FIRST WEEK IN JANUARY 



glorious great bouquets of blossom might have rejoiced our 

 eyes, and it is not always that these plants are shown to the 

 best advantage. 



The lawn should be broad and fairly level, with no flower- 

 beds to interfere with its restful expanse ; yet a few well- 

 grouped trees, or flowering shrubs, may be planted on its 

 outskirts or massed at salient points at its side with 

 advantage. 



Shady nooks and glimpses of the distant scenery, framed 

 by foliage, add greatly to the charm of a well-kept lawn, 

 and the possibilities of adding such distinctive points to the 

 whole effect must not be overlooked. Where the pleasure- 

 ground adjoins the kitchen garden the latter should be 

 screened off by groups of flowering trees and shrubs ; it may 

 be at intervals, with fruit-trees between them on the kitchen 

 garden side, as apple, pear, and cherry-trees are amongst 

 our most beautiful objects in the garden when in bloom ; 

 espaliers, too, most decorative in effect when covered by 

 blossom or fruit, can be used to break the line of demarcation; 

 but by all means let us eschew the privet hedge, which not 

 only has a powerful and disagreeable odour when in flower, 

 but also exhausts the soil unduly for many feet around it, 

 and entails much labour to keep it in order. 



Herbaceous borders should be fairly wide, and may be 

 arranged to follow the line of a path or the front of a red- 

 ! brick wall, or a hedge against which the taller plants (white 

 foxgloves, blue delphiniums, hollyhocks, sunflowers, &c.) will 

 stand out with great effect. If small flower-beds are required, 

 let them be arranged in a group apart, it may be in conjunc- 

 tion with a circular series of arches for climbing roses, or 

 some other special feature. 



A water garden is a delightful addition to the rest, but 

 few gardens contain a lake or pond within their precincts. 

 These larger pieces of water are not, however, necessary to 

 the cultivation of the finer varieties of water-lilies lately 

 introduced ; although a most beautiful effect can be pro- 

 duced by planting the edges of a lake with semi-aquatic 

 plants and shrubs. But the smaller Nymphasas and other 



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