The century book of gardening; a comprehensive work for every lover of the garden (1900) (20595503111)

Title: The century book of gardening; a comprehensive work for every lover of the garden
Identifier: centurybookofgar00cook (find matches)
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Cook, E. T. (Ernest Thomas), 1867-1915, ed
Subjects: Gardening
Publisher: London, The Offices of "Country life" (etc. )
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library



Text Appearing Before Image:
66 THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. In many English gardens, even where great opportunities exist, the grass walk is a thing unseen, though so delightful to walk upon and a delicate setting to flowers grouped by its margin. Immediately near to the house a grass walk is not advisable, because of its dampness in wet and showery weather, but away from the house, where walks run into the woodland, skirt some mixed border, or intersect shrubberies, the grass drive and walk are grateful to the eye and restful in every way. Grass walks are as readily made as the lawn. Often they exist naturally, or may be taken from the surrounding verdure. The beautiful grass walk leading from the Palm House at Kew was once hard gravel. Now a wide walk of velvety turf is there which does not offend, and creeps back into the surrounding woodland. Occasional cutting is necessary, of course, but grass walks entail less labour than many suppose, certainly not the needless work of weeding and raking, whilst at all times gravel walks are hard and comfortless. The green sward is artistic and agreeable — a cool setting to the mixed border with its wealth of f 1 o w e r s , which, may be, skirts it on either side, with, perhaps, crjm- s o n P e o n i e s tumbling over the margin. In the early sum- mer months one seeks the gar- den, not the terrace garden or formal par- terre, but the shady nooks and Rose - perfumed pergolas and the green grass walks w h i c h lead up away to the woodland or lure to delightful retreats, where to put a gravel walk would be akin to sacrilege. For many years, with merely attention to the trees near or plants or shrubs by the margin, the grass walk remains cool and pleasurable, but overhanging boughs and shrub branches must be cut away from time to time to prevent the grass becoming bare from want of sun and air. Many of the gardens of England owe their chief attraction to the velvetv grass walks and drives. Bulwick would not be so fine a place if all the walks were gravel, and the glorious mixed borders would lose their fresh colouring and wonderful effect. Nor would that garden of grass walks—Alton Towers—prove so interesting without its green vistas, fringed with leafy Rhododendrons and many .shrubs.
Text Appearing After Image:
A FLOWER-FRINGED GRASS WALK.