220 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



with large fragrant blossoms, which perfume the air 

 throughout the long summer's day, and beside them are 

 equally large examples of such spring-tiowermg species 

 as ^Magnolia obovata and JNI. conspicua. Here is to be 

 seen the original Davidia involucrata, which Messrs. 

 James \'eitch received from China, growing in a native 

 bowl. This specimen, when it opened a solitary tlower 

 in 191 1 at the Coombe Wood Nursery, was the first to 

 flower in this countr\-. Purchased by Sir Robert at the 

 sale last autumn, it was planted out in the Japanese gar- 

 den, where it flowered during last spring, and now ap- 

 pears to be thoroughly established. During the early 

 summer, from an immense specimen of Wistaria multi- 

 juga hang racemes of lilac tlow^ers well over two feet 

 long. On another wall Wistaria brachybotrys bears many 

 pods of Rnnner-lleanline fruits. In another enclosure 

 Crinodendron Hookerianum was fruiting, and the ffower 

 buds, already prominent and tipped with red, promise a 

 good display for next year. The upper growths of 

 Solanum jasminoides were hidden by the clusters of 

 w'hite flowers, and a large and very old example of Te- 

 coma (Bignonia) radicans bore many trusses of rich red- 

 dish-orange trumpet-shaped flowers. Pomegranates, 

 jMagnoIias, both granditlora and conspicua, and many 

 other climbing shrubs, clothed the outer walls of the 

 museum. Beside numbers of the hybrid Rhododendrons 

 many of the species and varieties which are associated 

 with the mildest districts of our islands seem to be per- 

 fectly happy in the warm and sheltered enclosures. Of 

 these Rhododendrons Falconeri, Griffithianum. Thomp- 

 sonianum. Gill's Triumph, and Gill's Goliath may be 

 mentioned. 



The herbaceous borders are a comparativel}- new fea- 

 ture, and have been greatly extended under the super- 

 vision of the voung and enthusiastic gardener, .Mr. W. 

 Willcocks, who has had charge of the fine gardens during 

 the past few years. 



INDIVIDUALITY IN GARDEN MAKING. 



In general, garden making may be classed as either 

 formal or informal. In the formal design of gardens, 

 nature is made to fit some plan as conceived by man ; in 

 informal arrangements the plan is made to fit into the 

 existing natural features, ^^■ith this simple distinction 

 Billerica reviews gardens as they have been built. 



It says the formal gardens of the past have become 

 models-, for the larger gardens of today. They first 

 reached a high state in Italy and are known as Italian 

 gardens, although as famous ones are found in France, 

 England, and other European countries, and there are 

 not a few in America. The gardens of \'ersailles in par- 

 ticular show the most costly and extensive development 

 of this style of gardening. . . . 



The old-fashioned gardens of our grandmothers were 

 essentially formal in character, whether on the scale of 

 that at Mt. Vernon, or the little front yards in old Salem 

 or elsewhere. They were of a simple geometrical ar- 

 rangement, with walks for easy access, from which to 

 view attractive parterres full of flowers, with seats and 

 shelters for comfort and convenience. Something of the 

 spirit of simplicity of these old gardens is entering again 

 into the smaller gardens of today, along with an apprecia- 

 tion of the simple types of flowers that were there grown. 



Some of America's gardens have been designed by 

 architects in close connection with the home structures. 

 In such gardens architectural features often dominate, 

 the vegetation being merely an ornamental accessory. 

 The topiary garden, in which the principal features are 

 trees cut to formal or erratic shades, as shown at Levens 

 Hall in England, is also represented at the Hunnewell 



estate at Wellesley, Mass. The area so treated varies- 

 from a small enclosed court to some large area near 

 buildings, enclosed by walls and hedges. Here the strictly 

 formal and the more informal may meet, as many Ameri- 



can gardens witness. 



.Another style of gardening known as "carpet bedding," 

 a geometrical arrangement of plants, at one time exceed- 

 ingly popular, is now confined to a few public parks and- 

 to a very limited number of private estates. 



The natural or informal style of gardening began as a 

 revolt against excessive formality. Today the greater 

 l-art of our garden operation is the result of modern, 

 modifications of the principles of gardening as first in- 

 augurated in the great private parks of England. 



From a desire to allow the works of nature to pre- 

 dominate in garden operations, the next stage was an 

 ambition to imitate in planting the arrangements of nature- 

 so that even the hand of man would be concealed. This- 

 idea of "wild gardening" was often carried to extremes, 

 particularly in England, where this kind of gardening 

 first found wide favor. 



In England, too, was evolved the idea nf the "hardy 

 border," the grou])ing of hardy perennials in a natural 

 way, modified by the conditions about our homes. A 

 great many estates of large size, as well as small lots, 

 have found this method, adapted to our ways of living, 

 the best solution for the arrangement of their gardens. 



Gardens that are particularly influenced by the e.xisting 

 features of the ground surface, as rock gardens, water 

 gardens, etc., are more recent phases of natural garden- 

 ing. They depend upon their fidelity to nature in fitness 

 to their site, and in the details of their arrangement, for 

 their beauty. . . . 



The gardens of Japan are not natural gardens in the 

 usual sense ; nor are they formal gardens as usually de- 

 fined. They dilTer from all western gardens in that they 

 represent by certain symbolic type forms the natural land- 

 scape features of Japan. By their very nature they are not 

 suited to be boldly copied in other countries, but the 

 (irinciples by which they are builded are of universal 

 application, and are finding their way into the American 

 gardens of today. 



Special gardens, that may be either formally or in- 

 formally treated, are now comtnon. We have many sea- 

 sonal gardens, as a spring or early fall garden, gardens 

 devoted to special colors, and gardens for particular kinds 

 of plants, as rose or iris gardens. These are destined to 

 be seen more and more as the garden art becomes more 

 intensive. 



There need be no monotony of arrangement in the 

 gardens of any region. Examples enough have we of 

 what is truly artistic and expressive that no one need 

 copy his neighbor. . . . 



THE YE'WS. 



Yews are propagated by seeds which do not germinate 

 until the second year, but seedlings invariably grow faster 

 than plants ra'ised from cuttings. 



Cuttings can be rooted very readily in a cool green- 

 house or frame, but do not have the same freedom of 

 growth and so do not develop into as fine specimens, 

 their growth is more likely to be low and spreading. Va- 

 rieties grafted on seedlings even make better headway 

 than cuttings. 



As the seeds take so long to germinate it is better to 

 gather them when ripe and put them in a heap when the 

 fleshy covering \\'\]\ rot away, then mix them with fine 

 sifted sand and bury them in the ground about 6 inches 

 deep, where they may remain until the time for sowing. 



