II. ITS PLANTING FOR CONTINUOUS BLOOM 



A Case of "Carrying Coals to Newcastle" when the Needs of an 

 English Garden Owner Stretched Across the Ocean for Practical Aid 



|HE owner living in London, Eng., had very definite 

 ideas — she wanted a sunken garden, a summer-house, a 

 ' pergola, and a herbaceous border; rather an ambitious 

 lay-out for a tiny space. She found in Miss Lilian C. 

 Alderson of Greenwich, Conn., U. S. A., a garden designer able 

 to visualize her wants and to put on paper the plan that was 

 successfully carried into effect in a little plot in the heart of 

 London — 33 Maresfield Gardens. The place measured only 

 66 ft. long by 33 ft. wide, yet it lent itself to effective treat- 

 ment by the employment of different levels. Accompanying 

 is the plan as submitted in August, 1920; and a photograph of 

 the garden as it actually was in J uly, 1 92 1 , is the "proof of the pud- 

 ding." The details and suggested modifications for the benefit of 

 Garden Magazine readers are supplied by Miss Alderson. 



The excavation for the sunken garden involved much time and 

 labor and consequent expense, but the result accomplished fully 

 justifies the effort and initial outlay. The sunken garden re- 

 veals a peculiar intimate charm — the soft tones of the gray stones 

 make a foil for the brightly colored annuals, the pool reflects the 

 trees and shrubs that surround the garden and the fleeting moods 

 of sun and cloud as they chase one another across the sky. 



The flagged walk is dry in all weathers, and the steps sunk in 

 the wall break the monotony of the tiny garden and cheat the 

 eye as to actual distance. 



The spring planting of yellow Tulips with blue Forget-me-not 

 underbedding is followed by the warmer tints of pink Geranium 

 and blue Ageratum contrasted with mauve Heliotrope and white 

 Alyssum, and all against a framework of flowering shrubs. 



The combination of Delphinium belladonna with Madonna 

 Lilies is one that always pleases although not uncommon, but 

 the clumps of the feathery Spiraea Aruncus at either end add a 

 touch of originality to the scheme of planting. 



In the further half of the garden the three-foot shrub border 

 widens out into a herbaceous border six feet wide on either side. 

 Here the daintier perennials find a place. First the lovely bien- 

 nials, Foxglove and Canterbury-bell, flower close on the heels of 

 Iris Germanica and the pink Pyrethrum, followed soon by the 

 early white Phlox Miss Lingard, these in turn replaced by pink 

 Phlox and blue Veronica. 



Behind the Daffodils and Peonies rise Hollyhocks and Gladio- 

 lus to enliven the summer hours with their bright variety of 

 color, and in the autumn the Chrysanthemums are looked to for 

 cheer. 



The pergola, small as it is, adds length and dignity to the 

 garden and leads appropriately to the summer-house, hidden in 

 a leafy corner. Here in this secluded spot one can be alone in 

 the very midst of a big city, surrounded by bulbs and fragile 

 spring flowers and one may even, as summer comes, look into the 

 heart of a Rose. 



MANY of us could have such a garden had we the vision and 

 the perseverance to make that vision live. But our city 

 gardens must be differently planned from the London garden, 

 for we have to depend on early and late bloom and forget mid- 

 summer altogether. 



The joy of watching the bulbs rise up from amongst the spring 

 bedding would alone make such a garden worth the having, but 

 even in autumn we may still find and enjoy considerable color 

 in our backyard garden. 



The sunken garden nearest the house may be treated as it is 

 in England with Tulips planted in the autumn, and the under- 

 bedding of Forget-me-nots put out in spring, as soon as the 

 bulbs have made a good start. Chrysolora is one of the earliest 

 and best of the single early Tulips, of a rich, pure yellow. An 



AN INGENIOUS SOLUTION OF THE SUBURBAN GARDEN PROBLEM 



This plan of the garden shown in the photograph on the opposite page, makes a good deal out of a 

 little space, and carries several appealing features. Though formally balanced there is ample free- 

 dom for individual fancy and the materials can be changed in a variety of ways. (Scale 8 ft. to 1 in.) 



248 



