56 Old Time Gardens 



or sand ; and with no dividing paths. Elaborate 

 models in complicated geometrical pattern were 

 given in gardeners' books, for setting out these 

 knots, which were first drawn on paper and sub- 

 divided into squares ; then the square of earth was 

 similarly divided, and set out by precise rules. 

 William Lawson, the Izaak Walton of gardeners, 

 gave, as a result of forty-eight years of experience, 

 some very attractive directions for large " knottys " 

 with different " thrids ' of flowers, each of one 

 color, which made the design appear as if " made 

 of diverse colored ribands." One of his knots, 

 from A New Orchard and Garden 161 8, being 

 a garden fashion in vogue when my forbears came 

 to America, I have chosen as a device for the dedi- 

 cation of this book, thinking it, in Lawson's words, 

 "so comely, and orderly placed, and so inter- 

 mingled, that one looking thereon cannot but won- 

 der." His knots had significant names, such as 

 " Cinkfoyle ; Flower de Luce ; Trefoyle ; Frette ; 

 Lozenge; Groseboowe ; Diamond; Ovall ; Maze." 



Gervayse Markham gives various knot patterns 

 to be bordered with Box cut eighteen inches broad 

 at the bottom and kept flat at the top — with the 

 ever present thought for the fine English linen. 

 He has a varied list of circular, diamond-shaped, 

 mixed, and "single impleated knots." 



These garden knots were mildly sneered at by 

 Lord Bacon ; he said, " they be but toys, you see 

 as good sights many times in tarts;" still I think 

 they must have been quaint, and I should like to 

 see a garden laid out to-day in these pretty Eliza- 



