CURRENT LITERATURE.
SMALL GARDENS.
Small Gardens and How to Make the Most of Them. By Violet Biddel. (C. Arthur Pearson. 9d.) — This little book, which appeared two or three months ago, has a cover intended to attract the public, but in our opinion it gives an unfavourable impression of the book. It was worthy of something better, as it has been written with far greater pains and knowledge than the ordinary ninepenny gardening manual. Such publications are often too professional, while this is clearly written by an amateur who both loves and understands her plants, and, above all, bas cultivated her eyes to see and learn in the gardens of others. She constantly mentions other gardens, public and private, Kew and Hampton Court. The book does not take the place of that admirable republication of Mr. Robinson's, " Mrs. Loudon's Gardening for Ladies," which he calls " the amateur gardener," (Frederick Warne and Co., 9d.), and where the best and clearest instruction is to be found for all the ordinary cultivation of flowers, fruit, and vegetables, divided into the work that should be done in each month. Our authoress addresses a large modern public: who already know the rudiments of the cultivation of plants under artificial circumstances, and the great advantage of her book is that, without being too technical, she brings to 'the notice of owners of small gardens a great number of plants which have of late years been restored to cultivation, and which so help the succession of beautiful growth and flowering plants for the whole year round. Mrs. London's book teaches every- thing the ignorant want to know, and refreshes the memory of those who know a great deal. This justifies Miss Biddel's omis- sions, and her book makes an excellent connecting link between the elementary book, which is purely instructive, and the more expensive works, such as Robinson'a " English Flower Garden," or Nicholson's " Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening." It Is familiar and chatty in style, and modern in feeling. It names many plants which would otherwise be forgotten, it hints at many methods for gaining beauty of form and colour in small spades, and, best of all, it preaches originality. Every garden which is the individual expression of its owner, however small, is of interest. to every other gardener, who thereby sees variety. In such gardens there are sure to be some plants much more perfectly grown than is usual, showing them at their very beet. This is partly caused by the accident of soil or situation, but is principally the result of loving care, and it sends every flower- lover away stimulated to produce the same results Miss Biddel says :—" I remember seeing a tiny strip in a large town quite fairy- like in its loveliness, and it has always been a lesson to me what enthusiasm can do. The old lady to whom it belonged was not rich, but an ardent lover of all that is beautiful in nature and art; moreover, she did nearly all the work herself. Though it was situated amid smoke and dirt, it almost invariably looked bright and pretty, reminding one somehow, from its quaint- ness, of the ' days of long ago,' for there were no geraniums, ao calceolarias, no lobelias, and not a single Portugal laurel in the whole place." Evergreens should be avoided in all small gardens, but especially in all gardens near the smoke of towns. Gardening is useless if it does not make people think. Our modern civilisation turns us more or less into machines, all imitating each other in an aimless way like a flock of sheep. The ideal object pf all education and of all our after-life training and amusements should be to make every human being a thinking individual. Gardening is a natural, healthy developer of taste, a creator of what is spontaneous in us; affording the best check to the constant wish for change; in fact, a corrector of the spirit of the age. Those who really love their gardens rarely like to leave home. The smaller the garden the more thought it requires. Handsome, big, showy plants, splendid, large blooms, are more suited to the places of the rich and great, who have plenty of space to fill. They are for the most part highly artificial products, and much of their beauty is produced at the expense of native character ; while some English wild flowers, with a little care, will grow any where,— e.g., the beautiful blue geranium (cranesbill), the small white cranesbill, the lovely yellow toadfiat, the common mouse- ear, hawkweed, the two French willow weeds, white and pink (Eptilothara. Augustirdium) . Besides being easy of cultiva- tion, these are more beautiful in form than many of the so-called garden plants. I " weed " has been defined as a plant out of place, but the careful cultivation of plants which grow wild in England is very desirable in small gardens. We think Miss Biddel does not sufficiently warn her readers against the use of forest trees, and especially conifers. Junipers and bellies, roses and ivies, are quite large enough. Nothing ought ever to be planted that will be too big for the place if it grows well. Continual succes- sion, daintiness of form and colour, not overcrowding, these ought to be the chief objects in all small gardens, unless the object is a semi-botanical collection. That, as Mr. Kipling would say, is quite another story. We can heartily recommend this little book to all those who appreciate its aim, which, as Miss Biddel says, is "to show that even the tiniest piece of land can be made pretty, and even profitable, if due attention be given it."
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