SEPTEMBER. 
273 
that most of them are well-known old things. The evil of trying new 
plants, before their merits under different soils, exposures, and seasons, 
are fully proved has been wisely avoided, and those only planted whose 
character and habit can be depended on for distinctness of colour and 
lasting display. 
The small village of Stanton lies in the midst of an agricultural 
district, about midway between Chippenham and Malmesbury ; the 
surrounding country is richly wooded, and rises with a tolerably 
gradual ascent from the valley of the Avon (about three miles to the 
east), to the Cotswolds, an oft-described range of hills, distant a few 
miles to the rear of Stanton to the west; and hence, the village has a 
more considerable elevation than it appears to have, and the view from 
the Rectory takes in many distant objects of interest. Nearly due 
north, the ruins of the once magnificent Abbey of Malmesbury form a 
fine object, as do also those of the less celebrated Abbey of Clack. 
More to the east—due east—the Cherhill Downs, with the White Horse 
(a colossal figure of a horse cut in relief on the side of the chalk hill) 
and Lord Lansdowne’s obelisk, are conspicuous ; while to the south the 
view is bounded by the outlines of the chalk escarpment called the 
Warminster Downs, which are distant upwards of 20 miles. 
The flower garden occupies an oblong square in front of the Rectory, 
and we regret that our page affords only space for the central part, 
which fronts the Rectory. By way of explaining how the rest of the 
garden is laid out, we may inform our readers that a neat iron fence 
separates the whole from a park-like field ; between which and the 
exterior gravel walk (as shown in our woodcut) there is a border of grass 
12 or 14 feet wide, on which, running parallel with the walk, is a 
number of small circular beds, each planted with a low standard Rose for a 
centre, and the bottom filled up with two or three kinds of plants, whose 
flowers blend well together: the general effect of this running border 
of circular beds is very effective. Opposite the front door, a break has 
been made in the line of fence, by throwing it further into the field at 
right angles, and forming a recess opposite the centre of the garden. The 
walk from the sun-dial intersects this, and is carried to an iron gate in 
the centre of the recess, leading to the field, and which is arched over 
for creepers. In the recess, on each side, are three large vases, in a line 
with the house, and circular beds ; these are filled with the choicest 
kinds of scarlet Geraniums, and when seen from the house, form a fine 
background, for the main portion of the flower garden, and relieve 
the whole very effectively. The west end of the flower garden abuts at 
a short distance on the kitchen garden, from which it is separated by a 
wall. On a border here is laid down a very pretty arrangement in 
the ribbon style, after the following manner :— 
1st Row, Lobelia Erinus speciosa 
2nd „ Mangles’ Silver Geranium. 
3rd „ Verbena Emma (light blue). 
4th „ Rosy Scarlet and Commander-in-Chief Geraniums (alternately) . 
5th „ Trentham Gem Calceolaria. 
6th ,, Purple Zelinda Dahlia. 
We can strongly recommend this arrangement as a very effective one. 
Another border just the same—excepting that Flower of the Day was 
VOL. X., NO. CXVII. T 
