Sei  tcnibcr  17,  1S03.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
2C3 
OW  Time  Gardening. 
{Continued  from  j\  91). 
Bacon’s  princely  garden  and  Lawson’s  country  garden 
would  in  conjunction  afford  us  a  very  incomplete  notion  of 
the  condition  of  gardening  had  not  John  Parkinson  supplied 
in  his  incomparable  “Garden  of  Pleasant  Flowers  ”  details 
of  the  rich  material  with  which  our  old-time  country  gentle¬ 
women  had  it  within  their  powers  to  furnish  and  embellish 
their  gardens.  Nothing  whatever  novel  in  the  arrangement 
of  a  garden  occurs.  Knots,  mazes,  mounts  and  all  the  rest 
continue  as  formerly,  but  the  number  of  flowers,  princi¬ 
pally  “  outlandish  ”  flowers,  are  enoi-mously  increased,  and 
in  fact,  for  all  the  purposes  of  garden  decoration,  allowing 
somewhat  for  what  a  florist  would  consider  a  weakness  in 
quality,  it  is  clear  that  a  garden  in  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century  could  have  been  furnished  with  as  varied 
a  selection  of  beautiful  flowers  as  it  would  have  been  possible 
to  supply  during  the  next  two  hundred  years.  Even  to-day 
we  may  well  doubt  whether  numbers  of  gardens  possess 
treasures  of  floral  beauty  equal  to  the  “  Garden  of 
Pleasure.” 
The  author,  indeed,  declares  it  possible  to  have  a  garden 
gay  with  flowers  in  nearly  every  month.  “  Whosoever — 
may  have  for  every  moneth  severall  .colours  and  varieties 
even  from  Christmas  untill  Midsommer  or  after,  and  then, 
after  some  little  respite,  untill  Christmas  againe,  and  that 
in  some  plenty,  with  great  content  and  without  forcing,  so 
that  every  man  may  have  them  in  every  place.”  He  mentions 
about  a  hundred  Daffodils,  ten  Fritillarias,  fifty  “  Jacinths,” 
“  some  like  unto  little  bells  or  starres,  other  like  unto  little 
bottles  or  pearles,  both  white  and  blew,  sky-coloured  and 
blush,  and  some  starlike  of  manv  pretty  various  formes.” 
Then  of  Crocus  there  were^  twenty  sorts,  Lilies  as  many, 
Tulips  beyond  reckoning,  and  Anemones  the  same.  Carna¬ 
tions  of  every  colour  in  great  variety,  with  Auriculas,  Pinks, 
Holikocks,  Hepaticas  in  ten  sorts,  and  a  great  variety  of 
other  flowers.  A  lengthy  chapter  on  the  Carnation  estab¬ 
lishes  the  fame  of  this  the  queen  of  hardy  flowers,  and  shows 
the  extraordinary  hold 
it  must  have  already 
gained  as  a  high-class 
garden  flower. 
The  cultivation  of 
the  Tulip,  too,  is  re¬ 
corded  at  much  length 
and  with  not  a  little 
clearness  in  the  de¬ 
tails,  and  with  regard 
to  the  treatment  of 
Daffodils  it  would  be 
quite  safe  to  follow 
bluff  John  as  a  guide. 
He  shows  that  this  bul¬ 
bous  plant  and,  per¬ 
haps,  some  others, 
may  be  kept  out  of  the 
ground  without  harm 
till  the  end  of  the  year, 
and  that  they  bear 
transplanting  at  the 
flowering  stage  with 
impunity,  the  latter  a 
wrinkle  that  every 
present  day  gardener 
has  not  appropriated. 
Names  are,  of 
course,  a  difficulty. 
Though  there  were 
plenty  of  Sno'vC'drops, 
we  must  look  for  them 
among  bulbous  Vio¬ 
lets  !  and  though  he 
pictures  and  treats  on 
the  Tuberose,  it  is  by 
name  of  the  Indian 
knobbed  Jacinth. 
Tradescantia  virginica 
is  described  as  the 
soon-fading  Spider- 
wort  of  Virginia,  and 
is  included  in  a  chapter 
devoted  to  St.  Bruno’s 
Tritoma  uvaria.  (See  page  262.)  and  St.  Bernard’s 
Lilies,  which  the  author  thought  possessed  affinities  in  com¬ 
mon  with  the  Tradescantia.  A  very  extensive  collection  of 
Irises  is  named,  and  described  under  a  variety  of  sectional 
names.  Even  a  few  Orchids  were  admitted  into  this  garden. 
Orchis  latifolia,  O.  maculata,  Habenaria  bifolia,  Ophrys 
apifera,  aud  ().  Myodes. 
Among  Auriculas  we  have  to  look  for  Ramondia  pyre- 
naica,  which  was  distinguished  by  its  Borage  leaves  from 
other  sorts.  It  is  curious  to  come  upon  this  and  other  plants 
W'e  now  know  under  different  designations  ;  another  of  which 
may  be  mentioned  is  Kochia  scoparia,  here  called  “  Scoparia 
or  Belvidere  Italorum  Broome  Tod  Flaxe.”  Thalictrum 
aquilegifolium  figures  as  Spanish  Tufts  or  Tufted  Colum¬ 
bines,  and  Adonis  vernalis  is  “  The  Great  Oxe-eye  or  the 
yellow  Anemone.”  Tomatoes  were  cultivated  along  with 
Medicagos  (called  “  Snails  ”)  as  curiosities  in  the  flower 
garden. 
Not  the  least  interesting  phase  of  gardening  was  the  hold 
that  shrubs,  evergreen  and  flowering,  had  gained  in  English 
gardens;  Lilacs,  various  Clematis,  Laurustinus,  varieties  of 
Cherry  with  double  flowers,  Solanum  capsicastrum,  Rhus 
typhina,  Virginian  Creeper,  Crataegus  pyracantha,  and  our 
now  common  Laurel,  as  well  as  Portugal  Laurel,  being  a 
selection. 
A  few  of  the  better  class  herbs,  especially^  those  with 
variegated  foliage,  were  cultivated  among  flowers.  Among 
these  we  discover  the  tricolor  Sage,  which  at  present  is  very 
rare,  but  not  by  any  means  an  undesirable  plant.  Basil, 
“  Lemon”  and  variegated  Thyme  and  Sweet  Marjoram  also 
w'ere  highly  esteemed:  of  the  latter  it  is  remarked  "The 
Sweet  Marieromes  are  much  used  to  please  the  outward 
senses  in  nosegays  and  in  the  windows  of  houses.”  In  this 
we  have  surely  lost  something.  Then  he  mentions  “  y^ellow 
or  golden  Hyssope — so  pleasant  in  colour,  especially  in  simi- 
mer,  that  they  provoke  many  gentlewomen  to  weare  them  in 
their  heads  and  on  their  armes  with  as  much  delight  as  many 
fine  flow’ers  can  give.”  Adorning  arms  with  vegetation  seems 
to  have  been  very  common  at  this  period,  among  other 
material  used  being  the  green  Straw  berryq  spjecimens  of 
which  I  saw  exhibited  perhaps  twenty  years  ago  iu  Ediu 
burgh.  How  easy  to  satisfy  with  flowers  were  the  grand 
dames  of  London  is  further  proved  by  Parkinson’s  desci'ip- 
tion  of  a  nosegay. 
In  describing  Tropjeolum  indicum,  he  remarks  :  "  The 
w'hole  flower  hath  a  fine  small  sent,  very^  pleasing,  which 
being  placed  in  the  middle  of  some  Carnations  or  Gillo- 
flowers,  make  a  delicate  Tussimussie,  as  they'  call  it,  or 
nosegay,  both  for  sight  and  sent.”  Could  anyffhing  be 
simpler  in  material  or  more  charming  in  the  effects  proposed  1 
Before  leaving  this  enticing  part  of  the  subject  I  must 
mention  the  custom  related  by  our  author  of  gentlewomen 
(obviously  confined  to  bed  bv  illness)  decorating  their  beds 
w'ith  a  Calamagrostis  “  tyed  in  tufts,  to  set  them  instead  of 
feathers  about  their  beds— when  as  they  have  been  much 
admired  of  the  Ladies  and  Gentles  that  have  come  to  visit 
them.” 
Like  all  his  predecessors,  Parkinson  found  it  impossible 
to  conclude  his  book  without  having  something  to  say  of 
vegetables  and  of  fruit  trees,  and  though  less  esteemed  at  the 
present  day,  his  remarks  on  these  are  equally  valuable  with 
those  on  flowers.  For  example,  he  informs  us  that  Muske 
Melons  had  lately  come  into  cultivation,  but  w'e  gather  that 
more  had  failed  than  those  that  had  succeeded  in  bringing 
fruit  to  perfection.  The  best  seed  is  said  to  be  Spanish. 
When  it  is  noted  that  bell-glasses  were  the  best  covering 
available,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  success  should  have  been 
problematical.  As  to  the  quality  of  the  fruit  wh^n  ripe,  we 
are  left  to  conjecture,  but  it  w'as  eaten  with  pepper  and  salt 
and  drowned  in  wine  !  Cauliflowers  were  very  uncommon, 
ancl  the  plants  were  raised  on  hotbeds,  and  seem  to  have 
been  very  late,  as  frost  is  said  to  destroy  the  plants  before 
heads  were  formed.  Tobacco  was  now  and  for  long  after 
cultivated  as  a  garden  herb,  and  it  is  incidentally  mentioned 
that  Liquorice  was  planted  by  the  acre.  It  is  curious  to  read 
to-day  that  Bloodwort  (Rumex  sanguineum)  was  one  of  the 
principal  vegetables  cultivated  in  a  garden,  being  in  con¬ 
stant  use  in  cookery.  Cabbages,  as  still  practised  by  cot¬ 
tagers  in  Scotland,  were  set  along  the  outer  portions  of  other 
V  0  ^  0 1  S/Il)  1 0  s 
In  this  compendium  it  is  interesting  to  fall  upon  the 
earliest  mention  of  Celery.  It  is  here  called  Sweet  Parsley 
or  Sweet  Smallage.  It  appears  to  have  been  introduced 
from  Venice,  the  Venetian  Ambassador  having  been  the  first 
known  to  have  cultivated  the  plant  in  his  garden  “  neare 
