Beautiful Gardens - How To Make Them And Maintain Them

Contents

The archive kept this book’s contents page but not its chapters. Each section is listed with the first lines it opened with.

1. Preface to Beautiful GardensModern flower gardening threatens to become almost as costly as our Army systems, which are formed and unformed with every successive Government. The best that the most influential member of the scho...
2. Part 1. Plans And Plants. Chapter 1. On The Ideal Home GardenBy the time the average man is able to contemplate making himself a garden the age for ideals has apparently departed. He has come to forty year, and tasted the bitterness of seeing the illusions of...
3. Chapter 2. On Garden ArtCharles Dickens is said to have once added the following warning to a letter of instruction to a contributor: Mind! no cant about Art. It is to be feared that there has been a great deal of cant ab...
4. Chapter 3. On The Size Of GardensThe temptation to have too large a garden is much greater than to have too small a one. By a process of reasoning that is not quite convincing, a man frequently persuades himself that he must have a s...
5. Chapter 4. On Laying Out GardensDesigning a garden is one of the supreme joys of life. The true garden lover will not dispose of it at a gulp; he will savour it, as he would a choice wine. While common minds are disporting themselve...
6. Chapter 5. On The Making Of LawnsVisitors from other countries frequently remark on the beautiful verdure of British lawns. Our humid climate has its part in this, but we should be doing injustice to our insular self-complacency if w...
7. Chapter 6. On The Adornment Of LawnsWe cannot very well think of a lawn without at the same time thinking of its surroundings. The material and the mechanism for making the lawn may be perfect, but it will not give its full effect unles...
8. A Rhododendron BayThe best soil for Rhododendrons is either peat or fibrous loam. Limestone and chalk are fatal. The soil should be cultivated at least 2 feet deep. April is the best month for planting. The plants may ...
9. Pillar ClematisesA group of pillar Clematises may be set in a circular bed of its own, or form the central figure in a large oval bed. In either case cultivate deeply and use lime. The supports should be at least 9 fe...
10. Stump RosesRoses are, of course, beautiful plants for arches and pillars, as we shall see in our special chapter on Roses; but fresh and lovely effects can be secured by inserting stumps here and there in a larg...
11. Beds Of Tea And Hybrid Tea RosesA bed of well-chosen Roses is a beautiful ornament of a lawn. In spring the young foliage is delicious in its tints, and from May to November there is always a sprinkling of flowers. The Teas and Hybr...
12. Trees And ShrubsOur lawn must have marginal tree and shrub beauty, both of leaf and bloom. We want shade, we want shelter, we want imposing effect, we want irregularity of outline: all these things trees and shrubs g...
13. Chapter 7. On Herbaceous BordersLet us clear the way by wrestling with the word herbaceous, which we all use glibly nowadays, but do not understand, just as we talk of mechanical motor valves and turbine engines without knowing wh...
14. Where Can We Establish Beautiful Groups Of Herbaceous PlantsFig. Garden At Harleyford Manor, Great Marlow. From a Water Colour Drawing by E. A, Roive. Now, let us ask ourselves the question where we can best establish beautiful groups of herbaceous plants. ...
15. Types Of Hardy Herbaceous PlantsA large volume could be filled solely with notes on hardy herbaceous plants; but the average flower lover might prefer to see some of the most valuable kinds classified for his guidance. Those named h...
16. Herbaceous Spring BloomwersAdonis vernalis, yellow, d. Alyssum saxatile compactum, yellow, d. Anemones. See special chapter. Antirrhinums (Snapdragons), various colours, d. Aquilegias (Columbines), various colours, d. Arab...
17. Herbaceous Summer BloomersAchillea Millefolium rubra (Milfoil), red, m. Achillea Ptarmica The Pearl, white, m. Aconitum Fischeri, purplish blue, t. Aconitum Napellus (Monk's Hood), blue, t. Alstromeria aurantiaca, orange, ...
18. Plants For ShadeThe tree-shaded garden, so pleasant with its cool walks in summer, is apt to be somewhat trying to the flower-lover. There are not a great many flowering plants of the first rank which thrive quite un...
19. Plants For Hot PlacesAlströmerias. Antirrhinums (Snapdragons ). Arabises. Arnebia echioides (Prophet Flower). Fig. The Prophet flower, Marcrotomia (Arnebia) echioides. Aubrietias. Belladonna Lilies. Calochorti. ...
20. Chapter 8. On Rock GardeningThere is no phase of flower gardening which is fuller of interest, or which makes a stronger appeal to the finest feelings, than rock gardening. In the building up of rock work there is scope for the...
21. The Best Plants For RocksThe following notes on a selection of the best rock plants may be interesting: - Acaena microphylla. - A tiny evergreen, flowers green with red spines, summer. Acanthohmon glumaceum (Prickly Thrift...
22. Chapter 9. On Beautiful Flower BedsAlthough there has been a great development in garden borders during the past few years, there are very few gardens in which flower beds are not found. In some of these, unfortunately, very elementary...
23. Chapter 10. On Some Beautiful Bulbous FlowersA class of plants which includes Daffodils, Lilies, Tulips, and many Irises will be accepted at once as of the first importance in the flower garden. Were it limited to these alone we should look, upo...
24. Chapter 11. On Certain Cheap But Beautiful FlowersTo such an extent have many people carried the rage for hardy perennials that any ugly weed is grown by them so long as it comes within the pale. Conversely, a large number of really beautiful garden ...
25. Chapter 12. On Trees And ShrubsThe average planter looks to trees for two things - shade and shelter. He rarely seeks in them individual beauty. When he comes to realise that there is at least as much ornament and interest in an Oa...
26. On Trees And Shrubs. ContinuedThe cone - bearing trees, or Conifers, as they are called collectively, form a section of great importance. Many are evergreen, and of beautiful form, while they embrace considerable diversity of foli...
27. The Best Trees And Shrubs To PlantLet us put some of the best trees and shrubs into the convenient form of tables. Purple-leaved Trees Dark purple Beech (Fagus atropurpurea). Purple Plum (Prunus Pissardii). Dark purple Sycamore (A...
28. Flowering Shrubs To PlantThe choice among flowering shrubs should be so made as to give beauty for many months. There is no difficulty about this. Shrub Winter Bloomers Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum). Mezereon (Daphn...
29. Chapter 13. On Water GardensSee a Water Lily garden on a day in late spring, when the water has been drained away, and the plants removed for division. The pond is a slimy, slippery expanse of dark ooze, deepening to a few inche...
30. Chapter 14. On The House BeautifulWith the wealth of material available for beautifying houses, it is truly sad to see so many homes a mere mass of coarse, sombre Ivy, or lumbered with the ugly, sprawling growths of the common Virgini...
31. Chapter 15. On PergolasA pergola, or series of connected supports, is a charming adornment to a garden when well made and adequately furnished. It may range in length from 20 or 30 feet to 150 or 200 feet, according to the ...
32. What To Grow On PergolasThe following plants will be handsome ornaments of pergolas if well grown: Akebia quinata. - A pretty, perfumed, but not too hardy twiner, with singular purplish brown flowers which spring from the a...
33. Chapter 16. On Wall GardensThe suburban flower lover often makes a crude attempt at wall gardening by driving hooks into the wall of his dwelling, and dangling therefrom wire baskets filled with plants. Since sympathy must be e...
34. Chapter 17. On Wild GardensIn many gardens it happens that there is a certain area of ground which does not fall in with the general design. It is perhaps so rough, uneven, and shaded that cultivation on full dress lines pres...
35. Chapter 18. On Ferns And FerneriesIn that cool, shady part of the garden wherein we know that most flowering plants will not thrive, we place our ferns. We recall the beauty of those caves on the coast of Devon and Cornwall, the roof...
36. Chapter 19. On Garden WalksModern flower gardening has given the walk a new significance. It is no longer regarded as merely the medium by which transit is effected from one part of the garden to another, but as something pleas...
37. Chapter 20. On Garden EdgingsAn edging may be described as the embroidery of a garden. It is not the thing itself, but it is that which imparts finish. A garden without edgings is apt to look crude and incomplete; provide edgi...
38. Chapter 21. On Some Practical Garden MattersThe making and upkeep of a flower garden will cost more or less, not only in proportion to its size, but also in proportion to the degree in which the class of plant grown is specialised. It is the la...
39. The Landscape GardenerThe landscape gardener stands somewhat in the same relationship to the working gardener as the architect does to the builder. The one plans and supervises, the other executes. But it is common in gard...
40. Gardeners, and Garden LabourA person with a fair amount of spare time should have no difficulty in managing his own garden if it is a small one - not exceeding half an acre in extent. In gardens of an acre and upwards regular as...
41. Draining The Garden SoilThe necessity for draining should have careful consideration. If there are many gardens in this country that are suffering from want of drainage, it is certain that there are at least as many which ar...
42. Moving Garden SoilIf it is wise to utter a warning against unnecessary drainage, it is still more so to sound a note of caution with respect to shifting soil. It is not indispensable to level every mound and fill up ev...
43. The Cost Of Garden PathsThe practical point that a path is not a drive or road has already been maintained, and it has to be fully recognised in considering the question of cost. A garden path is constructed for foot traffic...
44. Garden Hedges And FencesPrivet and Quick are, perhaps, the most common of boundary hedges. They are rapid growers in good soil, and bear cutting. Either makes a good hedge, the former evergreen, the latter bare in winter; or...
45. Garden Planting And ShiftingWe use the term planting when plants or shrubs are first put into the garden, and the word shifting when an established plant is moved from one place to another. The great majority of trees, shrub...
46. Garden Staking, Tying And LabellingUnless a freshly planted tree is staked securely its chances of quick establishment are not good, because it will be rocked about by the wind. The stake need only be of the same length as the main ste...
47. Garden Tools And AppliancesThe following are indispensable: A spade, a fork, a rake, a Dutch hoe, a trowel, a wheelbarrow, a garden line, a pair of sécateurs or a pruning knife, a dibber, a besom or garden broom, a roller, and ...
48. Chapter 22. On AnemonesThe genus Anemone is one of great importance, including, as it does, the Hepaticas, the Crown and Japanese Anemones, the Pasque Flower, and other beautiful plants. Alpina, 1 foot high, May blooming, w...
49. Chapter 23. On Perennial Asters - Michaelmas DaisiesFig. Aster (Michaelmas Daisy) Ericoides Clio. The flower gardener who, in the old days, looked forward to the autumn with dismay, because it brought destruction to his tender bedders, now does so w...
50. Chapter 24. On Begonias And DahliasConsidered as garden plants, Begonias and Dahlias have something in common, inasmuch as both are tuberous and late bloomers, but with tender growth that is destroyed by frost in autumn. The cultural r...
51. Good Garden Varieties Of Begonias And DahliasThe following are the principal sections, with a selection of good garden varieties in each: - Cactus Alpha, white, flaked purple. Amos Perry, crimson. Aunt Chloe, dark purple. Britannia, salmon....
52. Chapter 25. On CarnationsThe Carnation lover who looks back on the garden Carnation of twenty years ago - on Purple Emperor, W. P. Milner, and others of that order of merit - and then surveys a representative selection of mod...
53. Chapter 26. On Garden ChrysanthemumsFig. Chrysanthemum White Pet, One Of Many Beautiful Varieties Suitable For The Flower Garden Is the florists' Chrysanthemum, cultivated on the lines now practised, worth the trouble and expense tha...
54. Chapter 27. On Daffodils And NarcissiIn the brief references to Daffodils in the chapters on Bulbous Flowers and Wild Gardens it was indicated that their uses were varied and their adaptability great, but space did not permit of a consid...
55. Varieties of Daffodils And NarcissiEmpress may represent the first section - the true Daffodils; Sir Watkin the second; and Poeticus the third. The Following Are Selections Of Varieties: - Section 1. Yellow Trumpets Big Ben. cyclam...
56. Chapter 28. On GladioliThe Gladiolus is as grand a flower for late summer and early autumn as the Carnation is for early summer. To grow it is to deeply admire, if not to love it. If it lacks the winsomeness of some of our ...
57. Varieties of GladioliA Selection of Gandavensis Varieties Althaea. Baroness Burdett-Coutts. Burne-Jones. Commandant Marchand. Dalila. Dr.Bailly. Enchantresse. Fantôme. Formosa. Grand Rouge. Hamlet. La Parisien...
58. Chapter 29. On IrisesThe Iris cult spreads apace. Every year finds the number of Iris lovers increase. We actually hear of Iris gardens. Let us, if a little startled at the outset in hearing of a garden being given over w...
59. Selections of Rhizome-rooted Species and VarietiesAmoena. - A spring bloomer, 1 foot high, blue. See separate list of varieties. aphylla. - A charming species, lilac, with white beard, growing about i foot high, and flowering in May. A separate list...
60. Chapter 30. On LiliesAmongst the noblest of summer flowers, Liliums are rightly receiving special attention from flower lovers. They have, however, escaped the questionable honour of being specialised for exhibition. It i...
61. Varieties Of Lilies For The GardenThe letter (P) attached to a name in the list below indicates a peat lover, and (L) a loam lover. A Selection of the Best Lilies auratum (L. and P.). - The varieties platyphyllum, rubro vittatum, vi...
62. Chapter 31. On PaeoniesPaeonies have risen rapidly to the front. Twenty years ago they occupied a modest position, somewhat comparable to that of Sweet Peas, and the two flowers have advanced together. In their modern, impr...
63. Varieties Of Paeonies For The GardenGood Herbaceous Paeonies Agnes Mary Kelway, rose and yellow. Alexandre Dumas, rose and cream. Blushing Maid, pale pink. Ceres, cerise. Crown Prince, crimson. Exquisite, pink. François Ortigat, ...
64. Chapter 32. On Pansies And ViolasWe cannot do without these lovely flowers. They bloom so long and profusely, their flowers are so pretty and bright, their habit - especially in the case of Violas - is so good, that they are almost i...
65. Splendid Varieties of ViolasWhite Violas Countess of Hopetoun. Marchioness. Mrs. Kinnaird. Seagull. Blue Violas Archie Grant. Blue Bedder. Rolph. True Blue. Lilac and Rose Violas Lilacina. Wm. Neil. White and Blue V...
66. Chapter 33. On Phloxes For The GardenIn their great range of height, season of flowering, and colouring, the Phloxes are almost unexampled among hardy flowers. While some forms are the neatest of rockery gems, others are the noblest of b...
67. Chapter 34. On Roses For The GardenA new era has dawned for those who love good and beautiful garden Roses. It was ushered in in a manner almost dramatic. A seafaring man brought from the Far East a singular Rose. It had small, rosette...
68. On Roses For The Garden. ContinuedWire arches are not so becoming as rustic ones for supporting Roses, but near towns they are generally employed, on account of their cheapness, and the ease with which they can be procured at any iron...
69. Chapter 35. On Tulips For The GardenWhile it is safe to prophesy that the Tulip will never again become the innocent object of a miserable mania as it was in years gone by, it is equally safe to prognosticate for it an increasing popula...
70. Various Classes Of Tulips For The GardenThe following are selections of the various classes of Tulips: - Early Dutch Tulips. - Single * Artus, scarlet. Chrysolora, yellow. * Cottage Maid, pink and white. Crimson King, crimson. Due Va...
71. Part 2. A Garden Year. ProemThis is a story of real doings in a real garden - a garden that grew out of the wild. It is too plain a tale to bear comparison with that which forms the burden of many garden books, which have littl...
72. January GardeningAn amateur's gardening year often begins with March, but the Garden Year began, like the year itself, in January. You cannot make a garden quickly from a March beginning, because work grows so fast th...
73. February GardeningA busy month, this. We got through a lot of rough work, which relieved us greatly when the growing season began in March. The Paths. - The author had a great idea for having grass paths, because of t...
74. March GardeningThere was some excitement on the part of Eunice the first week in March, because of the discovery of a white Violet under the north fence. We thought it was a straggler, but it proved to be the first ...
75. April GardeningIt almost seemed as though the old garden wanted to show that all this cutting, carving, and pummelling were quite unnecessary, for it suddenly burst out all over with Violets, Primroses, and double L...
76. May GardeningMay is one of the happiest months of the year in the garden, because it is then that one begins to see promise of a real reward for all the hard preparatory work of winter. The herbaceous borders are ...
77. June GardeningThere is joy unspeakable in the garden in June. The Rose garden is full of foliage, and buds are opening here and there. The arches and pergola, which have hitherto awakened painful memories of scaffo...
78. July GardeningThe Garden is at the halfway stage, germination accomplished, fruition fast approaching. The borders have attained to their maximum of fulness, the shrubs have thickened out, the creepers have extende...
79. July Gardening. ContinuedThe Phloxes. - Some chosen varieties of tall border Phloxes afforded us much pleasure this golden month of July. In spite of the fact that these splendid plants grew from two to four feet high, they m...
80. August GardeningFrom our eyrie on the hillside we saw long streams of char-a-bancs, motor-wagonettes, flies, and other public conveyances pass through the village street below. The folk in them looked very flushed an...
81. September GardeningSeptember may be one of the most delightful months in the garden, or one of the dullest. Of course, a good deal depends on the weather, but not all. An Indian summer loses half its pleasure if provi...
82. October GardeningA faint shade of depression is liable to steal on us at the thought of October. Many give up gardening for the year when they see the leaves begin to fall, but if we had done so we should have lost mu...
83. November GardeningIt is idle to pretend that one enjoys a garden fully in November. The trees are fast becoming bare, lawn and paths are littered with falling leaves, the borders have sunk down very low, the beds are f...
84. December GardeningThe Garden is asleep at last. Keen frosts at the end of November blackened the last of the flowers. We are hoping for a few Christmas Roses in a nook we know of, but they depend on the weather. Decemb...
85. Gardening Tips For JanuaryVegetables Vegetables. - If the ground is dry enough to work, any land hitherto neglected may be dug, or trenched, and manured. Light soil can generally be cultivated in January. Heavy ground cannot ...
86. Gardening Tips For FebruaryVegetables Vegetables. - Asparagus may be forced. Broad (not Kidney) Bean may be sown at the first opportunity. Early Carrots may be sown in a frame. Cauliflowers in boxes under glass must have abund...
87. Gardening Tips For MarchVegetables Vegetables. - Artichokes (Jerusalem) may be planted. Asparagus (crowns) may be planted, or seeds may be sown. Broad Beans may be sown. Carrots may be sown out of doors. Cauliflowers for la...
88. Gardening Tips For AprilVegetables Vegetables. - Sow dwarf Beans, round Beetroot, Carrots, Leeks, Onions, Parsley, Parsnips, Peas, and Turnips. Plant Potatoes. Plant out Cauliflowers from boxes, and sow outdoors for autumn....
89. Gardening Tips For MayVegetables Vegetables. - Sow dwarf French Beans and Scarlet Runners. Sow long Beetroot. Sow Carrots. Plant out Celery. Divide Herbs. Thin Onions and other young crops where crowded. Stake Peas, and s...
90. Gardening Tips For JuneVegetables Vegetables. - Finish cutting Asparagus. Sow Scarlet Runners. Remove the tops of Broad Beans if black fly appear. Protect various crops from birds, insects, and fungi (for remedies see Cas...
91. Gardening Tips For JulyVegetables Vegetables. - Earth Celery. Train Cucumbers. Plant out Lettuces. Dry off Shallots. Thin various crops where crowded. Disbud and stake Tomatoes. Fruit Fruit. - Thin late Grapes and stop l...
92. Gardening Tips For AugustVegetables Vegetables. - Sow Cabbages for Spring. Earth Celery. Sow Endive. Earth Leeks. Tie Lettuces. Harvest Onions. Clear off decaying Beans and Peas. Sow Spinach. Thin the foliage of Tomatoes. F...
93. Gardening Tips For SeptemberVegetables Vegetables. - Give liquid manure to Peas and Scarlet Runners. Lift and store Beetroot and Carrots. Plant out Cabbages. Earth and feed Celery. Harvest Onions. Lift early Potatoes. Gather To...
94. Gardening Tips For OctoberVegetables Vegetables. - Lift and store Beetroot and Carrots. Plant out Cabbages. Plant Lettuces. Lift Potatoes. Clear off all decaying crops. Fruit Fruit. - Gather Apples and Pears. Shorten Vine l...
95. Gardening Tips For NovemberVegetables Vegetables. - Sow Broad Beans. Protect Celery. Dig and manure vacant ground. Lift Rhubarb and Seakale for forcing. Fruit Fruit. - Prune Vines. Prepare ground for and plant all kinds of o...
96. Gardening Tips For DecemberVegetables Vegetables. - Force Asparagus, Rhubarb, and Seakale. Protect Celery Dig, trench, and manure ground. Protect Lettuces with litter. Examine all stored roots, particularly Potatoes, and remov...