.&0 4' / THE WILD GARDEN The WILD GARDEN Or our Grov^es and Gardens made beautiful by the Naturalisation of Hardy Exotic Plants 5 being one way onwards from the Dark Ages of Flower Gardening, with suggestions for the Regeneration of the Bare Borders of the London Parks. By W. ROBINSON, F. L. S. THIRD EDITION Illustrated by Alfred Parsons LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET NEW YORK: SCRIBNER AND WELFORDf 188:; By the same Author. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN : ITS STYLE AND ARRANGEMENT. Followed by an ALPHABETICAL DESCRIPTION OF all the PLANTS BEST SUITED FOR ITS EMBELLISHMENT, their CULTURE, and POSITION. With numerous Illustrations. Medium 8vo. 15s. THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS, considered IN Relation to the Wants of other Cities and of Public AND Private Gardens. Third Edition. With 350 Illustrations. 8vo. i8s. ALPINE FLOWERS FOR ENGLISH GARDENS. How THEY MAY BE GrOWN IN ALL PaRTS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. With Illustrations of Rock-gardens, Natural and Artificial. Third Edition. With Woodcuts. Crown Svo. 7s. 6d. THE SUB-TROPICAL GARDEN; or, Beauty of Form IN THE Flower Garden; with Illustrations of all the finer Plants used for this purpose. Second Edition. With Illustrations. Small Svo. 5s. HARDY FLOWERS. Descriptions ok upwards of 1300 OF THE MOST ORNAMENTAL Si"ECiES ; with Directions for their Cul- ture, &c. Fourth Edition. Post Bvo. 3s. 6d. GOD'S ACRE BEAUTIFUL ; or, The Cemeteries of THE Future. Third Edition. With Illustrations. Svo. 7s. 6d. Art « Colonies of Poet's Narcissus and Broad-leaved Saxifrage, etc. — Frontispiece. AJf Ciihimbines and Geraniums in meadow-grass. PREFACE. When I began, some years ago, to plead the cause of the in- numerable hardy flowers against the few tender ones, put out at that time in a formal way, the answer frequently was, " We cannot go back to the mixed border " — that is to say, the old way of arranging flowers in borders. Knowing, then, a little of the vast world of plant beauty quite shut out of our gardens by the " system," in vogue, I was led to consider the ways in which it might be introduced to our gardens ; and, among various ideas that then occurred to me, was the name and scope of the " wild garden." I was led to think of the enormous number of beautiful hardy plants from other countries wliich might be naturalised, with a very slight amount of trouble, in many situations in our gardens and vi PREFACE. woods — a world of delightful plant beauty that we might in this way make happy around us, in places now weedy, or half bare, or useless. I saw that we could not only grow thus a tliousandf()ld more lovely flowers than are commonly seen in i what is called the flower garden, Ijut also a number which, by any other plan, have no chance whatever of being seen around us. This is a system which will give us more . beauty than ever was dreamt of in gardens, without interfc^r- ing with formal gardening in any way. In this illustrated edition, by the aid of careful drawings, I have endeavoured to suggest in what the system consists ; but if I were to write a book for every page that this contains, I could not hope to suggest the many beautiful aspects of vegetation which the wild garden will enable us to enjoy at our doors. Tlie illustrations are, with a few slight exceptions, the work of Mr. Alfred Parsons, and the drawing and engraving have been several years in execution. They are after nature, in places where the ideas expressed in the first small edition of the book had been carried out, or where accident, as in the case of the beautiful group of Myrrh and white Harebells, had given rise to the combinations or aspects of vegetation sought. I cannot too heartily acknowledge the skill and pains which Mr. Parsons devoted to the drawings, and to the success which he has attained in illustrating the motive of the book, and such good effects as have already been obtained where the idea has been intelligently carried out. PHKFACE. vii There has been some misunderstanding as to the term " Wild Garden." It is a|t[)liud essentially tu Ihu placing of perfectly hardy exotic plants in ]tlaces and under conditions where they will become established and take care of them- selves. It has nothinff to do with the old idea of the " wilderness," though it mav be carried out in connection witli that. It does not necessarily mean the picturesc[ue garden, for a garden may be highly picturesi[ue, and yet in every part the result of ceaseless care. What it does mean is l)est explained by the winter Aconite flowering under a grove of naked trees in February ; by the Snowflake growing abundantly in meadows by the Thames side ; by the perennial Lupine dyeing an islet with its purple in a Scotch river; and by the Apennine Anemone staining an English wood blue before the blooming of our blue bells. Multiply these instances a tliousandfold, illustrated by many dilferent types of plants and hardy climbers, from countries as cold or colder tlian our own, and one may get a just idea of the wild garden. Some have erroneously represented it as allowing a garden to run wild, or sowing annuals •promiscuously ; whereas it studiously avoids meddling with the garden proper at all, except in attempting the improve- ments of bare shrubbery borders in the London parks and elsewhere ; Ijut these are waste spaces, not gardens. I wish it to be kept distinct in the mind from the ^■ariuus important phases of hardy plant growth in groups, beds, and l)orders, in which good culture and good taste may produce viii PREFACE. many liappy effects ; distinct from the rock garden or the borders reserved for clioiee hardy flowers of all kinds ; from the best phase of the sub-tropical garden — that of growing hardy plants of fine form ; from the ordinary type of spring- garden ; and from the gardens, so to say, of our own beautiful native flowers in our woods and wilds. How far the wild garden may be carried out as an aid to, or in connection with, any of the above in the smaller class of gardens, can be best decided on the spot in each case. In the larger gardens, where, on the outer fringes of the lawn, in grove, park, copse, or by woodland walks or drives, there is often ample room, fair gardens and wholly new and beautiful aspects of vege- tation may be created by its means. May 28, 188]. CONTENTS. CHAPTEIi I. rA(!K EXPLANATORV ......... 1 CHAPTER II. Example from the Forget-me-not Family ... 9 CHAPTER III. Example from Hardy Bulbs and Tubers in Grass . 15 CHAPTER IV. Example from the Globe Flower Order . . . 21 CHAPTER V. Plants chiefly fitted for the Wild Garden . . 32 CHAPTER VI. Ditches and narrow shady Lanes, Copses, Hedgerows, AND Thickets ........ 3G CHAPTER VII. Drapery for Trees and Bushes ..... 43 CONTENTS. CHAPTEE VIII. PAGE The common Shrubbery, Woods and Woodland Drives . 51 CHAPTER IX. The Brook-side, Water-side, and Bog Gardens . . 67 CHAPTER X. Roses for the AVild Garden, and for Hedgerows, Fences, AND Groups . . . . . . . . 81 CHAPTER XL Wild Gardeninc! on Walls or Ruins .... 88 CHAPTER Xn. Some Results . . . . . . . . 92 CHAPTER Xm. A Plan for the Embellishment of the Shrubbery Borders in London Parks . . . . .111 CHAPTER XIV. The Principal Types of Hardy Exotic Flowering Plants for the Wild Garden . . . • . .120 CHAPTER XV. Selections of Hardy Exotic Plants for various Positions IN the Wild Garden . . . . . .103 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. Colonies of Poet's Narcissus and Broad-leaved Saxifrage, etc. F'l'ontispiece Columbine and Geraniums in meadow-grass .... v Large flowered Meadow Rue in the Wild Garden, type of plant mostly excluded from the Garden ..... 1 Night effect of large evening Primrose in tlie Wild Garden (ffinotliera Lamarkiana) . ... To face j-iwje 4 A "mixed border" with tile edging, tlie way in whicli the beautiful hardy flowers of tlie world have been grown in gardens hitherto, when gfown at all. (Sketched in a large (jarden, 1878) ........ 5 Blue flowered Composite plant ; fine foliage and habit ; type of noble plants excluded from Gardens. (Mulgedium Plumieri) ......... 6 W(Jod Anemone , . . . . . . . . 8 Caucasian Comfrey in shrubbery ...... S) The Cretan Borage (Borago cretica) . . . , . 13 Flowers of Geneva Bugle (Ajuga genevensis). Dwarf Boragewort 14 Star of Bethlehem in Grass . . , . . . . 15 The association of exotic and British wild flowers in tlie Wild Garden. — The Bell-flowered Scilla, naturalised with our own Wood Hyacinth . . . . . . . 17 The Turk's Cap Lily, naturalised in the grass by wood- walk . 19 Crocuses in turf, in grove of Summer leafing trees . . . 20 Group of Globe flowers (Trollius) in marshy place ; type of the nobler Northern flowers little cultivated in gardens . 21 xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Tlie Mountain Clematis (C. montana) . . . . . 22 Tlie White Japan Anemone in the Wild Ganleii ... 23 Anemones in the Riviera. Thrive eij^ually well in any open soil here, only flowering later . . . To face pa(je 24 The Green Hellebore in the Wild Garden . . . . 26 Tall perennial Larkspurs, naturalised in Shrubbery (18/8) . 28 Double Crimson Pceonies in grass . . . . . . 30 Eupatorium purpureum . . . . . , . 32 The Giant Scabious (8 feet high). (Cephalaria proL'era) . . 33 Giant Cow parsnip. Type of Great Siberian herbaceous vegeta- tion. For rough places only ..... 35 Foliage of Dipsacus, on hedge-bank in spring ... 36 The lai'ge white Bindweed, type of nobler climbing jilants, with annual stems. For copses, hedgerows, and shridjberies . Si) The Nootka Bramble ; type of free-growing flowering shrub. For copses and woods ....... 40 The Yellow Allium (A. Moly) naturalised .... 42 Periploca gra3ca (climber) . . . . . . . 43 Large White Clematis on Yew tree at Great Tew. (C. montana grandiflora) . . . . . . . . 44 The way the climbing plants of the world are crucified in gardens — wintev effect (a faitJif id sketch) . ... 45 Climbing shrub (Celastrus), isolated on the grass ; way of grow- ing woody Climl)ers away from walls or other supports , 46 A Liane in the North. Aristolochia and Deciduous Cypress . 4!J A beautiful accident. — A colony (;f Myrrhis odorata, established in shrubbery, witli white Harebells here and there . . 51 Large White Achilleas spread into wide masses under shade of trees in shrubbery . . . . . . . 53 Lilies coming uji through carpet of White Arabis . . . 55 Colony of Narcissus in properly spaced shrubbery . . . 5 7 The American White Wood-Lily (Trillium grandiflorum) in Wild Garden, in wood bottom in leaf-mould . To face page 58 The Lily of the Valley in a copse ...... 63 Solomon's Seal and Herb Paris, in copse by streamlet . . 67 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xiii I'AfiE Colony of lianly exotic Flowers, naturalised by brook-side . 69 Valley in Somersetsliin', witli Narrissi, ]\rarsli IVIarigolds, and Primroses ...... To face ]>a'je 70 Cyiierus longus . . . . . . . . 73 The Cape Pond "Weed in an English ditch in winter . . 75 Day Lily b\' margin of water . . . . . . 7G Marsh Marigold and Iris in early spring . . . . 78 The same spot as in pre^dous sketch, with aftergrowth of Iris, Meadow Sweet, and Bindweed ..... 79 Partridge Berry (Gaultheria) . . . . . . 80 Wild Eose growin" on a Pollard Ash in Orcliardlciuh Paik, Somerset ......... 83 White Climbing Rose scrambling over old Catalpa Tree To face ixvje 84 Climbing Rose isolated on grass ...... 87 Arenaria balearica, in a hole in wall at Great Tew . . 88 Cheddar Pink, Saxifrage, and Ferns, on cottage wall at Mells . 89 Tlie Yellow Fumitory on wall (Corydalis lutea) . . . 91 Large Japan Sedum (S. spectabilc) and Autumn Crocuses in the Wild Garden 92 Crane's Bill, wild, in grass . . . . . . . 94 Large-leafed Saxifrage in the Wild Garden .... 97 Tiger Lilies in Wild Garden at Great Tew . . To face jkujc 98 Large-flowered Clematis . . . . . . . 101 Sun Roses (Cistus) and other exotic hardy plants among heather, on sandy slope ...... To face jjacje 104 "\\'ood and herbaceous Meadow-sweets grouped together in Mr. Hewittson's garden . . . . . . .105 Woodruff and Ivy 108 Tailpiece . 110 Dug and mutilated Shrubbery in St. James's Park. Sketched in winter o/1879. . . . . . . . Hi Colony of the Snowdrop-Anemone in Shrubbery not dug. Anemone taking the place of weeds or bare earth . . 115 Colony of the Summer Snowflake, on margin of shrubbery . 119 XIV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PACE The Monkshood, naturalised by wet ditch in wood . . . l:il The white Narcissus-like Allium, in the orchards of Provence ; type of family receiving little place in gardens which may be beautiful for a season in wild places . . , . 123 The Alpine Windflower (Anemone alpina) . , . .124 Siberian Columbine in rocky place . . . . .126 Tall Asphodel in copse . . . . . . .127 The foliage of the Meadow Saffron in Spring . . .132 The White-flowered European Clematis (C. erecta) . . 133 Cyclamens in the Wild Garden ; from nature . . .134 A South European Bindweed creeping up the stems of an Iris in an English garden . . . . . . .135 A Sea Holly ; Eryngium 138 Groups of Funkia Sieboldi . . . . . .140 A hardy Geranium . . . . . . . .141 Snowdrops, Avild, by streamlet in valley .... 142 Sun Rose on limestone rocks . . . . . .144 White Lily in Wild Garden 146 Everlasting Pea, creeping up stem in shrubbery . . .148 Type of fine-leaved umbellate plants seldom grown in gardens 149 The Bee Balm, Monarda. American wood plant . . . 150 The Great Japan Knotweed (Polygoniuu cuspidatum). (Show- ing the plant in flower) . . . . . .152 Phlomis. Type of handsome Labiates ; admiraljly suited for the Wild Garden 153 The tall Ox-ej-e daisy (Pyrethrum ser(itinum) . . .154 The Great Reed of Southern Europe (Arundo Donax) . . 155 Telekia. Type of the Larger Composites, excluded I'lum gardens proper . . . . . . . . .150 Group of Tritoma, in grass . . . . . .100 A tall Mullein 161 Ophrys in grass . . . . . . . .163 Rock ste]3s witli Omphalodes . . . . . .175 Butterbur and Double Furze on margin of lake . . . 176 THE WILD GARDEN. OXE WAY OXWARD.S FROM THE DARK AGES OF FLOWER - GARDEXIXG.' CHAPTER I. EXPLANATORY. About a generation ago a taste began to he manifested for placing a nnmber of tender plants in tlie open air in smnmer, witli a view to the production of showy masses f decided colonr. The suhjects selected were mostly from sub-tropical climates ^j]v>-" and of free growth ; placed annually in "1- the open air of our genial early sum- r^l;-^^/iti- mer, and in fresh rich earth, every year they grew rapidly and flowered abun- dantly during the summer and early autumn months, and until cut down ^ 1 )y the first frosts. The showy colour of this system was very attractive, Large-flowered Meadow Rue in the Wild Garden, type of , . •. • j. plant mostly excluded from the Garden. and SmCCltS UltrO- B 2 THE WILD GARDEN. ductioii there lias been a gradual rooting out of all the ohl favourites in favour of this " bedding " system. This was carried to such an extent that it was not uncommon, indeed it has been the rule, to find the largest gardens in the countrv without a single hardy flower, all energy and expense being devoted to the production of the few exotics required for the summer decoration. It should lie distinctly borne in mind that the expense for this system is an annual one ; that no matter what amount of money may be spent in this w\ay, or how many years may be devoted to perfecting it, the first sharp frost of November announces a yet further expense and labour, usually more heavy than the preceding. Its highest results need hardly be described; they are seen in all our great public gardens ; our London and many other city parks show them in the shape of beds filled with vast quantities of flowers, covering the ground frequently in a showy way, or in a repulsively gaudy manner : nearly every private garden is taken possession of by the same things. I will not here enter into the question of the merits of this system ; it is enough to state that even on its votaries it is beginning to pall. Some are looking back with regret to the old mixed-border gardens ; others are endeavouring to soften the harshness of the bedding system by the introduction of fine-leaved plants, but all are agreed that a great mistake has been made in destroying all our old flowers, from Lilies to Hepaticas, though very few persons indeed have any idea of the numbers of beautiful subjects in this way which we may gather from every northern and temperate clime to adorn our gardens under a more artistic system. My object in the Wild Gardeyi is now to show how we EXPLANATOTiY. 3 may have more of tlie varied beauty of hardy flowers than the most ardent admirer of the old style of garden ever dreams of, by naturalising innumerable beautiful natives of many regions of the earth in our woods and copses, rougher parts of pleasure grounds, and in unoccupied places in almost every kind of garden. I allude not to the wood and brake flora of any one country, but to that which finds its home in the vast fields of the whole northern world, and that of the hill -ground that falls in furrowed folds from beneath tlie hoary heads of all the great mountain chains of the world, whether they rise from hot Indian plains or green European pastures. The Palm and sacred Fig, as well as the Wheat and the Vine, are separated from the stemless plants that cushion under the snow for half the vear, bv a zone of hardier and not less beautiful life, varied as the breezes that whisper on the mountain sides, and as the rills that seam tliem. They are the Lilies, and Bluebells, and Foxgloves, and Irises, and Windflowers, and Columbines, and Eock-roses, and Violets, and Cranesbills, and countless Pea-flowers, and mountain Avens, and Brambles, and Cincpiefoils, and Evening Prim- roses, and Clematis, and Honeysuckles, and ]\Iichaelmas Daisies, and "Wood-hyacinths, and Dafl'odils, and Bindweeds, and Forget-me-nots, and blue-eyed Omplialudes, and Prim- roses, and Day Lilies, and Asphodels, and St. Bruno's Lilies, and the almost innumeralile plants wliich form the flora of the northern and temperate portions of vast continents. It is beyond the power of pen or pencil to picture the beauty of these plants. Innumerable and infinitely varied scenes occur in the wilder parts of all northern and temperate 4 THE WILD GARDEN. regions, at many different elevations. The loveliness and ceaselessly varying charms of snch scenes are indeed difficult to descrilie or imagine ; the essential thing to Lear in mind is that the plants that go to form them arc hardy, and will thrive in our dim ate as well as natwe jjlanfs. Such beauty may be realised in every wood and copse and slnnibbery that screens our " trim gardens." Naturally our woods and wilds have no little loveliness in spring ; we have liere and there the Lily-of-the-valley and the Snowdro]*, and everywhere the Primrose and Cowslip ; the Bluebell and the Foxglove sometimes take nearly complete possession of whole woods ; but, with all our treasures in this way, we have no attractions in or near our gardens compared to what it is within our power to create. There are many countries with winters as cold as, or colder than, our own, possessing a rich flora ; and by taking the best hardy exotics and establishing tliem in wild or lialf-wild spots, we may produce lieauti- ful pictures in such places. To most people a pretty plant in a free state is more attractive than any garden denizen. It is taking care of itself; and, moreover, it is usually surrounded l^y some degree of graceful wild spray — the green above, and tlie moss and brambles and grass around. By the means presently to be explained, numbers of plants of the highest order of beauty and fragrance, and clothed with pleasant associations, may be seen j)erfectly at home in tlie spaces now devoted to rank grass and weeds, and Ijy wood walks in our shrubberies and ornamental plantations. Among my reasons for advocating this system are the following : — First, because hundreds of the finest hardy flowers will Night effect of large evening Primrose in the Wild Garden (CEnothera Lamarkiana). EXPLANAT0E7. thrive iiuicli licLter in rough iiiid AviM places than ever tliey (lid in the old-fashioned borcU'r. Even eoniparatively small ones, like the ivy-leaved Cyclamen, a heautii'ul ])lant that we rarely find in perfection in gardens, I have seen perfectly naturalised and spread all ovi-r the mossy surface of a thin wood. Secondly, l)e(;ause they will look infinitely better than ever they did in gardens, in consequence of fine-leaved plant, fern, and climbei", urass and trailing shrub, relieving each other in ways innumerable and delightful. Any one of a thousand combinations will prove as far superior to any aspect of the old mixed border, or the ordinary type of modern tloAver-gar- ^ A "mixed liorder wilh tile edging, the way in which the den as is a lovelv beautiful hardy flowers of the world have been grown in •^ gardens liitherto, when grown at all. {S/cetc/ieii in a mountain valley to /nrgri:an{cn, 1878.) a piece of the " black country." Tliirdly, because, arranged as I propose, no disagreeable elfects result from decay. The raggedness of the old mixed border after the first flush of spring and early summer bloom had passed was intolerable, bundles of decayed stems tied to sticks, making the place look like the parade-ground of a number of crossing - sweepers. A\'hen Lilies are sparsely THE WILD GARDEN. aV.' dotted through masses of shrubs, their flowers are admired more than if they were in isolated showy masses ; when they pass out of Lloom tliey are unnoticed amidst the vegetation, and not eyesores, as wdien in rigid unrelieved tufts in borders, etc. In a wild or semi-wild state the beauty of individual species will proclaim itself when at its height ; and when out of bloom they will be succeeded by other kinds, or lost among the numerous objects around. Fourthlji, because it will enable us to grow many plants that have never yet obtained a place in our " trim gardens." I allude to the multitudes of plants which, not being so sho\\y as those usually considered worthy of a place in gardens, are never seen therein. The flowers of many of these are of the hinhest order of beauty, especially when seen in numbers. An isolated tuft of one of these, seen in a formal border, may not be con- sidered worthy of its place, while in some wild glade, in a wood, as a little colony, grouped naturally, or associated witli like subjects, its effect may be exquisite. Among the subjects usually considered unfit for garden cultivation may be included a goodly number that, grown in gardens, are no addition to them ; subjects like the American Asters, Golden Rods, and like plants, which merely I nxrc, Blue flowered Composite plant ; fine foliage and habit ; type of noble plants excluded from gardens. (Mulgedium Plumieri.) EXPLANATORY. 7 overrun the choicer ami more beautiful Ijorder-flower.s Avhen planted amonast them. These coarse subjects would be (|uite at home in copses and woody places, where their blossoms might be seen or gathered in due season, and their vigorous vegetation form a covert welcome to the game-preserver. To these two groups might be added subjects like the winter Heliotrope, the handsome British Willow herb, and many other plants whicli, while attractive in the garden, are apt to spread about so rapidly as to become a nuisance there. Clearly these should only l)e planted in wild and semi-wild places. Fifthly, because we may in this way settle also the question of spring flowers, and the spring garden, as well as that of hardy flowers generally. In the way I suggest, many parts of every country garden, and many suburban ones, may l:)e made alive with spring flowers, without interfering at least with the geometrical beds that have been the worthless stock - in - trade of the so - called landscape - gardener for centuries. The Idue stars of the Apenuine Anemone will Ije seen to greater advantage " wild," in shady or half-shady bare places, under trees, than in any conceivable formal arrange- ment, and it is but one of hundreds of sweet spring flowers that will succeed perfectly in the way I propose. Sixtklij, because there can be few more agreeable phases of communion with nature than naturalising the natives of countries in whicli we are infinitely more interested than in those of which greenhouse or stove plants are native. From the Eoman ruin — home of many flowers, the prairies of the Xew World, the woods and meadows of all the great moun- tains of Europe ; from Greece and Italy and Spain, from the 8 THE WILD GARDEN. sunny liills of Asia ]\Iinor ; from the alpine regions of the great continents — in a word, from almost every interesting region the traveller may bring seeds or plants, and establish near his home the pleasantest souvenirs of the various scenes he has visited. Moreover, the great merit of permanence belongs to this delightful phase of gardening. Select a wild rough slope, and embellish it with the handsomest and hardiest climbing plants, — say the noble mountain Clematis from Nepal, the sweet C. Flammula from Southern Europe, " Virginian creepers " in variety, tlie Nootka Bramble (Eubus nutkanus and R. odoratus), various species of hardy vines. Jasmines, Honeysuckles — British and European, and wild Roses. Arranged with some judgment at first, such a colony miglit be left to take care of itself; time would luit add to its attractions, and the happy owner might go away for years, and find it beautiful on his return. CHAPTER 11. EX A:\irLE FKOM THE FORGET-.ME-XOT FAMILY. ^5^.^^ r WILL HOW ,4:-. •i4>i^;»^s^ endeavour to mf'^^m T^l&}i^, ■■ illustrate my meaninL!: by showing what Caucasian Comfrej- in shrubbery. Uia V hC (loUG witli one type of northern vegetation — that of the Forget-me-not order, one far from being as rich as others in subjects suited for the wild garden. Through considering its capabilities in this way, the reader may be al)le to form some idea of what we may do by selecting from the numerous plants that grow in the meadows and moun- tain-woods of Europe, xVsia, and America. The Forget-me-not or Borage family is a well-marked and well-known one, containiuG,' a great numljer of coarse weeds, 1 tut which, if it possessed only the common Forget-me- not, would have some claims on us. Many persons are not acquainted with more than the Forget-me-nots; l)ut what lovely exotic plants there are in this order that AV(udd atVord delight if met with creeping aljout along our \V(jod and 10 THE WILD GARDEN. shrubbery walks ! Nature, say some, is sparing of her deep true bhies ; but there are obscure plants in this order that possess the truest, deepest, and most delicate of blues, and whicli will thrive as well in the wild garden as common weeds. The creeping Omphalodes verna even surpasses the Forget- me-not in the depth and Ijeauty of its blue and its other good qualities, and runs about quite freely in any shady or lialf-shady shrubbery or open wood, or even in turf in moist soil not very frequently mown. Its proper home is the wood or semi-wild spot, where it takes care of itself. I'ut it in a garden, and probably, unless the soil and region be moist, it soon perishes. Besides, in the border, it would be a not very agreeable object when once the sweet s])ring bloom had passed ; wliereas, in the positions spoken of, in consequence of the predominance of trees, shrubs, atid tall herl)s, the low plants are not noticed when out of flower, but crawl about unob- served till returning spring reminds those fortunate enough to see them how superior is the inexpensive and natural kind of gardening here advocated. Another plant of the order is so suitable and useful for this ])urpose, that if a root or two of it be planted in any shrubbery, it will soon run about, exterminate the weeds, and prove (piite a lesson in wild gardening. I allude to the Caucasian Comfrey (Symphytum caucasicum), which grows about twenty inches high, and bears quantities of the loveliest blue pen- dulous flowers. It, like many others, does much better in a wood, grove, or any kind of shrubbery, than in any other position, filling in the naked spaces betw^een the trees and sliruljs, and has a quick-growing and spreading tendency, but never becomes weedy or objectionable. As if to contrast EXAMPLE FROM THE FORGET-ME-NOT FAMILY. 11 M'itli it, there is the deej) crimson Boliemian Comfrcy (S. bohemicum), which is sometimes startliug from the deptli of its vivid coloiirinu- ; and tlie white Comfrey (S. orientale), (j^nite a vigorous-growing kind, blooming early in April ami ^lay, with the blue Caucasian C. These Comfreys, indeed, are admirable plants for rougli places — the tall and vigorous ones thriving in a ditch or any similar place, and flowering much better and longer than they ever did in the garden proper, in prim borders. There are about twenty species, mostly from Southern and Central Europe, Asia, and Silieria. I purposely omit the British Forget-me-nots, wishing now chiefly to show what we may do with exotics quite as hardy as our own wildlings ; and we have another Forget-me-not, not British, which surpasses them all — the early Myosotis dissitiflora. This is lilvc a patch of the bluest sky settled down among the moist stones of a rockwork or any similar spot, before our own Forget-me-not has opened its blue eyes, and is admirable for glades or banks in wood or shrubbery, especially in moist districts. For rocky bare places and sunny sandy banks we lune the spreading Gromwell (Lithospermum pirostratum), which, when in flower, looks just as if some exquisite alj)ine Gentian had assumed the form of a low Ijush, to enable it to hold its own among creeping things and stouter herbs than accompany it on the Alps. The Gromwells are a large and important genus l^ut little known in gardens, some of them, like our native kind, being handsome plants. Among the fairest plants we have are tlie Lungworts, Pulmonaria, too seldom seen, and partly destroyed through 12 THE WILD GARDEN. exposure on bare dug and often dry liorder. The old Pulmonaria (Mertensia virginica) is one of tlie loveliest spring flowers ever introduced. It is verv rare in i>-ardens, Imt if placed in a moist place near a stream, or in a peat l)ottom, it will live ; whereas it frequently dies in a garden. The newer and more easily grown Mertensia sibiriea is a lovely plant, taller and flowering longer. These two plants alone would repay any one for a trial of the wild garden, and will illus- trate the fiict that for the sake of culture alone (apart from art, beauty, or arrangement) the wild-garden idea is worth carrying out. Among the many plants suitable for the wild garden none look more at home than Borage, a few seeds of which scattered over fresh dry ground soon germinate, and form fine ])atclies that will flower during the summer. Although only an annual, once it is introduced there is no fear of losing it, as it comes up somewhere near the same spot each succeeding year, and when in bloom the peculiar Solanum-like sha])e of the blossoms, and their rich blue colour, make it beautiful. The Cretan Borage is a curious old perennial, seldom seen in gardens; and deservedly so, for its growth is robust and its habit coarse. It is, however, a capital plant for the wild garden, or for rough places — in copse, or shrubljery, or lane, where the ample room which it re(piires would not Ije be- grudged, and where it may take care of itself from year to year, showing among the boldest and the hardiest of the early spring flowers. Thus, though I say little of the Alkanet (Anclmsa) tribe, several of which could be found worth a place with our own handsome Evergreen Alkanet, and do not mention other im- EXAMPLE FROM THE FOKOET-ME-NOT FAMILY. 1 :5 portant genera, it will be seen that a whole garden nf heauty limy 1)0 reaped from this tribe ahme. Any one wlio doubts tlu' advantao'es of carrvino' out the idea of the wild garden could settle the matter to his satisfaction in a couple of years with these plants alone, in a shrubbery, ditch, lane, copse, or 'I'hu Cretan Horage (Borago Cretica). wood, always })roviding that he takes care to adapt each hind to the position and the soil. For instance, tlie Giant Conifrey will grow six feet high in rich or moist soil in a partially shaded ditch, and therefore, once fairly started, might b(> trusted to take care of itself in any position. The Caucasian Comfrey, on the other hand, grows fi'om eighteen inches to two feet high, and is at home in the spaces in a copse or 14 THE WILD GARDEN. slirubbery. The creeping Forget-me-not (Ompalodes verna) is a little plant tliat creeps about in grass or among vegetation, not over a span liigli, or forms a carpet of its own — these points must be considered, and tlien the rest is gardening of the happiest kind only. These Borageworts, richer in Ijlue flowers than even the gentians, are usually poor rusty tilings in exposed sunny borders, and also much in the way when out of flower, whereas in shady lanes, copses, open parts of not too dry or impoverished sliruliberies, in hedgerow-lianks, or ditches, we only notice tliem in their lieautiful bloom. Flowers of Cleneva Bugle (Ajiiga genevensis), Dwarf Boragewort. ^v,■v.■1:i■?^.^>' Star of Bethlehem in CJrass. CHAPTER III. EXAMPLE FROM HARDY BULBS AND TUBEES IN GRASS. We will now turn from the Forget-me-not order to a very different type of vegetation — liardy l)ulbs and other plants dying down after flowering early in the year, like the Winter Aconite and the Blood-root (Sanguinaria). How many of us really enjoy the beauty which a judicious use of a profusion of hardy Spring -flowering Bulbs affords? How many get beyond the miserable conventionalities of the flower-garden, A\ith its edgings and patchings, and taking up, and drying, and mere playing "with our beautiful Spring Bull)S ? How many enjoy the exquisite beauty afforded by flow^ers of this class, established naturally, without troubling us for attention at any time ? The subject of decoratiug w4th Spring-flowering Bulbs is merely in its infancy ; at present w^e merely place a few of the showiest of them in geometrical lines. The little w^e do leads to such a very poor result, that numbers of people, 16 THE WILD GARDEN. alive to the real charms of a garden too, scarcely notice Spriii . Bulbs at all, regarding them as things which require endless trouble, as interfering with the " bedding-out ;" and in fact, as not worth tlie pains they occasion. This is likely to be the case so long as the most effective and satisfactory of all modes of arranging them is unused ; that way is the placing of them in wild and semi-wild parts of country seats, and in the rougher parts of a garden, no matter where it may be situated or how it may be arranged. This way will yield more real interest and beauty than any other. Look, for instance, at the wide and bare belts of grass that wind in and around the shrubberies in nearly every country place ; frequently, they never display a particle of ]ilant-l)eauty, and are merely places to be roughly mown now and then. But if planted here and there with the Snowdrop, the blue Anemone, the Crocus, Scillas, and Winter Aconite, they would in spring surpass in attractiveness the gayest of spring gardens. Cushioned among the grass, these would have a more congenial medium in which to unfold than is offered by the beaten sticky earth of a border; in the grass of spring, their natural bed, they would look far better than ever they do when arranged on the bare earth of a garden. Once carefully planted, they — while an annual source of the greatest interest — occasion no trouble whatever. Their leaves die down so early in spring that they would scarcely interfere with tlie mowing of the grass, if that were desired, but I should not attempt to mow the grass in such places till the season of vernal beauty had quite passed liy. Surely it is enough to have a portion of lawn as smooth as a carpet at all times, without sending the mower to shave the EXAMPLE FROM HAKDY BULBS AXD TUBERS. 17 •■ lung and pleasant grass " of tlie other parts of the grounds. It ^vunld indeed be worth wliile to leave many parts of the grass nnniown fur the sake of growing many beautiful plants in it. If in some spot where a wide fringe of grass spreads out in the bay of a shrubbery ov plantation, and upon this carpet of rising and unshaven verdure there be dotted, in addition to the few pretty natural flowers that happened to take pos- ^^" ' session of it, the blue Apeunine ^-<;: Anemone, the Snowdrop, the Snow- 4^- -^.^jm flake. Crocuses in variety, Scillas, Grape-Hyacinths, earlier and smaller Xarcissi, the "Wood Anemone, and any other pretty Spring flowers that were suitable to the soil and position, we should have a glimpse of the A'ernal Ijeauty of temperate and northern climes, every flower re- lieved bv grass blades and oreen I/O O leaves, the whole devoid of any trace of man, or his exceeding weak- ness for tracing wall-paper pat- terns, where everything should lie varied, indefinite, and changeful, would be evident that the artist had caught the true mean- ing of nature in her disposition of vegetation, without sacrificing one jot of anything of value in the garden, liut, on the contrary, adding the highest beauty to spots devoid of the slightest interest. In connection with this matter I may as well say here that mowing the grass once G rhe association of exotic and British wild flowers in the Wild Garden. — The Bell-flowered Scilla, nat- uralised with our own Wood Hyacinth. In such a garden it IS THE WILD GARDEN. a fortnight in pleasure g7Vimds, as now pjxictised, is a great and costly mistahe. We want shaven carpets of grass liere and there, but what cruel nonsense both to men and grass it is to shave as many foolish men shave their faces ! There are indeed places where they boast of mowing forty acres ! Who would not rather see the waving grass with countless flowers than a close shaven surface without a blossom i Imagine the labour wasted in this ridiculous labour of cutting the heads off flowers and grass. Let the grass grow till lit to cut for hay, and we may enjoy in it a Avorld of lovely flowers that will blossom and perfect their growth before the grass has to be mown ; more than one person who has carried out the ideas expressed in this book has waving lawns of feathery grass where he used to shave the grass every ten days ; a prairie of flowers where a daisy was not allowed to peep ; and some addition to his hay crop as he allows the grass to grow till it is ht for that purpose. It is not only to places in which shrubberies, and planta- tions, and belts of grass in the rougher parts of the pleasure- ground, and shady moss-bordered wood-walks occur that these remarks apply. The suburban garden, with its single fringe of planting, may show like beauty, to some extent. It may have the Solomon's Seal arching forth from a shady recess, behind tufts of the sweet-scented Xarcissus, while in every case tliere may be wild fringes of strong and hardy flowers in the spring sun, and they cannot he cut off l>y harsh winds as when exposed in the open garden. What has already been stated is, I hope, sufficient to show to everybody the kind of place that mny be used for their culture. Wild and semi-wild places, rough banks in or near the pleasure-ground or flower- EXAMPLE FROM HARDV BULBS AND TUBERS. 19 garden, sueli spots as perhaps at present contain nothing but weeds, or any naturally ruugh ur unused spot ahout a garden — such are the places for them. K\'en where all the lawn must be mown the Snowdrop may be enjoyed in early spring, for its leaves die down, (ir at all events ripen sufficiently before there is anv occasion to mow the grass. But the prettiest results are oidy attainable where the The I'urk^ Cap Lily, naturalised in the grass by wooJ-«a!k. grass need not l)e mown till nearly the time the meadows are ninwn. Then we may have gardens of Narcissi, such as men never dared to dream about a dozen years ago ; such as no one ever thought possiljle in a garden. In grass not mown at all We may even enjoy many of the Lilies, and all the lovelier and more stately Ijulbous flowers of the meadows and mountain lawns of Europe, Asia, and America. On a stretch of good grass which need not be mown, and on fairly good soil in an}" part of our country, beauty may be 20 THE WILD GARDEN. enjoyed such as has hitherto only giaddened the heart of the rare wanderer on the higli mountain hiwns and copses, in May when the earth chikh'en laugh in multitudes on their mother's breast. All planting in the grass should be in natural groups or prettily fringed colonies, growing to and fro as they like after planting. Lessons in this grouping are to be had in woods, copses, heaths, and meadows, by those wlio look about them as they go. At first many will find it difficult to get out of formal masses, but that may be got over by studying natural groupings of wild flowers. Once established, the plants soon begin to group themselves in a way that lea^'es nothing t(j desire. Crocuses in turf, in grove uf Sunnucr leafing trees. Group of Globe flowers (Trollius) in marshy place ; type of the nobler Northern flowers little cultivated in gardens. CHAPTER IV. EXAMPLE FROM THE GLOBE FLOWER ORDER. Let us next see what may 1)e done with the Buttercup order of pLmts. It embraces many tilings widely diverse in aspect from these liuniished ornaments of northern meadows and muuiitains. The first thing I should take from it to embellish the wild wood is the sweet-scented Virgin's Bower (Clematis flammula), a native of the south of Europe, but as hardy and free in all parts of Britain as the common Hawthorn. And as the Hawthorn sweetens the breath of early summer, so will this add fragrance to the autumnal months. It is never to be seen half so beautiful as when crawHng over some tree or decayed stump ; and if its profuse masses of white liloom do not attract, its fragrance is sure to do so. An open glade in a wood, or open spaces on banks near a wood or shrubbery, would be charming for it, while in the garden or pleasure-ground it may be used 22 THE WILD GARDEN. as a creeper over old stumps, trellising, or the like. Cle- matis campaniflora, with flowers like a campanula, and of a pale purplish hue, and the beautiful white Clematis montana grandiflora, a native of Nepaul, are almost ecpially beautiful, and many others of the family are worthy of a place, rambling- over old trees, bushes, hedgerows, or tang- ling over banks. Tliese single wild species (if Clematis are more graceful than the large Hybrids now common ; tbey are very hardy and free. In mild and sea- shore districts a beautiful kind, common in Algeria, and in the islands on and tlie shores of the ]\Iediterranean (Clematis cirrhosa), will be found most valuable — being nearly evergreen, and flowering very early in spring — even in winter in the South of England. Next in tliis order we come to the Wind ilowers, or Anemones, and here we must pause to select, for more beauti- ful flowers do not adorn this world oi' floM'ers. Have we a bit of rich urass not niOM'n ? If so, the lieautiful downy white and yellow Anemones of the Alps (A. alpina and A. sulphurea) may l>e grown there. Any sunny bushy l)aid<; or southern slope which we wish to embellisli with vernal beauty ? Then select Anemone blanda, a small l)ut lovely blue kind; ])lace it in open bare spots to l^egin witb, as it is very dwarf, and it will at Christmas, and from that time onward through the spring, open its large flowers of the deejDest sky blue. The Mountain Clematis (C. montana). EXA^r^'^K vui)M cloiu-: Fl.o^^•|•:I; oiidkr. 23 The ciuniiioii unnlcii An.ciiioiu! (A. ( 'ormniria) will iioL l)e f;i-ti(li(ins, l.iii jiad iM'tlciUc placed in njicii liarc sainly places ; and tlu' s])leniliil Ancnmnf fulLiriis will proxe niosl attractive, as it glows with tiery scavh't. Of other Anemones, hardy, free, and hcantifnl enough to he made wild in <>nr shrnljheries, ]ileasnre-gronnds, and wilds, the dapan Ancniunc 'A. j'aponica) The White Japan Anemone in the Wild Garden. and its white varieties, A. trifolia and A. sylvestris, are the hest of the exotic species. The Japan Anemones grow' so strongly that they Avill take care of themselves even among stiff hrushwuod, brambles, etc. ; and they are beantifully fitted for scattering along the low, half- wild margins of shrub- beries and groups. The interesting little A. trifolia is not unlike our own wood Anemone, and M'ill otow in similar places. 24 THE WILD GARDEN. Few plants are more lovely in the wild garden than the White Japan Anemone. The idea of the wild garden first arose in the writer's mind as a home for a numerous class of coarse -growing plants, to which people begrudge room in their borders, such as the Golden Eods, Michaelmas Daisies, Compass plants, and a host of otliers, which are l)eautiful fur a season only, or perhaps too rampant for what are called choice borders and beds. This Anemone is one of the most beautiful of garden flowers, and one which is as well suited for the wild garden as the kinds alluded to. It grows well in any good soil in copse or sln-ubbery, and increases rapidly. Partial shade seems to suit it ; and in any case the effect of the large white flowers is, if anything, more beautiful in half- shady places. The flowers, too, are more lasting here than where they are fully exposed. As for the Apennine Anemone (the wliite as well as the blue variety), it is one of the loveliest spring flowers of any clime, and should l)e in every garden, in the borders, and scattered thinly here and there in woods and shrubberies, so that it may become " naturalised." It is scarcely a British flower, being a native of the south of Europe ; l)ut having strayed into our wilds and plaiitations occasionally, it is now included in most books on British plants. The yellow A. ranuncnloides, a doul)tful native, found in one or two spots, but not really British, is well worth growing, tliriving well on the chalk, and being very Ijeautifiil. The large Hepatica angulosa will grow almost as freely as Celandine among shrubs and in half-shady spots, and we all know how readily the old kinds grow on all garden soils of ordinary quality. There are about ten or ^'^ W--'-'l MM EXAMPLE FRO^r OLOBE FLOWER ORDER. 25 twelve varieties of tlie common Hepatica (Anemone Hepatica) grown in British nurseries and gardens, and ;dl (lie colours of llie species should he represented in evcrv collection of spring flowers. There are many of the Eaimnculi, not natives of r>ritain, which would urow as freelv as our native kinds. ISIanv will doubtless remember with pleasure tlie pretty button-like white flowers of the Fair IMaids of France (Ranunculus aeonitifolius fl. pi.), a frecpient ornament of the old mixed l}order. This, and the wild form from which it comes — a frecpient plant in alpine meadows — may also l)e enjoyed in our wild garden. Quite distinct from all these, and of chastest beauty when well grown, is 11. amplexicaulis, with flowers of pure white, and simple leaves of a dark glaucous green and flowing graceful outline ; a hardy and charming plant on almost any soil. This is one of the elegant exotic forms of a family well represented in the golden type in our meadows, and therefore it is welcome as giving- us a strange form Such a plant deserves that pains be taken to establish it in good soil, in spots where a rank vegetation may not weaken or destroy it. Of the Globe Flowers (Trollius), there are various kinds apart from our own, all rich in colour, fragrant, and hardy in a remarkable degree. These are amono- the noblest wild- garden plants — cpiite hardy, free of growth in the heaviest of soil and wettest of climates, affording a lovely type of early summer flower- life, and one distinct from any usually seen in our fields or gardens ; for these handsome Globe flowers are among the many flowers that for years have found no place in the garden proper. They are lovely in groups or 26 THE WILD GAKDEN. colonies, in cold grassy places, where ninny otliei- ]>lants wonld perish. The Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyenialis) shonld be naturalised in every country seat in Britain — it is as easy to do so as to introduce the thistle. It may he placed (piite under the Ijranches of deciduous trees, will come up and flower when the trees are naked, Avill have its foliage developed before the leaves come on the trees, and be afterwards '"^'^'""ivr"^'^- •''" hidden from sight. Thus masses of this earliest flower may be grown with- out the slightest sacrifice of space, and only be noticed when Itearing a bloom on every little stem. That fine old ])lant,the Christmas Rose ( Hellel lorus niger), likes partial shade better thaii full exposure, and should be used abun- dantly, giving it rather snug and warm positions, so that its flowers may be encouraged to open well and fully. Any other kinds might also be used, liecently many kinds of Helleborus have been added to our gardens, not all of them so conspicuous at first sight as tlie Christmas Eose, yet they are of remarkable beauty of foliage and habit as well as of blossom, and they flower in the spring. These, too, show the They The (Ireeii Hellebore in the Wild (iarden. advantage of the wild garden as regards cultiAation KXAMPLK FROM (ILOBE FLOWRIJ ORDEH. 27 \\']\] llu'hc much hetfrr in any htsliy places, or copses, or in mniually shelf rriny groups on irarm hanks and slopes, even in hedge hanks, old i/i/arrics, or rough movnds, than in the ordinary garden harder. Of the ditlereiice in tlie effect in tlie tAvo cases it is needless to speak. Rome of the ^Nronkslioods are very handsome, hnt all ol" them virnlent poisons; and, l)earin,u in mind what fatal accidents have arisen from their nse, they ai'e l)etter not used at all in the ,^ardeii proper. Amongst tall and vigorous herliaceous plants few are more suitable for wihl and semi -wild places. Tliey are hardy and rohust enougli to grow anywhere in sliady (ir lialf-sliady s])ots: and tlieir tall spikes, loaded with l)lue flowers, are very beautiful. An illustration in the ('ha])ter on the ])lants suited for the wild garden sliows the common Aconite in a Somersetshire valley in company with the Butterbur and the Hemlock. In .such a ]ilace its beauty is very striking. Tlie larger rich l)lue kinds, and the blue and white one, are very showy grown in deep soils, in Mdiich they attain a great height. When out of flower, like many other stately Perennials, they were often stiff and ugly in the old borders and l)eds. In tlie wild garden tlieir stately beauty Avill be more remarkable than ever under the green leaves in copses and by streams. And when Hower-time is gone, their stems, no longer tied into bundles or cut in by the knife, will group finely with other vigorous herbaceous vegetation. The Delphiniums, or tall Terennial Larks|)urs, are amongst the most lieautiful of all flowers. They embrace almost every shade of lilue, from the rich dark tone of D. grandiflora to the 28 THE WILD GARDEN. eharming can-ulean tints of such as D. Belladonna ; and being usually of a tall and strong type, will make way among long grasses and vigorous weeds, unlike many things for which we have to recommend an open space, or a wood with notliing but a carpet of moss under the trees. One of the prettiest effects whicli I liave ever seen was a colony of tall Larkspurs. Portions of old roots of several species and varieties had been chopped off when a l)ed of these plants was dug in the autumn. For convenience sake the refuse had been thrown into the neigh- l)Ouring shrubbery, far in among the shrubs and trees. Here they grew in half- open spaces, which were so far removed from tlie margin that they were not dug and were not seen. When I saw the Larks]iurs in flower they were certainly the loveliest things that one could see. They were more beautiful than they are in borders or beds, not growing in such close stiff tufts, but mingling with and relieved by the trees above and the shrubs around. Little more need be said to any one who knows and cares about such plants, and lias an opportunity of planting in such neglected places. This case points out that one might make wild gardens from the mere parings and thinnings of Tall Perennial Larkspurs, naturalised in Shrubbery (1878). EXAMPLE FKOM GLOBE FLOWER ORDER. 2!) the beds and borders in autumn in any place wliere there is a collection of good hardy plants. The engraving on the next page represents one of tlie most beautiful effects obtained in his wild garden by an acquaintance of mine who began when he knew very little of plants and their favoured haunts, and succeeded well in a not very favourable site. Herbaceous Piconies were amongst those that succeeded best. The effect was very l^eautiful, either close at hand or seen at a considerable distance off. Herb- aceous Pseonies are amongst the most free, vigorous, and hardy of perennial plants, and with them alone most novel and beautiful effects may be carried out in most places where there is room. Even in comparatively small gardens, a group or two outside the margin of a shrubljery woidd be desirable. The effect of the blooms amongst the long grass of the wild garden is liner than any they present in borders, and when out of flower they do not seem to be in the way, as they often are thought to be when in borders and beds. It is almost needless to speak here of the great variety of forms now obtainable amongst these herbaceous Pieonies, many of which are agreeably scented. The older forms were not remarkable in that respect, but rather the contrary. In addition to the splendour (jf colour for which Pffionies are long and well known, there are now many delicately -coloured and tinted varieties. The whole race is undeservedly neglected. People spend plenty of money on greenhouses which will nevei" pro- duce anything so handsome as a well-grown group of herba- ceous Pieonies in the open garden ; yet when they are grown they are often begrudged a few feet of good soil, though that is all they would require for years at a time. My friend's 30 THE WILD GARDEN. Pieonies formed a group that could be seen from a distance ; wlieu T saw tliem they were surrounded by long and waving grass. I cannot give any idea of the tine effect. The Clematis-like Atragene alpina is one of my favourite flowers— seldom seen now-a-days, or indeed at any time, out of a botanical garden, and till lately not often seen in one. It liiut the very slender stems of Menispermum and Apios die entirely to the ground after the first sharp frost, and the slender stems of the others do not appear to arrest the growth of the Arbor-vita'S, which are restored when the climbers are down, and, after full eight months' rest, are again ready to aid in sustaining tlieir more dependent companions. The Honeysuckle, the Clematis, and similar plants might, no doubt, be added to the list, and give more variety, as well as fragrance and beauty, but I have only detailed the effects of what has been done, leaving what might be effected for some future trial. But tlie noblest kind of climbers forming drapery for trees are not so often seen as some of the general favourites men- tioned above. A neglected group are the wild Vines, plants of the liighest beauty, and M'liicli, if al- lowed to spring through the tall trees, Avhich they \yould quickly do, would soon charm by their bold grace. Some of them are fine in colour of foliao-e in autumn. Witli these might be associated, though not so ;^ fine in form, cer- tain free -grow- DRAPERY FOR TREES AND BUSHES. 49 ing species of Ampelopsis, grown in some nurseries. The Wistaria is also well worth growing on trees, in dis- tricts where it flowers freely A Liane in the North. .Aristolochia and Deciduous Cypress. E 50 THE WILD GARDEN. away from walls. In visiting the garden of INIM. Van Eden, at Haarlem, I was surprised to see a Liane, in the shape of the well-known Aristolochia or Dutchman's Pipe, which had clambered high into a fine old deciduous Cypress. Being much interested in this long-estahlished companionship, I was able to procure, through the kindness of INIessrs. Van Eden, photographs of the tree and its Liane, from wliich this illustration was engraved. When I saw it early in spring tlie leaves had not appeared on either the tree or its com- panion, and the effect of the old rope-like stems was very picturesque. The Aristolochia ascends to a height of 35 ft. G in. on the tree. The tree was a superb specimen, and was not in the least injured by the growth of the climlier. What a beautiful effect a graceful flowering climber would afford in a similar case ! Imagine one of the white-flowered Clematis (which may be seen as many as over forty feet in height under suit- able conditions) garlanding such a tree, or any tree, with wreaths of fragrant blossoms. Strange and lovely aspects of vegetation may be created in our pleasure-grounds by the judicious use of these climbers, varying according to the trees and their position, and also as to tlieir being evergreen or summer-leafing. Even where one might fear to injure a valuable tree by a vigorous climber, trees may easily be found of little value, and much may be done even with the old or dead trees. A beautiful accident. — A colony of Myrrbis odorata, establisbed in shrubbery, with white Harebells here and there. (See p. 60.) CHAPTER VIII. THE COMMON SHRUBBERY, WOODS AND WOODLAND DRIVES. It must not 1)6 tliouglit that the wild garden can only be formed in places where there is some extent of rough pleasure- ground. Excellent results may Ije obtained from the system in comparatively small gardens, on the fringes of shrubberies and marginal plantations, open spaces l)etween shrubs, the surface of Ijeds of Rhododendrons, where we may have plant- beauty instead of garden -graveyards. I call garden -grave- yards the dug shrubbery borders which one sees in nearly all gardens, public or private. Every shrubbery and plantation surface that is so needlessly and relentlessly dug over by the gardener every winter, may be embellished in the way I propose, as well as wild places. The custom of digging shrubbery borders prevails now in every garden, and there is 52 THE WILD GARDEN. . ill tlie whole course of gardenmg no worse or more profitless custom. Wlien winter is once come, almost every gardener, altliougli animated M-itli tlie hest intentions, simply prepares to make war upon the roots of everything in his shruhliery border. The generally-accepted practice is to trim, and often to mutilate the shrubs, and to dig all over the surface that must be full of feeding roots. Delicate half- rooted shrubs are disturbed; herbaceous plants are destroyed; bulbs are displaced and injured ; the roots as well as the tops of shrubs are mutilated ; and a sparse depo^Dulated asjiect is given to the margins, while the only " improvement " that is effected by the process is the annual darkening of the surface by the upturned earth. Illustrations of these bad practices occur l)y miles in our London parks in winter. Walk through any of them at that season, and observe the borders around masses of shrubs, choice and otherwise. Instead of finding the earth covered, or nearly covered, with vegetation close to the margin, and each indi- vidual plant developed into something like a fair specimen of its kind, we find a spread of recently-dug ground, and the plants upon it M'ith an air of having recently suffered from a whirlwind, or some calamity that necessitated the removal of mutilated l)ranches. Eough-pruners precede the diggers, and bravely trim in the shrubs for them, so that nothing may be in the way ; and then come the diggers, plunging their spades deeply about plants, shrubs, or trees. The first shower that occurs after this digging exposes a whole network of torn-up roots. There is no relief to the spectacle ; the same thing occurs everywhere — in liotanic gardens as well as in our large West-end parks ; and year after year is the process repeated. THE COMMON SHRUBBERY. 53 AVhilu sucli is the case, it will he impossible to have an agreeable or interesting margin to a shrubbery or plantation. What secrets one might have in the central hidden portions of these now dug and l)are shrubberies — in the half-shady sj)ots where little colonies of rare exotic wildlings might have their first introduction to our ^^"ild garden 1 Of course all the labour required to produce this miserable result of dug borders is worse tlian tlirown awav, as the shrubberies woidd do better Large White Achilleas spread into wide masses under shade of trees in shrubbery. if let alone, and by utilising the power thus wasted, we might liighly beautify the positions that are now so ugly. If we resolve that no annual manuring or digging is to be permitted, nobody will grudge a thorough preparation at first. When a plantation of shrubs is quite young it is well to keep the ground open by lightly stirring it for a year or two. Then the planting should be so arranged as to defeat the digger. To graduate the vegetation from the taller subjects behind to the very margin of the grass is of much importance, 54 THE WILD GARDEN. and this could be done best by the greater use of dwarf ever- greens. Happily, there is quite enough of these to be had suitable for every soil. Light, moist, peaty, or sandy soils, where such things as the sweet-scented I)a})hne Cneorum would spread forth its dwarf cushions, would l)e somewhat more desirable than, say, a stiff clay ; but for every position suitable plants might be found. Look, for example, at what we could do witli the dwarf- green Iberises, Helianthemums, Aubrietias, Arabises, Alyssums, dwarf shrubs, and little conifers like the creeping Cedar (Juniperus squamata), and the Tamarix-leaved Juniper, in spreading groups and colonies. All these are green, and would spread out into dense wide cushions, covering the margin, rising but little above the grass, and helping to cut off the formal line which usually divides margin and 1 )order. Behind them we might use other shrubs, deciduous or evergreen, in endless variety; and of course the margin should be varied also as regards height. In one spot we might have a wide-spreading tuft of the prostrate Savin pushing its graceful evergreen branchlets out over the grass ; in another the dwarf little Cotoneasters might be allowed to form the front rank, relieved in their turn Ijy pegged -down Eoses ; and so on without end. Herbaceous plants, that die down in winter and leave the ground bare afterwards, should not be assigned any important position near the front. Evergreen Alpine plants and shrubs, as before remarked, are perfectly suitable here ; but the true herbaceous type, and the larger bulbs, like Lilies, should be in groups between spreading shrubs. By so placing them, we sliould not only secure a far more satisfactory general effect, but highly inii)rove the aspect of the heihaceous plants THE COMMON SHRUBBERY. 55 tlieiuselves. To cany out such plautiiig properly, a little more time at first and a great deal more taste than are now employed would be required ; Init what a diti'erence in the result! All tliat llie well- covered borders would require would be an occasional weeding or thinning, and, in the case of the more select spots, a little top-dressing -with fine soil. Here and there, between and amongst the plants, such things as Forget-me-nots and Violets, Snowdrops and Primroses, might l>e scattered altout, so as to give the borders interest Lilies coming up through carpet of White Arabis. even at the dullest seasons; and thus we should be delivered from digging and dreariness, and see our once ugly borders alive Avith flowers. The cliief rule should be — never show the naked earth : clothe it, and then allow the taller plants to rise in their own way through the turf or spray. Here is a little sketch of what is meant. A colony of the white Arabis carpets the ground in which strong hardy Lilies are growing ; and the Lilies are pushing up their bold unfolding shoots. The latter are none the worse in winter for this light carpet of foliage over the l)order; and then for a long time in spring it is bedecked with white flowers. Indeed, in fiairlj^ good seasons it l)looms in winter too. It would take a big 56 THE WILD GARDEN. book to tell all the charms and merits belonging to tlie nse of a variety of small plants to carpet the ground beneath and between those of larger growth. It need hardly be said that this argnnient against digging applies to two or three beds of shrubs, and places where the " shrubbery" is little larger than the dining-room, as much as to the large country seat, public park, or botanic garden. There are great cultural advantages too, in leaving tlie whole of the leaves to nourish the ground and protect it from frost or heat. I append a note from a correspondent inquiring about what he sujjposes practical difficulties, and an answer to them : — Ydu draw a pretty picture of what a ^jlinibbery border sliould be and biiw it j^bould be kept in winter. There .shouhl be no digging, and the fallen lea\es should be left. I fully agree, except as to the leaves. Theoretically, it seems quite right to allow the leaves to lie and decay amidst the surrounding plants, but in practice it does not answer. There are, for instance, in most gardens such things as slugs and snails. These delight in a leafy covering, and, protected from frost by the shelter, will prey upon the perennial green leafage and the starting crowns of the herbaceous plants, and do an immense amount of mischief. Then there are usually in gardens in Avinter, especially in hard weather, blackbirds and thrushes, which in their efforts to obtain food set all notions of tidiness at defiance. A troop of fowls would hardly turn a flower border more topsy-turvy than would a few of these birds. The first storm that came would whirl the disturbed leaves all over the place, much to the disgust of the cultivator, and the hardy plants would find that the theory of a natural dressing of leaf manure had broken down. I detest the forking of borders so common in winter. A moderate stirring of the surface first with a two or three-tined rake is good, then a dressing of soot or guano, or both, and over all a thin surfacing of old pot soil, or the rough screened jjroduce of the rubbish heap, or, in fact, any kind of refuse soil that may offer. I think that most cultivators will agree that such a plan Would answer Ijetter than the natural, but very inoperative leaf-dressing. — A, THE COMMON .SHEUBBERY. 57 How do the swarming herbs of the woods and copses of the world exist in spite of tlie shigs ? A good protection for them is hard gravel walks and paths, where they lay their eggs without danger. Against the door one may dn wliat one likes, liut not one leaf would I ever allow runiuVL-d iiuni a clump of shrubs or trees on my lawn or in my pleasure ground. I would prefer the leaves all over the place to a dug l)order, Imt I would, if need l)e, meet that difticulty by liPi Colony of Narcissus in properly spaced shrubbery. scattering a light dressing of soil over them. In what I should call a properly managed shrubl)ery or clump, with the bushes well spaced, and their liranches resting on the ground, with low shrubs between, and evergreen and other herbs, there are natural impediments to the leaves rushing ab()ut in the way you suppose. This is a subject of the greatest interest and the utmost practical importance. Our annual digging 58 THE WILD GARDEN. luutilatioii, scriipiii<;- away of leaves, and exposing on bare sloppy borders plants that in Natnre shelter each other, and are shielded from bitter frost and Ijurning heat by layers of fallen leaves, gradnally sinking into excellent light surface soil for the yonng roots, are ignorant and brutal practices that must be given up by all who really look into the needs of our hardy garden flora. With reference to tiiis point, I piint this letter from an observer of what goes on in the woods of New England. Our own woods are full of lessons, and so it is in all countries. Mr. Falconer's letter is very suggestive of the revolution in method which must be carried out in the yardens of the future : — I go into the woods in the spring time, and find tliem carpeted with Dog's-tooth Violets, Wood Anemones, bhie and purple Hepaticas, Spring beauty, Trilliums, Blood-root, Star-flowers, False Solomon's Seal, Gold Thread, trailing Arbutus, wild Ginger, and a host of other pretty little flowers, all bright and gay, arising from their bed of decaying herbage and tree leaves, and many of them are in perfection, too, before a tree has spread a leaf ; and thus they glow and revel in their cosy bed, fed and sheltered 1 ly their tree friends. When their petals drop and their leaves are mature, the trees expand their leafy canopy and save the little nurslings from the torture of a scorching sun. And early as the earliest, too, the outskirts of the woods and meadows with hosts of Violets are painted blue and white, and speckled everywhere with Bluets, or little Innocents, as the children call them. Woodsias, tiny Aspleniums, and other Ferns are unfolding their fronds along the chinks among the stones ; the common Polypody is reaching over blocks and boulders ; and even the exposed rocks, with their rough and Lichen-bearded faces, are aglow in vernal pride. Every nook and cranny among them, and little mat of earth upon them are checkered with the flowery print of the Canada Columbine, the Virginia Saxifrage, and the glaucous Corydalis. But to the carpet. What can be prettier or more appropriate than the Partridge-berry (Mitchella repens), the Twin-flower (Linnsea borealis — does well with us), Creeping Winter Green (Gaultheria proiumbeus), Bearberry (Arctostaphylos Uva-LTrsi), THE COMMON SHRUBBERY. 59 Cowberry (Vacciniuin Vitis-idseu), Dwarf Cornel (Cornus canadensis), Fringed Polygala (P. paucifolia), the Connnon Pipsissewa (Cliiniapliila lunbellata) witli it^; shining deep green heaves, tlie Sjjotted Pipsi^sewa (C macuhita), the sombre -luxed Pja'oha and Gakx, and that bright and easily -grown Club Moss ( Lycopodium luciduluni) ? Add to these such plants as Winter Aconite, Apennine Anemone, Creej)ing Forget-me-not, and the like, together with a few of the most suitable kinds of the host of bulbous ornamental plants which A\-e now possess, and our shrubbery carpets may be replete with garden jewels. It is now generally conceded that shrubs thrive better in beds whose surface is undisturbed than Avliere it is annually loosened bv digging or ijoint- ing. This, coupled with a yearly top-dressing of decayed leaf-soil or light rich vegetable heap compost, is ec|ually beneficial fur i]w slirubs and tlicir carpet. " One day last spring, when strolling through the Medford wood, I came ii]ion an open meadow with a high bank — cleared timber land — on one side. Adown this bank in a rough and rocky course, came a little stream of water, bordered on both sides with streaks and patches of Blood-root in its gayest state. The large and showy blossoms, clasped erect in their own leaf- vases and sparkling in the sun, while the sward and other vegetation around were yet dormant, had a cheerful influence indeed. True, near by in the IioILjw, the malodorous Skunk Cabbage was rank in leaf and flower, and the Indian Poke Avas rushing out its plaited, broadly oval leaves, and away in the streamlet a few Marsh Marigolds '•littered on the water. But the Blood -root is neither an aquatic nor a bog plant, but most at home in the leaf-mould beds and linings of rich woodlands." " Hereabout, a little wild flower (Erythronium americanum) more commonly known as Dog's-tooth Violet, is a charming plant, with variegated liandsome leaves, and comely flowers in earliest spring. In low copses in rich deposits of A'cgetable 60 THE WILD GARDEN. mould it grows around here in the utmost profusion. In one phice by the side of a wood is a sort of ditch, which is filled with water in winter l)ut (hy in summer, and wherein is collected a mass of leaf-soil. Here the Erythronium runs riot, and forms the densest kind of matted sod, all bespeckled with yellow l)lossoms before a bush or tree has spread a leaf. Then blackberry bushes get a growing and sprawling every- where, the trees expand their leafy shade, and Grrass and weeds grow up and cover the surface of the earth. But all too late for evil, the Adder's-tongue's mission for a year is ended ; it has Ijlossomed, matured, and retired. The next densest mass I know of is in a low piece of cleared timber land, where, besides the profusion in the hollow, the carpet extends, thinner as it ascends, for many yards up the slope of the hill. As garden plants they are at liome anywhere, under- neath bushes, or in any out of-the-way corner, merely praying to be let alone. But what I desire to urge is their naturalisa- ation in your rich woodlands, where Anemones and Primroses, Buttercups and Violets, grow up and flower together." I cannot better conclude this cliapter than by showing one of the most interesting aspects of vegetation I have ever seen.^ It was in an ordinary shrubbery, forming a belt round a botanic garden. In the iinier parts, hidden from the walk probably from want of labour, the digging had not been carried out for some years. Some roots of the common Myrrh (Myrrhis odorata), thrown out of the garden in digging, had rooted by accident and spread into a little colony. The plant grows freely in any soil. Among the graceful tufts of ]\Iyrrh were tall white Harebells, and the effect of these, standing 1 See illustration on p. 51. THE COMMON SHRUBBERV. 61 above the elegant spreading foliage of tlie Myrrh in the shade of the trees, was very beautiful. Note particularly that the front of the slirulibery in which this exquisite scene was discovered was as stiff and liideous as usual in winter — raw earth, full of mutilated roots, and shrubs cut in for the con- venience and according to the taste of the diggers. The beds in tlie botanical arrangement near were ugly beyond description. Longleat is one of the first places in whicli the idea of the wild garden was practically carried out and ably by the forester, Mr. Berry. With such a fine variety of surface and soil, the place naturally offers numerous positions in which the plants of other countries as cold or colder than our own could be naturalised, or so planted that they would increase and take care of themselves in the woods. A forester's duties and opportunities are generally such as make it extremely difficult for him to carry out such an idea. To know the plants even that are likely to succeed is, in itself, a species of knowledge which every planter does not possess ; however, the idea was clearly understood and carried out well, so far as possible in the face of rabbits, which are the great destroyers of almost all flowering ground vegetation. To get the neces- sary quantities of subjects necessitated a little nursery in which a sufficient numl)er could be raised of the more vigorous perennials, bulbs, and climbers. If this new idea in gardening- be carried out on the old dotting principle of the herbaceous border, its great value and its charming effects cannot be realised. To do it rightly we must group and mass as Nature does. Though we may enjoy a single flower or tuft here and there, the true way is natural fringes and masses of plants, one or two species prevailing in a given spot ; in that way we 62 THE WILD GARDEN. may secure several important ends — distinct effects in different places, a variety as we walk along, and better means of meeting the wants of a plant, inasmuch as, dealing with a group, or mass, or carpet, we can best observe the result of our judgment in putting them in any soil or place. Therefore, although the quantity of vigorous hardy flowers essential for making good effects in a place of this size has not yet been planted (Mit, some very charming effects have been obtained. Among the features that Mr. Berry is working to introduce are vigorous hardy exotic creepers on old and inferior trees. Thorn, and other bushes of little value. Many are already planted, but will be some time before they show their full beauty — among them Japanese and other Honeysuckles, Virginian Creepers, Clematis, Wistarias, and others. A part of the arboretum is more particularly devoted to this kind of decoration, and will eventually form a very Avild wood and wild garden, where the Poet's Narcissus may be found among Sweet Briers, Lilacs, and many kinds of fragrant - flowering shrubs and vigorous perennials. While carrying out the scheme of wild gardening, pure and simple, that is to say, tlie naturalisation of foreign hardy plants, opportunity has been taken to establish beautiful native kinds wliere they do not happen to be present in sufti- cient al)undance. Tluis the Lily of the Valley has been brouglit in quantities and planted in wide-spreading colonies along the drives, and so have the Meadow Saffron and tlie Snowflakes and Daffodils. To group and scatter these in a natural and easy way has required considerable care, the tendency of tlie men being invariably, and almost in spite of themselves, to plant in stiff and set or too regular masses. Few things are more delightful to anyl^ody who cares THK COMMON SIIHUBBEIIY. 63 altnut liavdy ])liints tlian natnralisiii^- the Lily of the Valley in pleasant spots about a coimtiy house, it is in every gar- den, of course, and very often so crowded and so starved that it seldom flowers well. A bare garden border is not so suit- able for it as that in wliich it may be found in a thin wood, or in little openings in a copse, where it enjoys enough light, and gets shelter too. Frequently the fresh wood soil would be more welcome to it than the worn-out soil in a garden ; also by planting it in various positions and soils, we Tlie Lily of tfie Valley in a copse. may secure an important difference as regards blooming. In a cool woody place it would bloom ten days later than in an exposed warm garden border, and this difference could lie increased by carefully selecting the position. Apart altogether from the wild garden and its charms, this difference in the time of blooming of the Lily of the Yalley would be a great advantage to all who have to provide cut flowers, inas- much as it w^ould give them late l)loom in plenty without trouble. However, giving reasons for the naturalisation of the Lily of the Valley is surely unnecessary. The only sur- 64 THE WILD GARDEN. prising tiling is that it has not been done to a large extent already, because it is so very easy and so very delightful. Eecently a good many different varieties of Lily of the Valley — nearly as many as twenty — have been collected, and are beginning to be cultivated by some of our growers of herbaceous plants. The difference in these is not owing to soil or situa- tion. When grown in the same place they manifest differ- ences in length of spike and size of foliage ; and also in time of blooming. In some the spike is short, and in others nearly one foot long. This important fact should, of course, be noted by any who would, in places where the Lily of the Valley does not grow wild, interest themselves in establishing it. There are advantages in wood- culture for many hardy plants — the shelter, shade, and soil affording for some things conditions more suitable than our gardens. The warmth of the wood, too, is an advantage, the fallen leaves helping to protect the plants in all ways. In a hot country plants that love cool places could be grown in a wood whei'e they would perish if exposed, Mr, G, F. Wilson has made himself a remarkably interesting and successful wild garden in a wood, from W'hich he sent me in the autumn of last year (1880) a flowering stem of the American Swamp Lily (L. superbum) eleven feet liigli. No such result has ever l)een seen in any garden or border of the ordinary type. These Lihes of his grow in a woody bottom where rich dark soil has gathered, and where there is shelter and shade. Placing every plant in one border with the same condi- tions as to soil and exposure was a great mistake. A great many beautiful plants haunt the woods, and we cannot change their nature easily. Even if we should grow them in open •rill': ( O.M.MOX SHRUBBKKY. ()5 })laces tlii'ir lilouiii will not l)e so ciuliiring as in tlu' wood. .V curious instance of ilic advantage of planting in a wood is at Bodorgan in Anglesey, where a niucli later Mooni was gathered off a colony of the popular Hoteia japonica, owing to ])laniing it in a cool wood. A little woodland i)lanting may indeed be A\(irlh doing for the sake of a prolonged or later bloom, e\en fn)m plants that thrive in sunny places. Tup: Okchaed Wild Gakden. Although three years have elapsed since the illustrations of this book were connueneed, I regret to issue it without a satisfactory one showing the beauty which iiiay l)e obtained in the orchard from flowers in the grass or fences around. In our orchard counties — pity it is that all our counties are not worthy of the name within the possibilities of their position and climate — one may now and then see a cloud of Daffodils or a tuft of Summer SiiowHake, enough to suggest what happy }ilaces they would l»e for many Inilbous flowers in the urass. A AVlLD (JRCHAUD. A correspondent of the " Garden " writes : — After reading in tlie " Garden "' of November 1 6, about the Bullace there named, and tlie Cranberries, tlie idea struck me of adding unto our Orchard in Sussex '•' a wild Orchard," witli fruit trees sucli as follows, viz. — Quince, Medlar, Mulberry, Bullace, Crab, Pyrus Maulei, Bar- berries, Blackberries (the large kinds for preserving), Filberts, and in a suitable place. Cranberries. All these, besides the interest of cultivating them, would yield fruit for preserving, etc. For instance, we have old- fashioned receipts for making an excellent Bullace cheese, Crab jelly. Quince jelly, etc. 1 venture to trouble you with a \iew to asking if F 66 THE WILD GARDEN. you can suggest any other similar fruit-bearing trees or shruLs, as we should like to carry out our idea well. Our house is in Sussex, l)etween Midhurst and Haslemere. — C. S. R. [An excellent idea ! There are many fruits which could be grown this way that people do not usually give space to, and this applies to the varieties of cultivated fruits, as well as species that are never cultivated. The natural order to which most of our fruit trees belong contains many other species, not without merit as fruits, scattered throughout tlie temperate regions of the northern world. These trees and shrubs happen also to be most beautiful of flowering trees and shrubs in spring, and are well worthy of culture on that account alone. In Japan, North America, and even the continent of Europe, one frequently sees fruits that are never seen in our gardens ; such fruits will be quite at home in the wild orchard. For the sake of growing one family of fruiting bushes alone — the fruiting brambles of America and other countries — a consider- able piece of ground might be prufitaljly devoted. Even amonccst the Enolish wild Blackberries there is considerable variety and a good deal of unrecognised merit. Such plants can only be grown fairly where there is considerable space. If so much iDcauty and interest, and even good fruit, may be found in one neglected family, it suggests how interesting the subject is when considered in relation to the great number of our hardy fruit trees and shrubs. A good feature of such a garden would l)e plantations of such Apples and Pears as are most remarkable for the beauty of their flowers and fruit, some being much more striking in that respect than others.] CHAPTER IX. THE BROOK-SIDE, WATEK-SIDE, AND BOG GARDENS. ISTearly all landscape gar- deners seem to have p u t a hidier value on tlie lake or fisli- |)()nd than on tlie lirook as an ornament to the garden ; but, while we allow that many places are enhanced in heautv and dig- nitv, bv a broad expanse of water, Solomon's Seal and Herb Paris, in copse by streamlet. nianV pictUrCS might be formed by taking advantage of a brook as it meanders through woody glade or meadow. No such beauty is afforded by a pond or lake, which gives us water in repose — 68 THE WILD GARDEN. imprisoned water, in fact ; and altbuugli we obtain breadth by confining water, still, in many cases, we prefer tlie brook, or water in motion, as it ripples between mossy rocks or flower- fringed banks. The brook -margin, too, otters opportnnities to lovers of hardy flowers which few other situations can rival. Hitherto we have only used in and near such places aipuitic or bog plants, and of these usually a very meagre selection ; but the improvement of the brook-side will be most readily effected by planting the banks with hardy flowers, making it a wild garden, in fact. A great number of our finest herb- aceous plants, from Irises to Globe-flowers, thrive best in the moist soil found in such positions ; numbers of hardy flowers, also, that do not in nature prefer such soil, would exist in perfect health in it. The wild garden illustrated by the water-side will give us some of the most charminu,- garden pictures. Land ])lants would have this :uh;intage over water ones, that we could fix their position, whereas water plants are apt to spread everywhere, and sometimes one kind exterminates the rest ; therefore it might, in many cases, be better not to encourage the water or water-side vegetation, l)ut to form little colonies of hardy flowers along the banks. The plants, of course, should be such as would grow freely among Grass and take care of themselves. If different types of vegetation were encouraged on each siile of the water, the effect would be all the better. The connnon way of repeat- ing a favourite plant at intervals would spoil all : groups of free hardy things, different in each place as one passed, would be best ; Day Lilies ; Phloxes, which love moisture ; Irises, mainly the beardless kinds, whicli love wet places, but all the flne Germanica forms will du ; Gunnera; Aster; Anieri- P.ROOK-SIDE. WATKINSTDK. AND 1500, ({AEDENS. fi!) can swaui}) Lilies in peaty or boggy soil ; the deep rose-coloured vavioty of the Loosestrife ; Golden Rods ; the taller and stouter 1 Sell-flowers (Campanula) ; the Spider Wort (Tradescantia virginica), of whieli there are a good many forms, differing Colony of hardy exotic Flower?, naturalised by brook-side. in colour ; the Broad-leaved Saxifrages ; the Compass plants (Silphium) ; Everlasting Peas ; IMonkshood ; the Goats Eues (Galega) ; Baptisia ; the free-flowering Yuccas ; the hardiest flame-flowers (Tritoma) ; the stouter kinds of Yarrow (Achillea) ; the common perennial Lupin — these are some of many types of hardy flowers which would grow freely near the water-side 70 THE WILD GARDEN. apart wholly from the plants that natural]}' freipient sucli places or which are usually placed there. With these hardy plants too, a variety of the nobler hardy ferns would thrive, as the Struthiopteris ; the finer types of the Unil)ellate order (Ferula and others) would also come in well liere. We will now consider the plants that naturally belong to such situa- tions so to say. Water-plants of northern and temperate regions, associated with those of our own country, add much beauty to a garden if well selected and well grown. A great deal of variety may be added to the margins, and here and there to the sur- face, of ornamental water, by the use of a good collection of hardy aquatics arranged with taste ; but this has not yet been fairly attempted. Usually we see the same monotonous vegetation all round the margin if the soil be licli ; in some cases, where the bottom is of gravel, there is little or no vegetation, but an unbroken ugly line of washed earth be- tween wind and water. In others, water-plants accumulate till they are only an eyesore — not submerged plants like Anacharis, l>ut such as the Water Lilies when matted to- gether. A well-developed plant or gi'ouj) of plants of the queenly Water Lily, with its large leaves and noble flowers, is an object not surpassed by any other in our gardens ; but when it increases and runs over the whole of a piece of water — thickening together and being in consequence weakened — and water-fowl cannot make their way through it, then even this plant loses its charms. No garden water, however, should be without a few fine plants or groups of the Water Lily. Where the bottom does not allow of the free develop- ment of the plant, earth might be accumulated in the spot — - -■^ "l^nz i^i^ Valley in Somers;et-.hire, with Narcissi, Marsh Marigolds, and Primroses. BKOOK-SIDE. WATER -SIDE, AND I'.OG flAEDENS. 71 where it was desired to encourage the growth of the Nyni- phtTpa. Tliiis arranged it woulil not spread too imidi. But it is iiut dillifult to prevt'iit tin: plant I'rom spreading; indeed I have known isolated plants, and groups of it, remain of almost the same size for years. The Yellow Water Lily, Xuphar lutea, though not so beautiful as the preceding, is well worthy of a place; and also the little K pumila, a variety or sub-species found in the lakes of the north of Scotland. Then there is the tine and large X. advena, a native of America, which pushes its leaves boldly above the water, and is very vigorous in habit. It is very plentiful in the Man- chester Botanic Garden, and will be found to some extent in most gardens of the same kind. The American AVhite "Water Lily (Xympha?a odorata) is a noble species, which would prove quite hardy in Britain. It is a pity this noble aquatic plant is not more frequently seen, as it is quite as fine as our own Water Lily. Eose-coloured varieties are spoken of, but are not yet in cultivation here. One of the prettiest effects I have ever observed was afforded by a sheet of Yillarsia uAinphaoides belting round the margin of a lake near a woody recess, and l^efore it, more towards the deep water, a group of Water Lilies. The Vill- arsia is a charming little water-plant, with its Nymphsea-like leaves and numerous golden-yelloM- flowers, which furnish a beautiful efiect on fine days, under a bright sun. It is not very commonly distributed as a native plant, though, where found, generally very plentiful. Xot rare — growing, in fact, in nearly all districts of Britain — but beautiful and sinc:jular, is the Buckbean or 72 THE WILD GARDEN. INIarsli Trefoil (IMeiiyanthes trifoliata), with its flowers deeply fringed on tlie inside witli white lilaments, and tlie round unopened buds blushing on the top with a rosy red like that of an Apple-blossom. It will grow in a bog or any moist place, or by the margin of any water. For grace, no water- plant can well surpass Equisetum Telmateia, whicli, in deep soil, in shady and sheltered places near water, often grows several feet high, the long, close-set, slender branches depend- ing from each whorl in a singularly graceful manner. It will grow on the margins of lakes and streams, especially among water-side bushes, or in boggy spots in the shade. For a bold and picturesque plant on the margin of water, nothing equals the great Water Dock (Rumex Hydrolapa- thum), which is rather generally dispersed over the British Isles; it has leaves quite sub -tropical in aspect and size, becoming of a lurid red in tlie autumn. It forms a grand mass of foliage on rich muddy banks, and, unlike many water- plants, lias the good quality of not spreading too much. The Cat's-tail (Typha) must not he omitted, l)ut it should not be allowed too much liberty. The narrow -leaved one (T. angustifolia) is more graceful than the common one (T. lati- folia). Carex pendula is excellent for the margins of watei', its elegant drooping spikes being quite distinct in their way. It is rather common in England, more so than Carex pseudo- cyperus, which grows well in a foot or two of water or on the margin of a muddy pond. Carex paniculata forms a strong and thick stem, sometimes 3 ft. or 4 ft. high, somewhat like a tree Fern, and with luxuriant masses of drooping leaves, and on that account is transferred to moist places in gardens, and cultivated by some, though generally these large s]iecimens RPvOOK-STDE. WATKh'-SIDK. AND D'X; (JAIiDHXS. -*?Ji> arc difficult to remove and soon perish. Scirpus lacnstris (the Bulrush) is too distinct a plant to be omitted, as its stems, sometimes attaining a. height of more than 7 it. and even 8 ft., look very imposing : and Cypeius longus is also a desirable plant, reminding one of the aspect of the Papyrus when in flower. It is found in some of the southern counties of England. Poa aquatica might also be used. Cladium Mariscus is another distinct and rather /}j^i0il scarce British aquatic whiidi is wortli a place. If one chose to enumerate tlie plants that grow in British and European waters, a very long list might be made, luit those which pos- sess no distinct cliaracter or no beauty of flowei' would l)e useless, for it is only by a judicious selection of tlie very best kinds tliat gardening of this description can give satisfaction ; therefore, omitting a host of inconspicuous water- weeds, we will endeavour to indicate others of real worth for our present purpose. Those who have seen the flowering Rush (Butomus umbel- latus) in blossom, are not likely to omit it from a collection of water-plants, as it is conspicuous and distinct. It is a native of the greater part of Europe and Russian Asia, and is dis- Cyperus Longus. 74 THE WILD GARDEN. persed (n'er the central and southern parts of England and Ireland. Plant it not far from the margin, and it likes rich mnddy soil. The common Arrow Head (Sagittaria), very freipient in England and Ireland, l)ut not in Scotland, might l)e associated with this ; but there is a very much finer doulde exotic kind, which is really a liandsome plant, its flowers white, and resemblino;, but larger than, those of the old white Double Eocket. This used to be grown in abundance in the pleasure gardens at Eye House, Broxbourne, where it filled a sort of oblong basin, or wide ditch, and was very handsome in flower. It forms large egg-shaped tubers, or rather receptacles of farina, and in searching for these, ducks destroyed the plants occasionally. Calla palustris is a beautiful bog-plant, and I know notliing that produces a more pleasing effect over rich, soft, boggy ground. It will also grow by the side of water. Calla sethiopica, the well-known and beautiful Lily of the Nile, is hardy enough in some places if planted rather deep, and in nearly all it may be placed out for the summer ; but, except in quiet waters, in the south of England and Ire- land, it will not thrive. However, as it is a plant so generally cultivated, it may be tried without loss in favourable positions. Pontederia cordata is a stout, firm-rooting, and perfectly hardy water-herb, with erect and distinct habit, and blue flowers, not difficult to obtain from botanic garden or nursery. The Sweet-flag will be associated with the Water Iris (I. Pseu- dacorus), and a number of exotic Irises will thrive in wet ground, i.e. I. sibirica, ochreleuca, graminea, and many others. Aponogeton distachyon is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, a singularly pretty plant, which is hardy enough for our climate, and, from its sweetness and curious beauty, a most BROOK-SIDE, WATER-SIDE, AND BOG GARDENS. 75 desirable plant to cultivate. It frequently succeeds in water not choked Ly weeds or innliiess. ami wlierever there are springs that tend I(» keep the watei' a lilUe warmer than usual it seems to thrive in any part of the country. The Water Ranunculuses, which slieet over our pools in spring and early sunnner with such silvery beauty, are not w(ulh an attempt at cultivation, so I'amlding are they ; and the same applies to not a few other things of interest. Orontium aquaticum is a scarce and handsome acpiatic for a choice collection, and as 'rhe Cape I'cind Weed in an English ditch in winter. beautiful as any is the Water Violet (Hottonia palustris). It occurs most frequently in the eastern and central districts of England and Ireland. The best example of it that I have seen was on an expanse of soft mud near Lea Bridge, in Essex, where it covered the surface with a sheet of dark fresh green, and must liave looked better in that position than when in water, though doubtless the place was occasionally flooded. A suitable companion for the Marsh Marigold (Caltha) and its varieties is the very large and showy lianunculus Lingua, which grows in rich ground to a height of tln-ee feet or more. 76 THE WILD GARDEN. rr Nvith this water-garden we combine the wild garden of land plants — herbaceous, trailers, etc. — some of the loveliest effects possible in gardens will be produced. The margins of lakes and streams are happily not upturned by the spade in winter ; and hereabouts, just away from tlie water-line, almost iuiy vigorous and really hardy flower of tlie thousands now in our gardens may be grown and will after- wards take care of itself. The Globe- flowers alone would form beauti- ful effects in such positions, and would endure as long as the Grass. Near the various Irises that love the water- side might be planted those that thrive in moist ground, and they are many, including the most Ijeautiful kinds. Among recently in- troduced plants the singular Californian Saxifraga peltata is likely to prove a noble one for the water- side, its natural habitat being beside mountain watercourses, dry Day Lily by margin uf water. in thc autumn wlieU it is at rest ; both flowers and foliage are effective, and the growth very vigorous v,-]\en in moist ground. It would require a very long list to enumerate all the plants that would grow near the margins of Avater, and apart from the aquatics proper ; but enough has been said to prove that, given a strip of ground beside a stream or lake, a garden of iinooK-SIDK, WATKIf-SJl)!-:. AND I'.OC CAIiDKXS. 77 the must (luliglitt'ul kind could Ite I'urined. The juxtapositiini of [)hiuts inhahitiiio- dil'tereiit situations — water-phints, water- side pLiuts, and Liud-iilaiils iliriNini; in iiadst grouuLl — woidd prevent what wuuhl, in many cases,. Ije so undesirable — a general admixture of the "whole. Two distinct classes of effects could be obtained, the beauty of the Howers seen close at hand, and tliat of the more conspicuous kinds in the distance, or from tlie otlier side of tlie water of a stream or lakelet. An interesting point in favour of the wild garden is the succession of effects which it may afford, and which are sug- gested by the illustrations on the next pages, both showing a sticcession of life on tlie same spot of ground. In gardens in early summer at present the whole of the portion de\'oted to flower -gardening is dug \\\) raw as a plouglied field, just when the earth is naturally must thickly strewn with flowers. A very little consideration and oljservation will sufhce to make it clear that a succession of effects may be secured Avithout this \iolent disfigurement of our gardens in the fairest days of early sunmier. These are not the days for diyuinu' or i»lantin