A Tour in the West of Scotland 



575 



temporary with, or since, his time ; all the 

 more so because of the difficulty in getting 

 such a splendid lot of fellows, rank and file, 

 ready drawn up to suit such a purpose. The 

 ground-work of the flower gardening is 

 grass, with broad boundary walks round 

 the square. No ladies can tolerate, and 

 few gentlemen care about, getting their 

 feet damp upon lawns, and all the more 

 necessity for the proper provision of good con- 

 solidated walks for an uninterrupted course 

 of pleasure to be enjoyed. So much for 

 general outline ; now for details. 



The borders that run parallel with the walk 

 have some scope for displaying to advantage 

 an artistic arrangement. Without scope the 

 best planned devices are unappreciated. 

 Scope, in fact, alters a critical and hasty 

 opinion very materially. It matters not really 

 whether it be a drawing-room, a flower- 

 garden, or a landscape ; unless either of them 

 has size to recommend them the best fur- 

 niture looks diminutive. These borders, 

 then, running parallel with the walks were 

 by far the most effective, and the articles 

 that furnished the colour were of the simplest 

 kind. A beautiful and an effective arrange- 

 ment, as displayed in one of these parallel 

 beds, was so planted. Little centres of Stella 

 pelargonium, with a concentric band so planted 

 as to form elliptic outline, done with Purple 

 King Verbena, the ellipses running into each 

 other at easy distances lengthways, and the 

 arcs filled with Cerastium tomentosum; then 

 a broad straight line of Gazania splendens on 

 the one side, and blue lobelia on the other, 

 the whole edged neatly with the Cerastium, 

 which, either placed in juxtaposition to grass 

 or gravel, as it was in both cases here, had a 

 charming effect. Another good combination 

 was, Mrs Pollock, Christine, Brilliant, and Tom 

 Thumb geraniums, in circles alternately, the 

 ground-work being made up of Cerastium 

 tomentosum, and blue lobelia as an edging. Be- 

 sides these squatty combinations, the high wall 

 gave scope for the introduction of lines of holly- 

 hocks, dahlias, ageratums, and some of the 

 taller subjects which often have to be set 

 aside in out-of-the-way corners in parterre 

 bedding, where high-formed taste is in the 

 ascendant ; and when we have these goodly 



subjects backed up with masses of colour, 

 such as was the case in the gardens in ques- 

 tion, the effect is pleasing and good. The 

 colour referred to here was given by a trained- 

 up mass of Clematis ; such sorts as C. viticella 

 venosa, Jackmanni, and rubro-violacea, and 

 truly no pen can adequately pourtray the 

 beauties of these varieties, and their admir- 

 able colour of violet, which is so scarce in all 

 parterre and flower garden arrangements. 

 Nothing could possibly have been more be- 

 witching than the soft, and withal showy 

 inflorescence of these clematises. Then the 

 beds in the parterre, set as it were in 

 a closely shaven lawn, where the drought, 

 bad and all as it liad been, had had 

 little effect, were neatly filled, and took 

 their places alongside of specimen arau- 

 carias, beds of roses, nice arborvitaes and 

 such like, with much grace, and the coup 

 (rosil\vz.s all the better for it. One of the most 

 effectively planted circular beds was alter- 

 nate plants of Perilla Nankinensis, and 

 Flower of the Day geranium, edged 

 with a broad belting of Cloth of Gold : the 

 gold, the green, the black, and white were in 

 beautiful blending, such as to tempt the 

 eye for a long time to rest upon. Some of 

 the more important individuals in the back- 

 ground were a unique plant of Araucaria 

 imbricata, the very type of health and sym- 

 metry, capital Portugal and bay laurels, a 

 fine round-headed specimen beech ; while 

 elms, oaks, and walnuts, of great size and age, 

 crop up to catch the eye in its estimate of 

 what comes within its range. As you near 

 the boundary on the south side you find a 

 retaining wall built, and a quiet retreat at its 

 base by a bending walk and a broad plat of 

 grass, into which detached beds are inserted, 

 agreeably and tastefully planted with decora- 

 tive plants, until with a bold sweep the whole 

 is hidden from your view in the density of 

 sylvan scenery. The whole picture is some- 

 what antique, rendered all the more so from 

 the muffled sound of the stream that is con- 

 cealed amongst dense foliation, which, at 

 times, from the sloping character of the 

 ground, and the plentiful supply of water, 

 must drown the voices of speakers like the 

 sound of a cataract. 



