400 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



leading them to despise the far more healthy and profitable labours of 

 the open garden ; all these have to be considered in relation to the 

 cost, care and ugliness of the glass nursery as an annual preparation 

 for plants for the flower garden, these plants being with {q.v^ exceptions 

 far less precious in every way for flower garden or for room than those 

 that are quite hardy. 



A few years ago, before the true flower garden began to get a place 

 in men's minds, many of the young gardeners refused to work in 

 places where there was no glass. A horrid race this pot and kettle 

 idea of a garden would have led to : men to get chills if their gloves 

 were not aired. I met the difficulty myself by abolishing glass 

 altogether. Only where we do this we must show better things in 

 the open-air garden, than ever flourished in a glass house. 



Wasted Labour in Moving Earth. — Next to moving heaven, 

 the heaviest undertaking is that of moving earth, and there are no 

 labours of gardening men that lead to more wasted effort, where care 

 and experience are not brought to bear on the work. Labour in many 

 parts of the country has become dearer, and the question of moving 

 earth without needless waste of energy is a serious one for all who have 

 much groundwork to do. We may often see instances of misuse of 

 labour ; the soil from foundations carted far, and then put deep over 

 the roots of old trees, to their death or injury. A man of resource in 

 dealing with ground would place this soil in some well-chosen spot 

 near, having first removed the surface soil, and, resurfacing with it,, 

 planted it with a handsome group of beautiful shrubs or trees, so that 

 the surface would in no ugly way differ from the general lie of the 

 ground near. The presence of carts and horses seems very often to 

 lead to waste of labour in carting earth when barrows and a few 

 planks would do the work better. 



In necessary groundwork there is inevitably much moving of earth 

 in getting levels, carrying roads and paths across hollows, and for 

 various other reasons. We should make a rule of getting the soil in 

 all such cases as near at hand as possible. Mistakes in levelling ground 

 are frequent, and often lead to twice moving of soil. The best man 

 for groundwork is often one with a good navvy's experience, and 

 many such men know how to make heavy groundwork changes 

 without putting a barrowful of soil in the wrong place. Very often 

 spare soil has to be removed, and in this necessary work ugly mounds 

 are made, when, by a little care in choosing the place well and never 

 leaving any ugly angles, but making the ground take the natural 

 gradation of the adjacent earth, it could be well planted. Hardy trees 

 take well to such banks if the good soil is kept on the top, as it should 

 always be. 



The same remarks may serve for the moving of turf, gravel, stones 



