In forming boundary plantations, there is seldom any need for making them continuous, a form of planting which becomes exceedingly monotonous, at the same time defining the limits of the property in an unmistakable fashion. Privacy and shelter are of necessity considered, but if without defeating these objects we can secure a vista of distant country, rich meadowlands and purple hills, it would be waste of opportunity not to do so. As the outline of boundary plantations will in many cases cut the horizon, leaving the tops of the trees showing clear against a background of sky, great attention should be paid to making this outline as attractive as possible. It is a mistake to use trees of only one kind, as this results in a level monotonous outline anything but pleasing. The tall spire of a poplar will give variety and point to a plantation composed almost entirely of trees with rounded heads; a graceful birch with its feathery outline would break the level of a smooth belt of shrubs. Colour too is all important, a judicious mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees is generally preferable to a plantation composed entirely of one class. There is no need to make the boundary plantation straight on the inner side, whatever may be required on the outer, and the formation of well marked swells and bays will lend an air of charm and indefiniteness. It is usual to plant trees of large growth on rising ground, reserving dwarf varieties and bushes for the hollows, but this is a rule which must be modified according to circumstances. By a continuous system of grouping the eye may be carried from the garden itself to the very outskirts of the property, and this is much more satisfactory than the plan of treating the outer plantation as a mere fence, quite independent of what may lie within it.
The indiscriminate dotting of specimen trees about a park or garden is much overdone, and in the greater number of cases irregular groups of trees having somewhat similar characteristics would be far more satisfactory. Certain trees, as the tulip tree, and the wych elm, are well adapted for isolation on the lawn, and are welcome for the shade they afford; but thorns, the flowering crabs, and the Scotch firs should always be planted in groups. As these smaller plantations are often required to hide some unsightly object, care must be taken when marking out the ground that the eyesore is hidden from every point of view. This can generally be contrived by small subsidiary plantings, dependent on the main group. Having staked out an area of ground which when planted will hide the object from the principal point, proceed to view the site from all quarters, adding and remodelling as may be necessary. For this, and work of a similar character, the use of ranging poles of various heights is helpful. Supposing that it is desired to make a small plantation with the object of concealing an ugly building, the designer will take up his position at the principal vantage point. An assistant will move the poles from place to place until the necessary width of the plantation is determined. To decide the class of trees needed, and their height, which should not be greater than absolutely necessary, poles of varying heights may be raised perpendicularly, noting the particular one which just clears the object. Supposing this to be twenty-five feet, then trees twenty-five feet high will be required, and knowing this it remains to select those which are most in keeping with the surroundings, or supply the special effects desired.
CHAPTER VI
KITCHEN-GARDEN AND ORCHARD
Hitherto we have mainly considered that part of garden design which has for its object the production of pleasant scenes, of pictures formed by gay flowers, and beauteous carpets and backgrounds of greenery. But utilitarian ends have yet to be served, and fruits and vegetables must be grown to supply our needs. There need be nothing dull or prosaic about the kitchen-garden and orchard, distinct though they be from that which is purely ornamental. The truest garden pictures are often to be found in these seemingly severe and business-like quarters, and these without in any way varying the keynote of utility, which is the chief reason for their existence.
A foolish prejudice has of recent years been raised against the kitchen-garden, and the designer is often asked to hide it away in some remote corner of the plan. It must be carefully screened away from the gaze of visitors, as though there were something to be ashamed of in being the possessor of a piece of ground, where the best of fruits may be grown, and gathered in the freshest condition. Personally I would rather wander in such plebeian quarters than in many of the tricked-out landscape gardens which excite such wonderment and admiration. Are there not a thousand sights dear to the heart of the nature lover—the tender blossoms of the fruit-trees, the drowsy hum of bees, the old-fashioned lavender hedges and reserve borders of mixed flowers for cutting? Even is there beauty of flower and foliage in many of the humblest vegetables, a beauty which, because unlooked for, is doubly welcome.
The site of the kitchen-garden should be fixed in close proximity to the house and stables. On no account should it be so arranged that a portion of the pleasure ground must be traversed to reach it. If it can be walled in so much the better, both on account of the added shelter and for the facilities afforded for the growing of wall fruit. The plan should be entirely regular, the walks crossing one another at right angles, the fruit borders and vegetable beds laid out with due regard to convenience and economy of space.
A suitable aspect is very important—land having a gentle slope to the south being by far the most suitable. In any case the position should be an open one, with free exposure to the sunlight. The presence of large trees, whose branches overshade and roots impoverish the soil, will be extremely prejudicial. The question of boundaries is one in which the initial cost will be more considered than the adaptability of various forms to certain situations. A good yew hedge, or even a split oak fence, may occasionally prove useful, but nothing can equal the merits of well built walls. No doubt they are expensive, but a close examination proves that they are really more economical in the long run. If well built, and properly treated, they last some hundreds of years; they provide the best form of shelter, enabling a variety of tender vegetables to be grown, without the loss occasioned by cold and exposure: they afford support for trained fruit-trees, which by their high-class crops return no insignificant proportion of the initial outlay. The hedge, cheaper though it is at the outset, possesses few of these advantages. Constant attention, in the shape of clipping and training, is necessary, if it is to afford adequate shelter; it is many years before it is of sufficient size to compete with the wall; it is useless as a support for fruit-trees, and its roots deprive the crops in neighbouring borders of much of the fertility which is rightly theirs. The highest walls should face the coldest quarters, the north, east and west. A good height for a north wall would be twelve or even fourteen feet; for the two side walls ten feet, and for the south wall six or seven feet. A coping, either of stone or bricks set at an angle, should always be found on kitchen-garden walls, the projection on either side being at least two inches. The face of the wall should be perfectly smooth to facilitate the training of trees, but on the outer side buttresses or any ornamental details harmonising with the architectural work in the rest of the garden, may be employed to obviate monotony. Detailed descriptions of mural work would be out of place here, but the owner is advised to see that the wall is well pointed, so that there shall be no crevices likely to harbour vermin. Training wires are much better than nailing the branches to the wall, a practice which weakens the brickwork and involves more trouble and risk of injury. The eyelets, at any rate the chief ones, to which the wires will be attached and strained, should be built into the wall and not driven in subsequently. They will thus be much firmer in position, and the wall will remain uninjured. Suitable irons, from which nets may be hung as a protection from frost and birds, may also be fixed at the same time.
In a stone country, this material will take the place of bricks, as being more in keeping for garden walls.
A delightful approach to the kitchen-garden may be made by way of a deeply-arched opening in the wall; a pair of bent iron gates would look charming set in a grey stone wall, much better than a door. Too often the kitchen garden is gained by passing through a doorway which suggests the entrance of a prison cell: these massive, nail-studded arrangements are strangely out of keeping with the freedom and freshness of the garden. By means of a few clumps of gay herbaceous flowers just inside the kitchen-garden entrance, there will be no need to screen this department off from the rest of the garden: in fact, a very pleasant vista may be arranged from one to the other.
Whether the garden is surrounded by walls or hedge, a wide border should be formed immediately next the boundary line. In the case of walls, this is especially desirable, as enabling a suitable root medium to be provided for the choice fruit-trees which will be trained to them. These borders will vary in width, partly according to the aspect, but mainly with reference to the size of the garden. A twelve-foot border is perhaps as satisfactory as any, but eighteen feet is no uncommon width in larger establishments. Under a wall facing north, the width of the border need seldom be more than six feet. It is well to devote very careful attention to the preparation of these borders, thorough drainage being the first essential. The soil may also be removed to a depth of two and a half feet, and a layer of stones, brick rubbish, and other material spread at the bottom; this will prevent the roots of the fruit-trees from striking too deeply. If some old turf and manure be placed above and the soil finally returned, the border will be in the best condition for planting. A gentle fall from back to front should be contrived, so that sun and air may reach all parts of the crop.