31 8 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



nurseries. It might be highly instructive in other ways if open to 

 the public, as it could be used not only for the supply of tender 

 plants, but also of trees and shrubs for the parks. In Paris this 

 establishment is not only instructive to the public, but a capital school 

 for young gardeners, whereas our hole-and-corner nurseries in the 

 parks from which the public are rigidly excluded have no such 

 merit. 



A nursery for London parks, well planned and well chosen, just 

 outside London should lead to economy and be able to supply all the 

 tender summer flowers which a better system of gardening would 

 require. Instead of the greater part of the cost being given to tender 

 plants by far the greater proportion of the cost and care would be 

 given to the open-air flora of tree, shrub, and flower hardy at all 

 seasons and wanting no care. Some of the best effects in the modern 

 garden are never seen in any parks effects which the beautiful hardy 

 Water Lilies and noble coloured trees of the American woodlands in 

 autumn might give us. 



The greatest charms of our parks are repose, verdure, and breadth, 

 and to secure these we must stop cutting up the surface for tea- 

 houses, nurseries, monuments, etc. The last time I was in Victoria 

 Park, I saw what once was the prettiest of lawns surrounded by an 

 ugly iron railing to keep in deer. As if the " Zoo " were not enough 

 for London. 



The area of these noble parks the soil and climate of London 



offers the best opportunity for such a noble tree garden as one could 



desire. All the summer - leafing trees of the 



A noble tree northern forest might be grown in them, and if we 



garden. get rid of smoke which it is quite within our 



power to do we might grow all the Evergreen 



trees of the northern world too. For the natural climate of London, 



in spite of its bad repute, is a good climate and the smoke our own 



doing. 



Clear the parks of these nurseries. Let each superintendent have 

 his mind fixed on growing only for the permanent adornment of the 

 park and let him get his tender stock from a central nursery. Vested 

 interests and stereotyped plans are hard to face, but it is well to tell 

 the truth about the matter, and perhaps the coming men will take 

 it up. 



It would be well if the cost of what is done in the present day 

 the expenses of the present hothouse nurseries as compared with the 

 cost of the work in the open air were made clear and open to the public. 

 As to the artistic results of the present way, can anything be more 

 un-English or absurd than the scattering about in an English park of 

 Palms and other tropical plants in pots ? Such efforts may well seem 



