228 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 15, 1861. 
old ones sought after with an avidity which enthusiasm only 
can throw into such matters, and the success or failure of each 
new aspirant to floral honours duly recorded. This praiseworthy 
emulation of each cultivator trying to excel his neighbour, is 
highly honourable to all concerned, and improved ways of pro¬ 
pagating, growing, and preserving plants suitable for the parterre 
have received so much attention from other quarters, that I need 
not refer to that here, but will at once strike into a subject which, 
if not entirely new, has certainly never yet received the attention 
it deserves from those who have the best chance to carry it into 
effect, and if it has been carried out elsewhere with that appro¬ 
bation which I fully expect it would receive from all who have 
seen it, the parties who have been so practising may fairly be 
accused of hiding their light under a bushel; but now as I 
mean to explain the way in which the object is accomplished 
here (Linton Park), I trust others (if there be any such), will 
also describe the modes they adopt for the same end. The 
subject being one that has received little or no attention from 
the pens of floricultural writers, yet it is, nevertheless, of more 
importance than many objects much time and attention have 
been bestowed upon, is “ winter decoration of flower gardens.” 
The readers of The Cottage Gardener may, perhaps, re¬ 
member, that at pages 144 and 160, in Yol. XXIII., Mr. Fish 
in describing several features of this place, alluded to the winter 
decoration, but as winter had not set in when he was at Linton, 
and, consequently, he did not see the effect produced, I will 
endeavour, with the aid of the accompanying figure, to describe 
what has been done in that way, first of all explaining some 
particulars of the situation which may not be known to such 
readers as have not the volume in question to refer to. 
The position of the mansion at Linton is well chosen to have 
both an extensive prospect of the distant country, as also a 
commanding view of near objects. Situated about midway up a 
ridge of hill running east and west, it is well sheltered on the 
north by the still higher ground and suitable plantations, while 
it is sufficiently elevated on the southern side to command the 
grounds and adjacent country in front of it. Immediately in 
front of the mansion (which presents a frontage of about 150 
feet), is a terrace 30 feet wide, supported by a retaining wall 
surmounted by an ornamental balustrading. This wall is 7 feet 
high, and is covered with creepers of various kinds. A succession 
of broad landings and slopes extend to the area below, which 
for distinction we may call the basement, on which the flower 
garden now treated of is placed. A broad flight of steps with 
corresponding landings leading down the centre of these slopes, 
facing the centre of the mansion, and communicates with the 
terrace by two flights of side steps. The sides of the slopes 
where not cut into other artistic figures, being planted with 
Laurel cut to a proper form with Cypresses and other trees, 
forming prominent objects at proper places. This, however, need 
not be explained further than to say, that the successional slopes 
and landings extend to a distance of about 100 feet, with a 
perpendicular descent of 28 feet. The basement being a level or 
nearly so, is converted into the flower garden, an oval 90 feet by 
68 feet, forming the central compartment, and having its longest 
diameter pointing to the mansion resembles a circle to the eye. 
The angle of elevation about 2S°, giving it that appearance from 
the terrace. This will be easily understood by those having any 
knowledge of perspective and may observe that it was to answer 
that purpose that an oval, instead of a circle was formed as a 
central figure. This will explain the reason which otherwise 
might not appear excusable to those who see the outline only on 
paper. 
Now, I need not tell the bedding-out gardeners that a bed of 
the size mentioned above swallows up a multitude of plants. 
True it is a three-feet grass verge surrounds it, still we have a 
bed 84 feet by 62 feet in one complete mass. The planting of 
this has always been done by preparing a geometric plan not too 
intricate in its parts, and yet forming an agreeable whole, and 
rarely more than three or four colours are used, and plants of 
as near a uniform growth as possible are used, so that when once 
planted their present as well as after growth may always present 
a flat, level surface, with the outline of the several divisions 
clearly shown; and all this ought to be done with very little 
after-labour in the way of trimming, for a bed of the dimensions 
given affords no chance to do much to it without getting into it, 
and the less this is done the better. Generally speaking, we 
manage to have it so as to require no further trimming after the 
plants are once fairly met. Tom Thumb and Mangles’ Yariegated 
Geranium, with Purple King and a Plum-coloured Verbena, a 
rather dwarf, shrubby yellow Calceolaria and Yariegated Alyssum, 
are the principal plants we use. The last-named plant being the 
most useful of any, it being compact and uniform in its growth, 
and the most continuous white-looking plant we have. We use 
it extensively in this bed, intersecting Tom Thumbs and other 
things so as to produce a sort of embroidery, which, as this plant 
keeps pace with the Geranium, continues to the last and even 
after the wetness of the autumn has washed off all that remained 
of the Geranium flowers, the curved lines of this Alyssum formed 
a good contrast with the deep-green leaves of Tom Thumb. I, 
therefore, have no hesitation in placing this plant first in the list 
for giving a useful and lasting character to this kind of flower 
gardening, and as it forms a sort of hedge or boundary, such 
spreading plants as Verbena may be cut in when crowding too 
much upon it; but we seldom plant any Verbena but those of 
an upright rather than a spreading character, excepting occasion¬ 
ally planting Verbena pulchella near the edging; but this has 
not always been done, as it does not always last through the 
season. 
It need hardly be remarked, that bj planting as described above 
a different pattern is adopted every year, and this is more easily 
done and its appearance more effective than by altering the 
colours of a number of little beds all of the same shape each 
year ; but to those who have never seen the effect of a large bed 
like the one described (and that is not the only one we have and 
treat this way), but would like to try their hand in planting one 
in that way, I would earnestly entreat them not to attempt to 
introduce too much intricacy into their design, a few bold, well- 
defined lines, or figures of a simple shape, have the most pleasing 
effect when viewed at a distance of—say 100 feet (the centre of 
our bed being about 200 feet from the terrace), as at that distance 
fine, well-meant scrollwork and other embellishments which 
look well on paper would only confuse what would otherwise be 
agreeable. It is, therefore, prudent not to try too many figures 
at first, neither too many colours. Nothing looks better than a 
mass of Tom Thumbs of not less than forty or fifty over with 
lines of Alyssum, cutting it up like embroidery or braid into a 
number of simple yet agreeable shaped forms, and not too many 
of these, but as tastes vary much, some may, perhaps, like more 
diversity. 
Now, as the planting of large masses like the above may, 
perhaps, frighten those who have not the plants to do it with, 
and some also may object to the raw appearance which such a 
large space of naked earth must have in the winter, I may say 
that we get over this difficulty in a manner still more novel and 
certainly more original than the way in which the planting is 
done. I have for many years thought our general system of 
winter decoration of flower-beds very defective. A few bulbs, or 
it might be annuals or early-blooming herbaceous plants, were 
generally planted after the tender things had been destroyed and 
the beds dug in the autumn ; and the result was that there was 
scarcely anything whatever to rest the eye upon, from November 
until the end of March, but the raw earth of the bed. True it 
is that now and then a few dwarf shrubs were stuck in to attract 
attention, but they seldom presented that healthy inviting aspect 
which was at all pleasing. And as the majority of families of 
rank spend more of their winter months in the country than 
any other, the grounds ought to present as ornamental an 
appearance as possible during that time; and as flowers are out 
of the question for the beds, something else must be substituted. 
It w r as, therefore, with a view to supply this want that I have 
for some winters adopted the plan of managing that portion of 
our terrace garden of which a figure is given below, which is a 
copy of the design used the present season, but, it is needless to 
say, will be altered next. Neither do I assert that it is the best 
that can be made, but it is here offered as an example of the 
kind of decoration adopted. 
It being already explained that the bed is surrounded by a 
three-feet-wide grass verge, it is only proper to say that when 
the bedding plants were taken up at the end of October the 
ground was trenched, so as in some degree to compensate it for 
the loss of the winter’s fallow ; the surface was then trodden 
firmly over when it was dry, and it was rolled or beaten with a 
shovel, and made as smooth as well could be. The design now 
given was then marked upon it with a pointed stick; and broken 
stones, of the size that road-surveyers and others would accept 
as likely to pass through a two-inch ring, were set in an even 
and uniform way along each mark. Pebbles would have been 
better, but we have not got any, and a little care in picking 
over a heap of broken road-stones, so as to get them as nearly 
