flowers there raised often
acquire a delightful background in contrast
with the grey greens of the cabbage, or the
more vivid tints of some other of the culinary
delicacies.

Much may be done with the herbs and
parsley to give an attractive appearance to the
borders of the vegetable plot, and a gardener,
with an eye to the picturesque, will make
capital out of a bold clump of rhubarb, or the

Villa Gardens 61

handsome rambling foliage of the vegetable
marrow.

The presence of fruit-trees ensures abund-
ance of charming blossom in the early months
of the year, and the placing of these trees may
well be considered as a factor in the general
plan of the garden. What more beautiful than
a spray of rose-flecked apple-blossom arching
the path, or the profuse white flowers of the
cherry and plum; even the homely scarlet-
runner may be made to add its share to the
general effect with its abundance of coral-
coloured flowers.

Thus, if the vegetable garden is a necessity,
it may, by a little thought and management,
be blended with the flower garden in a way
which effectually redeems it from reproach.
And if the gardener take care that its condition
be always tidy and trim, it will hardly detract
from the value of his efforts in the flower
garden, though its existence will necessarily
curtail his flower-growing space.

Garden Walks

In gardening, as in other pursuits, the old
order of things dies hard, and hence it is that
one seldom sees anything attempted in garden
walks which can be regarded as an improve-
ment on the common gravel or cinder path.
Yet it is possible, as I shall show, to make
the garden walk more permanent in character,
more picturesque, less liable to the inroads of
weeds, and in other ways so much better than.
the gravel path, that I am encouraged to
attempt the conversion of the reader to my
views ; especially as the expense is but little,
if any, more than that involved in laying good
gravel.

My plan is to use common builder’s bricks
to form a skeleton pattern, and to fill in
between them with a rough mosaic of stones,
pebbles, or rubble. Reference to Fig. 2 will

make the mode of construction quite clear.
62

Villa Gardens 63

In the making of such a walk, the soil must
be removed to a. depth of at least 18 inches,
so that a good bed may be found on the sub-
soil. The soil removed may generally be
utilised in raising and improving the flower
beds. The trench is then filled in with
any hard material obtainable, such as brick
bats, broken stone, clinkers, and shingle.
The builder’s rubbish one usually finds buried
in new gardens, when collected, often proves
sufficient for the purpose, and is better so
employed than lying on and under the flower
beds.

Next should be laid a dressing of finer
material, such as gravel, cinder- breeze, or
‘“burnt-ballast,” the top of which should be
brought approximately to a flat surface. On
this the bricks should be laid flat, without mor-
tar, taking care to set them truly in line and
to press each one down firmly into its place.

A stretched cord, such as bricklayer’s use,
is the best means for keeping the lines straight.

If the garden is level, it is best to give the
path a slight upward curve or “‘camber” to

64 Villa Gardens

throw off the rain water; but this becomes
unnecessary if the ground slopes perceptibly
across the line of the path, as then the path
may be kept flat on the surface and made to
continue the natural slope of the ground. To
effect this with a minimum of trouble, a rough
straight-edge may be made, as shown in the
illustration.

=

Fig. |

It is tapered to the correct angle, and a spirit
level is fixed in the centre of the top edge.
With this appliance you will be able to test
the slope of the path at all stages of its con-
struction, and at the same time to keep its
surface flat.

It should be noted that, excellent as the
stretched cord is for keeping a straight line, it
is not to be depended upon for keeping the
level, since it always sags perceptibly between
its points of support; hence it is advisable to

Villa Gardens 65.

check the flatness* of a path along its length
with a straight-edge.

All bricks are more or less curved in the
burning. The convex side is easily detected
by looking along the edges, and should always
be laid uppermost, otherwise the brick will
acquire a tendency to rock, and will in time get
loose on its bed.

In using builders’ bricks, the gardener will do
well to remember that they rapidly excoriate
the hands, and he should use gloves therefore
if he wishes to avoid sore fingers.

Bricks of suitable quality may be bought at
about 36s. per thousand. Those known as
“seconds wire-cut” I have found excellent.

About five hundred bricks will be ample for
the largest garden shown in the illustrated
examples.

When the path comes against grass, it is
best to keep the levels of the two the same, but
when against a bed, it is preferable that its edge

* To prevent possible misapprehension of terms I may explain
that I use the words “flat” and “level” in their strictly separate
meanings. An inclined path may be flat but is not level,
though a level path is flat of necessity.

E

66 Villa Gardens

stands above the level of the soil, so as to form
a barrier to rolling clods. Edging tiles then
become unnecessary.

The filling between the bricks may be done
in various ways.

One plan is to use a fine concrete of screened
gravel and Portland cement—gravel three parts
and cement one part.

This, when well beaten down to a good sur-
face level with the bricks, is quite satisfactory,
and is quickly done; but a better plan, though
involving rather more labour, is to make a
coarse mosaic, for which the ordinary’ hard
road metalling, known as Macadam, is an
excellent material, as it runs approximately
cubical, and is therefore easily fitted together
in the spaces.

The method of laying such a mosaic is as
follows. Make a mortar of builders’ sand and
Portland cement, half and half, mixing it with
water to a stiff pasty consistency. Fill in the
space to within 2 inches of the top (a brick is
about 22 inches thick) with gravel, then fill up
level with the top of the bricks with mortar,

Villa Gardens 67

working it against the sides, and whilst it is
still soft insert the granite cubes, pressing them
down into the mortar, but leaving their upper
surfaces slightly higher than the bricks.

When the space is completely filled in this
manner, go over it with a flat board and mallet,
beating down the cubes until they are all level
with the bricks and you have obtained a flat
surface.

In this part of the process some of the
mortar will necessarily be displaced, and will
appear on the surface, whence it may be
removed with a trowel and transferred to the
next space. In twelve hours all will be set
hard, and the surface may be washed with a
hard brush to improve its appearance.

If pebbles are used for filling, they should be
laid end on in dry sand, levelling their tops
with the board and mallet, and then securing
them in place by a grouting of liquid cement
(Portland cement and water mixed to the con-
sistency of cream) poured amongst them from
a pail until it rises well above the middle of the
pebbles.

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Villa Gardens 69

When rubble is used for filling, it should be
built in with the mortar recommended for the
Macadam cubes, using a builder’s trowel, and
keeping the surface flat by the use of a straight-
edge.

It will be seen that there is plenty of scope
for producing really artistic patterns in this
method of path-making, but a word of warning
must be said in regard to attempts at over-
elaboration, and the use of curves or intricate
devices for which the Saree shape of the
bricks is unsuitable.

The path illustrated in Fig. 2 may be taken
as a sample, and may be simplified, if desired,
but should not be further elaborated.

Paths made in the way described are so
durable, sightly, and easily kept clean and tidy,
that the wonder is they have not come more
into use; whilst, on the other hand, gravel,
which in town gardens becomes blackened with
soot, demands considerable labour from time to
time to keep it free from weeds, and it is neces-
sary to break it up and relay it at intervals to
ensure a fair surface that will not hold puddles.

70 Villa Gardens

I have already given the cost of bricks. The
estimate for a path as shown in Example 1, of
brick and Macadam, would be approximately :—

400 bricks. : : . £014 6
2 bushels cement . ‘ . Oo 4 0
Half load of sand. o 2 6
Half load of Macadam . o 8 o
Shingle, rubbish, etc.—say 0 60

Total. £1 16 o

I assume that the gardener will himself
supply the muscle and brains to do the work,
which is simple and interesting, and may be done
by instalments as time and inclination permit.

To gravel a similar path would cost £1, to
which must be added the cost of edging tiles
(about 13s. per hundred), so that in point of
expense there is not much to choose between
the two systems.

In some parts of the country opportunities
occur of obtaining stone waste, and where such
material is available a picturesque, uncommon
and thoroughly satisfactory path may be made

Villa Gardens 71

of it, if some such mode of construction be
adopted as shown in Fig. 3. This design, I
may add, is based upon what one finds in
Japanese gardens, the general effect being that
of stepping-stones.

The stones should be worked into more or
less rounded shapes, no sharp angles being
allowed, and their edges should not be brought
into close contact, the spaces between being
filled with cement mortar.

If the stones can be had of nearly equal
thickness throughout —as is found in York
stone waste—they may simply be laid flat upon
the foundation and grouted with liquid cement.
Should the stones, however, vary much in thick-
ness, it is better to build them together as
advised for rubble.

Red sandstone is a most excellent material,
and harmonises well with the flowers. White
stone glares somewhat at first, but soon tones
down under the action of the weather and
vegetable growth.

I am not much in favour of tile paths, partly
because they are not porous and therefore do

72 Villa Gardens

not dry very quickly after rain, and partly on
account of their hard and formal appearance.
But, if desired, tiles may be used in place of
bricks for composite paths with sufficiently good
effect. The expense is greater, and the trouble
involved in setting them considerably more, as
they must be bedded on mortar or they will
quickly become dislodged. They are also
more easily broken than bricks.

An example of a tile and rubble path is.
illustrated in Fig. 4, for the benefit of those.
who may like to try a part-tile path.

It should be noted that edging tiles are
necessary, as with gravel.

Tar paths are too dismal in colour for a
flower garden, and cinder paths have the same
objection. The former often get soft and tacky
in hot weather,

In spite of the foregoing, I have no doubt
that some gardeners will still pin their faith to
gravel, and I give therefore a few directions
for obtaining the best results with it.

The first essential is to procure good gravel.

Many gravel paths are unsatisfactory because

Villa Gardens 73

a gravel has been used that has no binding
qualities. Good gravel is dark red in colour,
and contains a perceptible admixture of a clay-
like material, which enables it to consolidate
under pressure, and to remain firm and not
easily disturbed by weather or traffic for an
indefinite time. A path which is for ever
littered with loose pebbles is as bad an aid to
comfortable locomotion as were the peas of the
pristine pilgrims.

All gravel paths should be laid with camber
to throw off the rain water.

After spreading the gravel, water it freely
until the water squeezes out before the roller
as the latter is pushed along its surface.
When rolled to a fair surface, leave the path
undisturbed for a time, and it will then be
found to have set hard and tight.

Where it is not possible to get good gravel,
a passable substitute is “burnt ballast,” a
material which is made by burning clay and
coal breeze in admixture.

It binds well and is easily brought to a good
surface. Its colour also is pleasant.

74 Villa Gardens

Reverting to the brick path, it should be
borne in mind that the width should be made
to accord with the brick measurements, viz. a
multiple of 44 inches, otherwise much cutting
of bricks will be necessary, and a patchy
appearance will result.

If the gardener be tempted to construct
these composite paths, and is unacquainted
with Portland cement, let him take a note of
warning. If kept long in contact with the
hands in a dry state it will burn the skin and
cause soreness.

An all-brick path is, of course, quite feasible,
and will offer no difficulties to the reader who
has mastered the foregoing directions. To keep
the marginal bricks in place it is well to grout
them with cement; the bricks in the centre
part may be laid loosely in contact, and their
weight will keep them in place.

A bricklayer’s trowel is a far handier tool for
the above operations than the curved trowel of
the gardener.

Rock Gardens

To the real lover of flowers, as distinguished from
the flower-growing enthusiast, there is nothing
more delightful than a rock or Alpine garden.
When properly constructed and planted it in-
volves very little trouble afterwards, and is a
constant centre of interest from early spring till
winter frosts.

Let us fully understand its purpose. The
mere heaping together of a mass of stones,
clinkers and other odd things, into a grotto-
like structure, with a sprinkling of soil, is
not the kind of rock garden which succeeds.
Something better suited to the needs of the
plants is wanted if it be desired to grow
the many beautiful flowers which clothe the
mountain sides almost up to the snow-line
and give so delightful a character to the
Alpine landscape.

We must imitate more closely the natural

home of these plants.
75

76 Villa Gardens

This may be done by using a light soil in
combination with masses of stone, brick or other
porous material, the function of which latter is
that of the potato in the Scotchman’s tobacco
pouch—to conserve the moisture. The soil
must be light and porous but never dry, and
the rocks will ensure this last condition if they
be of the right material.

We elevate our rock gardens principally
for the purpose of securing efficient drain-
age, a necessity if we are to preserve
our plants through the wet and cold of
winter.

The rocks thus become accessory to the
soil, and by no means the principal factor
in our Alpine garden, for it will now be
understood that apart from their function of
retaining and equalising the moisture, and in
a lesser degree in assisting drainage, they
exercise no other influence on the plants.

Therefore it is not necessary to be lavish of
rocks.

The suburban gardener will find difficulty in
obtaining stone at a price to suit his purse,

Villa Gardens a4

and had better be content with “stock brick
burrs” as a substitute. They are obtainable at
most brickyards, and vary much in character,
according to the amount of burning to which
they have been subjected.

It is best to secure those which are rather
under-burned, and therefore more porous.

In a town garden there is no scope for an
elaborate effort, and one has to forego some of
the principles laid down by experts for want of
space to put them into practice. But if the
directions I shall give be faithfully followed,
I can promise the enthusiast that he will
succeed in growing his Alpine flowers in
sufficiently abundant variety, and his rock
garden will not be too obviously an artificial
affair.

Having determined upon the amount of
space to be used, prepare the ground by
digging, afterwards adding soil to obtain the
desired elevation. (See note to Example 2.)

Endeavour to avoid a formal or symmetrical
contour, which is never seen in nature, by dis-
tributing the masses of soil as if their shape

78 ~—sVildla Gardens

and height were a matter of chance, bearing
‘in mind, however, that every part of the rock
garden should be accessible. The illustration
will give a general idea of what should be
aimed at in the general arrangement of the
ground before the rocks are introduced.

For soil there is nothing better than a loose
loam, to which a fourth part of sharp sand has
been added, the whole being well mixed before
use.

This suits most Alpine plants, and the needs
of such as demand anything different may be
met by introducing locally a special soil. For
instance the plants which flourish only in boggy
ground may be grown in the lower parts of the
rock garden, in soil consisting principally or
wholly of peat.

Villa Gardens 79

It is best, however, to avoid complexity in
such small gardens as we are considering, and
to be content with the same soil throughout.

Having settled the general contour, proceed
to add your rocks or burrs, disposing them so
as to form a series of irregular pockets at
varying levels, always remembering the im-
portance of good drainage and the necessity
for an unobstructed depth of soil of at least
three feet, which is none too deep for some of
the plants you may wish to introduce.

The masses of rock should be partly buried
in the soil, and arranged squarely; not in a
series of scallop-shaped enclosures. Let some
pockets contain two square feet of soil, some
a quarter that amount of surface, and so on
in apparently a naturally careless manner.
Use no cement, but simply bed your rock
masses in the soil, filling up all crevices with
earth, well rammed in. You will, of course,
add soil as you go on, to make the surface
approximately level in each pocket.

It is useful, and adds to the picturesqueness
of a rock garden, to make rough steps at one

So Villa Gardens

or two places. These, when the crevices have
been filled with soil, may be made the home
of some of the more lowly plants, such as
the Stonecrops, Rockfoils and Arenarias.

Don’t make the steps ascend your highest
mound, but rather let them pass between
two adjacent elevations, losing themselves
somewhere behind; or, in the case of a sunk
rock garden, finding an outlet to the higher
ground beyond.

If these directions be followed, you will
have the means of growing a multitude of
beautiful plants, which will clothe your rocks
with flowers and foliage as long as summer
lasts.

The following list of rock plants includes
the majority of those which may be grown
without difficulty in suburban gardens, and
will afford abundant variety.

Alyssum. Aubrietia.
Androsace. Broom.
Anemone. Campanula.
Arabis. Candytuft.

Arenaria. Christmas Rose.

Villa Gardens 8 I

Columbine. Primula.
Crocus. Ranunculus.
Cyclamen. Sagina.
Dianthus. Saxifrage.
Dielytra. Sedum.
Draba. Silene.
Erysimum. Snowdrop.
Forget-me-mot. Snapdragon.
Gentian. Snowflake.
Houseleek. Squill.

Iris. Sun Rose.
Linaria. Thrift.
Lychnis. Thyme.
Narcissus. Tulip.
CEnothera. Veronica.
Oxalis. Violet.
Potentilla. Wallflower.

Many of the above represent large families
of plants, of which the individuals vary widely
in character; thus the list is more comprehen-
sive than at first sight appears.

Plant fully, so as to ensure not an inch
of soil being visible when your plants are
established. Plants of trailing habit are best

F

82 Villa Gardens

placed near the upper surface of a jutting
rock, over which they will push their flexible
shoots and form a curtain of graceful foliage
and flower on the vertical wall beneath.

You will not have omitted to make a rough
informal walk through, or alongside your. rock
garden. Let it be gravelled, and allow some
of the smaller and more vigorous plants, like
the sedums, to soften off its edges; even
tolerate their intrusion on the gravel, within
reasonable limits.

It only remains for you to keep an eye on
your Alpine family, when it is once established,
removing weeds and checking the more pro-

lific individuals. For the rest leave Nature

to herself. If your efforts at a natural effect
have not been so complete as you would wish,
she will quickly correct your work by her
irregular methods and characteristic habit of
filling every available corner with plant life.
If the rock garden be in the open, as shown
in Example 2, it will be useful to plant a few
shrubs of moderate size on the margins skirted
by grass. They will form a good background

Villa Gardens 83

to the taller flowers, and afford shelter to the
more tender ones.

Let them be flowering shrubs such as
Daphne, Pernettya, Azalea and Weigela, and
not the heavy foliaged laurels, aucubas, and
the like.

If the rocks be approached directly from
the grass, as in Example 5, some small bulbs,
-planted in the turf along the margin, here and
there, give a pretty effect, and soften the rocks
into the grass; but they should be irregularly
planted as if they had naturally overflowed
from the rock garden, and spaces should be
left to admit of near approach to the latter.

Should your rock garden be placed against
a fence, as in Example 1, the points of greatest
elevation should stand away from the fence,
and some tall growing plants should occupy
the back. Asters, Snapdragons and Fox-
gloves are very suitable for the purpose. It
is well also to clothe the fence with Ivy or
other suitable creeper; or, if space permit,
shrubs may be planted as recommended for
the open rock garden.

84 Villa Gardens

But, first and last, it must not be forgotten
that the rock garden is contrived for the
special purpose of growing the hardy Alpine
plants, and nothing therefore should be in-
troduced into it or its neighbourhood that will
interfere with the health and beauty of its
inhabitants. Trees, for instance, should not
overhang it, nor should it be planted with
any of the annuals, which, charming as many
of them are, would be out of place amongst
the less showy, but equally interesting Alpine
flowers. .

A rock garden needs but little watering ;
but, if in a long period of drought the plants
show signs of distress, one abundant wetting
of soil and rocks will serve for a long time.

The Summer-House

THE mere mention of the summer-house brings
to mind a vision of damp boards, earwigs,
spiders and mildew : a picture, I confess, that is
not a pleasant complement to the flower garden.
But there is no reason why the summer-house
should be damp, or too utterly given over to
insect life.

Personally, J prefer a little of the latter. I
do not ‘‘creep” at a spider, and though I regard
the earwig as an enemy to my Dahlias, I
consider him a true gentleman with his glossy
brown coat and business-like pincers, which
are as harmless as they look vicious.

How then can the summer-house be made
a comfortable, useful and ornamental retreat
amidst our flowers?

First of all it must be weather-proof, and
constructed of materials which will ensure
durability Then it must be unpretentious in

design and free from trumpery embellishments.
85

Elevation Figs. 6 & 7

92 8 fa

Fig 6 Plan and Fig. 7 Plan and
Half Section Half Section

Scale of Feer
= = I —* =

Villa Gardens 87

The use of stained and varnished tree branches,
interlaced to form a “‘rustic” pattern, is a
practice that had best be allowed to die out with
some other of the gardening follies of the last
century. The use of virgin cork may well meet
a similar fate.

If ornament we must have, let it be a natural
one of flowers and foliage.

Having decided to exercise a wise restraint
in the matter of decoration, we may have no
hesitation in giving the summer-house a pro-
minent place in our garden plot. Indeed, it will
help us materially in securing an artistic effect,
serving to redeem the general flatness, and
forming an excellent companion for the trees
and taller shrubs, with which it is best associated.
It will give us also, as already hinted, a most
suitable support for some of the beautiful
climbing and rambling plants, which may be
encouraged to take possession of its walls and
roof.

Let us now consider the examples illustrated.

The small square summer-house shown in
Fig. 6 is simple in construction and inexpensive.

88 | Villa Crdeas

The frame work is made of 2} inch square
deal quartering in the rough, overlaid with cleft
oak fencing pales, nailed on with galvanzsed nails
(ordinary iron nails should never be used for
oak in the open, as they discolour it with inky
marks when the rain has reached them). The
roof is covered with sawn oak weather boarding.

The floor should be raised at least 9 inches
above the level of the ground. If free access
of air be given beneath the floor, there will be
no fear of the floor boards rotting for many
years.

If a few shillings, more or less, be no impor-
tant consideration, it would be better to make
the upright posts of oak, as their lower ends,
which enter the soil, will then last much longer.

A still better plan however is to start with a
brick foundation up to the floor level, and there-
by avoid the need for putting the wooden posts
into the soil.

Use no paint anywhere on the outside. The
oak is sufficiently durable without it, and is
infinitely more beautiful in colour than any paint
could make it. The delightful pearly grey it

Villa Gardens 89

assumes under the action of the weather is the
best possible background for your flowers.

The weather-cock is not a necessity, but is
a pleasing finish, and is readily constructed of
sheet zinc. It looks well gilded.

The timber for such a summer-house would
cost about £2, and its construction should not
baffle an amateur who can use a few carpenter's
tools.

The summer-house shown in Fig. 7 is
adapted to a corner where the angle is more
or less acute. Its construction would follow
the lines laid down for the first example, the
only difference being that of shape in ground
plan. |

In Fig. 8 is illustrated a larger house, with
a thatch roof, a feature which is always pictur-
esque, but, as it makes a heavy-looking roof,
I do not recommend it for the smaller houses.

If thatching be adopted, it is best to secure |
the services of a professional, the work de-
manding some amount of skill and knowledge.

Another excellent roof is red tile, for which
the old-fashioned porous tiles should be ob-

Bcale of Feet

A: 4 HM Ls

Villa Gardens gI

tained — not the hard-burnt tiles now more
common. The former are not only better in
colour, but in time tone down to a variety of
shades under the action of weather and vege-
table growth. They also offer a means for
growing such interesting plants as Houseleek.

An example of a summer-house with tiled
roof is shown in Fig 9. It should be noted
also that this house is designed with a brick
foundation.

Avoid, for roofing purposes, such materials
as slate, galvanised iron, and tarred felt. They
can never be made to look well in a garden.

Don’t put glass windows or doors in your
summer-house. The simple wooden grids and
open entrances shown in the illustrations serve
for the admission of light, air, and the scent
of the flowers. As its name implies, the
summer-house is not a wet weather or winter
retreat, and the only result of excluding the
air is to make it close, damp, and earthy.

If from necessity its open windows and en-
trance are exposed to the rainy quarter, light
outside shutters may be added to the windows,

92 Villa Gardens

and a porch to the entrance, to prevent the
rain beating in.

If the entrance faces south, a sun-blind may
be a necessity in summer, or, in this case also,
a porch may be added.

Permanent seats are a convenience and
economise space. They should be made low
enough for ease, and painted, so that if the
rain should reach them they may be readily
wiped dry and made comfortable for use.

A fixed table is not desirable. It is seldom
wanted, and is at other times in the way.

In selecting the site for your summer-house,
consult the examples of garden planning for
guidance. Don’t place it by itself in the centre
of a grass plot, or associate it with the kitchen
outhouses, but get it well amongst your flowers,
so that you may sit and hear the hum of the
bees, or see some tall lily looking in upon
you, and catch perhaps the fragrance of a
clump of mignonette. ,

If possible place it against a wall or fence.
It may serve to hide some unsightly feature
in the neighbouring premises, or to cover

Villa Gardens 93

an awkward angle in your fence; but it
should only be used for such a purpose when
its position comes well in the general scheme
of the garden. A trellis-screen is equally ser-
viceable for concealing unpicturesque objects.

Wherever your summer-house is placed, let
your path and beds lead up to it. It makes
the best possible terminus to a path. It should
never be made a store-house for flower-pots,
gardening tools, and flower stakes.

Rubbish of any kind will harbour insects,
damp, and mildew, and will interfere with the
proper enjoyment of the shady retreat you
have been at pains to build. Therefore keep
it clean and in good repair.

Other Garden Accessories

1. Garden Seats —From what I have written
in the foregoing sections of this book, it will
be evident that I advocate the rigid exclusion
from the garden of the so-called ornamental
accessories. If I decry “rustic” work on the
summer-house, be assured I am equally opposed
to it on the garden seat. Moreover, in the
latter case, one has to consider the very
obvious element of comfort, and I cannot con-
ceive a seat to be comfortable, when the back
presents an irregular grid-iron to one’s shoulder
blades, with here and there a knob or branch
end to prod your ribs. The garden seat of
the ironmonger is expensive, and its iron-work,
when of wrought-iron, is always too light, and
when of cast-iron is too heavy.

Moreover, the iron-work rusts unless it be
often and carefully painted.

This kind of seat also has a way of sinking

its heels into the turf or gravel.
94

Villa Gardens 95

A seat, which is free from most of the objec-
tions I have enumerated, is one built of pine
and painted.

The design should be simple and dignified,
and comfort should be the first consideration.

Two or three examples of wooden seats are
illustrated (see Figs. 10, t1 and 12). They
are sufficiently typical of what is suitable for
a small garden to serve as a guide to anyone
wishing to make, or have made, a seat of this
kind ; and the drawings would serve as patterns
for an amateur who had a taste to build his
own garden seat.

It should be noted that the base feet, in all
cases, are sufficiently large to give a firm hold
on the turf. The seat shown in Fig. 11 may
be arranged to form a receptacle for small
garden tools, by making the lower part into
a chest, the seat proper being hinged to form
the lid: It is constructed throughout of match-
boarding.

2. Arches. — The arch adds an attractive
feature to a small garden. Its avowed pur-

Villa Gardens 97

pose is to provide support for climbing plants,
by which their beauty may be better displayed.
The position of the arch will be determined by
general considerations of the picturesque. It
should certainly span a path, and, if possible,
mark the passage from one division of the
garden to another.

Have nothing to do with ready-made gal-
vanised iron arches. They are generally too
light in construction, and in consequence are
ready to assume startling departures from the
symmetrical on the slightest provocation.

I know of nothing better than the arch
illustrated in Fig. 13. It is made of 1-inch
square oak rods, put together with screws.
The cross laths are 1 inch by 2 inch, nailed on.

The pergola, an Italian device (seen also in
many continental gardens), is a useful and
picturesque accessory.

It is merely a skeleton structure bridging the
walk, over which may be trained some of the
quick-growing climbers with admirable effect.
Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Wistaria, Clematis,

Hop, the ornamental Gourds, and the many
G

98 Villa Gardens

delightful rambling Roses are all suitable
subjects.

It may be made in the manner of the arch
just described, but extended in length to suit
the space it may be desired to cover. The

Ss

ma

|

|

a

i

Md
Ih

uprights may be spaced 4 feet apart, and the
whole structure tied together by horizontal

rods passing along the top corners, and
screwed to them.

3. The Sun-dial—I know of no garden

accessory which gives so artistic a character

Villa Gardens 99

to a well-cared-for garden, planned on the
lines I advocate, as a well-designed sun-dial.

It must be conceded that it serves no useful
purpose in these days of clocks and watches,
but it suggests pleasant pictures of old-world
gardens, and is preferable to a fountain or
statuary of doubtful merit. But regard must
be had to scale, and a ponderous dial in a
tiny garden will emphasise its smallness, and
suggest Gulliver amongst the Liliputians.

I must omit dealing with the question of
setting out dials, a subject which is beyond
the scope of this book, and is, moreover,
‘an extensive and rather abstruse one.

Dials may be purchased new and _ second-
hand, and, it. hardly need be added, require
to be set out specially for each place. There-
fore do not buy a dial made for Bristol if your
garden be in the London suburbs.

It is the column with which I am more
directly concerned. It may be of stone, brick,
cement, or wood.

Sometimes an old stone baluster may be had
from the builder for the asking, and if it be

Villa Gardens IO!

weather-worn (not battered) so much the better.
It will require little else than a firm base, either
a slab of stone or a brick structure, of shape
and size in proper proportion to the column.
A dial made in this way is illustrated in Fig. 16.

A red brick pillar is charming in every way,
and harmonises well with the brick paths |
have described. If built of “cutting bricks,”
as a plain rectangular shaft, it may be after-
wards carved to a graceful form by a deft-
handed amateur.

Figs. 14 and 15 are examples of stone and
brick columns. :

If the gardener be content to limit himself
to the less expensive and more tractable
material wood, he had better adopt a design
suited to its character, rather than seek to
imitate a stone pillar.

A suggestion for a wooden dial is given in
Fig. 17.

The pillar should be painted (unless oak be
used), green for preference.

The sun-dial should always be accessible,
and not, as is sometimes seen, placed in the

102 Villa Gardens

centre of a flower bed. There is no objection
to allowing a small-leaved ivy to cling to its
lower part, or a few Sedums to root themselves
in the crevices about its base.

4. Some Smaller Accessories. —- The owner
of a well-planned and well-planted garden,
apparently from simple oversight, occasionally
permits the existence of some irritating eyesore
in the form of a small accessory, hence I advise
every owner of a picturesque garden to consider
even the smallest details in their connection
with the general effect.

I have already alluded to the practice of
placing quite unnecessary objects, like shells
and minerals, amongst the flowers, and I now
more particularly refer to objects of use, such
as stakes, labels and the like, in which there is
generally a choice between the sightly and the
unsightly.

Stakes are indispensable to a_ well-kept
garden, much as we should like to do without
them.

The majority of gardeners use bamboos,

Villa Gardens 103

which are cheap in first cost, very straight,
round and regular. But the effect of many
such stakes in a garden is to suggest an ad-
mixture of tropical vegetation, for the bamboo
asserts its character with no uncertain voice.
Moreover, it bleaches to an unpleasant white
and rots very quickly, rarely being useful for
a second season.

The best stake is one made of oak. It needs
no paint, and is good for many seasons if stored
in a dry place for the winter. The oak rods
may be used rough from the saw, and should
be procured in long strips to be cut to length
as required.

If, however, oak be considered too expensive,
then deal rods may be substituted, with the
proviso that they are painted with at least two
coats of good oil colour (green of course), being
planed first, so as to offer less lodgment for the
rain.

For Roses, Hollyhocks and Dahlias I find
that 1-inch square rods are amply stout.

If about 3 inches at the top on one side be
painted white, it may be used as a label, but I

104 ~+Villa Gardens

prefer labels of a less conspicuous kind, as
described hereunder.

Another form of stake that is far from un-
sightly is the natural sapling. I generally
obtain a sufficient quantity from my pea sticks,
after I have cut off the smaller wood for its
legitimate purpose.

If the thick ends be partly charred, they will
be less liable to rot in the soil.

Natural stakes of this kind may be used with
good effect to support a Clematis or other
climbing plant, if stout enough, and they never
seem out of place in the garden.

The label is often more assertive than it
need be. The white painted pine labels most
commonly used have cheapness to recommend
them, and if repainted lead colour thickly oz
both stdes would be tolerable and fairly durable,
but as sold they stare down the flowers and rot
in a season.

For the herbaceous border a zinc label is
better.

The name may be permanently etched on its
surface by the simple plan of coating it with

Villa Gardens 105

Brunswick black, scratching the name through
the black with a file tang, and then applying
dilute sulphuric acid with a strip of wood.
When the etching is sufficiently advanced
the Brunswick black may be removed with
turpentine.

The name may be rendered more clearly
visible by rubbing into the letters a little red
sealing wax varnish or Aspinall’s enamel,
wiping off the superfluous varnish with a rag.

Another kind of label, one which is exten-
sively used in Kew Gardens, is made of sheet
lead, which is easily cut to shape with a pair of
scissors. The name is either scratched on it
with a metal point, or stamped with a set of
letter punches.

The red varnish may be used also with the
labels just described.

(It may be mentioned here that in tying
plants to stakes, or labels to plants, the tying
material should never be drawn tight, but left
slack enough to allow for growth in the size of
the stem. Wire should never be used.)

Other eyesores which are best avoided are

106 Villa Gardens

painted flower pots, white-washed flints (for
edging), and generally all useless and meaning-
less objects, which by reason of their nature
and appearance are out of harmony with the
plant life of the garden.

Edging tiles are sometimes too heavy and
pretentious in design, particularly some of the
so-called “cable” patterns, which can never be
made to form a good straight line, and for
curves are useless. There is nothing more
effective for its purpose, and less offensive,
than the ordinary hard-burnt red tile, with
simple scalloped edge.

The inverted flower pots, so generally used
as earwig traps, are far from sightly objects in
contrast with the colours of our Dahlias, and
they may be efficiently replaced by a few empty
match boxes, pushed in amongst the foliage.
The boxes, of course, should be left slightly
open, and so used are the best possible traps
for earwigs.

The Garden and the Flower

In offering practical advice to owners of villa
gardens, I have endeavoured to demonstrate
the value of a well-considered plan to start
with, as an aid to realising a consistent and
artistic effect in the garden; and incidentally
I have made it apparent that I consider the
garden, before all things, as a home for the
flower ; wherefore I must insist that the garden,
in plan and detail, should stand in relation to
the flower, as the house to its inmates, a rela-
tion that is best described as subordinate.

To overdo the plan and to over-elaborate
the accessories, is to detract from the flower.

The artistic garden is the one in which the
flower has full scope to grow in all its beauty,
without having to compete with paint and
tawdry ornament. In fact the flower must
be a complete autocrat if the full purpose
of the garden is to be realised, and who could

wish for a more charming despot. Why
107

108 Villa Gardens

then seek to make it conform to the exact
limits of your geometrical beds; or ignoring its
character and inherent beauty, treat it as so
much pigment with which to fill in the formal
outlines of your fanciful incisions in. the turf?

It deserves better of you.

Apart from the natural loveliness of its
blossoms, the flower has individual charac-
teristics of foliage and habit, which are as
admirable as the more conspicuous one of
colour.

Therefore give your plants, shrubs and trees
elbow-room to develop unhindered, and the
result will amply repay you.

I am sometimes taunted with having an
untidy garden, because I have had the courage
to put my precepts into practice.

Untidy—because I suffer a clump of Mig-
nonette to intrude upon a path and soften its
rigid outline, or allow a spray of Nasturtium to
wander over its neighbour, a sturdy Starwort,
well able to support its weaker companion.

I am content to bear the reproach, because
tidiness, in the sense implied, means to me a

Villa Gardens 109

rigid formality, or a barbarous mutilation of
one’s plants.

As I write, I look out on my small plot, and
see a glorious riot of plant-life, with which it
would be sacrilege to interfere.

Dahlias and perennial Sunflowers top the
fence in company with the expiring Holly-
hocks.

The Starworts are waving their feathered
sprays, as yet not ready for their tardy display
of mauve and purple. Gourds scramble from
post to post, their ripened orange-tinted fruits
conspicuously held aloft. Lilies and Gladioli
rub shoulders, and Stocks and Zinnias inter-
mingle in gay and happy companionship ; the
Mignonette rambles at will beneath the Rose
standards, and here and there a Pansy clump
holds its teeming blossoms out to view.

-I cannot see a square inch of soil, so well
have the flowers massed themselves together,
yet each has room enough.

I have said nothing about the grouping of
plants, and it may not be out of place to offer
a few suggestions on that head. I refer more

110.~)D>—r Villa Gardens

particularly to the association of flowers of
different colours for the purpose of obtaining
pleasing harmonies and contrasts.

Incidentally the question of season and suc-
cession must arise, therefore it is important to
ascertain the correct time of flowering of your
various plants before you. arrange them for
effect in combination. Having done this, you
will be able to achieve the rest without
difficulty, but it is well to bear in mind one
or two essential points.

Contrasts should always be made in com-
paratively large masses, or the effect will fail to
tell in the general view of the garden.

Therefore do not rely on single plants, but
group them together, unless the plant itself is
of large size. The delicate mauve Starworts,
which bloom in October, form splendid masses
of colour, even in single plants, and may be
contrasted with clumps of Golden Rod (Soli-
dago), or groups of yellow Chrysanthemums.
The Pansies yield a sufficient variety of colour
to enable you to construct with them a number
of pleasing combinations, say, cream and

Villa Gardens III

purple, mauve and yellow, orange and white,
and lavender and violet.

The crude blue of the Delphinium contrasts
well with the vivid scarlet of the Lychnis, in
spite of the obviously primary character of their
colours. The Scarlet Thorn and Laburnum
go admirably in association, and the dainty
mauve blue of the Ceanothus finds a happy
colour companion in the Gloire de Dijon
Rose.

There are, of course, countless possibilities
amongst the vast number of cultivated flowers,
and it is difficult to go wrong if the grouping
be done in sufficiently large masses, and the
gardener have some elementary knowledge of
colour.

He will avoid such mistakes as planting his
scarlet Gladioli in company with pink and rose-
coloured flowers, and will keep the blues and
purples from near companionship.

To secure uninterrupted succession of bloom
involves careful planning, particularly if no
conspicuous gaps are to be seen in the borders ;
but guided by his knowledge of the seasons of

112 Villa Gardens

flowering, the gardener will experience little
difficulty.

The spring-blooming flowers—Crocus, Nar-
cissus, and Wallflowers—may be accorded full
space for display, and the first two will die
down and their places be taken by the over-
hang of the later flowering plants, which you
will put in close proximity to their then dor-
mant bulbs. The wallfowers will be rooted
up and their places taken by Stocks, Zinnias,
and Dahlias.

Till midsummer there will be opportunity for
inserting new plants in place of those which
have bloomed, and the natural expansion of
the others will keep the borders full for the
remainder of the season.

As a further guide to the gardener, I have
embodied in the appendix some tables of
particulars of the more useful flowers and
vegetables, including time of planting and
season of blooming.

It only remains to add that, in writing these
directions for the planning of villa gardens, I
make no pretence to teach the principles of

Villa Gardens 113

horticulture. There is already an abundant
literature on that subject.

My sole concern has been with the form of
the garden, and in laying down principles for
the guidance of those who may wish to improve
upon the more generally accepted ideals, I have
been influenced principally by considerations of
art, consistency and utility, points of view which
have hitherto been largely overlooked in the
planning of- small gardens.

Appendix

THE scope and intention of this book precludes my
giving any detailed directions for flower and vege-
table culture ; but it will enhance the usefulness of the
foregoing chapters on garden planning if I add some
information about the plants most commonly grown
in small gardens This I have done by means of the
series of tables which follows. In these will be found
a sufficiently full selection of plants for every ordinary
purpose, and such particulars as will be useful to the
gardener at the time he is planting his garden.

FLOWERS.
These may be divided into the following classes :—
Annuals, hardy and half-hardy.
Hardy Perennials.
Bulbs.
Roses.
Flowering Shrubs and Trees.
Alpine and Rock Plants.

Annuals.—The hardy annuals may be sown in the
open border in early spring.

The half-hardy annuals require to be raised in
boxes or pans with slight heat, in early spring, and to
be planted out in the open border in May. Many of
the latter may also be sown in the open ground in
May.

115

116

Villa Gardens

LIST OF ANNUALS.

aS
Ua
Sm HEIGHT Time oF
Name. 7 o E Cotour. : Le FLOWERING. P
rise] |
Acroclinium roseum. | HH | Rose, White 13 July to Sep,
Ageratum . ; HH| Blue, White | }to2 | Juneto Oct. |
Alyssum odoratum H White 4 July to Sep.
Amaranthus HH Dark Red 1$ June to Sep. |
Aster (China) HH Various 3 to 1% | July to Oct.
Balsam HH 53 I to 2 | July to Sep. |
Bartonia aurea. .| H Yellow 13 July & Aug.
Brachycome _ iberi- | HH Blue I July & Aug.
difolia
Canary creeper. H Yellow Climber] July to Oct.
Candytuft H | White, Purple, 3 July to Sep.
Rose
Centaurea Cyanus H Various 3 June to Sep.
Clarkia Elegans H Rose 13 June to Oct. |
Collinsia . -| H | Lilacand White I May to Aug. |.
Convolvulus Major . | HH Various Climber | July to Oct. |
55 Minor .| H Blue l July to Oct.
Coreopsis. - H | Yellow, Brown 2 July to Sep.
Dianthus Sinensis H Various 3 July & Aug.
Eschscholtzia H ss 3 June to Oct.
Erysimum peroffski- | H Orange I June & July
anum
Gaillardia seis HH | Red and Yellow I July to Sep.
Gourd HH Yellow Climber | July to Oct. |
Godetia H |Crimson, White] 1 to 14 | July to Sep. |'
Helichrysum -|HH Various 2 Aug. to Oct. |,
Humulus japonicus | HH — Climber —
(Hop)
Ionopsidium acaule . | H Blue June
Larkspur . 3 H Various 1 to 23 | July & Aug.
Linum grandiflorum . HH Crimson I July to Oct.
Lupin é «| Hi Various 2 July to Sep.
Malope grandiflora =i) JFL Crimson 2 July to Oct.
Mignonette H Salmon I April to Sep.
Mina Lobata HH Orange Climber] July to Oct.

Appendix

117

aCe
Nae Big] Cououn, fiw | NE or,
mn i
Nasturtium an .| A Various I June to Sep.
: » ° (tall) .] H - Climber | June to Sep.
Nemophila . | H_ | Blue and White $ May to Aug.
Nicotiana affinis HH White 3 Aug. to Oct.
Nigella damascena .| H Pale Blue I Aug. & Sep.
Phacelia campanularia| H Blue I June to Sep.
Poppy (Shirley) H Various 1} to 2 | June to Aug.
Phlox ; : HH - I July & Aug.
Salpiglossis HH 55 2 Aug. & Sep.
Saponaria H. Rose 3 June to Oct.
Schizanthus . | HH |PurpleandWhite; 14 June to Aug
Sweet Sultan { H aca“ 13 June to Aug.
Stock (10 week) H Various tto 14 | July to Oct.
Sunflower . H Yellow 5 to 8 | July to Oct.
Sweet Pea H Various Climber] July to Oct.
Virginian Stock H Red, White I July to Sep.
| Viscaria H | Crimson, Blue 7 July to Sep.
Zinnia HH Various I July to Sep.

118

Villa Gardens

Hardy Perennials.—These plants are not destroyed
by our winter cold, but merely lose their over-ground
stems, which are renewed the following spring. They
may be raised from seed, but are more commonly
propagated by division of their roots, which is best
done in the late autumn.

LisT OF HARDY PERENNIALS.

H
Name. Cotour. _ ete a
Achillea Ptarmica (the White 23 June to Sept.
Pearl)
Aconite ‘ ; . Blue 3 Autumn
a (Peruvian| Various 23 October
Lily
Anthericum liliastrum White 2 Early Summer
Aquilegia (Columbine) Various 14to3 | May to July
*Aster (Starwort) +|Blue, Mauve, | 1 to7 | Sept. to Nov.
White, Rose
Bocconia Cordata Cream 6 August
*Campanula ‘ Various 3 tos |June to Sept.
Catananche ccerulea Blue and 23 Summer
White
*Centaurea (Cornflower) Various 24 to 8 3
Cheiranthus cheiri (Wall- 9 $ to2 Spring
flower)
Chelone . Pink 24 Late Summer
Chrysanthemum maxi- White 3 July and Aug.
mum
Coreopsis lanceolata Yellow 2to3 | July to Sept.
Dictamnus fraxinella Red, White 3 July and Aug.
Doronicum Yellow 2 to3 | Apriland May
Delphinium Various 3. to5 |June and July
Dicentra Spectabilis Rose 2k Midsummer
Echinops (Globe Thistle) Blue 3 Aug. and Sept:

Appendix

1 ee)

Nowe cove [iw | gin or
Erigeron . Blue 24 |May and June
Eryngium i ” 3 Autumn
*Funkia . White, Pink | 1 to3 Summer
Gaillardia .|Crimson and| 2% July to. Sept.

Yellow
Gentiana acaulis Blue 4 | April and May
Galega officinalis Purple 2 June and July
Geum Heldreichi . |Orange-Scar- I June and July
let

Gypsophila paniculata White 2 August
*Helianthus (Sunflower) Yellow Various| July to Sept.
Helleborus Niger White I Late Autumn
Helenium Yellow 2to6 |Summer and

Autumn
Hemerocallis (Day Lily) Orange 2% = |July and Aug.
Heuchera Sanguinea Scarlet 2 May and June
Iberis. . i White 4 =| May and June |
Hollyhock Various 6 July and Aug.
*Tris , 5 ‘ FA 2to4 Summer
Lathyrus latifolius . Rose, White | 6to8 | June to Aug.
Kniphofia .|Orange-Scar-| 3 to 5 Autumn

let
Lobelia cardinalis Scarlet 3 Summer
Lupinus . .| Yellow, Blue,| 14 to 6 |June and July
White

Lychnis chalcedonica Scarlet 3 July and Aug.
Monarda didyma Crimson 3 June and July
Myosotis (Forget-me-not) Blue $ Summer
Omphalodes verna . Dark Blue I Spring
Pyrethrum Various I Early Summer
Poeony : ; 3 3 Summer
Penstemon barbatus Scarlet 24 |July and Aug.
Poppy (oriental Red 3 May and June
Phlox. . . Various 2 to3 | June to Aug.
Phygelius capensis . Red 3 to4 Summer
Physalis (Winter Cherry) | White (red 2 Autumn

berry)

120.~)>s—« WVildiila Cardens

" IGHT
Nang. Cotour. enn eee
Pink . : . . Various I Summer
Polemonium cceruleum . Blue 2 ai
Polygonatum . : ‘ White 24 i
Polygonum. 5 : Cream 6 Autumn
*Primrose : : : Various $ Spring
Potentilla ’ : . 93 13 Summer
Ranunculus aconitifolius . White 2 April and May
Rocket . : 2 ; Mauve 23 Summer
*Rudbeckia_. ’ ‘ Yellow z2to6 | Aug. to Oct.
Saponaria officinalis ; Pink 3 Autumn
Scabiosa caucasica . ‘ Lilac 23 June to Sept.
Senecio japonicus . ; Orange 5 Summer
Solidago (Gold Rod) ‘ Yellow 3to 5 Autumn
Thalictrum. .|Cream,Purple} 24 June
Tiarella cordifolia . ‘ Cream I May and June
Trollius Europceus . : Yellow 23 Spring
Tropceolum speciosum. Scarlet {Climber} Late Summer
Tussilago fragrans . ‘ Grey 4 Winter
*Veronica E ; -| Various $to3 | Spring and
; Summer

Bulbs.—The culture of bulbous plants demands so
little skill and trouble, and their flowers offer so
wide a range of colour, form and habit, that every
small garden should be liberally provided with them.

Planted in the autumn, the following spring sees
their development in charm of leaf and flower.
Whether placed in bed or border, or sprinkled in
informal groups in the grass, their effect is always
delightful.

In ‘planting bulbs, they should be sunk into the

* These represent large families in which there is considerable
difference in character between the individuals.

Appendix

121

soil to a depth in no case less than twice the longest

diameter of the bulb.

LIST OF BULBS.

NAME.

Cotour.

TIME OF FLOWERING.

Bulbocodium Vernum .

*Calochortus (Mariposa | $

Lily)
*Chinodoxa
*Colchicum
Crocus . ’ :
Fritillaria (Crown Im-
perial)
Fritillaria (Snake’s head)
Galanthus (Snowdrop) .
Galtonia candicans ..
*Iris (English & Spanish)
Leucojum (Snowflake) .
*Lily—Auratum

Candidum .
Chalcedonicum .
Croceum
Davuricum .
Elegans
Humboldti .
Martagon .
Speciosum .
Tigrinum -
Muscaris (Grape Hya-
cinth)
*Narcissus (Daffodil)
Schizostylis coccinea
*Scilla sibirica
Sternbergia .
Triteleia
*Tulip

bole

RB OUNRU GN Dwi Wm Ogee he

Fe totes

Rosy Purple
Various

Blue
Rosy Purple
Various
Red, Yellow

Purple, White
White
White

Various
White
Cream and
Yellow
White
Red
Orange
Orange
Various
Buff
Various
Rose
Orange Red
Blue

Yellow, White
Crimson |
Blue
Yellow
White
Various

Early Spring
Summer

Early Spring
Sep. and Oct.
Spring & Autumn
Early Summer

Spring
Early Spring
Autumn
June
Spring & Autumn
Summer

>
July & Aug.
Early Summer
Summer
July
Summer

Late Summer
Aug. to Oct.
Early Spring

Spring
Autumn
Spring
Spring & Autumn
April
Spring

* These represent or belong to large families having great diver-

sity of colour and size.

122 Villa Gardens

Roses.—The Rose family is so immense that even
a moderately complete list of its various members
would greatly exceed the space limits of this
appendix,

I have, therefore, made a selection of such kinds
as are known to thrive best in a town atmosphere,
and have restricted my lists to the more interesting
individuals which come into that category.

Roses should be planted in the late autumn in
well-manured ground, standard trees being staked to
prevent damage by winter storms. The list which
follows is arranged on a colour basis, as likely to be
most useful to the garden planner.

LIST OF ROSES RY COLOUR.

Cotour. NAME. Crass.

Maroon (approach-| Prince C. de Rohan. |Hybrid Perpetual
ing black)

5 fs La Rosiere . ”

‘5 5 Reynolds Hole 5
Violet... ~=—. | Sir R. Hill 5
Deep Crimson —.| Louis van Houtte

Bice . | Charles Lefebvre . ,
Scarlet Crimson .| General Jacqueminot .
5 .| Duke of Albany .
5 . | Duke of Edinburgh
Bright Red . -| Duke of Teck
5 : Ulrich Brunner
on ‘ . | Jules Margottin
Light Crimson. | A. K. Williams
Mme. V. Verdier .

” - * ”
Rose Carmine .| Mme. Isaac Pereire .| Hybrid Briar
Rose Pink . Camoens. ‘ .| Hybrid Tea
% ‘ . | John Hopper : . [Hybrid Perpetual
5 ; . | Jeannie Dickson . F

”
”

5 ‘ . | Pride of Waltham

Appendix

123

CoLour. Name. Cuass.
Rose Pink Mme. Lambard : Tea
Pink Baroness Rothschild .|Hybrid Perpetual
ss Mrs J. Laing ‘ 5
. La France Hybrid Tea
Flesh Captain Christy 35
i ‘ Grace Darling 3
Cream . Gloire de Dijon Tea
ee : Marie van Houtte 5
White (tinted) The Bride ; 5
43 Merveille de Lyon . |Hybrid Perpetual
a Margaret Dickson 99
#5 Souvenir: de la. Mal- Bourbon
maison
Pure White . Niphetos Tea
5 : Baronne de Maynard ; |Hybrid Perpetual
Yellow . Celine Forestier . Noisette
OF Perle des Jardins. Tea
Orange W. A. Richardson Noisette
‘5 ‘ Mme. Pierre Cochet -
Copper Red . L’Ideal. 9
gs ‘ Empress Alexandra of Tea
Russia
The following is a selection of Climbing Roses :—
Name. Co.our. Ciass
Aglaia Yellow Multiflora
Aimée Vibert White Noisette
Carmine Pillar Carmine Hybrid (single)
Crimson Rambler Crimson Multiflora
Euphrosyne : Pink 5
Félicité Perpetué White Ayrshire
Gloire de Dijon . Buff Tea
Reine Marie Henriette Cherry Red Hybrid Tea
Reine Olga de Wurtem- Rose 45
burg
Waltham Climber Light Crimson Tea
W. A. Richardson Orange Noisette

124 Villa Gardens

The following Roses are of interest, by reason of
their distinctive characters and their usefulness for
obtaining an uncommon and picturesque effect in
the garden :-—

Common Moss.

Feruginea (red foliage).

Monthly (China rose).

Provence (old cabbage).

Austrian (copper and yellow—single).
Rugosa (ornamental hips).
Wilchuriana (creeper)

Harrisonii (yellow).

Alpina (purple—fine hips).

Sweet Briar.

FLOWERING SHRUBS AND TREES.

The list of flowering shrubs and trees which follows,
will be found sufficiently comprehensive for a small
garden. It excludes those of climbing habit, which
are enumerated separately.

LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS AND TREES.

NamME. Coour. ee.
Almond : ; ; ‘ Pink Early Spring
Cytisus (Broom) . ‘ Yellow, White | May and June
Daphne Mezereum_.. Purple Feb. and Mar.
Exochorda (Pearl bush) White May
Forsythia suspensa_. 3 Yellow Spring
Hydrangea paniculata. : White Autumn
Hypericum . : : ‘ Yellow Early Summer

Appendix

125

Name. Cotour. men

Hawthorn Red, White May
Laburnum Yellow y
Lilac F Mauve, White Spring
Magnolia Stellata White 3
Philadelphus (Mock Orange) 3 June and July
Prunus triloba ~ Pink Spring
Pyrus Japonica Red es
Robinia Hispida . Rose June
Spirzea nobleana . Red Early Summer

» prunifolia. : White a5
Viburnum (Gueldre Rose) . iy 49
Weigela F ‘ Rose ”

LIST OF HARDY CLIMBERS.

Name. Cotour ee
Aristolochia Sipho Yellow Summer
Ceanothus Blue 3
Clematis (various) Purple, White | Spring and

Summer
Jasmine officinale White Summer
33 nudiflorum Yellow Winter
Kerria Japonica Orange Summer
Lonicera (Honeysuckle) Red-yellow 5
Passion flower Blue, White 55
Wistaria Mauve Spring

ALPINE AND ROCK PLANTS.

The number of interesting plants available for the

rock garden is immense.

The following list, therefore, is necessarily a selec-
tion only; but it includes sufficient variety and

126

Villa Gardens

number to meet the requirements of most gardeners
possessed only of limited space.
The whole of these plants are hardy perennials.

LisT OF ALPINE AND ROCK PLANTS.

HEIGHT
Name. a Coxour. ee lita ie
Acantholimon glumaceum| 4 Pink June and July
Achillea ageratoides 8 White July to Sept.
» tomentosa 9 Yellow June
Adonis vernalis F 9 x Mar. and Apl.
7Ethionema grandiflora . 9 Pink July and Aug.
Alyssum saxatile 6 Yellow April and May
Androsace carnea 4 Rose May
in laggeri 3 Pink April
Anemone alpina 18 Blue April and May
Fe sulphurea 18 Yellow ‘5
5 blanda 6 Sky Blue April
Antennaria tomentosa 6 White July
Anthyllis montanus 6 Pink July and Aug.
Aquilegia alpina 15 Blue June
ceerulea . 12 Blue & White 9
Arabis albida . 6 White Early Spring
Arenaria balearica . 2 White Spring
Armeria . 6 Pink May and June
Aster alpinus . . 9 Blue May
Astragalus dasyglottis .| Trailer Purple August
Aubrietia deltoidea . 3 9 April to June
Campanula alpina . . 6 Blue July and Aug.
‘3 garganica .|Trailer| Pale Blue June
es isophylla +8 Blue, White | July and Aug.
5 pumila . 4 White -
35 pulla 6 Purple July and Aug.
ss Rameri . 4 Dark Blue | Juneand July
Cerastium alpinum . 2 White Early Summer
Crucianella Stylosa . 12 Rose July and Aug.
Cyclamen vernum . 6 Mauve Summer
Daphne cneorum 9 Deep Pink {April and Sep.

Appendix

127

HEIGHT
NAME. ee Cotour. er
Dianthus alpinus 2 Deep Rose | July and Aug.
99 neglectus . 3 Bright Rose +5
e deltoides . 9 Bright Pink | June to Aug.
Draba aizoides 3 ; 4 Yellow Mar. and April
| Dryas Drummondi . . | Trailer Fr Summer
Erigeron alpinum 9 Purple Late Summer
Erinus alpinus : 3 | Violet Purple] Mar. to May
Genista prostrata . | Trailer Yellow July and Aug.
Gentiana acaulis 6 Blue Spring
” bavarica . 3 5 is
” verna 3 ” ”
Geum montanum Io Yellow June and July
Haberlea rhodopensis_. 6 Mauve May and June
Helianthemum -| Trailer} Various June to Sep.
Hepatica . 6 ” Spring
Heuchera sanguinea 12 Scarlet June and July
Iberis correfolia 8 White June
Iris cristata 6 Pale Blue Summer
» pumila 6 Violet April and May
Lewisia rediviva .| 1 Rose May to July
Leontopodium alpinum . 6 White July
Linaria alpina . | 4 Violet Blue | June to Aug.
Lychnis Lagascze .| Trailer Rose June to Aug.
Myosotis alpestris 3 Blue April 'to June
Nierenbergia rivularis 6 White June and July
Omphalodes verna . : 3 Deep Blue | Mar. to May
(Enothera taraxacifolia .| Trailer White June to Sep.
Pentstemon speciosus 12 Sky Blue | July and Aug.
Petrocallis pyrenaica 3 Lilac April
Phlox amecena . 6 Pink May and June
Plumbago Larpentz . 8 Cobalt Blue | September
Polemonium Confertum . 6 Deep Blue | May and June
Potentilla alpestris . 10 Yellow 5
Primula rosea . é 9 Rose Early Spring
» denticulata. 9 Lilac | 55
» minima. I Rose, White Summer
Puschkinia scilloides 6 Blue Late Spring
Ranunculus amplexicaulis | 12. White Apriland May

128 Villa Gardens

HEIGHT
Name. i ie CoLour. Pe
Saxifraga aretioides : I Yellow April
ss Burseriana.. 3 White Feb. and Mar.
3 Cotyledon : 12 on June
e longifolia . -| 18 45 Early Summer
43 muscoides, atro 4 Red-purple | Early Spring
purpurea
‘9 oppositifolia| 4 Carmine | Mar. and Apr.
(and many others)
Sedum Kamtschaticum . | Trailer Orange Summer
» pulchellum (and 6 Purple a
many others)
Sempervivum arachnoi- 8 Rose i
deum
59 . fimbriatum| 10 Fe a
(and many others)
Silene acaulis . ‘ : 3 Pink June and July
» alpestris 6 White May. ;
Thymus lanuginosus I Purple June and July
Veronica prostrata . 3 Blue, Rose June

If further variety in the Rock Garden be desired,
a selection may be made from amongst the smaller
bulbous plants, such as Chinodoxa, Colchicum,
Crocus, Daffodil, Snowdrop, Snowflake and Scilla.

VEGETABLES.

The following chart will serve as a guide for plant-
ing the more commonly grown vegetables. The dates
for sowing do not apply to specially early or late
varieties, and it should be noticed that succession
of crop may be secured in many cases by sowing at
intervals, or by choosing early or late varieties, as
required,

Appendix

129

List OF VEGETABLES.

Name.

TIME To Sow.

SEASON

Asparagus

Artichoke (Globe)

3 (Jerusalem)

Bean, dwarf

» climbing .

» broad
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts .
Beetroot
Borecole

Cabbage

Carrot .

Cauliflower .

Celery .

Endive

Leek

Lettuce, Cos .
55 cabbage.

Onion :
» winter

Parsley

Parsnip

Rhubarb

Radish

Peas . : is
Savoy Cabbage
Seakale ,

Spinach
Turnip -

Vegetable Marrow
Potatoes

anita

April

May

March
May and June

March
April
Mar. and Apr.

August
April
”
- 99
July
March
Feb. to Sept.

”
March
September
May
March

”

May
Apr. and May
April

April to June
(not till 3rd year
after sowing seed)
June to Oct.
(second year)
Oct. to March
July and Aug.
July to Oct.
July
Jan. and Feb.
Winter
Oct. to Dec.
Dec. to March
July
Oct. to Jan.
July to Oct.
July and Aug.
December
Winter

”
May to Dec.
April to April
Aug. to April
May to July
All the year
Oct. to March
April
(second year)
Summer
July and Aug.
Winter
”

June
Spring
June
Winter
July and Aug.
July to Oct.

Index

ACCESSORIES, garden, 94
6 small, 102
” trumpery, 3
Alabaster, 18
All-round gardens, 30, 53, 55, 57
Alpine and rock plants, 125
as a, list of,
126
Alpine garden, 75
Annuals, 115
Sy list of, 116
Appendix, 115
Arch, example of, 98
Arches, 17, 24, 95
»» galvanised iron, 97
ay position of, 97
> purpose of, 97
Aspect, 8
5, consideration of, 11
»> importance of, 8
» northern, 12
», southern, I1
“Aspinall’s enamel, 19

Back Garden, the, 32
Back gardens, 37, 39, 41, 43,
45) 47
Balance, 15
Beds, 8
Brick burrs, 77
Brick paths, 62
+ width of, 74
Bricks, 65
»» price of, 65
> quality of, 65

Bricks, quantity of, 65
»> roughness of, 65
», Shape of, 65
», width of, 74
Brunswick black, 105
2 green, 19
Bubbs, 22, 120
», _ list of, 121
Burnt ballast, 73

CAMBER of paths, 63, 73
Carpet-gardening, 4
Cement, liquid, 67
Cinder paths, 62, 72
Climbers, aspect for, 27
Cockle shells, 18
Colours of flowers, 110
Composition, 15
Concrete, 66

Contrasts, 110

Cord, stretched, 63
Cowslips in rows, 18

DAHLIAS, 25
Drainage of rock gardens, 76

EARWIGS, 85
Earwig traps, 106
Edging tiles, 106
Escallop shells, 18
Evening primrose, 25
Evergreen shrubs, 24
Examples of gardens, 37, 39, 41,
43) 45) 47, 51; 55, 57
Eyesores, 18, 20, 105
131

132

Index

FLINTS, white-washed, 106
Flower beds, where to place, 12
», contrasts, IIO
;, harmonies, 110
»» pots, painted, 106
», the tyranny of, 107
Flowers, classes of, 115
35 colours of, 110
45 elbow-room for, 108
es relative value of, 21
Flowering trees and shrubs, 22,
23, 124
Flowering trees and shrubs, list
of, 124
Foliage plants, 26
Front garden, the, 28
Front gardens, 49, 51
Fruit trees, 61

GARDENERS, journeyman, 31
Garden, the, and the flower, 107
3, the artistic, 107
», the form of the, 113
», walks, 62
Gardens, untidy, 108
Glass, 20
>» nuggets, 18
Gloves, 65
Golden Elder, 29
Grass, 8
», contrast with flowers, 10
», relative value of, 8
Gravel, disadvantages of, 69
»» howto lay, 72
>> paths, 62
Greenhouses, 20
Grids, wooden, 91
Growth, allowance for, 22

Harpy Climbers, 24

si $9 list of, 125
Hardy perennials, 22, 118
5 a list of, 118
Herbs, 60
Hollyhock, 25

Hop, 26

INDIAN CoRN, 26
Introductory, I
Ivy, 26

JAPANESE Gardens, 71

LABELS, 104.
» etching, 104
35 lead, 105
si painting, 104
56) varnish for, 105
9 zine, 104
Lawns, 8

Macapam, 66

“« Mary,” the gardener, 18
Mildew, 85

Minerals, 18

Morning Glory, 25
Mortar, 66

NAILS, galvanised, 88
Nasturtium, 25

Oak boards, colour of, 88
», tub, 17

PAINT, 18
Path, estimate for, 70

», go-and-return, 10
Paths, artistic, 69

»» construction of, 63

5, direction of, 12

;, Starting-point for, 13
Peas, perennial, 25
Pebbles, 62, 67
Pergola, 2, 17, 24, 97
Picturesque considerations of the,

15
Plan, importance of, 2, 14
Plants, grouping, 109

” tying, 105
Portland Cement, 74

Index

133

Privacy, 28
Privet hedges, 28
Pruning, 29

RECTILINEAR system, 6
Red Sandstone, 71
Renewals, 112
Reticence, 19, 26
Rhubarb, 60
Rock gardens, 75
a bulbs in, 83
9 contour of, 78
33 how to make, 77
a management of, 82
a paths in, 82
4 shrubs in, 82
5s soil for, 78
59 steps in, 79
watering, 84
Rock plants, 80, 125
5 list of, 126
Rocks, function of, 76
Rose beds, 27
Roses, 22, 26, 27, 122
», climbing, list of, 123 ,
»» list of, by colour, 122
», uncommon, list of, 124
Rubble, 62, 69
*¢ Rustic” work, 17, 87, 94

SCARLET Runner, 61
Seats, 17
» garden, 94
box pattern, 95
ey iy examples of, 96
Pr iron-framed, 94
Shade, plants for, 30
Shelter, 26
Shrubs, coarse-foliaged, 24
3, relative value of, 21
‘¢ Silver bells,” 18
Simplicity, 6
Sinuous lines, 7
Spirit level, 64

” »”

Stakes, 102

»» bamboo, 102

3, deal, 103

», Natural, 104

» oak, 103

a painting, 103

thickness of, 103

Stone waste, 70
Straight- -edge, 64
Straight lines, 6
Structures in the garden, 16
Summer-house, the, 85
Summer-houses, construction of,

9 cost of materials,

89
ss porch for, 92
Re position of, 92

= seats for, 92
shutters for, 91
ie tables for, 92

use of, 2, 17
Sun- dials, 17, 98

59 brick, Io1

35 examples of, 100

a materials of, 99

an position for, 101

"9 second-hand, 99

50 stone, IOI
wood, IoI

Siiccessions 110
Sunflower, 25
Surprises, 19
Sweet pea, 25

Tar paths, 72
Thatching, 89
Tile paths, 71
Tiles, edging, 66
», red roofing, 89
Trees, relative value of, 21
Trowels, 74
Tropeeolum, 25

UNSIGHTLY objects, 2

134

Index

Use of foliage, 2

VASES, 17
Vegetable garden, 58
sis marrow, 61

53 sculpture, 29
Vegetables, 128
33 as a background, 60
- list of, 129
Villa gardens, limits of, 6

Villa gardens, squareness of, 6
Virgin cork, 17, 87

Walks, 8
>» function of, Io
» width of, 10
Weather-cock, 89
What to plant, 21

York stone, 71

TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.

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