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." r One of his knots, 

 from A New Orchard and Garden 1618, 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- 



