AND ORCHARDS OP ANCIENT GREECE. 
169 
the beauties of their own country, we may 
perhaps be enabled to form an idea, somewhat 
denned and truthful, of what a flower garden 
was in the early times of Greece. 
If the gardeners and florists of ancient 
Hellas were deficient in the elaborate scientific 
knowledge of modern times, if they knew not 
how to bring the plants under their care to 
the highest point of perfection, yet may we 
allow them the merit, not too often exhibited 
in these days, of displaying a pure and simple 
taste in the management of their flowers, in 
the general plan of their gardens, and in the 
disposal of the various parterres, which were 
generally laid out as a fertile spot of ground 
more or less extensive, in the rear of the 
dwelling-house. Sitting in the shade of a 
verandah of lattice work, twined with the 
rose and honeysuckle, the Greek of the olden 
ages could extend his view along a sweep of 
ornamental grounds, presenting a brilliant 
variety of hues, and exhaling a delicious fra- 
grance, which sweetened the atmosphere and 
was carried by the wind across the country in 
every direction. 
On the summit of small mounds, dispersed 
with regularity over the garden, rose pome- 
granate trees, around which were planted 
myrtle bushes, roses, and agni-casti ; while the 
open spaces which intervened were chequered 
with beds of small roses, lilies and violets, 
bordered with rows of the golden crocus, of which 
Theophrastus remarks, that it delighted par- 
ticularly in the edges of pathways and trodden 
tracks. Occasionally, in place of flower-beds, 
they laid out broad levels of close greensward, 
profusely gemmed with the violet, the blue 
veronica, the pink and the pale primrose, the 
golden motherwort, the daisy, the cowslip, the 
periwinkle, and the pimpernel. The appear- 
ance presented by that portion of the garden, 
cultivated after this fashion, must have been 
peculiarly dazzling, though perhaps exceeded 
in richness and beauty by the aspect of the 
various parterres where each species of flower 
flourished in a separate compartment. A 
broad expanse of white violets first, perhaps, 
met the eye ; this was strikingly contrasted 
by a bed of the golden cynosure, relieved by 
one of irises, of hyacinths, of the ranunculus, 
of the blue campanula, or Canterbury-bell, of 
the white gilliflower, the carnation, and the 
asphodel ; while banks of rich purple violets 
imparted splendour to the spot. 
Dr. Nolan, in his paper on the Grecian 
rose, would have us believe that that magni- 
ficent flower was unknown in the earlier ages 
of Hellas ; but this opinion is not borne out 
by authority. It is indeed entirely crushed 
by the testimony of innumerable writers, upon 
whom dependence is to be placed. Herodotus 
speaks of the rose of sixty leaves, which he 
says was found in the gardens of Thrace, 
and at the foot of Mount Permios.* He also 
compares it with the red Niliaclotus. Stesi- 
chorus, an older poet than Anacrcon, places it 
among his list of the flowers which composed 
the chaplet. We shall avail ourselves of 
Mr. J. A. St. John's translation of his verses 
on this subject : — 
" Many a yellow quince was there, 
Piled upon the regal chair; 
Many a verdant myrtle bough, 
Many a rose-crown featly wreathed 
With twisted violets that grow 
Where the breath of spring has breathed." 
The " rosy-fingered morn" of Homer satisfies 
us that he was acquainted with this favourite 
flower ; we need not therefore turn to any other 
authorities for testimony on this question, but 
proceed with our view of the Greek flower 
garden. It matters little at the present day 
at what period precisely the rose made its 
appearance in the gardens of Greece. Suf- 
fice it, that as soon as known it began to 
share with the violet the admiration of the 
Hellenic florist. It was the fashion to form 
whole plantations, equal in size and beauty to 
those of Serinaghur, of this delightful flower ; 
and so great was the estimation in which it 
was held by the Greeks, that they spared no 
pains to be able to secure a constant supply 
of the luxury which they considered so rare. 
In this they succeeded in an admirable manner. 
Every month saw roses blooming in Greece. 
One method was to preserve the buds among 
green barleycorns in an unglazed jar. Nu- 
merous other plans were pursued, so that 
from January to December a constant suc- 
cession of rose-crops, if we may be allowed 
the term, flourished in defiance of the regula- 
tions of the seasons. The banquetting cham- 
ber, during the frosty months, w r as decorated 
with fresh rose-buds, and chaplets and gar- 
lands of roses were not wanting to add to the 
beauty and fragrance of the festive gathering. 
The rose season, in the most southern parts 
of Greece, commenced as early as April, but 
where a genial temperature was wanting, 
art often supplied the deficiency. Several 
varieties of roses were known — among others, 
the white, the moss-rose, the rose of a hun- 
dred leaves, accounted the sweetest by Ari- 
stotle, and the wild rose, not wholly inodorous. 
To impart a richer fragrance to the flower, it 
was not uncommon to plant garlic near 
the root. Coloured roses were sometimes 
blanched by repeated and powerful fumiga- 
tions of sulphur being applied to them while 
they were opening their leaves. 
" To cause them to bloom in January, 
* e'v Tola i (pvsrai avro/xara poSa, iv enaffrov eX 0V Q r r 
kovto. (pt/AAa <35,u?) Se vTrepftpovTa. twv dAAeSf. 
