THE COTTAGE GARDEN 163 



Everything had been drawn on paper by the 

 head student in charge, and I was asked to criticise 

 freely, for all that pertains to garden design or 

 structural addition comes under my jurisdiction. 

 Two large square beds for mixed flowers had been 

 marked out and in order to convey the meaning 

 of the ground-plan more graphically to the casual 

 observer, a coloured sketch, or what we call a 

 " prospective " one, showing heights and varieties 

 of flowers, was also given. 



Plants were chosen and arranged in groups with 

 a view to giving that delightful cottage-garden 

 feeling of natural, informal effect, so typical of 

 England, and narrow paths round the beds, two 

 feet wide, were suggested as a means of tending 

 the flowers without having to step upon damp 

 earth. 



Upon either side, where the boundary line of 

 the two other cottage gardens came, tall plants 

 such as hollyhocks and sunflowers were to form a 

 screen and in their midst pillars of wood supporting 

 rope festoons were to have climbing roses trained 

 to them. There was space besides for a miniature 

 rock garden built against the wall on the sunny 

 side of the road, exposed, it is true, to attacks 

 from the chance passer-by, but worth attempting 

 because the more unenclosed waste spaces are 

 beautified, the less temptation will prevail amongst 

 plant-robbers to carry out their work of destruction. 

 It is usually the excitement of overcoming difficulty 

 and capturing a hidden prize without detection 

 that is the chief incentive to the garden thief. 

 Two square beds, beneath the living-room 



