No one who has seen an Italian garden, so arranged, can dispute the beauty of it. It may be suggested that in England it would be difficult to protect the terra-cotta from cracking in frosty weather. Experience in southern counties has been favourable, and should it not be so in colder places, they can be put under cover for the winter months.
The plan which is given is from drawings made by the kindness of Miss M. G. Campion. Although it is rather elaborate, it could easily be modified for a small garden. It represents about an acre of land, which is cleverly arranged to allow of the combined cultivation of fruit trees, flowers and vegetables. It is closed in upon every side. The house shelters it from the east wind, the long orangery casts a shadow upon the south side and makes it possible to have a lovely bed of lilies of the valley near by. On the north, besides the trees, is a high wall. The west is the most exposed, as it has a hornbeam hedge through which small openings are cut, to show the hills with vineyards outside the grounds. Against the hedges stand large, empty oil jars, in terra-cotta, their graceful shapes showing well against the dark green. Round the central fountain is a 3-ft. wall, wide enough to have pink Bourbon roses, in pots, standing upon it. Each of the four smaller fountains forms the centre of a little plot of ground. These plots are divided into four beds. Each bed is large enough to have several pink and white blossomed fruit trees and some gooseberry bushes. Amongst them are planted spring-flowering bulbs such as narcissus, tulips, etc., for cutting. Other beds have smaller fruit trees, or currant bushes and roses alternate. The dark red-green foliage of the rose bushes contrasts with the fresh green of other plants. A few plots are reserved for vegetables, but, as a rule, these are close to a border of flowers; therefore, the garden, although small, is ornamental as well as useful. From below the windows of the house comes a delicious scent of freesias, and as we look more closely, we see orange-red tulips planted amongst them, the deeper notes of orange in the freesias corresponding with the colour of the tulips.
The plan, if carefully studied, will give a good idea, therefore, of a successful combination of permanent herbaceous borders, improved, dressed up, and heightened by the addition of ornamental terra-cotta pot decoration.
ITALIAN ORANGE POTS AND OIL JARS.
DRAWN FROM SKETCHES BY MISS MARY CAMPION. TO BE OBTAINED FROM THE SCHOOL OF LADY GARDENERS, GLYNDE, SUSSEX.
CHAPTER XIII
FOR THOSE WHO HESITATE TO EMPLOY LADY GARDENERS
Many ladies who own large gardens take personal interest in the arrangement of the grounds. Not only do they wish to have beautiful, sweet smelling flowers in glasses and bowls to adorn their rooms; they also aspire to have plants grouped harmoniously in herbaceous borders and in formal beds. There has arisen a kind of competition to have as good a garden, if not a better one, than our neighbour. In the case of some specially gifted and energetic ladies, lovely gardens have been created, through their directions being carefully followed by the head gardener. Some illustrations of such are given in this volume. Possessed of complete knowledge about the flowers best suited to the soil and position, having carefully studied the height, time of flowering, and prettiest combinations of colour for beds, they are competent to direct themselves. It sometimes occurs, however, that the lady of the house is willing to devote a small amount of time to planning garden effects, but family and social duties call her away. She can only give general directions to the clever gardener, and leave him to carry them out. Although many men are skilled in growing fine specimen plants, few are sufficiently well educated, or possessed of the natural taste requisite to execute their employer’s wishes.
I hope no one will suppose that, because this book is intended to be a guide to lady gardeners, I am narrow-minded enough to think in a depreciative way of men gardeners. Some of them are personal friends whom I respect, esteem, and who, I am aware, have done infinitely better work than any lady has so far achieved. Many are not only gardeners, they are artists as well. I have the highest opinion of them and their profession. I do feel strongly, however, that there is a large field open to young gentlewomen anxious to take up this work. There are many gardens, too, where a change has necessarily to be made, and the owners will benefit by substituting a lady in the place of a man, as head gardener.
I should like to draw the attention of employers to two important points connected with this subject: