28 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



combine the two with profit or pleasure to himself. But where 

 there is room in which to make the attempt, it will be obvious that 

 the part of the garden farthest from the house will be that which 

 must be devoted to the vegetable plot. This should be rectangular 

 in form, and the paths which serve it should be as few as possible, 

 and invariably straight and not curved. A good arrangement 

 is to divide the piece of land into four sections by means of a 

 central path, with another bisecting it in the centre. This will 

 permit of successional cropping a subject which is dealt with 

 in another part of this book and it will enable the owner to reap 

 the fullest possible benefit from the land he is endeavouring to 

 cultivate. The question of including fruit trees in the vegetable 

 section of the garden is one that is easily solved if the practice 

 be adopted of growing only the smaller kinds of trees such as can 

 be trained flat against a fence or wall or a trellis of stakes, dwarf 

 pyramids, and bush fruits. These, while yielding a plentiful crop 

 of fruit, are at the same time highly decorative adjuncts even to 

 the smallest gardens, and may very well take the place of many 

 of the evergreen shrubs which at present do duty at the back of 

 the border. The error to be avoided is the planting of tall 

 standard fruit trees in the centre of vegetable beds. These, be- 

 sides impoverishing the soil, must ultimately and inevitably rob 

 the growing vegetables of the light and air that are so essential 

 to them, and thus render their satisfactory culture impossible, 



To return to the flower garden, the owner will need to decide 

 for himself the additional features he desires to introduce : 

 whether, for instance, if he be a keen rosarian, he wishes to devote 

 a section entirely to the cultivation of his favourite flower and 

 in passing it may be said that if the height of his ambition be to 

 gain prizes at the rose show this will be essential ; whether he will 

 construct a rockery, or a little Alpine garden ; whether he will 

 introduce a pergola, and arches for the support of the innumerable 

 climbing plants that help to add to the beauty of the garden ; 

 and whether, if he have room, he will erect a greenhouse, and 

 frames, and a summer-house. The summer-house may well be 

 placed at the extreme end of the garden, if possible, in a shady 



