IRISH GARDENING. 



71 



walks. Roses and creepers drape tiiemselves in iialural 

 ways on porch and eaves, unvisited by a watchful 

 assistant with his bag of nails and cloth shreds. ' Bed- 

 ding- out ' is unknown ; instead, the borders are filled 

 with a brave company of hardy plants which greet the 

 seasons as nature intended. .\s summer wanes, the 

 ground is littered thick with fallen leaves and petals, 

 crimson, amber, chestnut and gold. No one troubles to 

 remove them ; they drop to earth to nourish the plants 

 which gave them life. Here in truth is realised more 

 closely perhaps ihan elsewhere something of that 

 subtle mystery without whicli the love of gardens could 

 never have sur- 

 vived so long as 

 it has done." In 

 such a garden 

 the number of 

 \- a r i e t i e s is 

 strictly limited 

 and the several 

 kinds grouped 

 in spreading 

 patches, thereby 

 producing bold 

 colour masses. 

 Flowers, rare or 

 curious, find no 

 place, as beauty 

 most often le- 

 sults from the 

 use of simple 

 materials sim- 

 ply employed. 

 M o n e y, our 

 author reminds 

 us, is the least 

 needed factor 

 to the realisa- 

 tion of a delight- 

 ful garden, and 

 for this reason 

 " the cildest of 

 all the arts 

 offers possibili- 

 ties which in no way depend for their accomplishment 

 upon wealth f.->r station." 



The hardy flower border, to which Chapter III. is 

 devoted, is stated to be the simplest and by far the 

 most effective arrangement of plants for small gardens. 

 Not only does it permit of flowers being seen in their 

 natural grace and beauty, but it is the most economical 

 and least artificial of all schemes of culture. Full and 

 clear directions are given for the preparation and plant- 

 ing of such a flower garden, and suitable subjects are 

 suggested to the amateur of taste. 



Roses are charmingly and simply dealt with. We 

 are afraid that there is too much truth in what the 

 author says about the influence of shows upon the rose 

 as a decorative plant. They have done much to spoil it. 

 " Instead of valuing a rose as a peerless beautifier of 

 garden scenes a vast number of people limit its 

 associations to green boxes holding six or twelve 

 ' distinct varieties ' ; to stufl*y tents, to muslin frocks, 

 military bands and all the wearying paraphernalia of 

 fetes and flower shows." 



There are two chapters — one on Garden Colour and 

 the other on Fragrance — which will give more in- 

 spiration to the sympathetic reader than a whole 

 library of ordinary garden literature. Enough has 

 been said, however, to give at least some idea of the 

 scope of this little book and of the spirit in which it is 

 written. We cannot imagine anyone reading it through 

 and failing to catch some of the enthusiasm of its author. 



It is beautifully illustrated with 18 plates, one of 

 which we are able to reproduce through the courtesy 

 of the publisher. We strongly recommend the perusal 

 of this book to our readers. 



Im lioolc o the Cottage Garden."] 



CoTTAt;E G.\RDE.NS. By Colonel R. Stapleton-Cotton. 

 Birmingham: Cortiish Bros., Ltd. (4d.). — This is a 

 booklet of sixty pages giving practical hints on the 

 management and cultivation of small gardens. It treats 

 the subject in a simple, straightforward way, and is just 

 the type of book that a cottager or allotment holder 

 would most likely read, and from which he would get 

 information of a right and helpful kind. The present 

 is the second edition. 



The I'ro.nlnci.\tion of Pl.\.nt N.\.mes. — Gardeners' 

 Cliri/iiicli\ Ltd. Price, one shilling. — This very useful 

 liitle book on "The Pronunciation of Plant Names " is 

 reprinted from the pages of the Gardeners' Chronicle. 

 The book is sure to find favour with gardeners and 

 others interested in the correct pronunciation of the 

 names of garden plants. Usage rather than strict 

 etymology has been followed by the compiler. It is 

 issued in a very handy size and can be easily carried in 

 the breast pocket for immediate reference. Every 

 young gardener should possess a copy. 



