November 21, 1886, ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



417 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Mouth 



27 



Day 



of 



Week. 



Tu 

 W 

 Th 



P 



s 



M 



NOVEMBER 31—27, 1805. 



Ok(iw'n- Prinoess op Prussia Boim, 

 Sun's ilcolinntioii W° 13' S. [1840. 

 (iriiy Wii(jtiiil arrives. 

 Swent-seontod Coltsfoot tlowers. 

 Lurch leafless. 



24 SUNDAV AFTER TuIKITY. 



Elm leafless. 



Average Temperature 

 near Lundon. 



Dav. 

 4!).4 

 49.n 

 •17.2 

 47.it 

 40.» 

 47.2 

 47.0 



Niuht. 

 SO.!) 

 S4.1 

 81.4 

 !i2.4 

 .SI).,'-. 

 83.3 

 'M.i 



Mean. 

 42.9 

 41.8 

 40.3 

 89.9 

 89.9 

 4U.2 

 40.7 



Uain in 



laHt 

 38 years. 



Days. 

 28 

 21 

 16 

 12 

 19 

 19 

 17 



Sun 

 Rises. 



m. h. 

 81af7 

 .82 7 



Sun 



Sets. 



Moon 

 Kises. 



n. h. m. h. 



2af4 I CU 9 



4 8S 10 

 8 13 11 

 8 47 11 

 8 I after. 

 8 I 44 

 8 11 1 



Moon 

 Sets. 



11 11 

 morn. 

 25 



Moon's 

 Atje. 



Days. 

 8 

 4 



r> 

 li 



7 



)) 



9 



Clock 



after 

 Sun. 



13 37 



18 20 



13 8 



12 V, 



12 20 



12 8 



Day 



of 



Year. 



32J5 

 lino 

 837 

 828 

 8i!9 

 8.80 

 881 



From observations taken near London duringthelast tbirty-oiRlit years, the average day temperature of the week is 47.6° : and its nisht 

 temperature 34.1-. TUo greatest heat was C2-, on the 2jth, 1803 ; and the lowest cold, 9', on the 23rd, 1858. The greatest fall of rain 



was 0.88 inch 



A PLEA FOR TREES, SHRUBS, AND SOME 

 OTHER PLANTS IN FLOWER GARDENS. 



' EING desirous of assistinp!. 

 however limited may be my 

 power of doing so, in ox- 

 tending the taste for trees, 

 slu-ubs, and other plants 

 tliat are ornamental by 

 their foliage, as tending to 

 remove the great defects of modei-n ilower gardens, I beg 

 to tender a few remarks (jnite as much to solicit as to 

 fiu-nish information. 



One of the great defects of modem gardens is their un- 

 interesting appeai-ance in winter, spring, and early sum- 

 mer, and most cottage gardens are far more gay at those 

 periods than places of gi'eatcr pretensions : yet there is no 

 deficiency of shrubs and other plants that are interesting 

 and even pretty, to say nothing of the many recent and 

 valuable introductions, several of wliieh are of a character 

 to atibrd gratitication all the year, and some flower at an 

 early period of tlie season. There is no lack of subjects that 

 only need pressing into the service to put an end to the 

 al)surd system of having nothing of interest in tlie garden 

 except in the lieigbt of summer. Another great evil is the 

 generally monotonous character of gardens as at present 

 arranged and planted. There is a monotony of form and 

 outUue, and a general sameness in all the details, aftbrding 

 notliiug but a iirst impression. The plants employed arc 

 seen at a glance, and give an instant impression, and 

 people seem pleased with them they know not why, and 

 all we can learn from them is, that certain gardens arc 

 grand — grand beyond the powers of pen or pencU to 

 pourtray. They comprehend manyforms and many coloui's 

 so well arranged as to be extremely pleasing; but. ex- 

 amined in detail, tliey \vill be found to be made up of the 

 same forms and coloiu-s repeated. The forms are simply 

 straiglit or curved lines little difterent from one another, 

 and the colours arc of the brightest and most dazzling de- 

 scri]>tion ; these arc wearisome to the eye", and what there 

 is to learn is soon obtained in consequence of the small 

 amomit of variety that there exists in prmciple and ma- 

 terial. There is an overpowering amount of colour, the 

 gradations between warm, bright, and low tones are not 

 accounted for ; either tlio coloiu's are too bright, lack 

 warmth, or require toning down, and no one seems to be 

 able to fix any laws by which the arrangement may be 

 governed, or if any do promulgate a set of rules as has 

 been done by Chevreul and others, they as often are beside 

 as liit the mark. In sliort, our gardens lack variety and 

 intricacy both as to form, material, and aiTangement. 



Flower gardens being rendered brilliant by employing 

 flowering plants in masses, another sttikuig defect presents 



No. 213,— Vol. is.. New Seribs, 



itself, and that is the want of repose or relief. Tlie various 

 shades of gi-een constitute in natui-e the great relief to the 

 colours of (lowers. It is tlie blades of the Wheat that make 

 red Poppies so telling, the gi'een of the Barley that gives 

 Charlock its peculiar richness in yellow, the green of the 

 pastiu-e that makes the Milfoil look so white; and the 

 pink Centaury receives no small aid from the herbage 

 around. In nature there is no such tiring as po.sitive 

 colour, it is toned down by the foliage of the plant pro- 

 ducing it, and it is not possible to find a more fitting con- 

 trast for any flower than its own foliage. The refief of 

 masses of bright colour hi lawns is found in the grass, and 

 much more warmth of colom- may be given there than can 

 be done when the masses are in Box or gravel. 



It is only uow necessary to point out the essential dif- 

 ference that exists between geometrical and ii-rcgular 

 flower gardens. 



Geometrical gardens are regular and s-\TnmetricaI, the 

 paths are regularly curved or regularly straight, and the 

 eye is only impressed by objects sli'glitly varied; for, 

 whether the lines are straight or curved, symmetry re- 

 quires that the objects in one side or part should be 

 repeated and correspond vnth those on the other. The 

 result of tliis is, when all the principal parts are seen, 

 which are never nmuerous, or if they are, mere repetitions, 

 the spectator has seen everythmg fihat such gardens have 

 to ofler. They are usually planted either in varied masses 

 of colours, separated from each other by unplanted inter- 

 vals, wliich may be grass or paths of gravel, or they may 

 be planted homogeneously when it is tlie intention to give 

 an efl'ect of individuality, "the corre.sponding parts of which 

 are identical. This style is the most simple, and affords 

 on the most extensive scale scope for a few species of 

 plants only, and is, as at present adopted, but a slight 

 modification of the Dutch style, though the more polished 

 gardens are after the French style. The extremelv mo- 

 notonous a.spect of such gardens is the theme of universal 

 comment, and their bareness in spring and early summer 

 is the obstacle to their further extension. A sUght varia- 

 tion of material pleases those who are fond of the gay 

 and splendid, but to a lover of those plants which are 

 possessed of charms other than forming carpets of bloom, 

 gardens of this kuid are of little interest, for there is 

 notliing to study except what may be seen anv day in a 

 drapers shop- window. I do not wish to imply tliat I would 

 seek to do away w'ith the present mode of planting flowers 

 in masses, nor lead any one to conclude that gardens in 

 wliich that system is adopted are entii-ely devoid of in- 

 terest; but I aslv. Are they not deficient "in interest for 

 the greater part of the year, and monotonous at their best ? 

 and when the principal points of tlieir composition are 

 seen, what is there further to engage curio.sity and keep 

 awake the interest wliich is expected to be foiind in gar- 

 dens ? Shnply notliing, the garden is a fixed unchange- 

 able tiling, and such it remains year after year, or is but 

 sUghtly varied. 



Now, to tone dow^l the bright colours plants remarkable 

 for then- foliage have been introduced with good effect into 

 such giu-dens, and particiUarly plants of wliich the leaves 

 No. 695.— Vol. XXXIV., Old Seuixs. 



