October 1, 1904 
weattered effects. Bunch or miass the 
planting. Distinguish sharply between 
the fundamental and:the incidentals, those 
things which are to give the character or 
tone to the place, and those which are em- 
bellishments or ornaments. 
Keep one or more spaces open. Plant 
the sides or boundaries with masses. Use 
single or individual plants only to empha- 
size or to heighten an effect, not to give 
at character; they are incidentals. Orna- 
ament should be an incident. Foliage is a 
fundamental. Greensward is the canvas 
son which the picture is spread. Plants are 
more useful for the positions they occupy 
%han for their kinds. Walks and drives are 
mo part of a landscape picture; they are 
za necessity, but they may be made to con- 
form to the spirit of the picture. 
The place for walks and drives is where 
they are needed, otherwise they have no 
wise or purpose. It is the part of a good 
dandscape gardener to make his grounds 
gonform to the buildings: it should equ- 
ally be the part of an architect to make his 
uildings conform to the landscape. Make 
wiews to desirable objects in the outlying 
Jandscape or the offscape. Obstruct the 
wiews to undesirable parts. Aim for a 
good prospect from every window in a resi- 
aicmce, including the kitchen. Shear the 
trees and bushes when hedges, curiosities, 
and formal gardens are wanted: let them 
assume their natural forms when landscape 
garden is wanted. Place no tree or shrub 
until you are sure it will mean something.” 
On a small piece of ground you cannot 
do much in a general way to imitate na- 
ture, but you should still heed her prompt- 
-amgs so far as is possible. It is just as 
difficult (though just as easy) to lay out 
and plant a city lot 50 x 100 ft., as it is a 
country estate of several acres, the prin- 
wiples involved are precisely the same. In 
the larger place we may have more details 
to engage our time and attention, but we 
also have a choice of several locations for 
dlesirable and necessary effects, for drives 
and walks, for large or larger trees, for 
bodies of water, and numberless other fea- 
dures necessary to the perfect harmony 
and completion of an extended acreage. 
Im the city lot of ordinary size the chief 
difficulty ig the one most naturally to be 
expected—the impossibility of having all 
you desire in the way of ornamental de- 
tails, and those you may have require a 
careful adjustment in order to effect per- 
fect proportion. A small plat affords no 
scope for variety of treatment, and, there- 
fore, ib is well not to attempt too much. 
_ Great care should be taken to hide all 
boundary lines, fences, walks, and drives 
from the house, the two last named being 
but necessary evils at best, and only tole- 
wated because we cannot do without them. 
1. Preserve open lawn centres. 2 
Plant in masses, not isolated. 
straight lines. ; 
“hough these three most important 
rules ,which must govern all true landscape 
gardening are quite comprehensive, they 
deal only with the great underlying prin- 
ciples, and leave untold much what to do, 
and what not to do in the ordinary make-up 
3. Avoid 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
‘of a garden, and we follow them with a few 
pertinent suggestions: 
Don’t have—regularity of arrangement ; 
large geometrical figures, out of all propor- 
tion to the size of the grounds; too many 
‘or too much, of walks and drives; unsuit- 
able ornaments and oddities; a mixture of 
“styles ;” rings of soil around trees and 
plants, by cutting out the lawn. 
Avoid monotony, nature never repeats 
herself. Give your grounds somewhat of an 
air of shelter and seclusion; it will then 
appear restful and home-like. : 
BULBS FOR THE GARDEN. 
By A. Campseti JOHNSTON. 
Bulbous plants are among the most 
beautiful ornaments of our gardens, and 
when well selected, some kinds may be seen 
in bloom every day in the year. Should 
you wish to experiment with them, plant 
bulbs 4 in. deep, and cover with at least 
6 in. of straw or lawn mowings, keeping 
the soil moist by sprinkling. 
It is important to plant nearly all bulbs, 
especially narcissi and lilies, as soon as they 
can be obtained, excepting, perhaps, iris 
and gladioli, which can be planted at dif 
ferent times to secure a succession of 
blooms. No fertilisers except bone meal 
should be used, ammonia in any form be- 
ing injurious to them. 
Narcissi, Chinese lilies, and Roman 
hyacinths, if planted early, and kept moist 
will bloom; closely followed by Allium 
Neopolitanum, scillas, and, if we have a 
shady spot, a few snowdrops, winter acon- 
its and crocuses, which, however, do not 
succeed well.  Freesias, sparaxis, especi- 
ally the scarlet dwarf forms and many of 
the beautiful race of old-fashioned daffo- 
dils, will constitute a most attractive fea- 
ture in our gardens, followed by early gla- 
dioli, especially the pure white Bride. 
The calochorti or butterfly tulips should 
not be neglected. Iris Hispanica and Iris 
Anglica come into flower, and we have re- - 
served some gladioli for late planting, 
which will keep the garden attractive. The 
beautiful family of montbretias, of which 
we have many new and improved types, 
and the numerous varieties of zephyran- . 
thes, will still keep up this floral proces- 
sion. Last of all will be the late planted 
-montbretias, antholyza, and a few late 
gladioli, and the yellow sternbergias and 
colchicums will bridge over the season. 
We should include in our garden a few 
clumps of amaryllis. An effective bed 
can be planted of Iris Hispanica and Iris 
Anglica, alternately mixed with the early 
white gladioli, and a few montbretias. This 
can be planted with pansies in the winter 
and portulacca in the summer. 
‘Another beautiful combination would 
be a bed of late gladioli and montbretias, 
with an edging of zephyranthes and the little 
yellow Sternbergia lutea, which would give 
us a lovely combination of flowers at a time 
when they are scarce. A good selection 
of daffodils and narcissi would afford us 
these old-fashioned flowers for four months 
in the spring. Emperor and Empress are 
with me the best late paper white nar- 
cissi, and N. princeps the best early variety. 
They are especially suited for a somewhat 
shaded location. I have not succeeded 
well with lilies, with the exception of the 
common white, as owing to a very common 
disease they are somewhat uncertain. They 
carely give satisfaction the first year, and 
are probably better grown in pots or in a 
lath house than in the open. - 
Though not strictly bulbs, our garden 
should include a bed of the agapanthus or 
blue African lily, mixed with hemerocallis 
or the day lily, with a few Japanese iris. 
This bed should be a little below the level 
of the paths, as it must be kept moist dur- 
ing summer. My experience has been in 
clay. Other treatment may be required 
in lighter soils. ; 
__A considerable outlay will be necessary 
if we went enough bulbs for ai start, but 
if we are prepared to wait, iris and gladioli 
multiply very fast, and are best taken up 
each year, divided, and replanted. 
PLANT FAMILIES. 
By L. A. G. 
The delighted plant lover, entranced by 
the rich color, grace, delicacy, and frag- 
rance of this plant or the majestic gran- 
deur of another may well feel that—for the 
moment at least—his cup of joy is full, 
but if he is so fortunate as to be in the 
way of acquiring a systematic knowledge 
of plants, an ever deepening interest is 
added to his pleasure. Systematic know- 
ledge is to be understood as relating to 
position in the vegetable world, or scien- 
tific classification. The “Natural System” 
which has universally superseded the ar- 
rangement of Linneus, aims in general 
terms to bring together plants having the 
greatest number of resemblances. Viewed 
in this light, botanical names become 
fraught with meaning—with an intelli- 
gence that constantly expands while gain- 
ing in pYecision in proportion to the ad- 
vance in experience; a panorama is pre- 
sented to the mind the details of which 
‘continually increase in interest and yivid- 
ness. 
Unsuspected resemblances between 
plants are often hidden by wide differences - 
in their general appearance, and from this 
follow the many curious ‘surprises to be 
found by glancing at a list of the genera 
of any one family. Let us then take, at 
haphazard, a few of the common plants of 
garden or field and see what they will tell 
us of relatives seldom considered as such 
except by specialists. 
Sitting in placid reflection upon your 
rose-embowered verandah, the sky-line is 
broken by the sombre spires of the blue 
gums, bowing in. majestic grace and 
haughty recognition to the gentle orange- 
scented breeze, as you gaze in contented 
mood, perhaps you would be startled into a 
belligerent denial if told that those trees, 
towering more than a hundred feet above 
the classic myrtle beside the house, were 
of the myrtle family. Yet such is the 
case. In this instance, the features com- 
mon to both plants are not easily recog- 
nised. They could be quickly determined 
