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Hardy Perennial Garden

After a long season of comparative neglect, the large and very important class of herbaceous and other hardy perennial plants once cultivated are again assuming their proper position in many Gardens, by having an extensive border or other space specially devoted to their accommodation. An open situation and a rich soil are preferred by the majority. Shelter, afforded by trees or by other means, is advisable, supposing the former are not near enough to overhang and cause shade, or for their roots to impoverish the ground. Many of the choicest alpine plants require partial shade and thorough drainage. These succeed best in positions such as the nooks and corners of rockwork; consequently, the latter is a useful and oftentimes requisite addition. Herbaceous plants are not unfrequently disliked on account of the appearance nearly always presented by some of the tops dying away. There are, however, always others to form a succession and prolong the flowering season; and it must be remembered that the decaying tops should only be partially removed, as they form the natural protection for the roots in winter. Sufficient interest should be developed in hardy plants for the general beauty and floral display presented by such a large proportion of their number, to completely ignore an objection like this. The Perennial Garden or mixed border should be of considerable width, to admit of tall-growing subjects being included; and if a background can be obtained of high Rhododendrons or other evergreens that shelter without causing too much shade, the cultivated plants will be benefited, and, when in flower, will be seen to the best advantage. In Fig. 76 is represented a summer view of an existing garden, a little less than an acre in extent, devoted chiefly to the cultivation of hardy perennial and alpine plants. Sufficient space is here found for upwards of 2000 species and varieties, and all succeed more or less under unfavourable atmospheric conditions.

Rock Garden. Where numerous hardy alpine and herbaceous plants are cultivated, a Rock Garden, greater or less in extent, is the most suitable place for their accommodation. Many of the best and rarest species will not succeed so well elsewhere as they do amongst the crevices on an elevated piece of rockwork, which, in addition, affords a situation for an endless variety of hardy and half-hardy plants. There are few Gardens in which something of the sort might not be constructed and rendered attractive, especially in localities where stones are plentiful. After being once planted, the requisite care in after treatment is but nominal, compared with the additional interest thereby secured, particularly when only a select class of plants is allowed, and these are appropriately placed, according to their height or special cultural requirements. Attempts are sometimes made, in a Rock Garden of an extensive description, to imitate, so far as practicable, the work of Nature in the arrangement of the stones employed. This has often to be conducted partially at the expense of providing adequate means for the well-being of the plants, which should be the main consideration. Where space and material are unlimited, excellent result may be attained; but in a confined area, the effect produced in many cases only shows the insignificance of the work in comparison with that of Nature. Rockwork may be introduced for various reasons, apart from the culture of alpines, such as hiding an unsightly wall or other objects of limited height, or for giving a diversity to an otherwise flat and uninteresting scene. A Rock Garden may be successfully formed where the surface is generally flat, by digging a deep cutting of an irregular outline through a piece of ground, and utilising the soil thus obtained as mounds of uneven heights along the upper part on either side, whereon trees and evergreen shrubs may be planted as a background and for affording shelter. The stones should be arranged to form cavities of an irregular size and shape, for the accommodation of various plants, from the sides of a walk made in the centre of the cutting, up the gradual slope formed by the soil, until the shrubs in the background are reached. It does not so much matter what the quality of the soil is underneath, providing it is porous enough to insure drainage, as additional new soil should be given each plant when inserting it. Formality must be avoided as much as possible in the arrangement and the stones should be deeply embedded, in order to hold them firmly. Various aspects are desirable to suit different plants, and these should be readily secured in a Rock Garden by the irregular shape the latter should assume in construction. Artificial masses of rockwork, for ornamental effect, are sometimes introduced into the slopes of hills adjoining a mansion; and, if properly executed, they present quite a natural and fine appearance. The extent of, and position for, a Rock Garden must depend on the surroundings, and on the amount of space and number of plants at command. If arranged on a mound in the open, the slope should be very gradual; and a good proportion of shrubs should be introduced near the top. Dwarf-growing shrubs, Yuccas, and other subjects of an evergreen character, are always acceptable for their attractiveness in winter when the primary alpine and herbaceous occupants are resting. Care should be taken not to over-fill the cavities with soil, so as to bury the stones; and the surface of each, when planting, should be left somewhat flat, in order that rain and other water may enter the ground instead of running off. Considerable experience is necessary for the proper construction of a Rock Garden on a large scale, and a knowledge of the various habits of hardy plants is requisite before their positions for planting can be appropriately fixed. A quantity of loam and leaf soil, with some small pieces of granite or other stone, should be mixed beforehand, and a portion placed round each plant, the addition of peat being made in the case of those requiring it. Rockeries usually improve in appearance with age, and when the plants have had time to develop and fill their allotted space. Other plants may be continually introduced, and improvements effected, where the arrangement of those first selected proves in any degree unsatisfactory. Annual top-dressings of new soil should be given to such as do not appear to succeed; and a plentiful supply of water in summer is requisite, almost without exception, for all.

Wild Garden, Of recent years, the naturalisation of hardy plants has received more than usual attention by the formation of Wild Gardens, wherein they may grow and produce an effect by an artificial arrangement something like the appearance presented by them in a natural state. The spot selected for a Wild Garden should be possessed of some natural attraction adapted to artificial improvement; otherwise, the attempt to imitate Nature will be but a poor one. Various strong-growing perennials that cannot be afforded space to develop in the mixed border or rockery, form the best of subjects to arrange in the Wild Garden, which, in country districts, cannot be better situated than in a part of the Pleasure Ground more or less surrounded with woods. Many of the beautiful bulbous plants that may be secured in quantity, succeed admirably under trees; and, when flowering above the grass, in spring, in large groups, they present a charming appearance. Narcissi in great variety, common Hyacinths, Primroses, hardy Cyclamens, various Liliums, Snowdrops, and numerous other subjects of a similar nature, are well suited for naturalising in masses. Tall-growing plants, such as Asters, Foxgloves, Polygonums, strong-growing Roses, and others, in endless variety, may be similarly treated where there is sufficient room for their full development. The Wild Garden, as its name indicates, should be specially set apart as a place for the cultivation of hardy plants that grow freely, and where they may be allowed to do so at will with only very limited restriction.

Rose Garden. The popularity of Roses, and their general beauty in summer, demand special attention in the matter of cultivation, which cannot be better secured than by specially selecting a position for the purpose, and arranging the different sections, as dwarf, standard, climbing, or pillar plants, to form a garden exclusively for Roses. A piece of ground should be set apart in every large establishment for this purpose, and if the habits of the various sorts are studied and due notice given in the respective positions selected for them, a floral effect may be obtained, and a greater or less quantity of flowers gathered for four or five months in the year. For further information and culture, see Roses.

VILLA GARDENS. Villas most largely preponderate in the suburbs of cities and extensive commercial centres or towns, and are built either as detached or semidetached residences, with an adjoining Garden, that must necessarily be of a limited character. Detached villas are usually situated at or near one end of their own grounds, a small space at the front being devoted to lawn and shrubs, with or without a carriage drive to the door, and the back part also laid out in lawn, with the addition of as many shrubberies and flower beds as may be thought desirable; the space beyond this being utilised for a Kitchen Garden, if there is sufficient inclosed. Semi-detached residences are frequently limited to a piece of land not much exceeding half the size of that allotted to those entirely isolated, and are at a further disadvantage of each being overlooked from the neighbouring side. It frequently happens that these Gardens are laid out by the builder when his operations are finished, and the incoming tenant has, perhaps, only a short lease, which naturally prevents him going to the expense of extensive alterations to suit personal requirements for a very limited time. It cannot be expected that anything elaborate can be obtained in such a limited space as that connected with a villa; yet it is surprising what an amount of interest and pleasure may be derived from such, if care and judgment are exercised-first, in laying out, and afterwards in the selection of suitable subjects for filling the space at command. Flower beds are recommended, so far as circumstances admit, particularly those of a mixed character, where the permanent occupants may be select hardy perennial and alpine plants, various spring flowering bulbs, &e.; and the intervening spaces filled, in summer, with annuals and various tender bedding subjects. A position should always be found for Roses, as they are indispensable in every Garden. The selection of shrubs should be restricted to such as are known to be limited in growth, and suitable for their positions, when required for the lawn or for a border below the front windows. When it is necessary to plant trees near flower beds, for a screen, considerable injury must, of necessity, be caused by the roots permeating the soil, and by the tops frequently overhanging and so causing too much shade. One of the greatest faults in any Garden is overcrowding. This should be a point especially avoided with those adjoining villas, where the owners, in their laudable endeavour to grow as many things as possible, are often advised to try what is quite beyond their means to successfully accomplish. Laying out, replanting, the care of plants, &c., grown in the greenhouse or frames, with the ordinary general attention requisite for all, should always be entrusted to someone competent to advise and undertake it, in preference to employing another whose services may be procured at a cheaper rate. Just sufficient trees, of limited growth, should be planted to insure privacy at all times; a certain portion of the inclosure, according as circumstances admit, being devoted to the cultivation of a few good shrubs and flowers, and the rest laid in turf, i.e., supposing the whole is arranged for pleasure only. This is generally the intention with villa Gardens, in which a space is allowed, perhaps not exceeding 6yds., from the house to the front boundary, and another, about 25yds. Long, at the back, the width being that of the building and its side entrance. A greenhouse is always interesting when adjoining a villa, if the plants therein are such as do well, and are properly tended-a condition, perhaps, not practicable with all, but one that is insufficiently studied where means are at command. Far more pleasure is derived from a few floriferous plants well grown, than from a quantity that merely exist, and are unduly crowded. Villa Gardens depend so much on the plan adopted with the building and with others adjoining it, also on the taste and resources of the proprietor or tenant. It, that definite advice cannot be given so as to be applicable to all. With a view to assist amateurs in the arrangement or laying out of their gardens permanently, both in the front and back parts of their residences, some illustrations are given with a view to suggestions being taken therefrom. In Fig. 77 is represented the front entrance to a detached villa by a semi-circular carriage drive. The object is to screen the door from view outside by a thick shrubbery, and to have circular flower beds cut in the turf on each side of the steps; a larger one of another shape, also for flowers, such as dwarf Roses, being situated in the front, on the opposite side of the drive. Front gardens connected with two semi-detached villas are shown in Fig. 78. That on the left (a) is laid out in a formal style, a large flower bed surrounded with a gravel walk. The bed might be panted geometrically, as shown, or in any way desired. The other (b) has a narrow border of shrubs under the window, which is continued round as far as the entrance gate. The space between is intended for turf, with a few small beds cut in it for flowers or some dwarf shrubs. This style is much to be preferred to the preceding one. A plan of a detached residence situated inside its grounds is represented in Fig. 79. This shows a greenhouse and pits attached to the building, the lawn having flower beds in it, and nearly surrounded with a dwarf shrubbery. The object here is to get the best view from a summer house in the corner (b), and from the windows of the principal rooms. The plan shown at Fig. 80 is one that might be adopted on a rather large and expensive scale for a Garden connected with a good-sized villa. The outside boundary is usually a wall, and in this case it is intended to be hidden by a row of dwarf Robinias and an irregular belt of shrubs. These are followed by turf and a walk of an irregular outline, which ends in a rustic summer house at one corner (a) and has a garden seat at another. A greenhouse joins the residence, which is not shown in the figure; and the lawn, situated in the middle, has a few clumps of evergreen* flowering shrubs arranged in the corners and curves formed by the walks. Considerable expense would be incurred in stocking and properly keeping up a Garden of this description; but it would not require to be frequently renewed, like a quantity of summer flower beds. GARDENIA (named in honour of Alexander Garden, M.D., of Charlestown, Carolina, one of the correspondents of Ellis and Linnaeus). Including Rothmannia. ORD. Rubiaceae. A genus comprising about sixty species of elegant stove or greenhouse evergreen trees or shrubs, indigenous to tropical Asia, as well as the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers white, axillary or terminal, usually solitary, and generally sweet-scented; corolla funnel-shaped or salver-shaped, having the tube much longer than the calyx, and the limb twisted in aestivation, but afterwards spreading. Leaves opposite, rarely whorled. The double forms of G. florida and G. radicans produce white flowers that are amongst the most beautiful and highly perfumed of any in cultivation. Gardenias are principally grown for the use of the flowers in a cut state, as these are in great demand, and appear so much in a succession as not to render the plants sufficiently attractive by their presence for ordinary decoration, excepting that of the stove. Propagation is readily effected by cuttings. Strong, healthy ones should be selected, preferably with a heel attached, such as those obtained from the points of side shoots, half or fully ripened. Early in January is the best time to propagate for allowing the plants a long season to grow before flowering the next winter; but almost any time in the year will do when suitable cuttings can be secured. They should be inserted singly in small pots of sandy peat, unless required in large quantities, when this plan would demand too much space, and the alternative of placing several in a larger size would have to be adopted. The pots should be plunged in a bottom heat of about 75deg., in an inclosed frame of the propagating house, and allowed to remain there until the cuttings are rooted.

Cultivation. Gardenias are not difficult to cultivate, provided they have plenty of heat and moisture during the growing season, and are kept free from insects. These conditions encourage the production of strong healthy shoots, which, after being ripened, and the plants rested, supply a large quantity of flowers from the points. The young plants, when rooted, should be hardened from the frame to the open house, and potted on by liberal shifts as becomes requisite, in a lumpy compost of two-thirds peat to one of fibry loam, with an addition of some charcoal. Where bottom heat is not at command, a hotbed of fermenting material is frequently made up in a house, for plunging the pots in, the house itself being heated by pipes in the ordinary way. If carefully managed, and not allowed to over-heat, this plan is generally attended with good results. Very large plants may be obtained, under proper treatment, in one season; and if a succession is propagated occasionally to follow others, and thus some are in different stages of growth, the supply of flowers may be considerably prolonged. After the season's growth is completed, a lower temperature and more air should be given. Some persons prefer planting out Gardenias in a heated structure over hot-water pipes; but cultivating in large pots allows the advantage of being able to shift them for destroying insects and for subjecting them to lower temperatures in other houses. It is not advisable to keep old plants; much better flowers, and a greater quantity, may be obtained from young ones grown rapidly by liberal treatment each, or, at least, every second, year. Almost any amount of water may be applied to the roots in summer, and syringing morning and evening may be freely practiced.