368 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



kept closely mown. These paths wind in and out to suit the He of the 

 ground. Mr. Wilks' views, as given to me, are : — 



" Extent. — The planning of the wi'd garden must always vary with 

 the extent of its area. A large area cannot be treated exactly Hke a 

 small one, nor vice versa. At the same time certain points are appH- 

 cable to all alike. 



" Paths. — In a wild garden the paths must never under any cir- 

 cumstances be of yellow gravel, nor of asphalt or tar, nor of ashes. In 

 open ground they should be grass, kept scrupulously mown. In wood- 

 land where grass will not grow they should be the natural soil trodden 

 hard, and the moss should be allowed to grow on it, if it kindly will. 

 In autumn the leaves from trees must be swept up once a week from 

 the grass paths, or they will kill the grass in patches and soon make it 

 unsightly. In woodland the leaves may lie on the paths and will 

 look very natural ; the rusthng sound as one walks on them is 

 pleasant to the ear, and they are soft to the feet. They should be swept 

 up, say, twice or at most three times from October to March. The 

 paths should follow a more or less natural direction, such as anyone 

 would take, but they should avoid turns at right angles and not be over- 

 serpentine : stretches of straight ahead, followed by gentle curves to 

 right or left, are desirable. 



" Ground Surface. — -The ground should not be dug or cultivated in 

 any way. Presumably the garden is begun by taking in part of a 

 field, and if possible adjoining it should be a small bit of copse, or thin 

 woodland. Each wants treating differently. 



" The Open Grass Area. — In planting, simply remove sufficient turf 

 and dig a hole, break up the bottom well so as to encourage the roots 

 to penetrate, then throw in the turf and chop it up well with a spade 

 and plant your plant, whatever it may be. And when you have filled 

 in and firmed down, make a sort of small circular bed all round the 

 plant, a few inches away from its centre. Give an ample watering and 

 leave it. If this is done in autumn it will want no more attention 

 (unless it be staking) till March, when, if dry, it should be watered 

 ^ for the first twelve months once a week or so, according to the rainfall, 

 or lack of it. The Httle surrounding bed should also for twelve months 

 be kept from being overrun with grass. But any plant which cannot 

 take care of itself after the first twelve months' real care is not, in my 

 opinion, a suitable plant for a wild garden. 



" The Grass. — Let the grass grow all over the field at its own sweet 

 will — only cutting it with sheep shears just round the newly-planted 

 plants. The grass blossom and the glorious crimson of the sorrel 

 heads will add greatly to the charm of the wild garden. In November 

 and early December, when the autumn-blooming Crocuses are over, the 

 whole of the grass should be cut down with a bagging hook and left 

 where it falls, unless it is wanted as a mulch to newly-planted Rhodo- 

 dendrons and such-like plants. 



" Plants for the Grass Land. — These will vary according to the nature 

 of the soil. For example, Rhododendrons, Pernettyas, and such-like 



