December 22 . 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR 
313 
M 
D 
j 
1 
D 
W 
DECEMBER 22—28, 1853. 
Weather np 
Barometer. 
ar London in 
Thermo. Wind. 
IS 52. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun Moon 
Sets. { R. & S. 
1 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
:if. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
22 
Th 
Black Duck comes. 
29.794-29.73s 
49—38 S.W. 
04 
7 a 8 
51 a. 3 11 G 
22 
- ■ — ■ 
1 4 
S5fi 
j 23 
F 
Orange-breasted Goosander comes. 
29.783-29724 
50—37 S.E. 
03 
50 morn. 
€ 
24 
0 34 
357 
24 
S 
White Nun comes. 
29.789—29.735 
56—4S S.W. 
09 
8 
52 0 23 
0 4 
I 25 
Son 
Christmas Day. 
29733—29.659 
52—41 W. 
— 
8 
53 1 42 
25 
26 
M 
St. Stephbn. 
29703—29.351 
55—45 S W. 
29 
8 
54 3 5 
26 
0 56 
27 
To 
St. John Evangelist. 
29,396—29.032 
54—36 : S.W. 
8 
55 4 32 
27 
1 25 
36 l 
28 
W 
Innocents. 
29789—29-525 
54—26 1 S.W. 
— 
9 
55 62 
28 
1 55 
362 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-si* years, the average highest and lowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 42.6° and 31.2° respectively. The greatest heat, 58°, occurred on the 25th in 1827 ; and the lowest cold 10° on the 
21th in 1830. During the period llfi days were fine, and on 66 rain fell. 
FLOWER-GARDEN PLAN—No. 11. 
Here is a geometric garden for a small space behind a 
house, by placing it lengthways, as shown; or for a front 
garden, between the house and the road or street, by putting 
it crossways, and doing away with the two centre circles 
(2 2) going up to the front-door, and squaring the ends of 
the long beds at the top and bottom of the garden. 
If the plan is laid longways from the house, the sis 
circles, marked 2, are the best of places for six pillar Roses. 
The beds marked 1, are for dwarf Roses, and herbaceous 
plants, Mimuluses, Violets, Pansies, Poppies, Anemones, and 
all manner of things. Nos. d and Tare for spring early 
Tulips, as the Van Thols, Golden Standard, Royal Standard, 
Rex Rubrorum, Marriage de ma Fil, and twenty others 
besides, if one can get them. The beds 5, G, 7, 8, to be of 
Crocuses of sorts, surrounded by Snowdrops, Snow-flakes, 
Turban Ranunculuses, and, indeed, any of these good, old 
common things that come on in the spring, and, at least, 
one of the squares to be with bedding-plants in summer. 
The two beds, 7, of Tom Thumbs, and bed 8, with yellow 
Calceolarias, and bed 4, the centre bed, all white; the white 
variegated Alyssum would be the best, or rather second 
best. Mangle’s variegated Geranium is certainly the best 
j for that bed, but a white Verbena will do. 
Then, by looking down on these from a back bedroom- 
I window every morning, and again in the afternoon, when 
I one went up to dress for dinner, and as often at other times 
as one had need to proceed upstairs, the eye would soon 
get accustomed to symmetry, and regular arrangement of 
colours and flowers, under various lights and shades, from 
the state of the weather; so that we should soon get rid of 
the vulgar prejudice of scarleting the centres of our flower- 
gardens for everlasting. 
Another great step would be gained by the use of such 
simple figures so planted. We should shame those who 
plaut in such abominable-shaped beds, as stars, triangles, 
kidneys, pears, oak-leaf shapes, and goodness knows how 
many more shapeless beds besides. 
I will maintain with all my might, and as long as there is 
breath in me, that Her Majesty, in all her gardens, has not 
a single flower-bed of better shape than any in this simple 
arrangement, nor better planted either; neither has her 
Grace the Duchess of Sutherland, nor the Honble. Lady 
Middleton ; neither at such public places as Kew Garden, 
nor that of the London Horticultural Society, will any one 
find beds one morsel better shaped than these. 
I put it thus, because I know that young beginners are 
not half so much afraid of anj-thing as about the shape of 
their flower-beds, and these observations are only meant 
for such. 
Another thing I have much in view, is to get this new 
class to take to growing Pillar Roses; and when the older 
hands see the immense improvement this will produce, 
they will come round, in time, to give up standard Roses 
altogether, except of the very strongest kinds, and they will 
let them grow as big as the Stone Pine of Italy, and some¬ 
thing of that shape, and mops, as patterns, will go out of 
fashion entirely, and for ever. 
The above plan may be repeated so as to occupy a much 
larger surface, as were the blocks of which the Crystal 
Palace was formed. A plan to show how that may be done 
is now ready, and will soon appear in these pages. 
D. Beaton. 
No. CCLXXIII., Vol. XL 
