December 9, 1905. 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“ To throw a perfume on the Violet 
Is wasteful and ridicu’ous excess.”— Shakespeare. 
vwv 
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AN AMATEUR’S LETTER 
TO AMATEURS. 
By the Author of “ The Garden Decorative 
etc., etc. 
XVIII. 
The Possibilities of the Small Garden. 
Too many people possessing a slip of garden 
shut in by the straight lines of palings fail to 
seize any capacity for character and beauty 
that even such a plot of ground may be made 
to yield. A distressing sameness is to be found 
in ninety-nine out of a hundred of such gardens. 
The same ground plan, the same variety of 
plants and shrubs, and the same miniature 
lawn. How well we all know how to sum up 
these small garden plots. But it need not be 
thus, as now and then the sight of some beauti¬ 
ful and original garden of the same uncom¬ 
promising shape testifies. The, present is the 
most favourable season in which alterations may 
be effected ; and it may be that a few sugges¬ 
tions as to how the garden may be made more 
decorative will prove helpful. Only the other 
day I took notice of a row of little round beds 
scarcely more than a foot and a half in diameter 
running down the length of the small lawn. 
Now such beds could never have a well massed, 
decorative effect. Far better would it have 
been to have cut away the grass between each 
bed and have made it a continuous border. 
That would have been to simplify the design, 
and severe severity and simplicity of design is 
of the utmost importance when dealing with a 
small plot. The grass edge to the pathway 
side might also have been dispensed with, and 
the border brought to the pathway itself, for by 
this plan—if there already exists a border on 
the far side of the pathway—we now get flowers 
on both sides, and this always has a far more 
striking effect. 
A Border Better than Beds. 
It might be taken as an almost invariable 
rule that it is better to make a border than a 
bed. Generally speaking, the border, even a 
small one, lends itself to bolder and more 
beautiful planting than the more formal bed, 
and it is a fact worth bearing in mind that a 
lawn is better left unbroken than “ peppered 
with a number of hideous little geometrical 
beds. 
Rockery at Far End of Lawn. 
Another grand possibility for beauty in the 
small garden is the treatment of the end of the 
lawn farthest from the house. I have re¬ 
peatedly noticed that this piece beyond the 
grass is planted with a few uninteresting and 
often overgrown shrubs. But if this is trans¬ 
formed into a raised rock-work bank it gives 
the opportunity of growing grand masses of 
brilliantly-coloured alpine and other rock- 
loving plants, and so introduces far more 
colour than otherwise could be achieved. We 
have not nearly enough striking colour well 
massed together, and in dwarf form, in the 
majority of our English gardens. Such a bank 
as I am describing need not be by any means 
costly, and even the making of it yields much 
pleasure to the enthusiastic gardener. Two or 
three shrubs can still be planted behind it if it 
is desirable to introduce objects of any consider¬ 
able height at this point, as so often is the case. 
This bank should be planted with, subjects 
that do not flower simultaneously if it is of 
but short dimensions, so that it may yield its 
brilliant patches of colour over a long period. 
Double Arabis, Aubrietia, Veronica rupestris, 
Dianthus a’pinus, Oxalis rosea, Potentilla 
nepalensis, Gazania splendens, Sedum Ewersii, 
S. spectabile, and Iberis semperfiorens, to¬ 
gether with Saxifraga camposii, should yield 
blossom from early spring to late autumn ; and 
shrubby subjects such as the Rock Roses, the 
Rock Cistuses and Cotoneasters will add much 
boldness and character. 
Arches to Pathways. 
Arches are invaluable in adding beauty to 
the small garden, but I have treated them so 
lately that I give them but passing mention 
here, but I may add, however, that their beau¬ 
tiful effect is wonderfully enhanced if they span 
a pathway that has a flower border on its either 
side such as I have described in my first para¬ 
graph. Clematises, Roses, Honeysuckles may all 
be used to clothe them, or one subject only, if 
we wish for a more striking effect. I could tell 
of a little suburban garden pathway spanned 
by half a dozen arches all planted with the 
large-flowered Clematis Jackmanni. It is a 
grand feature, the very making of what in con¬ 
sequence stands out in my mind as a striking 
and beautiful garden. 
Harmony and Sense of Units. 
Those who have studied garden design know 
the true value of restraint in the garden. This 
applies not only to design, but also to the 
planting and choice of subjects ; and no one 
needs to practice it more strenuously than the 
owner of the small garden. I write emphati¬ 
cally on this point, because I feel that few 
realise what it implies, and it is a subject not 
dealt with nearly enough by writers on gar¬ 
dening. A small garden needs to be dealt with 
almost after the manner of a single border in a 
larger place if harmony, a sense of unity, and 
beauty are to be the result. 
Choice and Suitable Shrubs. 
When we come to the choice of shrubs for 
the small town garden we have much to con¬ 
sider. Every object introduced into such a 
garden has to fill an important place in the 
general scheme, and, if possible, to enhance the 
beauty of other subjects. Shrubs are often re¬ 
quired for background, also for cutting, off one 
portion of the garden from another, in some 
cases for shelter, or for screens. Let ns deter¬ 
mine first and foremost the chief purpose each 
shrub is to fill, then choose the variety that 
shall most decoratively achieve this. I know- 
I am right in saying that too often we over¬ 
estimate the value of the commoner forms of 
evergreen shrubs as compared with many 
beautiful flowering varieties of a deciduous 
habit, and I would remind my readers now that 
the season for planting these latter has arrived 
that the smaller-flowering shrubs have very 
beautiful decorative effect. Daphne mezereum, 
Deutzia crenatafforepleno,Forsythia,Hydrangea 
paniculata, Cistuses, and Hibiscus are all suit¬ 
able, and each one has its own characteristic 
beauty. Then there is that charming subject, 
Magnolia stellata, one of the handsomest shrubs 
we can possibly grow ; it often grows to far 
greater perfection in the small garden than in 
larger ones where it is more exposed to 
cold spring winds. It should be remembered 
that the palings bounding these small gardens 
afford welcome shelter in the case of this 
Magnolia. I could tell of it in great masses of 
white blossom in a small suburban garden 
where it is as good as ever it is at Kew 
Gardens. The palings yield it. just the protec¬ 
tion necessary to prevent the glistening white 
petals from being discoloured by the wind and 
frost, for it is in full flower in March. 
E. M. Wells. 
Californian Cherries for England.—I t- is 
expected that next year Californian fresh 
Cherries will be dispatched to England, pre¬ 
served by a newly-discovered vacuum process, 
to compete with the early Frenoh fruits. It is 
also thought probable that selected Cali¬ 
fornian Peaches may make their acquaintance 
with the British public, as well as Grapes. 
The Californian Cherries are exceedingly early 
and fine. 
