76 The Wild Garden 



are disturbed, herbaceous plants are disrooted, bulbs 

 are injured, the roots as well as the tops of shrubs are 

 mutilated, and a miserable aspect is given to the 

 borders ; while the only ' improvement ' that comes 

 of the process is the darkening of the surface of the 

 upturned earth ! 



Illustrations of these bad practices are seen by the 

 mile in our London parks in winter. Walk through 

 any of them at that season and observe the borders 

 around masses of shrubs. Instead of finding the earth 

 covered with vegetation Close to the margin and each 

 shrub grown into a fair example of its kind, we find 

 a wide expanse of dug ground, and the shrubs upon 

 it with an air of having recently suffered from a whirl- 

 wind, that led to the removal of mutilated branches. 

 Rough pruners go before the diggers and trim in the 

 shrubs for them, so that nothing may be in the way ; 

 and then come the diggers, plunging their spades 

 deeply about plants, shrubs or trees. The first shower 

 that occurs after this digging exposes a whole network 

 of torn-up roots. The same thing occurs everywhere 

 — in botanic gardens as well as in our large West-end 

 parks, and year after year the brutal process is repeated. 



While such evil practice is the rule, we cannot have 

 a fresh carpet of beautiful living things in a plantation. 

 What secrets one might have in the hidden parts of 

 these now dug shrubberies — in the half-shady spots 

 where little colonies of rare exotic wildings might 

 thrive! All the labour that produces these ugly dug 



