200 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



pastime of amateur gardening for many years, and lived once 

 in serener climes, but was at first overcome by this spectacle 

 of builders' rubbish and unholy filching of good soil. 



" I noticed that many good garden plants seemed to thrive 

 in the district. In a garden near, perennial Sunflowers shone 

 with a wealth of golden blossom, the Starworts tossed their 

 cool-coloured flowers in the autumn wind, and the Sweet Peas 

 still carried a few fragrant blossoms. So, the foundation having 

 been made, plants were put in, too soon, unfortunately, as it 

 afterwards happened no fault of the plants that the borders 

 sank, and I had perforce to remake and then relift everything. 



"All the things named have succeeded beyond my very 

 moderate expectations. The forecourt garden (in dense 

 shade, the house being placed almost direct north and south), 

 was laid down with turf, and a narrow border made all round, 

 with a Yew hedge against the boundary fence, and for trees, 

 Silver Birch (a beautiful tree, which is a success in the light 

 soil of the neighbourhood), Thorn, Rose Acacia (Robinza 

 hispida), and a large green-leaved Holly. In the small border 

 skirting the house are planted the shade-loving Spanish Scilla, 

 Day Lilies, Crocuses, and Snowdrops, all a success, but the 

 Winter Aconites are always poor. Their puny little yellow 

 flowers would scarce cover a small button, so the Eranthis will 

 in the future go on the black list. For climbers, Ampelopsis 

 Veitchi, muralis, Rose W. A. Richardson, but this being placed 

 on the sunny side of the house the flowers get bleached by 

 the hot sun beating against the wall, and lose their rich 

 Apricot-like tint ; Gloire de Dijon, a never disappointing rose ; 

 Alister Stella Gray, a perfect vision of exquisite orange buds, 

 and whitish expanded flowers ; Passion-flower, Honeysuckles, 

 and in the border the fragrant Lavender and Rosemary, two 

 shrubs so picturesque and interesting in colour that I wish 

 amateur gardeners would grow them more. The common 

 Lavender should never be omitted from the garden, whether 

 small or large. My bushes are in a little hot border, upon 

 which the sun shines fiercely, and the soil is light. Here this 

 fragrant blue-flowered bush delights to grow, spreading out 

 into a soft silvery group, and giving quite a handful of flowers 

 in the autumn for the house. These should be gathered when 

 the buds are about half-open, not waiting until they expand. 

 It is pleasant to see a China rose thrusting its flowery shoots 

 into the Lavender bush ; it is a happy flower-marriage. In 

 the same warm light border revels the Rosemary, a shrub 

 filled with fragrance and delighting in sunshine. 



"Borders run round the three sides of the back garden, 



