622 



GEOMETRICAL FLOWER-GARDENS. 



by having small holes drilled in them, to 

 allow the rain water to pass down under 

 them — the dark blue of the slate harmon- 

 ising well with the colours of the flowers 

 which surround them. The range of 

 plant-houses on the right-hand side are 

 for the purpose of culture alone — for sup- 

 plying plants in, flower for the conserva- 

 tory, as well as for the rooms in the 

 house. The borders on the opposite side 

 are for affording space for such plants as 

 are too tall for the parterres, as well as 

 for giving a supply of cut flowers, to 

 avoid cutting those in the parterres. The 

 shrubbery around is thickly planted, for 

 shelter and privacy, and the broad walk 

 in front of the hothouses extends onwards 

 towards the offices, home farm, and new 

 kitchen-garden. The principal front of 

 the conservatory faces the park, and com- 

 mands a varied and extensive view over 

 a large extent of country. The corridor, 

 as has been elsewhere stated, communi- 

 cates directly with one of the drawing- 

 rooms. 



Fig. 824 is a plain geometrical garden, 

 in which no sculptured ornaments are to 



Fig. 824. 



O 



be introduced. Upon a small scale it 

 would make a good rose-garden — stan- 

 dard roses being planted in lines parallel 



with the walks in the centre of the beds, 

 each series of beds to be of plants of the 

 same height, keeping the tallest in the 

 outer beds, and diminishing the height 

 towards the four beds forming parts of 

 the elliptic figure in the centre. The 

 centre elliptical figure to be of dwarf 

 roses entirely. A pyramidal rose may 

 occupy the centre of each of the four 

 figures marked 6. This figure may be 

 cut on grass, having the walks from 4 to 

 6 feet in width. Standard roses are much 

 improved, both in strength and appear- 

 ance, if their stems be neatly enveloped 

 in moss, at same time covering the stakes 

 that support them. Or, if planted in the 

 grouping manner, the following arrange- 

 ment may be followed : — 



1. Standard perpetual roses, the ground co- 

 vered with mignonette. 



2. Surface, covered with Nemophila insignis, 

 blue ; with scarlet geraniums, Tom Thumb, 

 planted at equal distances, and so far apart that 

 the outline of each plant may be distinctly 

 seen. 



3. Lasthenia californica, yellow. 



4. Lupinus nanus, blue and white. 



5. Verbena melindres major, scarlet. 



6. Geranium, Punch ; bordered round with 

 verbena perfection, white. 



7. Lobelia erinus compacta. 



8. Clarkia pulchella in centre ; bordered 

 round with rocket candytuft, white. 



9. Dark-clove carnation. 



10. Dwarf hardy fuchsias. 



11. Agathaea caslestis in a row in the centre, 

 blue ; Viscaria oculata on one side, bright rose 

 with dark eye ; Clarkia pulchella alba on the 

 other side, white. 



12. Eucharidium grandiflora in centre, red- 

 dish lilac : Shortia californica round the edges, 

 bright yellow. 



13. Variegated-leaved geranium. 



14. Heliotropes for covering the ground, in- 

 termixed with rocket larkspurs. 



15. Saponaria calabrica, brown rose, to cover 

 the ground, with Salvia patens planted in 

 centre, bright blue. 



16. Nemophila insignis to cover the ground, 

 blue, with Lobelia cardinalis in centre, scarlet. 



17. Rhodanthe manglesii to cover the 

 ground, pink, with yellow lupin in centre. 



18. Br-achycome ibiridifolia to cover the 

 ground, blue, with purple petunia in centre. 



The small circles round the margin to have a 

 standard rose in the centre of each ; the surface 

 of the ground covered with Nemophila insig- 

 nis, Shortia californica, Nemophila atomaria, 

 Lasthenia californica, Saponaria calabrica, 

 white candytuft, Lupinus nanus, Nemophila 

 discoidea— one sort of each. 



The garden which forms the subject of 

 Plate XXXI. was designed for a gentle- 



