204 Landscape Gardening 



effect. In other words, they offer continual opposition to the 

 primary artistic motive of the garden. 



In many private parks where space and soil conditions 

 permit there may be arranged suitable " wild gardens," 

 which consist simply of collections of hardy flowering plants 

 naturalized in place. Unless such a wild garden be designed 

 with much skill, however, and unless it be kept with equal 

 taste, it will hardly prove a success. 



On most private places, where the grounds are designed 

 in the natural style, and where flowers are wanted in con- 

 siderable quantities, especially for cutting, it is best to grow 

 them in a separate enclosed garden. This garden will be 

 set off and managed precisely as the fruit or vegetable gar- 

 den. By this means the flower garden is saved from en- 

 croaching on the artistic unity of the place, while at the 

 same time the flowers themselves receive a more suitable 

 culture and give a much more satisfactory harvest. 



On the other hand, when we have to deal with a formal 

 or Italian garden, the design will often be filled out to best 

 advantage by the introduction of flower beds. These will ht 

 designed in such sizes and forms as will best fit into the 

 general structure of the main design. 



Figure 56 includes the flower garden and part of the 

 pleasure grounds which I had executed for Samuel Job, Esq., 

 Holmefield, Aigburth, near Liverpool. A portion of the 

 house is shown. At i is a bay window to a corridor, the 

 dining-room, drawing-room, and library being on the south- 

 west front. A terrace walk (2) extends along the southwest 

 and southeast sides of the house, and is joined to the lawn 

 by a grass bank (3) four feet deep. There is a straight walk 

 direct from the terrace to the flower garden, the latter being 

 quite flat, of a circular figure, open to the sun and the field 

 on the east, south, and southwest sides, and sheltered from 



