i 5 8 



FLORA AND SYLVA, 



goes down westward, and used to re- 

 cede in the distance, as it should, is now 

 barred by this rigid bank. In valleys 

 like that of the Thames there is no plant- 

 ing either of tree, flower, or shrub that 

 is one whit advanced by the creation of 

 artificial mounds. The true way is to 

 see and feel the beauty of the natural 

 form of theground,to keep it jealously, 

 and to plant it rightly. 



And what is the excuse for the pre- 

 sent injury to the park ? To grow a 

 number of' ' bedding " and annual plants 

 in order to make a summer show byPark 

 Lane, weather permitting. It is not right 

 to criticise if we cannot offer any better 

 suggestion. The better way is to plant 

 the park as a whole with beautiful hardy 

 things, and on anenduring system. The 

 energy which is bestowed on ephemeral 

 plants which perish every year might 

 make Hyde Park as instructive, in its 

 way, as Kew. The soil and surface are 

 better than at Kew, and even under our 

 smoke-cloud a great number of the 

 hardy trees and shrubs of Europe and 

 northern countries could be grown 

 there. As it is, much of the labour is 

 lost with the first frosts, and the weary 

 wasteful round has to be gone all over 

 again to produce bad carpeting in sum- 

 mer and bare graves in winter. Let any- 

 one interested in garden design or plant- 

 ing go and see the beds in Park Lane 

 now, and say if that be the right aspect 

 for a park or garden at any time of the 

 year. Anything uglier than these places, 

 even in the middle of the summer of 

 the past year, can hardly be imagined 

 in the form of a garden. Yet we have 

 to reckon with such seasons. It is a 



costly and inartistic system, and wrong 

 in every way for our climate, for co- 

 lour, and for effect. It is often said in 

 large gardens that are devoted to this 

 system that we cannot get away from 

 it ; but our fathers had good gardens 

 before " bedding" was invented, and 

 picturesque grouping is far better. In 

 a northern country like ours, in which 

 frosts occur even in summer, it is folly 

 to trust to tender plants alone. 



Palms in Parks. — Nor is sticking 

 Palms about a right way to adorn an 

 English park. Even in the South of 

 France, where there is a climate to en- 

 courage them, they look out of place. 

 In our climate they are about the worst 

 things that could be chosen. Last sum- 

 mer the plants used for colour effect in 

 the parks were in many places a com- 

 plete failure, and yet all the choicest, 

 the best nourished, and the sunniest 

 spots were given up to these wretched 

 exotics. With so many dull days these 

 bad colours were depressing in the ex- 

 treme. Shocking combinations of colour 

 were also seen, such as blue Lobelia,scar- 

 let Geranium, mauve Verbena, with pur- 

 ple and variegated Fuchsias,all crowded 

 together within an area of a few feet, 

 distressing in their warring shades. But 

 granting for a moment that the exotic 

 system now in use is the only one worthy 

 of these parks, is it right to disfigure 

 them with large nurseries in order to 

 carry it out ? No ; it should be done as 

 in Paris, at Auteuil, where there is a 

 large establishment for the general use 

 of the parks, thus saving them from any 

 needless disfigurement, and supplying 

 them with all the plants they require. 



