It is remarkable, that notwithstanding the numerous varieties that have been raised of these two species, there have never been any hybrids raised between them. Many attempts have been made, but all the plants raised have partaken exclusively of the qualities of one or the other of the parents, and none have partaken equally of both, as is the case with true hybrids. There are many other kinds mentioned in books, the most remarkable of which is the tree dahlia, D. excelsa, a specimen of which, in the Liverpool Botanic Garden, is now above twenty feet high. All the varieties grown in British gardens as florists’ flowers, may be divided into four kinds, viz.—Dwarfs, Anemone-flowered, Ranunculus-flowered, and Globe-flowered. The dahlia was first discovered in Mexico by Baron Humboldt, in 1789, and it was sent by him to Cavaniles, at Madrid, who named it in honour of Professor Dahl, a Swedish botanist. This name was afterwards changed to Georgina, in honour of a German botanist named Georgi, who resided many years in St. Petersburg, in consequence of the genus Dalea having been previously established by Thunberg. As, however, this name is neither spelt nor pronounced the same as Dahlia; and as the name of Dahlia was given long before that of Georgina, the plant is now restored to its original appellation. The dahlia was introduced into England in 1804, but it did not become a florists’ flower till about 1815.
CHAPTER IX.
MANAGEMENT OF THE LAWN, PLEASURE-GROUNDS,
AND SHRUBBERY, OF A SMALL VILLA.
The word Lawn may probably conjure up ideas of too large an extent of ground to be managed by a lady; but when I use the term, I do not mean an extensive park-like surface of level turf, but one of those beautiful verdant glades that produce so delightful an effect even in the smallest gardens. In places where the whole extent of garden-ground does not perhaps exceed an acre, every one must have felt the relief afforded to the eye by a broad strip of lawn, bordered by trees and shrubs, not in a formal line on each side, but running into numerous projections and recesses, and resting their lower branches, frequently covered with flowers, on a rich smooth velvet-looking carpet of grass.
Every one possessing a lawn of this description must be aware that its chief beauty consists in its smoothness, and in the firmness and closeness of its grasses. I say grasses, because strange as it may sound to unbotanical ears, from twenty to thirty different kinds of grasses sometimes enter into the composition of a square foot of fine turf. Some of these grasses are coarse and grow high, and widely apart; and others are very fine and slender, and grow closely together. This being the case, it is obvious that when a fine smooth turf is required, the finer kinds of grasses should be chosen, and the coarser ones not only rejected among the grass-seeds sown, but, if possible, destroyed whenever they appear, if they should chance to come up accidentally.
Botanists have distinguished and arranged nearly fifteen hundred different species of grasses; and of these probably more than three hundred kinds are now cultivated in England. Of these, some are, of course, better adapted to certain soils than others; and to ascertain which grass was best suited to each soil, the late Duke of Bedford, whose loss the horticultural and agricultural world has recently had to deplore, instituted a series of experiments at Woburn under the superintendence of his gardener, the late Mr. Sinclair, who was a very intelligent man, and the result of which was published in the Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis. From these experiments, it was found that what are called hungry sandy soils, were the worst, and rich alluvial soils the best for the production of grasses; but that sandy loams produced the most equal and most permanent crops. To apply this to practice in the production of proper lawn grasses, it is evident that as a sandy loam appears to be the best for them, a sandy soil would be improved by the addition of clay, and a clayey one by the addition of sand, both these mixtures constituting what is called a sandy loam: and it may be added, that where the soil is calcareous, it may generally be left without any alteration, when it is to be covered with grass. The next thing to be considered is the kind of grasses most suitable for sowing on a lawn; and to ascertain this, it must be remembered that the proprietor of a lawn does not want a crop of hay, but a fine smooth level turf, the grass in which shall entirely conceal the earth. For this purpose, it is evident that slow growing grasses, the roots of which will retain permanent possession of the soil, and which are sufficiently succulent not to be burnt up when closely mown in hot weather, are preferable to those which grow rapidly and produce an abundant crop of herbage, particularly as the roots of the last kind are generally easily withered up in dry weather. Very fast-growing grasses are indeed exceedingly annoying to the possessor of a small lawn, as they require constant mowing and are thus a constant source of expence.
Some philosophers assert that the chief thing that hinders the attainment of our desires, is that very few of us know exactly what we want; and it is to save my readers from being in this unpleasant predicament with regard to lawns, that I have been thus particular in describing what qualities are requisite in grasses to make them suitable for producing soft turf. The next thing is to tell them as well as I can, what kind of grasses appear most likely to answer the end in view. Of all these, one of the most permanent appears to be the fox-tail meadow-grass (Alopecurus pratensis); it is one of the principal grasses in rich natural pastures, and it should always form one-fourth part of the seeds used for laying down a lawn. The sweet-scented spring grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) grows best in deep moist soil; but it is worth sowing in every situation for its fineness, its dwarf growth, and for its habit of continuing to vegetate, and to throw up fresh stalks nearly all the year. It is this grass which gives so delightful a fragrance to new hay. The common meadow-grass (Poa pratensis) is also suitable for lawns; as, though of slow growth, it has creeping permanent roots: and the short blue meadow-grass (Poa cærulea) may be added, for its deep blue tint, which gives a richness to the general colour of the grass, and because it sustains no injury from dry weather. The crested dog’s-tail grass (Cynosurus cristatus) is, however, the best for sustaining drought and heat, as its roots penetrate so deeply into the ground, as to keep its blades green, while all the grasses around it are quite brown from being burnt up. The hard fescue grass (Festuca duriuscula) is another kind which will stand the effects of dry weather; it is also a very fine dwarf grass, and springs early. Many other grasses might be named, but these will suffice. The proportion in which they ought to be mixed, is another, and an essential point; but at the same time it is one rather difficult to ascertain, as the seeds of the finer kinds of grasses are very often abortive, and do not germinate; and thus a larger quantity must be sown of them, than of those kinds, all the seeds of which are generally good. The seed of the meadow fox-tail grass (Alopecurus pratensis) is very often so bad, that not above one seed in three will germinate, consequently a much larger proportion of seed of this grass must be sown than of any of the others. This seed is very light, and consequently a pound of it, if bought by weight, will appear a great deal more than a pound of the crested dog’s-tail grass (Cynosurus cristatus), the seed of which is very heavy; and yet as the latter seed is generally all good, it will cover more ground with grass than the other. The best way is to write down the botanic names of the grasses, and to send them to a respectable seedsman, with directions to return enough of the seed of each, to produce an equal quantity of grass of each respective species on the lawn. The whole quantity required of the mixed grasses is generally not more than four bushels and a half per acre; but if an immediate effect be wanted, about a bushel and a half of the common white clover may be added. This quantity of seed will be sufficient to sow the ground very thickly, as when ground has been dug over and rendered perfectly smooth the seeds will go further, and cover it more completely than when the surface is uneven; and if the seeds are sown in dry weather, then rolled in and afterwards watered, the ground will be as green and covered with as fine a sward the first season, as though it had been laid down with turf. The plants will, however, probably be too thick; and as, when this is the case many of them die, the ground may require a partial re-sowing the following spring. It is therefore safer under ordinary circumstances not to sow more than four bushels and a half an acre, as if that quantity be equally distributed, the plants will not be too thick.
When the ground which is to form the lawn has been marked out, the soil, if it wants amelioration, should be spread over with the earth required to make it approach as near as possible to the great desideratum, a sandy loam, and it should be then dug about a foot deep. Care should be taken to do this in dry weather; as the two soils to be mixed, should be both in a state of dryness. No manure should be dug in unless the soil happen to be very poor indeed; as manure will tend to produce a larger and taller growing crop of grass, which, of course, will increase the trouble and expence of mowing, without being of any use. The ground being dug, and raked to remove all the large stones, the surface should be rolled, and then the seeds sown; after which it should be rolled again and watered by a garden-engine having a very fine rose. This watering may be repeated occasionally if the weather should be very dry; and if any mole-hills or worm-casts appear, they should be levelled, and the rolling repeated.
When the ground is to be covered with turf, instead of being sown with grass seeds, the turf should, if possible, be procured from some meadow or downs where sheep have been fed; as these animals bite close to the roots, and this kills the coarser grasses which have generally weak fibrous roots, while the finer grasses, which have deep roots, remain uninjured. The turf is then cut with a turf spade, and rolled up for removal. When it is to be laid down, and the ground is ready to receive it, it is spread out, and the different rolls carefully joined to each other: little bits being cut off or pushed in where the pieces do not exactly fit. It is then watered and rolled, and will require no other care. With regard to after management, a lawn can never be kept neat without frequent mowing, and this is an operation which a lady cannot very well perform for herself: unless, indeed, she have strength enough to use one of Budding’s mowing machines. In whatever way, however, the operation may be performed, it should be repeated very frequently. In large establishments, the lawn is always mown every week during summer; and even in the smallest gardens the grass should never be suffered to remain more than a fortnight during summer without mowing. The roots will thus become weakened, and will not be able to send up any but dwarf and fine blades of grass, which will form in a few years that beautifully smooth and soft velvet-like turf, which it is the principal beauty of a lawn to possess. “It is a great mistake,” says Mr. Loudon, in his Suburban Gardener, “to suppose that anything is gained in the way of economy by suffering the grass of lawns to grow long before mowing, in order to save the expense of once or twice mowing during the season; for, in proportion as the grass is allowed to grow long before mowing, in the same proportion are the roots strengthened and enabled to send up still longer leaves and stems; whereas if a lawn were kept short by frequent mowing for two or three years in succession, the plants of grass would at last become so weak that not one-half the mowing usually required for even slovenly-kept lawns would be necessary, and the turf would be much finer, and neater in appearance.” The best manure for a lawn is soot.
I have dwelt longer than I otherwise should have done on the management of lawns, not only because I am a great admirer of a smooth green turf, but because I believe it is a subject not generally understood. Most persons imagine that if they lay down turf, or sow grass seeds, they have done all that is requisite; and my object is simply to impress upon the minds of my readers, that this is not enough: for as there are different kinds of turf and grasses, it is as necessary to choose which to take, as to select flowers for the flower-garden. I have only to add that the brownish hue sometimes observed on the brows of hills in pleasure grounds is produced by holcus lanatus, a kind of couch-grass, that wastes all its strength on its fleshy roots, and produces only a thin and wiry herbage. This species, the different kinds of agrostis or bent-grass, the brome grasses, particularly Bromus arvensis, and the cock’s-foot grass, Dactylus glomerata, should never be sown in lawns.