NINETEENTH CENTURY 
293 
Rhododendrons, or “ carriage-sweep/' took the place of the 
“ fore-court.” Gardens in the pure landscape style, which had 
practically ignored the existence of flowers, were easily adapted 
to suit the new ideas. 
“ A flower garden is now become the appendage of every 
fashionable residence,” wrote a lady gardener in 1816, 1 “ and 
hence,” she continues, “ it is more frequently left to the 
direction of a gardener than arranged by the guidance of 
genuine taste in the owner; and the fashionable novice, who 
has stored her borders from the catalogue of some celebrated 
name with a variety of rare species, who has procured innumer¬ 
able rose-trees, chiefly consisting of old and common sorts, 
brought into notice by new nomenclature, who has set apart 
a portion of ground for American plants, and duly placed 
them in bog soil, with their names painted on large-headed 
pegs, becomes disappointed when, instead of the brilliant 
glow of her more humble neighbour’s parterre, she finds her 
own distinguished only by paucity of colour and fruitless 
expenditure. This will not,” she adds, “ produce a gay 
garden. . . . The cause of failure ... is the prevalent solici¬ 
tude for rarity and variety in preference to well-blended 
quantity.” This lady dislikes a fashion then prevailing of 
“ setting apart distinct borders for pinks, hepaticas, primulas, 
or any other favourite flower,” but likes a " mingled flower 
garden,” which Loudon says was far the most common. Her 
list of flowers suited to such mixed borders is fairly long, and 
includes old-fashioned as well as new plants. One plan of 
beds recommended for “a flower garden in the midst of 
pleasure grounds, surrounded by shrubs,” of which a plate is 
given, shows beds 25 feet long, of a tadpole shape, 4 feet across 
at the widest part, twisted on the grass in various contortions, 
5 or 6 feet of grass between, with “ baskets ” set about, which 
were to be formed “ by circular beds, surrounded by cast-iron, 
made to resemble the open edges of a basket, and painted of a 
very dark green colour.” The ironwork or basket willow 
edging was not infrequently put round all the beds. Such an 
arrangement of flowers was sometimes directly in front of a 
1 The Florists' Manual, by a Lady (Maria Elizabeth Jackson). New 
edition, with additions, in 1827. 
