FLOWER GARDENING.

Patea Mail, 5 June 1882, Page 4

FLOWER GARDENING.

Among the many changes that have lately been witnessed in flower gardens where any thought is given to healthy change and improvement, is the readoption of the old mixed border once more as one of the agreeable phases of gardening with hardy flowers. Mr Frank Miles has formed in his father’s garden at Bingham, Notts, what is on the whole the most satisfactory mixed border of hardy flowers that we have yet seen. Mr Miles is among the garden reformers, and set himself, some years ago, to solve the problem of at least one phase of the flower garden question. He took two ordinary borders; thoroughly : re-made or refreshed the soil, varying it in different parts ; and planted, not in any formal way, but in groups, masses, or carpets, a really choice selection of hardy flowers, from hepaticas, which carpet the ground, to the noble blue perennial larkspurs, which send up spires of blue flowers to a height of seven or eight feet. We saw this border in July and can only repeat what we said above, that it was the best example of a mixed border we have ever seen, and we have made journeys in many countries in quest of fair and well-stored gardens. A winding border, rich in flowers as a New England meadow full of swamp lilies or the grassy

valley sides in Piedmont in early June,

but' with ten times more variety than either ; a variety of beautiful lifegathered in many countries and many gardens, all; happy together in what one might call an open air conservatory ; a museum of living gems come and go day by day, and in which those that are familiar have chaims and aspects that differ and vary, following the hour, day, sun, or season. No formality, at all, and no monotony—the herb that mantles the ground with green and jewels it with small starry flowers, shades the foots of the great trumpet lily, tall Deliphiniura and white moss rose, and bright tall poppy. No bard and abominable edging of tiles* but soft tufts of dwarf phlox, arabis aubretia, saxifrage, sedum, Christmas rose, wander in and out pretty much as they

. like, on the margin, so as. to soften it. No rigid graduation from front to back, as was ' often the case in the old borders ; some-

times a tall plant comes boldly to the edge, and sometimes little plants form a carpet right into the back of the taller ones, forming a little lawn bordered by tall plants. Hence grace, light and shade, and variety of surface.—English paper.