I20 Isfotcs and Gleanings. 



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Spring Gardexing. — A few days ago, I had the pleasure of calling at 

 Crabwood establishment, near Southampton, the residence of Rolles Driver, 

 Esq., to see my friend Mr. Higgs, the gardener there, who has for some years 

 past paid considerable attention to spring gardening, and to selecting the best 

 subjects for that purpose. Mr. Higgs has now for several seasons been able to 

 produce very pleasing and harmonious results from simple means, and those, 

 too, of a very inexpensive nature ; so much so, that the materials employed by 

 him are within the reach of every person who has a garden, and is able to devote 

 a portion of it to ornamental purposes. The gardens at Crabwood are on a 

 small scale ; but in small gardens we often meet with meritorious results. The 

 flower-beds here are close to the south side of the mansion, at perhaps a dozen 

 yards or so distant from the windows : a gracefully curved walk intervenes be- 

 tween the beds and the house, which winds along until passing out of sight 

 amongst the shrubs beyond the flower-garden. This flower-garden has about 

 fourteen beds cut out in grass, having ample space between the beds for prome- 

 nading with ease ; and beyond the beds there is enough space to allow of the 

 modern game of croquet being played : beyond this there is an irregular and 

 diversified outline of shrubbery, which, when seen from the mansion, seems, as it 

 were, to hold and incase this little gern of spring flower-gardening in a living 

 frame of shrubs. There is one great point to be observed in connection with 

 spring gardening; viz., that the plants employed must all be in flower about the 

 same time ; and, to secure this end, Mr. Higgs principally uses the following 

 four : Silene pendula^ pink ; Myosotis sylvatica, blue ; LiinnaiitJies Doiiglasii^ 

 yellow ; and Saxifraga gramdata, white. These four are those principally 

 used in the flower-beds. In some of the borders, a small yellow CJteiranthus 

 Marshallii, and a scarlet daisy, which yields an abundance of flowers, are used. 

 In the largest beds, Mr. Higgs uses three colors : for instance, next to the grass 

 is the yellow Liinnanthes Doiiglasii j next is the blue Myosotis sylvatica; having 

 the taller-growing and more showy pink Silene peiidula in the middle of the bed. 

 Some plant the white saxifrage in the middle ; but, in any bed where the silene 

 is used, it grows too high to allow of the saxifrage being seen to good advan- 

 tage. These plants are all hardy; and, when in flower, a shower of rain or a 

 moderate amount of frost does not detract from the beauty of their display. 



G. Dawson, Shirley, Southampton. 1 had the pleasure of walking through 



the gardens at Osberton last week: and I say Mr. Bennett may well be proud 

 of his spring bedding ; for it is certainly a grand success. As the Osberton 

 Gardens are so well known to most of your readers, I may be allowed to offer a 

 few remarks on the spring bedding, &c. In the kitchen-garden was a ribbon- 

 border of cerastiums, primroses, variegated kale, and wallflowers, which looked 

 well. A design with colored walks in front of the conservatory was arranged 

 with Viola corniita, primroses, tulips, and hyacinths ; some little diamond-shaped 

 beds at each end of the conservatory being planted with a few choice flowers, 

 and edged with that little gem, the blue gentian. Leaving the conservatory and 

 rose-garden, we entered upon a long walk with beds on each side, a round and a 

 long one alternately: the round ones are planted with purple, blue, and yellow 

 pansies, hepaticas, daisies, polyanthus, euonymus, and a fine hardy plant named 



