kugust, 190'; 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



193 



An Attractive Flower Garden 



W. T. Macovin, Horticulturist, Central Experimental Farm, Otta-wa 



THERE is a garden in the city of 

 Ottawa which, probably, has more 

 bloom in it during the summer 

 months than any other private garden 



practically everything in this catalogue. 

 He also ordered large collections of 

 herbaceous perennials, roses, azaleas, 

 rhododendrons, ericas and such other 

 ornamental shrubs and trees that took 

 his fancy. The result was an enormous 

 amount of material. Naturally he had 

 many failures, but he has been able to 

 get many things to succeed that had 

 been considered too tender for this 

 district. 



Not content with getting plants, he 

 determined to learn as much about them 

 as possible, and so began a collection of 

 books on horticulture, the result being 

 that he has to-day the best private col- 

 lection of modem horticultural works 

 that the writer knows of in Canada. His 

 Ubrary includes Sargent's Sylva. He 

 also has as complete a set as he could 

 procure of the Reports of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society of England. Such 

 works as Bailey's Encyclopedia of Am- 

 erican Horticulture and Nicholson's Dic- 

 tionary of Gardening, may be found 

 among scores of other books on horti- 

 culture. 



To return to the garden: Mr. Lewis' 

 garden is quite unlike most gardens. 

 Beginning to develop it with compara- 

 tively little knowledge of the plants he 

 was using, there resulted a delightful, 

 unconventional style, which charms 

 evervone who loves a garden with the 



fast becoming more favored in Canada. 

 When the writer visited it in early 

 July, there was a perfect wilderness of 

 bloom, if one may use such an expres- 

 sion. Foxgloves which had, in many 

 cases, apparently seeded themselves, 

 were in evidence everywhere. Campan- 

 ulas of many kinds, but especiallj' the 

 graceful C. persicifolia, were there by the 

 hundred, and Canterbury bells in great 

 profusion. Mr. Lewis had bought seed 

 of all the best varieties and strains of 

 pinks which he could procure from sev- 

 eral seed houses, and mixed them to- 

 gether before sowing. These were in 

 full bloom and the walks which wind 

 about in delightful and maze-like ways 

 were bordered by these sweet-scented 

 and attractive flowers which almost ob- 

 scured the paths in their wild profusion. 

 The larkspurs, which have always 

 been a feature of Mr. Lewis' garden, he 

 having obtained the best that could be 

 bought, were beginning to make them- 

 selves noticed as their dazzling blue 

 flowers opened. In contrast with these 

 was the yellow Coreopsis grandiflora, one 

 of the best hardy perennials there is, and 

 on account of its graceful appearance it 

 seemed particularly adapted to this 

 garden. Many other biennials and per- 

 ennials were in bloom, but one cannot 

 refer to them here at any length. The 

 old-fashioned sweet WiUiam seemed at 

 home and was apparent almost every- 

 where in many shades of color. 



The peonies were about over, but 

 some of the long-spurred columbines, of 



Eremurus Robustus in Mr. Lewis' Garden 



in Canada. It certainly has more bloom 

 than any private garden in Canada with 

 which the writer is acquainted. The 

 garden referred to is that of Mr. J. B. 

 Lewis, Dominion Land Surveyor, and 

 occupies about two acres, or more than 

 twelve city lots. Mr. Lewis became en- 

 thusiastic about flowers five or six years 

 ago. Beginning with a lot or two, he 

 has gradually increased the size of his 

 garden to what it is to-day. Mr. Lewis 

 began gardening with little knowledge 

 of plants or their culture, but he was 

 determined to spare neither money nor 

 work to acquire both. 



Obtaining the catalogs of the best 

 English seed firms he ordered some of 



' r. 



A Small Part of Mr. Lewis' Garden— Iris, Luprnus, Pinks, ana so on in Foreground 



least possible appearance of artificiality 

 about it. To have part of the garden of 

 this character is now very popular in 

 England and the United vStates, and is 



which Mr. Lewis has some very fine 

 ones, were still in flower. Oriental pop- 

 pies and German iris had faded, but the 

 Japanese iris were just beginning to 



