THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



47 



large, then elaborateness may have full play, so 

 long as it does not develop into incongruity. Sim- 

 plicity of design, however, even on the largest scale, 

 wears best, being the most lastingly beautiful. The 

 style of garden for old-fashioned flowers, as, the 

 perennial and herbaceous section are called, may be 

 of any description, but the rigidly formal — good 

 ■wide borders in front of shrubberies, or large circles 

 by the sides of walks in distant parts of the pleasure- 

 grounds, or a series of circles, squares, and ovals in 

 some secluded part of the ground — always seems the 

 most appropriate. Though relegated to outlying 

 situations, it is, however, just as important that they 

 should be weU cared for in the matter of culture as 

 those most favoured in regard to position. 



Forraation and Soil. — The first consideration 

 under this head is naturally that of draininij. A 

 waterlogged, heavy, retentive soil is several degrees 

 colder than a well-drained soil of the same descrip- 

 tion, a fact that cannot be too deeply impressed on 

 the minds of aU who desire to excel in flower 

 gardening, particularly in those branches now so 

 popular, namely, carpet and sub-tropical bedding. 

 Many of these classes of plants are so tender, and 

 our seasons so cold, that it behoves us to spare no 

 pains to obtain the best results. Clay soils are the 

 most unkindly possible for all flower garden plants, 

 as for the most part these are thread-like rooters, 

 and cannot pierce such descriptions of soil, and it 

 win only prove labour in vain to attempt to make 

 them do so. 



Drainage is not all the preparation that clay 

 soils need before they are fit for flower garden 

 purposes. They will have to be pulverised by deep 

 trenching and exposure to, the atmosphere ; and the 

 addition of ashes, vegetable mould, or in fact any 

 description of material that will have a tendency to 

 porosity and lightness. If the clay be very tena- 

 cious, the dearest, and yet the cheapest (because the 

 most effectual), mode of treatment is to burn, or 

 rather, char it. This is done by collecting all the 

 brushwood, sticks, hedge-clippings, and any other 

 material that will help to create a 'body of fire, on 

 which the soil must be placed, turf side downwards, 

 and of any bulk, so long as the fire is not put out 

 owing to being too heavily weighted. To save limo, 

 if sufficient firing material is to be had, several 

 mounds may be started simultaneously, at convenient 

 distances on the ground, to save wheeling both before 

 and after' charring. This will be dealt with in more 

 detail in treating upon the amelioration of soils. 



"Whilst this process is going on, the drains may be 

 laid ; and in such a retentive soil not only the place 

 where the beds are to be — as is sometimes done — but 



the entire garden should be drained, otherwise a 

 heavy rainfall will just make the part drained a 

 reservoir for the water falling on the undrained 

 land. Drainage will be treated elsewhere ; and we 

 only need say here that the drain-pipes for clay soil 

 ought to be three inches in diameter, and eighteen 

 inches deep from the surface, laying over them what- 

 ever rubble or clinkers may be at command, and 

 each series of drains should not be more than nine 

 feet apart. This work completed, any description of 

 light soil that is to be had may be spread over the 

 whole surface, and when the charred soil is ready, 

 spread this also equally, and trench as deeply as the 

 top of the drain-pipes, or rather of the rubble that 

 covers them, well incorporating the soil as the work 

 proceeds. For land that is less heavy, or what may 

 be termed of moderate texture, drain-pipes of two 

 inches bore wiU be ample, and they may be laid 

 deeper, from twenty to twenty-four inches, and each 

 series need not be nearer than from twelve to fifteen 

 feet ; but, as in the preceding case, there ought to be no 

 partial draining ; all the ground must be treated the 

 same. Very light soils — the best for flower garden- 

 ing — if deeply cultivated, do not require any arti- 

 ficial draining, other than a trench of rubble at the 

 lowest parts of the ground to carry off the water 

 that naturally collects there after heavy rain-storms. 



Draining over, next comes levelling ; but before 

 this can be done the design must be decided on, and 

 roughly sketched upon the ground. This is im- 

 portant ; otherwise, the best soil may be wheeled 

 where it is least wanted, and vice versd. It need 

 scarcely be remarked that the best soil ought to go 

 to the proposed site of the beds and trees, as any 

 description will do for the turf ; and here it may be 

 remarked that " gravel and box beds " are not 

 approved of by the writer of these articles, turf 

 alone as a cushion for the flower-beds being at once 

 the most natural and beautiful: 



Supposing that the garden now under considera- 

 tion is to be laid out after the plain geometrical 

 form recommended, the ground having been got 

 somewhat into shape, the marking out of walks is 

 the next item. The length will of course be that of 

 the garden, but the width is only determinable on 

 the spot, size of garden and height of house or man- 

 sion having to be taken into account ; six feet wide 

 is a fair average walk, but in some positions double 

 that would be none too much. Though the land- 

 drains run through the walks, they ought not to be 

 considered as ample for these, but additional ones 

 should be added, with abundance of brick rubble and 

 clinkers ; then they will not only always be dry, but 

 free of moss and weeds. (See also Garden Walks.) 



The detailed marking out of the banks, beds, and 

 borders then follows. After rolling and getting the 



