February 8, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



67 



garden may be picturesque, and yet in every part the re- 

 sult of ceaseless care. What it does mean is best ex- 

 plained by the Winter Aconite, flowering under a grove 

 of naked trees in February ; by the Snovvflake grov\'- 

 ing abundantly in meadows, by the Thames sides ; 

 and by the Apennine Anemone staining an English wood 

 blue. Multiply these instances a thousand-fold, add 

 many different types of plants, and hardy climbers from 

 countries as cold as our own, or colder, and one may 



descriptions and pictures of and cultural directions for all 

 that is of known value for outdoor gardening. The pic- 

 tures are themselves full of beauty and interest. Mr. Rob- 

 inson in all his publications has shown exceptional taste 

 and care in the selection and execution of the illustrations. 

 The English Flower-garden contains hundreds of them. 

 The book is not limited to hardy plants, many tropical 

 things being included, but they are such as are used for 

 outdoor effect in summer. Thus Cycas, Musa, Ficus, 



Magnolia salicifolia. — See page 64. 



get a just idea of the Wild Garden. Some have thought of 

 it as a garden allowed to run wild, or with annuals sown 

 promiscuously, whereas it does not meddle with the gar- 

 den proper at all, except in attempting the adornment of 

 bare shrubbery borders in the London parks and else- 

 where — waste spaces, not gardens." This chapter con- 

 tains all the directions that any one requires for the making 

 of such a garden, and some of the illustrations of " wild- 

 gardening" are delightful pictures. The greater portion of 

 the book, some five hundred and fifty pages, is devoted to 



Brexia, Dasylirion, Agave, etc., are among the plants 

 recommended. There is no gardening book known to me 

 which is so filled with sound knowledge about plants, such 

 pleasant reading, and so delightful to look through as this 

 on the English flower-garden ; and seeing that the author 

 has made this department of horticulture his special 

 study for at least thirty years, and is, moreover, proprietor 

 and editor of several papers devoted to horticulture, the 

 excellence of his book is scarcely to be wondered at. 



London. W. Wa/SOtl. 



