THE PERGOLA IN ENGLISH GARDENS. 



95 



established, always make a long pause for reflection at the beginning of 

 their new life's journey. 



It is therefore a good plan, when a pergola is planted with these as 

 the main things for its future clothing, to plant at intervals several 

 Clematis montana, or even the common but always beautiful C. Vitalba. 

 These, especially C. montana, will make a fine show for some years, 

 while the slower plants are making their first growth ; and as C. montana 

 has in many soils not a very long lifetime, the best it can do will be over 

 by the time the permanent plants are maturing and wanting the whole 

 space. The Sweet-water Vines of the Chasselas class, known in England 

 as Royal Muscadine, have foliage of excellent form that is beautiful in 

 autumn with its marbling of yellow. The Parsley or cut-leaved Vine 

 is another desirable kind. Vitis cordata, the sweet-scented Vine, has 

 large wide leaves that give ample shade, and a strong habit of growth, 

 and flowers that in hot sunshine freely give off their delicious scent ; 

 while for gorgeous autumn colouring of crimson and yellow the Vine 

 commonly known as Vitis Coignetice is quite unequalled. There is 

 also the Claret Vine whose leaves turn a low-toned red in late summer 

 and autumn. 



The height and width of the pergola and the width apart of the 

 pairs of piers can only be rightly estimated by a consideration of the 

 proportions of other near portions of the garden, so that it is only 

 possible to suggest a kind of average size for general use. The posts or 

 piers should stand from 7 ft. 2 in. to eight feet out of the ground when 

 the piers stand from eight to nine feet apart across the path. In a garden 

 where there is nothing very high close by, this kind of proportion, rather 

 wider than high, will be likely to be the most suitable ; but there may be 

 circumstances, such as a walk through a kitchen garden, where economy 

 of space is desired, or when the pergola has to pass between tall trees at 

 a little distance to right and left, when the proportion that is rather 

 taller than wide had best be used. 



In a whole or covered pergola, the pairs of piers would be further 

 apart in the length of the walk than between the individuals of each 

 pair across the walk, but in the open pergola, where there is no roof and 

 either no connection or only garlands and level side rails — or garlands 

 alone — they may stand closer. 



For the open pergola without top, Roses are among the best of 

 plants ; on one post a pillar Rose and on the other a rambler. A select 

 list for this use would be : as pillars, ' Alister Stella Gray,' nankeen yellow ; 

 ' Reine Marie Henriette,' red ; ' Climbing Aimee Vibert,' white ; ' Carmine 

 Pillar ' and ' Waltham Climber,' No. 1, reds ; and for ramblers, the 

 ' Garland,' ' Dundee Rambler,' ' Bennett's Seedling,' and ' Madame 

 Alfred Carriere,' all white or flesh white ; ' Crimson Rambler,' ' Reine 

 Olga de Wurtemberg,' ' Longworth Rambler,' and 'Dawson,' reds; as 

 well as multiflora single and double, the large-flowered multiflora and 

 JR. Brunonii. To keep the bases of the piers clothed, some strong young 

 shoots of the current year should be shortened so as best to cover 

 the space, when, instead of making the whole length they would otherwise 

 have attained, they will stop growing at the tips and throw their 

 strength into preparation for flowering shoots at the lower levels. 



