July 28, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
753 
of the Alder Buckthorn in berry, and a fine stem of 
Tutsan always a p ant of good omen, which we in¬ 
terpreted as foretelling an excellent cooling drink at 
the Brambletye Hotel at Forest Row, and a quick 
return home by train in good time for dinner, an in¬ 
terpretation which was fully justified.— JC. Stogdon, 
inglenook, Bellaggio, 
--- 
NATURALLY GROWN 
ROSES. 
By the above I mean Roses which are allowed to 
take their natural characters instead of being checked 
or directed. I was called in a few days ago to look 
over a place of considerable dimensions that had 
been unoccupied for almost two years. In more 
than one corner of the grounds a few Roses had 
been planted, and none of these had felt the knife 
during the two last seasons. Doubtless, the quality 
of the Roses would not have met the ideal of many, 
but the general lover of flowers for their natural 
gracefulness could not fail to admire the glorious 
festoons that were the result of this seeming neglect. 
In all cases where strong growers had been planted, 
the shoots so characteristic of this had climbed 
more or less among the shrubs and trees near at 
hand. In one case an old Quince tree was the sup¬ 
port selected. In another it was a Cercis siliquas- 
trura; again, in odd corners, and especially over 
what was evidently an old arbour, they were ramb¬ 
ling in the most delightful confusion. 
Too often the knife is used with far greater free¬ 
dom than is consistent with the highest phase of 
beauty among creeping and climbing plants. In 
this same tangled mass of plant life there are now 
some pretty festoons of Clematis Jackmanii, and as 
the Roses are not yet over, the effect is grand. We 
might do worse than follow the ideas Nature gives 
us in this respect. To see the climbing forms of 
Roses to the best advantage there should be nothing 
formal about them. In cottage gardens and over the 
outhouses of old-fashioned gardens we often find 
Roses and other climbers growing in the most 
charming manner. The grace of each is seen, and 
it is not difficult to arrange for a succession of beauty 
in varying forms. Our wild Roses give us a splendid 
example of this. How beautiful they have been this 
year we all know. Clambering among the roughest of 
hedges, always seeming to delight in some support 
of a less formal character than we can give them in 
a purely artificial way. 
It was my pleasure to see the new hybrid Sweet 
Briers, of which Lord Penzance is making a speci¬ 
ality, not only at many shows this summer, but also 
when in full beauty at Messrs. Keynes, Williams & 
Co.’s Nurseries at Salisbury. Before going into the 
nursery I had much admired several grand banks 
and spots of our wild Roses on the way from 
London, and was at once struck with the greater 
beauty and variety we might have by planting a few 
of these Briers in the garden. There is the additional 
charm of perfume, which is so pronounced that one 
may safely say some of them surpass the Sweet 
Brier itself. I imagine a few of these growing at 
will over the old hedge surrounding the muck hole 
of many gardens. I have just such a place in my 
mind at present. Behind a worn out Laurel and 
Privet hedge, some 8 ft. high, the garden rubbish is 
scarcely hidden. So old is this hedge that it is always 
suggestive of that behind it. One may say why not 
renew it, but that is more expensive than a remedy 
I will suggest. Nor would it hide the rubbish and 
answer its purpose so well for a long time. Rather 
plant some of the new Sweet Briers or other strong¬ 
growing Roses. The Briers would fight their way 
satisfactorily against the hedge, especially if used 
fairly well at first. We find the Brier choosing to 
live among other strong and vigorous plants natur¬ 
ally, and these new hybrids when I saw them late in 
June were exceptionally strong—lo to 15 ft. high. 
Colours I must not go into in these notes. All are 
most charming, and their floriferousness remarkable. 
An old tree stump, instead of being cut away, may 
well be utilised for some of our strongest Roses and 
Clematises. The effect is grand, and if we use the 
Jackmanii type of the latter—and there are now a 
good variety of colour in this section—we can en¬ 
sure a show of bloom immediately following the 
Roses, and thoroughly in keeping with their growth. 
I know of a long border or shrubbery where many 
of the Cedars and other plants that were getting be¬ 
yond bounds in size have been killed by ringing. 
Then the sprayest portions of branches were re¬ 
moved, and Roses, Clematises, Honeysuckles, &c., 
planted against them. The effect of these pillars 
with their graceful and natural aspects is grand. I 
say nothing against the tidy gardener, but I do say 
that we aim too much at formality to secure the 
highest phase of beauty from many of our Roses.— 
THE NEILL PRIZE. 
At the meeting of the Council of the Royal Cale¬ 
donian Horticultural Society, held on the nth inst., 
the Neill Prize was unanimously awarded to Mr. 
Alexander Kirk, gardener to John Paton, Esq., 
Norwood, Alloa, N.B. The extract from Dr. Neill’s 
Deed of Gift states that the sum of/5oois left to the 
Royal Caledonian Florticultural Society for the 
purpose of the interest thereof being applied in 
furnishing a medal or other reward every second or 
third year to any distinguished Scottish botanist or 
cultivator. The Council make an award under the 
deed every second year, and with the medal goes 
about /30 in money. Mr. Kirk is well known in the 
North as a very successful all-round horticulturist. 
He has been exhibiting for over twenty years at the 
Royal Caledonian Society’s shows, as also at the 
chief exhibitions in Scotland and England, and has 
won over 400 first prizes for fruits, flowers, and 
plants. One of his notable successes was at the last 
International show in Edinburgh, when he secured 
Mr. Alexander Kirk. 
the chief honours for his grapes, as was recorded in 
our columns at the time, and numerous examples of 
which were illustrated in our issue for December 
26th, i8gi. 
-«4-- 
FLOWER GARDENING. 
In common with many things flower gardening is 
largely influenced by the caprices of fashion. Old 
styles and methods are constantly re-appearing under 
somewhat modified conditions, and the present ten¬ 
dency, which we regard as a most healthful one, is 
towards a more extensive use of hardy flowering 
plants. It is to be regretted that comparatively few 
have any adequate knowledge of the number and 
beauty of the various sections of Herbaceous Plants 
available for flower garden decoration, and their 
general requirements to enable them to handle them 
so that the highest results obtainable will be secured. 
It is still too common a practice to treat them alike, 
just planting them in the spot set apart for them, 
tying up somehow when required during the summer, 
and at the close of the season clearing away all 
dead and dying stems, and at sometime during the 
winter digging between them, which is often accom¬ 
panied with the most disasterous results when the 
work falls to the lot of an ignorant and clumsy 
labourer, whose sole idea is to make everything look 
fresh and clean. 
Another danger to them is that many of the larger 
free growing things if not kept within their proper 
limits will overgrow and encroach upon their weaker 
neighbours, and as a large proportion of these hardy 
flowering plants are surface rooters, they also suffer 
considerably during a spell of dry weather from 
drought. When this takes place the full beauty of 
many among them is often lost. To guard against 
this, and ensure success, provision should be made 
for giving them copious supplies of water in case of 
need. To these three causes the greater number of 
failures in making the culture of this class of plant 
a complete success is attributable. But these present 
no insurmountable difficulties if they are put under 
the control of some one who really knows and under¬ 
stands their requirements. The provision of water 
may, however, prove a source of some trouble and 
expense. 
The planting and arrangement of them in the 
Garden so as to produce an effective and pleasing 
effect, is one of some difficulty, and cannot be done 
successfully without a fair knowledge of their general 
habits of growth, the height to which the plants 
grow, and their varied colours. In all places where 
there is sufficient scope for it, a special provision 
ought to be made for them. The ordinary straight 
borders to which they are often allotted are not the 
best positions in which to place them, because they 
do not admit the possibility of anything approach¬ 
ing an artistic arrangement. A good wide border 
backed up with shrubs, among which a few larger 
trees should be planted to afford some amount of 
shade, is far preferable. It ought to vary in width 
from a few feet to some 20 ft. or 30 ft., and to be of 
irregular outline. In the narrower parts, plants 
that are of medium growth and choice varieties 
should find their home, and the ground ought to be 
so disposed that varying aspects are secured to meet 
the requirements of both shade-loving plants, and 
those which delight to be placed in the full sun. 
As regards soil, the great majority of the plants 
under notice will do well enough in any ordinary 
garden soil, at the same time there are those for 
which special provision must be made. Peat loving 
plants ought to have a portion prepared especially 
for them where they can be planted together. The 
taller growing things will naturally be placed at the 
back of the wider portions of the border, at the same 
time, if dealing with the arrangement of borders of 
ample extent, we would arrange them so that when 
in full growth bays would be formed by graduating 
the heights so that room would be given for things 
of medium height running far back in the borders. 
This would help to break the monotony often found 
where attempts of this kind are made. In planting, 
the massive flat-headed things, such as Paeonies, 
ought to be interspersed with plants of light feathery 
growth to stand out and above them. In this con¬ 
nection we must put in a plea for the use of the 
many beautiful varieties of Clematis. A few of these 
climbing up Larch poles would prove most effective 
among hardy flowering plants and look more natural 
and at home here than they are on either walls or 
arches. A limited use of the hardy Bamboos, 
Arundinarias, Eulalias, Gyneriums, and Arundos 
as dot plants placed in conspicuous positions will 
add materially to the effectiveness of the scene. 
The prevailing taste among all classes is decided]^ 
better than it was some years back, so that the old 
herbaceous borders we were long since familiar with 
would not meet the requirements of the present time, 
because they presented a rather large surface of bare 
earth between the plants, favouring the idea of their 
being planted and correctly labelled to meet the 
requirements of a botanic garden where every plant 
must stand out separately for the benefit of those 
who wish to study its peculiarities or become 
acquainted with their names. Now how can such a 
departure from the teaching of Nature be really 
pleasing to the eye which although delighting in 
colour is not satisfied unless the general contour of 
the picture produced satisfies the demand for both 
harmony and contrast in the scene presented to 
view. Nature left to herself, provides a carpet for the 
soil from among and above which the taller growing 
plants rear their heads and display their special 
characteristics, and no garden will satisfy the artistic 
eye unless the teachings of Nature in this particular 
are followed. 
We find in our public parks beds with groundwork 
of creeping plants, above which plants with elegant 
foliage or richly coloured flowers rear their heads, 
and these are always among the most pleasing 
arrangements. Now why should not a similar 
system be followed in hardy herbaceous borders, 
there being at command a great variety of plants 
suitable for the purpose, which at present, with few 
exceptions, are only grown in limited quantities that 
