GARDENING. 



GARDENING. 



he spread such increased knowledge, and dif- 

 fused over the whole such philosophic views, 

 as the science of the age afforded. 



Some of our most celebrated nurserymen 

 flourished during this century. Fairchild, Gor- 

 don, Lee, and Gray introduced many plants 

 during its first half. Hibbert of Chalfont, and 

 Thornton of Clapham, deserve particular men- 

 tion for their encouragement of exotic botany. 

 The garden and hothouse of the latter were 

 among the best stocked about London. 



We have seen under what favourable auspi- 

 ces and with what great improvements garden- 

 ing was on the advance at the close of the 18th 

 century ; but the present century was ushered 

 in with even greater promise of success, for 

 the light of science was still more powerfully 

 concentrated upon its practice, and began to 

 be felt and appreciated. This especially ap- 

 plies to the labours of the chemist and physi- 

 ologist. Such combination of horticultural art 

 and science was especially promoted by the 

 institution of the Horticultural Societies of 

 London and Edinburgh. The first of these 

 societies began to be formed in 1804, the latter 

 in 1809. Nothing can more conspicuously 

 display the high estimation in which garden- 

 ing is held, nothing can aflbrd a greater gua- 

 rantee for its improvement, than the lists of 

 the fellows of the above societies. In them are 

 enrolled the names of the most talented, the 

 most noble, and the most wealthy individuals 

 of the United Kingdom. 



The increase of the inhabitants of our plea- 

 sure grounds within the last few years places 

 the taste and patronage which are bestowed on 

 gardening in a very conspicuous point of view. 

 Of stove plants we now cultivate about 1800 

 species and varieties. Of green-house plants, 

 nearly 3000. Of hardy trees and shrubs, 

 nearly 4000. Of hardy perennial flowers, 

 nearly 3000. Of biennial and annual flowers 

 together, about 800. To particularize the dif- 

 ferent genera of these would exceed the limits 

 I have prescribed to this article. I have not 

 included the varieties of florist's flowers in the 

 above general list. They are more than pro- 

 portionably numerous. Of hyacinths we have 

 about 300 varieties, whereas in 1629 Parkinson 

 mentions but 50. The passion for this flower, 

 however, has much abated ; for Miller, in the 

 early part of the last century, says the Dutch 

 gardeners had 2000 sorts. Of tulips, we have 

 nearly 700 varieties. The cultivation of this 

 flower has also declined of late years. It was 

 at its height both in England and in Hol- 

 land towards the middle of the 17th century. 

 In Holland nearly 6007. was agreed to be given 

 for a single root. Of the ranunculus we have 

 nearly 500 varieties. Of the anemone, about 

 200. Of dahlias, between 200 and 300 ; nar- 

 cissi, 200; auriculas, more than 400; pinks, 

 300; carnations, about 350. Of roses, in- 

 cluded in the list we have given of hardy trees 

 and shrubs, there are more than 1450. An- 

 other instance of the progress made in increas- j 

 ing the number of our cultivated plants is 

 furnished by the genus Erica. But five kinds 

 of heath were described by Miller, as known 

 in England about 60 years since ; we now cul- 

 tivate nearly 350. 

 518 



Mr. London makes the number of plants 

 cultivated by gardeners at present amount to 

 13,140. Of 'these 1400 are natives of Great 

 Britain; 47 were exotics introduced previous 

 to and during the reign of Henry VIII.; 7 dur- 

 ing that of Edward VI.; 533 during that of 

 Elizabeth. In that of James I., 20. Charles I., 

 331. During the usurpation, 95. Charles II., 

 152. James II., 44. William and Mary, 298. 

 Anne, 230. George I., 182. George II., 1770. 

 George III., 6756. During the first 16 years of 

 this century, on an average, 156 plants were 

 annually introduced. The ardour of research 

 is not the least abated now. 



The style in which grounds in England are 

 now usually laid out may be characterized in 

 one sentence. Convenience is endeavoured to 

 be rendered as attractive as possible, by com- 

 bining it with the beautiful and appropriate. 

 The convenience o'f the inmates of the mansion 

 is studied by having the kitchen and fruit gar- 

 dens near the house, fully extensive enough to 

 supply all their wants, and kept in the appro- 

 priate beauty of order and neatness ; without 

 any extravagant attempt at ornament by the 

 mingling of useless trees, or planting its cab- 

 bages, <fec., in waving lines. In the flower 

 garden which immediately adjoins the house, 

 dry walks shady ones for summer, and shel- 

 tered, sun-gladdened ones for the more intem- 

 perate seasons are conveniently constructed. 

 Their accompanying borders and parterres, 

 are in forms, such as are most graceful, whilst 

 their inhabitants, distinguished for their fra- 

 grance, are distributed in grateful abundance ; 

 and those noted for their elegant shapes and 

 beautiful tints are grouped and blended as the 

 taste of the painter and the harmony of colours 

 dictate. The lawn from these glides insensibly 

 into the more distant ground occupied by the 

 shrubberies and the park. Here the genius of 

 the place dictates the arrangement of the levels 

 and of the masses of trees and water. Com- 

 mon sense is followed in planting such trees 

 only as are suited to the soil. A knowledge 

 of the tints of their foliage guides the landscape 

 gardener in associating them, and aids the 

 laws of perspective in lengthening his distant 

 sweeps. If gentle undulations mark the sur- 

 face, he leads water among their subdued diver- 

 sities, and blends his trees in softened groups, 

 so as to form light glades to harmonize with 

 the other parts. If high and broken ground 

 has to be adorned, the designer mingles water- 

 falls with broader masses of darker foliaged 

 trees, and acquires the beauty peculiar to the 

 abrupt and the grand, as in the former he 

 aimed at that which is secured by softer 

 features. 



He is no philosopher who neglects a certain 

 present good for fear that in some future period 

 it may be abused ; but in the encouragement 

 of gardening, whilst an immediate good is ob- 

 tained, there is no fear of its perversion in 

 after days. Its diffusion among the poorer 

 classes is an earnest or means 01 more impor- 

 tant benefits, even than the present increase of 

 their comfort. The labourer who possesses 

 and delights in the garden appended to his cot- 

 tage is generally among the most decent of his 

 class; he is seldom a frequenter of the ale- 



