The Wild Garden. 



the same arrangements and patterns scattered all 

 over the country. I will not here enter into the 

 question of the comparative advantages of the two 

 systems ; it is enough to state that even on its 

 votaries the system at present in fashion is beginning 

 to pall. Some are looking back with regret to the 

 old mixed-border gardens ; others are endeavouring 

 to soften the harshness of the bedding system by 

 the introduction of fine-leaved plants, but all are 

 agreed that a great mistake has been made in de- 

 stroying all our sweet old border flowers, from 

 tall Lilies to dwarf Hepaticas, though very few 

 persons indeed have any idea of the numbers of 

 beautiful subjects in this way which we may gather 

 from every northern and temperate clime. 



What is to be done } Every garden should have 

 a mixed border, but except in the little cottage 

 gardens before alluded to — "umbrageous man's 

 nests," as Mr. Carlyle calls them, gardens depen- 

 dent on it solely are quite out of the question. It 

 is also clear that, base and frightfully opposed to 

 every law of nature's own arrangement of living 

 things as is the bedding system, it has yet some 

 features which deserve to be retained on a small 

 scale. My object is now to show how we may, 

 without losing the better features of the mixed 



