August  20,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
169 
from  the  bad  season  as  the  growers  in  particular  districts  where 
the  cultivation  is  largely  of  one  kind  of  fruit. — (“East  Anglian 
Daily  Times.”) 
Book  Notice. 
The  Wild  Garden.* 
Mr.  Robinson  observes  that  the  term  wild  garden  is  .somewhat 
misunderstood  ;  and  what  it  means  is  the  use  of  hardy  plants  from 
abroad,  naturalised  and  allowed  to  grow  according  to  their  nature 
without  “  culture,”  on  banks,  in  woods,  by  streamlets,  or  in  cop.ses, 
which  each  form  features  of  English  estates.  As  the  author  advo¬ 
cates  in  print,  so  does  he  practise;  and  the  charm  of  his  own 
the  finest  hardy  flowers  thrive  much  better  in  rough  uncultivated 
places  than  they  do  in  borders  where  the  soil  is  forked  and  hoed. 
Secondly,  they  are  seen  to  better  effect  amongst  grass  or  in 
natural  pieces  of  ground.  Thirdly,  their  decay  and  ijassing  away 
produces  no  disagreeable  effects  ;  and  fourthly,  the  question  of 
spring  gardening  is  solved,  and  by  naturalising,  the  minimum  of 
labour  is  required.  Indeed,  mowing,  except  for  shaven  carpets  of 
grass  here  and  there,  is  a  costly  mistake.  The  question  is  asked, 
“  Who  would  not  rather  sec  the  waving  grass  with  countless  flowers 
than  a  clo.se  surface  without  a  blossom?”  Yet  there  are  places 
where  they  boast  of  mowing  forty  acres  ! 
While  devoting  his  pages  almost  exclusively  to  hardy  exotics, 
the  author  advises,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  best  British 
plants  be  secured  and  naturalised  wherever  these  are  wanting 
on  an  estate.  In  his  own  case  he  has  introduced  many  subjects ; 
Clematis  x  Countess  of  Onslow.  (See  page  170.) 
splendid  garden  in  Sussex  is  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the 
naturalising  of  plants  amongst  the  grass  in  all  directions,  plants 
like  the  Everlasting  Pea,  the  Mulleins,  the  Montbretias, 
Heathers,  Asters,  Clematises,  Rock  Roses,  Sumachs,  Ceanothuses, 
and  a  host  of  beautifully  effective  subjects  to  which  culture,  as 
given  to  border  plants,  is  unknown ;  and  which  thrive  as  grandlj^, 
or  better,  than  they  do  in  their  own  native  homes.  And  what  a 
charm  they  have  in  their  abandon!  Masses  of  Montbretias  and 
Day  Lilies  covering  a  grassy  bank  like  soldiers  swarming  on  a 
hili,  their  own  bright  flowers  but  vieing  with  the  beauty  of  others 
around  them.  “  The  Wild  Garden,”  therefore,  is  written  to  tell 
what  can  be  used,  how  so,  and  to  furnish  examples  in  text  and 
illustration. 
The  reasons  in  favour  of  wild  gardening  are  that  hundreds  of 
*  “The  Wiki  Garden,”  by  Wm.  Robinson.  Illustrated  by  Arthur  Parsons. 
Fifth  edition.  John  Murray,  London.  Price  10s.  6d. 
white  Heather,  water  Forget-me-not,  also  the  wood  variety; 
Typhas  and  many  other  plants. 
In  dealing  with  the  innnumerable  subjects  suitable  for  wild 
gardening,  he  has  found  it  best  to  classify  all  plants  of  the  Globe¬ 
flower  order  (Ranunculaceoe),  the  Forget-me-not  fainily  (Bora- 
ginaceae),  Hmbellifers,  Compo.sites,  Ac.  Hardy  exotic  plants  of 
other  orders  are  treated  in  a  chapter  apart,  each  genus  having 
its  own  merits  discussed.  In  the  matter  of  fences  and  boundaries 
there  are  pages  of  intei-esting  records ;  while  the  qualities  of 
British  wild  flowers  and  trees  are  emphasised  and  their  employ¬ 
ment  urged.  Plants  for  dry  places  for  walls  and  ruins;  and 
plants  for  bogs,  streams,  lakes,  and  meadow.s,  copses,  and  up¬ 
lands,  are  tabulated  and  written  of  in  due  order,  the  love  for 
them,  and  experience  of  the  author,  contributing  to  lead  one  on 
in  his  intere.sting  chapters,  and  thereby  learn.  The  small  en¬ 
gravings  go  a  long  way  towards  helping  out  the  author’s  meaning 
and  sugge.stioniS. 
