SIMPLER FLOWER GARDEN PLANS, 293 



obstruction to work, but beds as airy and simple as possible and 

 giving us much more room for flowers than beds of the ordinary 

 type. The plans given are those of wholly different kinds of 

 gardens. 



GOLDER'S HILL. This at Hampstead, is, perhaps, the best and 

 most interesting example of a London garden one could find for its 

 beauty, airiness, repose, and fine distant view, in which one can 

 scarcely see a house, although near London. This plan is also 

 instructive in various other ways, as showing that where it is desirable 

 to keep a lawn open and quiet for view, play, or any other like reason, 

 it is often easy to do this without interfering with the flower-gardening 

 or any other charm of the place. The lawn is so open and airy, that 

 any number of people may assemble on it without inconvenience or 

 injury to anything. The lawn falls gently from the house, so that 

 any walled terracing is needless, and, excepting a few steps for the 

 convenience of level, little has been done in that direction. The 

 plan also disproves the thoughtless assertion of certain writers that 

 landscape gardening means twisting the walks about. It is seen here 

 that nothing of the kind is done in this most picturesque garden. 

 The flower beds are rather few and bold, and made large for the 

 sake of ease of cultivation and breadth of effect. 



The next plan is that of the gardener's house at Uffington, near 

 Stamford ; it is an example of the older-fashioned garden not un- 

 common before nearly all old gardens were altered for the sake of 

 the Perilla and its few companions. At one end of the little garden 

 is the gardener's house, and high walls surround the rest of the garden, 

 so that there is shelter and every comfort for the plants. The garden 

 is simply laid out to suit the ground, the plants Roses and hardy 

 flowers in great variety, a plan which admits of delightful effect in 

 such walled gardens. Picturesque masses of Wistaria covered one 

 side of the wall and part of the house the whole was a picture in 

 the best sense ; and it would be difficult to find in garden enclosures 

 anything more delightful during more than half the year. 



The main drawback in gardens of this sort in the old days was 

 the absence of grouping or any attempt to hold " things together " 

 a fault which is easily got over. It is easy to avoid scattering 

 things one likes all over the beds at equal distances, and, without 

 " squaring " them in any stupid way, to keep them rather more 

 together in natural groups, in which they are more effective, 

 and in winter it is much easier to remember where they are. 

 In this way, too, it is easy to give a somewhat distinct look 

 to each part of the garden. Box edgings may be used in such a 

 garden, and where they thrive and are well kept they are very pretty 

 in effect, but always distinctly inferior to a stone edging because 



