SUBURBAN aAKDENING. 



43 



planting-time, unless tlie ground is excessively wet ; 

 the work, however, ought to be deferred when the 

 ground is in that state. In the course of a week or 

 two after planting-, the shrubs will require to be gone 

 round again, and trodden somewhat firmly Just abouj 

 the stem. This is better done when the ground is in 

 a dry state. A medium course as to the quantity of 

 shrubs planted, wOl be the safest plan to follow. If 

 excessively crowded, the growths will be drawn up 

 weakly, and the soil more readily impoverished. If 

 planted thinly, there wUl be bare spaces between 

 each plant, which wUl not look well. By following 

 a middle course, some of the shrubs in the course of 

 a season or two can be removed where thickest, and 

 re-planted where any may have failed to succeed in 

 a satisfactory manner. This re-arranging is advi- 

 sable every season or two for the first few years, till 

 every part of the garden is well regulated. This 

 win also be found a better plan than buying in fresh 

 plants to fill up vacancies, as long as it can be worked 

 upon. 



After the planting operations ai'e completed, the 

 space devoted to the lawn wUl require attention. If 

 it is not pressing to ha,ve a green surface at once, the 

 better plan will be to prepare the ground for sowing 

 with, select lawn ^ass-seeds, which can be obtained 

 of any seedsman with experience in such matters. 

 The lawn-space wiU. in this case require to be 

 trodden over somewhat firmly and evenly, then 

 raked down to an even surface, after which the grass- 

 seed may be sown. If this be done in early, spring, 

 a nice green sward wiU soon be the result. When 

 mowing is required, it had better be performed with 

 the scythe in preference to a mowing-machine for 

 the first two or three months, till the young plants 

 are well established. During dry weather it will 

 not do any harm to pass a roller over the surface, but 

 rather serve to crumble down any slight unevenness 

 that may exist. If turf is laid instead of the sowing 

 of grass-seed, the same should be taken up where the 

 pasture is not of an over-luxuriant nature. Turf is 

 oftentimes cut much too thin, this being more easily 

 accomplished, and such turf being of less weight in 

 carriage. An inch and a quarter to an inch and a 

 half will be about the thiolmess; in superficial 

 measurement these are generally cut three feet in 

 length, by one foot in breadth ; this is the recognised 

 size in purchasing turf. We advise the sowing of 

 grass-seed, however, both as being more economical, 

 and as eventually forming by far the best lawn. A 

 good reliable selection of grass-seed for such pur- ' 

 poses wlU be composed of the finer-growing kinds 

 of grasses, those of more luxuriant growth not being 

 included in such mixtures. 



This description of suburban and town garden will 

 not allow of much space for kitchen garden produce, 



and neither is it advisable to devote any considerable 

 extent to the cultivation of vegetables under such 

 conditions. . Any kinds that requh'e a good amount 

 of room should not be included, as the trouble and 

 extra expense will not compensate for the outlay. 

 The same remarks apply with equal force to fruit 

 culture. Some part of the division walls may be 

 turned to a good account for easily-grown fruits of 

 hardy constitution ; but both vegetable and fruit 

 culture will be more fully commented on in another 

 article. 



The accompanying illustrations will afford two 

 examples of how the gardens of many similar 

 semi-detached viUa residences might be arranged. 

 The illustration marked No. 1 shows both a front 

 and a side entrance, which is generally to be pre- 

 ferred for reasons requiring no explanation from us. 

 Supposing the division walls to be of brick or fence, 

 in either case one object should be to contrive to hide 

 the same as soon as possible. By the aid of a few 

 extra tall shrubs and slight mounds this could soon 

 be accomphshed. We would not advise the planting 

 thickly of one given kind of plant to foi-m the hedge. 

 This should only be done when used, by itself to form 

 the boundary. A rapid-growing cKmber, as the Irish 

 Ivy, would, for the time being, be suitable to hide 

 portions of the wall not shut off by the shrubs them- 

 selves. Those of the shrubs which are planted 

 next the house should, on the other hand, be kept 

 low ; Rhododendrons, for instance, would be suitable 

 just there. Two or three climbers might be trained 

 up the wall ; if a south or west aspect, Roses would 

 be excellent; if either north or east, either the Vir- 

 ginian Creeper, or Eiionyimi,s latifoUus, would do well ; 

 the latter, although a shrub of bushy habit, is also an 

 exceedingly pretty waU-plant of good free gxowth ; 

 but future articles on climbing plants will discuss 

 such matters more freely. On the grass-plots are 

 shown some dots ; these denote standard Roses. A 

 hedge of evergreen Privet would be advisable next 

 the back path ; this could soon be got to a good 

 height as a screen to the same. The shrubs next to 

 this should be of a mixed character. A small tri- 

 angular piece next the house is marked for Ferns. 



At the end of the house is shown a small conserva- 

 tory. This, if the dwelling is entered by a flight of 

 steps, could be carried up by brickwork to the same 

 level, leaving sufficient space underneath (with a 

 trifling excavation) for a tool-house, &c. The conser- 

 vatory might with ease be heated from the kitchen 

 boiler, or by a small gas-boiler fixed underneath, and 

 attached to the pipes fixed in the conservatory itself ; 

 the former would, we think, be the better plan. Next 

 to the conservatory on the garden front of the house 

 comes a suitable corner for a rockery, bounded by 

 the path leading to the bottom of the garden and 



