A GLANCE AT MODERN FLOWER-GARDENS. 
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145 
the smoke much colder than Brown’s instrument;, as a portion of cold air is drawn into the tube and 
mixed with the smoke with each revolution of the fan. 
The only fault we have to find with it is, that it is not manufactured sufficiently strong, but when 
properly made, we doubt not, it will last for a number of years. It can be procured from Mr. Fry, 
gardener to Mrs. Dent, Manor House, Lee, Kent. 
2 
A GLANCE AT MODERN FLOWER-GARDENS. 
By Mb. B. EBBINGTON, C.M.H.S., Gardener to Sir Philip Egerton, Bart. 
IKE everything else in the world of fashion, modes of flower-gardening come and depart, but only 
AJ on the condition of a revival in one form or other at some future period. In former days we had 
our herbaceous and mixed beds and borders, chaotic enough, to be sure, in many cases, but which when 
kept in high dress—the flowers well arranged and well selected—possessed great interest. It was 
the character of very many of the herbaceous tribes, however, to become crowded and exhausted; 
and such families as Phlox, Aster, Monarda, Delphinium, and other free-growing and robust plants, 
were not unfrequently to be seen choking their delicate neighbours ; the competition was too severe 
for such graceful and delicate things as the finer Gentians, Aquilegias, Oamassias, Catananches, 
Lychnises, Sisyrinchiums, Dracocephalums, Gnaplialiums, &c., &c. „ 
Here there was a continual groundwork of dissatisfaction; the country gardener who was short of 
manual labour, and whose spring work pressed too heavily, would, instead of parting, spring dressing, 
and re-arranging these things every season, pass them by, merely digging through them; this had at all 
times the effect of extirpating the finer kinds by a twofold action—thus : a clumsy labourer woidd in 
the dormant season, destroy gradually all the superior kinds, whilst the same act would give unbounded 
liberties to those of grosser habit; which, of course, by their coarseness and increase, soon destroyed 
all idea of proportion—that great essential of beauty, but which is still too imperfectly appreciated. 
Now, in spite of these sad defects, which attached themselves so much to the mixed flower beds or 
borders, I for one can look back on well kept borders of former years, which (if memory be faithful) 
gave as much satisfaction as our gorgeous self-coloured masses. To be sure, the eye had not become 
habituated to that glare of brilliancy, arising from hosts of Geraniums, Verbenas, &c., congregated 
together; the desires of the eye having become thus enlisted, must of course be kept satisfied; never¬ 
theless it is well to examine into this case occasionally, and to see whether some of the features of the 
flower-gardening of former days might not be made to combine with the massing or clumping system. 
It will, perhaps, be fancied at the outset, that I am about attempting to throw entire discredit on 
the massing system; before I conclude, it will be seen that such is by no means my intention. It is 
almost unnecessary to observe here, that figure and colour are two simple terms, which express very 
nearly all the beauties of the parterre. Of course, colour must be placed first on the list, for without 
this the plot would cease to be a flower-garden; no amount of elegance of form, or beauty of outline, 
can compensate for the want of this. 
Nevertheless, it must, I think, be confessed, that form—whether individual or collective—and 
general outline, are too little heeded; and herein, as I conceive, lies one of the principal faults in 
modern flower-gardening—a fault to which the massing or clumping system is peculiarly liable. As 
to individual form, I would suggest that no amount or mode of planting of such things as Scarlet 
Geraniums, German Stocks, German Asters, &c., alone in beds, can ever produce that light and free 
outline, which is, and ever will be, a great essential of beauty in any given mass. Plants, whose 
individual character is that of flat-headed, can never accomplish this of themselves ; and herein lies a 
fact which would seem to invalidate the principle of massing, when confined to one hind alone. 
If such be admitted, the question arises, how is this to be amended, for he who is anxious to pull 
down, should be prepared to build. Now, I must confess that I am not at all desirous to repudiate the 
benefits arising from a judicious use of the massing system; or, in other words, that mode of using 
colours in the parterre, by which such striking and glaring effects are produced; for a thing in these 
days is little heeded, unless it is what may be termed striking. 
In the first place I would inquire, why—even admitting the massing system to be the only one— 
why, I say, a bed must be composed of flowers of one hind ? Although it may not be desirable to 
introduce a host of colours, harmonious or contrasting—such as prevailed in the mixed beds of former 
days—why not use two, three, or half-a-dozen kinds, as the case may be, in order to carry out a proper 
expression in point of form, together with elegance of outline; and this, too, without any sacrifice in 
point of colour, and thus a uniform blaze of one shade be exchanged for a judicious relief? Thus, in a 
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VOL. II. 
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