C7G 



GARDENESQUE STYLE OF FLOWER-GARDENS. 



cottages have such an appendage ; and 

 beautiful and artistic specimens, some of 

 which are of great antiquity, occasionally 

 occur. Whether regarded as garden 

 ornaments or as cottage appendages, we 

 think them deserving of greater notice 

 than has hitherto been bestowed upon 

 them. The specimens we offer in our 

 cuts are without architectural pretensions, 

 although in each case adapted to the style 

 of an ordinary English cottage or farm- 

 house. As the habitation of the owner 

 rises in architectural importance, so 

 should also the style of the draw-well ; so 

 that, in whatever style the house may be, 

 the well should be in the same. 



§ 3. — BASKETWORK. 



Basket-work, both rustic and artistical, 

 enters into the list of gardenesque deco- 

 rations, and, when filled with plants, 

 either in pots to be removed when they 

 go out of flower, or having them planted 

 in them, has a good effect. 



They are valuable in another point of 

 view — namely, to be set on lawns or in 

 flower-gardens to which rabbits and hares 

 have access. The flowers, being placed 

 beyond their reach, may be cultivated, 

 where otherwise they could not. 



Another class of decorations for this 

 style is rustic baskets. Their forms and 

 characters are endless, depending entirely 

 on the ingenuity of the maker. They 

 are usually formed of young larch trees, 

 having the bark left on, the form and 

 substance of the work being first given 

 by a strong box or other frame of the 

 required shape, or a barrel cut trans- 

 versely through the middle. The outer 

 surfaces of these are covered, and formed 

 into various designs, by splitting pieces 

 of timber of uniform size and in the 

 requisite lengths, and, after arranging 

 them, which is most correctly done by 

 drawing the pattern on the surface to be 

 covered, nailing them firmly on with 

 small-headed nails. Fig. 931 supplies an 

 example, where the top, being supported 

 upon a rustic leg supported by four 

 equally rustic brackets, is formed of 

 l|-inch plank. Larch, hazel, or other uni- 

 form-growing rods are nailed on the sur- 

 face, the smaller ends of the rods being 

 always kept towards the centre ; and 



these may even be considerably reduced 

 in breadth, and, in some cases, reach only 

 half or third way 

 Fig. 931. towards the point 



of termination. 

 This reduction 

 must, however, be 

 carefully made so 

 that the bark may 

 not be disturbed, 

 if the object be to 

 have the bark left 

 on. In cases where 

 the rods are peel- 

 ed, this is a mat- 

 ter of no conse- 

 quence. The top 

 surface being fin- 

 ished, the side all 

 round is to be co- 

 vered in like man- 

 ner ; and, where 

 the top does not 

 exceed 1| inches in thickness, the rods had 

 better be placed side by side vertically. 

 To cover the ends of these vertical rods, 

 or if those of the top surface project over 

 them, which is usually done, a bead 

 should be placed over these ends by 

 bending rods of the same material to 

 cover the joining or sections of the hori- 

 zontal rods. A vase or flower-pot of 

 some of the ornamental kinds may be 

 placed on the top. In some cases three- 

 fourths of an old cask are used, supported 

 upon four larch or other rustic legs with 

 the bark on, and as nearly of a size as 

 possible ; the sides of the cask being 

 covered with rods as above, placed verti- 

 cally; and, for greater variety, three shields 

 may be formed at equal distances apart — 

 or, indeed, any other device ; or the sides 

 may be covered with large pieces of 

 rugged bark of oak, elm, &c, nailed on ; 

 and over it shields may be nailed, which 

 are easily cut out. This mode of cover- 

 ing rustic vases is the most expeditious. 

 In some cases a thick rope, say an inch in 

 diameter— but this entirely depends on 

 the size of the vase — is wound round the 

 legs, forming a beaded moulding round 

 the top and bottom so as to hide the 

 ends of the cut bark. One or more tiers 

 of rope may encircle the vase, in imita- 

 tion of hoops ; and the same material 

 may be used to form festoons or other 

 ornaments round the surface. Such a 



