March 21, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



2.57 



pounced upon by some of the reformers of the age, and in- 

 stead of Gorse, Broom, SedRe, or Heath, trees and shrubs from 

 the antipodes, with tlie clioicest flowers that can be had, are 

 planted, good walks formed, and seats constructed. Places the 

 most uninviting are thus changed, as it were, by magic, and 

 others that have long beeu thought incapable of improvement 

 are similarly treated ; and wherever there is a vacant plot of 

 ground near a town, some one is sure to suggest that it be 

 made ornamental. 



During the last few years a great number of such spots have 

 undergone a wonderful change, the desire for flowers being so 

 general that there are few places where their culture is not 

 attempted. The little back yards of London houses, where the 

 sun, even if it can penetrate the smolcy atmosphere, can only 

 shine a verj' limited number of hours in the year, are, per- 

 haps, not in a worse position than the ground at the back of 

 a factory iu a town of less dimensions. Attempts at decora- 

 tion are, however, made iu both cases ; and, moreover, we 



generally see some odd corner in a workliouse yard, or even in 

 a prison, embellished in the same manner, but with greater 

 success, owing generaUy to the more healthy sites of these 

 places. Hospitals, too, have their garden ground, and, per- 

 haps, there is no place wliere such things are either more be- 

 coming or more appreciated. The churehyai-ds of "most large 

 towns that have been closed have also beeu judiciously orna- 

 mented with shrubs and flowers, and some years ago I was 

 much pleased to see the ground surrounding the Sunderland 

 Waterworks very nicely garnished with trees, shrubs, and 

 flowers. As it was situated on lofty ground about a mile from 

 the town, it afforded a pleasant walk. Other places have also 

 their' embellishments of a like kind, and though taste may 

 differ as to the way in which they are made, there can be no 

 question that the general public appreciate it. Then there is 

 one haJlow^ed place which above all others is, or ought to be, 

 embellished in a becoming way, and that is the cemetery. 

 The quiet retreat of those who come to visit the resting-place 



MaUlitone Cemetery. 



of departed friends need not be rendered less serious by the 

 cheerful hues of some of Nature's' gayest ornaments. A 

 gaudy dress and a gaudy flower-bed have nothing whatever 

 in common ; in fact, I am not sure that we ought to call 

 any of Nature's productions gaudy, for however briUiant the 

 colours may be, there is a chasteness in everything that springs 

 from the eai'th that we look for in vain in any manufactured 

 article : hence I do not see any objection to the introduction of 

 the brightest colours of the parterre into the cemetery garden, 

 although I do not say this ought to be done as regards indi- 

 vidual graves ; on the latter a more sober class of subjects 

 should be used, as plants and shrubs of lowly growth. 



At present, however, my purpose is the general laying-out 

 and keeping of such places and their embellishment with suit- 

 able trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. As an example is 

 always preferable to the ideal, I will here point out one place 

 which I believe wUl vie with any of its kind for the taste and 

 skill displayed in its management, and its general j'ood keeping 

 throughout the year. 



llaidstone Cemetery is about a mile from the town ; a plea- 

 sant asphalted pathway by the side of one of the principal 

 thoroughfai'es gives access to it. The situation is somewhat 

 high, and is rendered more pleasant by the view obtained. The 

 town, lying partly iu a valley, is seen to the north ; to the north- 



I east is the extensive park of The Mote (Lord Eomney's), while 

 I westward for some distance aU is Hops and cultivated ground, 

 every inch of which is rendered productive. The entrance to 

 I the cemetery is by appropriate lodge gates, from which a 

 I broad gi-aveiled road slightly curves untU it approaches the 

 chapels, after which wheeled carriages are supposed to go 

 no further. The th-essed grounds in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of the entrance are very pretty. Two stately Irish 

 Yews flank the roadway on each side, and between them, on 

 the weU-kept turf, are some neat, even-sized standard Roses in 

 pebbled circles, while a little way on are two handsome Deodars 

 standing further back. The cottage of the Superintendent is 

 a little way to the left, and near to it, and of easy access by 

 one of the many walks by which the grounds are mtersected, 

 is that now essential appendage to aU places of public resort, 

 a drinking fountain. 



Following the carriage road, however, we perceive that at a 

 point where it separates to reach the two chapels, a broad 

 straight walk unites. This walk, as may be expected, is not 

 intended for wheeled carriages, but, extending in a straight 

 line to the extreme edge of the gi-ounds, is terminated by a 

 large raised mound well covered with Ferns. This fine central 

 walk is bordered by dwarf-stemmed Portugal Laurels cut into 

 shape and facing each other at stated intervals, each plant 



