58 
Old Time Gardens 
den,” — a fashion I saw a few years ago around 
flower beds in Charlton, Massachusetts. “ Round 
whitish pebble stones ” for edgings were Parkinson’s 
own invention, and proud he was of it, simple as it 
seems to us. These open knots were then filled 
in, but “ thin and sparingly,” with “ English Flow- 
ers ” ; or with “ Out-Landish Flowers,” which were 
flowers fetched from foreign parts. 
The parterre succeeded the knot, and has been 
used in gardens till the present day. Parterres were 
of different combinations, “ well-contriv’d and inge- 
nious.” The “ parterre of cut-work ” was a Box- 
bordered formal flower garden, of which the garden 
at Hampton, Maryland (pages 57, 60, and 95), is a 
striking and perfect example ; also the present gar- 
den at Mount Vernon (opposite page 12), wherein 
carefully designed flower beds, edged with Box, are 
planted with variety of flowers, and separated by 
paths. Sometimes, of old, fine white sand was care- 
fully strewn on the earth under the flowers. The 
“parterre a l’Anglaise ” had an elaborate design of 
vari-shaped beds edged with Box, but enclosing grass 
instead of flowers. In the “parterre de broderie ” 
the Box-edged beds were filled with vari-colored 
earths and sands. Black earth could be made of 
iron filings ; red earth of pounded tiles. This last- 
named parterre differed from a knot solely in having 
the paths among the beds. The Retir'd Gard'ner 
gives patterns for ten parterres. 
The main walks which formed the basis of the 
garden design had in ancient days a singular name 
— forthrights ; these were ever to be “ spacious 
