74 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 6, 1860. 
PUTTEKIDGE BURY AND ITS FLOWER 
GARDENING. 
(Continued from page 60.) 
On entering the flower garden at Putteridge by the terrace 
walk at the east side of the mansion, the first object we meet with 
- is the long ribbon-border which runs parallel with the east walk. 
It is of considerable length, and returning at each end some 
distance. This border is about six feet wide, and there is a much 
greater width than that of grass between it and the walk. A break 
in it, caused by a noble vase being placed at the intersection of two 
walks, divides it in two compartments, which is made use of by 
planting them slightly different; but the features are the same, 
and the eye is not offended by the change. The border and walk 
run parallel with the east side of the mansion, but at some 
distance from it, and for distinction it might be called the “ east 
terrace w-alk.” This walk is bounded on the other side by the 
sunk panel garden, called, I believe, an Italian garden ; but as 
the outlines have already been described at page 60, the reader 
will be more interested in hearing the details. 
The east terrace ribbon-border having been in years gone by 
planted in stripes of various kinds with good and varied success, 
it was determined in the present season to alter this arrangement; 
and instead of the striped ribbon a spotted one was produced in 
the following manner :— 
sO 4 sO 4 30 30 
■O , ’O <) ! 0 
sO 4 3 O 4 3 O 30 
1. Calceolaria amplexicaulis, planted in a circle of about three 
feet and a half wide. 
2. Geranium Purple Unique. These two were planted alter¬ 
nately. 
3. Single plants of Geranium Alma—a good, variegated kind. 
4. Ground colour, Verbena pulchella, lavender blue. 
As before said, there was a break in this border, and the other 
portion was planted in precisely the same manner, only other 
plants were used—as thus :— 
1. Calceolaria viscosissima. 
2 . Ageratum mexicanum. 
3. Geranium Cerise Unique, single plants. 
4. Ground, Alyssum variegatum. 
It will be seen that the above arrangement made the circular 
dots stand clear above the ground colour, and the single plants 
did so also. Taken as a whole, perhaps this did not look so well 
as the continued stripe; but it must be borne in mind this 
border was mostly seen in a cross and not a lengthways direction 
—and it had been a striped border so often before, some change 
was necessary. The ground colours were well chosen, and the 
symmetry of the other plants could not well be improved upon. 
It looked pretty well. 
Turning westward at the south extremity of this walk we have 
the Italian garden again at our right, and on our left we have 
three circular beds each ten feet wide, raised a foot or more above 
the turf, and a bow like a handle spanning each bed. The rustic 
timber work which raises the bed is covered with Ivy, the dark, 
sombre appearance of which contrasts well with the paler hue of 
the turf and other things around. These three beds, with two 
small ones between them, occupy the same space on the left that 
the Italian garden does on the right; and these beds being 
planted to give a shaded character to the colour used, the edgings 
and handle are prominent objects. The first and last of the three 
large beds are planted alike—thus: Outer edge Ivy ; then one 
row of Cerastium tomentosum, intermixed with a few plants of 
blue Anagallis to hang over the edge; and the centre is old 
Scarlet Variegated Geranium and Verbena venosa mixed. The 
handle is clothed with a Tropceolum and a slight covering of Ivy 
—the latter confined to a mere twig or two : this looked very 
well. The deep green of the Ivy edge with the adjoining one of 
Cerastium contrasted strongly with the more subdued colouring 
inside ; and at the distance (say the mansion), the handles which 
faced that way had a good effect. The second bed had also the 
Ivy outer edge ; then a ring of Verbena pulchella, and purple and 
white Verbena mixed for centre. The handle was covered with 
a Maurandya and slight coating of Ivy—the latter, doubtless, to 
give the winter effect. This bed hardly so effective as the other 
two, but the centre good. The two small beds, each four feet 
wide, had a standard Rose trained on an umbrella-stand for centre. 
The outer edge of the umbrella was secured to the ground on its 
four cardinal points by wires bracing it in that direction. These 
wires, being stretched to the outer edge of the bed, had small 
creepers trained to them ; and as there were many such beds in 
the garden, this description will suffice for the whole. The bed 
being four feet wide, and the umbrella about two feet and a half, 
the wires had a slanting direction to meet it, the whole being 
about three feet and a half or four feet high. The two beds now 
in question were raised about six inches, the rustic work being 
covered by a rim of Sedum roseum, a hardy herbaceous plant 
much used at Putteridge Bury, and which, even when the flowers 
are in a withered state, looks well. The interior of these beds 
was a mass of Cerastium tomentosum. Both beds being alike, 
the wire being covered with creepers, as Lophospermum, Tropseo- 
lum, Maurandya, &c. 
As we are now close to the Italian garden it is right to take a 
glance at it, forming as it does a prominent feature in the place. 
It is, I believe, a square panel, sunk from three to four feet 
below the terrace which surrounds it on a level on all its sides. 
I am very sorry I did not ascertain its dimensions, but believe it 
to be about 200 feet square or thereabouts. An excellent broad 
walk with ample turf margin surrounds it on all sides, and there 
is a fountain-basin in the centre. The descent to it is by turf 
slopes, and with the exception of some stone pavement surround¬ 
ing the basin, the groundwork of the garden is all turf. L'he 
figure is like all similar gardens—a purely geometric one, but is 
more plain than many such gardens usually are—in fact, being 
on grass much intricacy cannot well be carried out. The beds 
were of fair average size, and numbered, perhaps, about eighty. 
Unfortunately I did not count them, being more intent on 
noticing the planting than the figure ; but I may say the divisions 
of turf were about four feet between the beds. 
This general description will enable the reader to form an idea 
of what Mr. Fish had to deal with ; and it is now necessary to 
turn to the planting, which, I have no hesitation in saying, was 
more to my mind than the plan of the garden itself. It would 
be impossible, in a narrative like this, to describe the individual 
plants used in each bed without a plan of the garden appearing 
with it, which is inconvenient; but it is proper to say that the 
planting w r as done in such a way as to have the whole of the beds 
of a uniform height, excepting those at the corners and adjoining 
thereto, which were lower, the four corner beds being the lowest 
of all, and those next to them gradually rising. This was very 
effectively done, and the harmony of colours was also good. 
Notwithstanding the untowardness of the season the Verbenas 
had done pretty well in most cases,, and were, in addition to 
Geraniums, Calceolarias, and Petunias, extensively used here, 
and the whole looked well in this garden. J. Robson. 
(To be continued .) 
WINTERING PLANTS IN A STABLE. 
PLANTING WILLOWS—CLIMBERS FOR A SUMMER-HOUSE. 
Mv gardener proposes placing on a stand in a three-stall 
stable all the plants he has removed from the beds and potted, 
to keep through the winter. They consist of Geraniums, Calceo¬ 
larias, Verbenas, Fuchsias, See. Do you consider this will 
answer? and will it be injurious to the horse P 
All my Willows which I planted this time last year died. 
Would you inform me the best month to plant them in ? And 
a3 I want a couple of handsome trees to plant on a bank sloping 
to the water, would you name two kinds, and where in the 
neighbourhood of London i am likely to meet with them ? I 3 
not the Napoleon Willow considered one of the best and most 
ornamental ? 
Having just erected a skeleton summer-house intended to be 
formed by covering it with creepers, I should be obliged by the 
names of those likely to cover it the soonest, and the proper 
time to plant them. The wood and iron work is 7 feet high, 
6 feet in length, and 5£ breadth. Would a free-growing Vine 
do for one plant ?— Teddington Lock. 
[“Where there is a will there is a way,** and on that principle 
your plants will be as safe in that stable as any such plants can 
be anywhere; but let the gardener have sufficient time to do 
them his own way. Bedding plants do no harm to horses, or 
to their owners if they are kept clfean and tidy in sleeping 
conservatories. 
