TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.—Table of Contents items do not refer to chapters or section, but to the arguments treated on the pages referred to.—The transcriber of this project created the book cover image using the front cover of the original book. The image is placed in the public domain.THEENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN.THEENGLISH FLOWER GARDENWITH ILLUSTRATIVE NOTESBYHENRY A. BRIGHTAUTHOR OF “A YEAR IN A LANCASHIRE GARDEN.”London:MACMILLAN AND CO.1881.The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved.LONDON:R. Clay, Sons, and Taylor,BREAD STREET HILL.PREFACE.Itis just a year ago since this Essay on “The English Flower Garden” was published in theQuarterly Review.It was written with a twofold object: to give in the smallest compass an outline history of English gardens, and to show once again what makes the true charm and happiness of a garden. Many—perhaps too partial—friends have urged me to reprint this article. They have reminded me that, when the immediate circulation of any one number of a Review has ceased, its articles are virtually lost and buried, and they assure me that there are readers who may not have already seen, and who would yet care to read, this Essay. I hardly know how this may be, but I do knowhow very much I am indebted to the proprietor of theQuarterlyfor his great kindness in allowing me the opportunity of this reprint. Should this little book succeed in retaining the friends thatA Year in a Lancashire Gardenwas happy enough to make, it will indeed be fortunate. It has been to me a matter of no little surprise (as, naturally, of pleasure) to find from the generous notices of the Press and from numerous private letters from owners of gardens, to whom I am entirely a stranger, that the views I have expressed as to the necessity of a reform in our gardens are very widely held. So long as a garden is only regarded as a means for displaying masses of gay colouring, half the delight and all the real interest of it are gone. It is only when we learn to make friends of individual plants, and recall their history and associations, that a garden becomes a pleasure for the intellect as well as for the senses. But I do not wish to carry my opinions to any extravagant length. It is Voltaire, I think, who says that “a man may have preferences butno exclusions,” and I certainly would exclude nothing that is good in the present system. Bedding-out is occasionally very effective and sometimes necessary; and, on the other hand, a garden—such as I saw suggested somewhere the other day—which should contain only flowers known to Chaucer, would be extremely disappointing. However, bedding-out can take very good care of itself, and Chaucerian gardens will not be largely popular. Meanwhile, I sincerely hope that flowering shrubs and hardy herbaceous plants may be far more generally grown and cared for than they are at present.It has seemed on the whole best to leave this Essay as it was written. I have made a few verbal corrections and inserted one or two short sentences, and that is all. I have, however, added illustrative Notes on points which seemed of some little interest.CONTENTS.PAGELove of Gardening1Early English Gardens3Topiarian Work8Landscape Gardeners11Bedding-Out16Carpet-Bedding23Spring Gardening26The Semi-Tropical Garden27The Alpine Garden29Fountains31The Wild Garden32The Shrubbery35Hardy Shrubs39The Walled Garden43Old Herbals45Flowers of Winter47Spring Flowers49Roses51Summer Flowers52Birds and Butterflies55Explorers57Botanists60Garden Associations65Flower Painting67Flower Shows71The Interest of the Garden74NOTES.I.The Gardener Bower-Bird78II.Ars Topiaria82III.A Poet’s Flower-Bed86IV.The Evening Primrose87V.The Christmas Rose92
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.—Table of Contents items do not refer to chapters or section, but to the arguments treated on the pages referred to.—The transcriber of this project created the book cover image using the front cover of the original book. The image is placed in the public domain.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.—Table of Contents items do not refer to chapters or section, but to the arguments treated on the pages referred to.—The transcriber of this project created the book cover image using the front cover of the original book. The image is placed in the public domain.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:
—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
—Table of Contents items do not refer to chapters or section, but to the arguments treated on the pages referred to.
—The transcriber of this project created the book cover image using the front cover of the original book. The image is placed in the public domain.
THEENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN.THEENGLISH FLOWER GARDENWITH ILLUSTRATIVE NOTESBYHENRY A. BRIGHTAUTHOR OF “A YEAR IN A LANCASHIRE GARDEN.”London:MACMILLAN AND CO.1881.The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved.LONDON:R. Clay, Sons, and Taylor,BREAD STREET HILL.PREFACE.Itis just a year ago since this Essay on “The English Flower Garden” was published in theQuarterly Review.It was written with a twofold object: to give in the smallest compass an outline history of English gardens, and to show once again what makes the true charm and happiness of a garden. Many—perhaps too partial—friends have urged me to reprint this article. They have reminded me that, when the immediate circulation of any one number of a Review has ceased, its articles are virtually lost and buried, and they assure me that there are readers who may not have already seen, and who would yet care to read, this Essay. I hardly know how this may be, but I do knowhow very much I am indebted to the proprietor of theQuarterlyfor his great kindness in allowing me the opportunity of this reprint. Should this little book succeed in retaining the friends thatA Year in a Lancashire Gardenwas happy enough to make, it will indeed be fortunate. It has been to me a matter of no little surprise (as, naturally, of pleasure) to find from the generous notices of the Press and from numerous private letters from owners of gardens, to whom I am entirely a stranger, that the views I have expressed as to the necessity of a reform in our gardens are very widely held. So long as a garden is only regarded as a means for displaying masses of gay colouring, half the delight and all the real interest of it are gone. It is only when we learn to make friends of individual plants, and recall their history and associations, that a garden becomes a pleasure for the intellect as well as for the senses. But I do not wish to carry my opinions to any extravagant length. It is Voltaire, I think, who says that “a man may have preferences butno exclusions,” and I certainly would exclude nothing that is good in the present system. Bedding-out is occasionally very effective and sometimes necessary; and, on the other hand, a garden—such as I saw suggested somewhere the other day—which should contain only flowers known to Chaucer, would be extremely disappointing. However, bedding-out can take very good care of itself, and Chaucerian gardens will not be largely popular. Meanwhile, I sincerely hope that flowering shrubs and hardy herbaceous plants may be far more generally grown and cared for than they are at present.It has seemed on the whole best to leave this Essay as it was written. I have made a few verbal corrections and inserted one or two short sentences, and that is all. I have, however, added illustrative Notes on points which seemed of some little interest.
THE
ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN.
WITH ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES
BY
HENRY A. BRIGHT
AUTHOR OF “A YEAR IN A LANCASHIRE GARDEN.”
London:MACMILLAN AND CO.1881.
The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved.
LONDON:R. Clay, Sons, and Taylor,BREAD STREET HILL.
Itis just a year ago since this Essay on “The English Flower Garden” was published in theQuarterly Review.
It was written with a twofold object: to give in the smallest compass an outline history of English gardens, and to show once again what makes the true charm and happiness of a garden. Many—perhaps too partial—friends have urged me to reprint this article. They have reminded me that, when the immediate circulation of any one number of a Review has ceased, its articles are virtually lost and buried, and they assure me that there are readers who may not have already seen, and who would yet care to read, this Essay. I hardly know how this may be, but I do knowhow very much I am indebted to the proprietor of theQuarterlyfor his great kindness in allowing me the opportunity of this reprint. Should this little book succeed in retaining the friends thatA Year in a Lancashire Gardenwas happy enough to make, it will indeed be fortunate. It has been to me a matter of no little surprise (as, naturally, of pleasure) to find from the generous notices of the Press and from numerous private letters from owners of gardens, to whom I am entirely a stranger, that the views I have expressed as to the necessity of a reform in our gardens are very widely held. So long as a garden is only regarded as a means for displaying masses of gay colouring, half the delight and all the real interest of it are gone. It is only when we learn to make friends of individual plants, and recall their history and associations, that a garden becomes a pleasure for the intellect as well as for the senses. But I do not wish to carry my opinions to any extravagant length. It is Voltaire, I think, who says that “a man may have preferences butno exclusions,” and I certainly would exclude nothing that is good in the present system. Bedding-out is occasionally very effective and sometimes necessary; and, on the other hand, a garden—such as I saw suggested somewhere the other day—which should contain only flowers known to Chaucer, would be extremely disappointing. However, bedding-out can take very good care of itself, and Chaucerian gardens will not be largely popular. Meanwhile, I sincerely hope that flowering shrubs and hardy herbaceous plants may be far more generally grown and cared for than they are at present.
It has seemed on the whole best to leave this Essay as it was written. I have made a few verbal corrections and inserted one or two short sentences, and that is all. I have, however, added illustrative Notes on points which seemed of some little interest.
CONTENTS.PAGELove of Gardening1Early English Gardens3Topiarian Work8Landscape Gardeners11Bedding-Out16Carpet-Bedding23Spring Gardening26The Semi-Tropical Garden27The Alpine Garden29Fountains31The Wild Garden32The Shrubbery35Hardy Shrubs39The Walled Garden43Old Herbals45Flowers of Winter47Spring Flowers49Roses51Summer Flowers52Birds and Butterflies55Explorers57Botanists60Garden Associations65Flower Painting67Flower Shows71The Interest of the Garden74NOTES.I.The Gardener Bower-Bird78II.Ars Topiaria82III.A Poet’s Flower-Bed86IV.The Evening Primrose87V.The Christmas Rose92
NOTES.