lo The Wild Garden 



home living souvenirs of the various countries he 

 has visited. If anything we may bring may not 

 seem good enough for the garden autocrat of the 

 day, it may be easy to find a home for it in wood or 

 hedgerow ; I am fond of putting the wild species of 

 Clematis and other exotic climbers and flowers in 

 newly-formed hedgebanks. 



Moreover, the great merit of permanence belongs 

 to this delightful phase of gardening. Select a rough 

 slope, and embellish it with groups of the hardiest 

 climbing plants, — say the Mountain Clematis from 

 Nepal, the sweet C. Flammula from Southern Europe, 

 ' Vii::gUiian_creepers,' various hardy vines, J^mines, 

 Hone ysuckles, and wild Roses and briers. Arranged 

 with some judgment aTlirsf, such a colony might 

 be left to take care of itself; time would but add to 

 its attractions. 



Some have mistaken the idea of the wild garden 

 as a plan to get rid of all formality near the 

 house ; whereas it will restore to its true use the flower- 

 garden, now subjected to two tearings up a year — 

 i. e. in spring and autumn ; as may be seen in nearly 

 all pubhc and private gardens, in France as well as 

 in England— new patterns every autumn and every 

 spring — no rest or peace anywhere. In the beautiful 

 summer of 1893, the flower-beds in the public gardens 

 of Paris were quite bare of all flowers in June, 

 bdjpie,, tb.e , wretSil^ winter-nursed J lpwers had_ been 

 set out in their patterns. If such things must be 



