780 



OPEN FLOWER-GARDEN. 



in the flower-garden or around the mansion, 

 moss should be extirpated altogether, or so kept 

 under that the healthy growth of the lawn 

 grasses may not be interrupted. So far would 

 we carry our views on this subject that we 

 would advise what we have practised — namely, 

 in the absence of the family, when the lawns 

 assume a mossy appearance, to fold sheep upon 

 them, when of sufficient size to admit of this ; 

 and when either too small, or so intersected 

 with shrubs, trees, or flower-beds as to render 

 such a practice inconvenient or impossible, to 

 have recourse to top-dressing during winter or 

 early in spring, and employing such substances 

 as fertilisers as are congenial to the growth of 

 grass and destructive to the moss. Lime, guano, 

 soot, finely-sifted coal-ashes, &c, are all of this 

 class of fertilisers ; and where their application 

 may be objected to on account of their colour, 

 we would employ them in a liquid state ; and if 

 applied during rainy weather, neither their col- 

 our nor odour would be objected to. 



In the formation of lawns where immediate 

 effect is desired, and in all cases of grass ter- 

 races, turf should be preferred to sowing down 

 with seeds. Turf of sufficiently fine quality is 

 difficult to procure, unless in the neighbour- 

 hood of old and fine sheep-pastures. In such 

 cases the ground to be covered should be previ- 

 ously prepared by thoroughly clearing it of root 

 weeds, by digging or trenching, consolidating 

 and levelling. Turf cut in pieces a yard long, 12 

 inches broad, and from 1 ^ to 2 inches in thick- 

 ness, and rolled up with the green side inner- 

 most, is capable of being transported to any 

 distance. When the ground is ready, these 

 turfs are to be laid down closely together, and 

 when well watered should be beaten to a 

 smooth and compact state by the turf-beater, 

 and afterwards repeatedly rolled, making up 

 from time to time any inequalities that may 

 appear by the unequal sinking of the ground. 

 Upon a large scale, however, and on level sur- 

 faces, seeds should be sown as being by far the 

 least expensive. In good soils, and with such 

 grasses as have been recommended, a good firm 

 turf will be obtained in two years. Mistaken 

 notions have long been promulgated, and poor 

 soils recommended for lawns ; and even some 

 have gone so far in this direction as to recom- 

 mend laying turf on a bed of sheer sand. No- 

 thing is more absui-d. To have a fine healthy 

 green lawn, the soil must be good either natu- 

 rally, or made so artificially, and the proper 

 sorts of grasses only sown. 



When the grasses become weakly, and the 

 lawn presents an impoverished appearance, 

 which it is apt to do in very dry weather if the 

 soil be thin and ppor, a good soaking or two 

 of water, into which a small quantity of guano 

 and muriate of lime is dissolved, will improve 

 the health of the grasses and give them a better 

 colour. A vast deal of labour is thrown away 

 by many in rendering the surface where turf 

 is to be laid as level as a billiard -table, and 

 also on the exact thickness and size the turf is 

 to be cut to. Much of this is labour in vain. 

 Prepare the ground by consolidation, and bring 

 it to nearly the desired level ; lay the turf down, 



if possible, in damp weather, and beat the 

 whole mass, while wet, until a level surface is 

 attained. If in dry weather, apply water arti- 

 ficially ; lay the turfs pretty closely together, 

 filling in any bad joints with fragments, and 

 beat the whole into a pulpy state, which, when 

 dry, will form an entire surface, showing few or 

 no joints. 



§ 4. — THE SHRUBBERY. 



The shrubbery, properly speaking, is a de- 

 partment of the grounds in a domain dedicated 

 to the cultivation of shrubs valued for their 

 beauty, variety, or fragrance ; and when en- 

 tering into combination with ornamental trees, 

 particularly those of exotic origin, it pro- 

 duces scenes of the most varied and agreeable 

 character. In its too ordinary acceptation, it 

 means exactly what it represents — a jungle of 

 shrubs and trees, planted with little regard to 

 effect, seldom attended to after planting, the 

 strongbeing allowed to overgrow the weak, which 

 are often the most valuable ; and so long as a 

 moderately healthy surface is maintained, all is 

 allowed to go on in its own way. In course of 

 time, under such circumstances, the plants be- 

 come naked at bottom; many of the most valu- 

 able perish ; the stronger sorts, growing beyond 

 the limits originally intended, destroy the cha- 

 racter of the scene intended to be produced ; and 

 after years of vexatious disappointment, the re- 

 solve is at last taken to cut down or grub up 

 the whole, and plant it anew. An error of very 

 frequent occurrence is also fallen into — namely, 

 planting herbaceous plants and florists' flowers 

 around the margins of shrubberies. Than this 

 nothing can be in worse taste. The grass verge 

 should run from the walk as far as the ground 

 is not covered with the shrubs, or those of the 

 most diminutive growth should be planted, so 

 as to unite the taller ones with the grassy mar- 

 gin of the walk. When the walk runs between 

 two distinct shrubberies, or is made to cut 

 through any portion of one, then broad margins 

 of grass should be employed, running back as 

 portions of the shrubbery recede, and narrow- 

 ing as they advance closer to the walk, to give 

 variety and breadth of effect, and prevent that 

 monotonous appearance that would be produced 

 if the space traversed were of uniform breadth 

 throughout. Where this is not guarded against, 

 and the shrubs are allowed to grow tall, the 

 walk has just the appearance as if it was 

 bounded on both sides by a verdant wall, or 

 placed between two hedges. Few things have 

 a worse effect in landscape-gardening than ne- 

 glected and overgrown shrubberies, yet there 

 are few places in which this is not most mani- 

 festly exhibited. Shrubberies are often planted 

 to afford shelter, to give effect, and also to hide 

 out disagreeable objects, or to mask the limits of 

 the grounds, and to make them appear larger 

 than they really are. Under all these circum- 

 stances, it is quite obvious that the closer the 

 masses are maintained — that is, the better they 

 are clothed with branches and foliage close to 

 the ground — the more likely are the desired 

 results to be secured. To produce immediate 



