April 16, 1898. 



GA RDENERS MA GA ZINE. 



245 



Landscape Gardening. 



Formation of Ground, and Levelling. 



Aftfr a few general remarks on the importance of plan and system, Mr Milner 

 advised in his third lecture making a plan of the ground as it is. For this 

 nuroose the Ordnance Survey maps proved very helpful, and these might be 

 divided into sections by lines, and so enlarged as to clearly indicate the physical 



characteristics and surface formation, artistic trees, buildings, rising and falling 

 of the ground, the site of the house, terrace, pleasure grounds, stables, kitchen 

 gardens &c. The first two points insisted on by Mr. Milner after the choice of 

 the site for house and gardens, were to husband the surface soil for future use ; and 

 to make a good solid approach, notably and preferably the back road, to form a 

 useful road for the heavy cartage incidental to building. Plans should also be 

 detailed showing the intended levels of drives and other parts. Numbered pegs 

 should be put in at a minimum distance of one hundred feet apart, and the gradient 

 line should be marked on the plan section to give the depth of cutting and filling, 

 and the position of each peg. When the levels are settled, the drains for roads, 

 walks &c., can be laid, and if only surface water is to be carried, three-inch pipes 

 are sufficient for two hundred yards, but for longer distances four-inch pipes are 

 needed. On level roads or steep gradients, the gully holes should be twenty- hve 

 yards apart, but on a slight incline fifty yards apart. They should be more frequent 



0 1 walks, as the gradients are often steeper and the gravel finer. The gratings for 

 gully holes on roads should be nine inches, and on walks seven inches. Outlet 

 pipes from gully holes should be placed at least six inches from the bottom to 

 allow for deposit, which should be frequently removed. In forming roads and 

 walks at least six inches of broken bricks, stones, coarse gravel or well-burnt 

 ballast should be spread over the bottom ; four inches will suffice for walks. Over 

 this put a coating of stone that has been broken to pass through an inch riddle, 

 and then of fine gravel three inches thick on drives, and two inches on walks, 

 should be spread. A drive fourteen feet wide should have a fall of three inches 

 from centre to sides, and a walk of six feet two inches fall. 



Turf edging should rise one inch above the rolled surface of the road or walks. 

 Turf, especially, that on slopes should have nine inches in depth of uniformly good 

 soil under it to prevent scorching and irregularity of growth. As to the formation 

 of lawns there is no better way than laying them with turfs three feet long and one 

 foot wide and one inch deep, or sowing them with forty-five pounds of mixed grass 

 seeds per acre. It speaks volumes for the soundness of the late Mr. Robert 

 Thompson's receipt in his " Gardeners' Assistant" to find this still valued by Mr. 

 Milner. Certain general principles were referred to as to curved lines whether of 

 surface, walks, or roads, and the general rule laid down that the curves should be 

 set out with broad sweeping lines the chord of which should be so great that each 

 sweep should be hidden from the succeeding bend. A multiplication of meaning- 

 less curves on walks should be avoided, as should be the creation of the wriggling 

 serpentine lines so often seen in little gardens. 



Planting. 



Planting, in landscape gardening, has a wide and special meaning. It includes 

 far more than preparing the soil for the plants, or placing the plants skilfully in 

 the ground. Mr. Milner said that as a skeleton must be clothed with living flesh 

 > be a thing of beauty, so the undulations or main features of the ground need 

 to be covered by verdant grass, with its delicious expression of restful quietude ; 

 and thereon Nature lavishes her infinite variety in form, height, colour, and 

 contrast. The gradations of the sky line, the fine irregularities of line where the 

 lower verge of foliage touches lawn or grass, the emphasis of sunshine and of 

 shadow, have to be considered as well as trees and plants. These form our 

 landscape, and practically these are the chief points to be settled before we plant. 

 One place needs shelters, a second concealment, a third opening to reveal a 

 distant prospect. Rising ground may apparently be raised, if we cover it with 

 wood, but the trees should be tallest as they reach the summit ; the outlines of 

 groups in a park should not be regular, nor in a succession of easy sweeps, or form 



1 serpentine line. They should have strong prominences marked by detached trees 

 that stand out boldly in the group, and they should present deep recesses. In 

 plantations near the eye lights and shadows are more apparent than on distant 

 groups, and the effects are stronger, therefore dark foliage planted in a near 

 recess makes it appear deeper still. White foliage or blossoms seem to be nearer the 

 spectator than they really are. Objects become fainter in effect as they retire from 

 1 V yC u S ° detached clumps, or a single tree of lighter green, will therefore seem to 

 be further off than an equidistant plant of darker hue. A regulated gradation of 

 one tint to another will apparently add to the length of a continuous patch, 

 according as the gradation commences with foliage of light or dark green. When 

 a long continuous line of boundary or other planting cannot well be broken, for 

 sheltering or other reasons, a pleasing variation may be given by placing light 

 green plants of graduated tints at certain positions in its course, as the effect is to 

 £ive the idea of distance at those points ; this idea of expanse will be still more 

 promoted if the sky line of the tree tops is lowered with a gentle curve, lowest 

 where there is the lightest shade of green. 



Among the dark foliaged trees may be named the oak, chestnut, beech, elm, 

 A~ > trian P^ sp™ce, cedar of Lebanon, hemlock, fir, yew, and holly. 

 Among the lighter greens— Plane, birch, ash, acacia, lime, poplar, willow, 

 laburnum, larch, Abies concolor, Pinus insignis Abies Douglasi, and Cedrus 

 duTSTvL u° n £ red -g feens ar e varieties of maples, the American oak, and 

 the h r V 1 ° ng whi te-greens— Buckthorns and poplars. Mr. Milner at 

 charort J 118 ecture ' il,ustraled the grouping of trees in relation to their 



u 0l ?? r \ as wel1 as the furnishing of villa gardens, &c, with 

 ^lustrations on the black board. He also briefly referred to the effect of judicious 



uninf* in relation f ^ tU A „i„ 1 r • l_: r i f . 



cone, leaving a base of earth two feet in diameter under the stem. Bind l>all and 

 roots firmly round with matting, and then place thick planks on each side of the 

 central support. Pass good ropes two-thirds of the way up the stem of the tree 

 and pull one of these in the direction of the main plank, and draw the tree over to 

 one side. Place two or three six-foot planks under. Pull the tree over on the 

 opposite direction and repeat the operation. The tree has thus a platform of 

 planking resting on the two bottom ones, or sliding planks on wheels, the cross 

 planks forming a carriage slide. Place the sliding planks in the line to be 

 traversed, and also at the easiest way out. The cross planks should be bound 

 together and a piece of matting placed over the stem. Pass a strong rope over 

 the stem and let it cross the ball diagonally. Carry each end with a half-hitch 

 over the stage of cross planks, and deliver an end of the rope to men on each side 

 of the tree. These, ten or twenty in number, take the two ends of the rope and 

 are ready to start. Planks are, meanwhile, laid from those under the tree to the 

 required distance, care being taken that each succeeding plank end is placed a 

 distance of six inches under the preceding one. These planks are then wetted or 

 smeared with clay if the way is uphill. Two men hold guide ropes to steady the 

 tree, and the others drag the tree to ils place. Arrived there, remove the ropes, 

 planks, and matting ; place the roots on the site in about two feet of good soil, 

 then ram the other soil firmly round the roots. For smaller trees, not exceeding 

 six inches in diameter and weighing about a ton, a small sledge is more convenient. 

 If many roots have been removed the leaf area of the tree should be reduced about 

 one-fourth. 



Mr. Milner concluded his lecture on planting with lists of plants for different 

 soils and aspects of which it may be useful to name a few in each division. For 

 shady places or undergrowth — Aucubas, berberis, yew, evergreen privet, laurel, 

 holly, St. John's Wort, vincas, abies, blackthorns, and hornbeam. Chalky soils — 

 Elder, ribes, thorns, beech, box, cotoneasters, yew, poplars, St. John's Wort, Prunus 

 Pissardi, guelder rose, and periwinkle. Peaty soils — Rhododendrons, azaleas, 

 andromedas, heaths, willows, birch, hemlock, spruce, white cedar, and kalmias. 

 Exposed situations or near the sea — Pinus pinaster, P. austriaca, P. maritima, 

 Abies cephalonica, poplars, sycamore, wych elm, thujopsis, cupressus, juniper, 

 euonymus, white Spanish and crimson broom. Near towns or in smoky districts 

 Austrian pinus, service trees, birch, almond, crabs, planes, chestnuts, willows, 

 berberis, deutzias, laurestinus, evergreen laurel, privet, weigela, euonymus, 

 hollies, and lilacs of sorts. D. T. F. 



The Peach. 



The cultivated peach is a tree that will not successfully withstand 

 either excessive heat or cold ; Spain, Italy, Greece, Persia, and countries 

 enjoying similar climates to these seem best suited for its culture. It will 

 not thrive in a torrid climate owing to its requirement of an annual rest ; 

 nor in a very cold climate, for here the soil is too cold for the roots in 

 winter, unless the peach is grafted on to some hardier stock such as the 

 plum or almond. The almond is the favourite stock with most gardeners 

 in this country. Peaches requires at least the protection of a wall in 

 England, and some consider a broad coping is also necessary, but this 

 all depends on the situation. The trees flower rather early, generally at 

 the end of March, but blossoms will stand a large amount of cold so lony 

 as frost is kept from them, and they are dry ; but excessive heat on the 

 other hand proves very injurious. Seedlings are readily produced, but 

 budding and grafting are the general means employed for propagation. 

 We must, however, have seedlings ere we have new varieties, and 

 seedlings also provide stocks, indeed, a stone sown in the autumn will 

 produce a shoot fit for budding in the following autumn with proper care. 

 Peaches do very well on their own roots indoors ; but unless the climate 

 and situation are very favourable, when grown outdoors, they, in a few 

 seasons, become weak, the leaves become tinged with yellow, and the tree 

 is soon useless, probably because the soil has been too wet or cold for the 

 tender roots of the peach, whereas those of the almond or plum being 

 more hardy would stand the unfavourable conditions better. 



A south or a south-west aspect, with a well drained border, suits 

 peaches but if the subsoil is wet and the border insufficiently drained, 

 the tree 'will take up more moisture than is needful, and the result will be 

 rank growth that will fail to ripen properly. On the other hand it should 

 not be very dry and sandy, or during the hot weather the tree will 

 suffer from drought unless a large amount of labour is expended in 

 watering. The trees not only require moisture for their growth, but also 

 sufficient to replace that given off by the leaves during the time of bright 

 sunshine or dry winds. If the roots are not supplied with sufficient 

 mnUtnre to meet the^e wants the tree must consequently suffer, for so 

 Zf as the Sots comain any moisture the leaves will draw from them 

 untfl fventuafly exhaustion and shrivelling occur In hot dry weather 

 the ei^ a" o tba little pest red spider to be guarded against and it can 

 only b kept in check by a regular application of water on both sides of 

 the folia-e every day. Peaches will not support a good crop of fruit if in 

 a poo afd sand y y soil, nor will they do so in a heavy clay ; the most 

 Citable mixture for a peach border is good turfy loam mixed with some 

 dry cow manure and a P good supply of lime sittings. Such a compost can 

 be afterwards enriched by a top dressing of bone meal. It is an excellent 



ELI' ^ 10 the ™« S*** * tods^n^S be afterwards ?^^^^™* y Z^£^S SwelS 



^ . ;« wintpr anH nrevents excessive heat froir 



mSS" 5P roce y h * he seen in East .~ B .~ . ^ ,, lgH auu a uunurt;u 

 tre-s a nH \ ir , ta i ,s of his method of transplanting large trees, with lists of 

 cround fnr .1° !• 1 d » fferent s< >'ls and sites, concluded an informing lecture. All 

 carded nil £ mg l ho - uld ta tren ched at least two feet deep, and in making new 



.*" I? 0041 earth from foundations of buildings " ' 6 ' 



•orming raised banks, or deepening surface tilths. 



for this keens out the frost in winter and prevents excessive heat from 

 drying up the soil in summer. The trees are very apt to gum, especial y 

 if thev erow with excessive vigour during the summer so as to necessitate 

 a hard pruning in the following spring ; this can, of course, be avoided 

 by careful summer pruning. 



Earwigs are very destructive to the fruits, and are best trapped by 



With a staff «f ^ Earwigs are very destructive 10 me rruiu., anu arc ucai. u^f^ uj 



foot in diametlr ?i y men 5 s ""V 88 , trees whose st e»'s average one nlacintr D i eC es of broad-bean stalk about the tree and emptying them into 



**<n JTr^l^ E° wd .1^ with a hei g ht * thirty to forty feet, have ^ZUt rate every morning. Fruit should be fully exposed to the sun, 



safelv »m a — • » "tigui ui imriy to ioriy reel, nave 



>n one dav Th V t l ° " eW P ositions at an average distance of one hundred yards 

 for removal ai h * u" 6 P^P*"^ on tne Previous day. Those most suitable 

 *nd mountain * A* A. hestnuts » sycamores, maples, limes, beeches, service trees, 

 severing the U r „ a trench five or six fc et distance from the stem, 



a depth of thfIF T r ,°° ts and winding the smaller round the ball of the tree. At 



e or tour feet dig nearer the stem, shaping the ball like an inverted 



some hot water every morning. Fruit should be fully exposed to the sun 

 especially as they near the ripening stage. When gathering the fruit n 

 should be taken in the middle of the hand with the soft part of the fingers 

 and thumb well behind it. In this way the most delicate fruit may be 

 pulled, with a due amount of care, without risk of injury, as when ripe it 



readily parts from the stem 



F. J. Cole. 



