344 
January 26, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Hints for 
mateurs. 
GARDEN LAWNS. 
It has been very truly said and written that‘‘A 
smooth and verdant lawn ij an abiding source of 
pleasure.” When travellers, especially Americans 
and Australians, come to this country, if it be in 
summer, one of the features that first impresses 
itself upon their notice is the greenness and velvety 
quality of our English lawns. Green of all colours 
seems to be the most refreshing and the least weari¬ 
some to the eyes, so that lawns should even be given 
preference in many cases to flower beds, to 
shrubberies, or other features. We are so accus¬ 
tomed to see hard stony surfaces—houses, pave¬ 
ments, highways, and all these things that really fag 
out the mind, that the merits of lawns for their rest¬ 
giving inherency comes to be more and more felt. 
And then again without good lawns where could we 
enjoy our games at bowls, at croquet, or tennis ? 
The cinder courts that are sometimes laid out in 
place of lawns, seem to rob a game of tennis of all its 
pleasure and make it seem like a task perforce to be 
performed. 
Lawns are so often made by sowing, and such 
fine, thick, smooth lawns can be had in from four to 
six months from the time of sewing, that in the 
meantime I do not mean to write of the turving 
method. 
Soil.—-It is not enough merely to level a piece of 
ground and to sow the seeds ; good soil is necessary, 
if good lawns are desired. Poor or improper drain¬ 
age and a sterile soil causes the production and 
spread of moss in lawns; and very frequently the 
same causes act in establishing weeds. It is thus 
imperative to make the preparations carefully and 
with pains, from the very beginning, Very often the 
lawns of many gardens are in summer, if not abso¬ 
lutely an eye sore, at least not a pleasure. Daises, 
Plantagos, and Dandelions, may be seen crowding 
through the grass, and are the occasion of much 
work and a good deal of worry to the poor gardener 
who wishes to present a fresh green view. Bad turf 
and inferior grass seeds are the general causes of the 
origin of these weedy lawns. Light soil should be 
enriched and if the quality is very light indeed, that 
is, if the sand amounts to over 70 per cent, it will be 
necessary to top-dress the ground with good loam. 
Such a dressing should not be less than from three 
to four inches. The expense will necessarily be 
great unless the soil can be got just at hand. On 
the other side of the question a heavy or peaty soil 
must be drained. The drainage for a lawn need not 
be so nice in all its details as the drainage system 
of drives, grass rides, or kitchen gardens. Still, the 
drains must be close enough and so perfectly laid as 
to be sufficient to carry off the surplus water. From 
12 ft. to 15 ft. apart is generally near enough, and a 
fall of 1 in. in 15 ft. will keep the water moving 
along the drains. The 3-in. pipes should be laid on 
a firm bottom at a depth of 3 ft. or 3$ ft. Few 
lawns, except those immediately around the owner’s 
dwelling, are so elaborately prepared. But I ask, is 
it not more economical to spend time an I money at 
the start than have to relay the whble lawn, and to 
keep men eradicating weeds or making patches here 
and there, after only a year or two of use ? 
I scarcely think we all appreciate the fact that the 
lawn is one of the finest features of any garden, 
large or small. It is a conspicuous and ever-present 
item in the composition, and what is its primary 
reason of existence ? Why, that of beauty, for the 
garden lawn, mind you, is distinct from the 
recreative lawns, as the tennis lawn, and the bowling 
green, which I have already mentioned. Being 
chiefly to please the eye, and to rest the feet—the 
one by viewing it, and the other by walking upon it, 
—the question of expense and some trouble in its 
primary formation, seems to be justified. 
Undulating ground, even though the soil is heavy, 
is usually quite well enough drained. Yet in this 
matter of drainage the question of rainfall, of local 
position, of night dews and other considerations 
must be borne in mind, and upon the extent of the 
influence of these things, the need of drainage will 
have to be determined. 
Levelling.—It is nearly always best to make the 
lawn even, that is to say, smooth. It need not 
necessarily be flat to the eye, but it should be con¬ 
spicuously “ gardenesque.” The gardenesque style 
of laying out aims at smoothness, roundness, beauty, 
without appearing at the same time, formal. It is a 
good style, and really the only style to any extent 
practised in laying out grounds at the present day. 
In the first instance when beginning to level, if the 
ground is markedly uneven, I always think it best to 
get an “ eye level,” that is, a surface that roughly 
seems level to one’s eyes when looking at it. Then 
the work of taking the ground piece-meal and 
obtaining a true level by means of pegs driven into 
the ground and to adjust a boming-rod, or a 
straight-edged lioe of wood, on these with a spirit 
level. For a dead level the latter would be used, 
while for a slope the horning rod would take the 
preference. Steep banks are liable to be scorched in 
dry, hot summers. It is seldom that steep banks or 
terraces are necessary, and they are certainly a 
great nuisance to those who have them to mow, 
besides being dangerous. Moreover, where lawn 
mowers are used upon them, these machines are 
sadly racked and twisted in the performance. With 
a little labour, steep grass slopes could be done away 
with, or if it is too much to make a gradual slope 
of them, it is better just to build an ornamental 
terrace. Even a common stone wall could support 
a terrace, and to hide the ugliness of such a creation, 
plant Ivy, or other evergreen hardy climber. 
Time of Sowing.—After having prepared the 
drainage (if any) to your satisfaction, and having 
settled the question about the quality and state of the 
soil, and also the proper level of the service having 
been attained, and a good, well raked, moderately 
firm tilth accomplished, the question of when to sow 
arises. So far as I have seen, it seems to be in every 
way best to wait till the end of March, or even well 
into April. If the seeds are sown before the first 
date, they take a longer time to germinate; they are 
exposed to the ravages of birds and cats, and the 
sower may begin to think that his seeds have been 
bad, or that his operations were wrongly carried 
through. Whereas, if the soil has received a fine 
warm shower, it will be nicely mellowed, softened on 
the surface and warmed. The seeds will then 
germinate readily and well, and should go ahead 
strongly to compose a close set lawn by the end of 
summer. Allow the grass to grow four or five in. 
before cutting it with a scythe. Choose dull, showery 
weather for the first cutting, for in hot sun-smitten 
'weather, the young plants are apt to receive a great 
check after losing their leaves. If dry weather pre¬ 
vails it is usual to scatter the cut grass over the lawn 
instead of at once raking it up. This saves the 
roots from being scorched. It is worth a note to 
say ihat cross sowing, first lengthways then across, 
is “ good practice,” as it tends to obviate the 
possibility of bare patches. The soil at seed sowing 
should be in a state to be raked without clogging, 
and to allow a roller to pass over. The seeds, of 
course, should be raked in with a wooden (not a 
steel) rake, and finally rolled with a moderately 
heavy roller. Duriog the first summer it may be 
necessary to water the surface of the lawns. From 
three to four bushels of seeds per acre are usually 
sown to form a new lawn. 
Present Work.—Peas may be sown in pots or 
boxes under glass for very early produce, say May. 
Carrots, Dwarf Beans, Tomatos, Milan Turnips, 
Lettuces, and Radishes should be sown in pots or 
frames, according to convenience or needs. Leek 
seed may also be sown in a cool house, whereas the 
others should be in a temperature of 6o°. Potatos 
for forcing may be prepared and inserted in frames. 
Ailsa Craig Oaions for April planting may now be 
sown, and sowings of First Crop Cauliflower and an 
early variety of Cabbage may also be put in. 
Seeds of Gloxinias and Cyclamens can now be 
sown. The hardy annuals may wait till toward the 
end of March, when they can be sown out of doors. 
Place Deutzias, Azaleas, and forcing bulbs as well 
as Strawberries, See , for early supplies into warm 
houses. Pot up Chrysanthemum cuttings.— Beacon. 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
"Amateurs' Page " on the tof> of their letters. 
China Roses for a Small Garden.— L. Keith : 
We are pleased to know of your success and hope 
you will continue to be a good rosarian. The dwarf 
varieties of Rosa indica.the Chinese or rather Bengal 
Rose, are not nearly enough made use of. For 
borders or for beds they are simply magnificent. 
The following are both select and quite hardy: 
Blush China, Old Crimson, Ducher (one of the best). 
Prince Eugene, Queen Mab, Cramoisie Superieure, 
Duke of Yoik, Irene Watts, Mdme. E. Resal, and 
Gloire de Rosomene. Plant these liberally in good 
garden soil and do not prune them very hard. 
List of Hardy Climbers — F. Wilson, South 
Hants. : For pergolas use the American Vine, Vitis 
Labrusca, Honeysuckles, Clematis Jackmannii, 
Humulus, the Hop, Polyantha,'and climbing Roses 
(see catalogues) ; Wistaria chinensis, and Virginian 
Creeper, Ampelopsis (Vitis) hederacea. For walls 
use Aristolochia Sipho, Akebia quinata, Crataegus 
Pyracantha, Cydonia (Pyrus) japonica, Roses like 
Gloire de Dijon, Ceanothus azureus grandiflorus, C. 
Gloire de Versailles, Gotoneasters, Garrya elliptica, 
Golden and Silver Ivies, also the fine leaved sorts; 
Kadsura japonica variegata, Periploca graeca, Schis- 
ophragma hydrangeoides, Jasminum humile, J. nudi- 
florum, and J. officinale. There are many fine things 
equally worthy of being grown, but as a rule they 
are not easily procured from nurserymen. 
Freesias.— R. T.: One of our Devon correspon¬ 
dents, Mr. J. Mayne, grows a few bulbsout of doors, 
but it is only in the sunniest and most favoured 
places even of Devon and Cornwall that Freesia 
refracta alba will do out of doors. £. — : . - 
__ -L £ 
Hardy Cyclamen. — Vernal: V^hat you send isnot 
C. Coum but C. ibericum. There is confusion with 
hardy Cyclamen in the collections of nurserymen 
and it would be to their own and their customers' 
advantage were they to have the species named by 
experts. C. Coum is known by its rather large, 
orbicular leaves which have no variegation or 
mottling upon them. The flowers are deep red. C. 
ibericum which also flowers very early is detectable 
at once by the gray zone on the leaves. Its flowers 
are also red, though paler than those of C. Coum. 
The latter has a white variety (C. C. album) and a 
rose-red one, C. C. carnea. C. Aitkinsii is a hybrid 
and is confused with C. C. album. Then the Ivy¬ 
leaved species (C. neapolitanum), or as it is other¬ 
wise called C. hederaefolium, is one of the most 
fragrant, if not the most fragrant, of the hardy 
species. C. neapolitanum with white or red flowers 
is easily recognised by its vigorous habit, its thin 
toothed foliage, with a dark centre bordered with 
gray. The leaves appear before the flowers have ail 
passed in autumn. The foliage of C. graecum does 
not come till after the flowers have disappeared. C. 
graecum blooms usually in September and October. 
C. cicilicum and C. europaeum are much alike. 
Lily Conference.—/. S.: The Lily conference to 
be held by the R.H.S. at Chiswick is fixed for July 
16th and 17th (see “Fixtures”). A serviceable 
cultural book would be Dr. Wallace's " Notes on 
Lilies," post free 5s. 6d. The second edition was 
published ia 1879. Mr. Baker, of Kew, prepared a 
general synopsis of all the known Lilies which may 
be found in The Gardeners' Chronicle for 1875, and is 
also summarised in Dr. Wallace's btJbk. 
Hyacinth or Scilla?— Robt. Berry : The Roman 
Hyacinth is not a species of Scilla. The Index 
Kewensis, besides other authoritative works, call it 
Hyacinthus romanus. We are cognisant of the fact 
that it was figured in the Botanical Magazine as 
Scilla romana. The true Roman Hyacinth is a 
fairly strong flowered bulb with tubular white 
flowers having a swollen or bulb-like corolla. They 
are not very fragrant. The Roman Hyacinth 
mostly grown for forcing is a slender variety found 
wild in the south of France and named H. orientalis 
albulus. Thus it is that one hears the market men 
speaking of the French "Romans” and the true 
Romans, the latter with the market men being the 
pure white variety. 
Market prices of Vegetables, &c.— W. M. : The 
Gardeners' Chronicle, The Journal of Horticulture, and 
The Gardeners' Magazine, publish each week the 
current market prices of vegetables and fruits. 
Another typically market paper, The Fruit Grower, 
Fruiterer, and Market Gardener, gives full details of 
the markets. These could be got through yout 
newsagent. 
