432 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCTETY. 



discourse on a number of plants that thrive in difficult circumstances 

 " Trees and Lanes " are dealt with at very considerable length. 



Miss Jekyll waxes enthusiastic when she writes of " Briar Eoses,' 

 and one cannot help being influenced by her description of what a Briar 

 Eose garden should be like. Slie says " My Briar Eose garden should 

 have grass paths ; whether wide or narrow, straight or winding, could 

 only be determined on the spot, and in relation to all that was near 

 about it." "Midsummer" is the title of another chapter, and the 

 character of this treatise is reflected in the opening remarks which go 

 on to say " The whole garden is singing its hymn of praise and thank- 

 fulness." This refers to the following quotation at the head of the 

 chapter, " Thou sentest a gracious rain upon thine inheritance, and 

 refreshest it when it was weary." The references to the various kinds 

 of Iris in this chapter are extremely useful and many of them are dealti 

 with in considerable detail. " Eoses and Lilies " quite rightly are given' 

 an exalted position. Apart from their value in the garden they have an 

 historic interest and Miss Jekyll fittingly refers to this. A broad view' 

 both of the Eose and of the Lily is taken, in consequence of which: 

 fact, we find quite a large number of most interesting bulbous plants 

 mentioned in the latter connexion. 



" Large Eock-gardens " and " Small Eock-gardens " have each a 

 chapter devoted to their consideration and much helpful advice is 

 given to those about to form one or the other or both. As this method! 

 of gardening is increasing in popular esteem, and as it is important 

 that a proper conception of a rock-garden should be held before 

 the making of it is attempted, excellent advice is tendered in the two| 

 chapters under notice, over which those who are interested w^ould 

 do well to ponder, before committing themselves to create the mon- 

 strosities SO' frequently met with nowadays. Many readers wdl. 

 appreciate the opening remarks in the chapter on " Small Eock-i 

 gardens " which are as follows: — "An artificial rockery is usually £j "\ 

 bit of frankly simple make-believe. Nine times out of ten there isj Oei 

 something about it half funny, half pathetic, so innocent, so childish irat 

 is its absolute failure to look like real rocky ground." How true this| 1!,) 

 of many so-called rock-gardens met with in gardens to-day ! 



" The Workshop " is a most entertaining chapter, and recalls th« 

 attachment most of us had and still have for the practical worl^ jjjjj 

 of those who endeavoured to interest us in mechanical and other wort .[jj^j 

 in our earlier years apart from its usefulness to us to-day. j 



Of the many subjects delightfully dealt with, in this useful boolj -jjj 

 the chapter on *' Cut Flowers " interests us more than anything elsej ^ 

 Not only has Miss Jekyll told us how to arrange flowers artistically j 

 but she has given invaluable advice as to cutting flowers to be senj 

 on a journey, the method of packing, and the w^ay to treat them on .[^j,^ 

 their receipt after a long journey. One can only sum this up in prope ^^ 

 fashion by saying that thoroughness characterizes everything that ii 



done, and herein lies the secret of success. The author truli 



. . ." '''ti 



says that " cut flowers should never lie about before being put 'm , 



