NINETEENTH CENTURY 293 



Rhododendrons, or " carriage-sweep," took the place of the 

 " fore-court." Gardens in the pure landscape style, which had 

 practically ignored the existence of flowers, were easily adapted 

 to suit the new ideas. 



" A flower garden is now become the appendage of every 

 fashionable residence," wrote a lady gardener in I8I6, 1 " and 

 hence," she continues, "it is more frequently left to the 

 direction of a gardener than arranged by the guidance of 

 genuine taste in the owner ; and the fashionable novice, who 

 has stored her borders from the catalogue of some celebrated 

 name with a variety of rare species, who has procured innumer- 

 able rose-trees, chiefly consisting of old and common sorts, 

 brought into notice by new nomenclature, who has set apart 

 a portion of ground for American plants, and duly placed 

 them in bog soil, with their names painted on large-headed 

 pegs, becomes disappointed when, instead of the brilliant 

 glow of her more humble neighbour's parterre, she finds her 

 own distinguished only by -paucity of colour and fruitless 

 expenditure. This will not," she adds, " produce a gay 

 garden. . . . The cause of failure ... is the prevalent solici- 

 tude for rarity and variety in preference to well-blended 

 quantity." This lady dislikes a fashion then prevailing of 

 " setting apart distinct borders for pinks, hepaticas, primulas, 

 or any other favourite flower," but likes a " mingled flower 

 garden," which Loudon says was far the most common. Her 

 list of flowers suited to such mixed borders is fairly long, and 

 includes old-fashioned as well as new plants. One plan of 

 beds recommended for " a flower garden in the midst of 

 pleasure grounds, surrounded by shrubs," of which a plate is 

 given, shows beds 25 feet long, of a tadpole shape, 4 feet across 

 at the widest part, twisted on the grass in various contortions, 

 5 or 6 feet of grass between, with " baskets " set about, which 

 were to be formed " by circular beds, surrounded by cast-iron, 

 made to resemble the open edges of a basket, and painted of a 

 very dark green colour." The ironwork or basket willow 

 edging was not infrequently put round all the beds. Such an 

 arrangement of flowers was sometimes directly in front of a 



1 The Florists' Manual, by a Lady (Maria Elizabeth Jackson) . New 

 edition, with additions, in 1827. 



