CLIMBERS AND THEIR ARTISTIC USE. 12,7 



be in perennial and shrubby climbers, we must not forget the climbing 

 things among annual and like plants to help us, especially in the 

 smaller class of gardens and those on which we depend more on 

 annual flowers. Hedges of Sweet Peas there are few things to equal ; 

 the fragile annual Convolvuli in many colours are pretty for low 

 trellises, the vigorous herbaceous Bindweeds for rough places outside 

 the flower garden. Most showy of all annual climbers are the many 

 Gourds, which, treated in a bold way, give fine effects when trained 

 over outhouses, sheds, or on strong stakes as columns. The showy 

 annual climbing Trop^eolums, as well as the brilliant herbaceous and 

 tuberous rooted kinds, are most precious, and Apios, Adlumia, Eccremo- 

 carpus, Maurandya and Cobaea in mild districts are among the 

 plants that help us to make walls into gardens. Nor must we forget 

 the Hop, a vigorous, graceful, herbaceous climber, of much value where 

 well placed. Among these climbers we may place the Passion Flower, 

 because so often short-lived in the cold and more inland parts of our 

 islands. It is best for sheltered and sea-coast places and is not quite 

 hardy there in our coldest seasons ; still, if its base be sheltered with 

 some dry Fern, it will spring up again. 



Covered Ways of Fruit Trees. — This way of growing fruit 

 trees and shading walks is not often seen, though few things would be 

 prettieror more useful in gardens if fruit trees of highquality were chosen. 

 Although in our gardens the shaded walk is not so necessary as it is 

 in Italy and Southern France, in hot seasons shade is welcome in 

 Britain ; and, as in many gardens we have four times as many walks as 

 are needed, there is plenty of room for covering some of them with fruit 

 trees which would give us flowers in spring, fruit in autumn, and light 

 shade. The very substance of which walks are made is often good for 

 fruit, and those who know the Apricot district of Oxfordshire and the 

 neighbouring counties may see how well fruit trees do in hard walks. 

 It is not only in kitchen and fruit gardens that their shade might be 

 welcome, but in flower gardens, if we ever get out of the common 

 notion of a flower garden which insists on everything being seen at one 

 glance and the whole as flat and hard as oilcloth. 



Plashed Alleys. — In some old gardens there was a way of 

 " plashing " trees over walks — trees like the Lime, which grew so 

 vigorously that they had to be cut back with an equal vigour, this 

 leading in the end to ugliness in the excessive mutilation of the trees. 

 One result of the frequent cutting was a vigorous summer growth of 

 shoots, which cast a dense shade and dripped in wet weather. The 

 purpose of such walks would be well fulfilled by training fruit trees 

 over them, as they are trees which much more readily submit to 

 training and give the light and airy shade which is best in our 

 country. The fruit trellis, whatever it is formed of, need not be 



