June 22, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



465 



A FORMAL ROSE GARDEN. 



Xotwitlistanding the wonderful expan- 

 sion of rock gardening and wild gardening 

 during the last ten years^ or, perhaps, be- 

 cause of this expansion, there has been a 

 steady increase of formal gardening. But 

 whereas in the olden times the whole gar- 

 den was laid out in rigidly formal fashion, 

 or, at least, the part around the mansion 

 was so treated, it is now the pleasing cus- 

 tom to set apart a portion of the grounds 

 for the display of formal gardening. Even 

 then, however, the old-time formality of 

 clipped hedges, carved trees end shrubs, 

 geometric beds of formal plants, or of 

 coloured gravel, is not rigidly adhered to, 

 but within a close clipped hedge the dis- 

 position of paths and beds is formal, but 

 the plant-s used to beautify such a garden 

 are free and graceful. 



Such gardens as here indicated are by 

 no means uncommon, but they diflFer widely 



entrance, and at either end of the longest 

 walk, another pair kept fragrant watch 

 over the comfortable garden seats. 



There is a great danger in the pre- 

 sent taste and fashion of rock and wild 

 gardening, and it lies in the possible ex- 

 cess of either or both. Fashion is ever 

 fickle, and her penduhim has a knack of 

 swinging right back at short notice. With 

 this in mind, it is as well to rememl)er 

 that formal gardening has much merit, 

 rightly planned and planted, and, in a 

 large garden, it provides pleasing shelter 

 and a fine contrast to the informality of 

 the rock garden, the beauty of the water 

 garden, and the natural style of the wild 

 (garden. B. 



SHRUBS IN FLOWER AT 



CHRISTMAS. 



One of the prettiest and mo.st easily- 

 grown shrubs is Jasminum nndiflorum ; it 



otherwise the flowers are much, later. Wo 

 lia ve one large p 1 a nit whidh covers the 

 whole wall on the south side of a fernery, 

 and tliis ma,kes strong slioots 3 to -ift. in 



lenorth eacli season. 



Plants will flower 



without wall protection^ but ,&o much later 

 that tliey are not so valuable, thougli at 

 all times their fragrance is an attraction. 



Tbe beautiful Erica lusitanica (codo- 

 nodes) is a ma«s of bloom. It is quite easy 

 grown, and easily raised from seeds, mak- 

 ing good plants in three years. This heath 

 is very valuable for cutting, as large 

 branches may be cut from good-sized trees. 

 We have five or six hundred trees about 

 the grounds here, but, of course, the older 

 trees, and those in favoured spots, afford 

 the earliest bloom. 



Erica carnea is one of the most desirable 

 of hardy heaths, as from Christmas to the 

 end of April it is covere<l with bloom. It is 

 a dwarf, compact grower, and when 

 planted in clumj)s soon becomes effective. 



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1 FOEMAL EOSE GAEDEX. 



Designed and planted by Mr. E. C. Notcutt, Woodbridg- 



the one from the other in arrangement and 

 in the subjects selected by the planter. At 

 the recent International Horticultural Ex- 

 hibition, Mr. R. C. Notcutt, of Woodbridge 

 and Ipswich, planned and planted a formal 

 garden. Along one side was a high shel- 

 tering bank of rhododendrons, lilacs, and 

 pillar roses. A flagged pathway ran the 

 length of the yew-hedged enclosure, and 

 another crossed this in the centre, the point 

 of intersection being marked by a sundial, 

 With nurnerous alpine plants about its base, 

 grmving in the crevices of the flagstones. 

 Four large rose beds, each set in a sunken 



lfi7"' ^-^^^ loading features, and these were 

 nlled M-ith dwarf and standard roses, chiefly 

 free-flowering hybrid tea varieties. Four 

 t^U weeping standard roses, 

 l^orothy Perkins, White Dorothy, 

 ^atha, and the like, stood in graceful 

 stateliness around the sundial, while a pair 



these stood sentrv-wi>4ft inst insidi^ the 



such as 



Hia- 



is always in flower at the festive season, 

 and well repays for a little extra trouble 

 iu summer. A good mulch of manure and 

 an occasional good watering will work won- 

 ders. It is happy on a north wall or a 

 south-west wall, and is very pretty grow- 

 ing up the trunk of a small tree, and in 

 such positions is attractive and beautiful 

 at this season. It is not at all particular to 



soil 



when once established. 



Chimonanthus fragrans grandiflora is an- 

 otJuT remarkable and much-admired shrub, 

 and was originally introduced from Japan 



The flowei-s are deli- 



as long ago ats 1766. 



ciously fragrant, and they should be picked 

 and placed in smaH china saucers, and put 

 about in the rooms, when their perfume 

 will be much appreciated. The plant makes 

 a lot of growth, which should not be cub 

 away until flowering is over, as the young 

 shoots are studded with flowers. It does 



Plants maj' bo placed round the base of 

 a standard shrub with good effect. 



Azara integrifolia produces pretty^ 

 sweetly-scented flowers, and makes its pre- 

 sence known by its delicious vanilla per- 

 fume. It flowers earlier than A. micro- 

 phylla, and is therefore much prized at Lhe 

 Oiristmas season. If treated in the same 

 way as the chimonanthus it will grow per- 

 fectly, but should be planted again^^t a 

 wall for early flowering. W. A. Cook. 



Leonardslee Gardens. 



Aotus 



ma. 



Tliis hard- 



ted 



wooded plant is still grown to a certain ex- 

 tent, and very pretty it is, as the habit is 

 very loose and graceful, the exceedingly long, 

 slender (shoots being packed for the gi^ater 

 part (it tlteir length with small pea-shaped 

 flowers, iu colour bright yellow, marked with 

 red. It wa^; introduced /rom Australia ahiiut 

 warm wall; sixty ycaro ago. — S. W. 



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