84 BOOK OF THE COTTAGE GARDEN 



Aconites and Blue Scillas spangling the turf. Primrose 

 clumps by hedgerow and bank, Wild Roses, Honey- 

 suckle and Clematis climbing the stronger trees, sturdy 

 herbaceous plants springing up in odd corners. In fact, 

 a wealth of free and hardy wildings, too vigorous 

 perhaps for the garden proper, too good to lose sight of 

 altogether. 



The majority of the older cottage gardens possess an 

 orchard ; often it is of considerable extent, though 

 probably much neglected and overgrown. Frequently 

 it borders a small paddock, or is approached from the 

 garden by a nut copse or piece of waste ground 

 covered with an undergrowth of bushes, flowering 

 ribes, and perhaps a tangle of unpruned gooseberries 

 and currants. In such cases the making of an orchard 

 garden is easy, but a vast amount of decayed and 

 unprofitable wood will have to be removed before any- 

 thing further is done. If there is no existing orchard, 

 but land on which to plant one, the designer may set to 

 work unhampered, and lay out a garden and a fruit 

 ground at the same time. Some people hesitate to 

 plant fruit trees believing, selfishly enough, that they 

 will not live to see them at maturity, or that change of 

 residence will necessitate leaving the orchard to others 

 when in its prime. This is indefensible from every 

 point of view, not only because it is a duty to plant for 

 our heirs and successors, but from the fact that a newly 

 formed orchard garden is beautiful and interesting from 

 the first, increasing in charm with each successive season. 

 The two orchard gardens I have in mind serve admirably 

 as illustrations as to what may be done ; one was formed 

 by the renovation and remodelling of an existing orchard, 

 the other was entirely new and resulted from the 

 fencing in of part of a small pasture field attached to 

 a country cottage property. I will attempt to describe 

 what was done with the former. 



