arches span the short and narrow pathways. It is somewhat Cottage 



of a puzzle that Scarlet Tropaeolum never seems so happy, or Gardens 



as much at home, in England as in Scotland. One reason for 



this, given by an observant gardener, is that in the South it is 



not cut down in winter by frost, and so does not come up again 



with renewed strength. Or perhaps it misses the cool damp 



soil beloved by many plants, in which the homely Pansy 



luxuriates beyond all others. To quote that well-known writer 



E. V. B., who has gardened in both parts of Great Britain, 



" Everything that does well in England grows even better in 



Scotland, and where the soil and position are favourable they 



will attain to greater stature with more than equal luxuriance." 



Is it favouritism to assert that August, September, and October, 



in a well-ordered and well-situated Scottish garden, are worth the 



whole year in an English one ? The glory of the colours, and 



the profusion of the harvest of our flowers, make us bold to boast 



of our autumnal display. For this we are indebted to the cooler 



soil, which retains the moisture and is seldom burnt up to the 



same extent as gardens in the sunny South. 



No article on national gardens would be complete without 

 a tribute to the shrewd intelligence and skill of the Scotch 

 gardener, whose worth is acknowledged all over the world, and 

 that not only in the present day, but from the earliest History 

 of Horticulture. 



F. GRAHAM STIRLING. 



49 



