TOWN AND SMALL SUBURBAN GARDENS. 



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places; Thymus, all the genus; Dryas 

 octopetala ; Sempervivum, all the hardy 

 species ; Sedum, most of the genus ; Co- 

 tyledon umbilicus, lutea; Arenaria ru- 

 bra ; Silene acaulis excapa, Saponaria 

 ocymoides ; Dianthus rupicola, Caryo- 

 phyllus, deltoides, glaucus, csesius, pe- 

 trseus, and various others ; Campanula 

 rotundifolia, Phyteuma orbiculare, &c. 



Suburban villa-gardens are usually of 

 much greater extent than those we have 

 above alluded to ; besides, they are better 

 situated as regards atmosphere and expo- 

 sure. They, nevertheless, in common with 

 town gardens, suffer, to a certain extent, 

 from want of light and air, and very often 

 from the soil becoming sodden, cold, and 

 wet, especially where provision is not made 

 for carrying off the rain which falls on 

 adjoining buildings, aggravated by an 

 unnecessary quantity of manure being 

 buried in it. Amateurs often err in the 

 over-application of rich manures, without 

 taking into consideration the state of the 

 plants, and whether they are in a fit con- 

 dition to digest those that are of a very 

 rich description. Plants can only assimi- 

 late the rich food that may thus be pre- 

 sented to their roots, in proportion to 

 their state of health, which, in such situa- 

 tions, is seldom so vigorous and robust as 

 in those growing under different circum- 

 stances. As a primary operation in the 

 formation of such gardens as those we 

 have alluded to above, we may remark, 

 that they can scarcely be rendered too 

 dry below ; and we believe that, were 

 they even vaulted underneath, leaving 

 only a foot or 1 8 inches of soil for the plants 

 to grow in, greater success would attend 

 this department of gardening. Where the 

 expense of vaulting cannot be borne, then 

 the next best substitute would be, to lay 

 in 18 inches of broken stones, coarse 

 gravel, or other equally porous material, 

 and on that to lay the soil for the plants. 

 The soil of all town-gardens, and many 

 suburban ones too, from a combination of 

 circumstances, becomes completely ex- 

 hausted of those ingredients necessary for 

 the growth of most plants. This, pro- 

 bably, more than has been in general 

 supposed, may be the cause why few plants 

 thrive in such places. There is little or 

 no rotation of crop in them; the same 

 plants — or at least the same species of 

 plants, which is the same thing — continue 



to feed on the same soil for years. There 

 is no change of food, further than copious 

 doses of manure, little of which the plants 

 are able to assimilate or make use of ; 

 they become satiated by repletion, and 

 cease to feed at all. 



Were manures dispensed with entirely, 

 or those only used which would act as 

 slight stimulants, say lime, guano, salt, 

 carbonate of ammonia, &c, with a little 

 leaf-mould, mixed with sharp sand — all 

 of which could be applied with little 

 trouble or expense, and without causing 

 any disagreeable or unhealthy effluvia — 

 they would answer the purpose much 

 better, and would maintain the soil for 

 several years in a very good condition, 

 provided it was good at first. All small 

 gardens may be considered very much in 

 the light of a large flower- pot or flower- 

 box, in which the same kinds of plants 

 have been grown for several years ; and, 

 although duly watered, and perhaps the 

 surface profusely mulched with rich ma- 

 nure, or copious draughts of liquid ma- 

 nure applied, still the plants in a year or 

 two show evident symptoms of disease 

 and debility, and if not taken out of the 

 pot or box, the exhausted soil removed 

 from their roots and replanted in fresh 

 compost, death is the inevitable conse- 

 quence. So it is exactly with small gar- 

 dens cropped with the same plants for 

 several years ; their soil ceases to afford the 

 sustenance the plants require, and hence 

 they dwindle and ultimately die. But if 

 a great portion of the soil be removed 

 entirely — and the more the better — and 

 replaced with fresh good soil, in which 

 similar plants have never grown, then a 

 restoration to health would assuredly be 

 the consequence, although the labour and 

 expense would be considerable. If, how- 

 ever, instead of laying out several pounds 

 per annum on the purchase of rich ma- 

 nure, the same amount was expended in 

 purchasing and laying in fresh soil, a far 

 more healthy state would be maintained, 

 and that for a considerable number of 

 years. The flower borders may have 

 sunk considerably in consequence of the 

 decomposition of organic matter ori- 

 ginally contained in them ; the addition 

 of several inches of fresh turfy soil mixed 

 with sharp river-sand, would bring them 

 up to their proper level, and, where well 

 incorporated with the old soil, would 



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