444 



HINTS ON FLOWER GARDENS. 



that it may retain its due proportion of all 

 the rains that fall. 



Next to this is the defect of not keeping 

 the walks in flower gardens full of gravel. 

 In many instances that we could name, the 

 level of the gravel in the walk is six inch- 

 es below that of the adjoining bed or border 

 of turf. This gives a harsh and ditch-like 

 character to the walks, quite at variance 

 with the smoothness and perfection of de- 

 tails which ought especially to characterize 

 so elegant a portion of the grounds as this 

 in question. " Keep the walks brim full of 

 gravel," was one of the maxims most 

 strongly insisted on by the late Mr. Loudon, 

 and one to Avhich we fully subscribe. 



Our engraver has executed, for our Fron- 

 tispiece of this month, a copy of the plan 

 of the celebrated flower garden of Baron 

 Von HiJGEL, near Vienna. This gentleman 

 is one of the most enthusiastic devotees to 

 Horticulture in Germany. In the Alge. 

 meine Garten Zeitung, a detailed account 

 is given, by the Secretary of the Imperial 

 Horticultural Society of Vienna, of the resi- 

 dence and grounds of the Baron, from which 

 we gather that they are not surpassed in 

 the richnesss and variety of their botanical 

 treasures by any private collection on the 

 Continent. " A forest of Camellias almost 

 makes one believe that he is in Japan." 

 Some of these are 22 feet high, and alto- 

 gether the collection numbers 1000 varie- 

 ties. The hot-house devoted to orchids, or 

 air plants, contains 200 varieties, and the 

 various green-houses include equally rich 

 collections of the exotics of various climates- 

 Regarding the Baron's flower garden itself, 

 we quote the words of M. Peinter : 



"But still another most delightful scene 

 is reserved, which is a mosaic picture of 

 flowers, a so-called Rococo garden. We 

 have to thank Baron Von Hugel for giving 



the first example of a style, since pretty 

 largely copied, both here and in the adjacent 

 country. A garden, laid out in this man- 

 ner, demands much cleverness and skill in 

 the gardener, both in the choice and the 

 arrangement of the flowers. He must also 

 take care that, during the whole summer, 

 there are no portions destitute of flowering 

 plants. It is but justice to the Baron's 

 head gardener, to affirm that he has com- 

 pletely accomplished this task, and has been 

 entirely successful in carrying out the de- 

 sign or purpose of this garden. The con- 

 noisseur does not indeed see the usual col- 

 lection of ornamental plants in this sea of 

 flowers, but a great many varieties; and, 

 in short, here, as every where else, the 

 aesthetic taste of the Baron predominates. 

 Beautiful is this garden within a garden, 

 and hence it has become the model garden 

 of Austria. Around it the most charming 

 landscape opens to the view, gently swel- 

 ling hills, interspersed with pretty villages, 

 gardens and grounds." 



In the plan of the garden, a and b are 

 masses of shrubs ; c, circular beds, sepa- 

 rated by a border or belt of turf, e, from the 

 serpentine bed, d. The whole of this run- 

 ning pattern is surrounded by a border of 

 turf,y; g and h are gravel walks; i, beds, 

 with pedestal and statue in the centre ; k, 

 small oval beds, separated from the bed, I, 

 by a border of turf; m, ?i, o, p, irregular or 

 arabesque beds, set in turf. 



As a good deal of the interest of such a 

 flower garden as this, depends on the plan 

 itself, it is evident that the beds should be 

 filled with groups or masses, composed 

 mostly of low growiyig flowers, as tall cnes 

 would interfere with, or break up its effect 

 as a whole. Mr. Loudon, in some criti- 

 cisms on this garden, in the Gardener^ s 

 Magazine, says, that the running chain 



