184 WOOD AND GARDEN 



at a time, even though there was no premeditated 

 intention of planting for beautiful effect, the fact of 

 there being enough plants to fall into large groups, 

 and to cover some extent of ground, produces numbers 

 of excellent results. I remember being struck with 

 this on several occasions when I have had the happi- 

 ness of visiting Mr. G. F. Wilson's garden at Wisley, a 

 garden which I take to be about the most instructive 

 it is possible to see. In one part, where the foot of 

 the hill joined the copse, there were hosts of lovely 

 things planted on a succession of rather narrow banks. 

 Almost unthinkingly I expressed the regret I felt that 

 so much individual beauty should be there without 

 an attempt to arrange it for good effect. Mr. Wilson 

 stopped, and looking at me straight with a kindly 

 smUe, said very quietly, " That is your business, not 

 mine." In spite of its betag a garden whose first 

 object is trial and experiment, it has left in my 

 memory two pictures, among several lesser ones, of 

 plant-beauty that will stay with me as long as I can 

 remember anything, one an autumn and one a spring 

 picture — the hedge of Bosa rugosa in full fruit, and a 

 plantation of Primula denficulata. The Primrose was 

 on a bit of level ground, just at the outer and inner 

 edges of the hazel copse. The plants were both 

 grouped and thinly sprinkled, just as nature plants — 

 possibly they grew directly there from seed. They 

 were in superb and luxuriant beauty in the black 

 peaty-looking half-boggy earth, the handsome leaves 



