November 26, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



467 



that abound both in and around the metropolis. When this 

 has been done it is a mockery to term an enclosure upon any 

 part of it a garden, which then could only become a reality by 

 the tenant accumulating enough good soil and manure to cover 

 the barren surface a few inches deep. 



Premising, however, that the garden in question has a tole- 

 rable depth of fertile soil, we will first of all proceed to trench 

 and level it. Trenching is so called from the soU and subsoil 

 being broken up so deeply that an open and somewhat wide 

 trench has to be maintained throughout the work in order to 

 facilitate the breaking-up of the subsoil. The first trench is 

 formed by taking a strip of soil 'J inches deep and about twice 

 as wide from one extremity of the garden and conveying it to 

 the other ; the portion of under or subsoil so laid bare is then 

 lifted and chopped to pieces with a fork or spade. It is not 



taken away, but remaining in the same position is covered 

 with the soil taken from the next strip ; by doinf; which another 

 portion of subsoil is cleared ready for stirring, and so it con- 

 tinues to the end. The importance of this as a primary mea- 

 sure cannot be too strongly enforced. It is so for all gardens, 

 but more especially for those of such limited extent that every 

 inch of space is precious. It not only opens up the soil to the 

 beneficial influence of the air, but also reduces the whole of it 

 to one uniform condition, and that portion of it which after- 

 wards may be required for paths may then bo covered with 

 the necessary hard material and yet serve to nourish the roots 

 of trees. 



In the laying-out particular care must be taken to economise 

 space and to render it as attractive as possible. To this end 

 we will not cover any portion of it with turf, and so avoid 



A, A, Flower beds edged with Ivy. 



B, B, Borders for baa-dy flowers edged with Ivy. 



Fig. 132. 



c, Bed of shrubs with aa edging of Ivj-. 

 , G, Gravel. 



H, H, Vegetables. 



much future trouble and vexation in trying to keep neat and 

 ornamental that which by courtesy is supposed to represent a 

 fresh green grass plat, but is in reality a dark brown-looking 

 melancholy object, especially in the dull winter months. Instead 

 of the turf we will have gravel, or even a little Derbyshire spar 

 to walk upon, and so avoid mowing, and render the entire 

 garden far more bright and enjoyable. But there must be 

 greenery and abundance of it to impart softness and repose : 

 this is best obtained by planting a broad edging of the green 

 Irish Ivy (Hedera canariensis) to the whole of the flower beds 

 and borders. No plant is equal to this for such a purpose. It 

 is unaffected by smoke or dust, and, once established, it lite- 

 rally takes care of itself ; its dark green elegant foliage being 

 as much valued for its intrinsic merit as for its fine effect as 

 a foil to the gravel and the flowers which it surrounds. 



In the plan {ng. 132), the flower beds are intended now for 

 such spring flowers as the Hyacinth, Tulip, Crocus, Snowdrop, 

 Myosotis, Silene, Saponaria, Nemophila, Collinsia, &a., and in 

 summer for such plants as the fine gardens in the parks have 

 made familiar to all. The borders, b, b, are for hardy flowers, 

 such as Pinks, Carnations, Phloxes, Pentstemons, Iris, Cam- 

 panula, and a host of others. They are precisely such borders 

 as become, in the hands of an enthusiastic person, the recep- 

 tacles of such floral treasures as he gradually accumulates 



from the different nurseries which he visits ; they also contain 

 the spoil of many a raid made upon the gardens of friends far 

 and near. Ah ! kind country reader, as you have been leaving 

 any large town, perchance in a manufacturing district redolent 

 of smoke, and dust, and other impurities, with all the usual 

 bustle and clamour of a busy crowded community, have you 

 never met a respectable rosy-faced person, not riding but 

 trudging sturdily along with an inexpressible smile twinkling 

 in his kindly eye, his arms laden with odd-looking packages, 

 his pockets bulging out in the oddest manner imaginable, and 

 perchance with his hat awry upon his head ? Wtll, that is 

 the man who treasures such a border, and who occasionally 

 visits you and I, dehghting us so thoroughly by his genuine 

 enthusiasm ; and we are the guilty parties who send off the 

 good man laden with various odds and ends of no particular 

 value to us, but which to him are veritable gems wherewith to 

 decorate his town home. 



The border c is for shrubs, so as to shut out the lower por- 

 tion of the garden where " J. E. W." intends making his first 

 essay in the cultivation of vegetables. In selecting shrubs for 

 a town garden avoid Conifers. The elegant forms are very 

 tempting, but they soon lose all their beauty in the murky 

 atmosphere of towns. The best shrubs for such a purpose 

 are Rhododendron, Ledum latifolium, Portugal Laurel, Bay, 



