THE SPRING FLOWER GARDEN. 



21 



question of the heights of the various subjects and their disposition 

 in the garden requires treating at greater length than is possible 

 here. 



In addition to shrubs there is a large number of smaller plants 

 which add immensely to the display of the Spring Garden. These 

 must be grown in borders where their cultivation will not interfere 

 with the other occupants. Many trees and shrubs object to their 

 roots being disturbed, especially Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Ericas and 

 other fine-rooting plants. Beds or borders are therefore necessary, 

 and especially so in soils such as we have at Belvoir. We find shrubs of 

 all the kinds mentioned above will grow in the natural clay, if a little 

 old potting soil, or leaf mould, is mixed in, around, and below them 

 when they are planted. That is not the case with the smaller plants ; 

 for all those some beds of good soil are necessary, in spite of all 

 the outcry against flower beds, which in many instances has been 

 carried to a ridiculous excess. 



It is not necessary to form a geometrical pattern. Beds of simple 

 shape are always the most satisfactory for planting. Straight lines 

 should be avoided unless they are close to the mansion ; curved lines 

 correspond best with the forms of leaves and flowers, and are best 

 suited to a garden in every way. 



On sloping banks a nice feature may often be made by levelling 

 a piece from 4 to 6 feet wide and supporting it by dwarf walls of 

 2 feet in height, built of rough stones without mortar ; these walls can 

 eventually be clothed with dwarf-growing plants such as Aubrietia, 

 Cerastium, and others of that kind, to remain permanently. The level 

 portions at the top of the walls can be replanted annually or oftener 

 if desired. A series of these small terraces at Belvoir looks very 

 pretty when in full flower ; they run side by side, of varying width, 

 and therefore vary in outline, and a walk runs by their side both above 

 and below. 



Other beds are useful for many of the small plants, especially if 

 they can be distributed in various parts of the garden, because many 

 of the best among the early flowers object to being disturbed for a 

 few years after planting ; such, for instance, as Chionodoxa Luciliae or 

 C. sardensis, Anemone blanda, Anemone angulosa, or, as it used to be 

 called, Hepatica, Anemone fulgens, and others, a list of which will be 

 found at the end of this paper. They must be seen in a dense mass 

 to get the full beauty of them, and are quite worthy of a place to 

 suit their requirements. A few annuals can easily be placed among 

 them after they finish flowering, in order to prevent an untidy appear- 

 ance in the summer, but nothing should be allowed to grow into a 

 thick mass over them. Several of these plants give us the earliest 

 flowers we get. Anemone blanda usually commences in December ; it 

 is sometimes a little difficult to cultivate I am told. I think one 

 reason for this is probably due to the fact that a fungus attacks the 

 roots while they are at rest ; for that reason I always lift the roots 

 after the second year of flowering, break them in pieces, and dry 



