THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHA.N. 



Yol. XXII. 



AUGUST, 1880. 



Number 260. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Over and over again, as we travel through the 

 country, are we impressed with the fault of over* 

 large places. Many gardens are laid out in the 

 flush of some temporary business success, and 

 they become sources of great annoyance in the 

 great expenses of subsequent maintenance. 

 Even the richest seem to undertake too nuich. 

 We should lay it down as a rule that in all sug- 

 gestions for the improvement of grounds, the 

 subsequent cost of keeping in order should 

 be studied well. This is the rock whereon so 

 many strike. Walks and roads are particularly 

 expensive to maintain, and should never be 

 made without there is an evident necessity for 

 them. Shady grass walks, with masses of flow- 

 ering shrubs on each side, and kept mown a few 

 times a year, are as pleasurable parts of a plea- 

 sure ground as can well be provided, yet we very 

 seldom see them employed. 



It sh(mld not be forgotten that beauty can 

 often be acquired without great cost. By study- 

 ing the character of a piece of ground, and add- 

 ing to that which already exists, we can often 

 make a place as attractive as if we attempt 

 wholly to imitate at great cost some pleasant 

 garden scene that exists elsewhere. 



In nothing is the adaptation of simple, instead 



of expensive means, of adornment better shown 

 than in the employment of weeping trees for 

 shady summer bowers, instead of the hideous 

 lumber-worked buildings so often seen. These 

 are very well in the cooler European climates, 

 but useless in American gardens. They are 

 always hot and unpleasant, but this is not so 

 often the case when a mere bower of living trees 

 is employed to make the necessary shade. The 

 green mass is in keeping with other trees, and 

 the crowding necessary to accomplish the de- 

 sired shnde, can often be turned to the very best 

 account. This is especially the case when weep- 

 ing trees are employed. The peculiar drooping 

 habit comes into play in numerous ways in the 

 hands of a good landscape gardener. Of the fast 

 growing things of this kind, and where the posi- 

 tion is not particularly choice, there are few 

 things more useful than the Weeping Willoiv. 

 For more select places we suppose there is 

 nothing better than the Wee-ping Ash. Indeed, 

 taken all in all, it is one of the best trees of this 

 kind we have. The branches can be trained 

 over wires, and thus we can make the room 

 beneath the trees as extensive as one could wish. 

 For very large spots, a half dozen or so can be 

 1 used. Set in one circle, and the trees about 

 i twenty feet apart. Such an arrangement would 

 ; make a delightful croqnet ground, — or a place 



