NINETEENTH CENTURY 293 



Rhododendrons, or " carriage-sweep," took the place of the 

 " fore-court." Gardens in the pure landscape style, which had 

 practically ignored the existence of flowers, were easily adapted 

 to suit the new ideas. 



" A flower garden is now become the appendage of every 

 fashionable residence," wrote a lady gardener in 1816,^ " and 

 hence," she continues, " it is more frequently left to the 

 direction of a gardener than arranged by the guidance of 

 genuine taste in the owner ; and the fashionable novice, who 

 has stored her borders from the catalogue of some celebrated 

 name with a variety of rare species, who has procured innumer- 

 able rose-trees, chiefly consisting of old and common sorts, 

 brought into notice by new nomenclature, who has set apart 

 a portion of ground for American plants, and duly placed 

 them in bog soil, with their names painted on large-headed 

 pegs, becomes disappointed when, instead of the brilliant 

 glow of her more humble neighbour's parterre, she finds her 

 own distinguished only by paucity of colour and fruitless 

 expenditure. This will not," she adds, " produce a gay 

 garden. . . . The cause of failure ... is the prevalent solici- 

 tude for rarity and variety in preference to well-blended 

 quantity." This lady dislikes a fashion then prevailing of 

 " setting apart distinct borders for pinks, hepaticas, primulas, 

 or any other favourite flower," but likes a " mingled flower 

 garden," which Loudon says was far the most common. Her 

 list of flowers suited to such mixed borders is fairly long, and 

 includes old-fashioned as well as new plants. One plan of 

 beds recommended for "a flower garden in the midst of 

 pleasure grounds, surrounded by shrubs," of which a plate is 

 given, shows beds 25 feet long, of a tadpole shape, 4 feet across 

 at the widest part, twisted on the grass in various contortions, 

 5 or 6 feet of grass between, with " baskets " set about, which 

 were to be formed " by circular beds, surrounded by cast-iron, 

 made to resemble the open edges of a basket, and painted of a 

 very dark green colour." The ironwork or basket \\dllow 

 edging was not infrequently put round all the beds. Such an 

 arrangement of flowers was sometimes directly in front of a 



^ The Florists' Manual, by a Lady (Maria Elizabeth Jackson) . New 

 edition, with additions, in 1827. 



