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diff --git a/old/61325-0.txt b/old/61325-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3410d96..0000000 --- a/old/61325-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11188 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Shakespeare Garden, by Esther Singleton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Shakespeare Garden - -Author: Esther Singleton - -Release Date: February 5, 2020 [EBook #61325] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN *** - - - - -Produced by ellinora, Alan and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - - - - - - - - - - THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN - - - - -[Illustration: STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, NEW PLACE, BORDER OF ANNUALS] - - - - - THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN - BY ESTHER SINGLETON - WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS - FROM PHOTOGRAPHS - AND REPRODUCTIONS OF - OLD WOOD CUTS - - [Illustration] - - PUBLISHED BY THE CENTURY CO. - NEW YORK M CM XX II - - - - - Copyright, 1922, by - THE CENTURY CO. - - - Printed in U. S. A. - - - - - TO THE MEMORY OF - MY MOTHER - WHOSE RARE ARTISTIC TASTES AND WHOSE CULTURED - INTELLECT LED ME IN EARLY YEARS TO THE APPRECIATION - OF SHAKESPEARE AND ALL MANIFESTATIONS - OF BEAUTY IN LITERATURE AND ART - - - - -PREFACE - - -In adding another book to the enormous number of works on Shakespeare, -I beg indulgence for a few words of explanation. - -Having been for many years an ardent and a devoted student of -Shakespeare, I discovered long ago that there was no adequate book -on the Elizabethan garden and the condition of horticulture in -Shakespeare's time. Every Shakespeare student knows how frequently -and with what subtle appreciation Shakespeare speaks of flowers. -Shakespeare loved all the simple blossoms that "paint the meadows -with delight": he loved the mossy banks in the forest carpeted with -wild thyme and "nodding violets" and o'er-canopied with eglantine and -honeysuckle; he loved the cowslips in their gold coats spotted with -rubies, "the azured harebells" and the "daffodils that come before -the swallow dares"; he loved the "winking mary-buds," or marigolds, -that "ope their golden eyes" in the first beams of the morning sun; he -loved the stately flowers of stately gardens--the delicious musk-rose, -"lilies of all kinds," and the flower-de-luce; and he loved all the -new "outlandish" flowers, such as the crown-imperial just introduced -from Constantinople and "lark's heels trim" from the West Indies. - -Shakespeare no doubt visited Master Tuggie's garden at Westminster, in -which Ralph Tuggie and later his widow, "Mistress Tuggie," specialized -in carnations and gilliflowers, and the gardens of Gerard, Parkinson, -Lord Zouche, and Lord Burleigh. In addition to these, he knew the -gardens of the fine estates in Warwickshire and the simple cottage -gardens, such as charm the American visitor in rural England. When -Shakespeare calls for a garden scene, as he does in "Twelfth Night," -"Romeo and Juliet," and "King Richard II," it is the "stately garden" -that he has in his mind's eye, the finest type of a Tudor garden, with -terraces, "knots," and arbors. In "Love's Labour's Lost" is mentioned -the "curious knotted garden." - -Realizing the importance of reproducing an accurate representation of -the garden of Shakespeare's time the authorities at Stratford-upon-Avon -have recently rearranged "the garden" of Shakespeare's birthplace; and -the flowers of each season succeed each other in the proper "knots" -and in the true Elizabethan atmosphere. Of recent years it has been a -fad among American garden lovers to set apart a little space for a -"Shakespeare garden," where a few old-fashioned English flowers are -planted in beds of somewhat formal arrangement. These gardens are not, -however, by any means replicas of the simple garden of Shakespeare's -time, or of the stately garden as worked out by the skilful -Elizabethans. - -It is my hope, therefore, that this book will help those who desire a -perfect Shakespeare garden, besides giving Shakespeare lovers a new -idea of the gardens and flowers of Shakespeare's time. - -Part One is devoted to the history and evolution of the small enclosed -garden within the walls of the medieval castle into the Garden of -Delight which Parkinson describes; the Elizabethan garden, the -herbalists and horticulturists; and the new "outlandish" flowers. Part -Two describes the flowers mentioned by Shakespeare and much quaint -flower lore. Part Three is devoted to technical hints, instruction and -practical suggestions for making a correct Shakespeare garden. - -Shakespeare does not mention all the flowers that were familiar in -his day, and, therefore, I have described in detail only those spoken -of in his plays. I have chosen only the varieties that were known to -Shakespeare; and in a Shakespeare garden only such specimens should -be planted. For example, it would be an anachronism to grow the -superb modern pansies, for the "pansy freaked with jet," as Milton so -beautifully calls it, is the tiny heartsease, or "johnny-jump-up." - -On the other hand, the carnations (or "sops-in-wine") and gilliflowers -were highly developed in Shakespeare's day and existed in bewildering -variety. - -We read of such specimens as the Orange Tawny Gilliflower, the -Grandpère, the Lustie Gallant or Westminster, the Queen's Gilliflower, -the Dainty, the Fair Maid of Kent or Ruffling Robin, the Feathered -Tawny, Master Bradshaw's Dainty Lady, and Master Tuggie's Princess, -besides many other delightful names. - -I have carefully read every word in Parkinson's huge volume, _Paradisi -in Sole; Paradisus Terrestris_ (London, 1629), to select from his -practical instructions to gardeners and also his charming bits of -description. I need not apologize for quoting so frequently his -intimate and loving characterizations of those flowers that are -"nourished up in gardens." Take, for example, the following description -of the "Great Harwich": - - I take [says Parkinson] this goodly, great old English Carnation as a - precedent for the description of all the rest, which for his beauty - and stateliness is worthy of a prime place. It riseth up with a great, - thick, round stalk divided into several branches, somewhat thickly set - with joints, and at every joint two long, green (rather than whitish) - leaves turning or winding two or three times round. The flowers stand - at the tops of the stalks in long, great and round green husks, which - are divided into five points, out of which rise many long and broad - pointed leaves deeply jagged at the ends, set in order, round and - comely, making a gallant, great double Flower of a deep carnation - color almost red, spotted with many bluish spots and streaks, some - greater and some lesser, of an excellent soft, sweet scent, neither - too quick, as many others of these kinds are, nor yet too dull, and - with two whitish crooked threads like horns in the middle. This kind - never beareth many flowers, but as it is slow in growing, so in - bearing, not to be often handled, which showeth a kind of stateliness - fit to preserve the opinion of magnificence. - -It will amaze the reader, perhaps, to learn that horticulture was -in such a high state of development. Some wealthy London merchants -and noblemen, Nicholas Leate, for example, actually kept agents -traveling in the Orient and elsewhere to search for rare bulbs and -plants. Explorers in the New World also brought home new plants and -flowers. Sir Walter Raleigh imported the sweet potato and tobacco (but -neither is mentioned by Shakespeare) and from the West Indies came the -_Nasturtium Indicum_--"Yellow Lark's Heels," as the Elizabethans called -it. - -Many persons will be interested to learn the quaint old flower names, -such as "Sops-in-Wine," the "Frantic Foolish Cowslip," "Jack-an-Apes on -Horseback," "Love in Idleness," "Dian's Bud," etc. - -The Elizabethans enjoyed their gardens and used them more than we use -ours to-day. They went to them for _re-creation_--a renewing of body -and refreshment of mind and spirit. They loved their shady walks, their -pleached alleys, their flower-wreathed arbors, their banks of thyme, -rosemary, and woodbine, their intricate "knots" bordered with box or -thrift and filled with bright blossoms, and their labyrinths, or mazes. -Garden lovers were critical and careful about the arrangement and -grouping of their flowers. To-day we try for masses of color; but the -Elizabethans went farther than we do, for they blended their hues and -even shaded colors from dark to light. The people of Shakespeare's day -were also fastidious about perfume values--something we do not think -about to-day. The planting of flowers with regard to the "perfume on -the air," as Bacon describes it, was a part of ordinary garden lore. -We have altogether lost this delicacy of gardening. - -This book was the logical sequence of a talk I gave two years ago upon -the "Gardens and Flowers of Shakespeare's Time" at the residence of -Mrs. Charles H. Senff in New York, before the International Garden -Club. This talk was very cordially received and was repeated by request -at the home of Mrs. Ernest H. Fahnestock, also in New York. - -I wish to express my thanks to Mr. Norman Taylor of the Brooklyn -Botanic Garden, for permission to reprint the first chapter, which -appeared in the "Journal of the International Garden Club," of which -he is the editor. I also wish to thank Mr. Taylor for his valued -encouragement to me in the preparation of this book. - -I wish to direct attention to the remarkable portrait of Nicholas -Leate, one of the greatest flower collectors of his day, photographed -especially for this book from the original portrait in oils, painted by -Daniel Mytens for the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, of which Leate -was master in 1616, 1626, and 1627. - -The portrait of this English worthy has never been photographed -before; and it is a great pleasure for me to bring before the public -the features and personality of a man who was such a deep lover of -horticulture and who held such a large place in the London world in -Shakespeare's time. The dignity, refinement, distinction, and general -atmosphere of Nicholas Leate--and evidently Mytens painted a direct -portrait without flattery--bespeak the type of gentleman who sought -_re-creation_ in gardens and who could have held his own upon the -subject with Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Thomas More, Sir Philip Sidney, -Lord Burleigh, and Sir Henry Wotton--and, doubtless, he knew them all. - -It was not an easy matter to have this portrait photographed, because -when the Hall of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers was destroyed by -a German bomb in 1917 the rescued portrait was stored in the National -Gallery. Access to the portrait was very difficult, and it was only -through the great kindness of officials and personal friends that a -reproduction was made possible. - -I wish, therefore, to thank the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers -for the gracious permission to have the portrait photographed and to -express my gratitude to Mr. Collins Baker, keeper of the National -Gallery, and to Mr. Ambrose, chief clerk and secretary of the -National Gallery, for their kind co-operation; to Mr. C. W. Carey, -curator of the Royal Holloway College Gallery, who spent two days -in photographing the masterpiece; and also to Sir Evan Spicer of the -Dulwich Gallery and to my sister, Mrs. Carrington, through whose joint -efforts the arrangements were perfected. - -I also wish to thank the Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare's -Birthplace, who, through their Secretary, Mr. F. C. Wellstood, have -supplied me with several photographs of the Shakespeare Garden at -Stratford-upon-Avon, especially taken for this book, with permission -for their reproduction. - - E. S. - - New York, September 4, 1922. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PART ONE - - THE GARDEN OF DELIGHT - - PAGE - - EVOLUTION OF THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN 3 - - I. The Medieval Pleasance 3 - - II. Garden of Delight 11 - - III. The Italian Renaissance Garden 15 - - IV. Bagh-i-Vafa 19 - - V. New Fad for Flowers 21 - - VI. Tudor Gardens 25 - - VII. Garden Pleasures 29 - - THE CURIOUS KNOTTED GARDEN 31 - - I. Flower Lovers and Herbalists 31 - - II. The Elizabethan Garden 40 - - III. Old Garden Authors 68 - - IV. "Outlandish" and English Flowers 78 - - - PART TWO - - THE FLOWERS OF SHAKESPEARE - - SPRING: "THE SWEET O' THE YEAR" 93 - - I. Primroses, Cowslips, and Oxlips 93 - - II. "Daffodils That Come Before the Swallow - Dares" 109 - - III. "Daisies Pied and Violets Blue" 118 - - IV. "Lady-smocks All Silver White" and - "Cuckoo-buds of Every Yellow Hue" 130 - - V. Anemones and "Azured Harebells" 133 - - VI. Columbine and Broom-flower 137 - - SUMMER: "SWEET SUMMER BUDS" 145 - - I. "Morning Roses Newly Washed with - Dew" 145 - - II. "Lilies of All Kinds" 160 - - III. Crown-Imperial and Flower-de-Luce 167 - - IV. Fern and Honeysuckle 175 - - V. Carnations and Gilliflowers 181 - - VI. Marigold and Larkspur 189 - - VII. Pansies for Thoughts and Poppies for - Dreams 200 - - VIII. Crow-flowers and Long Purples 207 - - IX. Saffron Crocus and Cuckoo-flowers 210 - - X. Pomegranate and Myrtle 215 - - AUTUMN: "HERBS OF GRACE" AND "DRAMS OF - POISON" 224 - - I. Rosemary and Rue 224 - - II. Lavender, Mints, and Fennel 231 - - III. Sweet Marjoram, Thyme, and Savory 236 - - IV. Sweet Balm and Camomile 243 - - V. Dian's Bud and Monk's-hood Blue 246 - - WINTER: "WHEN ICICLES HANG BY THE WALL" 253 - - I. Holly and Ivy 253 - - II. Mistletoe and Box 261 - - - PART THREE - - PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS - - THE LAY-OUT OF STATELY AND SMALL FORMAL GARDENS 269 - - I. The Stately Garden 271 - - II. The Small Garden 276 - - III. Soil and Seed 278 - - IV. The Gateway 280 - - V. The Garden House 281 - - VI. The Mount 282 - - VII. Rustic Arches 282 - - VIII. Seats 284 - - IX. Vases, Jars, and Tubs 284 - - X. Fountains 285 - - XI. The Dove-cote 287 - - XII. The Sun-dial 288 - - XIII. The Terrace 289 - - XIV. The Pleached Alley 292 - - XV. Hedges 293 - - XVI. Paths 294 - - XVII. Borders 295 - - XVIII. Edgings 297 - - XIX. Knots 298 - - XX. The Rock Garden 302 - - XXI. Flowers 302 - - XXII. Potpourri 324 - - A MASKE OF FLOWERS 325 - - COMPLETE LIST OF SHAKESPEAREAN FLOWERS WITH - BOTANICAL IDENTIFICATIONS 331 - - APPENDIX 333 - - ELIZABETHAN GARDENS AT SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE 333 - - INDEX 347 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Stratford-upon-Avon, New Place, Border of Annuals _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - Fifteenth Century Garden within Castle Walls, French 8 - - Lovers in the Castle Garden, Fifteenth Century MS. 17 - - Garden of Delight, Romaunt of the Rose, Fifteenth - Century 17 - - Babar's Garden of Fidelity 20 - - Italian Renaissance Garden, Villa Giusti, Verona 29 - - John Gerard, Lobel and Parkinson 32 - - Nicholas Leate 36 - - The Knot-Garden, New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon 45 - - Typical Garden of Shakespeare's Time, Crispin de - Passe (1614) 56 - - Labyrinth, Vredeman de Vries 64 - - A Curious Knotted Garden, Crispin de Passe (1614) 64 - - The Knot-Garden, New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon 72 - - Border, New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon 81 - - Herbaceous Border, New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon 88 - - Carnations and Gilliflowers; Primroses and Cowslips; - and Daffodils: from Parkinson 97 - - Gardeners at Work, Sixteenth Century 112 - - Garden Pleasures, Sixteenth Century 112 - - Garden in Macbeth's Castle of Cawdor 116 - - Shakespeare's Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon 125 - - Elizabethan Manor House, Haddon Hall 136 - - Rose Arbor, Warley, England 145 - - Red, White, Damask and Musk-Roses; Lilies and Eglantines - and Dog-Roses: from Parkinson 160 - - Martagon Lilies, Warley, England 168 - - Wilton Gardens from de Caux 176 - - Wilton Gardens To-day 176 - - A Garden of Delight 184 - - Sir Thomas More's Gardens, Chelsea 193 - - Pleaching and Plashing, from The Gardener's Labyrinth 209 - - Small Enclosed Garden, from The Gardener's Labyrinth 209 - - A Curious Knotted Garden, Vredeman de Vries 224 - - Garden with Arbors, Vredeman de Vries 224 - - Shakespeare Garden, Van Cortlandt House Museum, - Van Cortlandt Park, Colonial Dames of the State - of New York 241 - - Tudor Manor House with Modern Arrangement of - Gardens 256 - - Garden House in Old English Garden 272 - - Fountains, Sixteenth Century 289 - - Sunken Gardens, Sunderland Hall, with Unusual - Treatment of Hedges 304 - - Knots from Markham 321 - - Simple Garden Beds 321 - - - - - PART ONE - - THE GARDEN OF DELIGHT - - - - - EVOLUTION OF THE SHAKESPEARE - GARDEN - - - - - I - - _The Medieval Pleasance_ - - -SHAKESPEARE was familiar with two kinds of gardens: the stately and -magnificent garden that embellished the castles and manor-houses of -the nobility and gentry; and the small and simple garden such as he -had himself at Stratford-on-Avon and such as he walked through when he -visited Ann Hathaway in her cottage at Shottery. - -The latter is the kind that is now associated with Shakespeare's -name; and when garden lovers devote a section of their grounds to -a "Shakespeare garden" it is the small, enclosed garden, such as -_Perdita_ must have had, that they endeavor to reproduce. - -The small garden of Shakespeare's day, which we so lovingly call by -his name, was a little pleasure garden--a garden to stroll in and to -sit in. The garden, moreover, had another purpose: it was intended -to supply flowers for "nosegays" and herbs for "strewings." The -Shakespeare garden was a continuation, or development, of the Medieval -"Pleasance," where quiet ladies retired with their embroidery frames -to work and dream of their Crusader lovers, husbands, fathers, sons, -and brothers lying in the trenches before Acre and Ascalon, or storming -the walls of Jerusalem and Jericho; where lovers sat hand in hand -listening to the songs of birds and to the still sweeter songs from -their own palpitating hearts; where men of affairs frequently repaired -for a quiet chat, or refreshment of spirit; and where gay groups of -lords and ladies gathered to tell stories, to enjoy the recitation of -a wandering _trouvère_, or to sing to their lutes and viols, while -jesters in doublets and hose of bright colors and cap and bells lounged -nonchalantly on the grass to mock at all things--even love! - -In the illuminated manuscripts of old _romans_, such as "Huon of -Bordeaux," the "Romaunt of the Rose," "Blonde of Oxford," "Flore et -Blancheflore, Amadis de Gaul," etc., there are many charming miniatures -to illustrate the word-pictures. From them we learn that the garden -was actually within the castle walls and _very_ small. The walls of -the garden were broken by turrets and pierced with a little door, -usually opposite the chief entrance; the walks were paved with brick -or stone, or they were sanded, or graveled; and at the intersection -of these walks a graceful fountain usually tossed its spray upon the -buds and blossoms. The little beds were laid out formally and were -bright with flowers, growing singly and not in masses. Often, too, pots -or vases were placed here and there at regular intervals, containing -orange, lemon, bay, or cypress trees, their foliage beautifully -trimmed in pyramids or globes that rose high above the tall stems. -Not infrequently the garden rejoiced in a fruit-tree, or several -fruit-trees. Stone or marble seats invitingly awaited visitors. - -The note here was _charming intimacy_. It was a spot where gentleness -and sweetness reigned, and where, perforce, every flower enjoyed the -air it breathed. It was a Garden of Delight for flowers, birds, and men. - -To trace the formal garden to its origin would take us far afield. We -should have to go back to the ancient Egyptians, whose symmetrical and -magnificent gardens were luxurious in the extreme; to Babylon, whose -superb "Hanging Gardens" were among the Seven Wonders of the World; and -to the Romans, who are still our teachers in the matter of beautiful -gardening. The Roman villas that made Albion beautiful, as the great -estates of the nobility and gentry make her beautiful to-day, lacked -nothing in the way of ornamental gardens. Doubtless Pliny's garden was -repeated again and again in the outposts of the Roman Empire. From -these splendid Roman gardens tradition has been handed down. - -There never has been a time in the history of England where the -cultivation of the garden held pause. There is every reason to believe -that the Anglo-Saxons were devoted to flowers. A poem in the "Exeter -Book" has the lines: - - Of odors sweetest - Such as in summer's tide - Fragrance send forth in places, - Fast in their stations, - Joyously o'er the plains, - Blown plants, - Honey-flowing. - -No one could write "blown-plants, honey-flowing" without a deep and -sophisticated love of flowers. - -Every Anglo-Saxon gentleman had a _garth_, or garden, for pleasure, and -an _ort-garth_ for vegetables. In the _garth_ the best loved flower -was the lily, which blossomed beside the rose, sunflower, marigold, -gilliflower, violet, periwinkle, honeysuckle, daisy, peony, and -bay-tree. - -Under the Norman kings, particularly Henry II, when the French and -English courts were virtually the same, the citizens of London had -gardens, "large, beautiful, and planted with various kinds of trees." -Possibly even older scribes wrote accounts of some of these, but the -earliest description of an English garden is contained in "De Naturis -Rerum" by Alexander Neckan, who lived in the second half of the Twelfth -Century. "A garden," he says, "should be adorned on this side with -roses, lilies, the marigold, _molis_ and mandrakes; on that side with -parsley, cort, fennel, southernwood, coriander, sage, savory, hyssop, -mint, rue, dittany, smallage, pellitory, lettuce, cresses, _ortulano_, -and the peony. Let there also be beds enriched with onions, leeks, -garlic, melons, and scallions. The garden is also enriched by the -cucumber, which creeps on its belly, and by the soporiferous poppy, as -well as by the daffodil and the acanthus. Nor let pot-herbs be wanting, -if you can help it, such as beets, herb mercury, orache, and the -mallow. It is useful also to the gardener to have anise, mustard, white -pepper, and wormwood." And then Neckan goes on to the fruit-trees -and medicinal plants. The gardener's tools at this time were merely a -knife for grafting, an ax, a pruning-hook, and a spade. A hundred years -later the gardens of France and England were still about the same. When -John de Garlande (an appropriate name for an amateur horticulturist) -was studying at the University of Paris (Thirteenth Century) he had -a garden, which he described in his "Dictionarus," quaintly speaking -of himself in the third person: "In Master John's garden are these -plants: sage, parsley, dittany, hyssop, celandine, fennel, pellitory, -the rose, the lily, the violet; and at the side (in the hedge), the -nettle, the thistle and foxgloves. His garden also contains medicinal -herbs, namely, mercury and the mallows, agrimony with nightshade and -the marigold." Master John had also a special garden for pot-herbs -and "other herbs good for men's bodies," i.e., medicinal herbs, and a -fruit garden, or orchard, of cherries, pears, nuts, apples, quinces, -figs, plums, and grapes. About the same time Guillaume de Lorris wrote -his "Roman de la Rose"; and in this famous work of the Thirteenth -Century there is a most beautiful description of the garden of the -period. _L'Amant_ (the Lover) while strolling on the banks of a river -discovered this enchanting spot, "full long and broad behind high -walls." It was the Garden of _Delight_, or Pleasure, whose wife was -_Liesse_, or Joy; and here they dwelt with the sweetest of companions. -_L'Amant_ wandered about until he found a small wicket door in the -wall, at which he knocked and gained admittance. When he entered he was -charmed. Everything was so beautiful that it seemed to him a spiritual -place, better even than Paradise could be. Now, walking down a little -path, _bordered with mint and fennel_, he reached the spot where -_Delight_ and his companions were dancing a carol to the song of Joy. -_L'Amant_ was invited to join the dance; and after it was finished he -made a tour of the garden to see it all. And through his eyes we see -it, too. - -[Illustration: FIFTEENTH CENTURY GARDEN WITHIN CASTLE WALLS, FRENCH] - -The Garden of Delight was even and square, "as long as it was large." -It contained every known fruit-tree--peaches, plums, cherries, apples, -and quinces, as well as figs, pomegranates, dates, almonds, chestnuts, -and nutmegs. Tall pines, cypresses, and laurels formed screens and -walls of greenery; and many a "pair" of elms, maples, ashes, oaks, -aspens, yews, and poplars kept out the sun by their interwoven branches -and protected the green grass. And here deer browsed fearlessly and -squirrels "in great plenty" were seen leaping from bough to bough. -Conduits of water ran through the garden and the moisture made the -grass as thick and rich as velvet and "the earth was as soft as a -feather bed." And, moreover, the "earth was of such a grace" that it -produced plenty of flowers, both winter and summer: - - There sprang the violet all new - And fresh periwinkle rich of hue - And flowers yellow, white and red, - Such plenty grew there, never in mead. - Full joy was all the ground and quaint - And powdered as men had it paint - With many a fresh and sundry flower - That casteth up full good savor. - -Myriads of birds were singing, too--larks, nightingales, finches, -thrushes, doves, and canaries. _L'Amant_ wandered on until he came to a -marvelous fountain--the Fountain of Love--under a pine-tree. - -Presently he was attracted to a beautiful rosebush, full of buds and -full-blown roses. One bud, sweeter and fresher than all the rest and -set so proudly on its spray, fascinated him. As he approached this -flower, _L'Amour_ discharged five arrows into his heart. The bud, of -course, was the woman he was destined to love and which, after many -adventures and trials, he was eventually to pluck and cherish. - -This fanciful old allegory made a strong appeal to the illustrators -of the Thirteenth and later centuries; and many beautiful editions -are prized by libraries and preserved in glass cases. The edition -from which the illustration (Fifteenth Century) is taken is from the -Harleian MS. owned by the British Museum. - - - - - II - - _The Garden of Delight_ - - -The old _trouvères_ did not hesitate to stop the flow of their stories -to describe the delights and beauties of the gardens. Many romantic -scenes are staged in the "Pleasance," to which lovers stole quietly -through the tiny postern gate in the walls. When we remember what the -feudal castle was, with its high, dark walls, its gloomy towers and -loop-holes for windows, its cold floors, its secret hiding-places, -and its general gloom, it is not surprising that the lords and ladies -liked to escape into the garden. After the long, dreary winter what joy -to see the trees burst into bloom and the tender flowers push their -way through the sweet grass! Like the birds, the poets broke out into -rapturous song, as, for instance, in _Richard Cœur de Lion_: - - Merry is in the time of May, - Whenne fowlis synge in her lay; - Flowers on appyl trees and perye;[1] - Small fowlis[2] synge merye; - Ladyes strew their bowers - With red roses and lily flowers; - Great joy is in grove and lake. - -[1] Pear. - -[2] Birds. - -In Chaucer's "Franklyn's Tale" _Dorigen_ goes into her garden to try to -divert herself in the absence of her husband: - - And this was on the sixte morne of May, - Which May had painted with his softe shoures. - This gardeyn full of leves and of flowers: - And craft of mannes hand so curiously - Arrayed had this gardeyn of such pris, - As if it were the verray paradis. - -In the "Roman de Berte" _Charles Martel_ dines in the garden, when the -rose is in bloom--_que la rose est fleurie_--and in "La Mort de Garin" -a big dinner-party is given in the garden. Naturally the garden was -the place of all places for lovers. In "Blonde of Oxford" _Blonde_ and -_Jean_ meet in the garden under a blossoming pear-tree, silvery in the -blue moonlight, and in the "Roman of Maugis et la Belle Oriande" the -hero and heroine "met in a garden to make merry and amuse themselves -after they had dined; and it was the time for taking a little repose. -It was in the month of May, the season when the birds sing and when all -true lovers are thinking of their love." - -In many of the illuminated manuscripts of these delightful _romans_ -there are pictures of ladies gathering flowers in the garden, sitting -on the sward, or on stone seats, weaving chaplets and garlands; and -these little pictures are drawn and painted with such skill and beauty -that we have no difficulty in visualizing what life was like in a -garden six hundred years ago. - -So valued were these gardens--not only for their flowers but even more -for the potential drugs, salves, unguents, perfumes, and ointments -they held in leaf and petal, seed and root, in those days when every -castle had to be its own apothecary storehouse--that the owner kept -them locked and guarded the key. Song, story, and legend are full -of incidents of the heroine's trouble in gaining possession of the -key of the postern gate in order to meet at midnight her lover who -adventurously scaled the high garden wall. The garden was indeed the -happiest and the most romantic spot in the precincts of the feudal -castle and the baronial manor-house. - -We do not have to depend entirely upon the _trouvères_ and poets for a -knowledge of Medieval flowers. A manuscript of the Fifteenth Century -(British Museum) contains a list of plants considered necessary for -a garden. Here it is: violets, mallows, dandelions, mint, sage, -parsley, golds,[3] marjoram, fennel, caraway, red nettle, daisy, thyme, -columbine, basil, rosemary, gyllofre,[4] rue, chives, endive, red rose, -poppy, cowslips of Jerusalem, saffron, lilies, and Roman peony. - -[3] Marigolds. - -[4] Gilliflower. - -Herbs and flowers were classed together. Many were valued for -culinary purposes and for medicinal purposes. The ladies of the -castle and manor-house were learned in cookery and in the preparation -of "simples"; and they guarded, tended, and gathered the herbs with -perhaps even more care than they gave to the flowers. Medieval pictures -of ladies, in tall peaked head dresses, fluttering veils, and graceful, -flowing robes, gathering herbs in their gardens, are abundant in the -old illustrated manuscripts. - - - - - III - - _The Italian Renaissance Garden_ - - -It is but a step from this Medieval "Pleasance" to the Shakespeare -garden. But before we try to picture what the Tudor gardens were like -it will be worth our while to pause for a moment to consider the -Renaissance garden of Italy on which the gardens that Shakespeare knew -and loved were modeled. No one is better qualified to speak of these -than Vernon Lee: - -"One great charm of Renaissance gardens was the skillful manner in -which Nature and Art were blended together. The formal design of the -_Giardino segreto_ agreed with the straight lines of the house, and -the walls with their clipped hedges led on to the wilder freer growth -of woodland and meadow, while the dense shade of the _bosco_ supplied -an effective contrast to the sunny spaces of lawn and flower-bed. -The ancient practice of cutting box-trees into fantastic shapes, -known to the Romans as the topiary art, was largely restored in the -Fifteenth Century and became an essential part of Italian gardens. -In that strange romance printed at the Aldine Press in 1499, the -_Hypernotomachia_ of Francesco Colonna, Polyphilus and his beloved -are led through an enchanted garden where banquet-houses, temples and -statues stand in the midst of myrtle groves and labyrinths on the -banks of a shining stream. The pages of this curious book are adorned -with a profusion of wood-cuts by some Venetian engraver, representing -pergolas, fountains, sunk parterres, pillared _loggie_, clipped box -and ilex-trees of every variety, which give a good idea of the garden -artist then in vogue. - -"Boccaccio and the Italians more usually employ the word _orto_, which -has lost its Latin signification, and is a place, as we learn from the -context, planted with fruit-trees and potherbs, the sage which brought -misfortune on poor Simona and the sweet basil which Lisabetta watered, -as it grew out of Lorenzo's head, only with rosewater, or that of -orange-flowers, or with her own tears. A friend of mine has painted a -picture of another of Boccaccio's ladies, Madonna Dianora, visiting -the garden which the enamored Ansaldo has made to bloom in January -by magic arts; a little picture full of the quaint lovely details of -Dello's wedding-chests, the charm of roses and lilies, the flashing -fountains and birds singing against a background of wintry trees, and -snow-shrouded fields, dainty youths and damsels treading their way -among the flowers, looking like tulips and ranunculus themselves in -their fur and brocade. But although in this story Boccaccio employs the -word _giardino_ instead of _orto_, I think we must imagine that magic -flower garden rather as a corner of orchard connected with fields of -wheat and olive below by the long tunnels of vine-trellis and dying -away into them with the great tufts of lavender and rosemary and fennel -on the grassy bank under the cherry trees. This piece of terraced -ground along which the water spurted from the dolphin's mouth, or the -Siren's breasts--runs through walled channels, refreshing impartially -violets and salads, lilies and tall, flowering onions under the -branches of the peach-tree and the pomegranate, to where, in the shade -of the great pink Oleander tufts, it pours out below into the big tank -for the maids to rinse their linen in the evening and the peasants -to fill their cans to water the bedded out tomatoes and the potted -clove-pinks in the shadow of the house. - -[Illustration: LOVERS IN THE CASTLE GARDEN, FIFTEENTH CENTURY MS.] - -[Illustration: GARDEN OF DELIGHT, ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE, FIFTEENTH -CENTURY] - -"The Blessed Virgin's garden is like that where, as she prays in the -cool of the evening, the gracious Gabriel flutters on to one knee -(hushing the sound of his wings lest he startle her) through the pale -green sky, the deep blue-green valley; and you may still see in the -Tuscan fields clumps of cypress, clipped wheel shape, which might mark -the very spot." - -I may recall here that the early Italian and Flemish painters were -fond of representing the Madonna and the Infant Jesus in a garden; and -the garden that they pictured was always the familiar little enclosed -garden of the period. The flowers that grew there were limited by the -Church. Each flower had its significance: the rose and the pink both -expressed divine love; the lily, purity; the violet, humility; the -strawberry, fruit and blossom, for the fruit of the spirit and the good -works of the righteous; the clover, or trefoil, for the Trinity; and -the columbine for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, because of its -dove-shaped petals. - -The enclosed garden is ancient indeed. - - O garden enclosed--a garden of living waters - And flowing streams from Lebanon: - Awake O North Wind; and come thou South; - Blow upon my garden that the spices may thereof flow out! - -So sang the esthetic Solomon. - -A garden enclosed, a garden of living waters, a garden of -perfumes--these are the motives of the Indian gardens of the luxurious -Mogul emperors, whose reigns coincide with Tudor times. - -Symbolism played an important part in Indian gardens. The beautiful -garden of Babar (near Kabul) was called the Bagh-i-vafa--"The Garden of -Fidelity." This has many points in common with the illustration of the -"Romaunt of the Rose," particularly the high walls. - -There is also great similarity with the gardens of Elizabethan -days. The "pleached allies" and "knots" of the English gardens -of Shakespeare's time find equivalents in the vine pergolas and -geometrical parterres of the Mogul emperors; and the central platform -of the Mogul gardens answered the same purpose as the banqueting-hall -on the mound, which decorated nearly every English nobleman's garden. - - - - - IV - - _Bagh-i-vafa_ - - -Babar's "Garden of Fidelity" was made in the year 1508. We see Babar -personally superintending the laying out of the "four-field plot." Two -gardeners hold the measuring line and the architect stands by with -his plan. The square enclosure at the bottom of the garden (right) is -the tank. The whole is bordered with orange and pomegranate trees. An -embassy knocks at the gate, but Babar is too absorbed in his gardening -to pay any attention to the guests. - -Fifteen years later Babar stole three days away from his campaign -against the Afghans and visited his beautiful garden. "Next morning," -he wrote in his "Memoirs," "I reached Bagh-i-vafa. It was the season -when the garden was in all its glory. Its grass-plots were all covered -with clover; its pomegranate trees were entirely of a beautiful yellow -color. It was then the pomegranate season and pomegranates were hanging -red on the trees. The orange-trees were green and cheerful, loaded with -innumerable oranges; but the best oranges were not yet ripe. I never -was so much pleased with the 'Garden of Fidelity' as on this occasion." - -[Illustration: BABAR'S "GARDEN OF FIDELITY"] - -Several new ideas were introduced into English gardens in the first -quarter of the Sixteenth Century. About 1525 the geometrical beds -called "knots" came into fashion, also rails for beds, also mounds, -or "mounts," and also arbors. Cardinal Wolsey had all these novelties -in his garden at Hampton Court Palace. It was a marvelous garden, as -any one who will read Cavendish may see for himself; but Henry VIII -was not satisfied with it when he seized the haughty Cardinal's home -in 1529. So four years later the King had an entirely new garden made -at Hampton Court (the Privy Garden is on the site now) with gravel -paths, beds cut in the grass, and railed and raised mounds decorated -with sun-dials. Over the rails roses clambered and bloomed and the -center of each bed was adorned with a yew, juniper, or cypress-tree. -Along the walls fruit-trees were planted--apples, pears, and -damsons--and beneath them blossomed violets, primroses, sweet williams, -gilliflowers, and other old favorites. - -Toward the end of his reign Henry VIII turned his attention to -beautifying the grounds of Nonsuch Palace near Ewell in Surrey. These -gardens were worthy of the magnificent buildings. A contemporary wrote: -"The Palace itself is so encompassed with parks full of deer, delicious -gardens, groves ornamented with trellis-work, cabinets of verdure and -walks so embowered with trees that it seems to be a place pitched upon -by Pleasure herself to dwell in along with health." - - - - - V - - _New Fad for Flowers_ - - -An example of a typical Tudor estate, Beaufort House, Chelsea, later -Buckingham House, is said to have been built by Sir Thomas More in -1521 and rebuilt in 1586 by Sir Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, who -died in 1615. The flowers at this period were the same for palace and -cottage. Tudor gardens bloomed with acanthus, asphodel, auricula, -anemone, amaranth, bachelor's buttons, cornflowers or "bottles," -cowslips, daffodils, daisies, French broom (genista), gilliflowers -(three varieties), hollyhock, iris, jasmine, lavender, lilies, -lily-of-the-valley, marigold, narcissus (yellow and white), pansies -or heartsease, peony, periwinkle, poppy, primrose, rocket, roses, -rosemary, snapdragon, stock gilliflowers, sweet william, wallflowers, -winter cherry, violet, mint, marjoram, and other sweet-smelling herbs. - -During "the great and spacious time" of Queen Elizabeth there was -an enormous development in gardens. The Queen was extremely fond of -flowers and she loved to wear them. It must have pleased her hugely -when Spenser celebrated her as "Eliza, Queen of the Shepherds," and -painted her portrait in one of the pretty enclosed gardens, seated -among the fruit-trees, where the grass was sprinkled with flowers: - - See where she sits upon the grassy green, - O seemly sight! - Yclad in scarlet, like a Maiden Queen, - And ermines white; - Upon her head a crimson coronet, - With daffodils and damask roses set; - Bay leaves between, - And primeroses green, - Embellish the sweet violet. - -So fond was the Queen of gardens that Sir Philip Sidney could think -of no better way to please her than to arrange his masque of the -"May Lady" so that it would surprise her when she was walking in the -garden at Wanstead in Essex. Then, too, in 1591, when visiting Cowdry, -Elizabeth expressed a desire to dine in the garden. A table forty-eight -yards long was accordingly laid. - -The Tudor mansions were constantly growing in beauty. Changes -and additions were made to some of them and many new palaces and -manor-houses were erected. Architects--among them John Thorpe--and -landscape gardeners now planned the pleasure-grounds to enhance the -beauty of the mansion they had created, adapting the ideas of the -Italian Renaissance to the English taste. The Elizabethan garden -in their hands became a setting for the house and it was laid out -according to a plan that harmonized with the architecture and continued -the lines of the building. The form of the garden and the lay-out of -the beds and walks were deemed of the greatest importance. Flowers, -also, took a new place in general estimation. Adventurous mariners -constantly brought home new plants and bulbs and seeds from the East -and lately discovered America; merchants imported strange specimens -from Turkey and Poland and far Cathay; and travelers on the Continent -opened their eyes and secured unfamiliar curiosities and novelties. -The cultivation of flowers became a regular fad. London merchants -and wealthy noblemen considered it the proper thing to have a few -"outlandish" flowers in their gardens; and they vied with one another -to develop "sports" and new varieties and startling colors. - -Listen to what an amateur gardener, William Harrison, wrote in 1593: - -"If you look into our gardens annexed to our houses how wonderfully is -their beauty increased, not only with flowers and variety of curious -and costly workmanship, but also with rare and medicinable herbs sought -up in the land within these forty years. How Art also helpeth Nature -in the daily coloring, doubling and enlarging the proportion of one's -flowers it is incredible to report, for so curious and cunning are our -gardeners now in these days that they presume to do in manner what they -list with Nature and moderate her course in things as if they were her -superiors. It is a world also to see how many strange herbs, plants -and annual fruits are daily brought unto us from the Indies, Americas, -Taprobane, Canary Isles and all parts of the world. - -"For mine own part, good reader, let me boast a little of my garden, -which is but small, and the whole area thereof little above 300 foot of -ground, and yet, such hath been my good luck in purchase of the variety -of simples, that, notwithstanding my small ability, there are very near -300 of one sort and another contained therein, no one of them being -common or usually to be had. If, therefore, my little plat void of all -cost of keeping be so well furnished, what shall we think of those of -Hampton Court, Nonesuch, Theobald's, Cobham Garden and sundrie others -appertaining to divers citizens of London whom I could particularly -name?" - - - - - VI - - _Tudor Gardens_ - - -Several men of the New Learning, who, like Shakespeare, lived into the -reign of James I, advanced many steps beyond the botanists of the early -days of Queen Elizabeth. The old Herbals--the "Great Herbal," from -the French (1516) and the "Herbals" published by William Turner, Dean -of Wells, who had a garden of his own at Kew, treat of flowers chiefly -with regard to their properties and medical uses. - -The Renaissance did indeed "paint the lily" and "throw a perfume on -the violet"; for the New Age brought recognition of their esthetic -qualities and taught scholastic minds that flowers had beauty and -perfume and character as well as utilitarian qualities. Elizabeth as -Queen had very different gardens to walk in than the little one in the -Tower of London in which she took exercise as a young Princess in 1564. - -Let us look at some of them. First, that of Richmond Palace. Here the -garden was surrounded by a brick wall and in the center was "a round -knot divided into four quarters," with a yew-tree in the center. -Sixty-two fruit-trees were trained on the wall. - -This seems to have been of the old type--the orchard-garden, where a -few old favorite flowers bloomed under the trees and in the central -"knot," or bed. In the Queen's locked garden at Havering-atte-Bower -trees, grass, and sweet herbs seem to have been more conspicuous than -the flowers. The Queen's gardens seem to have been overshadowed by -those of her subjects. One of the most celebrated belonged to Lord -Burleigh, and was known as Theobald's. Paul Hentzner, a German traveler -who visited England in 1598, went to see this garden the very day that -Burleigh was buried. - -He described it as follows: - -"We left London in a coach in order to see the remarkable places in its -neighborhood. The first was Theobald's, belonging to Lord Burleigh, the -Treasurer. In the Gallery was painted the genealogy of the Kings of -England. From this place one goes into the garden, encompassed with a -moat full of water, large enough for one to have the pleasure of going -in a boat and rowing between the shrubs. Here are great variety of -trees and plants, labyrinths made with a great deal of labor, a _jet -d'eau_ with its basin of white marble and columns and pyramids of wood -and other materials up and down the garden. After seeing these, we were -led by the gardener into the summer-house, in the lower part of which, -built semicircularly, are the twelve Roman Emperors in white marble and -a table of touchstone. The upper part of it is set round with cisterns -of lead into which the water is conveyed through pipes so that fish -may be kept in them and in summer time they are very convenient for -bathing. In another room for entertainment near this, and joined to it -by a little bridge, was an oval table of red marble." - -Another and accurate picture of a stately Elizabethan garden is by a -most competent authority, Sir Philip Sidney (1554-86), who had a superb -garden of his own in Kent. In "Arcadia" we read: - -"Kalander one afternoon led him abroad to a well-arrayed ground he had -behind his house which he thought to show him before his going, as the -place himself more than in any other, delighted in. The backside of the -house was neither field, garden, nor orchard; or, rather, it was both -field, garden and orchard: for as soon as the descending of the stairs -had delivered they came into a place curiously set with trees of the -most taste-pleasing fruits; but scarcely had they taken that into their -consideration but that they were suddenly stept into a delicate green; -on each side of the green a thicket, and behind the thickets again new -beds of flowers which being under the trees, the trees were to them a -pavilion, and they to the trees a mosaical floor, so that it seemed -that Art therein would needs be delightful by counterfeiting his enemy, -Error, and making order in confusion. In the midst of all the place -was a fair pond, whose shaking crystal was a perfect mirror to all the -other beauties, so that it bare show of two gardens; one in deed and -the other in shadows; and in one of the thickets was a fine fountain." - -[Illustration: ITALIAN RENAISSANCE GARDEN, VILLA GIUSTI, VERONA] - - - - - VII - - _Garden Pleasures_ - - -There were many such splendid gardens. Shakespeare was familiar, of -course, with those of Warwickshire, including the superb examples at -Kenilworth, and with those in the vicinity of London. - -The Elizabethans used their gardens in many ways. They took recreation -in them in winter and summer, and enjoyed the perfume and colors of -their flowers with an intensity of delight and appreciation rarely -found to-day. In their gardens the serious and the frivolous walked and -talked, and here they were frequently served with refreshments. - -It was also a fashion to use the garden as a setting for masques and -surprises, such as those Leicester planned on a grand scale to please -Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth. Several of Ben Jonson's entertainments -were arranged for performance on the terrace opening from house to -garden. - -By looking into that mirror of the period, "Euphues and His England," -by John Lyly (1554-1606), we can see two charming ladies in ruffs and -farthingales and a gallant in rich doublet and plumed hat walking in -a garden, and we gain an idea of the kind of "garden talk" that was -_comme il faut_: - -"One of the ladies, who delighted much in mirth, seeing Philautus -behold Camilla so steadfastly, said unto him: 'Gentleman, what flower -do you like best in all this border? Here be fair Roses, sweet Violets, -fragrant Primroses; here be Gilliflowers, Carnations, Sops-in-Wine, -Sweet Johns, and what may either please you for sight, or delight you -with savor. Loth we are you should have a posie of all, yet willing -to give you one, not that which shall look best but such a one as you -shall like best.'" - -What could _Philautus_ do but bow gallantly and say: "Of all flowers, I -love a fair woman." - - - - - "THE CURIOUS KNOTTED GARDEN" - - - - - I - - _Flower Lovers and Herbalists_ - - -THE Elizabethan flower garden as an independent garden came into -existence about 1595. It was largely the creation of John Parkinson -(1567-1650), who seems to have been the first person to insist that -flowers were worthy of cultivation for their beauty quite apart from -their value as medicinal herbs. Parkinson was also the first to make -of equal importance the four enclosures of the period: (1) the garden -of pleasant flowers; (2) the kitchen garden (herbs and roots); (3) the -simples (medicinal); and (4) the orchard. - -One would hardly expect to find such esthetic appreciation of flowers -from Parkinson, because he was an apothecary, with a professional -attitude toward plants; and our ideas of an Elizabethan apothecary -picture a dusty seller of narcotics and "drams of poison," like the old -man to whom _Romeo_ and _Juliet_ repaired. - -John Parkinson was of a different type. Our portrait illustration -depicts him, wearing a stylish Genoa velvet doublet with lace ruff -and cuffs, a man who could apparently hold his own in any company of -courtiers and men of fashion. Parkinson knew a great many distinguished -persons and entertained visitors at his nurseries, where he must have -held them spellbound (if he talked as well as he wrote) while he -explained the beauties of a new yellow gilliflower, the latest new -scarlet martagon lily, or the flower that he so proudly holds in his -hand--"the orange-color Nonesuch." - -Parkinson's talents were recognized at court, for he was appointed -"Apothecary to James I." He had a garden of his own at Long Acre, which -he cultivated with enthusiasm, raising new varieties of well-known -flowers and tending with care new specimens of foreign importations -and exotics--"outlandish flowers" they were called in Shakespeare's -day--and, finally, writing about his floral pets with great knowledge, -keen observation, poetic insight, and quaint charm. His great book, -"Paradisi in Sole; Paradisus Terrestris," appeared in London in 1629, -the most original book of botany of the period and the most complete -English treatise until Ray came. - -[Illustration: JOHN GERARD] - -[Illustration: PARKINSON AND LOBEL] - -Although published thirteen years after Shakespeare's death, -Parkinson's book describes exactly the style of gardens and the variety -of flowers that were familiar to Shakespeare; and to this book we may -go with confidence to learn more intimately the aspect of what we -may call the Shakespeare garden. In it we learn to our surprise that -horticulture in the late Tudor and early Stuart days was not in the -simple state that it is generally supposed to have been in. There were -flower fanciers in and near London--and indeed throughout England--and -there were expert gardeners and florists. - -Parkinson was very friendly with the other London flower growers of -whom he speaks cordially in his book and with never the least shadow -of jealousy. He frequently mentions visiting the gardens of Gerard, -Nicholas Leate, and Ralph Tuggy (or Tuggie). - -Everybody has heard of Gerard's "Herbal or General Historie of -Plants," published in 1597, for it is one of the most famous ancient -books on flowers. A contemporary botanist said that "Gerard exceeded -most, if not all of his time, in his care, industry and skill in -raising, increasing, and preserving plants." For twenty years -Gerard was superintendent of Lord Burleigh's famous gardens--one of -which was in the Strand, London, and the other at Theobald's in -Hertfordshire. Gerard also had a garden of his own at Holborn (then -a suburb of London), where he raised many rare specimens and tried -many experiments. He employed a collector, William Marshall, to travel -in the Levant for new plants. Gerard (1545-1607) was a physician, -as well as a practical gardener; but, although he possessed great -knowledge, he does not appear to have had the esthetic appreciation -of flowers that Parkinson had in such great measure. His name is also -written Gerade. Gerard's "Herbal" was not the first. Horticulturists -could consult the "Grete Herbal," first printed by Peter Treveris in -1516; Fitzherbert, "Husbandry" (1523); Walter Cary, "Herbal" (1525); -a translation of Macer's "Herbal" (1530); the "Herbal" by Dodoens, -published in Antwerp in 1544; William Turner's "The Names of Herbs in -Greke, Latin, Englishe, Duche and Frenche," etc. (1548), reprinted by -the English Dialect Society (1881); Thomas Tusser's "Five Pointes of -Good Husbandry," etc. (1573), reprinted by the English Dialect Society -(1878); Didymus Mountain's (Thomas Hill) "A Most Brief and Pleasant -Treatise Teaching How to Sow and Set a Garden" (1563), "The Proffitable -Art of Gardening" (1568), and "The Gardener's Labyrinth" (1577); -Barnaby Googe's "Four Books of Husbandry," collected by M. Conradus -Heresbachius, "Newly Englished and increased by Barnaby Googe" (1577); -William Lawson's "A New Orchard and Garden" (1618); Francis Bacon's -"Essay on Gardening" (1625); and John Parkinson's "Paradisi in Sole, -Paradisus Terrestris" (1629). - -Ralph Tuggie, or Tuggy, so often spoken of by Parkinson, had a fine -show garden at Westminster, Where he specialized in carnations and -gilliflowers. After his death his widow, "Mistress Tuggie," kept it up. - -Another flower enthusiast was the Earl of Salisbury, who placed his -splendid garden at Hatfield under the care of John Tradescant, the -first of a noted family of horticulturists. John Tradescant also had a -garden of his own in South Lambeth, "the finest in England" every one -called it. Here Tradescant introduced the acacia; the lilac, called in -those days the "Blue Pipe Flower"; and, if we may believe Parkinson, -the pomegranate. Among other novelties that attracted visitors to this -show garden he had the "Sable Flag," known also as the "Marvel of Peru." - -Lord Zouche was another horticulturist of note. His fine garden at -Hackney contained plants that he himself collected on his travels in -Austria, Italy, and Spain. Lord Zouche gave his garden into the keeping -of the distinguished Mathias de Lobel, a famous physician and botanist -of Antwerp and Delft. Lobel was made botanist to James I and had a -great influence upon flower culture in England. For him the Lobelia was -named--an early instance of naming plants for a person and breaking -away from the quaint descriptive names for flowers. - -Elizabethan gardens owed much to Nicholas Leate, or Lete, a London -merchant who about 1590 became a member of the Levant Company. As a -leading merchant in the trade with Turkey and discharging in connection -with commercial enterprise the duties of a semi-political character, -Leate became wealthy and was thus able to indulge his taste for flowers -and anything else he pleased. He had a superb garden and employed -collectors to hunt for specimens in Turkey and Syria. His "servant -at Aleppo" sent many new flowers to London, such as tulips, certain -kinds of lilies,--the martagon, or Turk's Cap, for instance,--irises, -the Crown-Imperial, and many new anemones, or windflowers. The latter -became the rage, foreshadowing the tulip-mania of later years. Nicholas -Leate also imported the yellow Sops-in-Wine, a famous carnation from -Poland, which had never been heard of before in England, and the -beautiful double yellow rose from Constantinople. Leate was a member -of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, London, and Master of it -in 1616, 1626, and 1627, and his portrait, given here, said to be by -Daniel Mytens, hung in Ironmongers' Hall in London until this famous -building was destroyed by a German bomb in 1917. Leate died in 1630. - -[Illustration: NICHOLAS LEATE] - -Leate, being a most enthusiastic flower fancier and garden lover, not -only imported rare specimens but tried many experiments. Indeed we are -surprised in going through old garden manuals of Shakespearean days to -see how many and how varied were the attempts to produce "sports" and -novelties. We read of grafting a rosebush and placing musk in the cleft -in an effort to produce musk-roses; recipes for changing the color of -flowers; methods for producing double flowers; and instructions for -grafting and pruning plants, sowing seeds, and plucking flowers during -the increase, or waning, of the moon. - -These professional florists and gentlemen amateurs valued their rare -specimens from foreign countries as they valued their emeralds from -Peru, Oriental pearls from Ceylon and rubies from India. Parkinson says -very earnestly: - -"Our English gardeners are all, or most of them, ignorant in the -ordering of their outlandish[5] flowers, as not being trained to know -them. And I do wish all gentlemen and gentlewomen whom it may concern -for their own good, to be as careful whom they trust with the planting -and replanting of their fine flowers as they would be with so many -jewels; for the roots of many of them, being small and of great value, -may soon be conveyed away and a clean, fair tale told that such a root -is rotten, or perished in the ground, if none be seen where it should -be; or else that the flower hath changed in color when it had been -taken away, or a counterfeit one had been put in the place thereof; and -thus many have been deceived of their daintiest flowers, without remedy -or knowledge of the defect." - -[5] Exotic. - -The influence of the Italian Renaissance upon the Elizabethan garden -has already been shown (see page 15), but the importance of this may be -appropriately recalled here in the following extract from Bloom: - -"The Wars of the Roses gave little time for gardening; and when matters -were settled and the educational movements which marked the dawn of the -Renaissance began, the gardens once again, after a break of more than -a thousand years, went back to classical models, as interpreted by the -Italian school of the time. Thus the gardens of the Palace of Nonesuch -(1529) and Theobald's (1560) showed all the new ideas: flower-beds -edged with low trellises, topiary work of cut box and yew, whereby -the natural growth of the trees was trained into figures of birds and -animals and especially of peacocks; while here and there mounts were -thrown up against the orchard or garden wall, ascended by flights of -steps and crowned with arbors, while sometimes the view obtained in -this manner was deemed insufficient and trellised galleries extended -the whole length of the garden. In 1573 the gardens of Kenilworth, -which Shakespeare almost certainly visited, had a terrace walk twelve -feet in width and raised ten feet above the garden, terminating at -either end in arbors redolent with sweetbrier and flowers. Beneath -these again was a garden of an acre or more in size divided into four -quarters by sanded walks and having in the center of each plot an -obelisk of red porphyry with a ball at the top. These were planted with -apple, pear and cherry while in the center was a fountain of white -marble." - - - - - II - - _The Elizabethan Garden_ - - -The Elizabethan garden was usually four-square, bordered all around -by hedges and intersected by paths. There was an outer hedge that -enclosed the entire garden and this was a tall and thick hedge made of -privet, sweetbrier, and white thorn intermingled with roses. Sometimes, -however, this outer hedge was of holly. Again some people preferred to -enclose their garden by a wall of brick or stone. On the side facing -the house the gate was placed. In stately gardens the gate was of -elaborately wrought iron hung between stone or brick pillars on the -top of which stone vases, or urns, held brightly blooming flowers and -drooping vines. In simple gardens the entrance was a plain wooden door, -painted and set into the wall or hedge like the quaint little doors we -see in England to-day and represented in Kate Greenaway's pictures that -show us how the style persists even to the present time. - -Stately gardens were usually approached from a terrace running along -the line of the house and commanding a view of the garden, to which -broad flights of steps led. Thence extended the principal walks, -called "forthrights," in straight lines at right angles to the -terrace and intersected by other walks parallel with the terrace. The -lay-out of the garden, therefore, corresponded with the ground-plan -of the mansion. The squares formed naturally by the intersection of -the "forthrights" and other walks were filled with curious beds of -geometrical patterns that were known as "knots"; mazes, or labyrinths; -orchards; or plain grass-plots. Sometimes all of the spaces or squares -were devoted to "knots." These ornamental flower-beds were edged with -box, thrift, or thyme and were surrounded with tiny walks made of -gravel or colored sand, walks arranged around the beds so that the -garden lovers might view the flowers at close range and pick them -easily. - -It will be remembered that in "Love's Labour's Lost" Shakespeare speaks -of "the curious knotted garden." There are innumerable designs for -these "knots" in the old Elizabethan garden-books, representing the -simple squares, triangles, and rhomboids as well as the most intricate -scrolls, and complicated interlacings of Renaissance design that -resemble the motives on carved furniture, designs for textiles and -ornamental leather-work (known as strap-work, or _cuirs_). Yet these -many hundreds of designs were not sufficient, for the amateur as well -as the professional gardener often invented his own garden "knots." - -Where the inner paths intersected, a fountain or a statue or some other -ornament was frequently placed. Sometimes, too, vases, or urns, of -stone or lead, were arranged about the garden in formal style inspired -by the taste of Italy. Sometimes, also, large Oriental or stone jars -were placed in conspicuous spots, and these were not only intended for -decoration but served as receptacles for water. - -There were four principles that were observed in all stately -Elizabethan gardens. The first was to lay out the garden in accordance -with the architecture of the house in long terraces and paths of right -lines, or "forthrights," to harmonize with the rectangular lines of the -Tudor buildings, yet at the same time to break up the monotony of the -straight lines with beds of intricate patterns, just as in the case of -architecture bay-windows, clustered and twisted chimneys, intricate -tracery, mullioned windows, and ornamental gables relieved the straight -lines of the building. - -The second principle was to plant the beds with _mixed_ flowers and -to let the colors intermingle and blend in such a way as to produce a -mosaic of rich, indeterminate color, ever new and ever varying as the -flowers of the different seasons succeeded each other. - -The third principle was to produce a garden of flowers and shrubs -for all seasons, even winter, that would tempt the owner to take -pleasure and exercise there, where he might find recreation, literally -re-creation of mind and body, and become freshened in spirit and -renewed in health. - -The fourth principle was to produce a garden that would give delight to -the sense of smell as well as to the sense of vision--an idea no longer -sought for by gardeners. - -Hence it was just as important, and infinitely more subtle, to mingle -the perfumes of flowers while growing so that the air would be -deliciously scented by a combination of harmonizing odors as to mingle -the perfumes of flowers plucked for a nosegay, or Tussie-mussie, as the -Elizabethans sometimes quaintly called it. - -Like all cultivated Elizabethans, Shakespeare appreciated the delicious -fragrance of flowers blooming in the garden when the soft breeze is -stirring their leaves and petals. There was but one thing to which this -subtle perfume might be compared and that was ethereal and mysterious -music. For example, the elegant Duke in "Twelfth Night," reclining on -his divan and listening to music, commands: - - That strain again! It had a dying fall. - O it came o'er my ear like the sweet south - That breathes upon a bank of violets - Stealing and giving odor. - -Lord Bacon also associated the scent of delicate flowers with music. -He writes: "And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in the -air (whence it comes and goes like the warbling of music) than in the -hand, therefore nothing is more fit for delight than to know what be -the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air. Roses, damask, -and red, are fast flowers of their smells, so that you may walk by a -whole row of them and find nothing of their sweetness, yea though it -be in a morning's dew. Bays, likewise, yield no smell as they grow, -rosemary little, nor sweet marjoram. That which above all others yields -the sweetest smell in the air is the violet, especially the white -double violet, which comes twice a year--about the middle of April -and about Bartholomew-tide. Next to that is the musk-rose, then the -strawberry leaves dying, which yield a most excellent cordial smell, -then the flower of the vines, it is a little dust, like the dust of a -bent, which grows upon the cluster in the first coming forth; then -sweetbrier, then wall-flowers, which are very delightful to be set -under a parlor or lower chamber window; then pinks and gilliflowers; -then the flowers of the lime-tree; then the honeysuckles, so they be -somewhat afar off; of bean flowers, I speak not, because they are field -flowers. But those which perfume the air most delightfully not passed -by as the rest but being trodden upon and crushed are three: burnet, -wild thyme and water-mints. Therefore, you are to set whole alleys of -them to have the pleasure when you walk or tread." - -[Illustration: THE KNOT-GARDEN, NEW PLACE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON] - -Shakespeare very nearly follows Bacon's order of perfume values in his -selection of flowers to adorn the beautiful spot in the wood where -_Titania_ sleeps. _Oberon_ describes it: - - I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, - Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, - Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, - With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine. - There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, - Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight. - -Fairies were thought to be particularly fond of thyme; and it is for -this reason that Shakespeare carpeted the bank with this sweet herb. -Moreover, as we have just seen, Bacon tells us that thyme is one of -those plants which are particularly delightful if trodden upon and -crushed. Shakespeare accordingly knew that the pressure of the Fairy -Queen's little body upon the thyme would cause it to yield a delicious -perfume. - -The Elizabethans, much more sensitive to perfume than we are to-day, -appreciated the scent of what we consider lowly flowers. They did not -hesitate to place a sprig of rosemary in a nosegay of choice flowers. -They loved thyme, lavender, marjoram, mints, balm, and camomile, -thinking that these herbs refreshed the head, stimulated the memory, -and were antidotes against the plague. - -The flowers in the "knots" were perennials, planted so as to gain -uniformity of height; and those that had affinity for one another were -placed side by side. No attempt was made to group them; and no attempt -was made to get _masses_ of separate color, what Locker-Lampson calls -"a mist of blue in the beds, a blaze of red in the celadon jars" and -what we try for to-day. On the contrary, the Elizabethan gardener's -idea was to mix and blend the flowers into a combination of varied hues -that melted into one another as the hues of a rainbow blend and in -such a way that at a distance no one could possibly tell what flowers -produced this effect. This must have required much study on the part -of the gardeners, who kept pace with the seasons and always had their -beds in bloom. Sir Henry Wotton, Ambassador to Venice in the reign -of James I, and author of the "Elements of Architecture," but far -better known by his lovely verse to Elizabeth of Bohemia beginning, -"You meaner beauties of the night," was an ardent flower lover. He was -greatly impressed by what he called "a delicate curiosity in the way of -color": - -"Namely in the Garden of Sir Henry Fanshaw at his seat in Ware Park, -where I well remember he did so precisely examine the _tinctures_ and -_seasons_ of his _flowers_ that in their _settings_, the _inwardest_ of -which that were to come up at the same time, should be always a little -_darker_ than the _outmost_, and so serve them for a kind of gentle -_shadow_, like a piece not of _Nature_ but of _Art_." - -Browne also gives a splendid idea of the color effect of the garden -beds of this period: - - As in a rainbow's many color'd hue, - Here we see watchet deepen'd with a blue; - There a dark tawny, with a purple mix'd; - Yellow and flame, with streaks of green betwixt; - A bloody stream into a blushing run, - And ends still with the color which begun; - Drawing the deeper to a lighter strain, - Bringing the lightest to the deepest again; - With such rare art each mingled with his fellow, - The blue with watchet, green and red with yellow; - Like to the changes which we daily see - Around the dove's neck with variety; - Where none can say (though he it strict attends), - Here one begins and there another ends. - Using such cunning as they did dispose - The ruddy Piony with the lighter Rose, - The Monkshood with the Buglos, and entwine - The white, the blue, the flesh-like Columbine - With Pinks, Sweet-Williams; that, far off, the eye - Could not the manner of their mixture spy. - -By the side of the showy and stately flowers, as well as in kitchen -gardens, were grown the "herbs of grace" for culinary purposes and -the medicinal herbs for "drams of poison." Rosemary--"the cheerful -Rosemary," Spenser calls it--was trained over arbors and permitted to -run over mounds and banks as it pleased. Sir Thomas More allowed it to -run all over his garden because the bees loved it and because it was -the herb sacred to remembrance and friendship. - -In every garden the arbor was conspicuous. Sometimes it was a handsome -little pavilion or summer-house; sometimes it was set into the hedge; -sometimes it was cut out of the hedge in fantastic topiary work; -sometimes it was made of lattice work; and sometimes it was formed of -upright or horizontal poles, over which roses, honeysuckle, or clematis -(named also Lady's Bower because of this use) were trained. Whatever -the framework was, plain or ornate, mattered but little; it was the -creeper that counted, the trailing vines that gave character to the -arbor, that gave delight to those who sought the arbor to rest during -their stroll through the gardens, or to indulge in a pleasant chat, or -delightful flirtation. Shakespeare's arbor for _Titania_ - - Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, - With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine, - -was not unusual. Nor was that retreat where saucy _Beatrice_ was lured -to hear the whisperings of _Hero_ regarding _Benedick's_ interest in -her. It was a pavilion - - Where honeysuckles ripened by the sun - Forbid the sun to enter. - -Luxuriant and delicious was this bower with the flowers hot and sweet -in the bright sunshine. - -Eglantine was, perhaps, the favorite climber for arbors and bowers. -Browne speaks of - - An arbor shadow'd with a vine - Mixed with rosemary and with eglantine. - -Barnfield, in "The Affectionate Shepherd," pleads: - - I would make cabinets for thee, my love, - Sweet-smelling arbors made of eglantine. - -And in Spenser's "Bower of Bliss": - - Art, striving to compare - With Nature, did an arbor green dispread - Framed of wanton ivy, flow'ring fair, - Through which the fragrant eglantine did spread - His prickling arms, entrayl'd with roses red, - Which dainty odors round about them threw; - And all within with flowers was garnished, - That when Zephyrus amongst them blew - Did breathe out bounteous smells and painted odors shew. - -A beautiful method of obtaining shady walks was to make a kind of -continuous arbor or arcade of trees, trellises, and vines. This arcade -was called poetically the "pleached alley."[6] For the trees, willows, -limes (lindens), and maples were used, and the vines were eglantine and -other roses, honeysuckle (woodbine), clematis, rosemary, and grapevines. - -[6] _Pleaching_ means trimming the small branches and foliage of trees, -or bushes, to bring them to a regular shape. Certain trees only are -submissive to this treatment--holly, box, yew privet, whitethorn, -hornbeam, linden, etc., to make arbors, hedges, bowers, colonnades and -all cut-work. - -"_Plashing_ is the half-cutting, or dividing of the quick growth almost -to the outward bark and then laying it orderly in a slope manner as you -see a cunning hedger lay a dead hedge and then with the smaller and -more pliant branches to wreath and bind in the tops." Markham, "The -County Farm" (London, 1616). - -Another feature of the garden was the maze, or labyrinth. It was a -favorite diversion for a visitor to puzzle his way through the green -walls, breast high, to the center; and the owner took delight in -watching the mistakes of his friend and was always ready to give him -the clue. When James I on his "Southern Progress" in 1603 visited the -magnificent garden known as Theobald's and belonging to Lord Burleigh, -where we have already seen[7] Gerard was the horticulturist, the King -went into the labyrinth of the garden "where he re-created himself in -the meanders compact of bays, rosemary and the like, overshadowing his -walk." - -[7] Page 33. - -The labyrinth, or maze, was a fad of the day. It still exists in many -English gardens that date from Elizabethan times and is a feature of -many more recent gardens. Perhaps of all mazes the one at Hampton Court -Palace is the most famous. - -The orchard was another feature of the Elizabethan garden. It was -the custom for gentlemen to retire after dinner (which took place at -eleven o'clock in the morning) to the garden arbor, or to the orchard, -to partake of the "banquet" or dessert. Thus _Shallow_ addressing -_Falstaff_ after dinner exclaims: - -"Nay, you shall see mine orchard, where, in an arbor, we will eat a -last year's pippin of my own grafting with a dish of carraways and so -forth."[8] - -[8] "King Henry IV"; Part II, Act V, Scene III. - -The uses of the Elizabethan garden were many: to walk in, to sit in, to -dream in. Here the courtier, poet, merchant, or country squire found -refreshment for his mind and recreation for his body. The garden was -also intended to supply flowers for nosegays, house decoration, and -the decoration of the church. Sweet-smelling herbs and rushes were -strewn upon the floor as we know by _Grumio's_ order for _Petruchio's_ -homecoming in "The Taming of the Shrew." One of Queen Elizabeth's -Maids of Honor had a fixed salary for keeping fresh flowers always in -readiness. The office of "herb-strewer to her Majesty the Queen" was -continued as late as 1713, through the reign of Anne and almost into -that of George I. - -The houses were very fragrant with flowers in pots and vases as well -as with the rushes on the floor. Flowers were therefore very important -features in house decoration. A Dutch traveler, Dr. Leminius, who -visited England in 1560, was much struck by this and wrote: - -"Their chambers and parlors strewed over with sweet herbs refreshed -me; their nosegays finely intermingled with sundry sorts of fragrant -flowers in their bed-chambers and private rooms with comfortable smell -cheered me up and entirely delighted all my senses." - -We have only to look at contemporary portraits to see how essential -flowers were in daily life. For instance, Holbein's "George Gisze," -a London merchant, painted in 1523, has a vase of choice carnations -beside him on the table filled with scales, weights, and business -paraphernalia. - -The Elizabethan lady was just as learned in the medicinal properties of -flowers and herbs as her Medieval ancestor. She regarded her garden as -a place of delight and at the same time as of the greatest importance -in the economic management of the household. - -"The housewife was the great ally of the doctor: in her still-room the -lady with the ruff and farthingale was ever busy with the preparation -of cordials, cooling waters, conserves of roses, spirits of herbs and -juleps for calentures and fevers. All the herbs and flowers of the -field and garden passed through her fair white hands. Poppy-water was -good for weak stomachs; mint and rue-water was efficacious for the head -and brain; and even walnuts yielded a cordial. Then there was cinnamon -water and the essence of cloves, gilliflower and lemon water, sweet -marjoram water and the spirit of ambergris. - -"These were the Elizabethan lady's severer toils, besides acres of -tapestry she had always on hand. Her more playful hours were devoted -to the manufacture of casselettes, month pastilles, sweet waters, -odoriferant balls and scented gums for her husband's pipe (God bless -her!) and there were balsams and electuaries for him to take to camp, -if he were a soldier fighting in Ireland or in the Low Countries, and -wound-drinks if he was a companion of Frobisher and bound against the -Spaniard, or the Indian pearl-diver of the Pacific. She had a specific -which was of exceeding virtue in all swooning of the head, decaying of -the spirits, also in all pains and numbness of joints and coming of -cold. - -"That wonderful still-room contains not only dried herbs and drugs, -but gums, spices, ambergris, storax and cedar-bark, civet and dried -flowers and roots. In that bowl angelica, carduus benedictus (Holy -Thistle), betony, juniper-berries and wormwood are steeping to make a -cordial-water for the young son about to travel; and yonder is oil of -cloves, oil of nutmegs, oil of cinnamon, sugar, ambergris and musk, all -mingling to form a quart of liquor as sweet as hypocras. Those scents -and spices are for perfumed balls to be worn round the ladies' necks, -there to move up and down to the music of sighs and heart-beating, -envied by lovers whose letters will perhaps be perfumed by their -contact. - -"What pleasant bright London gardens we dream of when we find that the -remedy for a burning fever is honeysuckle leaves steeped in water, -and that a cooling drink is composed of wood sorrel and Roman sorrel -bruised and mixed with orange juice and barley-water. Mint is good for -colic; conserves of roses for the tickling rheum; plaintain for flux; -vervain for liver-complaint--all sound pleasanter than those strong -biting minerals which now kill or cure and give nature no time to heal -us in her own quiet way."[9] - -[9] Thornbury. - -Bacon's "Essay on Gardening" is very detailed and very practical, and -it must be remembered that he was addressing highly cultivated and -skilfully trained amateurs and professional gardeners when he wrote: - -"God almighty first planted a garden; and indeed it is the purest of -human pleasures; it is the greatest refreshment to the spirit of man. -And a man shall ever see that when ages grow to civility and elegancy -men come to build stately sooner than to garden finely, as if gardening -were the greater perfection." - -The Elizabethan Age, with its superlatively cultivated men and women, -was certainly one of those ages of civility and elegancy of which Bacon -speaks. The houses were stately and the gardens perfection, affording -appropriate setting for the brilliant courtiers and accomplished ladies -of both Tudor and early Stuart times. - -We sometimes hear it said that Francis Bacon's garden was his _ideal_ -of what a garden should be and that his garden was never realized. -This, however, is not the case. Old prints are numerous of gardens of -wealthy persons in the reign of Elizabeth and James I. Then, too, we -have Sir William Temple's description of Moor Park, and "this garden," -says Horace Walpole, "seems to have been made after the plan laid down -by Lord Bacon in his Forty-sixth Essay." - -[Illustration: TYPICAL GARDEN OF SHAKESPEARE'S TIME--CRISPIN DE PASSE -(1614)] - -Sir William's account is as follows: - -"The perfectest figure of a garden I ever saw, either at home or -abroad, was that of Moor Park in Hertfordshire, when I knew it about -thirty years ago. It was made by the Countess of Bedford, esteemed -among the perfectest wits of her time and celebrated by Dr. Donne; -and with very great care, excellent contrivance and much cost. - -"Because I take the garden I have named to have been in all kinds the -most beautiful and perfect, at least in the figure and disposition, -that I have ever seen, I will describe it for a model to those that -meet with such a situation and are above the regards of common expense. - -"It lies on the side of a hill, upon which the house stands, but not -very steep. The length of the house, where the best rooms and of most -use or pleasure are, lies upon the breadth of the garden; the great -parlor opens into the middle of a terrace gravel walk that lies even -with it, and which may lie, as I remember, about three hundred paces -long and broad in proportion; the border set with standard laurels and -at large distances, which have the beauty of orange-trees out of flower -and fruit. From this walk are three descents by many stone steps, in -the middle and at each end, into a very large parterre. This is divided -into quarters by gravel walks and adorned with two fountains and eight -statues in the several quarters. At the end of a terrace walk are two -summer-houses, and the sides of the parterre are ranged with two large -cloisters open to the garden, upon arches of stone, and ending with -two other summer-houses even with the cloisters, which are paved with -stone, and designed for walks of shade, there being none other in the -whole parterre. Over these two cloisters are two terraces covered with -lead and fenced with balustrades; and the passage into these airy walks -is out of the two summer-houses at the end of the first terrace walk. -The cloister facing the south is covered with vines and would have been -proper for an orange-house, and the other for myrtles or other more -common greens, and had, I doubt not, been cast for that purpose, if -this piece of gardening had been then in as much vogue as it is now. - -"From the middle of this parterre is a descent by many steps flying on -each side of a grotto that lies between them, covered with lead and -flat, into the lower garden, which is all fruit-trees ranged about the -several quarters of a wilderness which is very shady; the walks here -are all green, the grotto embellished with figures of shell rock-work, -fountains and water-works. If the hill had not ended with the lower -garden, and the wall were not bounded by a common way that goes through -the park, they might have added a third quarter of all greens; but this -want is supplied by a garden on the other side of the house, which is -all of that sort, very wild, shady, and adorned with rough rock work -and fountains." - -To write of Elizabethan gardens without giving Bacon's beautifully -worked out theories would be like performing "Hamlet" without the -character of _Hamlet_. Bacon's Essay is too long to quote in its -entirety, but the specific instructions are as follows: - -"For gardens (speaking of those which are indeed prince-like), the -contents ought not well to be under thirty acres of ground; and to be -divided into three parts: a green in the entrance; a heath or desert in -the going forth; and the main garden in the midst, besides alleys on -both sides. And I like well that four acres of ground be assigned to -the green, six to the heath, four and a half to either side and twelve -to the main garden. The green hath two pleasures: the one because -nothing is more pleasant to the eye than green grass kept finely shorn; -the other because it will give you a fair alley in the midst, by which -you may go in front upon a stately hedge, which is to enclose this -garden. But because the alley will be long, and in great heat of the -year or day, you ought not to buy the shade in the garden by going in -the sun through the green; therefore, you are of either side the green -to plant a covert alley upon carpenter's work, about twelve foot in -height, by which you may go in shade into the garden. - -"The garden is best to be square, encompassed on all the four sides -with a stately arched hedge. The arches to be upon pillars of -carpenter's work, of some ten foot high and six foot broad, and the -spaces between of the same dimension with the breadth of the arch; -over the arches let there be an entire hedge of some four foot high, -framed also upon carpenter's work; and upon the upper hedge, over every -arch, a little turret with a belly, enough to receive a cage of birds; -and over every space, between the arches, some other little figure, -with broad plates of round colored glass, gilt, for the sun to play -upon. But this hedge I intend to be raised upon a bank, not steep, but -gentle slope, of some six foot, set all with flowers. Also I understand -that this square of the garden should not be the whole breadth of the -ground, but to leave on either side ground enough for diversity of side -alleys, into which the two covert alleys of the green may deliver you. -But there must be no alleys with hedges at either end of this great -enclosure. - -"For the main garden I do not deny there should be some fair alleys, -ranged on both sides with fruit-trees, and arbors with seats set in -some decent order; but these to be by no means set too thick, but to -leave the main garden so as it be not close, but the air open and free. -For, as for shade, I would have you rest upon the alleys of the side -grounds, there to walk, if you be disposed, in the heat of the year, or -day, but to make account that the main garden is for the more temperate -parts of the year and in the heat of the summer for the morning and the -evening, or overcast days. - -"For the side grounds you are to fill them with variety of alleys, -private, to give a full shade, some of them wheresoever the sun be. -You are to frame some of them likewise for shelter, that when the wind -blows sharp you may walk as in a gallery. And these alleys must be, -likewise, hedged at both ends to keep out the wind, and these closer -alleys must be ever finely graveled and no grass, because of going wet. -In many of these alleys, likewise, you are to set fruit-trees of all -sorts, as well upon the walls as in ranges. And this would be generally -observed that the borders wherein you plant your fruit-trees be fair -and large and low (and not steep) and set with fine flowers, but thin -and sparingly lest they deceive the trees. At the end of both the side -grounds I would have a mount of some pretty height, leaving the wall -of the enclosure breast high, to look abroad into the fields. - -"For the heath, which was the third part of our plot, I wish it -to be framed, as much as may be, to a natural wildness. Trees, I -would have none in it; but some thickets made only of sweetbrier -and honeysuckle and some wild vine amongst; and the ground set with -violets, strawberries and primroses; for these are sweet and prosper -in the shade; and these to be in the heath, here and there, not in -any order. I also like little heaps in the nature of molehills (such -as are in wild heaths) to be set, some with wild thyme, some with -pinks, some with germander that gives a good flower to the eye; some -with periwinkle, some with violets, some with strawberries, some with -cowslips, some with daisies, some with red roses, some with _lilium -convallium_,[10] some with sweet williams, red, some with bear's -foot[11] and the like low flowers, being withal sweet and sightly. -Part of which heaps to be with standards of little bushes pricked upon -their top and put without. The standards to be roses, juniper, holly, -barberries (but here and there, because of the smell of their blossom), -red currants, gooseberries, rosemary, bays, sweetbrier and the like. -But these standards to be kept with cutting that they grow not out of -course. - -[10] Lily-of-the-valley. - -[11] _Auricula._ - -"For the ordering of the ground within the great hedge, I leave it to -variety of device; advising, nevertheless, that whatsoever form you -cast it into, first it be not too busy or full of work. Wherein I, -for my part, do not like images cut out in juniper, or other garden -stuff--they be for children. Little low hedges, round like welts, with -some pretty pyramids, I like well, and in some places fair columns upon -frames of carpenter's work. I would also have the alleys spacious and -fair. You may have closer alleys upon the side grounds, but none in the -main garden. I wish also in the very middle a fair mount with three -ascents and alleys, enough for four to walk abreast, which I would have -to be perfect circles without any bulwarks or embossments, and the -whole mount to be thirty foot high; and some fine banqueting-house with -some chimneys neatly cast and without too much glass. - -"As for the making of knots, or figures, with divers colored earths -that they may lie under the windows of the house, on that side which -the garden stands, they be but toys. You may see as good sights many -times in tarts." - -Fountains Bacon considered "a great beauty and refreshment," but he -did not care for pools, nor did he favor aviaries "unless they were -large enough to have living plants and bushes set in them and supply -natural nesting for the birds." - -We have already seen that Bacon was very choice regarding "the flowers -that best perfume the air"; and he felt it was very essential that -people should know what to plant for the different seasons. So he tells -us: - -"There ought to be gardens for all months of the year, in which, -severally, things of beauty may be in season. For December and January -and the latter part of November, you must take such things as are -green all winter: holly, ivy, bays, juniper, cypress-trees, yew, pine, -apple-trees, fir-trees, rosemary, lavender, periwinkle, the white, -the purple, and the blue; germander, flags; orange-trees, lemon-trees -and myrtle, if they be stoved; and sweet marjoram warm set. There -followeth for the latter part of January and February, the mezerion -tree which then blossoms; crocus vernus, both the yellow and the -gray; primroses, anemones, the early tulip, hyacinthus orientalis, -_chamaires fritellaria_. For March there come violets, especially the -single blue, which are the earliest, the yellow daffodil, the daisy, -the almond-tree in blossom, the peach-tree in blossom, the cornelian -tree in blossom, sweetbrier. In April follow the double white violet, -the wallflower, the stock gilliflower, the cowslip, flower-de-luces, -and lilies of all natures, rosemary flowers, the tulip, the double -peony, the pale daffodil, the French honeysuckle, the cherry-tree in -blossom, the damson and plum-trees in blossom, the white thorn in leaf, -the lilac tree. In May and June come pinks of all sorts, roses of all -kinds except the musk, which comes later, honeysuckles, strawberries, -bugloss, columbine, the French marigold (_Flos Africanus_), cherry-tree -in fruit, ribes, figs in fruit, rasps, vine-flowers, lavender in -flowers, the sweet satyrian, with the white flower, _herbal muscaria_, -_lilium convallium_, the apple-tree in blossom. In July come -gilliflowers of all varieties, musk-roses, the lime tree in blossom, -early pears and plums in fruit, gennitings, quodlins. In August come -plums of all sorts in fruit, pears, apricots, barberries, filberts, -musk-melons, monkshood of all colors. In September come grapes, -apples, poppies of all colors, peaches, melocotones, nectarines, -cornelians, wardens, quinces. In October and the beginning of November -come services, medlars, bullaces, roses cut, or removed to come late, -hollyhocks and such like. These particulars are for the climate of -London; but my meaning is perceived that you may have _ver perpetuum_, -as the place affords." - -[Illustration: LABYRINTH, VREDEMAN DE VRIES] - -[Illustration: "A CURIOUS-KNOTTED GARDEN"--CRISPIN DE PASSE (1614)] - -Gardening was a serious business. The duties of gardeners were not -light. We are told that "Gardeners should not only be diligent and -painful, but also experienced and skilful; at the least, one of them -to have seen the fine gardens about London and in Kent; to be able to -cast out the Quarters of the garden as may be most convenient that the -Walks and the Alleys be long and large; to cast up Mounts, to tread out -Knots in the Quarters of arms and fine devices, to set and sow in them -sweet-smelling flowers and strewing herbs; to have in the finest parts -of the garden Artichokes, Pompions, Melons, Cucumbers and such-like; -in other places convenient Radishes, Keritts, Carrats and other roots -with store of all kind of herbs for the Kitchen and Apothecary; to know -what Flowers and Herbs will best endure the Sun and which need most to -be shaded: in like sort, for the East and North winds, not only to be -skilful in planting and grafting of all kinds of fruit-trees, but also -how to place them in best order; and to be able to judge of the best -times and seasons to plant and graft all fruits and to set and sow all -flowers, herbs and roots; and also the best time when to cut and gather -all herbs and seeds and fruits, and in what sort to keep and preserve -them; to make fair Bowling Alleys well banked and sealed, which, being -well kept, in many houses are very profitable to the gardeners." - -The instructions in the Elizabethan manuals for grafting, pleaching, -and plashing (see page 50) are most explicit and elaborate. There are -rules for the care of every flower and herb. Nothing is too small for -attention, The old authors even say what flowers should be picked often -and what flowers prefer to be let alone. One old gardener gives the -following details with regard to the sowing of seeds: - -"If you will [he writes], you may sow your seeds in rows, or trails, -either round about the edges of your beds to keep them in fashion, -and plant either herbs or flowers in the body of your beds, or you -may furnish your beds all over, making three, four, or five rows, or -trails, according to the bigness of your bed; the order, or manner, -is to make each trail of like distance and range your line and by -it, either with your finger or a small stick, to make your trail -about an inch thick, or thereabout; and therein to sow your seed, not -over-thick. If you put your seeds in a white paper, you may (if the -seeds are small) very easily and equally sow them by shaking the lower -end of your paper with the forefinger of that hand you sow with. The -paper must not be much open at the end. Then with your hand, or a -trowel, to smooth the earth into each trail." - - - - - III - - _Old Garden Authors_ - - -The books from which both professional and amateur gardeners gained -their instruction are full of delightful information, and to us are -quaintly expressed. Many of them were standard authorities for several -generations and went through various editions, which, as time went on, -were touched up by a more recent authority. One of these well-known -garden authors was Thomas Hill, who wrote under the peculiar name of -Didymus Mountain; another was Gervase Markham whose "Country Farm," -published in London in 1616 (the year of Shakespeare's death), often -passes for an original work. "The Country Farm," however, was an -earlier book, and a French one at that, called "La Maison Rustique," -published in Paris in 1600 by Charles Stevens and John Liébault, -"doctors of physicke." This was translated into English very soon -after its appearance by Richard Surflet and published under the title -of "The Country Farm." It became an extremely popular book before -Gervase Markham took hold of it. Markham became a great authority on -all garden topics and wrote and adapted many books on the subject. From -his edition of "The Country Farm" we learn that - -"It is a commendable and seemly thing to behold out at a window many -acres of ground well-tilled and husbanded; but yet it is much more to -behold fair and comely proportions, handsome and pleasant arbors, and, -as it were, closets, delightful borders of lavender, rosemary, box and -other such-like; to hear the ravishing music of an infinite number of -pretty, small birds, which continually, day and night, do chatter and -chant their proper and natural branch-songs upon the hedges and trees -of the garden; and to smell so sweet a nosegay so near at hand, seeing -that this so fragrant a smell cannot but refresh the lord of the farm -exceedingly when going out of his bedchamber in the morning after -sunrise; and while as yet the clear and pearl-like dew doth perch on -to the grass he giveth himself to hear the melodious music of the bees -which do fill the air with a most acceptable sweet and pleasant harmony. - -"Now for the general proportion of gardens. They may at your pleasure -carry any of these four shapes: that is to say, either square, round, -oval, or diamond. This is but the outward proportion, or the verge -and girdle of your garden. As for the inward proportions and shapes -of the Quarters, Beds, Banks, Mounts and such-like, they are to be -divided by Alleys, Hedges, Borders, Rails, Pillars and such-like; -and by these you may draw your garden unto what form you please, not -respecting whatsoever shape the outward verge carrieth. For you may -make that garden which is square without to be round within, and that -which is round, either square, or oval; that which is oval, either -of the former, and that which is diamond any shape at all,--and yet -all exceedingly comely. You may also, if your ground be naturally so -situated, or if your industry please so to bring it to pass, make your -garden rise and mount by several degrees, one level ascending above -another, in such sort as if you had divers gardens one above another, -which is exceedingly beautiful to the eye and very beneficial to your -flowers and fruit-trees, especially if such ascents have the benefit -of the Sun rising upon them; and thus, if you please, you may have in -one level a square plot; in another, a round; in a third a diamond; and -in a fourth, an oval; then amongst the ascending banks, which are on -either side the stairs, you mount into your several gardens, you shall -make your physic garden or places to plant your physic herbs." - -We also learn from "The Country Farm" that - -"The Garden of Pleasure shall be set about and compassed with arbors -made of jessamin, rosemarie, box, juniper, cypress-trees, savin, -cedars, rose-trees and other dainties first planted and pruned -according as the nature of every one doth require, but after brought -into some form and order with willow or juniper poles, such as may -serve for the making of arbors. The ways and alleys must be covered -and sown with fine sand well beat, or with the powder of the sawing of -marble, or else paved handsomely with good pit stone. - -"This garden, by means of a large path of the breadth of six feet, -shall be divided into two equal parts; the one shall contain the herbs -and flowers used to make nosegays and garlands of, as March violets, -Provence gilliflowers, purple gilliflowers, Indian gilliflowers, small -pansies, daisies, yellow and white gilliflowers, marigolds, lily -connally,[12] daffodils, Canterbury bells, purple velvet flowers, -anemones, corn-flag,[13] mugwort, lilies and other such-like; and it -may be indeed the Nosegay Garden. - -[12] Lily-of-the-valley. - -[13] Gladiolus. - -"The other part shall have all other sweet-smelling herbs whether they -be such as bear no flowers, or, if they bear any, yet they are not put -in nosegays alone, but the whole herb be with them, as Southernwood, -wormwood, pellitory, rosemary, jessamine, marierom, balm-mints, -pennyroyal, costmarie, hyssop, lavender, basil, sage, savory, rue, -tansy, thyme, camomile, mugwort, bastard marierum, nept, sweet balm, -all-good, anis, horehound and others such-like; and this may be called -the garden for herbs and good smell. - -"These sweet herbs and flowers for nosegays shall be set in order upon -beds and quarters of such-like length and breadth as those of the -kitchen garden; others in mazes made for the pleasing and recreating -of the sight, and other some are set in proportions made of beds -interlaced and drawn one within another or broken off with borders, or -without borders." - -This arrangement is interesting as not only showing the division of -flower-beds but that certain herbs were used in nosegays. It did not, -therefore, strike Shakespeare's audiences as strange that _Perdita_ -offered to her guests rosemary and rue on an equality with marigolds, -violets, the crown-imperial (then so rare), daffodils, and lilies of -all kinds. - -[Illustration: THE KNOT-GARDEN, NEW PLACE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON] - -In William Lawson's "A New Orchard and Garden," which also appeared -about the time of Shakespeare's death, the gardens of the period are -perfectly described. Lawson was a practical gardener and had a poetic -appreciation of flowers and trees. His book was long an authority. -Every one had it. Lawson writes quaintly and delightfully: - -"The Rose, red, damask, velvet and double-double, Provence rose, -the sweet musk Rose double and single, the double and single white -Rose, the fair and sweet-scenting Woodbine double and single and -double-double, purple Cowslips and double-double Cowslips, Primrose -double and single, the Violet nothing behind the best for smelling -sweetly and a thousand more will provoke your content. - -"And all these by the skill of your gardener, so comely and orderly -placed in your borders and squares and so intermingled that none -looking thereon cannot but wonder to see what Nature corrected by Art -can do. - -"When you behold in divers corners of your Orchard Mounts of stone, -or wood, curiously wrought within and without, or of earth covered -with fruit-trees: Kentish cherry, damsons, plums, etc., with stairs of -precious workmanship; and in some corner a true Dial or Clock and some -antique works and especially silver-sounding music--mixt Instruments -and Voices--gracing all the rest--how will you be rapt with delight! - -"Large walks, broad and long, close and open, like the Tempe groves -in Thessaly, raised with gravel and sand, having seats and banks of -Camomile,--all this delights the mind and brings health to the body. -Your borders on every side hanging and drooping with Raspberries, -Barberries and Currants and the roots of your trees powdered with -strawberries--red, white and green,--what a pleasure is this! - -"Your gardener can frame your lesser wood (shrubs) to the shape of men -armed in the field ready to give battle, or swift-running greyhounds, -or of well-scented and true running hounds to chase the deer or hunt -the hare. This kind of hunting shall not waste your corn nor much your -coin. - -"Mazes, well formed, a man's height, may, perhaps, make your friend -wander in gathering of berries till he cannot recover himself without -your help. - -"To have occasion to exercise within your Orchard, it shall be a -pleasure to have a Bowling-Alley. - -"Rosemary and sweet Eglantine are seemly ornaments about a door, or -window; so is Woodbine. - -"One chief grace that adorns an Orchard I cannot let slip. A brood of -nightingales, who with their several notes and tunes with a strong, -delightsome voice out of a weak body, will bear you company, night -and day. She will help you cleanse your trees of caterpillars and all -noisome worms and flies. The gentle Robin Redbreast will help her and -in Winter in the coldest storms will keep a part. Neither will the -silly Wren be behind in summer with her distinct whistle (like a sweet -Recorder)[14] to cheer your spirits. The Blackbird and Throstle (for I -take it the Thrush sings not but devours) sing loudly on a May morning -and delight the ear much (and you need not want their company if you -have ripe Cherries or Berries) and would gladly, as the rest, do you -pleasure. But I had rather want their company than my fruit. - -"What shall I say? A thousand of delights are in an Orchard." - -[14] A kind of flute. See "Hamlet"; Act II, Scene II. - -Parkinson endeavors in the kindliest way to help the amateur. He is -genuinely desirous to encourage gardening and offers his knowledge and -experience with bounteous generosity. He has no preference regarding -site. He says: - -"According to the situations of men's dwellings, so are the situations -of their gardens. And, although divers do diversely prefer their own -several places which they have chosen, or wherein they dwell; as some -those places that are near unto a river or brook to be best for the -pleasantness of the water, the ease of transportation of themselves, -their friends and goods, as also for the fertility of the soil, which -is seldom near unto a river's side; and others extol the side or top of -an hill, be it small or great, for the prospect's sake. And again, some -the plain or champian ground for the even level thereof. Yet to show -you for every of these situations which is the fittest place to plant -your garden in and how to defend it from the injuries of the cold winds -and frosts that may annoy it, I hope be well accepted. - -"To prescribe one form for every man to follow were too great -presumption and folly; for every man will please his own fancy, be -it orbicular or round, triangular or three-square, quadrangular or -four-square, or more long than broad. Let every man choose which him -liketh best. The four-square form is the most usually accepted with all -and doth best agree to any man's dwelling. To form it therefore with -walks cross the middle both ways and round about it also with hedges, -knots or trayles, or any other work within the four-square parts is -according to every man's conceit. For there may be therein walls either -open or close, either public or private, a maze or wilderness, a rock -or mount with a fountain in the midst to convey water to every part of -the garden either in pipes under the ground, or brought by hand and -emptied into large cisterns or great Turkey jars placed in convenient -places. Arbors also being both graceful and necessary may be appointed -in such convenient places as the corners, or elsewhere, as may be most -fit to serve both for shadow and rest after walking. - -"To border the whole square to serve as a hedge thereunto everyone -taketh what liketh him best, as either privet alone, or sweetbriar -and whitethorn enlaced together and roses of one, or two, or more -sorts, placed here and there amongst them. Some also take lavender, -rosemary, sage, southernwood, lavender-cotton, or some such thing. Some -again plant Cornell trees and plash them, or keep them low to form -into a hedge. And some again take a low prickly shrub that abideth -always green called in Latin _Pyracantha_, which in time will make an -evergreen hedging, or border, and when it beareth fruit, which are red -berries like unto hawthorn berries, make a glorious show among the -green leaves in winter time when no other shrubs have fruit, or leaves." - -For the borders of the knots, Parkinson recommends thrift, hyssop and -germander, but "chiefly above all herbs the small low, or dwarf French -or Dutch box, because it is evergreen, thick and easily cut and formed." - -Roses, he says, should be planted in "the outer borders of the -quarters, or in the middle of the long beds"; and lilies should be -placed in a "small, round or square in a knot without any tall flowers -growing about them." - - - - - IV - - _"Outlandish" and English Flowers_ - - -The flowers for the knots, or beds, Parkinson divides into two classes: -the "Outlandish flowers" and the "English flowers." - -Of the outlandish flowers first of all he mentions daffodils, of which -there were "almost a hundred sorts, some either white, or yellow, or -mixed, or else being small or great, single or double, and some having -but one flower on a stalk; others, many." Other daffodils were so -exceedingly sweet that a very few were sufficient to perfume a whole -chamber: the "single English Bastard daffodil, which groweth wild in -many woods, groves and orchards in England; the double English Bastard, -the French single white, the French double yellow, the Spanish yellow -Bastard, the great or little Spanish white, and the Turkie single white -Daffodil" are some of the varieties Parkinson mentions. Then of the -_Fritillaria_ or the "checkerd Daffodil" Parkinson gives "half a score, -several sorts, both white and red, both yellow and black, which are a -wonderful grace and ornament in a garden in regard of the checker-like -spots in the flower." - -Hyacinths in Parkinson's book are about "half a hundred sorts: some -like unto little bells or stars, others like unto little bottles or -pearls, both white and blue, sky colored and blush, and some star-like -of many pretty various forms and all to give delight to them that will -be curious to observe them." - -Shakespeare does not mention hyacinths. - -Of crocus, or saffron flowers, there were twenty sorts, some flowering -in the spring, others in the autumn, but all of "glorious beauty." - -Of lilies there were "twenty several sorts and colors," among which the -Crown Imperial, "for her stately form deserveth some special place in -the garden, as also the Martagons, both white and red, both blush and -yellow, that require to be set by themselves apart." - -Tulips (which are never mentioned by Shakespeare) were so many and -various that Parkinson considered it beyond his ability to describe -them all "for there is such a wonderful variety and mixture of colors -that it is almost impossible for the wit of man to decipher them and to -give names," and he added that "for every one that he might name ten -others would probably spring up somewhere" and "besides this glory of -variety in colors that these flowers have, they carry so stately and -delightful a form and do abide so long in their bravery, there is no -lady or gentlewoman of any worth that is not caught with this delight, -or not delighted with these flowers." - -Then the anemones, or windflowers, "so full of variety, so dainty, so -pleasant and so delightsome, so plentiful in bearing and durable," he -tells us were great favorites. - -[Illustration: BORDER, NEW PLACE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON] - -Then the bear's-ears,[15] or French cowslips, each one "seeming to be -a nosegay of itself alone" and of so many colors as "white, yellow, -blush, purple, red, tawny, murray, hair color and so on" and "not -unfurnished with a pretty sweet scent, which doth add an increase of -pleasure in those that make them an ornament for wearing." - -[15] _Auriculas._ - -Flower-de-luces also of many sorts, one kind "being the Orris roots -that are sold at the Apothecaries whereof sweet powders are made to -lie among garments" and "the greater Flag kind frequent enough in this -land" and which "well doth serve to deck up both garden and house with -Nature's beauties." - -Chief of all was "Your Sable Flower, so fit for a mourning habit that -I think in the whole compass of Nature's store there is not a more -pathetical." - -The hepatica, or noble liverwort, white, red, blue, or purple, -somewhat resembling violets; the cyclamen, or sow-bread, a "flower -of rare receipt with flowers like unto red, or blush-colored violets -and leaves having no small delight in their pleasant color, being -spotted and circled white upon green"; the _Leucoinum_, or bulbous -violet; _Muscari_, or musk grape flower; star-flowers of different -sorts; _Phalangium_, or spiderwort; winter crowfoot, or wolfsbane; the -Christmas flower, "like unto a single white rose"; bell-flowers of many -kinds; yellow larkspur,[16] "the prettiest flower of a score in the -garden"; flower gentle, or Floramour; Flower-of-the-Sun;[17] the Marvel -of Peru, or of the World; double marsh marigold, or double yellow -buttons; double French marigolds; and the double red _Ranunculus_, -or crowfoot, "for exceeding the most glorious double anemone," -completes Parkinson's list for flowers to be planted in the beds. The -jasmine, white and yellow; the double honeysuckle and the lady's-bower -(clematis), both white, and red and purple, single and double are "the -fittest of Outlandish plants to set by arbors and banqueting-houses[18] -that are open both before and above, to help to cover them and to give -sight, smell and delight." - -[16] Nasturtium. - -[17] Sunflower. - -[18] The banqueting-house does not signify a place for great -entertainments. It was a simple summer-house, or arbor, to which people -repaired after dinner to eat the dessert, then called "banquet." - -Parkinson has not quite finished, however, with the outlandish flowers -for he calls attention to the cherry bay, or _Laurocerasus_, saying -that "the Rose Bay, or Oleander, and the white and blue Syringa, or -Pipe Tree,[19] are all graceful and delightful to set at several -distances in the borders of knots, for some of them give beautiful and -sweet flowers." - -[19] Lilac-tree. - -Furthermore Parkinson writes that "the Pyracantha, or Prickly Coral -Tree, doth remain with green leaves all the year and may be plashed, or -laid down, or tyed to make up a fine hedge to border the whole knot" -and that "the Dwarf Bay, or Mezereon, is most commonly either placed -in the middle of a knot, or at the corners thereof, and sometimes all -along a walk for the more grace." - -So much for the "outlandish" flowers! - -Turning now to the "English flowers," we find that Parkinson includes -primroses and cowslips, single rose campions, white, red, and blush -and the double red campion and the Flower of Bristow, or Nonesuch, "a -kind of Campion, white and blush as well as orange-color." And here -Parkinson stops a moment to talk about this Nonesuch, for he was so -fond of it that he holds it in his hand in the portrait that appears as -a frontispiece to his "Paradisus" and from which our reproduction is -made. Of it he writes: "The orange color Nonesuch with double flowers -as is rare and not common so for his bravery doth well deserve a Master -of account that will take care to keep and preserve it." - -Then he continues: Bachelors'-buttons, both white and red; -wall-flowers, double and single; stock-gilliflowers, queen's -gilliflowers (which some call dame's violets and some winter -gilliflowers, a kind of stock-gilliflower); violets, "the spring's -chief flowers for beauty, smell and use," both single and double; -snap-dragons, "flowers of much more delight"; columbines, "single -and double, of many sorts, fashions and colors, very variable, both -speckled and parti-colored--no garden would willingly be without them." -Next "Larks' heels, or spurs, or toes, as they are called, single and -double"; pansies, or heartsease, of divers colors, "although without -scent yet not without some respect and delight"; double poppies -"adorning a garden with their variable colors to the delight of the -beholders"; double daisies, "white and red, blush and speckled and -parti-colored, besides that which is called Jack-an-Apes-on-Horseback," -double marigolds; French marigolds "that have a strong, heady scent, -both single and double, whose glorious show for color would cause -any to believe there were some rare goodness or virtue in them; and -carnations and gilliflowers." - -Here again Parkinson's enthusiasm causes him to pause, for he exclaims: - -"But what shall I say to the Queen of Delight and of Flowers, -Carnations and Gilliflowers, whose bravery, variety and sweet smell -joined together tieth every one's affection with great earnestness -both to like and to have them?" - -Of the overwhelming number he singles out the red and gray Hulo, -the old carnation, the Grand Père; the Cambersive, the Savadge, the -Chrystal, the Prince, the white carnation or delicate, the ground -carnation, the French carnation, the Dover, the Oxford, the Bristow, -the Westminster, the Daintie, the Granado, and the orange tawny -gilliflower and its derivatives, the Infanta, the striped tawny, the -speckled tawny, the flaked tawny, the Grifeld tawny, and many others. - -Many sweet pinks are included, "all very sweet coming near the -Gilliflowers, Sweet Williams and Sweet Johns," both single and double, -red and spotted, "and a kind of wild pinks, which for their beauty and -grace help to furnish a garden." Then, too, we have peonies, double and -single; hollyhocks, single and double; and roses. - -The Elizabethan gardens, therefore, presented a magnificent array -of flowers; and it was not only in the grand gardens of castles and -manor-houses, but in the estates of London merchants along the Strand -and of the florists in Holborn, Westminster, and elsewhere that fine -flower shows were to be enjoyed during every month of the year. In the -country before the simple dwellings and the half-timbered and thatched -cottages bright flowers blossomed in the same beauty and profusion as -to-day. - -The charming cottage garden has changed little. - -Finally, in summing up, if we imagine as a background a group of -Tudor buildings in the Perpendicular style of architecture of red -brick broken with bay-windows and groups of quaint chimneys variously -ornamented with zigzag and other curious lines, gables here and -there--the whole façade rising above a terrace with broad flights of -steps--one at the middle and one at each end--and from the terrace -"forthrights" and paths intersecting and in the squares formed by them -bright beds of flowers so arranged that the colors intermingle and -blend so as to produce the effect of a rich mosaic and redolent with -the sweetest perfumes all mingled with particular and peculiar care -and art, we shall have a mental picture of the kind of garden that lay -before _Olivia's_ house in "Twelfth Night," where _Malvolio_ parades -up and down the "forthrights," as Shakespeare distinctly tells us, in -his yellow cross-garters, to pick up the letter dropped on the path -by _Maria_ while the rollicking _Sir Toby Belch_, witless _Sir Andrew -Aguecheek_, and merry _Maria_ watch his antics from their hiding-place -in the box-tree, or hedge. - -Such also was the garden at Belmont, _Portia's_ stately home, in which -_Lorenzo_ and _Jessica_, while waiting for their mistress on that -moonlight night "when the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees and they -did make no noise," voiced their ravishing duet, "On Such a Night." - -Such also was the garden into which _Romeo_ leaped over the high -wall to sing before _Juliet's_ window a song that in her opinion was -far sweeter than that of the nightingale that nightly sang in the -pomegranate-tree by her balcony. - -If, on the other hand, we wish to visualize _Perdita's_ garden--that -of a simple shepherdess--we must imagine a tiny cottage enclosure -gay and bright with blooms of many hues, arranged in simple beds -neatly bordered with box or thrift, but where there are no terraces, -forthrights, or ornamental vases, urns or fountains. This little -cottage garden is the kind that brightened the approach to Anne -Hathaway's house at Shottery and Shakespeare's own dwelling at -Stratford. - -This is a descendant, as we have seen, of the little Garden of Delight, -the Pleasance of the Medieval castle. The simple cottage garden is the -easier of the two to reproduce to-day. Although it only occupies a -small corner in the garden proper, yet _all_ the flowers mentioned by -Shakespeare can be grown in it. - -In rural England it is not rare to come across old gardens that owed -their existence to disciples of Didymus Mountain, Markham, Lawson, -and Parkinson--gardens that have been tended for three hundred years -and more with loving care, where the blossoms are descendants of -"outlandish" importations of Nicholas Leate and Lord Burleigh, and of -simple English flowers. These gladden the eyes of their owners to-day -as the original flowers gladdened the eyes of those who planted them. -Generations of people in the house and generations of flowers in the -garden thus flourished and faded side by side while the old stock put -forth new blossoms in both house and garden to continue the family -traditions of both the human and the floral world. - -[Illustration: HERBACEOUS BORDER, NEW PLACE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON] - -A typical garden dating from Shakespearean times was thus described a -few years ago in "The Gentleman's Magazine": - -"In all England one could, perhaps, find no lovelier garden than that -of T----, an old manor-house, sheltered by hill and bounded by the -moat, which is the only relic of the former feudal castle. The tiled -roof, the gables inlaid with oaken beams, are almost hidden by fragrant -roses and jasmine flowers that shine like stars against their darker -foliage. A sun-dial stands in the square of lawn before the porch, and -the windows to your right open upon a yew-hedged bowling-green. Beyond, -the smooth lawn slopes down to a little stream, thick with water-loving -reeds and yellow flags; and lime-trees, whose fragrance the breeze -wafts to us, sweep the greensward in magnificent curves. If you turn -to the left, along yonder grassy path you will find yourself between -borders gorgeous with poppies and sweet william and hollyhocks and -lilies that frame distances of blue hills and clear sky. - -"The kitchen-garden lies through that gate in the wall of mellowed -brick--an old-fashioned kitchen-garden, with mingled fruit and -vegetables and flowers. There are pear and plum-trees against the wall -and strawberry beds next the feathery asparagus and gooseberry bushes -hidden by hedges of sweet peas. Another turn will bring you into a -labyrinth of yew hedges and so back to the bowling-green, across which -the long shadows lie, and the sun-dial which marks the approach of -evening. The light is golden on the house and on the tangled borders; -the air is fragrant with many scents." - - - - - PART TWO - - THE FLOWERS OF SHAKESPEARE - - - - - Spring - - "THE SWEET O' THE YEAR" - - - - - I - - _Primroses, Cowslips, and Oxlips_ - - -PRIMROSE (_Primula vulgaris_). English poets have always regarded the -primrose as the first flower of spring--the true _Flor di prima vera_. -This name calls to mind Botticelli's enchanting _Primevera_ that hangs -in the Uffizi, in which the sward is dotted with spring flowers that -seem to have burst into blossom beneath the footsteps of Venus and her -three Graces--those lovely ladies of the Italian Renaissance, clad in -light, fluttering draperies. This decorative picture expresses not -only the joy and beauty of newly-awakened spring, but something much -deeper, something that the painter did not realize himself; and this -was what the Italian Renaissance was destined to mean to all the world: -a New Birth of beauty in the arts and a new era of human sympathy for -mankind. - -Sandro Botticelli, whom we may appropriately call _Flor di prima vera_ -among painters, was as unaware of his mission in art as the primroses -that come into being at the call of a new day of spring sunshine from -a long dark winter's sleep in a soil of frozen stiffness. Something of -the tender and wistful beauty of early spring--her faint dreams and -soft twilights, her languid afternoons and her veiled nights, when pale -stars tremble through gray mists and when warm rains softly kiss the -drowsy earth--Botticelli has put into his enchanting spring idyl; and -this same wistful, half-drowsy, and evanescent beauty is characteristic -of the primrose. - - Primrose, first born child of Ver, - Merry Springtime's harbinger, - With her bells dim - -is a perfect and sympathetic description of the flower in "The Two -Noble Kinsmen."[20] - -[20] Act I, Scene I. - -Observe that the bells of the primrose are "dim"--pale in hue--because -the earth is not sufficiently awake for bright colors or for joyful -chimes--so the color is faint and the sound is delicate. Trees are -now timidly putting forth tender leaves, buds peer cautiously from -the soil, and few birds sing; for leaves, buds, and birds know full -well that winter is lurking in the distance and that rough winds -occasionally issue from the bag of Boreas. The time has not yet come -for "lisp of leaves and ripple of rain" and for choirs of feathered -songsters. Yet all the more, because of its bold daring and its modest -demeanor, the primrose deserves the enthusiastic welcome it has always -received from poets and flower lovers. - -"The primrose," writes Dr. Forbes Watson, "seems the very flower of -delicacy and refinement; not that it shrinks from our notice, for few -plants are more easily seen, coming as it does when there is a dearth -of flowers, when the first birds are singing and the first bees humming -and the earliest green putting forth in the March and April woods. And -it is one of those plants which dislikes to be looking cheerless, but -keeps up a smouldering fire of blossom from the very opening of the -year, if the weather will permit. - -"The flower is of a most unusual color, a pale, delicate yellow, -slightly tinged with green. And the better flowers impress us by a -peculiar paleness, not dependent upon any feebleness of hue, which we -always find unpleasing, but rather upon the _exquisite_ _softness -of their tone_. And we must not overlook the little round stigma, -that green and translucent gem, which forms the pupil of the eye, and -is surrounded by a deeper circle of orange which helps it to shine -forth more clearly. Many flowers have a somewhat pensive look; but -in the pensiveness of the primrose there is a shade of melancholy--a -melancholy which awakens no thought of sadness and does but give -interest to the pale, sweet, inquiring faces which the plant upturns -towards us. - -"In the primrose, as a whole, we cannot help being struck by an -exceeding softness and delicacy; there is nothing sharp, strong, or -incisive; the smell is 'the faintest and most ethereal perfume,' as -Mrs. Stowe has called it in her 'Sunny Memories,' though she was -mistaken in saying that it disappears when we pluck the flower. It -is meant to impress us as altogether soft and yielding. One of the -most beautiful points in the primrose is the manner in which _the -paleness of the flowers is taken up by the herbage_. This paleness -seems to hang about the plant like a mystery, for though the leaves -of the primrose may at times show a trace of the steady paleness of -the cowslip, it is more usually confined to their undersurfaces and -the white flower-stalks with their clothing of down. And when we are -looking at the primrose one or other of these downy, changeful -portions is continually coming into view, so that we get a feeling as -if there hung about the whole plant a clothing of soft, evanescent -mist, thickening about the center of the plant and the undersurfaces of -the leaves which are less exposed to the sun. And then we reach one of -the main expressions of the primrose. When we look at the pale, sweet -flowers, and the soft-toned green of the herbage, softened further here -and there by that uncertain mist of down, the dryness of the leaf and -fur enters forcibly into our impression of the plant, giving a sense -of extreme delicacy and need of shelter, as if it were some gentle -creature which shrinks from exposure to the weather." - -[Illustration: CARNATIONS AND GILLIFLOWERS; PRIMROSES AND COWSLIPS; AND -DAFFODILS: FROM PARKINSON] - -The Greeks associated the idea of melancholy with this flower. They had -a story of a handsome youth, son of Flora and Priapus, whose betrothed -bride died. His grief was so excessive that he died, too, and the gods -than changed his body into a primrose. - -In Shakespeare's time, the primrose was also associated with early -death; and it is one of the flowers thrown upon the corse of _Fidele_, -whose lovely, wistful face is compared to the "pale primrose." Thus -_Arviragus_ exclaims as he gazes on the beautiful youth, _Fidele_, the -assumed name of _Imogen_ in disguise: - - I'll sweeten thy sad grave: thou shalt not lack - The flower that's like thy face, pale primrose.[21] - -_Perdita_, in "The Winter's Tale,"[22] mentions - - Pale primroses that die unmarried - Ere they can behold bright Phœbus in his strength. - -Shakespeare appreciated the delicate hue and perfume of this flower. -He seems to be alluding to both qualities when he makes _Hermia_ touch -_Helena's_ memory by the following words: - - And in the wood, where often you and I - Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie.[23] - -Other English poets speak of the flower as "the pale," or "the dim." -Milton writes: - - Now the bright star, day's harbinger - Comes dancing from the East and leads with her - The flow'ry May, who, from her green lap, throws - The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose. - -And again, Thomas Carew: - - Ask me why I send you here - The firstling of the infant year? - Ask me why I send to you - This Primrose, all bepearled with dew? - I straight whisper in your ears: - The sweets of Love are wash'd with tears - - Ask me why this flower doth show - So yellow, green and sickly, too? - Ask me why the stalk is weak - And, bending, yet it doth not break? - I will answer: these discover - What doubts and fears are in a lover. - -[21] "Cymbeline"; Act IV, Scene II. - -[22] Act IV, Scene III. - -[23] "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; Act I, Scene I. - -The English primrose is one of a large family of more than fifty -species, represented by the primrose, the cowslip, and the oxlip. All -members of this family are noted for their simple beauty and their -peculiar charm. - -Parkinson writes: - -"We have so great variety of Primroses and Cowslips in our country -breeding that strangers, being much delighted with them, have often -furnished into divers countries to their good content. - -"All Primroses bear their long and large, broad yellowish-green leaves -without stalks most usually, and all the Cowslips have small stalks -under the leaves, which are smaller and of a darker green. The name -of _Primula veris_, or Primrose, is indifferently conferred on those -that I distinguish for _Paralyses_, or Cowslips. All these plants are -called most usually in Latin _Primulæ veris_, _Primulæ pretenses_ and -_Primulæ silvarum_, because they shew by their flowering the new Spring -to be coming on, they being, as it were, the first Embassadors thereof. -They have also divers other names, as _Herba Paralysis_, _Arthritica_, -_Herba Sancti Petri_, _Claues Sancti Petri_, _Verbasculum odoratum_, -_Lunaria arthritica_, _Phlomis_, _Alisma silvarum_ and _Alismatis -alterum genus_. Some have distinguished them by calling the Cowslips -_Primula Veris Elatior_, that is the Taller Primrose, and the other -_Humilis_, Low, or Dwarf, Primrose. - -"Primroses and Cowslips are in a manner wholly used in Cephalicall -diseases to ease pains in the head. They are profitable both for the -Palsy and pains of the joints, even as the Bears' Ears[24] are, which -hath caused the names of _Arthritica Paralysis_ and _Paralytica_ to be -given them." - -[24] Auriculas. - -Tusser in his "Husbandry" includes the primrose among the seeds and -herbs of the kitchen; and Lyte says that "the cowslips, primroses and -oxlips are now used daily amongst other pot-herbs, but in physic there -is no great account made of them." "The old name was Primerolles," -Dr. Prior notes in his quaint book on flowers. "Primerole as an -outlandish, unintelligible word was soon familiarized into Primerolles -and this into Primrose." The name was also written primrolles and -finally settled down into primrose. Chaucer wrote primerole, a name -derived from the French _Primeverole_, meaning, like the Italian _Flor -di prima vera_, the first spring flower. - -COWSLIP (_Paralysis vulgaris pratensis_). The cowslip is an -ingratiating little flower, not so aloof as its cousin the primrose, -and not at all melancholy. In the popular lore of Shakespeare's time -the cowslip was associated with fairies. In many places it was known -as "fairy cups." For this reason Shakespeare makes _Ariel_ lie in a -cowslip's bell when the fay is frightened by the hooting of owls, or -tired of swinging merrily in "the blossom that hangs on the bough." -One of the duties of _Titania's_ little maid of honor was "to hang a -pearl in every cowslip's ear"; and this gay little fairy informs _Puck_ -of the important place cowslips hold in the court of the tiny _Queen -Titania_: - - The cowslips tall her pensioners be, - In their gold coats spots you see: - These be rubies, fairy favors, - In these freckles live their savors.[25] - -[25] "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; Act II, Scene I. - -To appreciate the meaning of this comparison, it must be remembered -that the "pensioners" of Queen Elizabeth's court were a guard of the -tallest and handsomest men to be found in the whole kingdom, men, -moreover, who were in the pride of youth, and scions of the most -distinguished families. Their dress was of extraordinary elegance -and enriched heavily with gold embroidery. Hence, "gold coats" for -the cowslips. Here and there jewels sparkled and glistened on the -pensioners' coats. Hence rubies--fairy favors--favors from the Queen! -The pensioners also wore pearls in their ears, like Raleigh and -Leicester and other noblemen. Hence the fairy had to "hang a pearl in -every cowslip's ear." An idea, too, of the size of _Titania_ and her -elves is given when the cowslips are considered "tall," and tall enough -to be the body-guard of _Queen Titania_. This was a pretty little -allusion to Queen Elizabeth and her court, which the audience that -gathered to see the first representation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" -did not fail to catch. - -We get a sidelight on the importance of the pensioners in "The Merry -Wives of Windsor"[26] when _Dame Quickly_ tells _Falstaff_ a great -cock-and-bull story about the visitors who have called on _Mistress_ -_Ford_. "There have been knights and lords and gentlemen with their -coaches, letter after letter, gift after gift; smelling so sweetly (all -musk) and so rushling, I warrant you in silk and gold; and yet there -has been earls, and, what is more, _pensioners_!" Shakespeare also -speaks of "the freckled cowslip" in "Henry V,"[27] when the _Duke of -Burgundy_ refers to - - The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth - The freckled cowslip. - -All poets love the flower. - - In the language wherewith spring - Letters cowslips on the hill, - -writes Tennyson--a charming fancy! - -Sydney Dobell has a quaint flower song containing this verse: - - Then came the cowslip - Like a dancer in the fair, - She spread her little mat of green - And on it dancèd she, - With a fillet bound about her brow, - A fillet round her happy brow, - A golden fillet round her brow, - And rubies in her hair. - -[26] Act II, Scene II. - -[27] Act V, Scene II. - -Never mind if country dancers rarely wear rubies; the idea is pretty -and on Shakespeare's authority we know that rubies do gleam in the cup -of the cowslip, as he has told us through the lips of the fairy. - -With great appreciation of the beauty of the flower he has _Jachimo's_ -description: - - Cinque-spotted like the crimson drops - In the bottom of a cowslip.[28] - -[28] "Cymbeline"; Act II, Scene II. - -Most sympathetically did Dr. Forbes Watson, when lying on a bed of -fatal illness, put into words what many persons have felt regarding -this flower: - -"Few of our wild flowers give intenser pleasure than the cowslip, yet -perhaps there is scarcely any whose peculiar beauty depends so much -upon locality and surroundings. There is a homely simplicity about the -cowslip, much like that of the daisy, though more pensive,--the quiet, -sober look of an unpretending country girl, not strikingly beautiful -in feature or attire, but clean and fresh as if new bathed in milk and -carrying us away to thoughts of daisies, flocks and pasturage and the -manners of a simple, primitive time, some golden age of shepherd-life -long since gone by. And more; in looking at the cowslip we are always -most forcibly struck by its apparent wholesomeness and health. This -wholesomeness is quite unmistakable. It belongs even to the smell so -widely different from the often oppressive perfume of other plants, -as lilies, narcissuses, or violets. Now just such a healthy milk-fed -look, just such a sweet, healthy odor is what we find in cows--an odor -which breathes around them as they sit at rest in the pasture. The -'lips,' of course, is but a general resemblance to the shape of the -petals and suggests the source of the fragrance. The cowslip, as we -have said, is a singularly healthy-looking plant, indeed, nothing about -it is more remarkable. It has none of the delicacy and timidity of the -primrose. All its characters are well and healthily pronounced. The -paleness is uniform, steady, and rather impresses us as whiteness; and -the yellow of the cup is as rich as gold. The odor is not faint, but -saccharine and luscious. It does not shrink into the sheltered covert, -but courts the free air and sunshine of the open fields; and instead -of its flowers peeping timidly from behind surrounding leaves, it -raises them boldly on a stout, sufficient stalk, the most conspicuous -object in the meadow. Its poetry is the poetry of common life, but of -the most delicious common life that can exist. The plant is in some -respects careless to the verge of disorder; and you should note that -carelessness well, till you feel the force of it, as especially in the -lame imperfection of the flower buds, only, perhaps half of them well -developed and the rest dangling all of unequal lengths. Essentially -the cowslip and the primrose are only the same plant in two different -forms, the one being convertible into the other. The primrose is the -cowslip of the woods and sheltered lanes; the cowslip is the primrose -of the fields." - -The name cowslip is not derived from the lips of the cow, but, -according to Skeat, the great Anglo-Saxon authority, it comes from an -Anglo-Saxon word meaning dung and was given to the plant because it -springs up in meadows where cows are pastured. - -"The common field Cowslip," says Parkinson, "I might well forbear to -set down, being so plentiful in the fields; but because many take -delight in it and plant it in their gardens, I will give you the -description of it here. It hath divers green leaves, very like unto the -wild Primrose, but shorter, rounder, stiffer, rougher, more crumpled -about the edges and of a sadder green color, every one standing upon -his stalk which is an inch or two long. Among the leaves rise up divers -long stalks, a foot or more high, bearing at the top many fair, yellow, -single flowers with spots of a deep yellow at the bottom of each leaf, -smelling very sweet. - -"In England they have divers names according to several countries, as -Primroses, Cowslips, Oxlips, Palsieworts and Petty Mullins. The Frantic -Fantastic, or Foolish, Cowslip in some places is called by country -people Jack-an-Apes-on-Horseback, which is a usual name given by them -to many other plants, as Daisies, Marigolds, etc., if they be strange -or fantastical, differing in form from the ordinary kind of the single -ones. The smallest are usually called through all the North Country -Birds' Eyen, because of the small yellow circle in the bottoms of the -flowers resembling the eye of a bird." - -OXLIP (_Primula eliator_). The oxlip combines the qualities of primrose -and cowslip. "These two plants," writes a botanist, "appear as -divergent expressions of a simple type, the cowslip being a contracted -form of primrose, the sulphur yellow and the fine tawny, watery rays -of the latter brightened into well defined orange spots. In the oxlip -these characters anastomose." - -Thus, partaking of the character of primrose and cowslip, the oxlip -is considered by some authorities a hybrid. "The oxlip and the -polyanthus," says Dr. Forbes Watson, "with its tortoiseshell blossoms, -are two of the immediate forms; the polyanthus being a great triumph -of the gardener's art, a delightful flower, quite a new creation and -originally produced by cultivation of the primrose." In England the -oxlip is found in woods, fields, meadows, and under hedges. Though a -spring flower it lingers into summer and is found in company with the -nodding violet, wild thyme, and luscious eglantine on the bank where -_Titania_ loved to sleep lulled to rest by song.[29] _Perdita_ speaks -of "bold oxlips" ("The Winter's Tale," Act iv, Scene iii); and compared -With the primrose and cowslip the flower deserves the adjective. - -"Oxlips in their cradles growing," in the song in "The Two Noble -Kinsmen,"[30] which Shakespeare wrote with John Fletcher, shows great -knowledge of the plant, for the root-leaves of the oxlip are shaped -like a cradle. - -Parkinson writes: "Those are usually called oxlips whose flowers are -naked, or bare, without husks to contain them, being not so sweet as -the cowslip, yet have they some little scent, although the Latin name -doth make them to have none." - -[29] "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; Act II, Scene II. - -[30] Act I, Scene I. - - - - - II - - "_Daffodils that Come Before the Swallow Dares_" - - - DAFFODIL (_Narcissus pseudo-narcissus_). - - When daffodils begin to peer, - With heigh! the doxy over the dale, - Why then comes in the sweet o' the year; - For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale. - -Is the opening verse that _Autolycus_ sings so gaily in "The Winter's -Tale."[31] The daffodil was "carefully nourished up" in Elizabethan -gardens, as the saying went. Before Shakespeare's time a great number -of daffodils had been introduced into England from various parts of the -Continent. Gerard describes twenty-four different species, "all and -every one of them in great abundance in our London gardens." - -[31] Act IV, Scene II. - -There were many varieties both rare and ordinary. Parkinson -particularly distinguishes the true daffodils, or _narcissus_, from -the "Bastard Daffodils," or _pseudo narcissus_; and he gives their -differences as follows: - -"It consisteth only in the flower and chiefly in the middle cup, or -chalice; for that we do, in a manner only, account those to be _Pseudo -Narcissus_, Bastard Daffodils, whose middle cup is altogether as long, -and sometimes a little longer than, the outer leaves that do encompass -it, so that it seemeth rather like a trunk, or a long nose, than a cup -or chalice, such as almost all the _Narcissi_, or true Daffodils, have. -Of the Bastard tribe Parkinson gives the great yellow Spanish Daffodil; -the Mountain Bastard of divers kinds; the early straw-colored; the -great white Spanish; the greatest Spanish white; the two lesser White -Spanish; our common English wild Bastard Daffodil; the six-cornered; -the great double yellow, or John Tradescant's great Rose Daffodil; -Mr. Wilmer's great double Daffodil; the great double yellow Spanish, -or Parkinson's Daffodil; the great double French Bastard; the double -English Bastard, or Gerard's double Daffodil; the great white Bastard -Rush Daffodil, or Junquilia; the greater yellow Junquilia; and many -others." - -Then he adds: - -"The _Pseudo narcissus Angliens vulgaris_ is so common in all England, -both in copses, woods and orchards, that I might well forbear the -description thereof. It hath three, or four, grayish leaves, long and -somewhat narrow, among which riseth up the stalk about a span high, or -little higher, bearing at the top, out of a skinny husk (as all other -Daffodils have), one flower, somewhat large, having the six leaves that -stand like wings, of a pale yellow color, and the long trunk in the -middle of a faire yellow with the edges, or brims, a little crumpled, -or uneven. After the flower is past, it beareth a round head, seeming -three square, containing round black seed." - -Shakespeare knew all of these varieties very well and had many of them -in mind when he wrote the beautiful lines for _Perdita_, who exclaims: - - O Proserpina! - For the flowers now that, frighted, thou lettst fall - From Dis's wagon. Daffodils - That come before the swallow dares, and take - The winds of March with beauty.[32] - -[32] "The Winter's Tale"; Act IV, Scene III. - -Much has been written about this description of the daffodils; and it -is generally thought that "to take the winds of March with beauty" -means to charm, or captivate, the wild winds with their loveliness. -I do not agree with this idea, and venture to suggest that as the -daffodils sway and swing in the boisterous March winds with such -infinite grace and beauty, bending this way and that, they "take the -winds with beauty," just as a graceful dancer is said to take the -rhythmic steps of the dance with charming manner. - -We get a hint for this also in Wordsworth's poem: - - I wandered lonely as a cloud - That floats on high o'er vales and hills, - When all at once I saw a crowd, - A host of yellow daffodils; - Beside the lake, beneath the trees, - Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. - - Continuous as the stars that shine - And twinkle on the Milky-Way - They stretched in never-ending line - Along the margin of the bay: - Ten thousand saw I at a glance, - Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. - - The waves beside them danced, but they - Outdid the sparkling waves in glee; - A poet would not be but gay - In such a jocund company: - I gazed--and gazed--but little thought - What wealth the show to me had brought - - For oft when on my couch I lie - In vacant, or in pensive, mood, - They flash upon that inward eye - Which is the bliss of solitude; - And then my heart with pleasure fills - And dances with the daffodils. - -[Illustration: GARDENERS AT WORK, SIXTEENTH CENTURY] - -[Illustration: GARDEN PLEASURES, SIXTEENTH CENTURY] - -No one can read this poem without feeling that the dancing daffodils -"take the winds of March with beauty." The very name of the daffodil -touches our imagination. It carries us to the Elysian Fields, for the -ancient Greeks pictured the meads of the blessed as beautifully golden -and deliciously fragrant with asphodels. The changes ring through -asphodel, affodile, affodyl, finally reaching daffodil. Then there is -one more quaint and familiar name and personification, - - Daffy-down-dilly that came up to town - In a white petticoat and a green gown. - -The idea of daffodil as a rustic maiden was popular in folk-lore and -poetry. The feeling is so well expressed in Michael Drayton's sprightly -eclogue called "Daffodil" that it forms a natural complement to the -happy song of care-free _Autolycus_ just quoted. This Pastoral captured -popular fancy; and it is just as fresh and buoyant as it was when -it was written three hundred years ago. Two shepherds, _Batte_ and -_Gorbo_, meet: - -BATTE - - Gorbo, as thou camst this way, - By yonder little hill, - Or, as thou through the fields didst stray, - Sawst thou my Daffodil? - - She's in a frock of Lincoln green, - Which color likes the sight; - And never hath her beauty seen - But through a veil of white. - -GORBO - - Thou well describst the daffodil; - It is not full an hour - Since by the spring, near yonder hill, - I saw that lovely flower. - -BATTE - - Yet my fair flower thou didst not meet, - No news of her didst bring; - And yet my Daffodil's more sweet - Than that by yonder spring. - -GORBO - - I saw a shepherd that doth keep - In yonder field of lilies - Was making (as he fed his sheep) - A wreath of daffodillies. - -BATTE - - Yet, Gorbo, thou deludst me still, - My flower thou didst not see; - For know my pretty Daffodil - Is worn of none but me. - - To show itself but near her feet - No lily is so bold, - Except to shade her from the heat, - Or keep her from the cold. - -GORBO - - Through yonder vale as I did pass - Descending from the hill, - I met a smirking bonny lass; - They call her Daffodil, - - Whose presence as along she went - The pretty flowers did greet, - As though their heads they downward bent - With homage to her feet, - - And all the shepherds that were nigh - From top of every hill - Unto the valleys loud did cry: - There goes sweet Daffodil! - -BATTE - - Ay, gentle shepherd, now with joy - Thou see my flocks doth fill; - That's she alone, kind shepherd boy, - Let's us to Daffodil! - -The flower was also called jonquil, saffron lily, Lent lily and -narcissus. It was the large yellow narcissus, known as the Rose of -Sharon, so common in Palestine, of which Mohammed said: "He that hath -two cakes of bread, let him sell one of them for a flower of the -narcissus; for bread is the food of the body, but narcissus is the food -of the soul." - -Narcissus, the most beautiful youth of Bœotia, was told that he would -live happily until he saw his own face. Loved by the nymphs, and -particularly Echo, he rejected their advances for he was immune to love -and admiration. One day, however, he beheld himself in a stream and -became so fascinated with his reflection that he pined to death gazing -at his own image. - - For him the Naiads and the Dryads mourn, - Whom the sad Echo answers in her turn, - And now the sister nymphs prepare his urn; - When looking for his corpse, they only found - A rising stalk with yellow blossoms crowned. - -In the center of the cup are to be found the tears of Narcissus! - -Because the flower was consecrated to Ceres and to the Underworld -and to the Elysian Fields, the daffodil was one of the flowers that -Proserpine was gathering when "dusky Dis" carried her off--and the -myth also hints that the Earth purposely brought the asphodel forth -from the Underworld to entice the unsuspecting daughter of Ceres. -Sophocles associates the daffodil with the garlands of great goddesses: -"And ever, day by day, the narcissus with its beauteous clusters, the -ancient coronet of the mighty goddesses, bursts into bloom by heaven's -dew."[33] - -[33] _Œdipus Coloneus._ - -[Illustration: GARDEN IN MACBETH'S CASTLE OF CAWDOR] - -The delightful Dr. Forbes Watson writes of the daffodil like a painter, -with accurate observation and bright palette: - -"In the daffodil the leaves and stems are of a full glaucous green, -a color not only cool and refreshing in itself, but strongly suggestive -of water, the most apparent source of freshness and constituting a most -delicious groundwork for the bright, lively yellow of the blossoms. -Now what sort of spathe would be likely to contribute best to this -remarkable effect of the flower? Should the colors be unusually -striking or the size increased, or what? Strange to say, in both -Daffodil and Pheasant's Eye (Poet's Narcissus) we find the spathe -dry and withered, shrivelled up like a bit of thin brown paper and -clinging round the base of the flowers. We cannot overlook it, and most -assuredly we were never meant to do so. Nothing could have been more -beautifully ordered than this contrast, there being just sufficient to -make us appreciate more fully that abounding freshness of life. - -"It is a plant which affords a most beautiful contrast, a cool, watery -sheet of leaves with bright, warm flowers, yellow and orange, dancing -over the leaves like meteors over a marsh. The leaves look full of -watery sap, which is the life blood of plants and prime source of all -their freshness, just as the tissues of a healthy child look plump and -rosy from the warm blood circulating within. - -"In its general expression the Poet's Narcissus seems a type of maiden -purity and beauty, yet warmed by a love-breathing fragrance; and yet -what innocence in the large soft eye which few can rival among the -whole tribe of flowers. The narrow, yet vivid fringe of red so clearly -seen amidst the whiteness suggests again the idea of purity and gushing -passion--purity with a heart which can kindle into fire." - - - - - III - - "_Daisies Pied and Violets Blue_" - - -DAISY (_Bellis perennis_). Shakespeare often mentions the daisy. With -"violets blue" "lady-smocks all silver-white," and "cuckoo-buds of -every hue," it "paints the meadows with delight" in that delightful -spring-song in "Love's Labour's Lost."[34] Shakespeare also uses this -flower as a beautiful comparison for the delicate hand of _Lucrece_ in -"The Rape of Lucrece":[35] - - Without the bed her other fair hand was - On the green coverlet; whose perfect white - Showed like an April daisy on the grass. - -The daisy is among the flowers in the fantastic garlands that poor -_Ophelia_ wove before her death.[36] - -[34] Act V, Scene II. - -[35] Stanza 57. - -[36] "Hamlet"; Act IV, Scene VII. - -The botanical name _Bellis_ shows the origin of the flower. Belides, -a beautiful Dryad, trying to escape the pursuit of Vertumnus, god of -gardens and orchards, prayed to the gods for help; and they changed her -into the tiny flower. In allusion to this Rapin wrote: - - When the bright Ram, bedecked with stars of gold, - Displays his fleece the Daisy will unfold, - To nymphs a chaplet and to beds a grace, - Who once herself had borne a virgin's face. - -The daisy was under the care of Venus. It has been beloved by English -poets ever since Chaucer sang the praises of the day's eye--daisy. -Chaucer tells us, in what is perhaps the most worshipful poem ever -addressed to a flower, that he always rose early and went out to the -fields, or meadows, to pay his devotions to this "flower of flowers," -whose praises he intended to sing while ever his life lasted, and he -bemoaned the fact, moreover, that he had not words at his command to do -it proper reverence. - -Next to Chaucer in paying homage to the daisy comes Wordsworth with his - - A nun demure, of lowly port; - Or sprightly maiden, of Love's court; - In thy simplicity the sport - Of all temptations; - Queen in crown of rubies drest, - A starveling in a scanty vest, - Are all, as seems to suit the best - My appellations. - - A little cyclops with one eye - Staring to threaten and defy - That thought comes next--and instantly - The freak is over, - The shape will vanish--and behold, - A silver shield with boss of gold - That spreads itself some fairy bold - In fight to cover. - - Bright flower! for by that name at last - When all my reveries are past - I call thee, and to that cleave fast, - Sweet, silent creature - That breathst with me the sun and air, - Do thou as thou art wont repair - My heart with gladness and a share - Of thy meek nature. - -"Daisies smell-less yet most quaint" is a line from the flower-song in -"The Two Noble Kinsmen," written by John Fletcher and Shakespeare.[37] - -[37] Act I, Scene I. - -Milton speaks of - - Meadows trim with daisies pied - -and Dryden pays a tribute to which even Chaucer would approve: - - And then a band of flutes began to play, - To which a lady sang a tirelay; - And still at every close she would repeat - The burden of the song--"The Daisy is so sweet! - The Daisy is so sweet!"--when she began - The troops of Knights and dames continued on. - -The English daisy is "The wee, modest crimson-tipped flower," as -Burns has described it, and must not be confused with the daisy that -powders the fields and meadows in our Southern States with a snow of -white blossoms supported on tall stems. This daisy, called sometimes -the moon-daisy (_Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum_), is known in England as -the midsummer daisy and ox-eye. In France it is called marguerite and -paquerette. Being a midsummer flower, it is dedicated to St. John the -Baptist. It is also associated with St. Margaret and Mary Magdalen, -and from the latter it derives the names of maudlin and maudelyne. As -_Ophelia_ drowned herself in midsummer the daisies that are described -in her wreath are most probably marguerites and not the "day's eye" of -Chaucer. - -Parkinson does not separate daisies very particularly. "They are -usually called in Latin," he tells us, "_Bellides_ and in English -Daisies. Some of them _Herba Margarita_ and _Primula veris_, as is -likely after the Italian names of Marguerita and _Flor di prima vera -gentile_. The French call them _Paquerettes_ and _Marguerites_; and the -fruitful sort, or those that have small flowers about the middle one, -_Margueritons_. Our English women call them Jack-an-Apes-on-Horseback." - -The daisy that an Elizabethan poet quaintly describes as a Tudor -princess resembles the midsummer daisy rather than the "wee, modest, -crimson-tipped flower" of Burns: - - About her neck she wears a rich wrought ruff - With double sets most brave and broad bespread - Resembling lovely lawn, or cambric stuff - Pinned up and prickt upon her yellow head. - -Also Browne in his "Pastorals" seems to be thinking of this flower: - - The Daisy scattered on each mead and down, - A golden tuft within a silver crown. - -VIOLET (_Viola odorata_). The violet was considered "a choice flower -of delight" in English gardens. Shakespeare speaks of the violet on -many occasions and always with tenderness and deep appreciation of -its qualities. Violets are among the flowers that the frightened -Proserpine dropped from Pluto's ebon car-- - - Violets dim - And sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes, - Or Cytherea's breath.[38] - -Thus in Shakespeare's opinion the violet out-sweetened both Juno, -majestic queen of heaven, and Venus, goddess of love and beauty. - -How could he praise the violet more? - - To throw a perfume on the violet - Is wasteful and ridiculous excess. - -Shakespeare informs us in "King John."[39] With the utmost delicacy of -perfection he describes _Titania's_ favorite haunt as - - a bank where the wild thyme blows, - Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows.[40] - -In truth, the tiny flower seems to nod among its leaves. - -Shakespeare makes the elegant _Duke_ in "Twelfth Night," who is -lounging nonchalantly on his divan, compare the music he hears to the -breeze blowing upon a bank of violets[41] (see page 44). - -[38] "The Winter's Tale"; Act IV, Scene III. - -[39] Act IV, Scene II. - -[40] "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; Act II, Scene II. - -[41] Act I, Scene I. - -Shelley held the same idea that the delicious perfume of flowers is -like the softest melody: - - The snowdrop and then the violet - Arose from the ground with warm rain wet; - And there was mixed with fresh color, sent - From the turf like the voice and the instrument. - - And the hyacinth, purple and white and blue, - Which flung from its bells a sweet peal anew - Of music, so delicate, soft and intense - It was felt like an odor within the sense. - -_Ophelia_ laments that she has no violets to give to the court ladies -and lords, for "they withered" when her father died, she tells us. -Shakespeare also associates violets with melancholy occasions. _Marina_ -enters in "Pericles" with a basket of flowers on her arm, saying:[42] - - The yellows, blues, - The purple violets and marigolds - Shall as a carpet hang upon thy grave - While summer days do last. - -[42] Act IV, Scene II. - -On another occasion, with a broad sweeping gesture, Shakespeare mentions - - The violets that strew - The green lap of the new-come Spring. - -In "Sonnet XCIX" he writes: - - The forward violet thus did I chide: - Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal the sweet that smells - If not from my love's breath? The purple pride - Which on thy soft cheek for complexion dwells - In my love's veins thou hast too grossly dyed. - -[Illustration: SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON] - -Bacon deemed it most necessary "to know what flowers and plants do best -perfume the air," and he thought "that which above all others yields -the sweetest smell is the violet, and next to that the musk-rose." (See -page 44.) - -"Perhaps of all Warwickshire flowers," writes a native of Shakespeare's -country, "none are so plentiful as violets; our own little churchyard -of Whitechurch is sheeted with them. They grow in every hedgebank until -the whole air is filled with their fragrance. The wastes near Stratford -are sometimes purple as far as the eyes can see with the flowers of -_viola canina_. Our English violets are twelve in number. The plant is -still used in medicine and acquired of late a notoriety as a suggested -cancer cure; and in Shakespeare's time was eaten raw with onions and -lettuces and also mingled in broth and used to garnish dishes, while -crystallized violets are not unknown in the present day." - -For the beauty of its form, for the depth and richness of its color, -for the graceful drooping of its stalk and the nodding of its head, for -its lovely heart-shaped leaf and above all for its delicious perfume, -the violet is admired. Then when we gaze into its tiny face and note -the delicacy of its veins, which Shakespeare so often mentions, we gain -a sense of its deeper beauty and significance. - -Dr. Forbes Watson observed: - -"I give one instance of Nature's care for the look of the stamens and -pistils of a flower. In the blossom of the Scented Violet the stamens -form, by their convergence, a little orange beak. At the end of this -beak is the summit of the pistil, a tiny speck of green, but barely -visible to the naked eye. Yet small as it is, it completes the color of -the flower, by softening the orange, and we can distinctly see that if -this mere point were removed, there would be imperfection for the want -of it." - -St. Francis de Sales, a contemporary of Shakespeare, gave a lovely -description of the flower when he said: - -"A true widow is in the Church as a March Violet, shedding around an -exquisite perfume by the fragrance of her devotion and always hidden -under the ample leaves of her lowliness and by her subdued coloring, -showing the spirit of her mortification. She seeks untrodden and -solitary places." - -The violet's qualities of lowliness, humility, and sweetness have -always appealed to poets. The violet is also beloved because it is -one of the earliest spring flowers. Violets are, like primroses and -cowslips, - - The first to rise - And smile beneath Spring's wakening skies, - The courier of a band of coming flowers. - -The violet was also an emblem of constancy. At the floral games, -instituted by Clemence Isaure at Toulouse in the Fourteenth Century, -the prize was a golden violet, because the poetess had once sent a -violet to her Knight as a token of faithfulness. With the Troubadours -the violet was a symbol of constancy. In "A Handful of Pleasant -Delights," a popular song-book published in Elizabeth's reign in 1566, -there is a poem called "A Nosegay always Sweet for Lovers to send -Tokens of Love at New Year's tide, or for Fairings, as they in their -minds shall be disposed to write." This poem contains a verse to the -violet: - - Violet is for faithfulness - Which in me shall abide; - Hoping likewise that from your heart - You will not let it slide, - - And will continue in the same, - As you have now begun; - And then forever to abide - Then you my heart have won. - -The violet has always held a loved place in the English garden. Gerard -writes quaintly in his "Herbal": - -"The Black, or Purple Violets, or March Violets, of the garden have -a great prerogative above all others, not only because the mind -conceiveth a certain pleasure and recreation by smelling and handling -of those most odoriferous flowers, but also for the very many by these -Violets receive ornament and comely grace; for there be made of them -garlands for the head, nosegays and poesies, which are delightful to -look on and pleasant to smell to, speaking nothing of their appropriate -virtues; yea, gardens themselves receive by these the greatest ornament -of all chiefest beauty and most gallant grace; and the recreation of -the mind, which is taken thereby, cannot but be very good and honest; -for they admonish and stir up a man to that which is comely and honest; -for flowers through their beauty, variety of color and exquisite form -do bring to a liberal and great mind the remembrance of honesty, -comeliness and all kinds of virtue." - -Proserpine was gathering violets among other flowers in the fields of -Enna in Sicily when Pluto carried her off. Shakespeare touched upon the -story most exquisitely, through the lips of _Perdita_, as quoted above. - -Another Greek myth accounts for the Greek word for the violet, which is -_ion_. It seems when, in order to protect her from the persecutions of -Juno, Jove transformed lovely Europa into a white heifer whom he named -Io, he caused sweet violets to spring up from the earth wherever the -white cow placed her lips; and from her name, Io, the flower acquired -the name _ion_. - -The Athenians adored the flower. Tablets were engraved with the word -_ion_ and set up everywhere in Athens; and of all sobriquets the -citizens preferred that of "Athenian crowned with violets." - -The Persians also loved the violet and made a delicious wine from it. -A sherbet flavored with violet blossoms is served in Persia and Arabia -to-day at feasts; and Mohammedans say: "The excellence of the violet is -as the excellence of El Islam above all other religions." - - - - - IV - - _"Lady-smocks all Silver White" and "Cuckoo Buds - of Yellow Hue"_ - - -LADY-SMOCK (_Cardamine pratensis_). The lovely little spring song in -"Love's Labour's Lost"[43] with the line, - - Lady-smocks all silver white, - -has immortalized this little flower of the English meadows, but little -known in our country. The lady-smock is very common in England in -early spring. Properly speaking it should be Our Lady's-smock, as it -is one of the many plants dedicated to the Virgin Mary and bearing her -name. The list is a long one, including Lady's-slippers, Lady's-bower, -Lady's-cushion, Lady's-mantle, Lady's-laces, Lady's-looking-glass, -Lady's-garters, Lady's-thimble, Lady's-hair (maidenhair fern), -Lady's-seal, Lady's-thistle, Lady's-bedstraw, Lady's-fingers, -Lady's-gloves, and so on. These flowers, originally dedicated to Venus, -Juno, and Diana in Greek and Roman mythology and to Freya and Bertha -in Northern lore and legend, were gradually transferred to the Virgin -with the spread of Christianity. The Lady's-smock takes its name from -the fancied, but far-fetched, resemblance to a smock. It is said, by -way of explanation, that when these flowers are seen in great quantity -they suggest the comparison of linen smocks bleaching on the green -meadow. Other names for the plant are Cuckoo-flower, Meadow-cress, -Spinks, and Mayflower; and in Norfolk the _Cardamine pratensis_ -is called Canterbury-bells. The petals have a peculiarly soft and -translucent quality with a faint lilac tinge. Shakespeare describes the -flower as "silver white," an epithet that has puzzled many persons. -However, one ardent Shakespeare lover has made a discovery: - -"Gather a lady-smock as you tread the rising grass in fragrant May, -and although in individuals the petals are sometimes cream color, -as a rule the flower viewed in the hand is lilac--pale, but purely -and indisputably lilac. Where then is the silver-whiteness? It is -the meadows, remember, that are painted, when, as often happens, the -flower is so plentiful as to hide the turf, and most particularly if -the ground be a slope and the sun be shining from behind us, all is -changed; the flowers are lilac no longer; the meadow is literally -'silver-white.' So it is always--Shakespeare's epithets are like -prisms. Let them tremble in the sunshine and we discover that it is he -who knows best." - -The beautiful song begins: - - When daisies pied and violets blue, - And lady-smocks all silver white, - And cuckoo buds of yellow hue, - Do paint the meadows with delight, - The cuckoo then, on every tree, - Mocks married men, for thus sings he: - Cuckoo, - Cuckoo, Cuckoo--or word of fear, - Unpleasing to a married ear. - -[43] Act V, Scene II. - -CUCKOO BUDS (_Ranunculus_). It is quite possible that in "cuckoo buds -of yellow hue" Shakespeare meant the blossoms of the buttercup or -kingcup (called by the country people of Warwickshire horse-blobs). -Some authorities claim that cuckoo-buds is intended to represent the -lesser celandine, of which Wordsworth was so fond that he wrote three -poems to it. Others call cuckoo-buds _carmine pratensis_; but that -could hardly be possible because Shakespeare speaks of "lady-smocks -all silver white" in one line and "cuckoo buds of yellow hue" in the -succeeding line. - -There is much confusion in the identification of lady-smocks, -cuckoo-buds, cuckoo-flowers, and crow-flowers, for they are more or -less related. - -Gerard says: "Our Lady-Smock is also called the cuckoo-flower because -it flowers in April and May when the cuckoo doth begin to sing her -pleasant notes without stammering." - - - - - V - - _Anemones and "Azured Harebells"_ - - -ANEMONE (_Anemone purpurea striata stellata_). The anemone is described -in "Venus and Adonis" very minutely:[44] - - By this, the boy that by her side lay kill'd, - Was melted like a vapor from her sight, - And in his blood that on the ground lay spill'd, - A purple flower sprung up chequer'd with white. - Resembling well his pale cheeks, and the blood, - Which in round drops upon their whiteness stood. - -[44] Verse 195. - -Adonis, the beautiful youth, beloved of Venus, was wounded by a boar, -to which he had given chase. Venus found him as he lay dying on the -grass. To make him immortal she changed him into an anemone, or -windflower. Naturally the flower was dedicated to Venus. - -Bion sang: - - Alas! the Paphian! fair Adonis slain! - Tears plenteous as his blood she pours amain, - But gentle flowers are born and bloom around - From every drop that falls upon the ground. - Where streams his blood, there blushing springs a Rose - And where a tear has dropped a windflower blows. - -Pliny asserted the anemone only blooms when the wind blows. - -The flower was associated with illness in the days of the Egyptians and -also during the Middle Ages, when there was also a superstition that -the first anemone gathered would prove a charm against disease. The -first spring blossom was, therefore, eagerly searched for, delightedly -plucked, and carefully guarded. No token of affection was more prized -by a loved one going off on a journey than the gift of an anemone. An -old ballad has the lines: - - The first Spring-blown Anemone she in his doublet wove, - To keep him safe from pestilence wherever he should rove. - -Anemones were greatly valued in Elizabethan gardens. Indeed it was -a fad to grow them. Parkinson distinguishes the family of anemones -as "the wild and the tame, or manured, both of them nourished up in -gardens." He classifies them still further as "those that have broader -leaves and those that have thinner, or more jagged, leaves"; and then -again into those "that bear single flowers and those that bear double -flowers." The wild kinds included "all the Pulsatillas, or Pasque -(Easter) flowers." Parkinson mentions many varieties. He describes -the "tame" anemones as white, yellow, purple, crimson, scarlet, -blush gredeline (between peach color and violet), orange-tawny, -apple-blossom, rose-color, and many others. From his list we can -have no doubt that Shakespeare's flower was one of the purple star -anemones--the _Anemone purpurea striata stellata_, "whose flowers have -many white lines and stripes through the leaves." Parkinson's name is -"the purple-striped Anemone." - -Of recent years anemones have again become the fashion. - -"How gorgeous are these flowers to behold," exclaims Ryder Haggard, -"with their hues of vivid scarlet and purple! To be really appreciated, -however, they should, I think, be seen in their native home, the East. -In the neighborhood of Mount Tabor in Palestine, I have met with them -in such millions that for miles the whole plain is stained red, blue -and white, growing so thickly indeed that to walk across it without -setting foot on a flower at every step would be difficult. I believe, -and I think that this view is very generally accepted, that these are -the same lilies of the field that 'toil not neither do they spin,' -which Our Lord used to illustrate His immortal lesson. Truly Solomon in -all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." - -The Adonis flower (_Flos Adonis_) spoken of by Ben Jonson and others -has nothing to do with the anemone. It is a kind of camomile. "Some -have taken the red kind to be a kind of Anemone," says Parkinson. "The -most usual name now with us is _Flos Adonis_. In English it is also -called the Mayweed and Rosarubie and Adonis Flower." - -HAREBELL (_Scilla nutans_).[45] The "azured harebell," which -Shakespeare uses in "Cymbeline" for comparison with the delicate veins -of _Fidele_ (_Imogen_), has been identified as the English jacinth, -blue harebell, or hare's-bell. Browne's "Pastorals" show that this -flower was only worn by faithful lovers; and, therefore, the flower is -most appropriately selected for association with _Imogen_. Browne says: - - The Harebell, for her stainless, azured hue - Claims to be worn of none but who are true. - -[45] See p. 207. - -This flower is also called the "wild hyacinth." Blossoming in May and -June, it is one of the precious ornaments of English woods. "Dust of -sapphire," its jewel-like flowers have been called. - -"Our English jacinth, or harebells," writes Parkinson, "is so common -everywhere that it scarce needeth any description. It beareth divers -long narrow green leaves, not standing upright, not yet fully lying -on the ground, among which springeth up the stalk, bearing at the top -many long and hollow flowers, hanging down their heads, all forwards, -for the most part, parted at the brims into six parts, turning up their -points a little again, of a sweetish, but heady, scent, like unto the -Grapeflower. The heads for seed are long and square, wherein is much -black seed. The color of the flowers is in some of a deep blue tending -to purple, in others of a paler blue, or of a bleak blue tending to -an ash color. Some are pure white and some are parti-colored blue and -white; and some are of a fine delayed purplish red, or bluish color, -which some call a pearl color." - -[Illustration: AN ELIZABETHAN MANOR HOUSE; HADDON HALL] - - - - - VI - - _Columbine and Broom-flower_ - - -COLUMBINE (_Aquilegia vulgaris_). "There's fennel for you, and -columbines," says _Ophelia_, as she hands the flowers to the -courtiers.[46] Shakespeare also mentions the columbine in "Love's -Labour's Lost"[47] where _Don Armado_, the "fantastical Spaniard" (a -caricature of a real person at Queen Elizabeth's court), exclaims, "I -am that flower," to which _Dumain_ and _Longueville_ reply in derision, -"That mint! That columbine!" Of the columbine of Shakespeare's time, -Parkinson says: - -[46] "Hamlet"; Act IV, Scene V. - -[47] Act V, Scene II. - -"There be many sorts of Columbines as well differing in form as color -of the flowers, and of them, both single and double, carefully nursed -up in our gardens for the delight both of their forms and colors. The -variety of the colors of these flowers are very much, for some are -wholly white, some of a blue, or violet, color, others of a bluish, -or flesh, color, or deep, or pale, red, or of a dead purple, or dead -murrey color, as Nature listeth to show." - -The generic name is derived from the word _aquila_, an eagle, because -of the fancied resemblance of some parts of the flower to the talons -of an eagle. The English name comes from the Latin _columba_, a dove, -from the likeness of its nectaries to the heads of doves in a ring -around a dish, or to the figure of a dove hovering with expanded wings -discovered by pulling off one petal with its detached sepals. Hence -this was called the dove plant. From the belief that it was the -favorite plant of the lion it was called _Herba leonis_. - -The columbine was valued for many medicinal virtues. - -"The scarlet and yellow columbine," writes Matthew, "is one of our -most beautiful wild flowers. It is my experience that certain flowers -have certain favorite haunts, which are exclusively held by them year -after year. This flower is in its prime about the first of June, and is -nearly always found beside some lichen-covered rock." - -The English and American flowers differ, although the early colonists -brought the English flower with them. Grant Allen tells us: - -"The English columbine is a more developed type than the American -scarlet, is never yellow in the wild state, but often purple, and, -sometimes, blue. Larkspur, ranking still higher in the floral scale, -in virtue of its singular bilateral blossoms, is usually blue, though -it sometimes reverts to reddish-purple, or white; while monkshood, -the very top of the tree on this line of development, is usually deep -ultramarine, only a few species being prettily variegated with pale -blue and white. As a rule, blue flowers are the very highest; and the -reason seems to lie in the strange fact, first discovered by Sir John -Lubbock, that bees are fonder of blue than of any other color. Still, -they are fond enough even of red; and one may be sure that the change -from yellow to scarlet in the petals of the American columbine is due -in one way or another to the selective tastes and preferences of the -higher insects." - -The colors of the American columbine are dark opaque blues, smoky -purples, dull pinks, pale blues, lavenders, reds and yellows--an -infinite variety! - -"The flowering of the 'Columbine Commendable,' as Skelton called it -four hundred years ago," says Harriet L. Keeler, "marks the beginning -of summer. The reign of the bulbs is over; - - The windflower and the violet - They perished long ago; - -the petals of the early roses are falling; the elder-blossoms show -white along the fence rows; and the season waxes to its prime. - -"A wild flower of English fields, the columbine was early transferred -into English gardens and has held its place securely there for at least -five hundred years. Its seeds were among the treasures borne over the -sea to the New World and it early bloomed in Pilgrim gardens. This -primitive stock still persists in cultivation. - -"The flower of the columbine is a unique and interesting form. The -sepals look like petals and the petals are veritable horns of plenty -filled with nectar at the closed ends for the swarms of bees which -gather about. The sweets are produced by the blossoms on a generous -scale, and to a columbine bed in full bloom the bees come, big and -little, noisy and silent--all giddy with the feast. There is no use -trying to drive them away for they will not go. Clumsy bumble bees with -tongues long enough to reach the honey by the open door, wise honey -bees who have learned to take the short road to the nectar by biting -through the spur, quiet brown bees, little green carpenters--all are -there, 'vehement, voluble, velvety,' in a glorious riot of happiness -and honey. - -"The doubling occurs chiefly with the petals; the sepals, as a rule, -hold true to the five, but the petals sometimes double in number, -becoming ten spurs in place of five, and each spur becomes a nest of -spurs like a set of Chinese cups, though the innermost are frequently -imperfect." - -The columbine frequently appears in the paintings of the Great Masters. -Luini has immortalized it in his picture of this title now in the -gallery of the Hermitage at Petrograd. A fascinating woman with a -smile as enchanting--if not so famous--as Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona -Lisa" holds an exquisitely painted columbine in her left hand and gazes -at it with tender, loving emotion. - -The early Italian and Flemish painters include the columbine with the -rose, lily, pink, violet, strawberry, and clover in the gardens where -the Madonna sits with the Holy Child. The reason that the columbine was -chosen as a flower of religious symbolism was because of the little -doves formed by the five petals. The columbine signified the "Seven -Gifts of the Holy Spirit," and the Flemish painters in their zeal for -accuracy corrected the number of petals to seven to make the flower -agree with the teaching of the Church. - -Yet although the columbine has these religious associations, we always -think of it as an airy, piquant flower, the gay and irresponsible -dancer of the rocks and dells, clad, as it were, in fantastic and -parti-colored dress. Graceful in form and charming in color, put -together with extreme delicacy on slender, flexible, fragile stems -and adorned with a leaf approaching that of the fern in delicacy and -lace-like beauty, the columbine is one of the most delightful of -flowers. Always associated with folly, we love it none the less for -that, for there are times when we enjoy _Harlequin_ and _Columbine_ -among our flowers,--and these fantastic and frivolous columbines -dancing so gaily in the breeze always fill us with delight. - -BROOM (_Cytisus scoparius_). Although the broom was a popular plant -in Elizabethan days it is only mentioned once by Shakespeare. In "The -Tempest,"[48] where _Iris_ in the mask in her apostrophe to "Ceres, -most bounteous lady," speaks of - - thy broom-groves - Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves, - Being lass-lorn ... - ... the queen o' the sky ... - Bids thee leave these. - -[48] Act IV, Scene I. - -When in blossom the broom is lovely to look upon. The large yellow -flowers are gracefully arranged on the branches, and its perfume is -delightful. - -"Sweet is the Broome-flower!" exclaims Spenser. The broom is the -_Planta genesta_, from which the Plantagenets took their name. The -flower, having become heraldic during that dynasty, was embroidered on -the clothes of the Plantagenet family and imitated in their jewels. -When they died it was carved on their monuments. The story goes that -Geoffrey, Earl of Anjou, father of Henry II of England, once on his -way to a field of battle, had to climb a rocky path, and he noticed -as he went along the bushes of yellow broom clinging to the rocks. -Breaking off a branch he, placed it in his helmet with the words: "This -golden plant shall be my emblem henceforth. Rooted firmly among rocks -and upholding that which is ready to fall." His son, Henry, was called -"the royal sprig of Genesta." The golden plume of broom-flowers was -worn by the Plantagenets until the last one of the line, Richard III, -lost the Crown of England to Henry VII, the first of the Tudors. - -In 1264 the _Planta genesta_ was honored by St. Louis, who instituted -the Order of Genest on his marriage with Marguerite. The Knights of -the Genest wore chains made of the broom-flower alternating with the -fleur-de-lis. Shakespeare speaks of a "broom-staff" and sends _Puck_ - - with broom before - To sweep the dust behind the door. - -Whether _Puck's_ broom was made from the _Genesta_ or not we do not -know; but we do know that the broom, in common with other briars, was -used to make besoms for sweeping and also for staffs to walk with and -to lean upon. - -[Illustration: ROSE ARBOR, WARLEY, ENGLAND] - - - - - Summer - - "SWEET SUMMER BUDS" - - - - - I - - "_Morning Roses Newly Washed with Dew_" - - -THE ROSE (_Rosa_). Shakespeare speaks of the rose more frequently than -any other flower. Sixty references to the rose are scattered through -his works. Sometimes he talks of the rose itself and sometimes he uses -the word to make a striking comparison, or analogy. With magical touch -he gives us the bold picture of a - - Red rose on triumphant briar, - -then he brings before us a delicious whiff of the - - Perfumèd tincture of the roses, - -or the luscious fragrance of - - Morning roses newly washed with dew. - -With equal delicacy of perception he tells us - - So sweet a kiss the golden sun gives not - To those fresh morning drops upon the rose.[49] - -Shakespeare's special roses are the Red, the White, the Musk, the -Eglantine (sweetbrier), the Provençal, or Provins, the Damask, the -Canker, and the Variegated. - -[49] "Love's Labour's Lost"; Act IV, Scene III. - -THE RED ROSE (_Rose Anglica rubra_), the English red, is thus described -by Parkinson: - -"The Red Rose, which I call English because this rose is more frequent -and used in England than in other places, never groweth so high as the -Damask Rose-bush, but more usually abideth low and shooteth forth many -branches from the Rose-bush (and is but seldom suffered to grow up as -the Damask Rose into standards) with a green bark thinner set with -prickles and longer and greener leaves on the upper side than in the -white, yet with an eye of white upon them, five likewise most usually -set upon a stalk and grayish, or whitish, underneath. The Roses, or -flowers, do very much vary according to their site and abiding, for -some are of an orient red, or deep crimson, color and very double -(although never so double as the White), which, when it is full blown, -hath the largest leaves of any other Rose; some of them again are -paler, tending somewhat to a Damask; and some are of so pale a red as -that it is rather of the color of a Canker Rose, yet all for the most -part with larger leaves than the Damask, and with many more yellow -threads in the middle. The scent hereof is much better than in the -White, but not comparable to the excellency of the Damask Rose, yet -this Rose, being well dried and well kept, will hold both color and -scent longer than the Damask." - -THE WHITE ROSE (_Rosa Anglica alba_). - -"The White Rose is of two kinds," says Parkinson, "the one more thick -and double than the other. The one riseth up in some shadowy places -unto eight or ten foot high, with a stock of great bigness for a rose. -The other growing seldom higher than a Damask Rose. Both these Roses -have somewhat smaller and whiter green leaves than in many other Roses, -five most usually set on a stock and more white underneath, as also a -whiter green bark, armed with sharp thorns, or prickles. The flowers -in the one are whitish with an eye, or shew, of a blush, especially -towards the ground, or bottom, of the flower, very thick, double and -close set together; and, for the most part, not opening itself so -largely and fully as either the Red, or Damask Rose. The other more -white, less thick and double and opening itself more, and some so -little double (as but of two or three rows) that they might be held to -be single, yet all of little or no smell at all." - -From this _Rosa alba_, Pliny says, the isle of Albion derived its -name--a happy thought when we remember that the rose is still the -national emblem of England. - -MUSK-ROSE (_Rosa moschata_). Musk-roses and eglantine mingled with -honeysuckle formed the canopy beneath which _Titania_ slumbered on a -bank made soft and lovely with wild thyme, oxlips and nodding violets. -And in the "coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers" that the dainty -little fairy queen placed upon the hairy temples of _Bottom_ the -Weaver, musk-roses were conspicuous; and the sweetness of these was -intensified by "the round and Orient pearls of dew" that swelled upon -the petals, as the "pretty flowerets bewailed their own disgrace." - -It is this delicious rose which Keats, when listening to the -nightingale, sensed rather than visualized in the twilight dimness: - - The coming musk-rose full of dewy wine, - The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. - -The musk-rose was adored by the Elizabethans. Lord Bacon considered its -scent to come next to that of the violet, and before all other flowers. - -"You remember the great bush at the corner of the south wall just by -the Blue Drawing-room window?" writes Mrs. Gaskell in "My Lady Ludlow." -"That is the old musk-rose, Shakespeare's musk-rose, which is dying out -through the kingdom now. The scent is unlike the scent of any other -rose, or of any other flower." - -The musk-rose is a native of North Africa, Spain, and India (Nepal). -Hakluyt in 1582 gave the date of its introduction into England. "The -turkey-cocks and hens," he says, "were brought in about fifty years -past; the Artichoke in the time of Henry the Eighth; and of later times -was procured out of Italy the Musk Rose plant and the Plum called -Perdigwena." - -Turning now to Parkinson and opening his big volume at the page "_Rosa -Moschata_, simple and multiplex," we read: - -"The Musk Rose, both single and double, rises up oftentimes to a very -great height that it overgroweth any arbor in a Garden, or being set -by a house side to be ten or twelve foot high, or more, but especially -the single kind with many green far spread branches armed with a few -sharp great thorns, as the wilder sorts of Roses are, whereof these -are accounted to be kinds, having small dark green leaves on them, not -much bigger than the leaves of Eglantines. The Flowers come forth at -the tops of the branches, many together as it were in an umbel, or -tuft, which, for the most part, do flower all at a time, or not long -one after another, every one standing on a pretty long stalk and are -of a pale whitish, or cream color, both the single and the double, the -single being small flowers consisting of five leaves with many yellow -threads in the middle; and the double bearing more double flowers, as -if they were once or twice more double than the single, with yellow -thrums also in the middle, both of them of a very sweet and pleasing -smell, resembling musk. Some there be that have avouched that the chief -scent of these Roses consisteth not in the leaves but in the threads of -the Flowers." - -The color of the musk-rose is white, slightly tinged with pink. - -EGLANTINE; ALSO SWEETBRIER (_Rosa eglanteria_). This is a conspicuous -adornment of _Titania's_ bower, and is as remarkable for its beauty as -for its scent. The pink flowers with their golden threads in the center -are familiar to every one. - -"The Sweet Briar, or Eglantine," Parkinson writes, "is not only planted -in Gardens for the sweetness of its leaves, but growing wild in many -woods and hedges, hath exceeding long green shoots armed with the -cruellest sharp and strong thorns and thicker set than is in any Rose, -either Wild or tame. The leaves are smaller than in most of those that -are nourished up in Gardens, seven or nine, most usually set together -on a rib, or stalk, very green and sweeter in smell about the leaves of -any other kind of Rose. The flowers are small, single, blush Roses." - -PROVENÇAL, OR PROVINS (_Centifolia_). This old-fashioned cabbage-rose -of globular flowers, massive foliage, hard knob of leaves in the -center, and sweet perfume is affectionately known as the "Hundred -Leaf," or _rose à cent feuilles_. Parkinson gives two varieties: the -incarnate, or flesh-color; and the red. - -In our country the light pink, or incarnate, is the more familiar. What -associations does it not conjure up? To many of us Dean Hole's words -make a touching appeal: - -"The blushing, fresh, fragrant Provence! It was to many of us _the_ -Rose of our childhood and its delicious perfume passes through the -outer sense into our hearts gladdening them with bright and happy -dreams, saddening them with love and child awakenings. It brings more -to us than the fairness and sweet smell of a Rose. We passed in our -play to gaze on it with the touch of a vanished hand in ours, with -a father's blessing on our heads and a mother's prayer that we might -never lose our love of the beautiful. Happy they who return, or regain, -that love." - -THE DAMASK ROSE (_Rosa damascena_) is a native of Syria, whence it was -brought to Europe about 1270 by Thibault IV, Comte de Brie, returning -from the Holy Land. We know exactly when it was introduced into England -because Hakluyt, writing in 1582, says: "In time of memory many things -have been brought in that were not here before, as the Damask Rose by -Doctor Liniker, King Henry the Seventh and King Henry the Eighth's -physician." - -"Gloves as sweet as Damask Roses" _Autolycus_ carries in his peddler's -pack for "lads to give their dears," along with masks for their faces, -perfume, necklace-amber, pins, quoifs, and "lawn as white as driven -snow."[50] - -[50] "The Winter's Tale"; Act IV, Scene III. - -Parkinson informs us: - -"The Damask Rose-bush is more usually nourished up to a competent -height to stand alone (which we call Standards), than any other Rose. -The bark, both of the stock and branches, is not fully so green as the -Red or White Rose. The leaves are green with an eye of white upon -them. The flowers are of a fine deep blush color, as all know, with -some pale yellow threads in the middle, and are not so thick and double -as the White, not being blown with so large and great leaves as the -Red, but of the most excellent sweet pleasant scent, far surpassing -all other Roses or Flowers, being neither heady, nor too strong, nor -stuffing or unpleasant sweet, as many other flowers. - -"The Rose is of exceeding great use with us, for the Damask Rose -(besides the superexcellent sweet water it yieldeth, being distilled, -or the perfume of its leaves, being dried, serving to fill sweet -bags) serveth to cause solubleness of the body, made into a syrup, or -preserved with sugar, moist or candied." The name is obviously from -Damascus. - -CANKER (_Rosa canina_). This is the wild dog-rose common to many -countries. The name dog-rose was given to it by the Romans, because the -root was said to cure the bite of a mad dog. Pliny says the remedy was -discovered in a dream by the mother of a soldier who had been bitten by -a mad dog. _Don Juan's_ remark in "Much Ado About Nothing."[51] - - I had rather be a canker in the hedge - Than a rose in his garden, - -refers, of course, to the canker-rose. According to legend, the Crown of -Thorns was made from the briers of this variety of rose. - -[51] Act I, Scene III. - -VARIEGATED ROSE (_Rosa versicolor_) of Shakespeare's plays is the -curious bush which produces at the same time red roses, white roses, -and roses of red mottled with white and of white mottled with red. The -growth of the tree is stiff and erect and the flowers have a sweet -scent. The rose is often called the "York and Lancaster." Parkinson -says: - -"This Rose in the form and order of the growing is nearest unto the -ordinary Damask Rose both for stem, branch, leaf and flower, the -difference consisting in this--that the flower (being of the same -largeness and doubleness as the Damask Rose) hath the one half of it -sometimes of a pale whitish color and the other half of a paler damask -color than the ordinary. This happeneth so many times, and sometimes -also the flower hath divers stripes and marks on it, one leaf white, or -striped with white, and the other half blush, or striped with blush, -sometimes all striped, or spotted over, and at other times little or no -stripes, or marks, at all, as Nature listeth to play with varieties in -this as in other flowers. Yet this I have observed, that the longer it -abideth blown open to the sun, the paler and the fewer stripes, marks, -or spots will be seen in it. The smell is of a weak Damask Rose scent." - -This rose recalls the old song of a "Lover to His Lancastrian -Mistress," on handing her a white rose: - - If this fair rose offend thy sight, - Placed in thy bosom bare, - 'T will blush to find itself less white, - And turn Lancastrian there, - - But if thy ruby lip it spy, - As kiss it thou mayst deign, - With envy pale 'twill lose its dye, - And Yorkish turn again. - -In his play of "King Henry VI," which passes during the Wars of the -Roses, Shakespeare introduces the noted scene in the Temple Garden, -London, where the emblem of the Yorkists (a white rose) and that of -the Lancastrians (a red rose) is chosen. Richard Plantagenet plucks a -white rose and the Earl of Somerset a red rose from rose-bushes that -are still growing and blooming in the same spot, as they did when -Shakespeare imagined the scene in "King Henry VI."[52] - -[52] Part I, Act II, Scene IV. - -In Shakespeare's day the rose was enormously cultivated. In the gardens -of Ely Place, the home of Queen Elizabeth's dashing lord chancellor, -twenty bushels of roses were gathered annually--a good deal for the -time. - -"About thirty species of roses," writes Edmund Gosse, "were known to -the Elizabethan gardeners, and most of them did particularly well in -London until in the reign of James I, when the increasing smoke of -coal-fires exterminated the most lovely and the most delicate species, -the double yellow rose. Things grew rapidly worse in this respect, -until Parkinson in despair, cried out: 'Neither herb, nor tree, will -prosper since the use of sea-coal.' Up to that time in London, and -afterwards in country-places, the rose preserved its vogue. It was not -usually grown for pleasure, since the petals had a great commercial -value; there was a brisk trade in dried roses and a precious sweet -water was distilled from the damask rose. The red varieties of the rose -were considered the best medicinally, and they produced that rose syrup -which was so widely used both as a cordial and as an aperient. The -fashion for keeping _potpourri_ in dwelling-rooms became so prevalent -that the native gardens could not supply enough, and dried yellow -roses became a recognized import from Constantinople. We must think of -the parlors of the ladies who saw Shakespeare's plays performed for -the first time as all redolent with the perfume of dried, spiced and -powdered rose-leaves." In "Sonnet LIV" Shakespeare says: - - The rose looks fair, but fairer it we deem - For that sweet odor which doth in it live. - The canker-blooms have full as deep a dye - As the perfumèd tincture of the roses, - Hang on such thorns and play as wantonly - When summer's breath their maskèd buds discloses. - But, for their virtue only is their show, - They live unwoo'd, and unrespected fade; - Die to themselves. Sweet roses do not so; - Of their sweet deaths are sweetest odors made. - -For twenty-seven centuries--and more--the rose has been considered -queen of flowers. Her perfume, her color, her elegance, and her mystic -fascination have won all hearts. Shakespeare says: "A rose by any other -name would smell as sweet." In one sense that is true; but we would not -be willing to try another title, for the very word rose is a beautiful -one and conjures up a particular and very special vision of sweetness -and beauty. - -Thousands and thousands of poems have been written in praise of this -flower, ever since Sappho sang to her lyre the words "Ho! the rose! Ho! -the rose!" - -Sir Henry Wotton wrote: - - You Violets that first appear, - By your pure purple mantles known, - Like the proud virgins of the year, - As if the Spring were all your own, - What are you when the Rose is blown? - -And Hood sang: - - The Cowslip is a country wench; - The Violet is a nun; - But I will woo the dainty Rose - The queen of every one. - -And Shelley: - - And the rose, like a nymph to the bath addrest, - Which unveiled the depths of her glowing breast, - Till, fold after fold, to the fainting air, - The soul of her beauty and love laid bare. - -Shelley's "fold after fold" reminds us that Ruskin points out that one -of the rose's beauties is that her petals make shadows over and over -again of their own loveliness. - -Dr. Forbes Watson has, perhaps, been the most successful of all writers -in putting into words the reasons why the rose has such power over -mankind: - -"The flower has something almost human about it--warm, breathing, soft -as the fairest cheek; of white, no longer snowy like the narcissus, -but flushed with hues of animating pink; either flower, white or red, -being alike symbolical of glowing, youthful passion." - -In the East the rose gardens have been famed for centuries. The flower -is said to burst into bloom at the voice of the nightingale. The poet -Jami says: "You may place a handful of fragrant herbs of flowers before -the nightingale, yet he wishes not in his constant heart for more than -the sweet breath of his beloved rose." It is said that an Arabian -doctor discovered the recipe for rose-water in the Tenth Century; -but the perfume may be older than that. The _Rosa centifolia_ is the -blossom used. The Indians and Persians have known how to make their -attar of rose for centuries. - -A large volume would be required to chronicle the romance of the rose, -for it is the flower of love, beauty, and poetry. It is dedicated to -Venus, and Venus is frequently represented as wearing a crown of roses. -Her son, Eros or Cupid, is also wreathed and garlanded with roses. -Cupid gave a rose to Harpocrates, god of silence--hence the rose is -also the symbol of silence. "Under the rose," a saying that expresses -silence and secrecy, is derived from this legend. A siren holding a -rose stands among the sculptured ruins of Pæstum. Roses and myrtle -adorned the brides of Greece and Rome. The profusion of roses used for -decorations at feasts astounds us even to-day. No epicure was satisfied -with the cup of Falernian wine unless it were perfumed with roses; and -the Spartan soldiers at the Battle of Cirrha actually refused wine -because it was not perfumed with roses. This makes us wonder if those -Spartan mothers, of whom we hear so much, were really as severe as they -are reputed to have been. Red roses were dedicated to Jupiter; damask -roses to Venus; and white roses to Diana or the moon. The rose was -given to the Virgin Mary as her particular flower; and many Italian -painters as well as Flemish, Spanish, and German, have painted the -Madonna of the Rose, the Madonna of the Rose-hedge, the Madonna of the -Rose-bush, and the Madonna of the Rose-garden. The rosary, introduced -by St. Dominick in commemoration of his having been shown a Chaplet of -roses by the Virgin, originally consisted of rose-leaves pressed into -balls. - - - - - II - - "_Lilies of All Kinds_" - - -THE LILY (_Lilium candidum_). The fact that _Perdita_ calls for -"lilies of all kinds" shows that Shakespeare loved one of the most -beautiful families of flowers that grace the earth, and knew the many -varieties that grew in the English gardens of his day, which include -the Lily-of-the-Valley (in his time called Lily Conally); the splendid -yellow lilies; the red martagon and spotted martagon (tiger-lilies); -as well as the pure white lily. Parkinson, who writes so beautifully -of plants and blossoms, did not neglect the lily. He says: "The lily -is the most stately flower among many," and he directs attention "to -the wonderful variety of lilies known to us in these days, much more so -than in former times." - -[Illustration: RED, WHITE DAMASK AND MUSK ROSES; LILIES; AND EGLANTINES -AND DOG-ROSES: FROM PARKINSON] - -First on the list comes the white lily, which has always been regarded -from time immemorial as the most beautiful member of this most -beautiful family, a picture of purity with its white silken petals -exquisitely set off by the yellow anthers and breathing such delicious -fragrance. This is the lily of which Shelley sings: - - And the wand-like lily, which lifteth up - As a Mænad, its moonlight colored cup, - Till the fiery star which is its eye - Gazed through clear dew on the tender sky. - -"The ordinary White Lily, _Lilium candidum_," writes Parkinson, "scarce -needeth any description, it is so well known and so frequent in every -garden. The stalk is of a blackish green color, having many fair broad -and long green leaves. The flower stands upon long green footstalks, of -a fair white color, with a long pointell in the middle and white chives -tipt with yellow pendants about it. The smell is something heady and -strong. It is called _Lilium album_, the White Lily, by most writers; -but by poets, _Rosa Junonis_, Juno's Rose." - -How perfect is this flower! Texture, form, hue, sheen, perfume--all -express exquisite loveliness. The lily refreshes us with its cool -beauty and its purity and lifts our thoughts upward to heaven. - -Gerard describes eight lilies in his "Herbal" (1597), all of which -were known to Shakespeare. Certainly among _Perdita's_ flowers was -the martagon, which takes its name from the Italian _martagone_, -meaning a Turk's turban. This lily is also called "Chalcedonian" and -"Scarlet martagon" and "Turk's Cap," by Parkinson, who tells us that -the "_Lilium rubrum Byzantinum Martagon Constantinopolitanum_, or the -red martagon of Constantinople, is become so common everywhere and so -well known to all lovers of these delights that I shall seem unto them -to lose time to bestow many lines upon it; yet because it is so fair -a flower and was at the first so highly esteemed, it deserveth its -place and commendations. It riseth out of the ground bearing a round, -brownish stalk, beset with many fair green leaves confusedly thereon, -but not so broad as the common White Lily, upon the top whereof stand -one, two, or three, or more, flowers upon long footstalks, which hang -down their heads and turn up their leaves again, of an excellent red -crimson color and sometimes paler, having a long pointell in the middle -compassed with whitish chives, tipt with loose yellow pendants, of a -reasonable good scent, but somewhat faint. We have another of this -kind, the Red Spotted Martagon of Constantinople, that groweth somewhat -greater and higher with a larger flower, and of a deeper color, spotted -with divers black spots, or streaks, and lines, as is to be seen in -Mountain Lilies." - -The martagon belongs to the tiger-lily class, whose characteristics -have been so imaginatively brought out by Thomas Bailey Aldrich: - - I like the chaliced lilies, - The heavy Eastern lilies, - The gorgeous tiger-lilies, - That in our garden grow. - - For they are tall and slender; - Their mouths are dashed with carmine, - And when the wind sweeps by them, - On their emerald stalks - They bend so proud and graceful,-- - They are Circassian women, - The favorites of the Sultan, - Adown our garden walks. - - And when the rain is falling, - I sit beside the window - And watch them glow and glisten,-- - How they burn and glow! - O for the burning lilies, - The tender Eastern lilies - The gorgeous tiger-lilies, - That in our garden grow. - -Shakespeare has many beautiful passages concerning the lily. He often -refers to its whiteness. He considers it as impossible a task "to paint -the lily" as it is "to gild refined gold," or "to throw a perfume on -the violet." - -How the lily was loved by the ancients! The Egyptians adored it; the -Persians named cities for it; the Hebrews worshiped it. The Greeks and -Romans called the lily Juno's flower, and fancied that the flower owed -its very existence to drops of milk spilled on earth from Juno's white -breast when she was nursing the infant Hercules. - -The church consecrated the lily to the Virgin Mary. It was her -flower as Queen of Heaven. In many old religious paintings of the -Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel, appearing before the Virgin, usually -holds the "Annunciation Lily," or "Madonna Lily" in his hand. Joseph's -staff was said to have blossomed into lilies, and it is the white lily -that is usually represented in this connection. - -Wonderful family this lily tribe, flowers of the grand style and -haughty demeanor! Ruskin enlightens us as to why it is every one loves -them and why they are entwined with many of our thoughts of art and -life: - -"Under the name of _Drosidæ_ come plants delighting in interrupted -moisture--moisture which comes either partially, or at certain -seasons--into dry ground. They are not water-plants, but the signs -of water resting among dry places. In the _Drosidæ_ the floral -spirit passes into the calix also, and the entire flower becomes a -six-rayed star, bursting out of the stem laterally, as if it were the -first of flowers and had made its way to the light by force through -the unwilling green. They are often required to retain moisture, or -nourishment, for the future blossom through long times of drought; and -this they do in bulbs underground, of which some become a rude and -simple, but most wholesome food for man. - -"Then the _Drosidæ_ are divided into five great orders--lilies, -asphodels, amaryllis, irids and rushes. No tribes of flowers have -had so great, so varied, or so healthy an influence on man as this -great group of _Drosidæ_, depending not so much on the whiteness of -some of their blossoms, or the radiance of others, as on the strength -and delicacy of the substance of their petals; enabling them to take -forms of faultless, elastic curvature, either in cups, as the Crocus, -or expanding bells, as the true Lily, or heath-like bells, as the -Hyacinth, or bright and perfect stars, like the Star of Bethlehem, or, -when they are affected by the strange reflex of the serpent nature -which forms the labiate group of all flowers, closing into forms of -exquisitely fantastic symmetry as the Gladiolus. Put by their side -their Nereid sisters, the Water-lilies, and you have in them the origin -of the loveliest forms of ornamental design and the most powerful -floral myths yet recognized among human spirits, born by the streams of -the Ganges, Nile, Arno and Avon. - -"For consider a little what each of those five tribes has been to the -spirit of man. First, in their nobleness; the Lilies gave the Lily of -the Annunciation; the Asphodels, the flower of the Elysian Fields; -the Irids, the fleur-de-lys of chivalry; and the Amaryllis, Christ's -lily of the fields; while the Rush, trodden always under foot, became -the emblem of humility. Then take each of the tribes and consider the -extent of their lower influence. _Perdita's_ 'the Crown Imperial, -lilies of all kinds,' are the first tribe, which, giving the type of -perfect purity in the Madonna's Lily, have, by their lovely form, -influenced the entire decorative design of Italian sacred art; while -ornament of war was continually enriched by the curves of the triple -petals of the Florentine '_giglio_' and the French fleur-de-lys; so -that it is impossible to count their influence for good in the Middle -Ages, partly as a symbol of womanly character and partly of the utmost -brightness and refinement in the city which was the 'flower of cities.'" - -Astrologers placed the lily under the moon; and the flower is certainly -dreamy enough and celestial enough to be under the rule of Diana, or -Astarte. - - - - - III - - _Crown-Imperial and Flower-de-luce_ - - -THE CROWN-IMPERIAL (_Fritillaria imperalis_) is mentioned by -_Perdita_. A native of Persia, Afghanistan, and Kashmir, it was taken -to Constantinople, and thence to Vienna in 1576. Finally it came to -England with other luxuries of the Renaissance. Gerard had it in his -garden, and describes it as follows: - -"Out of a tuft of narrow leaves the stem rises and terminates in a -second tuft immediately below which is a ring of large tulip-like -flowers, pendulous and golden yellow. Looking into the bells at the -base of every petal is a white and concave nectary from which hangs a -drop of honey that shines like a pearl. In the bottom of each of the -bells there is placed six drops of most clear shining water, in taste -like sugar resembling in shew fair Orient pearls, the which drops if -you take away there do immediately appear the like. Notwithstanding -if they may be suffered to stand still in the flower according to his -own nature, they will never fall away, no, not if you strike the plant -until it be broken." - -The Crown-Imperial was, perhaps, of all choice "outlandish flowers" the -choicest. Parkinson gives it the first place in the Garden of Delight, -opening his great book, "Paradisus Terrestris," with an account of it: - -"The Crown Imperial," he writes, "for his stately beautifulness -deserveth the first place in this our Garden of Delight. The stalk -riseth up three, or four, foot high, being great, round and of a -purplish color at the bottom, but green above, beset from thence -to the middle thereof with many long and broad green leaves of our -ordinary white lily, but somewhat shorter and narrower, confusedly -without order, and from the middle is bare, or naked, without leaves -for a certain space upwards, and then beareth four, six, or ten -flowers, more or less, according to the age of the plant and the -fertility of the soil where it groweth. The buds at the first appearing -are whitish, standing upright among a bush, or tuft, of green leaves, -smaller than those below and standing above the flowers. After a -while they turn themselves and hang downward every one upon his own -footstalk, round about the great stem, or stalk, sometimes of an even -depth and other while one lower, or higher, than another, which flowers -are near the form of an ordinary Lily, yet somewhat lesser and closer, -consisting of six leaves of an orange-color striped with purplish lines -and veins, which add a great grace to the flowers. At the bottom of the -flower, next unto the stalk, every leaf thereof hath on the outside a -certain bunch, or eminence, of a dark purplish color, and on the inside -there lieth in those hollow bunched places certain clear drops of water -like unto pearls, of a very sweet taste, almost like sugar. In the -midst of each flower is a long white stile, or pointell, forked, or -divided, at the end and six white chives, tipt with yellowish pendants, -standing close above it. After the flowers are past, appear six square -seed vessels, standing upright, winged as it were, or weltered on the -edges, yet seeming but three-square, because each couple of those -welted edges are joined closer together, wherein are contained broad, -flat and thin seeds of a pale brownish color, like unto other lilies, -but much greater and thicker also. - -"This plant was first brought from Constantinople into these Christian -countries, and, by relation of some that sent it, groweth naturally in -Persia. It flowereth most commonly in the end of March, if the weather -be mild, and springeth not out of the ground until the end of February, -or beginning of March, so quick it is in the springing. The head -with seeds are ripe in the end of May. It is of some called _Lilium -Perticum_, or Persian Lily; but because we have another, which is more -usually called by that name, I had rather, with Alphonsus Pancius, the -Duke of Florence, his physician (who first sent the figure thereof unto -Mr. John de Brancion) call it _Corona Imperialis_, the Crown Imperial." - -[Illustration: MARTAGON LILIES, WARLEY, ENGLAND] - -There is a legend that the Crown-Imperial grew in the garden of -Gethsemane, where it was often admired by Jesus Christ. At that time, -according to the story, the flowers were _white_ and erect on the -stalk. During the night of the agony when Our Lord passed through the -garden, this flower was the only one that did not bow its head. Later -the proud flower bent its head and tears of sorrow filled its cup. Ever -since that time the plant has continued to bow in sorrow and its tears -flow forever. - -Dr. Forbes Watson loves the flower with its "bold, decided outlines." -His description is all too short. "The tall stem," he says, "rises like -a mast through the lower leaves, is thence for a short space bare till -it is topped by the crowning sheaf of leaf-swords, out of which droop -so gracefully the large yellow wax-like bells. Here every line seems to -pierce like an arrow, the composition is so clear and masterly." - -The Crown-Imperial appears in the celebrated book called "Guirlande de -Julie," which the Duc de Montausier gave on New Year's Day, 1634, to -his bride, Julie de Rambouillet. This was a magnificent album: every -leaf bore a beautifully painted flower and a verse descriptive of it or -in praise of it contributed by different artists and poets. Chapelain -chose the Crown-Imperial for his theme, pretending that it sprang from -the blood of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, who, not being able to offer -his hand to Julie, came to her in the guise of this flower. - -FLOWER-DE-LUCE (_Iris pseudacorus_). _Perdita's_ mention of "lilies -of all kinds, the flower-de-luce being one," shows that Shakespeare -classed this flower among the lilies. So did the botanists of his -time. Symbol of eloquence and power, the Egyptians placed the purple -iris upon the brow of the Sphinx. The scepter of their monarchs was -adorned with this flower, its three petals representing faith, wisdom, -and valor. The kings of Babylon and Assyria also bore it on their -scepters. The Greeks laid the iris on the tombs of women because they -believed that Iris guided dead women to the Elysian Fields. Although -the iris was also dedicated to Juno, it is more particularly the flower -of Iris, lovely Iris, one of the beautiful Oceanides, daughters of -Ocean, and messenger of the gods, who whenever she wished to descend -upon the earth threw her rainbow scarf across the sky and with all its -prismatic colors glistening in her perfumed wings descended from heaven -to earth upon the graceful bow that joins the seen and the unseen -worlds. The purple, yellow, orange, and blue tints of the rainbow live -again in the petals and drooping lips called "falls." What a flower -of charm, mystery, and majesty! Sphinx of the flower world! The iris -was extremely popular in Shakespeare's day. Parkinson gives a great -many "Flower-de-luces, or Iris" in his monumental work. We find "the -Purple, the Blue, the Purple-striped, the Peach-colored, the White, the -White-striped, the Parti-colored, the Milk-White, the Silver color, -the White with Yellow Falls, the Straw color, the Spanish Yellow, the -Purple and Yellow, the Purple or Murrey, the Great Turkie, the Common -Purple, the Great Dalmatian, the Yellow of Tripoli, the Double Blew, -the Double Purple, the Purple Dwarf," and many others which prove how -popular this flower was in Tudor and Stuart gardens, and what splendid -specimens were known to the people of Shakespearian times. Parkinson -also adds: "The dried root called Orris is of much use to make sweet -powders, or other things, to perfume apparel or linen." - -The fleur-de-lis early became the symbol of France. At the proclamation -of a new king the Franks always placed a living flower, or flag, as it -was called, in his hand as the symbol of power. Because his wife, St. -Clotilde, had a vision of the iris, Clovis erased the three frogs on -his shield and substituted the iris. In consequence also of a dream, -Louis VII took the iris for his device in 1137, from which it became -known as the fleur de Louis, later contracted into fleur-de-lys and -fleur-de-lis. When Edward III claimed the crown of France in 1340, -he quartered the Old French shield bearing the fleur-de-lis with his -English lion. The iris, or flower-de-luce (as the English wrote it), -did not disappear from the English coat of arms until 1801. - -Shakespeare speaks of the fleur-de-lis in the _Messenger's_ speech in -"King Henry VI":[53] - - Awake, awake, English nobility! - Let not sloth dim your honors new begot: - Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms; - Of England's coat one half is cut away. - -And again in the same play:[54] - - LA PUCELLE. I am prepared: here is my keen-edged sword, - Deck'd with fine flower-de-luces on each side. - -In "The Merry Wives of Windsor"[55] there is a humorous play upon words -regarding the heraldic use of "the flower-de-luce." - -[53] Part I, Act I, Scene I. - -[54] Part I, Act I, Scene II. - -[55] Act I, Scene I. - - - - - IV - - _Fern and Honeysuckle_ - - -THE FERN (_Pteris aquilina_), with its graceful and beautifully -indented leaves and its peculiar acrid scent, delicious to many -persons, would be admitted into the Shakespeare garden because of its -fantastic qualities, even if its beauty did not sue for recognition. -The fern is a fairy plant. According to folk-lore it always blossomed -at twelve o'clock on St. John's eve (June 21), Midsummer night. The -flower is described as a wonderful globe of sapphire blue (according to -other stories a ruby/red); and in a few moments after its blossoming -the seed appeared. _Oberon_, the fairy king, was supposed to watch -for the precious seed so that he might prevent mortals from obtaining -it; but any one fortunate enough to gather fern-seed would be under -the protection of spirits, and would be enabled to realize all his -fondest desires. Furthermore, any one who wore the fern-seed about him -would be invisible. Shakespeare was familiar with this superstition, -for he makes _Gadshill_ exclaim in "King Henry IV":[56] "We steal as -in a castle, cock-sure: we have the receipt of fern-seed, we walk -invisible." - -[56] Part I, Act II, Scene I. - -An old account tells us: - - The fern flowers on Midsummer night at twelve o'clock, and drives away - all unclean spirits. First of all it puts forth buds, which afterwards - expand, then open, and finally change into flowers of a dark red hue. - At midnight the flower opens to its fullest extent and illuminates - everything around. But at that precise moment a demon plucks it from - its stalk. Whoever wishes to procure this flower must be in the forest - before midnight, locate himself near the fern and trace a circle - around it. When the Devil approaches and calls, feigning the voice of - a parent, sweetheart, etc., no attention must be paid, nor must the - head be turned; for if it is, it will remain so. Whoever becomes the - happy possessor of the flower has nothing to fear; by its means he can - recover lost treasure, become invisible, rule on earth and under water - and defy the Devil. - -Because the fern was so powerful against evil and because it was sacred -to St. John the Baptist, witches detested it. - -Pliny stated that the fern had neither flower nor seed; and some of -the old English writers believed this. William Turner, however, went -to work to investigate matters. In his famous "Herbal," published in -1562,[57] he says: - -[57] See p. 34. - -"Not only the common people say that the fern hath seed, but that -was also the opinion of a Christian physician named Hieronymus Tragus, -who doth not only say that the fern hath seed, but writeth that he -found upon Midsummer Even seed upon brakes.[58] Although all they that -have written of herbs have affirmed and holden that the brake doth -neither seed nor fruit, yet have I divers times proved the contrary, -which thing I will testify here in this place for their sakes that be -students of herbs. I have, four years together, one after another, upon -the Vigil of St. John the Baptist, which we call in English Midsummer -Even, sought for this seed of brakes upon the night; and, indeed, I -found it early in the morning before day-break. The seed was small, -black, and like unto poppy. I went about this business all figures, -conjurings, saunters, charms, witchcraft, sorceries, taking with me -two or three honest men. When I sought this seed all the village about -did shine with bonfires that the people made there; and sometime when -I sought the seed I found it, and sometimes I found it not. Sometime I -found much and sometime I found little; but what should be the cause of -this diversitie, or what Nature meaneth in this thing, surely I cannot -tell." - -[58] Brake, or bracken, fern. - -[Illustration: WILTON, FROM DE CAUX] - -[Illustration: WILTON GARDENS TO-DAY] - -HONEYSUCKLE (_Lonicera perfolium_). Delicious name--honeysuckle! And -truly this is one of "the sweetest flowers for scent that blows." It -takes its name because of the honey dew found on it, so old writers -say. Romantic is its other name, "woodbine," suggesting sylvan spots -and mossy beds, where cool-rooted flowers grow, such as the "nodding -violet." Shakespeare knew what he was about when he enwreathed and -entwined _Titania's_ canopy with "luscious woodbine" in loving union -with the equally delicious eglantine. The honeysuckle is a flower that -belongs particularly to moonlight and to fairy-time. - -In "Much Ado About Nothing" _Hero_ gives the command:[59] - - Good Margaret, run into the parlor and whisper to Beatrice - And bid her steal into the pleachèd bower, - Where honeysuckles ripened by the sun, - Forbid the sun to enter. - -[59] Act III, Scene I. - -A bower covered with the intense, yet subtle, perfume of the -honeysuckle, doubly sweet in the hot sun that had ripened the blossoms -and drawn out their inmost sweetness, was just the place to send "saucy -Beatrice" for the purpose of lighting the flame of love for _Benedick_, -and just the place to send, a little later, the cynical _Benedick_ -for the purpose of awakening his interest in the "Lady Disdain." -Shakespeare evidently knew that the honeysuckle is the flower of ardent -lovers, and so he framed his pleachèd bower with these sweet-scented -blossoms. The French have a tender name for the flower, _cher feu_ -(dear flame), because it is given by lovers to one another. The other -French name, _chèvre feuille_, is derived from the Latin _caprifolium_ -(goat-leaf), which may have been given to it because the plant leaps -over high rocks and precipices, where only goats and others of the -cloven-footed tribe dare venture. The honeysuckle in Shakespeare's day -was a favorite remedy for wounds in the head. Witches also valued it -for their sorcery. According to sorcerers and astrologers this plant -was under the rule of Mercury. - -It is hard to decide when the honeysuckle is at its best. Whether at -hot noontide when the clusters of pale buff and white horns of plenty -tipped with their long, feathery threads pour their incense into the -golden sunlight, or when the less pungent, but equally intoxicating, -perfume floats upon the silvery blue air of a moonlit night. - -"How sweetly smells the Honeysuckle, in the hush'd night as if the -world were one of utter peace and love and gentleness." - -Landor has thus expressed what the delicious honeysuckle makes us feel. - -"The monthly honeysuckle," writes Celia Thaxter, "is most divine. Such -vigor of growth I have never seen in any other plant. It climbs the -trellis on my piazza and spreads its superb clusters of flowers from -time to time all summer. Each cluster is a triumph of beauty, flat in -the center and curving out to the blossoming edge in joyous lines of -loveliness, most like a wreath of heavenly trumpets breathing melodies -of perfume to the air. Each trumpet of lustrous white deepens to a -yellower tint in the center where the small ends meet; each blossom -where it opens at the lips is tipped with fresh pink; each sends out -a group of long stamens from its slender throat like rays of light; -and the whole circle of radiant flowers has an effect of gladness and -glory indescribable: the very sight of it lifts and refreshes the human -heart. And for its odor, it is like the spirit of romance, sweet as -youth's tender dreams. It is summer's very soul." - -Enchanting season of fern and honeysuckle, perfumed stars that shine -through green leaves and bells that send forth peals of incense instead -of sound! - - She show'd me her ferns and woodbine sprays - Fox-glove and jasmine stars, - A mist of blue in the beds, a blaze - Of red in the celadon jars, - And velvety bees in convolvulus beds - And roses of bountiful June-- - Oh, who would think that the summer spells - Could die so soon?[60] - -[60] Locker-Lampson. - - - - - V - - _Carnations and Gilliflowers_ - - -CARNATIONS (_Dianthus caryophyllus_). _Perdita_ calls carnations and -streak'd gilliflowers "the fairest flowers o' the season." Carnation -was originally spelled coronation, because the flower was used to make -crowns, garlands, and wreaths. In the days of Pliny it was called -_dianthus_, or flower of Jove, and was also worn in wreaths and crowns. -From Chaucer we know that it was cultivated as the "Clove Gilliflower" -in English gardens; and because it was used to add a spicy flavor to -wine and ale, it acquired the popular name of "sops in wine." Hence -Spenser in his "Shepherd's Calendar" sings: - - Bring hither the pink and purple Columbine - With Gillyflowers; - Bring Coronations and Sops-in-wine - Worn of paramours. - -And again: - - Youth's folk now flocken everywhere - To gather May baskets and smelling Brere,[61] - And home they hasten the posts to dight - And all the kirk pillars in daylight - With Hawthorn budes and sweet Eglantine - And garlands of Roses and Sops-in-wine. - -[61] Brier. - -"Its second specific name," writes Ellacombe, "_Caryophyllus_, i.e., -nut-leaved, seems at first very inappropriate for a grassy-leaved -plant; but the name was first given to the Indian Clove tree and from -it transferred to the Carnation on account of its fine clove scent. -Its popularity as an English plant is shown by its many names--Pink, -Carnation, Gilliflower (an easily-traced and well-ascertained -corruption, from _Caryophyllus_), Clove Picotee[62] and Sops-in-wine -from the flowers being used to flavor wine and beer. - -[62] From the French _picot_, a pinked edge. We still use the word -"pinked" for a cut edge, and "pinking-iron" is the word for that with -which the edge is cut. - -"There is an historical interest also in the flowers. All our -Carnations, Picotees and Cloves came originally from the single -_Dianthus caryophyllus_. This is not a true British plant; but it holds -a place in the English flora, being naturalized on Rochester and other -castles. It is abundant in Normandy; and I found it in 1874 covering -the old castle of Falaise, in which William the Conqueror was born. I -have found that it grows on the old castles of Dover, Deal and Cardiff, -all of them of Norman construction, as was Rochester, which was built -by Gandulf, the special friend of William. Its occurrence on these -several Norman castles makes it very possible that it was introduced -by the Norman builders, perhaps as a pleasant memory of their Norman -homes, though it may have been incidentally introduced with the Norman -(Caen) stone, of which parts of the castles are built. How soon it -became a florist's flower we do not know; but it must have been early, -for in Shakespeare's time the sorts of Cloves, Carnations and Pinks -were so many that Gerard says: 'A great and large volume would not -suffice to write of every one at large in particular, considering -how infinite they are, and how every year, every climate and country -bringeth forth new sorts and such as have not heretofore been written -of.'" - -Parkinson speaks of "Carnations, Pinks and Gilloflowers." "The number -of them is so great," he says, "that to give several descriptions to -them were endless." He therefore mentions a few favorites. Among the -Carnations we find the Great Harwich, or old English Carnation; the -Red, or Clove Gilloflower; the Yellow, or Orange Tawny Gilloflower; the -Gray Hulo; the Red Hulo; the Blue Hulo; the Grimelo, or Prince; the -White Carnation, or Delicate; the French Carnation; the Crystal, or -Chrystalline; the Fragrant; the Striped Savage; the Oxford Carnation; -the King's Carnation; the Granado; the Grand Père; and the Great -Lombard. His Gilliflowers include the Lustie Gallant, or Westminster; -the Bristow Blue; the Bristow Blush; the Red Dover; the Fair Maid of -Kent, or Ruffling Robin; the Queen's Gilloflower; the Dainty; the -Brassill Gilloflower; the Turkie Gilloflower; the Pale Pageant; the Sad -Pageant; Master Bradshawe his Dainty Lady; John Witte his great Tawny -Gilloflower; the Striped Tawny; the Marbled Tawny; Master Tuggie his -Princess; the Feathered Tawny; and Master Tuggie his Rose Gilloflower. -The Tuggies had a superb garden at Westminster in which they made a -specialty of Carnations, Gilliflowers, and Pinks. The flower upon which -Parkinson spends his most loving description is the Great Harwich. The -enthusiasm of this old flower-fancier, who writes so delightfully, -makes us feel that the Great Harwich is an English institution, -just as important as the Roast Beef of Old England or the English Plum -Pudding. - -[Illustration: A GARDEN OF DELIGHT] - -"I take this goodly great old English Carnation," he writes, "as a -precedent for the description of all the rest, which for his beauty -and stateliness is worthy of a prime place. It riseth up with a great -thick, round stalk divided into several branches somewhat thickly set -with joints, and at every joint two long green (rather than whitish) -leaves, turning, or winding, two or three times round. The flowers -stand at the tops of the stalks in long great and round green husks, -which are divided into five points, out of which rise many long and -broad pointed leaves, deeply jagged at the ends, set in order, round -and comely, making a gallant, great double Flower of a deep Carnation -color, almost red, spotted with many blush spots and streaks, some -greater and some lesser, of an excellent soft, sweet scent, neither too -quick, as many others of these kinds are, nor yet too dull; and with -two whitish crooked threads, like horns, in the middle. This kind never -beareth many flowers; but as it is slow in growing, so in bearing, -not to be often handled, which showeth a kind of stateliness fit to -preserve the opinion of magnificence." - -What a delightful idea Parkinson gives of the conscious dignity of the -flower! How vividly he brings the Great Harwich before us and makes -us love its green husk, its mottled leaves, its rich scent, and its -curling horns! - -"Gilloflowers," Parkinson continues, "grow like unto Carnations, but -not so thick set with joints and leaves. The stalks are more, the -leaves are narrower and whiter, for the most part, and in some, do as -well a little turn.[63] The flowers are smaller, yet very thick and -double in most; and the green husks in which they stand are smaller -likewise. The ends of the leaves are dented and jagged. Some also have -two small white threads, crooked at the ends like horns in the middle -of the flower; others have none. - -[63] "Do a little turn" is charming, suggesting a quaint little waltz. - -"Most of our later writers do call them by one general name, -_Caryophyllus sativus_ and _Flos Caryophyllus_, adding thereto -_maximus_ when we mean Carnations, and _major_ when we would express -Gilloflowers, which name is taken from Cloves in that the scent of the -ordinary red Gilloflower especially doth resemble them. Divers other -several names have been formerly given them, as _Vetonica_, or _Betonia -altera_ or _Vetonica altibus_ and _coronaria_, _Herba Tunica_, _Viola -Damascena_, _Ocellus Damascenus_ and _Barbarieus_. Of some _Cantabrica -Pliny_. Some think they were unknown to the Ancients and some would -have them be _Iphium_ of Theophrastus, whereof he maketh mention in his -sixth and seventh chapters of his sixth book among garland and summer -flowers; others to be his _Dios anthos_ or _Louis flos_. We call them -in English, the greatest kinds, Carnations, and the other Gilloflowers -(quasi July Flowers). The Red, or Clove, Gilloflower is most used in -physic in our apothecaries' shops (none of the others being accepted, -or used) and is accounted to be a very cordial." - -Some writers say that the gilliflower was a cure for pestilential -fevers. Gerard writes: "Conserve made of the flowers of the Clove -Gilloflower and sugar is exceeding cordial and wonderfully above -measure, doth comfort the heart, being eaten now and then." - -The Italian painter, Benvenuto Tisio, always painted a gilliflower -in the corner of his pictures as his emblem, from which he is always -called _Il Garofalo_. - -The word "pink" is derived from the Dutch word _Pinkster_ -(Whitsuntide), the season a certain "Whitsuntide Gilliflower" was -in bloom. The pink was regarded as an antidote for epilepsy; and a -vinegar made of pinks was used as a valued remedy for the plague. The -Elizabethans also thought "if a conserve be composed of it, it is the -life and delight of the human race." - -Our old friend Parkinson describes Pinks as "wild, or small, -Gilloflowers, some bearing single and some double flowers, some smooth, -almost without any deep dents on the edges, and some jagged, or, as it -were, feathered. Some growing upright, like unto Gilloflowers, others -creeping, or spreading, some of one color, some of another, and many of -divers colors." - -He gives Double and Single Pinks, Feathered or Jagged Pinks, Star -Pinks, Great Sea Gilloflower, or Great Thrift, "often used in gardens -to empale or border a knot, because it abideth green in Winter and -Summer and that by cutting it may grow thick and be kept in what form -one list." We also find Single Red Sweet John, Single White Sweet John; -Double Sweet John; Single Red Sweet William; Double Red Sweet William; -Speckled Sweet William, or London Pride; Deep Red, or Murrey Color, -Sweet William; and Single White Sweet William. - -"These," he adds, "are all generally called _Armerius_ or _Armeria_, -yet some have called them, _Vetonica agrestis_ and others _Herba -Tunica_, _Scarlatea_ and _Carophyllus silvestris_. We do in English, -in most places call the first, or narrower-leaved kinds, Sweet Johns -and all the rest Sweet Williams; yet in some places they call the -broader-leaved kinds that are not spotted _Tolmeiners_ and London -Tufts; but the speckled kind is termed by our English Gentlewomen, for -the most part, London Pride. We have not known of any of these used in -physic." - -These spicy pinks and luscious July flowers and the simple Sweet-Johns -and Sweet-Williams as well recall the lovely lines of Matthew Arnold: - - Soon will the high midsummer pomp come on. - Soon will the musk carnations break and swell, - Soon shall we have gold-dusted Snapdragon, - Sweet-william with his homely cottage smell, - And stocks in fragrant blow; - Roses that down the alleys shine afar, - And open jasmine in muffled lattices - And groups under the dreaming garden trees - And the pale moon and the white dreaming star. - - - - - VI - - _Marigold and Larkspur_ - - -MARIGOLD (_Calendula officinalis_). Shakespeare was devoted to the -marigold. He always speaks of it with poetic rapture. - - The marigold that goes to bed with the sun - And with him rises, weeping, - -is _Perdita's_ idea of the shining flower, which in these few words she -tells us closes its petals in the evening and at dawn awakens wet with -dew.[64] - -[64] "The Winter's Tale"; Act IV, Scene III. - -Then in the beautiful dawn-song in "Cymbeline"[65] "winking Mary-buds" -remind us that the gold-flower is consecrated to the Virgin Mary. -This song, so full of the freshness of early morning and the sweet -perfume of flowers holding in their deep cups sufficient dew to water -the horses of the sun just appearing above the horizon, is one of the -loveliest of lyrics: - - Hark! Hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings, - And Phœbus 'gins arise, - His steeds to water at those springs - On chaliced flowers that lies; - And winking Mary-buds begin to ope their golden eyes; - With everything that pretty is--My lady, sweet, arise: - Arise, arise. - -[65] Act II, Scene III. - -"The Marygold," says Lyte, "hath pleasant, bright and shining yellow -flowers, the which do close at the setting down of the Sun and do -spread and open again at the Sun rising." - -And Lupton writes: "Some do call it _Spousa Solis_, the Spowse of the -Sun, because it sleeps and is awakened with him." - -In "The Rape of Lucrece" Shakespeare also mentions the flower: - - Her eyes, like marigolds, hath sheathed their light - And canopied in darkness sweetly lay - Till they might open to adorn the day. - -Very prettily the flower is introduced in Middleton and Rowley's -"Spanish Gipsy": - - You the Sun to her must play, - She to you the Marigold, - To none but you her leaves unfold. - -Another old English name for the marigold was ruddes and a prettier one -was the gold-flower, often called simply the gold or goold. Chaucer -talks of "yellow Goldes." The name was still used in Elizabeth's day. -"Colin Clout" has: - - But if I her like ought on earth might read, - I would her liken to a crown of lilies, - Upon a Virgin bride's adorned head, - With roses dight and goolds and daffodillies. - -In Medieval times the monks gave to the gold-flower the prefix Mary, -with the legend that the Virgin Mary loved to wear the flower in -her bosom. Hence Shakespeare calls it "Mary-buds." Of Shakespeare's -Marigolds Parkinson writes: - -"They are called _Caltha_ of divers and taken to be that _Caltha_ -whereof both Virgil and Columella have written. Others do call them -_Calendula of the Kalends_, that is the first day of the months, -wherein they are thought chiefly to flower. And thereupon the Italians -call them _Fiori di ogni mese_, that is the Flowers of Every Month. We -call them in English generally Golds, or Marigolds. - -"The herb and flowers are of great use with us among other pot-herbs, -and the flowers, either green or dyed, are often used in possets, -broths and drinks; as a comforter of the heart and spirits; and to -expel any malignant, or pestilential quality, gathered near thereunto. -The Syrup and Conserve made of the fresh flowers are used for the same -purpose to good effect." - -[Illustration: SIR THOMAS MORE'S GARDEN, CHELSEA] - -Parkinson divides marigolds unto two classes: single and double. - -"The garden Marigold," he says, "hath round green stalks, branching -out from the ground into many parts, whereon are set long, flat green -leaves, broader and rounder at the point than anywhere else. The -flowers are sometimes very thick and double (breaking out of a scaly, -clammy green head), composed of many rows of leaves, set so close -together, one within another, that no middle thrum can be seen; and -sometimes less double, having a small brown spot of a thrum in the -middle; and sometimes but of two or three rows of leaves with a large -brown thrum in the middle: every one whereof is somewhat broader at the -point and nicked in two or three corners, of an excellent fair, deep, -gold-yellow color in some, and paler in others, and of a pretty strong -and resinous sweet scent. - -"There is no difference between this and the single Marigold but that -the flowers are single, consisting of one row of leaves of the same -color; either paler or deeper yellow, standing about a great brown -thrum in the middle. Our gardens are the chief places for the double -flowers to grow in." - -Another description is contained in the famous "Gardener's Labyrinth" -by Didymus Mountain (Thomas Hill):[66] - -"The Marigold, named of the herbarians _Calendula_, is so properly -termed for that in every Calend and in each month this reneweth of the -own accord and is found to bear flowers as well in Winter as Summer, -for which cause the Italians name the same the flower of every month. -But some term it the Sun's Spowse, or the follower of the Sun; and is -of some named the Husbandman's Dial, in that the same showeth to them -both the morning and evening tide. Others name it the Sun's Bride and -Sun's Herb, in that the flowers of the same follow the Sun as from the -rising by the South into the West; and by a notable turning obeying -to the Sun, in such manner that what part of Heaven he possesseth -they unto the same turned behold, and that in a cloudy and thick air -like directed, as if they should be revived, quickened and moved with -the spirit of him. Such is the love of it knowen to be toward that -royal Star, being in the night time for desire of him as pensive and -sad, they be shut or closed together; but at the noontime of the day -fully spread abroad as if they with spread arms longed, or diligently -attended, to embrace their Bridegroom. This Marigold is a singular kind -of herb, sown in gardens as well for the pot as for the decking of -garlands, beautifying of Nosegays and to be worn in the bosom." - -[66] See p. 68. - -The Marigold is supposed to be the Chrysanthemum or gold-flower of the -Greeks, the _Heliotrope-solsequium_; and the story goes that the flower -was originally the nymph Clytie, who gazed all day upon the Sun with -whom she had fallen in love. At length she was turned into the flower. -"All yellow flowers," said St. Francis de Sales, "and above all those -that the Greeks call Heliotrope and we call Sunflower, not only rejoice -at the sight of the sun, but follow with loving fidelity the attraction -of its rays, gazing at the Sun and turning towards it from its rising -to its setting." - -Very charmingly does George Wither, a contemporary of Shakespeare, -refer to this: - - When with a serious musing I behold - The grateful and obsequious Marigold, - How duly every morning she displays - Her open breast when Phœbus spreads his rays; - How she observes him in his daily walk, - Still bending towards him her small slender stalk; - How when he down declines she droops and mourns, - Bedewed, as 'twere, with tears till he returns; - And how she veils her flowers when he is gone. - When this I meditate methinks the flowers - Have spirits far more generous than ours. - -Margaret of Orleans, grandmother of Henri IV, knowing well the legend -of the flower, chose for her device a marigold with the motto, _je ne -veux suivre que lui seul_. - -In the reign of Henry VIII the marigold was often called "Souvenir" and -sentimental ladies wore wreaths of marigolds mixed with the heartsease. -To dream of marigolds denoted prosperity, riches, success, and a happy -and a wealthy marriage. As the marigold was a solar flower, the -astrologers placed it under the sign and care of Leo. - -In a wholly Elizabethan spirit Keats sang: - - Open afresh your round of starry folds, - Ye ardent Marigolds! - Dry up the moisture from your golden lids, - For great Apollo bids - That in these days your praises should be sung - On many harps, which he has lately strung; - And when again your dewyness he kisses - Tell him I have you in my world of blisses! - So happly when I rove in some far vale - His mighty voice may come upon the gale. - -The Shakespearian marigold must not be confused with the French -marigold (_Flos Africanus_), called also Indian gilliflower, flower of -Africa, and flower of Tunis. A long chapter on this marigold appears -in Parkinson's book. This is the tightly rolled up little flower of -irregular ragged petals, but of a rich, deep golden hue. - -Parkinson also speaks of the great Peruvian sunflower, which he admires -greatly and describes with enthusiasm. We know it well as our common -sunflower with its dark center and yellow rays--a magnificent specimen -of the floral world, worthy of the adoration of the Incas and of more -than we usually accord to it. - -LARKSPUR (_Delphinium_). "Lark's-heels trim," one of the flowers in -the introductory song of "The Two Noble Kinsmen," is the Delphinium, -also called larkspur, lark's-claw, lark's-toes, and knight's-spur. The -generic name is derived from the Greek _delphinium_, because the buds -were thought to resemble the form of a dolphin. - -As with many other plants, there were two kinds, the "wild" and the -"tame"; and it was the wild kind that was "nourished up in gardens," -according to Parkinson, who describes the plant as having "small, long, -green leaves, finely cut, almost like fennel and the branches ending in -a long spike of hollow flowers with a long spur behind them. They are -of several colors: bluish purple, or white, or ash color, or red, paler -or deeper, and parti-colored of two colors in a flower. - -"They are called diversely by divers writers as _Consolida regulis_, -_Calearis flos_, _Flos regius_, _Buccinum Romanorum_, and _Cuminum -silvestre alterum Dioscoridis_; but the most usual name with us is -_Delphinium_. But whether it be the true _Delphinium_ of Dioscorides, -or the Poet's Hyacinth, or the Flower of Ajax, another place is fitter -to discuss than this. We call them in English Larks-heels, Larkspurs, -Larkstoes, or claws, and Monks-hoods. There is no use of any of these -in Physicke in these days that I know, but are wholly spent for their -flowers sake." - -A modern botanist remarks: - -"The gardener's ideal has been the full-flowered spike with a goodly -range of colors on the chord of blue. We think of larkspur as blue. -Some of these blues are pale as the sky, some pure cobalt, others -indigo and still others are a strange broken blue, gorgeous and -intense, yet impure, glittering on the surface as if it were strewn -with broken glass, and sometimes darkened into red. The center of a -larkspur is often grotesque; the hairy petals suggest a bee at the -heart of a flower, and the flower itself looks like a little creature -poised for flight. In structure the garden race has changed very little -from the primitive type, though that type has wandered far from the -simplicity of the buttercup, which names the _Ranunculacæ_. Whatever -path of evolution the larkspur has trod, it is very clear that the -goal at which it has arrived is cross-fertilization by means of the -bee. At some time along the path the calix took on the duties of the -corolla, became highly colored, developed a spur, while at the same -time the corolla lessened both in size and in importance. The stamens -mature before the pistil and are so placed that the bee cannot get at -the honey without covering its head with pollen which it then bears to -another flower." - -The name of Monk's-hood is also given to the Blue Helmet-flower, or -aconite.[67] - -[67] See p. 248. - -Yellow Lark's-heels is a name our Elizabethan forefathers gave to the -_Nasturtium Indicum_, a plant found in the West Indies and taken by the -early Spanish explorers to Spain, whence it traveled to all parts of -Europe. - -"It is now very familiar in most gardens of any curiosity," says -Parkinson. "The likeness of this flower, having spurs, or heels, is of -so great beauty and sweetness withall that my Garden of Delight cannot -be unfurnished of it. The flowers are of an excellent gold yellow color -and grow all along the stalks. In the middle of each of the three lower -leaves there is a little long spot, or streak, of an excellent crimson -color, with a long heel, or spur, behind, hanging down. The whole -flower hath a fine small scent, very pleasing, which, being placed in -the middle of some Carnations, or Gilloflowers (for they are in flower -at the same time), make a delicious Tussiemussie, as they call it, or -Nosegay, both for sight and scent. Monardus and others call it _Flos -sanguineus_ of the red spots in the flower, as also _Nastnerzo de las -Indias_, which is _Nasturtium Indicum_; and we thereafter in English, -Indian Cresses. Yet it may be called from the form of the flowers -Yellow Lark's heels." - -This flower is phosphorescent and is said to emit sparks, which are -visible in the dark. - - - - - VII - - _Pansies for Thoughts and Poppies for Dreams_ - - -PANSY (_Viola tricolor_). "Pansies--that's for thoughts," exclaims -_Ophelia_, as she holds out the flower that the French call _pensée_ -(thought). And it is the pansy that is "the little western flower" upon -which "the bolt of Cupid fell" and made "purple with love's wound" and -which "maidens call Love in Idleness,"--the flower that _Oberon_ thus -described to _Puck_ when he sent him to gather it. The juice of it -squeezed by _Oberon_ upon _Titania's_ eyelids and by _Puck_ upon the -Athenian youths and maidens, who were also sleeping in the enchanted -wood on that midsummer night, occasioned so many fantastic happenings. - -The pansy in those days was the small Johnny-Jump-Up, a variety of the -violet, according to the old writers, "a little violet of three colors, -blue, white and yellow." Milton noted that it was "freaked with jet." -Michael Drayton showed its close relationship to the violet in the -lines: - - The pansy and the violet here - As seeming to descend - Both from one root and very fair - For sweetness yet contend. - -Gerard wrote in 1587: - -"The stalks are weak and tender, whereupon grow flowers in form and -figure like the Violet and for the most part of the same bigness, of -three sundry colors, whereof it took the surname Tricolor, that is to -say purple, yellow and white, or blue; by reason of the beauty and -bravery of which colors they are very pleasing to the eye, for smell -they have little, or none at all." - -The pansy was beloved of Elizabethans: the great number of popular -names it had proves this. In addition to Pansy and Johnny-Jump-Up, it -was called Herb Trinity, because of the three distinct petals, which -made it a flower of peculiar religious significance. Another name -was Three-Faces-under-a-Hood because it had such a coquettish air. -Another name was Fancy Flamey, because its amethystine colors are like -those seen in the flames of burning wood; and because lovers gave it -to one another it had the pet names of Meet-me-at-the-Garden-Gate, -Kiss-me-at-the-Garden-Gate, Kiss-me-quick, Kiss-me, Call-me-to-you, -Cuddle-me-to you, Kiss-me-ere-I-rise, Pink-of-my-John, Cupid's-flower, -Love-in-Idleness, and Heartsease. - -There were no "wine dark pansies" in Shakespeare's time to charm the -lover of flowers and none of the splendid deep purple velvets and -mauves and pale amethysts and burnt orange and lemon and claret and -sherry and canary hues that delight us to-day, and which are, to use -the quaint old expression, "nourished up in our gardens." The modern -beauties began to be developed about 1875, chiefly by the French -specialists, and, as a modern writer remarks: - -"Such sizes, such combinations, such weirdness of expression in quaint -faces painted upon the petals were never known before. The colors now -run a marvellous range; pure-white, pure yellow, deepening to orange, -and darkening to brown, as well as a bewildering variety of blues and -purples and violets. The lowest note is a rich and velvety shade that -we speak of as black; but there is no black in flowers. - -"The pansy is the flower for all. It is cheap; it is hardy; it is -beautiful; and its beauty is of an unusual and personal kind. The -bright, cheerful, wistful or roguish faces look up to you with so much -apparent intelligence that it is hard to believe it is all a pathetic -fallacy and there is nothing there." - -Whether the modern pansies should be included in a Shakespeare garden -is a question for each owner of a garden to decide; but there should -certainly be a goodly number of the little "Johnny-Jump-Ups." - -POPPY (_Papaver somniferum_). Shakespeare introduces the poppy only -indirectly when he speaks of the "drowsy syrup" in "Othello." The -white poppy is the flower from which the sleeping potion was made. "Of -Poppies," says Parkinson, "there are a great many sorts, both wild -and tame; but our garden doth entertain none but those of beauty and -respect. The general known name to all is _Papaver_, Poppie. Yet our -English gentlewomen in some places call it by name Joan's Silver Pin. -It is not unknown, I suppose, to any that Poppies procureth sleep." -Other old names for the poppy were Corn Rose and Cheese Bowl. - -Scarlet poppies in the wreath of Ceres among the wheat-ears, scarlet -poppies mingled with large white-petaled daisies, and Ragged Robins -belong to everybody's mental picture of midsummer days. - -"We usually think of the Poppy as a coarse flower," says Ruskin, "but -it is the most transparent and delicate of all the blossoms of the -field. The rest, nearly all of them, depend on the texture of their -surface for color. But the Poppy is painted glass; it never glows so -brightly as when the sun shines _through_ it. Whenever it is seen -against the light, or with the light, always it is a flame and warms in -the wind like a blown ruby." - -"Gather a green Poppy bud, just when it shows the scarlet line at its -side, break it open and unpack the Poppy. The whole flower is there -compact in size and color, its stamens full grown, but all packed so -closely that the fine silk of the petals is crushed into a million of -wrinkles. When the flower opens, it seems a relief from torture; the -two imprisoning green leaves are shaken to the ground, the aggrieved -corolla smooths itself in the sun and comforts itself as best it can, -but remains crushed and hurt to the end of its days." - -Delicate and fine as is the above description, the sympathetic tribute -to the poppy by Celia Thaxter does not suffer in proximity. She says: - -"I know of no flower that has so many charming tricks and manners, -none with a method of growth more picturesque and fascinating. The -stalks often take a curve, a twist from some current of air, or some -impediment, and the fine stems will turn and bend in all sorts of -graceful ways, but the bud is always held erect when the time comes for -it to blossom. Ruskin quotes Lindley's definition of what constitutes a -poppy, which he thinks 'might stand.' This is it: 'A Poppy is a flower -which has either four or six petals and two or more treasuries united -in one, containing a milky stupefying fluid in its stalks and leaves -and always throwing away its calix when it blossoms.' - -"I muse over their seed-pods, those supremely graceful urns that are -wrought with such matchless elegance of shape and think what strange -power they hold within. Sleep is there and Death, his brother, -imprisoned in those mystic sealed cups. There is a hint of their -mystery in their shape of somber beauty, but never a suggestion in the -fluttering blossom: it is the gayest flower that blows. In the more -delicate varieties the stalks are so slender, yet so strong, like fine -grass stems. When you examine them, you wonder how they hold even the -light weight of the flower so firmly and proudly erect; and they are -clothed with the finest of fine hairs up and down the stalks and over -the green calix. - -"It is plain to see, as one gazes over the poppy-beds on some sweet -evening at sunset, what buds will bloom in the joy of next morning's -first sunbeams, for these will be lifting themselves heavenward, slowly -and silently, but surely. To stand by the beds at sunrise and see the -flowers awake is a heavenly delight. As the first long, low rays of the -sun strike the buds, you know they feel the signal! A light air stirs -among them; you lift your eyes, perhaps to look at a rosy cloud, or -follow the flight of a carolling bird, and when you look back again, -lo! the calix has fallen from the largest bud and lies on the ground, -two half-transparent light green shells, leaving the flower-petal -wrinked in a thousand folds, just released from their close pressure. A -moment more and they are unclosing before your eyes. They flutter out -on the gentle breeze like silken banners to the sun." - -It would be tempting in a Shakespeare garden to include many kinds of -this joyous, yet solemn, flower; and certainly as many were common -in Elizabethan gardens it would not be an anachronism to have them. -However, if the space be restricted and the garden lover a purist then -the white poppy only should be planted. - - - - - VIII - - _Crow-flowers and Long Purples_ - - -CROW-FLOWERS (_Scilla nutans_). These are among the flowers _Ophelia_ -wove into a wreath. The queen tells the court: - - There is a willow grove ascaunt the brook, - That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream. - There, with fantastic garlands did she come - Of crow flowers, nettles, daisies and long purples - That liberal shepherds give a grosser name - But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them.[68] - -[68] "Hamlet"; Act IV, Scene VII. - -Shakespeare did not select _Ophelia's_ flowers at random. They typified -the sorrows of the gentle victim of disappointed love whose end was -first madness, then suicide. The crow-flowers signified "fair maiden"; -the nettles, "stung to the quick"; the daisies, "her virgin bloom"; and -the long purples, "under the cold hand of Death." Thus what Shakespeare -intended to convey by this code of flowers was, "A fair maiden, stung -to the quick, her virgin bloom in the cold hand of Death." - -It is generally supposed that the wild blue hyacinth, or harebell -(_Scilla nutans_), a flower associated with pure and faithful love, -is the crow-flower; and authority is given to this theory in the old -ballad, which, of course, Shakespeare knew, called "The Deceased Maiden -Lover": - - Then round the meddowes did she walk - Catching each flower by the stalk, - Such as within the meddowes grew, - As dead man's thumb and harebell blue, - And as she pluckt them still cried she, - "Alas! there's none ere loved like me." - -Some critics have objected to the blue harebell because it is a spring -flower, and it is midsummer when _Ophelia_ drowns herself. These -authorities suggest the Ragged Robin for _Ophelia's_ crow-flower, and -others again the buttercup, also called creeping crowfoot (_Ranunculus -repens_). Bloom writes: - -"It is generally assumed that the flowers are those of the meadow and -that a moist one. Why? It is equally probable they are those of the -shady hedge bank and that the crow-flowers are the poisonous rank -_Ranunculus reptans_ and its allies; that the nettles are the ordinary -_Urtica dioica_ not necessarily in flower, or if this be objected to on -account of the stinging qualities which the distraught _Ophelia_ might -not be insensible to, its place could be taken by the white dead nettle -_Lamium album L._ The daisies may be moon-daisies and the long purples -_Arum masculatum_, another plant of baleful influence, with its -mysterious dead white spadix bearing no very far fetched resemblance -to a dead man's finger wrapped in its green winding-sheet and whose -grosser name, cuckoo-pint, is ready at hand. With this selection we -have plants of the same situation flowering at the same time and all -more or less baneful in their influence." - -[Illustration: PLEACHING AND PLASHING, FROM "THE GARDENER'S LABYRINTH"] - -[Illustration: SMALL ENCLOSED GARDEN, FROM "THE GARDENER'S LABYRINTH"] - -The crow has given its name to many flowers. There are, indeed, more -plants named for the crow than for any other bird: crowfoot, crow-toes, -crow-bells (for daffodil and bluebells) crow-berry, crow-garlick, -crow-leeks, crow-needles, and many others. - -LONG PURPLE (_Arum masculatam_ or _Orchis mascula_) is very closely -related to our woodland Jack-in-the-Pulpit. It has many names: Arum; -Cookoo-pint, Cookoo-pintle, Wake-Robin, Friar's-cowl, Lords-and-Ladies, -Cow-and-Calves, Ramp, Starchwort, Bloody-men's-finger, and Gethsemane, -as the plant is said to have been growing at the Cross and to have -received some drops of the Savior's blood. This flower is mentioned in -Tennyson's "A Dirge": - - Round thee blow, self-pleached deep, - Bramble roses, faint and pale, - And long purples of the dale. - -Dr. Forbes Watson writes: - -"I use the old name Wake Robin because it is so full of poetry--to -think of the bird aroused from sleep by the soundless ringing of the -bell. Arum, or Lords and Ladies, is the more usual name." - -The plant is under the dominion of Mars, so the astrologers said. - - - - - IX - - _Saffron Crocus and Cuckoo-flowers_ - - -SAFFRON CROCUS (_Crocus verus sativus Autumnalis_). Shakespeare speaks -of saffron as a color--"the saffron Wings of Iris" and "saffron to -color the Warden [pear] pies." He never mentions the crocus from -which the saffron was obtained, yet a Shakespeare garden should have -this plant represented. Saffron had long been known in England; -for in the time of Edward III a pilgrim from the East had brought, -concealed in his staff, a root of the precious Arabic _al zahafaran_. -In Shakespeare's time saffron was used for soups and sauces and to -color and flavor pies, cakes, and pastry-confection. Saffron was also -important medicinally, and for dyeing silks and other materials. The -beautiful orange-red stigmas, the _crocei odores_ of Virgil, were -dried and the powder pressed into cakes and sold in the shops. - -"The true saffron," writes Parkinson, "that is used in meats and -medicines, shooteth out his narrow long green leaves first, and, after -a while, the flowers, in the middle of them, appear about the end of -August, in September and October, according to the soil and climate -where they grow. These flowers are composed of six leaves apiece, of a -murrey, or reddish purple color, having a show of blue in them. In the -middle of these flowers there are some small yellow chives standing -upright, which are unprofitable; but, besides these, each flower hath -two, three, or four greater and longer chives hanging down, upon, or -between, the leaves, which are of a fiery red color and are the true -blades of saffron which are used physically, or otherwise, and no -other." - -The raising of saffron was a great industry. Old Tusser gave the good -advice to - - Pare saffron plot, - Forget it not. - His dwelling made trim, - Look shortly for him! - When harvest is gone, - Then Saffron comes on; - A little of ground - Brings Saffron a pound. - -Saffron Walden in Essex and Saffron Hill in London received their names -because of the quantity of saffron crocus grown in those places. - -The saffron crocus is a handsome flower, but somewhat capricious. Dr. -Forbes Watson writes: - -"We look at the few well selected flowers in our hand and let our mind -wander in the depths of those fair-striped cups, their color so fresh, -so cool, so delicate, and yet not too cool, with that central yellow -stamen-column and the stigma emerging from it like a fiery orange lump. -The Purple Crocus, partly from the full materials for color-contrast -afforded by its interior, partly from the exceeding delicacy of tint, -the lilac stripes and markings, the transparent veins and the pale -watery lake which lies at the bottom of the cup, seem to bear us away -to some enchanted spot, a fairy-land of color where no shadow ever -falls--a land of dim eternal twilight and never fading flowers. Note, -too, the differences between the Crocuses with regard to the stigma. In -the Purple Crocus, where it is needed to complete the harmony of the -flower, it rises long and flame-tipped out of the tall bundle of yellow -stamens. Notice also the curve of the outside of the Purple Crocus cup -in a well-selected flower, and observe how quiet and solemnly beautiful -it is in perfect harmony with the general expression." - -According to legend, the flower derived its name from a beautiful -youth, Crocus, who was transformed into the flower. His love, Smilax, -was changed at the same time into the delicate vine of that name. -Another legend says that the flower sprang from the blood of the -infant Crocus, who was accidentally killed by a disk thrown by the -god Mercury. The Egyptians encircled their wine-cups with the saffron -crocus; the Greeks and Romans adorned the nuptial couch with the -saffron crocus; the robes of Hymen, god of marriage, were saffron-hued; -and poets called the dawn saffron, or crocus-colored. Shakespeare, -therefore, had authority for "the saffron wings of Iris." - -Saffron is an herb of the sun and is under the rule of Leo. - -CUCKOO-FLOWER (_Lychnis Flos cuculi_): Shakespeare mentions -"cuckoo-flowers" in "King Lear,"[69] in company with troublesome weeds. -_Cordelia_ remarks: - - Crown'd with rank fumiter and furrow-weeds, - With burdocks, hemlocks, nettles, cuckoo-flowers, - Darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow - On our sustaining corn. - -[69] Act IV, Scene IV. - -Shakespeare's cuckoo-flower is identified as the Ragged Robin, so -called from its finely cut blue petals which have a ragged appearance. -It is also known as the meadow campion, or Meadow Pink. Parkinson says: -"Feathered Campions are called _Armoraria pratensis_ and _Flos cuculi_. -Some call them in English Crow-flowers and Cuckowe Flowers, and some -call the double hereof The Fair Maid of France." - -From the above we see why it is that the Ragged Robin has been -identified by some authorities as _Ophelia's_ crow-flower; for even -Parkinson seems to consider the crow-flower and cuckoo-flower as -identical. Some of the old herbalists give the name cuckoo-flower to -the lady-smock, which is called cuckoo-buds. The cuckoo's name is given -to many flowers: we have the cuckoo-flower, cuckoo-buds, cuckoo's-bread -(wood-sorrel), cuckoo's-meat, cuckoo-pint (_Arum maculatum_), -cuckoo-grass; cuckoo-hood (blue corn-flower), etc. The cuckoo-flower -(Ragged Robin) is dedicated to St. Barnabas. - - - - - X - - _Pomegranate and Myrtle_ - - -THE POMEGRANATE (_Punica_) is a regal flower. Its burning beauty -appeals to every one who loves color, for the scarlet of the -pomegranate has a depth and a quality that is all its own. The crinkled -silken petals, rising from a thick, red calix and set off by bright -green leaves of wondrous glossy luster and prickly thorns, delight -those who love beauty. Moreover, there is something luscious and -strange about the pomegranate that makes us think of Oriental queens -and the splendors of Babylon and Persia, ancient Egypt and Carthage. -It is a flower that Dido might have worn in her hair, or Semiramis in -garlands around her neck! - -Shakespeare knew perfectly well what he was doing when he placed a -pomegranate beneath _Juliet's_ window, amid whose leaves and flowers -the nightingale sang so beautifully. The pomegranate was exactly the -flower to typify the glowing passion of the youthful lovers. - -"There are two kinds of pomegranate trees," writes Parkinson, "the one -tame or manured, bearing fruit; the other wild, which beareth no fruit, -because it beareth double flowers, like as the Cherry, Apple and -Peach-tree with double blossoms. - -"The wild Pomegranate (_Balustium maius sive Malus Punica_) is like -unto the tame in the number of purplish branches, having thorns and -shining fair green leaves, somewhat larger than the former. From the -branches likewise shoot forth flowers far more beautiful than those of -the tame, or manured, sort, because they are double, and as large as -a double Province Rose, or rather more double, of an excellent bright -crimson color, tending to a silken carnation, standing in brownish -cups or husks, divided at the brims usually into four, or five, -several points like unto the former, but that in this kind there never -followeth any fruit, no not in the country where it is naturally wild. -The wild, I think, was never seen in England before John Tradescant, -my very loving good friend, brought it from the parts beyond the seas -and planted it in his Lord's Garden at Canterbury. The rind of the -Pomegranate is used to make the best sort of writing Ink, which is -durable to the world's end." - -The pomegranate was from the dawn of history a favorite with Eastern -peoples. It is represented in ancient Assyrian and Egyptian sculpture -and had a religious significance in connection with several Oriental -cults. - -The tree was abundant in ancient Egypt and the fruit was such a -favorite of the Israelites that one complaint against the desert -into which Moses led them was the charge that it was "no place of -pomegranates," and Moses had to soothe the malcontents by promising -that the pomegranate would be among the delights of Canaan, "a land -of wheat and barley, vines and fig-trees and pomegranates, a land of -olive oil and honey." The pomegranate was one of the commonest fruits -of Canaan, and several places were named after it--Rimmon. The Jews -employed the pomegranate in their religious ceremonies. On the hem of -Aaron's sacred robe pomegranates were embroidered in blue and purple -and scarlet alternating with golden bells,--an adornment that was -copied from the ancient kings of Persia. The pomegranate was also -carved on the capitals of the pillars of the Temple of Jerusalem. -Solomon said to his bride, "I will cause thee to drink of spiced -wine of the juice of my pomegranates." There is a tradition that the -pomegranate was the fruit of the Tree of Life and that it was the -pomegranate that Eve gave to Adam. - -The Romans called it the Carthaginian apple. The pomegranate abounded -in Carthage and derives its botanical name, _Punica_, from this place. -Pliny says that the pomegranate came to Rome from Carthage; but its -original home was probably Persia or Babylon. It was early introduced -into Southern Europe and was taken to Spain from Africa. Granada took -its name from the fruits and the Arms of the province display a split -pomegranate. Around Genoa and Nice there are whole hedges of it--rising -to the height sometimes of twenty feet. It was introduced into England -in Henry VIII's time, carried there among others by Katharine of -Aragon, who used it for her device. Gerard grew pomegranates in his -garden. Many legends are connected with the pomegranate, not the -least being that of Proserpine. When the distracted Ceres found her -daughter had been carried off by Pluto, she begged Jupiter to restore -her. Jupiter replied that he would do so if she had eaten nothing in -the realms of the Underworld. Unfortunately, Pluto had given her a -pomegranate and Proserpine had eaten some of the seeds. She could not -return. The sorrow of Ceres was so great that a compromise was made and -the beautiful maiden thereafter spent six months in the Underworld with -her husband and six months with her mother above ground--a beautiful -story of the life of the seed! - -In nearly all the legends of the East in which the word "apple" is -mentioned it is the pomegranate that is intended. It is said to have -been the fruit presented by Paris to Venus, and it is always associated -with love and marriage. - -In Christian art the pomegranate is depicted as bursting open and -showing the seeds. This is interpreted as both a promise and an emblem -of hope in immortality. St. Catharine, the mystical bride of Christ, is -sometimes represented with a pomegranate in her hand. The infant Savior -is also often represented as holding the fruit and offering it to the -Virgin: Botticelli's "Madonna of the Melagrana" is a famous example. - -There is also a legend that because the pomegranate was planted on -the grave of King Eteocles, the fruit has exuded blood ever since. -The number of seeds has caused it to become the symbol of fecundity, -generation, and wealth. - -MYRTLE (_Myrtus latifolia_) was looked upon in Shakespeare's time as -a delicate and refined rarity, emblem of charming beauty and denoting -peacefulness, plenty, repose, and love. Shakespeare makes _Venus_ and -_Adonis_ meet under a myrtle shade; he speaks of "the soft myrtle" in -"Measure for Measure"; and he alludes "to the moon-dew on the myrtle -leaf," which is as delicate a suggestion of the evening perfume as the -"morning roses newly washed with dew" is of the scents at dawn. - -"We nourish Myrtles with great care," says Parkinson, "for the beautiful -aspect, sweet scent and rarity, as delights and ornaments for a garden -of pleasure, wherein nothing should be wanting that art, care and cost -might produce and preserve. - -"The broad-leafed Myrtle riseth up to the height of four or five -foot at the most with us, full of branches and leaves, growing like -a small bush, the stem and elder branches whereof are covered with a -dark colored bark, but the young with a green and some with a red, -especially upon the first shooting forth, whereon are set many fresh -green leaves very sweet in smell and very pleasant to behold, so near -resembling the leaves of the Pomegranate tree that groweth with us that -they soon deceive many that are not expert therein, being somewhat -broad and long and pointed at the ends, abiding always green. At the -joints of the branches, where the leaves stand, come forth the flowers -upon small footstalks, every one by itself, consisting of five small -white leaves, with white threads in the middle, smelling also very -sweet." - -According to the Greeks, Myrtle was a priestess of Venus and an -especial favorite of the goddess, who, wishing to preserve her from -a too ardent suitor, turned her into this plant, which continues -odorous and green throughout the year. Having the virtue of creating -and preserving love and being consecrated to Venus, the myrtle was -symbolic of love. Consequently it was used for the wreaths of brides, -as the orange-blossom is to-day. Venus wore a wreath of myrtle when -Paris awarded her the Golden Apple for beauty,--perhaps in memory of -the day when she sprang from the foam of the sea and, wafted ashore -by Zephyrus, was crowned with myrtle by the Morning Hours! Myrtle was -always planted around the temples dedicated to Venus. - -Rapin writes: - - When once, as Fame reports, the Queen of Love - In Ida's valley raised a Myrtle grove, - Young wanton Cupids danced a summer's night - Round the sweet place by Cynthia's silver light. - Venus this charming green alone prefers, - And this of all the verdant kind is hers: - Hence the bride's brow with Myrtle wreath is graced, - Hence in Elysian Fields are myrtles said - To favor lovers with their friendly shade, - There Phædra, Procris (ancient poets feign) - And Eriphyle still of love complain - Whose unextinguished flames e'en after death remain. - -The Romans always displayed myrtle lavishly at weddings, feasts, and -on all days celebrating victories. With the Hebrews the myrtle was the -symbol of peace; and among many Oriental races there is a tradition -that Adam brought a slip of myrtle from the Garden of Eden because he -considered it the choicest of fragrant flowers. - -The myrtle was early loved in England. In one of the old Roxburgh -Ballads of the Fifteenth Century a lover presses his suit by promising: - - And I will make the beds of Roses, - And a thousand fragrant posies; - A cap of flowers and a kirtle - Embroidered with leaves of myrtle. - -In those days and long afterward there was a saying that "if you want -to be sure of your myrtle taking root, then you must spread out your -dress grandly and look proud" when you are planting your slip. We can -imagine one of the Fifteenth Century ladies spreading her voluminous -and flowing robes with majestic grace and holding her head adorned with -the tall pointed cap, or _hennin_, with veil fluttering from its peak -as she planted the little flower in her tiny walled Garden of Delight! - -There is a saying, too, that one must never pass a sweet myrtle bush -without picking a spray. The flowering myrtle is considered the -luckiest of all plants to have in the window, but it must be watered -every day. - - - - - Autumn - - "HERBS OF GRACE" AND "DRAMS OF POISON" - - - - - I - - _Rosemary and Rue_ - - -ROSEMARY (_Rosmarinus officinalis_). Rosemary "delights in sea-spray," -whence its name. "The cheerful Rosemary," as Spenser calls it, was -in high favor in Shakespeare's day. The plant was not only allowed -a corner in the kitchen-garden; but it was trained over arbors and -allowed to run over the mounds and banks pretty much at its own sweet -will. "As for Rosemarie," said Sir Thomas More, "I let it run all over -my garden walls, not only because my bees love it, but because it is -the herb sacred to remembrance, and, therefore, to friendship; whence -a spray of it hath a dumb language that maketh it the chosen emblem at -our funeral-wakes and in our burial-grounds." - -[Illustration: "A CURIOUS-KNOTTED GARDEN," VREDEMAN DE VRIES] - -[Illustration: GARDEN WITH ARBORS, VREDEMAN DE VRIES] - -_Ophelia_ handed a sprig of rosemary to her brother with the words: -"There's rosemary; That's for remembrance; pray you, love, -remember." Probably she knew the old song in the "Handful of Pleasant -Delights"[70] where occurs the verse: - - Rosemary is for remembrance - Between us day and night, - Wishing that I might always have - You present in my sight. - -[70] See p. 127. - -Rosemary was used profusely at weddings among the decorations and the -strewings on the floor. A sprig of it was always placed in the wine to -insure the bride's happiness. - -The herb was also conspicuous at funerals, naturally enough as the -herb was emblematic of remembrance. The _Friar_ in "Romeo and Juliet" -exclaims: - - Dry up your tears and stick your rosemary - On this fair corse.[71] - -[71] Act IV, Scene V. - -Sometimes the plant was associated with rue as when in "The Winter's -Tale"[72] _Perdita_ says, - - Give me those flowers, Dorcas:--reverend sirs, - For you there's rosemary and rue; these keep - Seeming and savour the whole winter through. - -[72] Act IV, Scene III. - -Most important was rosemary at Christmas-tide. It had a place among -the holly, bay, ivy, and mistletoe to which it added its peculiar -and delicious perfume. Moreover, it was said that rosemary brought -happiness to those who used it among the Christmas decorations. - -Rosemary also garlanded that most important dish of ceremony--the -boar's head, which the butler (or sewer) bore into the hall of great -houses and famous institutions, like the colleges of Oxford and -Cambridge and the City Companies, on a silver dish, preceded by a -flourish of trumpets. The carol he sung began: - - The boar's head in hand bring I, - With garland gay and rosemary. - -Lyte said: "Rosemary comforteth the brain and restoreth speech, -especially the conserve made of the flowers thereof with sugar." Worn -on the person it was thought to strengthen the memory and to make -the wearer successful in everything. The famous Hungary-water, so -favorite a perfume in the days of Elizabeth and after, was distilled -from rosemary. The leaves were used as a flavor in cooking (just as -the Italians use it to-day). Placed in chests and wardrobes, rosemary -preserved clothing from insidious moth. According to astrologers, -rosemary was an herb of the sun. - -"The common Rosemary (_Libanotis Coronaria sive Rosmarinum vulgare_) is -so well known," says Parkinson, "through all our land, being in every -woman's garden, that it were sufficient to name it as an ornament among -other sweet herbs and flowers in our gardens, seeing every one can -describe it; but that I may say something of it, it is well observed, -as well in this our Land (where it hath been planted in Noblemen's -and great men's gardens against brick walls) as beyond the Seas in -the natural places where it groweth, that it riseth up unto a very -great height, with a great and woody stem of that compass that, being -cloven out into thin boards, it hath served to make lutes, or such-like -instruments, and here with carpenter's rules and to divers other -purposes, branching out into divers and sundry arms that extend a great -way and from them again into many other smaller branches whereon are -set at several distances at the joints, many very narrow long leaves, -green above and whitish underneath, among which come forth toward the -tops of the stalks, divers sweet gaping flowers, of a pale or bleak -bluish color, many set together, standing in whitish husks. The whole -plant as well, leaves as flowers, smelleth exceeding sweet. - -"Rosemary is called by the ancient writers _Libanotis_, but with this -difference, _Stephanomatica_, that is _Coronararia_, because there were -other plants called _Libanotis_, that were for other uses, as this for -garlands, where flowers and sweet herbs were put together. The Latins -called it _Rosmarinum_. Some would make it to be _Cueorum nigrum_ of -Theophrastus, as they would make Lavender to be his _Cueorum album_, -but Matthiolus hath sufficiently confuted that error. - -"Rosemary is almost of as great use as Bays or any other herb, both for -inward and outward remedies and as well for civil as physical purposes. -Inwardly for the head and heart; outwardly for the sinews and joints. -For civil uses, as all do know, at weddings, funerals, etc., to bestow -among friends; and the physical are so many that you might be as well -tired in the reading as I in the writing, if I should set down all that -might be said of it." - -RUE (_Ruta graveolus_). Rue was a much valued plant in Shakespeare's -time. There were many superstitions about it which seem to have been -survivals from ancient days, for rue is supposed to have been the moly -which Homer says Mercury gave to Ulysses to withstand the enchantments -of Circe. Miraculous powers were attributed to rue: it was said to -quicken the sight, to stir up the spirits, to sharpen the wit, to -cure madness, and to cause the dumb to speak. It was also an excellent -antidote against poison and the very smell of it insured preservation -against the plague. Rue was, therefore, very popular and was much used -as a disinfectant. - -Parkinson tells us: - -Garden Rue (_Ruta_), or Herbe Grace, groweth up with hard whitish -woody stalks whereon are set divers branches of leaves being divided -into many small ones, which are somewhat thick and round pointed, of -a bluish-green color. The flowers stand at the tops of the stalks, -consisting of four small yellow leaves, with a green button in the -middle, and divers small yellow threads about it, which growing ripe, -contain within them small black seeds. - -"The many good properties whereunto Rue serveth hath, I think, in -former times caused the English name of Herbe Grace to be given unto -it. For without doubt it is a most wholesome herb, although bitter and -strong. Some do wrap up a bead roll of the virtues of Rue, as Macer the -poet and others, in whom you shall find them set down to be good for -the head, eyes, breast, liver, heart, spleen, etc." - -Gerard quaintly said: - -"It is reported that if a man be anointed with the juice of rue, the -bitings of serpents, scorpions, wasps, etc., will not hurt him. When -the weasel is to fight with the serpent, she armeth herself by eating -rue against the might of the serpent." - -Another quaint idea was that rue throve best if a clipping from the -plant was stolen from a neighbor's garden. Like rosemary, rue was -considered by the astrologers as an herb of the sun and was placed -under the sign of Leo. - -Rue was also called the herb of grace and the "serving man's joy." -Shakespeare frequently refers to the herb o' grace: once in connection -with salad in "All 's Well That Ends Well."[73] - -[73] See p. 237. - -_Ophelia_ has rue among her flowers when she distributes appropriate -blossoms to the courtiers. She says: - - There's rue for you; and some for me; - We may call it herb of grace o' Sundays. - Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference. - -Again we find rue in the _Duke of York's_ garden in "King Richard II." -After the sad queen and her ladies have departed, bewailing the news of -the king's deposition, the gardener, looking after them, exclaims: - - Poor queen! So that thy state might be no worse, - I would my skill were subject to thy curse.-- - Here did she fall a tear; here, in this place, - I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace: - Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen, - In the remembrance of a weeping queen.[74] - -[74] Act III, Scene IV. - - - - - II - - _Lavender, Mints, and Fennel_ - - -LAVENDER (_Lavendula Spica_). "Hot lavender," _Perdita_ calls it. -Why is this? Turning to Gerard for an explanation, we find he says: -"Lavender is hot and dry in the third degree and of a substance -consisting of many airy and spiritual parts." Gerard had lavender in -his garden and so did Parkinson, who says: - -"It is called of some _Nardus Italica_ and _Lavendula_, the greater -is called _Fœmina_ and the lesser _Mas_. We do call them generally -Lavender, or Lavender Spike, and the Lesser Spike. Lavender is little -used in physic but outwardly: the oil for cold and benumbed parts and -is almost wholly spent with us for to perfume linen, apparrell, gloves, -leather, etc., and the dried flowers to comfort and dry up the moisture -of a cold brain. - -"Our ordinary Garden Lavender riseth up with a hard woody stem about -the ground parted into many small branches whereon are set whitish long -and narrow leaves by couples; from among which riseth up naked square -stalks with two leaves at a joint and at the top divers small husks -standing round about them formed in long or round heads or spikes with -purple gaping flowers springing out of each of them. The heads of the -flowers are used to be put among linen and apparrell." - -Because of its scent, lavender was often included in the nosegay. -Lavender was much loved by sweethearts. In the "Handful of Pleasant -Delights" (1584) it is described thus: - - Lavender is for lovers true, - Whichever more be saine, - Desiring always for to have - Some pleasure for their pain. - And when that they obtainèd have - The Love that they require, - Then have they all their perfect joy - And quenched is the fire. - -Lavender belongs to the crowfoot family, and therefore is related to -the columbine, buttercup, and monk's-hood (aconite). The ancients -used it in their baths, whence the name from the Latin _lavare_, to -wash. The Elizabethans loved, as we do to-day, to place bags of dried -lavender among the household linen. - -MINTS (_Mentha_). Mints occur in _Perdita's_ list with "hot lavender, -thyme and savory." Although many kinds of mint were cultivated in -gardens, Parkinson mentions only three: - -"The Red Mint, or Brown Mint, with dark green nicked leaves, reddish -flowers and of a reasonable good scent; Speare Mint, greener and paler -leaves, with flowers growing in long ears, or spikes, of a pale red, -or blush, color; and Parti-colored, or White Mint, with leaves more -nicked, half white and half green, and flowers in long heads, close set -together of a bluish color. - -"Mints are oftentimes used in baths with Balm and other herbs as a -help to comfort and strengthen the nerves and sinews, either outwardly -applied or inwardly drunk. Applied with salt, it is a good help for the -biting of a mad dog. It is used to be boiled with mackerel and other -fish. Being dried, it is often and much used with pennyroyal to put -into puddings, as also among pease that are boiled for pottage." - -In Elizabethan days it was the custom to strew churches with mint. In -an Elizabethan play, "Appius and Virginia," these lines occur: - - Thou knave, but for thee ere this time of day - My lady's fair pew had been strewed full gay - With primroses, cowslips and violets sweet, - With mints, with marigold and marjoram meek. - -Pliny said "the smell of mint doth stir up the mind and taste to a -greedy desire of meat." This carries mint-sauce back into antiquity! -Medieval writers believed that the smell of mint refreshed the head -and memory; and in Medieval days the herb was dedicated to the Virgin -and called _Herba Sanctæ Mariæ_ and _Menthe de Notre Dame_. The -ancients dedicate it to Venus; hence it was used as a garland for -brides--_corona Veneris_. The old myth had it that Menthe was a nymph -beloved of Pluto and transformed into an herb by Proserpina who had now -become sufficiently interested in the husband who had carried her off -against her will to be jealous. - -FENNEL (_Fœniculum vulgare_). _Falstaff_ speaks of fennel as a relish -for conger in "King Henry IV";[75] and _Ophelia_ presents fennel to -the King to clear his sight just as she gave rosemary to _Laertes_ -to refresh his memory,[76] for according to a belief held by Pliny: -"Fennel hath a wonderful property to mundify our sight and take away -the film, or web, that overcasteth and dimmeth our eyes." - -[75] Act II, Scene IV. - -[76] "There's fennel for you and columbines" ("Hamlet"; Act IV, Scene -V). - -"There are three sorts of Fennel," says Parkinson, "whereof two are -sweet." The one of them is the ordinary sweet fennel whose seeds are -larger and yellower than the common. The other sweet Fennel is not much -known and called _Cardus_ Fennel by those that sent it out of Italy. -Fennel is of great use to trim up and strew upon fish, as also to boil, -or put among fish of divers sorts, Cowcumbers pickled and other fruits, -etc. The roots are used with parsley roots to be boiled in broths and -drinks. The seed is much used to be put into pippin pies and divers -other such baked fruits, as also into bread to give it the better -relish. - -"The Sweet Cardus Fennel being sent by Sir Henry Wotton to John -Tradescant had likewise a large direction with it how to dress it, for -they used to white it after it hath been transplanted for their uses, -which by reason of the sweetness by nature and the tenderness of art -causeth it to be most delightful to the taste, especially with them -that are accustomed to feed on green herbs." - -Another ancient belief preserved by Pliny was "that serpents eat fennel -because it restored their youth by causing them to cast their old -skins and they recovered their sight by eating the plant." - -The flowers of the fennel are yellow. - -The Greek name for fennel is _marathon_. The Battle of Marathon took -its name from the plant. The story goes that a youth named Pheidippides -ran to Sparta to seek aid for Athens when the Persian fleet appeared, -and he was told that the Spartans could not come until after the full -moon. Very disheartened, he was returning to Athens when Pan appeared -to him and promised victory, giving the youth a piece of fennel as a -token of his prophecy. The battle took place on a field full of fennel -and was known henceforth as the Battle of Marathon (490 B. C.). Statues -of the youth always represented him as holding a sprig of fennel. -Browning has told the story in his "Pheidippides." - - - - - III - - _Sweet Marjoram, Thyme, and Savory_ - - -MARJORAM (_Origanum vulgare_) was a favorite plant in Tudor and Stuart -times. An old writer informs us that "Sweet Marjoram is not only much -used to please the outward sense in nosegays and in the windows of -houses, as also in sweet powders, sweet bays and sweet washing waters, -but is also of much use in physic." - -_Perdita_ classes it with hot lavender and savory.[77] Shakespeare, -appreciating its delicate and delightful scent, brings this out most -beautifully in his "Sonnet XCIX": - - The forward violet thus did I chide:-- - Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet that smells - If not from my love's breath? The purple pride - Which on thy soft cheek for complexion dwells, - In my love's veins thou hast too grossly dyed. - The lily I condemnèd for thy hand, - And buds of marjoram had stolen thy hair. - -[77] "The Winter's Tale"; Act IV, Scene III. - -This comparison is even more lovely than Milton's description of -_Sabrina_ with her "loose braid of amber-dropping hair." - -In Shakespeare's time several species were grown: the common, the -winter, and the sweet. They were all favorite pot-herbs and were used -in salads, if we may believe the _Clown_ in "All's Well That Ends Well": - - LAFEN. 'Twas a good lady, 'twas a good lady; we may pick a thousand - sallets ere we light on such another herb. - - CLOWN. Indeed, sir, she was the Sweet Marjoram of the sallet, or, - rather, the Herb of Grace. - - LAFEN. They are not sallet-herbs, you knave, they are nose-herbs. - - CLOWN. I am no great Nebuchadnezzar; sir, I have not much skill in - grass.[78] - -[78] Act IV, Scene V. - -Parkinson writes: - -"The common Sweet Marjoram (_Marierome_) is a low herb, little above a -foot high, full of branches and small whitish, soft, roundish leaves, -smelling very sweet. At the tops of the branches stand divers small, -scaly heads, like unto knots, of a whitish green color, out of which -come, here and there, small, white flowers, and afterward small reddish -seed. Called _Mariorama_ in Latin, it is taken of most writers to be -the Amaracus, or Sampsuchum, of Dioscorides, Theophrastus and Pliny." - -According to the Greek myth a young man named Amarakos was employed in -the household of the King of Cyprus. One day when he was carrying a -vase of perfumes he dropped it, and he was so much humiliated by his -carelessness that he fell and lost consciousness. The gods then changed -him into the sweet herb _amarakos_, or _amaracus_, which is the Greek -name for this plant. Rapin thought it owed its existence to Venus: - - And tho' Sweet Marjoram will your garden paint - With no gay colors, yet preserve the plant, - Whose fragrance will invite your kind regard - When her known virtues have her worth declared: - On Simois' shore fair Venus raised the plant, - Which from the Goddess' touch derived her scent. - -THYME (_Thymus Serpyllum_). Thyme has always been appreciated by those -who delight in aromatic perfume. It was one of those plants that Lord -Bacon said were so delicious when trodden upon and crushed. Thyme was -the symbol for sweetness in Elizabethan days. - - And sweet thyme true - -was a favorite expression. "Sweet thyme true" occurs in connection -with roses, "maiden pinks," and daisies in the song in "The Two Noble -Kinsmen."[79] - -[79] Act I, Scene I. - -Fairies were thought to be particularly fond of thyme, and that is one -reason why Shakespeare covered the bank where _Titania_ was wont to -sleep with wild thyme. The other reason was that he chose the sweetest -flowers for perfume for the canopy and couch of the Fairy Queen: -musk-roses, eglantine, honeysuckle, violets, and wild thyme mingling -the most delicious of scents. The word comes from the Greek and Latin -_thymum_. Thyme covered Mount Hymettus and gave to the honey produced -there a particularly delicious aromatic flavor. The "honey of Mount -Hymettus" became a proverb. Hybla in Sicily was no less famed for its -thyme, and, consequently, its honey. Thyme is especially a "bee-plant"; -and those who would see their gardens full of bees would do well to -plant thyme with lavish hand. Ladies used to embroider a bee hovering -over a sprig of thyme on the scarves they gave to their lovers--a -symbol of action and honor. Thyme, too, was supposed to renew the -spirits of man and beast and it was deemed a powerful antidote against -melancholy. - -Turning to our old friend, Parkinson, we find that - -"The ordinary garden Thyme (_Thymus vulgatius sive durius_) is a small, -low, woody plant with brittle branches and small, hard, green leaves, -as every one knoweth, having small white purplish flowers standing -round about the tops of the stalks. The seed is small and brown, darker -than Marjoram. The root is woody and abideth well divers Winters. - -[Illustration: SHAKESPEARE GARDEN, VAN CORTLANDT HOUSE, VAN CORTLANDT -PARK, COLONIAL DAMES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK] - -[Illustration: SHAKESPEARE GARDEN, VAN CORTLANDT HOUSE, VAN CORTLANDT -PARK, COLONIAL DAMES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK] - -"To set down all the particular uses whereunto Thyme is applied were -to weary both the writer and the reader. I will but only note out a -few, for besides the physical uses to many purposes for the head, -stomach, spleen, etc., there is no herb almost of more use in the -houses both of high and low, rich and poor, both for inward and outward -occasions,--outwardly for bathings among other hot herbs and among -other sweet herbs for strewings. Inwardly in most sorts of broths, with -Rosemary, as also with other faseting (or rather farsing) herbs,[80] -and to make sauce for divers sorts, both fish and flesh, as to stuff -the belly of a goose to be roasted and after put into the sauce and the -powder with bread to strew on meat when it is roasted, and so likewise -on roasted or fried fish. It is held by divers to be a speedy remedy -against the sting of a bee, being bruised and laid thereon. - -[80] _Farsi_, stuffing. - -"The wild Thyme (_Serpyllum hortense sive maius_), growth upright, but -yet is low, with divers slender branches and small round green leaves, -somewhat like unto small fine Marjoram, and smelling somewhat like -unto it. The flowers grow in roundels at the tops of the branches of a -purplish color. And in another of this kind they are of a pure white -color. There is another also that smelleth somewhat like unto Musk, and -therefore called Musk Thyme, whose green leaves are not so small as the -former, but larger and longer." - -SAVORY (_Satureia_). This herb is mentioned by _Perdita_. It was a -great favorite in the old herb-garden and was probably introduced -into England by the Romans. It is mentioned in Anglo-Saxon recipes as -"savorie." Both the winter and summer savory were used as seasoning -for dressing and sauces. "The Winter Savory is used as a condiment and -sauce to meat, to put into puddings, sausages and such-like kinds of -meat." So says an old writer, who continues: "Some do use the powder of -the herb dried to mix with grated bread to bread their meat, be it fish -or flesh, to give it the quicker relish." - -Parkinson writes: - -"The Winter Savory (_Satureia sive Thymbra_) is a small, low, bushy -herb, very like unto hyssop, but not above a foot high, with divers -small, hard branches and hard, dark, green leaves thereon, thicker set -together than the former by so much, and as thick as common Hyssop, -sometimes with four leaves, or more, at a joint, of a reasonable strong -scent, yet not so strong or quick as the former. The flowers are of a -pale purplish color, set at several distances at the tops of the stalks -with leaves at the joints also with them, like the former. The root is -woody with divers small strings thereat, and abideth all the winter -with his green leaves. It is more usually increased by slipping, or -dividing, the root and new setting it, severally again in the Spring, -than by sowing the seed." - - - - - IV - - _Sweet Balm and Camomile_ - - -SWEET BALM (_Melissa officinalis_). Sweet _Anne Page_ commanded the -elves to bestow good luck throughout Windsor Castle:[81] - - The several chairs of order look you scour - With juice of balm and every precious flower. - -[81] "The Merry Wives of Windsor"; Act V, Scene V. - -The Greek and Latin names, _melissa_, _melissophyllum_, and -_apiastrum_, show that this was a bee-plant, which was still the case -in Shakespeare's time. - -"It is an herb," says Parkinson, "wherein bees do much delight"; and -he also tells us that if balm is rubbed on the inside of the hive "it -draweth others to resort thither." He goes on to describe it as follows: - -"The Garden Balm hath divers square blackish green stalks and round, -hard, dark, green pointed leaves growing thereon by couples, a little -notched about the edges; of a pleasant sweet scent drawing near to the -scent of a Lemon or Citron; and therefore of some called Citrago. The -flowers grow about the tops of the stalks at certain distances, being -small and gaping, of a pale carnation color, almost White. The roots -fasten themselves strongly on the ground and endure many years. It is -increased by dividing the roots; for the leaves die down to the ground -every year, leaving no show of leaf or stalk in the Winter. Balm is -often used among other hot and sweet herbs to make baths and washings -for men's bodies in the Summer time. The herb without all question is -an excellent help to comfort the heart, as the very smell may induce -any so to believe. It is also good to heal green wounds being made -into salve. I verily think that our forefathers hearing of the healing -and comfortable properties of the true natural Balm and finding this -herb to be so effectual gave it the name of Balm in imitation of his -properties and virtues." - -Arabian physicians recommended balm for affections of the heart and -hypochondria. - -CAMOMILE (_Anthemis nobilis_). _Falstaff_ points a moral in the lowly -camomile: "Though the Camomile the more it is trodden on the faster -it grows, yet youth the more it is wasted the sooner it wears."[82] A -similar idea occurs in Lyly's "Euphues" (1588): "Though the Camomile -the more it is trodden and pressed down the more it spreadeth, yet the -violet the oftener it is handled and touched, the sooner it withereth -and decayeth." - -[82] "King Henry IV"; Part I, Act II, Scene IV. - -Emblem of patience, the camomile was often used to point a moral and to -teach patience. In "The More the Merrier" (1608), a character observes: - - The Camomile shall teach thee patience, - Which riseth best when trodden most upon. - -Because its scent was brought out when trodden upon, camomile was -planted in and along walks and on the edges of flower-beds. Its low -growth and delicious perfume made it a very attractive border plant. - -In Lawson's "New Orchard" (about 1616) there are instructions for -"Large walks, broad and long, close and open like the Tempe groves -in Thessaly, raised with gravel and sand, having seats and banks of -Camomile: all this delights the mind and brings health to the body." - -In Shakespeare's day camomile grew in "the wild field by Richmond -Green." - -"Our ordinary Camomill [says Parkinson] is well known to all to have -many small trailing branches set with very fine small leaves and -spreading thick over the ground taking root as it spreadeth; the tops -of the branches have white flowers with yellow thrums in the middle, -very like unto the Featherfew, but somewhat greater not so hard but -more soft and gentle in handling and the whole herb is to be of a very -sweet scent. - -"Camomill is called _Anthemis Leucanthemis_ and _Leucanthemum_ of the -whiteness of the flowers; and _Chamœmœlum_ of the corrupted Italian -name Camomilla. Some call the naked Camomill _Chrysanthemum odoratum_. -The double Camomill is called by some _Chamœmœlum Romanum flore -multiplici_. - -"Camomill is put to divers and sundry uses both for pleasure and -profit; both for inward and outward diseases, both for the sick and -the sound, in bathings to comfort and strengthen the sound and to ease -pains in the diseased. The flowers boiled in posset drink provoketh -sweat and helpeth to expel colds, aches and other griefs. A syrup made -of the juice of the double Camomill with the flowers and white wine is -used by some against jaundice and dropsy." - - - - - V - - _Dian's Bud and Monk's-hood Blue_ - - -DIAN'S BUD (_Artemesia_). This plant is nothing more nor less than -absinthe, or wormwood. It is mentioned under its poetic name by -Shakespeare in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" when _Oberon_ bids _Puck_ -find him the "little purple flower called Love in Idleness," the -juice of which placed on sleeping eyelids would make man, or woman, -madly dote on the first object beheld on awakening, and with which he -intended to anoint the eyelids of the sleeping _Titania_. He also told -the mischievous sprite that the charm could be removed with another -herb--Dian's bud, the flower sacred to the goddess Diana. Later in the -play, touching the eyes of the spellbound fairy with this second herb, -_Oberon_ pronounces the following incantation: - - Be as thou was wont to be, - See as thou was wont to see; - Dian's bud on Cupid's flower - Hath such force and blessed power. - -From the earliest times absinthe was associated with sorcery and was -used for incantations. Pliny says the traveler who carried it about him -would never grow weary and that it would drive away any lurking devils -and counteract the evil eye. Ovid calls it _absinthium_ and speaks of -its bitterness. - -The Greeks also called it _artemesia_ after the goddess Artemis, -or Diana, and made it a moon-plant. Very poetically, therefore, -Shakespeare alludes to it as "Dian's Bud,"--and most appropriately does -it appear in the moon-lit forest. Gerard, however, quaintly says that -is was named for Queen Artemesia, wife of Mausolus, King of Caria, who -built the Mausoleum, which was one of the "Seven Wonders of the World." -The ancients liked its flavor in their wine as many people still like -vermouth, one of its infusions. - -In Shakespeare's time people hung up sprays of wormwood to drive away -moths and fleas; and there was a homely verse: - - Whose chamber is swept and wormwood is thrown - No flea for his life dare abide to be known. - -Wormwood was also kept in drawers and closets. To dream of the plant -was of good augury: happiness and domestic enjoyment were supposed to -result. Mugwort is another old name for the plant. - - -MONK'S-HOOD (_Aconitum Napellus_). This plant has three names: -monk's-hood, wolf's-bane, and aconite. Aconite is the "dram of poison" -that _Romeo_ calls for,[83] and Shakespeare alludes to _aconitum_ in -"King Henry IV," where the king, addressing _Thomas of Clarence_, -compares its strength and that of gunpowder. "Though it do work as -strong as aconitum or rash gunpowder."[84] Aconite was supposed in -Elizabethan days to be an antidote against the most deadly poison. Ben -Jonson in "Sejanus" makes one of his characters remark: - - I have heard that aconite - Being timely taken hath a healing might - Against the scorpion's sting.[85] - -Lord Bacon in "Sylva" calls _Napellus_ "the most powerful poison of all -vegetables." - -[83] "Romeo and Juliet"; Act V, Scene I. - -[84] Part II, Act IV, Scene IV. - -[85] Act III, Scene III. - -Yet despite its poisonous qualities, an English garden lover writes, -"the plant has always held, and deservedly, a place among the -ornamental plants of our gardens; its stately habit and its handsome -leaves and flowers make it a favorite." - -The ancients, who were unacquainted with mineral poisons, regarded -aconite as the most deadly of all poisons and believed that Hecate had -caused the plant to spring from the venomous foam frothing from the -mouth of the three-headed dog, Cerberus, when Hercules took him from -Pluto's dark realm on one of his Twelve Labors. Ovid describes the -aconite as - - A weed by sorcerers renowned - The strongest constitution to compound - Called aconite, because it can unlock - All bars and force its passage through a rock. - -In Greece it was also known as Wolf's-bane (_Lycoctonum_), and it was -thought that arrow-heads rubbed with it would kill wolves. Turner -quaintly writes in his "Herbal" (1568): - -"This of all poisons is the most hastie poison, howbeit Pliny saith -this herb will kill a man if he take it, except it find in a man -something to kill. Let our Londoners which have of late received this -blue Wolf's-bane, otherwise called Monk's Cane, take heed that the -poison of the root of this herb do not more harm than the freshness of -the flower hath done pleasure. Let them not say but they are warned." - -Parkinson's name for it is _Napellus verus flore cœruleo_ (Blue -Helmet-Flower, or Monk's-hood). - -"The Helmet Flower," he writes, "hath divers leaves of a fresh green -color on the upper side and grayish underneath, much spread abroad -and cut into many slits and notches. The stalk riseth up two or three -foot high, beset to the top with the like leaves, but smaller. The top -is sometimes divided into two or three branches, but more usually -without, whereon stand many large flowers one above another, in form -very like a hood, or open helmet, being composed of five leaves, the -uppermost of which and the greatest is hollow, like unto a helmet, -or headpiece: two other small leaves are at the sides of the helmet, -closing it like cheeks, and come somewhat under, and two other which -are the smallest hang down like labels, or as if a close helmet were -opened and some pieces hung by, of a perfect, or fair, blue color (but -grow darker having stood long) which causeth it to be so nourished up -in Gardens that their flowers, as was usual in former times (and yet is -in many country places) may be laid among green herbs in windows and -rooms for the Summertime; but although their beauty may be entertained -for the uses aforesaid, yet beware they come not near your tongue or -lips, lest they tell you to your cost, they are not so good as they -seem to be. In the middest of the flower, when it is open and gapeth -wide, are seen certain small threads like beards, standing about a -middle head, which, when the flower is past, groweth into three or -four, or more, small blackish pods, containing in them black seeds. The -roots are brownish on the outside and white within, somewhat big and -round about and small downwards, somewhat like unto a small, short -carrot root, sometimes two being joined at the head together. It is the -true _Napellus_ of the ancient writers, which they so termed from the -form of a turnip called _Napus_ in Latin." - -Generally speaking the leaf and flower of the monk's-hood resemble -the larkspur; and, like the larkspur and the columbine, the plant has -wandered away from its original family, the buttercup tribe. The upper -sepal has developed from a spur into a hood. - - - - - Winter - - "WHEN ICICLES HANG BY THE WALL" - - - - - I - - _Holly and Ivy_ - - -HOLLY (_Ilex aquifolium_). Holly, with its beautiful red berries and -unique leaf, stiff and prickly, but highly decorative, is the chief -emblem of Christmas. We are continuing very ancient traditions when -we hang up our Christmas wreaths and garlands. The earliest records -of the human race contain references to the custom of decorating -houses and temples and evergreens on occasions of rejoicing. Holly -comes to us from pagan usage. Five hundred years before the birth of -Christ the Romans had been celebrating their midwinter festival--the -Saturnalia--commemorating the equality supposed to have existed on -earth in the golden reign of Saturn. The Saturnalia was a period of -general merry-making and relaxation. People gave each other presents, -wished each other "Io Saturnalia," just as we wish each other "Merry -Christmas," and decorated their houses and temples with evergreens, -among which holly was conspicuous. The early Christians, who celebrated -the birth of Christ during the Saturnalia, adorned their homes with -holly for the purpose of safety. They would have been unpleasantly -noticed had they left their homes undecorated. After a time holly -became associated with the Christian festival itself. As the Christmas -celebration spread throughout Europe and into Great Britain, local -observances naturally became added to the original rites; and gradually -to certain features taken over from the Saturnalia were added customs -which the Germanic tribes, the Scandinavians, the Gauls, the Celts, -and early Britons practised for the midwinter festival. "Thus," says -a modern writer, "all the pagan winter festivals were transmuted -and sanctified by the Christian Church into the beautiful Christmas -festival that keeps the world's heart young and human. The Church also -brought from ancient observances a number of lovable customs, such -as the giving of presents, the lighting of candles, the burning of -the Yule-log, the Boar's Head, the Christmas Tree, the mistletoe, the -holly, laurel and other greens and the mince-pies." - -At a season when everything was chosen to commemorate, or invoke, -the spirit of growth, or fertility, the holly, mistletoe and ivy--all -of which bear fruit in the winter--become particularly precious. -Beautiful, cheery holly, with its glossy, prickly leaves and its -coral bells, was a sacred plant in the childhood of the world and -will continue to be a sacred plant as long as the world lasts. We may -make garlands of laurel or bay-leaves, we may bind together ropes -of crow's-foot or smilax, and we may bring into our rooms pots of -poinsettia; but nothing takes, or will ever take, the place the holly -occupies in our affections. In our literature holly is honored. It now -symbolizes the spirit of Christmas as nothing else does. - -One of the earliest Christmas carols, dating from the Fifteenth -Century, describes a contest of Holly and Ivy for the chief place in -the hall. Holly is the man and Ivy the woman. They have an argument -(which is a kind of duet), each setting forth his or her claim to -superiority. Finally, it is decided that Holly, with his beautiful red -berries, shall reign in the hall instead of Ivy, whose berries are -black. Moreover, many sweet birds are attracted to Holly; but only the -owl loves Ivy. - -Holly is, of course, the subject of many carols. A typical one of the -Fifteenth Century is as follows: - - Here comes Holly, that is so gent, - Alleluia! - To please all men is his intent, - Alleluia! - But lord and lady of the hall, - Alleluia! - Whosoever against Holly call, - Alleluia! - Whosoever against Holly do cry, - Alleluia! - In a lepe shall he hang full high. - Alleluia! - Whosoever against Holly do sing, - Alleluia! - He may weep and his handys wring, - Alleluia! - -From the above it will be seen that it was a crime to say a derogatory -word about holly. Holly was not only loved for its beauty but it was a -holy plant. Witches detested it and it was a charm against their evil -machinations. The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon _holegn_. The Norse -word is _hulf_, or _hulver_; and as Chaucer calls it "Hulfeere" we may -conclude that holly was familiar to the people of Chaucer's time under -that name. - -It is somewhat singular that Shakespeare has written a song of wintry -wind and holly berries to be sung in the Forest of Arden. It affords, -however, a delightful contrast to the sun-lit summer woodland. - -[Illustration: TUDOR MANOR HOUSE WITH MODERN ARRANGEMENT OF GARDENS] - -While in it holly is not actually described, _Amiens's_ song will -always remain the song of songs to holly: - - Blow, blow, thou winter wind, - Thou art not so unkind - As man's ingratitude; - Thy tooth is not so keen, - Because thou art not seen, - Although thy breath be rude. - Heigh ho! sing heigh ho! unto the green holly: - Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly. - Then heigh ho the holly! - This life is most jolly. - - Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, - Thou dost not bite so nigh - As benefits forgot; - Though thou the waters warp - Thy sting is not so sharp - As friend remembered not. - Heigh ho! sing, heigh ho! unto the green holly: - Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly. - Then, heigh ho! the holly! - This life is most jolly. - -IVY (_Hedera Helix_). Shakespeare mentions ivy twice: in "A Midsummer -Night's Dream" where _Titania_, bidding _Bottom_ sleep, says: - - Sleep thou and I will wind thee in my arms ... - the female ivy so - Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.[86] - -and in "The Tempest," when _Prospero_ compares his false brother with -the ivy: - - The ivy, which had hid my princely trunk, - And suck'd my verdure out on 't.[87] - -[86] Act IV, Scene I. - -[87] Act I, Scene II. - -In the old carols and plays Ivy is always represented as a woman, -and yet, although beloved, was used for the outside decorations and -doorways. Ivy never had the place within that holly occupied. - -As ivy clings and embraces the object near it, the plant was chosen as -an emblem of confiding love and friendship. Tusser's commands are as -follows: "Get Ivy and Holly, women, deck up thy house." Ivy was also -used in the church decorations at Christmas-tide. In the Middle Ages -ivy was a favored and most auspicious plant. An old carol says: - - Ivy is soft and meke of speech, - Against all bale she is bliss, - Well is he that her may reach:-- - _Veni, coronaberis_. - - Ivy is green with color bright, - Of all trees best she is, - And that I prove will now be right:- - _Veni, coronaberis_. - - Ivy beareth berries black, - God grant us all His bliss, - For there we shall nothing lack:-- - _Veni, coronaberis_. - -Ivy was the crown of the Greek and Roman poets, whose myths proclaimed -the plant sacred to Bacchus. Indeed the plant took its name from -Bacchus (_kissos_) for it was said that the child was hidden under -ivy when abandoned by his mother, Semele. The ivy was mingled with -the grape in the crown of Bacchus and it enwreathed his thyrsus. Ivy -berries eaten before wine was swallowed prevented intoxication, so -Pliny says. Perhaps because of its association with Bacchus ivy was -hung at the vintners' doors in England as well as on the Continent, and -a reference to this custom is contained in Nash's "Summer's Last Will -and Testament" (1600). - -In Shakespeare's time ivy was considered a remedy against plague, which -gave another reason for veneration. - -England would almost cease to be England without the ivy that so -luxuriantly covers the walls of old buildings and adds its soft beauty -to the crumbling ruins. Everybody loves it--strangers as well as -natives; and every one loves the poem that Dickens inserted into "The -Pickwick Papers": - - Oh, a dainty plant is the Ivy green, - That creepeth o'er ruins old! - On right choice food are his meals, I ween, - In his cell so lone and cold. - The wall must be crumbled, the stone decay'd - To pleasure his dainty whim; - And the mouldering dust that years have made, - Is a merry meal for him. - Creeping where no life is seen, - A rare old plant is the Ivy green! - - First, he stealeth on, though he wears no wings, - And a staunch old heart has he; - How closely he turneth, how close he clings, - To his friend, the huge oak tree! - And slily he traileth along the ground, - And his leaves he gently waves, - As he joyously hugs and crawleth round - The rich mould of men's graves. - Creeping where grim Death hath been, - A rare old plant is the Ivy green! - - Whole ages have fled and their works decayed, - And nations have scattered been; - But the stout old ivy shall never fade - From its hale and hearty green. - The brave old plant in its lonely days - Shall fatten on the past, - For the stateliest building man can raise - Is the ivy's food at last. - Creeping on where Time has been - A rare old plant is the Ivy green! - - - - - II - - _Mistletoe and Box_ - - -THE MISTLETOE (_Viscum album_). The mistletoe, the "all-healer," is a -mysterious and mystical plant. The Greeks venerated it. Virgil gave -it to Æneas for the "Golden Bough," to guide him to the Underworld. -The Scandinavians dedicated it to their goddess of love, Freya (or -Freyja). The mistletoe is, however, more closely associated with the -Druids than with any other race. The plant was so sacred to these -strange people that it was never allowed to touch the ground. At the -New Year the Druids marched in solemn procession into the forest, and -the high priest climbed the oak-tree and, with a golden sickle, cut -the mistletoe from the branches. Other priests stood below holding a -white cloth to receive the mistletoe as it fell. The sacred plant was -dipped into water and then distributed among the people, to whom it was -supposed to bring good luck of all kinds. - -Even to-day we do not like the "Mistletoe Bough" to fall. We say it is -"unlucky"; but possibly we have unconsciously inherited from our remote -ancestors a spark of reverence for the "Golden Bough." - -The Welsh thought the mistletoe "pure gold," believing that it had a -connection with the golden fire of the sun; and they thought also that -the mistletoe absorbed the life of the oak-tree to which it clung. - -The Church never sanctioned the mistletoe. It never appears, therefore, -among the Christmas decorations in the churches. No edicts, however, -were strong enough to banish it from the decorations of the house, and -the mistletoe bough is always a feature in the home where Christmas is -celebrated with picturesque traditions. The precise reason for hanging -up the Mistletoe Bough is lost in antiquity; but it is possible that -the particular reasons were because it has supposed miraculous powers -of healing sickness and averting misfortune, and great potency in -promoting fertility and bestowing prosperity. For hundreds of years the -mistletoe has been reverenced alike in castle, baronial hall, manor -house and farmhouse in Shakespeare's country and in the homes of rich -and poor in our own country. - -Undoubtedly the idea of kissing under the Mistletoe Bough was derived -from the fact that the plant was dedicated to the Northern goddess of -love. The old saying is that the maiden who is not kissed under the -mistletoe will not be married within the coming year. The ceremony of -kissing is not properly performed unless a berry is plucked off and -given with each kiss to the maiden. When the berries are all gone the -privilege of kissing ceases. - -That mistletoe grows on the oak-tree solely is a popular error. In -fact, the plant prefers the apple. Most of the English mistletoe now -comes from the apple orchards of Herefordshire. Normandy sends a great -deal of mistletoe to England and to our country. The strange parasite -is also found on the linden, poplar, and white-thorn. When once the -seed is lodged, it drives its roots deep into the branch and draws sap -and nourishment from the tree. The European variety is known as _Viscum -album_ and is much forked. In the United States the ordinary mistletoe -is known as _Phoradendron_ and grows on various hardwood trees in many -of the Southern States. - -There is something curiously interesting about the mistletoe. It is not -beautiful, the leaves are irregular and often stained and broken, the -berries fall almost when looked at and the plant is stiff and woody; -yet for all that there is a peculiar quality in the greenish white and -waxy berries and the shape of the forked twig that makes us think of -divining-rods and magical words. It has a mystic fascination for us. -Shakespeare's only reference speaks of it as _baleful_: _Tamora_ says -in "Titus Andronicus":[88] - - The trees, through summer, yet forlorn and lean, - O'ercome with moss and baleful mistletoe. - -[88] Act II, Scene III. - -BOX (_Buxus sempervirens_). Shakespeare mentions the box once--when -_Sir Toby Belch_ and _Sir Andrew Aguecheek_ and the _Clown_ are in -_Olivia's_ garden and _Maria_, running out to tell them that _Malvolio_ -is coming, excitedly cries: - - Get ye all three into the box-tree.[89] - -[89] "Twelfth Night"; Act II, Scene V. - -Every one knows how important a feature the box-bush is in English -gardens and in the old American gardens that were planted after English -models. - -So fine in color, so deep and luxuriant in foliage, so dignified and -aristocratic in its atmosphere the name box is almost synonymous -with old gardens. Its acrid yet aromatic scent--most delicious after -rain--is one of its characteristics. - -Greek myth consecrated the box to Pluto, and the plant was said to be -symbolical of the life in the Underworld which continues all the year. -The ancients used it to border their flower-beds, and probably the -great use of box in England comes from the Roman times. The wood was -used for delicate inlay in the days of the Renaissance and also for -making musical instruments. - -Box is thought to be the assur-wood of the Bible. There is authority -for using greenery in church decoration for in Isaiah we read: "The -glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee; the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and -the box together to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make -the places of my feet glorious."[90] - -[90] Chap. LX, v. 13. - -To dream of box, according to the astrologers of Shakespeare's time, -signified a happy marriage, long life, and prosperity. - -Box was used for decoration in the Tudor and Stuart days and succeeded -the Christmas garlands, as Herrick sings in the time of Charles I, at -Candlemas (February 2): - - Down with the Rosemary and Bays, - Down with the Mistletoe, - Instead of Holly now upraise - The greener Box for show. - - The Holly hitherto did sway, - Let Box now domineer - Until the dancing Easter Day - On Easter eve appear. - - The youthful Box which now hath grace - Your houses to renew, - Grown old, surrender must his place - Unto the crispèd Yew. - - When Yew is out, then Birch comes in, - And many flowers beside, - Both of a fresh and fragrant kin - To honor Whitsuntide. - - Green rushes then and sweetest Bents, - With cooler oaken boughs - Come in for comely ornaments - To re-adorn the house. - -Thus a constant succession of decorative flowers and evergreens -appeared in the houses of Old England. Every season had its appropriate -flowers, each and all emblematical. It was also the same in the Church. -An English writer remarks: - -"Mindful of the Festivals which our Church prescribes, I have sought -to make these objects of floral nature the timepieces of my religious -calendar and the mementos of the hastening period of my mortality. -Thus, I can light my taper to our Virgin Mother in the blossoming of -the white Snowdrop, Which opens its flower at the time of Candlemas; -the Lady's Smock and Daffodil remind me of the Annunciation; the blue -Harebell of the Festival of St. George; the Ranunculus of the Invention -of the Cross; the Scarlet Lychnis of St. John the Baptist's day; the -White Lily of the Visitation of Our Lady; the Virgin's Bower of the -Assumption; and Michaelmas, Martinmas, Holy Rood and Christmas have all -their appropriate decorations." - - - - - PART THREE - - PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS - - - - - THE LAY-OUT OF STATELY AND SMALL FORMAL GARDENS - - - - - I - - _The Stately Garden_ - - -BEFORE taking any steps to make a Shakespeare garden, it is essential -to study the architectural lines of the house and the conformation of -the grounds on which it is purposed to lay out the garden, or series -of gardens. If the grounds are undulating, or hilly, naturally the -gardens must be arrayed on different levels. The gardens can rise above -the house in terraces if the house stands on the side of a hill, or -beneath it; or the gardens may sink below the house, if the building -crowns the summit of an elevation. On the other hand, if the house is -erected on a flat plain, the gardens can open out like a series of -rooms partitioned off by hedges, arbors, or walls. An artistic eye and -resourceful mind will prefer to take advantage of the natural lines and -work out a plan suggested by them. With nearly every kind of house the -square garden accords, either perfectly square or longer than broad. -Frequently the small enclosed garden looks well at the side of the -house. It is essential to call in the professional gardener for advice -regarding the situation of the garden, and questions of drainage, -sunshine, and exposure to winds and sunshine; for all these matters aid -in determining the arrangement. If a series of gardens is planned, one -leading from another, it is well to consider them as outside rooms. -In this case there will be little trouble in making the lay-out. The -simplest plan is always the most effective. A very good example to -follow is the lay-out of Montacute, Somersetshire, built in 1580-1601: - -"Before the house is a walled-in forecourt, and in the forecourt a -small lawn with a fountain, or pool, in the center. An entrance-gate -leads into the forecourt. Before this forecourt comes a small -antecourt, designed for the sake of dignity. On one side of the -forecourt is the base, or bass, court, surrounded by the stables, -kitchens, and other buildings; and on the other side is the ornamental -pleasure-grounds, including 'my lady's garden,' a survival of the small -enclosed castle garden, of the Middle Ages. - -[Illustration: GARDEN HOUSE IN OLD ENGLISH GARDEN] - -"Overlooking the garden is the Terrace--twenty or thirty feet -wide--of considerable length, and protected by a balustrade of detached -banisters, of handsome design pierced in stone. From the Terrace wide -flights of steps at either end lead to the broad sanded walks that -divide the parterre into several subdivisions, which are again divided -by narrow paths into smaller designs. - -"The general shape is square, following the antique classical garden -of Pliny's time, enclosed with trellis-work, espaliers, clipped -box-hedges, statuary, fountains, vases, and pleached alleys." - -The famous Nonsuch, near Ewell, in Surrey, laid out by Henry VIII -toward the end of his life, retained its appearance for more than a -hundred years; for at the time of the Parliamentary Survey (1650) it -was thus described: - -"It was cut out and divided into several allies, quarters and rounds, -set about with thorn hedges; on the north side is a kitchen garden, -very commodious and surrounded with a brick wall of fourteen feet high. -On the west is a wilderness severed from the little park by a lodge, -the whole containing ten acres. In the privy garden were pyramids, -fountains and basins of marble, one of which is set round with six -lilack trees, which trees bear no fruit, but a very pleasant flower. -Before the Palace is a neat and handsome bowling-green surrounded with -a balustrade of freestone." - -Hampton Court Gardens, so beautiful to-day, were very famous in Tudor -times. The old manor house was at the southwest corner of the area, -and around it Cardinal Wolsey laid out his gardens and orchards. In -1599 Henry VIII seized the estate and enlarged the gardens. Ernest Law -exclaims: - -"What a truly delightful picture must these gardens have formed -with their little walks and parterres, sheltered arbors and -banquetting-houses. The largest plot was called the King's New Garden -and occupied the place called the Privy Garden. Here were the gay -parterres with gravel paths and little raised mounds with sun-dials -on them. Here was also the Pond Garden, which is still to be seen -and which, though much altered, yet retains something of its Tudor -aspect; and another, known as the Little Garden, which may, perhaps, -be identified with the enclosed space at the side of the Pond Garden. -Studded about in various parts of the gardens and orchards were -heraldic beasts on pedestals, holding vanes, or shields, bearing the -King's Arms and badges; also many brass sun-dials." - -Another typical garden was that of Kenilworth, known, of course, to -Shakespeare, as it is in Warwickshire: - -"His Honor's the Earl of Leicester's exquisite appointment of a -beautiful garden, an acre or more in quantity, that lieth on the north. -Whereon all along the Castle wall is reared a pleasant terrace, ten -feet high and twelve feet broad, even under foot and fresh of fine -grass, as is also the side, thereof, towards the garden, in which, by -sundry equal distances with obelisks and spheres and white bears all -of stone upon their curious bases by goodly shew, were set. To these, -two fine arbors, redolent by sweet trees and flowers, at each end, one; -the garden-plot under that, with fair alleys, green by grass, even -voided from the borders on both sides, and some (for change) with sand, -smooth and firm, pleasant to walk on, as a sea-shore when the water is -avoided. Then much gracified by due proportion of four even quarters, -in the midst of each upon a base of two feet square and high, seemingly -bordered of itself, a square pilaster rising pyramidically fifteen feet -high." - -Thus Robert Laneham wrote in a letter describing the pageant at -Kenilworth in 1575. - -The garden of varying ascents and descents was much admired in -Elizabethan days. Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1630), a most sensitive -critic, who wrote so beautifully of flowers, describes in his "Elements -of Architecture" a garden laid out on different levels: - -"I have seen a garden for the manner perchance incomparable into which -the first access was a high walk like a terrace, from whence might be -taken a general view of the whole Plot below. From this, the Beholder, -descending many steps, was afterwards conveyed again by several -mountings and fallings to various entertainments of his scent and -sight. Every one of these diversities was as if he had been magically -transported into a new garden." - -The above extracts will afford suggestions for the lay-out of fine -stately gardens. The most typical Elizabethan estates are Montacute, -Somersetshire; Longleat, Wiltshire; Hatfield, Hardwicke, Kirby, -Penshurst, Kent; and Drayton House, Northamptonshire. All of these are -models for imitation in our own country. - - - - - II - - _The Small Garden_ - - -Turning now to the small enclosed garden, first select your ground, -your design, and your flowers for borders, edging, and knots, so that -you will know the effect you wish to produce. - -"Making a garden," says H. H. Thomas, "may be likened to painting a -picture. Just as the artist has before him the landscape which he is -to depict on the canvas, the gardener should have in his mind's eye -a strong impression of the kind of garden he wishes to make. There -is nothing like being methodical even in gardening, so it is best to -materialize one's ideas in the form of a rough sketch, or plan." - -Show your gardener the diagram and have him stake off your garden and -beds with the greatest accuracy. Your walks, paths, and beds must be -_exact_. Next select your style of enclosure and build your brick -wall, plant your green hedge, or construct your pleached alley. Each -one has its own particular advantages and charm. The brick wall forms -a shelter for plants that love shade and a fine support for climbing -plants, especially ivy. The hedge makes a rich and distinguished wall -of living green, which can be artistically clipped; and arches can -be made through it. The pleached alley, formed of wooden trellis, -lattice-work, or rustic, or wire arches painted an attractive color, -or left in the natural wood, will, if they are covered profusely with -roses, honeysuckle, rosemary, and other roving flowers, give the effect -of the old leafy tunnels of greenery and blossoms. - - - - - III - - _Soil and Seed_ - - -Every gardener of olden times, as well as every practical worker -to-day, insists upon the necessity of digging and trenching and -preparing the soil before any seeds are sown, or cuttings planted. For -this important preparation, the advice of the best local gardener is -imperative. - -Regarding seeds it is interesting to seek advice from Didymus -Mountain's "The Gardener's Labyrinth." "Every gardener and owner," he -says, "ought to be careful and diligently to foresee that the seeds -committed to the earth be neither too old, dry, thin, withered, nor -counterfeited, but rather full, new and full of juice. - -"After the seeds being workmanly bestowed in the beds, the gardener's -next care must be that he diligently pull up and weed away all hurtful -and unprofitable herbs annoying the garden plants coming up." - -All very sound advice, quaintly expressed. Old Didymus is even -quainter as he tells of the astrological influences: - -"The daily experience is to the gardener as a schoolmaster to instruct -him how much it availeth and hindereth that seeds to be sown, plants to -be set, yea, scions to be grafted (in this or that time), having herein -regard, not to the time especially of the year, as the Sun altereth the -same, but also to the Moon's increase and wane, yea, to the sign she -occupieth, and places both about and under the earth. To the aspects -also of the other planets, whose beams and influence both quicken, -comfort, preserve and maintain, or else nip, wither, dry, consume, and -destroy by sundry means the tender seeds, plants, yea, and grafts; and -these after their property and virtue natural or accidental." - -Then he goes on to say: - -"To utter here the popular help against thunder, lightnings and the -dangerous hail, when the tempest approacheth through the cloud arising, -as by the loud noise of guns shot here and there, with a loud sound -of bells and such like noises which may happen, I think the same not -necessary, nor properly available to the benefit of the garden. - -"The famous learned man, Archibus, which wrote unto Antiochus, King -of Syria, affirmeth that tempests shall not be harmful to plants, or -fruit, if the speckled toad, enclosed in a new earthern pot, be buried -in the middle of the garden." - -A modern authority says: - -"While no hard and fast rule can be made, a general practice is to -cover seeds with double their own depth of soil under glass and four -times their own depth of soil when sowing in the open ground. To -protect seeds from cats, bury several bottles up to the neck in seed -bed and put in each bottle a teaspoonful of liquid ammonia." - - - - - IV - - _The Gateway_ - - -The gate entrance was always important in Tudor times. The gate, -usually of pierced ironwork, but also of wood artistically cut into -balusters, was hung between two square piers of brick or stone, about -ten feet apart. Each pier was surmounted by a stone ball, with or -without necking, unless heraldic lions, bears, wyverns, or other -emblems of the owner were used. The piers were, as a rule, two feet -square and nine, or ten, feet to the top of the cornice. Gateways were -also set in walls, and little gates were set in hedges, or flanked by -ornamental shrubs. - - - - - V - - _The Garden-House_ - - -The garden-house was very important in Shakespeare's time. It was often -a substantial edifice, built of brick or stone, placed at the corner -of a boundary, or dividing wall, so as to afford a view of more than -one part of the garden. Sometimes two buildings were constructed, one -at each corner, as at Montacute. Another favorite position was at the -end of a long walk ending in a vista; and another was overlooking -the bowling-alley, from which visitors could watch the game. The -garden-house was often fitted with handsome woodwork and even a -fireplace. An outside staircase sometimes led to the roof. - -The summer-house arbor was also often made of wooden lattice-work and -covered with vines. Sometimes it was hollowed out of the clipped hedge, -or out of a large tree properly shaped by the toparian artist. The -gazebo, built at the corner of a wall overlooking the garden within and -the road without, was also a popular kind of summer-house. The origin -of the name is still obscure. Some people say it comes from the same -root as to gaze, and refers to viewing the scenery; but there is a -suggestion of the Orient in the word. The gazebo may best be described -as a kind of wall pavilion. - - - - - VI - - _The Mount_ - - -The mount, originally intended to enable persons to look over the -enclosing wall, served both as a place to enjoy the view and as a -post of outlook in time of danger. Mounts were constructed of wood or -stone, curiously adorned within and without. They were also made in -the old barrow shape of earth and covered with grass. The top of the -mount was often adorned with a summer-house, or arbor. The mount at -Hampton Court, constructed in 1533 on a brick foundation, was the first -specimen of its day; and the arbor upon it was a very elaborate affair, -made of wooden pales and trellis-work. Sometimes the mount, instead of -being a raised and detached mound, was formed like a long bank raised -against an outer wall. - - - - - VII - - _Rustic Arches_ - - -"Rustic arches should be in keeping with the house and grounds. Firstly -they should be in keeping with the style of the house and grounds. -A white stone house with a light pillared verandah is not suited by -rustic arches: it requires to be seen through vistas made up of arches -as slender as the verandah pillars, of painted iron-work preferably, -and the most telling contrast will be arranged if there are numerous -deep evergreen shrubs. - -"Rustic, or peeled oak, arches suit the modern red brick villa style of -house to perfection; the trellis arch, being neat and unpretentious, -is also in excellent taste. The old-fashioned country cottage, or the -house built to imitate it, should not have trellis-work within half -a mile. Rustic arches, or invisible ones of bent iron, are alone in -keeping. By an invisible arch, I mean one consisting of a single bend -of iron, or narrow woodwork upright with a cross bar--anything really -that is intended only to support some evergreen climber or close -grower, such as a rose that will hide the foundation at all seasons. - -"Arches simply built of rustic poles are more pleasing than wire -or lattice ones in any landscape; and the roughness of the wood is -beneficial to the climbers that grow over them, affording an easy hold -for tendrils. Whether the wood is peeled, or employed with the bark -on--the latter is the more artistic method--it is an admirable plan to -wash it all over with a strong solution of some insecticide and then -give one or two coats of varnish. In most cases varnish alone is enough -to preserve the wood. - -"The use of rustic wood in a garden is always safe since its appearance -cannot conflict with Nature as painted woodwork when present in excess -is sure to do. From woodcutter's yards, especially those in the heart -of the country, charming pieces of log of any size can be bought very -cheaply and whenever a tree on an estate has to be felled portions of -its trunks or branches can be turned to good account in the garden."[91] - -[91] H. H. Thomas. - - - - - VIII - - _Seats_ - - -Garden seats are of so many kinds and styles that one has much latitude -in selection. Rustic seats, painted iron seats, and marble seats are -all proper; but should be selected to harmonize with the house and -general style of the garden or gardens. - - - - - IX - - _Vases, Jars, and Tubs_ - -Marble vases, old pottery jars of simple type, and wooden tubs can be -selected for individual plants to grow in, or for fine arrangements of -ferns and other flowers. Placed at regular intervals in the garden, or -on the terrace, these simple ornaments add brightness and elegance to -the scene. - - - - - X - - _Fountains_ - - -In Elizabethan gardens the fountain was a familiar feature, and -fountains were very elaborate with regard to their construction. - -Bacon says: - -"For fountains they are a great beauty and refreshment: the one that -sprinkleth or spouteth water; the other, a fair receipt of water of -some thirty or forty foot. For the first, the ornaments of images gilt, -or marble, which are in use, do well. Also some steps up to it and some -fine pavement about doth well. As for the other kind of fountain, which -may be called a bathing-pool, it may admit much curiosity and beauty, -as that the bottom be finely paved, and with images; the sides likewise -and withal embellished with colored glass and such things of luster -encompassed also with fine rails of low statues." - -Hentzner saw three famous fountains on his visit to England in 1592, -at Hampton Court, Whitehall, and Nonsuch. He describes the one at -Hampton Court as follows: - -"In the middle of the first and principal court stands a fountain, -splendid, high, and massy, with an ingenious water-work, by which you -can, if you like, make the water to play upon the ladies and others who -are standing by and give them a thorough wetting." - -The one at Whitehall was also capable of playing practical jokes: - -"A _jet d'eau_ with a sun-dial, which, while strangers are looking at -it, a quantity of water forced by a wheel, which the gardener turns -at a distance through a number of little pipes, plentifully sprinkles -those who are standing round." - -More ornate was the fountain at the superb palace of Nonsuch in Surrey: - -"In the pleasure and artificial gardens are many columns and pyramids -of marble, two fountains that spout water, one round the other like a -pyramid upon which are perched small birds that stream water out of -their bills. In the Grove of Diana is a very agreeable fountain with -Actæon turned into a stag, as he was sprinkled by the goddess and her -nymphs with inscriptions. There is besides another pyramid of marble -full of concealed pipes which spirt upon all who come within their -reach." - -In the small formal garden a fountain looks well at the intersection -of the paths in the center of the quarters. It is not necessary to -have an ornate fountain, for the real charm of a fountain consists in -the upward plume of spray that glistens in the sunshine, that turns -to pearls in the moonlight, and that always charms the eye of man and -delights the neighboring flowers with its spray blown by the breeze. - - - - - XI - - _The Dove-cote_ - - -Every manor-house had its dove-cote, or columbary, as it was called. -Here doves and pigeons aided in making a very pretty picture as they -flew in and out of the architecturally designed bird-house. The right -to keep them was confined to the lords of the manor, and the law was -very strictly enforced. - -Andrew Borde tells us that a dove-house is a necessary thing about a -mansion-place. It is, therefore, quite proper to include a bird-house -in the Shakespeare garden; and a pool for the birds' comfort is also a -pretty as well as necessary adjunct to the dove-cote. - -Birds add much to the pleasure of the garden. Pigeons and doves give a -poetic touch as they strut along the paths and flutter about. Nothing -gives more quality and elegance, however, than a peacock, and, to quote -from a contemporary writer: - -"The peacock is a bird of more beautiful feathers than any other that -is. He is quickly angry, but he is goodly to behold, very good to -eat, and serveth as a watch in the inner court, for that he, spying -strangers to come into the lodging, he faileth not to cry out and -advertise them of the house." - -The peacock is as much of a joy to the garden lover as the sun-dial. - - - - - XII - - _The Sun-dial_ - - -The sun-dial forms a perfect ornament at the intersection of the garden -paths. Every one responds to the quaint beauty and mystery of the -sun-dial with its dark shadow that creeps quietly across the dial and -tells the hours so softly. As Charles Lamb says: "It is the measure -appropriate for sweet plants and flowers to spring by and birds to -apportion their silver warblings by." Nothing has a more antique air -than the sun-dial. The simple baluster pillar is a good model, and -the base should be surrounded by a circle of grass. - -This grassy ring is the "wabe," Where Lewis Carroll's "slithy toves" -did "gyre and gimbel" in the immortal poem "Jabberwocky." - -[Illustration: FOUNTAINS, SIXTEENTH CENTURY] - -The sun-dial can also be placed at the end of a path, if the path is -important enough to warrant it. - -In our Shakespeare garden I suggest using a Shakespearian quotation for -the inscription, such as, for example: - - For never-resting Time leads summer on. - -or - - Nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defense. - -or - - Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, - So do our minutes hasten to their end. - -or - - Come what, come may, - Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. - - - - - XIII - - _The Terrace_ - - -The terrace is essential, if one would have the true Elizabethan -atmosphere. The terrace can be of stone, or brick, or brick combined -with stone, or brick combined with wood. Whatever the material, the -balustrade is of the greatest importance. The designs for balusters -in the old architectural books are legion, some of them of very -complicated inter-twining after the patterns of arabesques and -_cuirs_ (strap-leather work), but good taste, even in that day of -complicated design, demanded that the balusters should be very widely -spaced. This is obvious, because half of the effect, at least, of -out-of-door architecture depends upon the open spaces for light to -play its part--and a great part, too--in the design. In balustrades -the spacing is, therefore, very important. The balusters should never -be too crowded. The most satisfactory ones are those in which the -distance from center to center almost equals the height from plinth to -coping. The piers dividing the groups should not be too far apart--ten -to fifteen feet is a good distance. Much, however, depends on the -proportion of the balusters themselves. Frequently the balustrade is -adorned with ornamental vases, or urns, set at regular intervals on -the rail and on the newel-posts of the steps. As a rule, the steps -lead from both ends of the terrace. Sometimes there are also steps in -the center; sometimes the terrace is double. A jar, vase, or tub of -growing plants, or containing one handsome plant, looks well placed on -the lawn on either side of the steps. Vines can be trained gracefully -along the balustrade, hand-rails, and posts of the steps. A rich border -of flowers should be grown all along the side of the terrace: in the -spring hosts of daffodils and in the summer larkspur, marigolds, -lilies, iris, and climbing roses and honeysuckle. The terrace gains -in style and beauty when the proper floral decorations are tastefully -selected and well combined. - -From the terrace one can enjoy a fine view of the garden as a whole; -and it is a pleasant place to stroll upon and to sit. Sometimes the -terrace is of two levels with several stairways. - -Leaving the architectural terrace, which is an adjunct of the house -bringing the house into relation with the garden, we must turn to the -garden terrace made of grass, and ascended by grass steps cut in the -bank, or by stone or brick steps cut in the bank, or standing outside -with handrails and newel-posts. If the steps are of grass, good effects -can be made by placing large jars, or tubs, filled with flowers, ferns, -or a single plant, such as the pomegranate, for instance, on either -side. - -The grass-terrace is very charming leading up to the garden, leading -from one garden to another, or leading from the lawn proper to the -sunken garden. A very attractive arrangement was at Penshurst, Kent, -the home of the Sidney family. It is described thus: "Garden on south -and west, ground sloping to south and west, house on a grass platform, -about nine feet above the garden level. Along the southwest side of the -flower-garden a broad grass-terrace, and near the house a few steps -lead to the yew alley, at the end of which is a quaint old sun-dial -known as the Turk's Head." - -The yew alley was evidently a pleached alley. - - - - - XIV - - _The Pleached Alley_ - - -The "Pleached Alley," another typical feature of the Elizabethan garden -(from the French _plessir_, to weave), is nothing more nor less than -a thickly covered walk. In Shakespeare's time this was constructed of -woven boughs and climbing vines and flowers, or a series of arbors. -The old prints and pictures show them to be complete tunnels of -greenery. We can make a pleached alley to-day by setting up a pergola -and smothering it with flowers and vines. Ironwork arches covered with -roses, honeysuckle, and other creepers will produce the proper effect. -A latticework trellis covered with vines and flowers will, if properly -constructed, produce the appearance of a pleached alley. - -When the pleached alley is not used to enclose the garden, then a brick -wall or, still better, a fine hedge should be planted. - - - - - XV - - _Hedges_ - - -Box makes a perfect hedge. The hedge must be clipped at the upper part -narrower than at the base, otherwise the base will become bare. Privet -makes an excellent hedge and so does the Osage orange, which grows -luxuriantly in some parts of the United States. It is decorative to -trim the hedge so that tall pyramids ornament either side of the gate, -or an arch can be made to grow over the gate. A small lavender hedge is -very attractive. Each autumn, after the flower-spikes have gone, trim -plants for the dwarf hedge. - -Roses, particularly the sweetbrier, make a charming hedge. Honeysuckle -is another delightful flower for a hedge; and nothing could be more -beautiful than the two combined. - -If the rose and honeysuckle hedge is desired, have the carpenter make -a lattice screen of the desired height, or simply construct a rustic -fence and plant the creepers near it and train them so that they will -make a wall of flowers and leaves. - - - - - XVI - - _Paths_ - - -"There is no pleasanter path than that of grass, and even the small -garden ought to have a little grass-walk between the flower borders and -rose beds. It adds immensely to the attractiveness of the garden and -none other is so pleasant to the tread. Constant mowing and rolling -are necessary and the edges must be kept neat and trim; for while a -well-kept grass-path is most attractive of all, its charm is never -fully realized unless it is carefully attended to."[92] - -[92] H. H. Thomas. - -Gravel-paths must be frequently rolled and the surface of the walk made -a little higher in the center than the sides with a curving outline, so -that water may drain away to the sides. - -The brick pathway is capable of much variety. Bricks may be laid in -many patterns; and the little garden, if very small, may be entirely -paved with bricks, leaving the formal flower-beds only of earth. A -fountain or sun-dial looks well in the center. - -Flagged pathways are effective in certain garden arrangements. Old -paving-stones are suitable, but they should first be broken up into -irregular pieces. - -"Build a good foundation, cover it with a thin layer of sandy loam, -then lay the larger pieces flat on this. Fill the interstices with the -fragments, but leave crevices filled with soil, two inches or so wide, -here and there. Make up a compost of equal parts of loam, sand and -leaf-mould, sweep this over the path and let it settle in the joints. -Many plants can be established in the joints and a pretty effect -obtained."[93] - -[93] H. H. Thomas. - -Among the plants practical for this purpose are thrift, thyme, and -camomile, and the more they are trodden on the sweeter they smell and -the better they grow. - -"The Gardener's Labyrinth" gives three or four feet as the width -for paths between beds and one foot to one foot six inches for the -cross-path. - - - - - XVII - - _Borders_ - - -Borders should not be confused with edgings. - -"Border is the name applied to the narrow division of the garden which -usually accompanies each side of a walk. In fact, any bed which acts as -a boundary to a walk or grass-plot, or the main quarters of a garden -may be properly described as a border. - -"Flower-borders should be well drained. In plotting them it must -be remembered that if narrow no art will impart to them an air of -boldness. If the pleasure grounds are small, narrow borders are -permissible. All flower-borders should be made in proportion to the -size of the garden and other surroundings. Neatness must be the -presiding deity over flower-borders; and no application of the hoe and -rake, no removal of decayed leaves, no tying up of straggling members -can be too unremitting."[94] - -[94] Johnson's "Gardener's Dictionary and Cultural Instructor," edited -by Fraser and Hemsley (London, 1917). - -According to Lawson, the borders "should be roses, thyme, -lavender, rosemary, hyssop, sage and such like and filled with -cowslips, primroses, violets, Daffy-down-dillies, sweet Sissely, -Go-to-bed-at-noon, and all sweet flowers; and, chief of all, with -gilliflowers, July-flowers, commonly called gilliflowers or clove -July-flowers (I call them so because they flower in July); they have -the names of cloves of their scent. I may well call them the King of -Flowers (except the rose). Of all flowers save the Damask Rose they are -the most pleasant to sight and smell." - - - - - XVIII - - _Edgings_ - - -Edging is the material used for dividing beds and borders from the -paths, or grass leading up to the bed, if the bed is alongside a wall, -or terrace, or veranda. - -Box is a formal, but charming, edging. "The growth must be regularly -clipped each year. Stretch a line the whole length of the edging, so -as to show the correct height; then cut evenly and neatly both at top -and sides. When relaying, take up the plants, pull them to pieces and -use the strong young growths, which must be clipped to one level. Box -is easily grown and stands pruning with impunity." Such is the advice -of an authority. Another practical gardener says: "Most amateurs clip -box-edgings early in the Spring. This causes an early growth, which -is just in the condition to be nipped by a sharp, late frost. The -safeguard is to delay clipping until the end of August. Then comes -free, healthy growth, which renders box-lined garden paths cheerful and -pleasant to the eye through times of heat and drought." - -Thrift (_Armeria_) is one of the best edgings as it is green all -the year round and in summer is covered with bright pink flowers. A -flower-lover says: - -"Thrift is seen as an edging in many old English gardens. To preserve -its beauty the plants must be lifted, divided and replanted once -in at least four years: a rich even growth is then the reward. The -tufted habit, fresh green growth and rose-purple flowers in Summer are -enjoyable to look at." - -Thrift requires frequent trimming. - -London-pride (_Saxifraga umbrosa_) is very pretty when in flower and, -therefore, makes an attractive edging. - -Pansies also form a decorative edging for flower beds, large and small. - -Another charming edging is the carnation, especially the white -varieties. The gray-green foliage makes a beautiful border for -flower-beds. Pinks are pretty, too, for bed edgings, and the -sweet-william is also attractive for this purpose. - - - - - XIX - - _Knots_ - - -The knot should occupy a piece of ground from twenty-five to one -hundred feet square. According to "The Gardener's Labyrinth" "the -flower-bed should be kept to the size that the weeder's hands may well -reach into the middest of the bed." The size given in this manual -is twelve feet by six, "each bed raised one foot above the ground -(two feet in marshy ground) and the edge cased in with short planks -framed into square posts with finials at the angles with intermediate -supports." A prettier method, however, is to border the flower-bed with -an edging of box, thrift, pansies, or pinks. This border outlines the -shape of the knot. Within the edging, or border, "the flowers are all -planted in some proportion as near one into another as it is fit for -them, which will give such grace to the garden that the place will seem -like a tapestry of flowers." - -It would seem from the hundreds of designs for knots in the old -garden-books that every possible combination of scroll and line and -curve had been exhausted; but ingenious persons liked to invent their -own. Markham tells us that "the pattern of the design cannot be decided -by rule; the one whereof is led by the hops and skips, turnings and -windings of his brain; the other, by the pleasing of his eye, according -to his best fantasie." - -Lawson gives the following nine designs for knots: - - Cinkfoyle Lozenges - Flower-de-luce[95] Cross-bow - Trefoyle Diamond - Frette Oval - Maze. - -[95] Fleur-de-lis. - -Here the maze is not intended as a labyrinth to walk in, but is a -design for the planting of flowers. - -Markham's knots are: - - Straight line knots - Diamond knots, single and double - Single knots - Mixed knots - Single impleate of straight line - Plain and mixed - Direct and Circular. - -Knots, formed with "a border of box, lavender, or rosemary, are -eighteen inches broad at bottom and clipped so close a level at the top -as to form a table for the housewife to spread clothes to dry on," are -Lawson's idea. - -The old garden books contain many designs for knots, some of which are -astonishingly intricate. Examples occur in Markham's and Lawson's books -and in Didymus Mountain's "Gardener's Labyrinth" (editions of 1557, -1594, and 1608), which are perfectly practical for use to-day. - -In David Loggan's "Oxonia Illustrata" (Oxford, 1675, folio) several -large plates show formal gardens. Among them New College Gardens and -those of Jesus are extremely interesting. Loggan's companion book on -Cambridge, "Cantabrigia Illustrata" (Cambridge, 1688), has splendid -views of architecture and formal gardens with knots. - -Typical flower-beds are also represented in Vredeman de Vries's -"Hortorum Viridariorumque" (Antwerp, 1583) and Crispin de Passe's -"Hortus Floridus" (Arnhem, 1614). - -Theobald's as late as 1650 preserved the Tudor arrangement. - -"In the great garden are nine large complete squares, or knots, lying -upon a level in the middle of the said garden, whereof one is set forth -with box-borders in the likeness of the King's Arms, one other plot is -planted with choice flowers; the other seven knots are all grass-knots, -handsomely turfed in the intervals, or little walks. A quickset hedge -of white thorn, or privet, cut into a handsome fashion at every angle, -a fair cherry tree and a cypress in the middle of the knots--also a -marble fountain." - - - - - XX - - _The Rock-Garden_ - - -It is well to build a little unostentatious rock-garden in some -appropriate spot where a few flowers, which you may not want in the -beds, can grow. Flowers that find a congenial home in a loosely -arranged pile of rocks and turf are anemones, columbines, thrift, -thyme, rosemary, violets, buttercups, harebells, ferns, fennel, ivy, -myrtle, pansies, and the ragged-robin (gentian). - -Select weather-worn stones and pile them carelessly one above another, -placing some of them as shelves. Leave plenty of room for the earth and -let your flowers grow as they please. - - - - - XXI - - _Flowers_ - - -As I do not pretend to be a practical gardener, having had no -experience, I have culled these hints from several authorities, -including E. T. Cook's "The Century Book of Gardening" (London, 1901); -Johnson's "Gardener's Dictionary and Cultural Instructor," edited -by Fraser and Hemsley (London, 1917); H. H. Thomas's "The Complete -Gardener" (London, 1912); and Mabel Cabot Sedgwick's "The Garden Month -by Month" (New York, 1907). - -ANEMONE STELLATA requires a sheltered, warm position and light, sandy -soil, well drained. It grows about ten inches high with star-like -flowers, purple, rose-color, and white. Generally speaking, it requires -the same treatment as the tulip. Anemones also flourish in the -rock-garden. - -BOX can be grown in almost any soil, but prefers light soil with -gravelly subsoil. See page 297. - -BROOM-FLOWER (_Cytisus scoparius_), a splendid flowering shrub with -yellow flowers of handsome color, succeeds in dry, sandy places where -most other plants fail. It can, therefore, be planted on rough dry -banks. It grows from seed; and this can be sown in any sheltered place -out of doors. Cuttings placed in a frame are also easy to strike. - -CAMOMILE will grow in any garden soil. It is a creeping plant and grows -freely in dense masses. The flowers are white and blossom from June -to August. The height attained is from twelve to eighteen inches. The -foliage is finely divided and has a feathery appearance. The plant -makes a good border, for it loves the sun. Propagate by division and -cuttings. Camomile may be allowed to run over paving-stones, for it -grows when trodden upon. - -CARNATIONS. A carnation specialist says: - -"A great number of amateur cultivators of the Carnation have an idea -that if they obtain seed from a variety of Carnation, the seedlings -produced from such seed will be reproductions of the parent plant. -This, of course, is wrong, and it is well to mention it. Now to grow -Carnations well they must have a good soil, or the plants will not -produce flowers, or layers, for another season. For the open garden, I -strongly recommend seedlings. The cultivator must not expect all the -flowers to be as good as the parent, or even all double. There will be -from ten to fifteen per cent with single flowers, all the others having -double flowers, some as good as, or even better than their parents; but -the majority will be of uncertain quantity. - -[Illustration: SUNKEN GARDEN, SUNDERLAND HALL, WITH UNUSUAL TREATMENT -OF HEDGES] - -"The seed will germinate in a hothouse well within a week from the -time of sowing, and the seedlings should be pricked out in boxes as -soon as large enough. Plant in good soil and let the plants be fifteen -inches apart and two feet between the rows. Seedlings are not nearly -so particular in regard to soil as-named varieties. The seedling is -more robust; and, given the same cultural conditions, grows more -vigorously. It is always best to dig a trench some time before the -seedling is planted. This admits of the soil being aerated. The plants -should be put out after a shower of good rain. I trench it eighteen -inches deep, put a layer of manure at the bottom and another layer six -or eight inches below the surface. - -"A warning is necessary to those unacquainted with the nature of soils. -It will not do to trench up soil that has not been there before. New -subsoil is not adapted to grow anything until it has been well turned -over two or three times and mixed with decayed manure. - -"After planting, give a light dressing of manure: it keeps the roots -in better condition and the plant starts more freely into growth. -Carnations must not be left to themselves after planting." - -Gilliflowers, pinks, and sweet-williams belong to this family. - -COLUMBINES prefer a situation where the roots can obtain moisture. They -also do well and look at home in a rock-garden. "Gather ripe seeds in -July and sow them so that the seedlings are well established before -winter," an authority says. "Such plants will bloom the next year. -Aquilegias often die out after their second year, although they are -classed as perennials, and should therefore be treated as biennials and -raised annually from seed. Seed is produced in abundance and should -be sown as soon as ripe in a shady place in the garden, or in pans in -a cold frame, care being taken to sow the seed very thinly. When the -seedlings are large enough to handle they should be lifted and planted -out in their permanent quarters. Aquilegias growing in a garden are -almost invariably cross-fertilized; and it is therefore necessary, -where more than one variety is in bloom at the same time, to procure -the seed from some other dependable source." - -COWSLIP. This flower needs a rich, light soil, not dry. Its small, -yellow cup-like flowers with ruby spots in the center blossom in -the late April and late May. It grows to six or twelve inches and -prefers half-shade. It must be protected in the winter. Propagate by -seed. Cowslips make a charming border plant and are happy, also, in -rock-gardens. - -CROCUS SATIVUS, the beautiful purple flower that blooms in autumn, -should be planted near trees. "The cultivation of the garden crocus -is so simple a matter that the merest novice may plant the bulbs with -the assurance that he, or she, will reap a bright reward in the near -future, provided the burrowing mouse and flower-picking sparrow do not -interfere with nature. Crocuses may be propagated from seed sown as -soon as ripe in light, sandy soil in pans, or pots. They reach their -flowering stage in three years." - -CROW-FLOWERS. Some authorities, as we have seen, identify crow-flowers -as the buttercup; others, as _Scilla nutans_. The buttercup is easy to -raise in almost any soil. As it should be represented, it is well to -put it in the rock-garden. See Harebell. - -CROWN-IMPERIAL. This plant, which the people of Shakespeare's time -valued so highly, is rare in our gardens. The popularity of the flower -decreased because of its unpleasant odor; but no Shakespeare garden can -be without at least one representative because of _Perdita's_ words. -The Crown-Imperial is a very showy plant and makes a splendid effect if -planted in groups. It also looks well among shrubs and in a border. The -blossoms appear in March, April, and May, and are very handsome as to -shape and color. The bell-shaped flowers, orange-red or reddish-orange, -droop gracefully beneath an upright crown of leaves. When the foliage -turns brown, the plant can be cut down. Propagate by offsets in deep, -rich, well-drained soil, and divide every two or three years. - -CUCKOO-FLOWERS (_Lychnis Flos cuculi_), or the Ragged-Robin, with its -deeply cut petals of rich blue, makes a pretty border plant as it is an -abundant bloomer. (See page 214.) - -CUPID'S FLOWER. See Pansy. - -DAFFODILS do better in half-shade than in full sunlight. The earlier -the buds can be procured and planted the better: August is none too -soon. - -"Late planted bulbs must necessarily lose much of their vigor by -being kept out of the ground too long, and the longer the period of -root-growth the stronger the flower-spikes. As regards soil one that -is fairly retentive of moisture is more suited to the requirements -than a light staple that soon dries up. They should be covered to the -depth of one and a half times the depth of the bulb measured from base -to shoulder. A bulb two inches deep can be covered to a depth of three -inches, and so on in proportion. In light soil the bulbs should be -placed a little deeper and in heavy soil not quite so deep." - -DAISY. In the spring florists have plenty of English daisies to sell in -little pots. Propagate by seed in spring or division in September. This -daisy is pink and white; the little rays tipped with pink sometimes -almost cover the yellow center. The plant requires rich soil and plenty -of sunshine. It blooms in mid-April to mid-June and grows to a height -of three to six inches. The daisy must be protected in the winter. It -is most desirable for borders and makes a charming edging. - -DIAN'S BUD, _Artemesia_, or wormwood, is a bushy foliage plant of small -globe-shaped, drooping flowers of whitish yellow. The leaves are finely -divided. Propagate by division. This grows in a poor soil and likes -sunshine. - -FENNEL, though regarded as a weed, can be utilized so that it makes -a decorative appearance, for its foliage is light and a brilliant -green. The tiny flowers are yellow and grow in flat-tipped clusters -on branching stalks. They blossom in July. The plant rises to a good -height and prefers rich, deep, open soil and plenty of sunlight. Plant -fresh seeds and make the plants grow in bold groups. - -FERNS are effective planted in pots, jars, or tubs, and look well at -the sides of the steps and on the newel-posts of the steps. They look -well in a rock-garden. - -FLOWER-DE-LUCE (_fleur-de-lis_). There are many native American flags, -or irises; but the plants nearest to those described by Parkinson are -the _Iris florentina_, the _Iris pseudacorus_, and the great purple -Turkey flag. - -The _Iris florentina_ grows from one to two feet, blooms in May and -June, with large, delicately scented white flowers tinted blue and -streaked with purple veins and having orange-yellow beards. The -fragrant rootstock is the orris-root. Propagate by division in soil not -too dry. This is an excellent border plant and prefers half-shade. - -_Iris pseudacorus_ grows from one and a half to three feet and blossoms -in late May and late June. It forms luxuriant clumps, having many -stems, which bear large broad-petaled flowers, yellow veined with -brown. The leaves--long, stiff, and gray-green--are handsome. This is -a beautiful plant for the margin of water, and is very pretty around a -bird-bath. Propagate by division. This iris likes the sun. - -The great purple Turkey flag will grow in either sun, or half-shade. -The height is from two to four feet. The large fragrant flowers bloom -in May, June, and July. This iris is very handsome in large groups and -in the border. Propagate by division. It is a gross feeder, but grows -well in any garden soil. - -GILLIFLOWERS. See Carnations. - -HAREBELL. This lovely jewel of the English woodland has drooping -bell-shaped flowers, fragrant, and blue in color. The bells hang from -tall stems. The leaves are long and grass-like. The height is from -eight to twelve inches. It is bulbous. Propagate by offsets and give it -occasionally a top dressing of manure. _Scilla nutans_ blooms in May -and June and prefers half-shade. There are varieties, white, pink, and -purple. - -HOLLY should be used for hedges and ornamental bushes. Some varieties -grow very well in certain parts of the United States. - -HONEYSUCKLE grows easily in any garden. It is a luxuriant creeper and -is generous with its blossoms and lavish in fragrance. Use it for -hedges and to climb over walls, arbors, trellises, gates and wire -screens. - -IVY. English ivy is a climbing and trailing evergreen sub-shrub, with -beautiful large, dark-green leaves, richly veined, and of graceful -heart-shape. The flowers are inconspicuous, but the berries, almost -jet-black, are decorative. Propagate by half-ripe cuttings in rich, -damp soil and protect in winter. Ivy prefers shade. It blossoms in June -and July. - -LADY'S-SMOCK (_Cardamine pretensis_) will grow in sun, or shade, -but prefers a moist soil. Propagate by division. Its blossoms are -pinkish lilac in terminal clusters and appear in June. The foliage is -deeply cut. Lady's-smocks will grow in rock-gardens and are excellent -border-plants. - -LARK'S-HEELS. See Nasturtium. - -LARKSPUR is a glorious flower, noble in masses of bloom and fine in -growth, highly decorative, and lasts well besides. "Delphiniums are -very easy to grow and can be planted at almost any time, but the best -seasons are early autumn and spring when new growth commences. The -great point is to plant them in rich well-dug and manured soil and -strew coal-ashes about for the reason that slugs are very partial to -these plants. Ample space must be left for full development as with -age the roots increase greatly, so that two and a half feet apart is -none too much. The plant needs a rather rich ground, for its growth -is strong. Larkspur looks well planted in the back row of the mixed -border." - -LAVENDER is a precious, fragrant, hardy bush. Its sweet-smelling leaves -and blue flowers are ever welcome, whether in the border, or as a low -hedge, or standing alone. A very light soil and sunshine are essential. -Propagate by cuttings in early autumn out of doors in a sheltered, -but not shady, place and plant out when rooted, or divide in March, -planting out the rooted slips one foot apart in light soil. Lavender -may be used to beautify walks. Bushes in some sunny corner of the -garden are pretty for picturesque growth and color. Lavender can be -grouped so as to give a touch of silvery gray to the border. It permits -itself to be clipped, and it must be cared for, or it will grow twisted -and gnarled. If flower-spikes are desired, the lavender must be clipped -in autumn; if the gray leaf is all that is desired then it must be -clipped in the spring before the young twigs have begun to grow. - -LILIES. The lily bed should be deep--three feet if possible,--the soil -open and porous without being light. There cannot be a better material -than sound fibrous loam with which leaf-mold has been mixed. Lilies -are rarely benefited by animal manure. The bed should be sheltered -from boisterous winds, for lilies lose half their beauty if it becomes -necessary to stake their graceful stems, and partially shaded so that -the sun does not parch the ground, or prematurely wither their dainty -petals. In times of drought the beds should be given a copious _soaking -of an hour or two's duration_. - -The Madonna Lily is a great favorite and is very effective in small -clumps against a background of shrubs and in borders. Unfortunately it -is subject to disease. It is bulbous. Propagate by offsets, scales, or -very slowly by seed. It likes rich, well-dressed soil and half-shade. -Avoid contact with manure. The Madonna Lily flowers in June and July -with white blossoms. - -The Martagon has much reflexed flowers on long spire-like racemes and -is light-purple with darker spots. The _Martagon dalmaticum_ grows from -six to seven feet. It has dark purple flowers. There is also a white -kind. Both are very hardy and succeed in open borders. - -The _Chalcedonicum_, or Scarlet Turk's-Cap, grows from three to four -feet high and has waxy flowers of bright vermilion. This is the -_brightest_ of all lilies. It is very hardy and easy to cultivate. - -Lily-of-the-Valley flourishes in the shade and also where there is a -little (but not too much) sunlight. It thrives beneath shade trees -and near a wall. _Room for development it must have_; otherwise it -becomes crowded to such an extent that the plants deteriorate and -fail to bloom. The Lily-of-the-Valley should be planted in September -or October. Prepare the soil by deep digging and mix in a plentiful -supply of decayed manure. Leaf-soil and road sweepings may be added to -heavy soil. Plant crowns about three inches apart to allow room for -future development. Bury the crowns just below the surface and make -them moderately firm. When all are planted mulch with rolled manure and -leaf-soil in equal parts, covering the bed to a depth of two inches. - -LONG PURPLES. This Arum, being a plant of the woods, does well in the -rock-garden. The best plan is to remove a Jack-in-the-Pulpit from the -woods with some of its native soil and transplant it in the garden. It -grows in shade and sun alike. - -MARIGOLD. For marigolds choose a light, dry, _poor_ soil and a sunny -spot. Sow seed any time from February to June. Seeds sown in the spring -will produce flowers in June. Sow in drills ten inches apart and water -moderately. Thin the seedlings and remove into rows ten inches apart. -In rich soil the plant grows too large and fails to blossom well. H. H. -Thomas in "The Complete Gardener" says: - -"The ordinary reader understands Marigold to refer to the French, -African and Pot Marigolds. The botanical name _Calendula_ is said to -imply that the plant keeps pace with the calendar. In other words that -it is nearly always in bloom. And really this is not very far from the -truth. Once introduce the Pot Marigold into your garden and you will -rarely be without flowers. It is hardy and seeds itself very freely. -Seed may be sown out of doors where the plants are to bloom, choosing -for preference poor ground, otherwise the plants will grow freely -enough, but blooms will be scarce." - -The French marigold is deep yellow, orange, or pale yellow striped or -marked with brown, and crinkled. It grows from twelve to fifteen inches -high. "The Gentleman's Labyrinth" gives quaint instructions for the -growth of the Marigold: - -"The seeds of this flower are commonly bestowed in a husbandly and -well-dressed earth, but this rather done by the counsel of the skilful -in the increase of the Moon, whereby the flowers may grow the bigger -and broader. But to procure the flowers to grow the doubler, bigger and -broader the owner ought to remove the plants and set them in new beds, -lying in sunny places herein considering at those times of removing -that the Moon be increasing so nigh as you can. These, after certain -leaves spring up, if they be often removed and clipped by the course -of the Moon, yield a better, broader and fairer flower, and they yield -always more flowers in the harvest than in the spring time." - -MARJORAM is a branching plant with flowers in clusters, purplish pink. -Propagate by seed and division in early spring in any garden soil. -Sweet marjoram must be treated as an annual, for winter kills it. The -leaves are deliciously fragrant and are useful in cookery. - -MINT (_Mentha spicata_, spearmint) has purplish flowers that bloom in -July and August. These blossoms appear in slender spikes. The leaves -have a pleasant taste and are used for flavoring. Spearmint will grow -in any ordinary soil, but it likes the sun. It grows from one to two -feet high. - -_Mentha rotundifolia_ has round leaves, variegated, and pale yellow -flowers that appear in June and July. Propagate by division. The height -is from one to two feet. The flowers are unimportant; but the foliage -is sufficiently interesting to use as an edging, and this variety is -useful to cover waste places. - -MONK'S-HOOD has large showy helmet-shaped flowers of deep purple-blue -growing on racemes on erect stems. The leaves are deeply cut. The plant -is suited to borders and rough places. Propagate by division in rich -soil. Monk's-hood likes sun or shade. It blooms in late summer or early -autumn. The roots and flowers are poisonous. It grows from three to -four feet. - -MYRTLE (_Myrtus latifolia_). This plant has charming foliage and pure -white flowers. Both leaves and flowers are fragrant. The fragrance -of the foliage is caused by an oil, which is secreted in the leaves. -Myrtle is quite hardy. Propagate by cuttings, or partially ripened -shoots. Myrtle looks well in large pots. - -NASTURTIUM. _Tropæolum_ is the botanical name, meaning trophy, for the -leaves suggest a buckler and the flowers a helmet. Treat as a hardy -annual. Sow seeds in the spring. Nasturtium is a splendid climber over -rocks, stones, or latticework, and a prolific bloomer. - -OXLIP. Propagate by fresh seed, divisions, or cuttings in rich, light -soil, not dry. _Protect in winter._ The oxlip grows from eight to -twelve inches and likes half-shade. It resembles the primrose, but has -larger flowers. These open in May and are yellow. The leaves are broad -and flat and wrinkled. - -PANSY. Heart's-ease and Johnny-Jump-Up are other names for the -_Viola tricolor_, which has a wonderful length of blossoming, for -the flowers continue from mid-April to mid-September. The flowers -must be constantly picked, or the plant deteriorates. This precious -little plant is very easy to raise, provided it is protected from the -noonday sun. Propagate by seed or division in any garden soil, and in -half-shade or morning sunlight. Protect it from the hot noon-day sun. -Pansies look well in a bed by themselves and make a beautiful border -plant. - -PINKS. See Carnations. - -POMEGRANATE is a highly decorative shrub, particularly the beautiful -double scarlet variety (_Punica rubrum florepleno_), which flowers in -August. Plant cutting in a big pot, jar, or tub, or buy plants. Stand -these plants in pairs in some conspicuous place in the garden and they -will add great elegance. - -POPPY. The common garden herbaceous poppy flowers in May and June, in -sun or half-shade, rising from two to three feet. It has large flowers -and handsome divided foliage. For a Shakespeare garden select the -white. Propagate by dividing in early autumn. The poppy is a gross -feeder and likes rather moist loam enriched with cow manure. - -PRIMROSE. This flower blooms from mid-April to mid-June. It has several -solitary pale yellow blossoms on naked stem. It grows from six to nine -inches high. _Protect in winter._ Propagate by seeds and offsets in -rich, light soil, not dry. - -ROSE. "How to plant a rose may seem a simple matter, but many have -laid the foundation of failure through bad planting," writes a rose -cultivator. "Never plant in a very wet soil, nor allow crude manures -to come into direct contact with the roots. See that the roots are -spread out properly and naturally, not pressed into a small hole and -cramped or distorted from the first. Plant dwarf kinds two inches -deeper than the junction of the rose and stock, and standards three -inches below the original root. To place a small grower side by side -with one of three or four times the strength is a great mistake; the -weaker grower has no chance whatever. For medium growers three feet is -a good distance, while plants of greater vigor will need to be from -four feet to six feet apart. Do not plant _against_ a wall; but leave -some four or six inches between the wall and the base of the plant. It -should not be difficult to obtain the roses familiar to Shakespeare. -The old Hundred-Leaved and Damask are easy to procure. The _Rosa alba_, -or white rose, has two familiar varieties called "Maiden's Blush" and -"Madame Plantier." - -[Illustration: KNOTS FROM MARKHAM] - -[Illustration: SIMPLE GARDEN BEDS] - -The Musk-Rose may give some trouble, but E. T. Cook gives us a good -clue as well as instructions for growing it. He says: - -"These are very old roses, certainly known in England three hundred -years ago. The flowers are insignificant individually, but collectively -are pleasing and appear late in August. They require good culture, -and very little, if any, pruning. As pillar roses they are seen at -their best. 'Fringed' is very pretty and strikes freely from cuttings. -Its color is white shaded sulphur. All the Musk-Roses have a peculiar -musk-like odor, but this is distilled only on still damp mornings or -evenings. 'Eliza Verry' is white, very free, the flowers appearing -in large corymbs. 'Rivers Musk' is a pretty pink variety, well worth -cultivating. Of the Hybrid Musks the 'Garland' is of rampant growth. It -has immense corymbs of tiny white flowers with innumerable little buff -colored buds, peering out among them. 'Madame d' Arblay' is another. -'Nivea' is a beautiful kind for a pergola, or fence." - -The "Noisette" is also a hybrid musk, named for a French gardener of -Charleston, South Carolina, who took the seed from the musk-rose in -1817. - -There is a difference between the Eglantine, or Sweetbrier, and the -Dog-rose, although they are difficult to distinguish. - -"The 'Dog Rose' sends up long arching branches some six to nine feet -high and perhaps more; the 'Sweetbrier' is content with branches three -or four feet in length. And whereas in the 'Dog Rose' the branch -continues single the 'Sweetbrier' sends out side growths, or branchlets -quickly forming a dense bush. Note also the prickles. To a certain -extent they are stout and hooked like those of the 'Dog Rose,' but -more irregularly placed. On the young root-shoots there is a marked -difference, for whilst on the 'Sweetbrier' this young growth is covered -with _setæ_, some of them very small, tipped with glands, in the 'Dog -Rose' they are totally absent."[96] - -[96] Pemberton, "Roses" (London, 1908). - -ROSEMARY. Tender, aromatic sub-shrub with small flowers in short -racemes. Propagate by seeds, cuttings, or layers in dry, light soil. -The flowers are purple and bluish. Rosemary is valued in cookery as -a flavoring. It can be allowed to wander all over the garden. It was -always a favorite border-plant in old-fashioned gardens. - -RUE. The "herb of grace" is not very pretty. It has much divided -leaves and panicles of small fragrant flowers, yellowish-green, or -greenish-yellow. Propagate by seed and division. Rue needs a sheltered -position and protection in winter. Its height is about two feet. - -SAVORY. Sow in open ground at the end of March, or early April, in -light, rich soil. Thin the seedlings moderately; they may remain where -they are, or be transplanted. Sown along the outside of beds, savory -makes a good edging. It is useful in cookery. - -SWEET BALM. _Melissa officinalis_ is the botanical name. Sweet balm is -loved for its fragrance. The yellowish white flowers bloom in June, -July, and August. It grows about two feet and loves the sun. Propagate -by seed and division. - -SWEET-WILLIAM is a valuable little garden plant, for it blooms -profusely in June and July and is vigorous and rapidly spreading. The -flowers are in double clusters, pink, white, red, and party-colored, -single and double. Propagate by seed in any soil. See Carnations. - -THYME. This aromatic herb is of dense growth with small, pale-lilac -flowers in terminal spikes. Its pale, bright-green foliage makes it an -attractive creeper for banks. Thyme also grows well in a rock-garden -and makes a good border-plant also. Propagate by seed and division. The -plant grows in any soil. It attains a height of from one to two inches -and blossoms in June and July. Every one knows the value of dried thyme -for flavoring in cookery. - -VIOLETS prefer shady places. They are at home in the rock-garden, and -they are very charming if planted on a little bank. They can be sown on -the grassy slope of a terrace. In that case, let them come up of their -own sweet will. The graceful heart-shaped leaves of the _Viola odorata_ -and its purple blossoms that open in late April and May are known and -loved by every one. Propagate by seed or division, selecting a loose, -rich, sandy soil. - - - - - XXII - - _Potpourri_ - - -As the ladies of Shakespeare's time were so fond of making _potpourri_, -I think it may be of value to place here an old recipe, which any one -who has a garden can follow: - -"Many fragrant flowers and leaves can be used in the making of -an old-fashioned bowl of _potpourri_. Those usually employed are -rose-petals, lavender, lemon-plant, verbena, myrtle, rosemary, bay, -mignonette, violets, pinks and syringa. Thyme, mint and other sweet -herbs should be used, if available. Shred the larger leaves and dry -all in the sun. Mix an ounce of orris-root, allspice, bay-salt and -cloves and mix freely with about twelve handfuls of the dried petals -and leaves and store in a jar, or bowl. A small quantity of essence -of lemon and spirits of lavender may be added, but are not necessary. -Should the mixture become too moist, add more powdered orris-root." - - - - - A MASKE OF FLOWERS - - - - - A MASKE OF FLOWERS - - -IT seems to me that nothing more appropriate could be placed here as an -epilogue to this book on the Shakespeare garden than the contemporary -description of "A Maske of Flowers by the Gentlemen of Gray's Inn at -Whitehall on Twelfth Night, 1613, being the last of the solemnities -and magnificences which were performed at the marriage of the Earl -of Somerset and Lady Frances, daughter of the Earl of Suffolk, Lord -Chamberlain." - -This was printed in 1614; and I have quoted it from the "History of -Gardening in England" by the Hon. Alicia Amherst (London, 1895), who -copied it from a very rare original. - -This description not only presents a perfect picture of a Shakespearian -garden but will be a revelation to those persons who think that only -crude stage-setting existed in Elizabethan and Jacobean days. Although -elaborate stage-setting was restricted to private entertainments, the -designers of the period knew how to produce splendid effects. There -is nothing more elaborate in the theater today than this ornate and -brilliantly lighted scene: - -"When the Dance ended, the loud music sounded. The curtains being -drawn was seen a Garden of a glorious and strange beauty, cast into -four Quarters with a cross-walk and alleys compassing each Quarter. In -the middle of the cross-walk stood a goodly Fountain, raised on four -columns of silver. On the tops whereof strode four statues of silver -which supported a bowl in circuit containing four and twenty foot and -was raised from the ground nine foot in height, in the middle whereof, -upon scrolls of silver and gold, was placed a globe garnished with four -golden mask heads, out of which issued water into the bowl; above stood -a golden Neptune, in height three foot, holding in his hand a trident. - -"The Garden walls were of brick, artificially painted in perspective, -all along which were placed fruit-trees with artificial leaves and -fruits. The Garden within the walls was railed about with rails of -three foot high, adorned with balusters of silver, between which -were placed pedestals beautified with transparent lights of variable -colors. Upon the pedestals stood silver columns, upon the tops whereof -were personages of gold, lions of gold and unicorns of silver. Every -personage and beast did hold a torchet burning, that gave light and -luster to the whole fabric. - -"Every Quarter of the Garden was finely hedged about with a low hedge -of cypress and juniper; the Knots within set with artificial flowers. -In the two first Quarters were two Pyramids, garnished with gold and -silver and glittering with transparent lights resembling carbuncles, -sapphires and rubies. - -"In every corner of each Quarter were great pots of gilliflowers which -shadowed certain lights placed behind them and made resplendent and -admirable luster. The two farther Quarters were beautified with tulips -of divers colors, and in the middle and in the corners of the said -Quarters were set great tufts of several kinds of flowers receiving -luster from secret lights placed behind them. - -"At the farther end of the Garden was a Mount, raised by degrees -resembling banks of earth covered with grass. On the top of the Mount -stood a goodly Arbor, substantially made and covered with artificial -trees and with arbor flowers such as eglantine, honeysuckles and the -like. The Arbor was in length three and thirty foot, in height one and -twenty, supported with termes of gold and silver. It was divided into -six arches and three doors answerable to the three walks of the Garden. - -"In the middle of the Arbor rose a goodly large turret and at either -end a smaller. Upon the top of the Mount in the front thereof was a -bank of flowers, curiously painted behind, while within the arches the -maskers sat unseen. - -"Behind the Garden, over the top of the Arbor, were set artificial -trees appearing like an Orchard joining to the Garden; and over all was -drawn in perspective a Firmament like the skies in a clear night. Upon -a grassy seat under the Arbor sat the Garden Gods in number twelve, -apparrelled in long robes of green rich taffeta, caps on their heads -and chaplets of flowers. In the midst of them sat Primaura, at whose -entreaty they descended to the stage, and, marching up to the King, -sung to lutes and theorbos."[97] - -[97] The tenor lute. - - - - - COMPLETE LIST OF SHAKESPEARIAN FLOWERS - WITH BOTANICAL IDENTIFICATIONS - - - Anemone (_Anemone purpurea striata stellata_). - Box (_Buxus sempervirens_). - Broom-flower (_Cytisus scoparius_). - Camomile (_Anthemis nobilis_). - Carnation (_Dianthus caryophyllus_). - Columbine (_Aquilegia vulgaris_). - Cowslip (_Paralysis vulgaris pratensis_). - Crocus (_Crocus verus sativus autumnalis_). - Crow-flower (_Scilla nutans_). - Crown-imperial (_Fritillaria imperalis_). - Cuckoo-buds (_Ranunculus_). - Cuckoo-flowers (_Lychnis Flos cuculi_). - Daffodil (_Narcissus pseudo-narcissus_). - Daisy (_Bellis perennis_). - Diana's-bud (_Artemesia_). - Fennel (_Fœniculum vulgare_). - Fern (_Pteris aquilina_). - Flower-de-luce (_Iris pseudacorus_). - Gilliflower (_Caryophyllus major_). - Harebell (_Scilla nutans_). - Holly (_Ilex aquifolium_). - Honeysuckle (_Lonicera perfolium_). - Ivy (_Hedera helix_). - Lady-smocks (_Cardamine pratensis_). - Lark's-heels, Nasturtium. - Larkspur (_Delphinium_). - Lavender (_Lavendula spica_). - Lily (_Lilium candidum_). - Long purples (_Arum masculata_). - Marigold (_Calendula officinalis_). - Marjoram (_Origanum vulgare_). - Mint (_Mentha_). - Mistletoe (_Viscum album_). - Monks-hood (_Aconitum Napellus_). - Myrtle (_Myrtus latifolia_). - Oxlip (_Primula eliator_). - Pansy (_Viola tricolor_). - Pomegranate (_Punica_). - Poppy (_Papaver somniferum_). - Primrose (_Primula vulgaris_). - Rose (_Rosa_). - Rosemary (_Rosmarinus officinalis_). - Rue (_Ruta graveolus_). - Savory (_Satureia_). - Sweet Balm (_Melissa officinalis_). - Thyme (_Thymus serpyllum_). - Violet (_Viola odorata_). - - - - - APPENDIX - - - - - ELIZABETHAN GARDEN AT SHAKESPEARE'S - BIRTHPLACE - - -TWO reports made in the spring of 1920, one by Frederick C. Wellstood, -secretary and librarian of the Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare's -Birthplace, and the other by Ernest Law, C.B., one of the trustees, -will doubtless be of interest to the reader. They have been made -available through the courtesy of Mr. Law. - -Mr. Wellstood, writing on Easter, 1920, in his report says: - -"The appeal of the Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare's Birthplace, -&c. issued three months ago, for gifts of Elizabethan plants and -flowers, wherewith to stock his 'Great Garden' at Stratford-upon-Avon, -has had a very gratifying response. The King and Queen, Queen Alexandra -and the Prince of Wales, have graciously interested themselves in the -project, and have given practical support by valuable contributions of -old-fashioned roses and other flowers. - -"From the gardens of all the Royal Palaces, which were known to -Shakespeare, ample parcels of the same sorts of flowers as grew in -them when he visited them have been forwarded to Stratford-upon-Avon. -Thus, from Greenwich, where we know that he appeared as an actor -before Queen Elizabeth at Christmas, 1594; from Windsor, where his -Company performed before the same Queen--probably in "The Merry Wives -of Windsor"--as well as from Frogmore, which that play proves his -acquaintance with; from Hampton Court--out of the Old Tudor Garden, -'circum-mured with brick,' which he must have visited when he and his -fellows of the 'King's Company of Actors' spent ten days there during -the Christmastide of 1603-4, presenting six plays before King James and -his Court--from the gardens of all these places large consignments of -plants have reached Shakespeare's Garden. - -"From Wilton, likewise, where Shakespeare and his Company first acted -before King James, a large number of specimens of every plant and -flower wanted by the Trustees, has been sent by the present owner--the -lineal descendant of the one, and the kinsman and representative of -the other, of the two 'most noble and incomparable Paire of Brethren, -William Earle of Pembroke and Philip Earle of Montgomery ... who -prosequuted the Author living with so much favor'--to quote the words -of the famous 'First Folio,' which was dedicated to them. - -"Similarly, from the gardens of other places, which Shakespeare must -have known well, have come very welcome gifts, notably from Charlecote, -close to Stratford--the beautiful home of the Lucys for 750 years, -where Shakespeare is said when a youth to have poached the deer of Sir -Thomas Lucy, who had him whipped for his offense--whence now comes a -charming collection of the poet's favorite flowers from the direct -lineal descendant and heiress of the original 'Justice Shallow.' - -"The trustees have also received choice batches of old-fashioned -flowers from the gardens of medieval Castles mentioned in the -plays--Glamis and Cawdor, for instance--and some which were probably -well known to Shakespeare, such as Berkeley Castle; and from the great -Tudor houses also, which he knew well, at any rate by repute, such -as Knole, Burghley House, and Cobham Hall. The owner of Cobham Hall -sends specimens of the famous 'Cobham' Rose, known to have been grown -in the garden there for four or five hundred years. From Esher Place -also--the 'Aster House' of 'King Henry VIII'--come many beautiful -flowers and herbs. - -"The sentiment, which has prompted such generosity, has equally -appealed to many possessors of more modern gardens; while the -authorities of Kew Gardens, regarding the scheme as one of national -concern, have cordially aided the Trustees both with counsel and with -contributions. - -"Last, but by no means least, are the many small gifts from quite small -gardens, even of cottagers; while, in some ways, the most pleasing of -all, are the subscriptions from school children of some of the poorest -districts in the East End of London--for instance, of the Mansford -Street Central, and Pritchard's Road Schools, Bethnal Green--for the -purchase of favorite flowers of the dramatist, whose plays they have so -often witnessed with delight at the 'Old Vic.' and elsewhere. - -"Thus, effect has been given to a prime desire of the Trustees, that as -large as possible a number of people in every section of the community -should be associated with this tribute to Shakespeare's memory. - -"Most of the plants needful to furnish forth Shakespeare's garden -in the style of his own time have been forthcoming in sufficient -quantities--yet there are some important gaps still to be supplied. -These are:--Box, dwarf Box, both the ordinary and the 'Gilded' variety; -Thrift; Thyme, the Golden and Glaucous, as well as the Wild; and that -pretty herb, known under its simple old English name as 'Lavender -Cotton.' Of all of these, thousands of plants are still needed. -Similarly of Pinks, 'Streaked Gillyflowers'; 'Spike Lavender'; and of -Pansies--'Love in Idleness,'--pale and dark 'purple with Love's wound.' -Of 'Eglantine'--Sweet Briar--a few scores would be very welcome. - -"Such shortages are mainly due to the large quantities of these plants -required for the purpose of filling the intricate-patterned beds of -the 'Curious Knotted Garden.' That kind of garden was an invariable -adjunct to every house of importance in Shakespeare's time, and the -Trustees are laying one out on what is believed to be the exact site of -the poet's own 'knotted garden,' modeling it on the designs printed in -the contemporary books on gardening--the designs being followed with a -fidelity and completeness unattempted, it is believed, for two hundred -and eighty years. At the same time, suggestions have naturally been -sought in Bacon's famous Essay 'On Gardens.'..." - - - SHAKESPEARE'S GARDEN RESTORED - -Mr. Law's report, which is dated "Shakespeare's Birthday, A. D. 1920," -says: - -"The project of laying out the ground attached to Shakespeare's home in -his later years as an Elizabethan garden, to be stocked with all the -old-fashioned flowers mentioned by him in his plays or well known in -his time, first took practical shape last winter. - - - THE LONG BORDERS - -"The first step was to lay out the long, narrow strip of ground by -the side of the wall parallel with Chapel Lane as a border for summer -and autumn flowers--hollyhocks, canterbury-bells, lupins, larkspurs, -crown imperials, lilies, and so on. As a background for these--and also -to hide the ugly, cast-iron railings that disfigure the top of the -wall--there was planted a row of yew trees. This border of some 300 -feet long has been treated in the formal fashion of the olden time ... -being divided into compartments, separated by 'buttresses' supporting -'pillars' or 'columns' surmounted by 'balls.' - -"On the path side the beds are edged with box--'dwarfe boxe, of -excellent use to border up a knott or long beds in a garden.' - -"The beds ranging with these, on the other side of the gravel walk, -are at present entirely occupied with spring flowers--largely gifts, -like the others, from contributors all over the kingdom. In the summer -they will be furnished with the low-growing flowers known to the -gardeners of the early years of James the First's reign--carnations, -'our streaked gillyvors,' pansies, stocks, fox-gloves, sweet-williams, -snapdragons, and so on.... - - - THE WILD BANK OF HEATH - -"At the eastern or lower end of the garden the aim has been to carry -out, so far as the space available admits, Bacon's idea, expressed -in his famous essay 'Of Gardens,' of a 'heath or desert, in the -going forth, framed, as much as may be, to a natural wildness.' With -this object, there has been thrown up an irregular bank, whereon -have already been planted most of the flowers and herbs mentioned by -Shakespeare in his writings; and where, it is hoped, every species -known in his time will eventually find a place. - -"In doing this the great natural philosopher's precepts have been -faithfully followed, modified by hints derived from the greater poet. -'Some thickets,' says Bacon, 'I would have made only in sweetbriar -(eglantine) and honeysuckle (woodbine); and the ground set with -violets and primroses (oxlips); for these be sweet and prosper in the -shade.' This has been done: and with wild thyme--many square yards of -it--added, and also musk-roses--a few procured with great difficulty, -so unaccountably neglected are they in our too-pretentious modern -gardens--they will form here, in effect, Titania's Bower-- - - "I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows, - Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, - Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, - With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine. - There sleeps Titania some time of the night, - Lull'd in these flowers, with dances and delight. - -"Bacon, of course, often witnessed the performances of Shakespeare's -plays at Court, as well as in the public theaters; and reminiscent -echoes of that beautiful passage were probably ringing in his ears when -he penned the sentences quoted above. - -"With passages in plays other than 'The Dream,' Bacon has also -parallels. His essay happens to have been published exactly twelve -months after the production of 'A Winter's Tale' at Court, and in -his somewhat arid enumeration therein of the seasonal succession of -flowering plants, we seem to hear echoes of those exquisite verses in -Perdita's speeches--the most beautiful expression of the intimate love -of flowers in all literature-- - - "... Daffodils, - That come before the swallow dares, and take - The winds of March with beauty; violets dim, - But sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes, - Or Cytherea's breath; pale primroses, - That die unmarried ere they can behold - Bright Phœbus in his strength. - -"'For March,' writes Bacon, 'there come violets, especially the single -blue, which are the earliest ... and which, above all other flowers, -yields the sweetest smell in the air; also the yellow daffodil.' -'Lilies of all sorts, the flowre-de-luce being one,' says Perdita. -'Flower-de-Luces, and lilies of all natures,' echoes Bacon. - -"Near the Wild Bank later on there may, perhaps, be planted some of -those specimens of the topiary art, which were so general in Jacobean -gardens. Even Bacon would admit them into his 'Princely Garden.' -'Little low hedges (of box or yew),' he writes, 'round like welts, with -some pretty pyramids, I like well, and in some places fair columns.' -But he would confine them to geometric patterns: 'I, for my part, do -not like images cut out in juniper or other garden stuff, they be for -children.' But then Shakespeare had children and grandchildren; and, -besides, many children of the present day will visit his garden, much -taken, we may be sure, with such curious devices, and delighting in our -simple sweet old English flowers--very few of them, it is to be hoped, -serious little prigs, bursting with botany.... - - - THE "KNOTT GARDEN" - -"It is now necessary to say a few words about the 'Knott Garden'--an -enclosure which, being an invariable adjunct to every house of -importance in Shakespeare's time, is the most essential part of the -reconstruction, on Elizabethan lines, of the ground about New Place. It -need not, however, engage us long: for M. Forestier's beautiful drawing -of it represents it as it is to be, better than any amount of wordy -description. - -"The whole is closely modeled on the designs and views shown in the -contemporary books on gardening; and for every feature there is -unimpeachable warrant. The enclosing palisade--a very favorite device -of the Jacobean gardeners--of Warwickshire oak, cleft, is exactly -copied from the one in the famous tapestry of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' -at Hampton Court. And here again Bacon's advice has been useful: -'The garden is best to be square, encompassed on all four sides with -a stately arched hedge, the arches on pillars of carpenter's work, -of some 10 foot high, and 6 foot broad.' The 'tunnel,' or 'pleachéd -bower, where honeysuckles, ripened by the sun, forbid the sun to -enter'--follows ancient models, especially the one shown in the old -contemporary picture in New Place Museum. - -"The dwarf wall, of old-fashioned bricks--hand-made, sun-dried, -sand-finished, with occasional 'flarers,' laid in the Tudor bond, with -wide mortar joints--is based on similar ones, still extant, of the -period. The balustrade is identical, in its smallest details, with one -figured in Didymus Mountain's 'Gardener's Labyrinth,' published in -1577--a book Shakespeare must certainly have consulted when laying out -his own Knott Garden. The paths are to be of old stone from Wilmcote, -the home of Shakespeare's mother. The intricate, interlacing patterns -of the Knott beds--'the Knottes so enknotted it cannot be expressed,' -as Cavendish says of Wolsey's garden--are taken, one from Mountain's -book; two from Gervase Markham's 'Country Housewife's Garden' (1613); -and one from William Lawson's 'New Orchard and Garden' (1618); and -they are composed, as enjoined by those authorities, of box, thrift, -lavender-cotton, and thyme, with their inter-spaces filled in with -flowers. - - - ROYAL ROSES FOR THE KNOTTED BEDS - -"In one point the Trustees have been able to 'go one better' than -Shakespeare in his own 'curious knotted garden'--to use his own -expression in 'Love's Labour's Lost.' For neither King James, nor his -Queen, Anne of Denmark, nor Henry Prince of Wales sent him--so far as -we know--any flowers for his garden. On his 356th birthday, however, -there will be planted four old-fashioned English rose-trees--one in -the center of each of the four 'knotted' beds--from King George, Queen -Mary, Queen Alexandra, and the Prince of Wales. Surely Shakespeare, -could he have known it, would have been touched by this tribute! - -"They will be planted by Lady Fairfax-Lucy, the heiress of Charlecote, -and the direct lineal descendant of the Sir Thomas Lucy whose deer he -is said to have poached, and who is supposed to have had him whipped -for his offense, and who is believed to be satirized in the character -of 'Justice Shallow.' This also might well have moved him! - -"Here, in the restored 'Knott Garden,' as everywhere in the grounds -about New Place, flowers--Shakespeare's Flowers--will clothe and -wreathe and perfume everything, all else being merely devised to set -them off--musk-roses, climbing-roses, crab-apples, wild cherries, -clematis, honeysuckle, sweetbriar, and many more. - -"By next year, the Trustees expect to have some 200,000 individual -plants--including, of course, the crocuses, 'bold oxlips,' 'nodding -violets,' 'winking marybuds,' 'pale primroses,' and 'azured harebells,' -on the wild bank and lawn--decking, in succession through the months, -the ground whereon the poet trod, their millions of blossoms, with -every breath of air doing reverence, waving banners of gorgeous hue, -and flinging the incense of their delicious fragrance in homage to the -memory of William Shakespeare." - - - - - INDEX - - - A - - Absinthe, 246 - - Acacia, 35 - - Acanthus, 22 - - Aconite, 199, 248, 249 - - Aconitum napellus, 248 - - Adonis, 133 - - Adonis Flower, 136 - - Æneas, 261 - - Affectionate Shepherd, The, 49 - - Albion, 148 - - Aldine Press, 15 - - Aldrich, Thomas B., quoted, 163-164 - - Allen, Grant, quoted, 139-140 - - All's Well That Ends Well, 230, 237 - - Alleys, 59-61 - - Amadis, de Gaul, 4 - - Amarakos, 238 - - Amaranth, 22 - - Amaryllis, 166 - - Amiens, 257 - - Anemone, 22, 36, 80, 133-136, 303 - - Anemone purpurea striata stellata, 133 - - Anglo-Saxons, 6 - - Anglo-Saxons, gardens of, 6-7 - - Annunciation Lily, 165, 166, 267 - - Anne Page, 243 - - Anthemis nobilis, 244 - - Apothecary, 31 - - Appius and Virginia, quoted, 234 - - Aquilegia vulgaris, 137 - - Arbor, 20, 48-49, 281 - - Arbors, flowers for, 82 - - Arcadia, quoted, 28 - - Arches, 283 - - Architects, Elizabethan, 23 - - Ariel, 101 - - Arnold, Matthew, quoted, 189 - - Artemis, 247 - - Artemisia, 246 - - Assur-wood, 265 - - As You Like It, song from, 257 - - Attar of Rose, 159 - - Auricula, 22 - - Artichoke, 149 - - Arum, 209 - - Arum masculata, 209 - - Arviragus, 97 - - Asphodels, 113, 166 - - Autolycus, 109, 152 - - - B - - Babar, garden of, 19-20 - - Babar, quoted, 20 - - Bacchus, 259 - - Bachelor's Buttons, 22, 83 - - Bacon, Francis, 35, 56, 125, 148, 249 - - Bacon, Francis, quoted, 44-45, 55-56, 64-66, 285 - - Bagh-i-Vafa, 19-20 - - Banquetting-house, 63, 82 - - Barnfield, quoted, 49-50 - - Basil, 14 - - Bastard Daffodils, 110 - - Battle of Marathon, 236 - - Bay, Dwarf, 83 - - Bay, Red, 82 - - Bay-Tree, 17 - - Bear's ears, 80, 100 - - Bear's foot, 62 - - Beatrice, 49, 178 - - Beaufort House, 21 - - Beds, 20, 41, 42, 47-48 - - Bee-plants, 240-243 - - Bees, 240 - - Belides, 119 - - Bellis, 119 - - Bellis perennis, 118 - - Benedick, 49, 178 - - Ben Jonson, 29, 136 - - Ben Jonson, quoted, 249 - - Bion, quoted, 134 - - Birds, 10, 64, 69, 75, 287-288 - - Birds Eyen, 107 - - Blonde of Oxford, 4, 12 - - Bloom, quoted, 38-39, 208-209 - - Blue Flowers, 139, 140, 198, 250-252 - - Blue Helmet Flower, 199, 250-252 - - Blue Pipe Flower, 35 - - Boar's Head, 226 - - Boccaccio, 16 - - Borde, Andrew, 287 - - Border-plant, 245 - - Borders, 9, 78, 295-297 - - Botticelli, 93, 94, 219 - - Bottom the Weaver, 148, 257 - - Bowling Alleys, 67, 74, 281 - - Box, 264-266, 293, 297, 303 - - Box-tree, 15 - - Broom (genesta), 22, 143-144, 303 - - Browne, quoted, 47-48, 49, 122, 136 - - Browning, 236 - - Buckingham House, 21 - - Burleigh, Lord, gardens of, 27, 51, 33 - - Burns, 121 - - Buttercup, 132, 208, 232, 252 - - Buxus sempervirens, 264 - - - C - - Calendula, 192 - - Calendula officinalis, 189 - - Call-Me-to-You, 202 - - Caltha, 192 - - Camomile, 74, 295, 244-246, 303 - - Campions, 83 - - Cantabrigia Illustrata, 301 - - Canterbury Bells, 131 - - Cardamine pratensis, 130 - - Carew, Thomas, quoted, 98-99 - - Carnations, 30, 35, 53, 84-85, 181-189, 199, 298, 304-305 - - Carol, Boar's Head, 226 - - Carols, 255-256, 258 - - Carraway, 14 - - Carthaginian Apple, 218 - - Cary, Walter, 34 - - Caryophyllus, 182 - - Cecil, Sir Robert, 22 - - Celandine, Lesser, 132 - - Century Book of Gardening, 302 - - Cerberus, 249 - - Ceres, 116, 218 - - Chalcedonian Lily, 162 - - Chaucer, 12, 101, 119, 121, 181, 191, 256 - - Cheese Bowl, 203 - - Cher feu, 179 - - Chèvre feuille, 179 - - Chives, 14 - - Christmas, 225, 253-255 - - Christmas Carols, 255-256 - - Christmas Flower, 81 - - Circe, 228 - - Clematis, 49, 50, 82 - - Clemence Isaure, 127 - - Clove Gilliflower, 181 - - Clover, 18 - - Clovis, 174 - - Clown, 237, 264 - - Clyte, 194 - - Colin Clout, quoted, 191 - - Colonna, Francesco, 16 - - Colors, flower, 42-43, 139-140 - - Colors, blending of, 42-43, 46-48 - - Columbine, 14, 18, 84, 137-143, 232, 252, 305 - - Complete Gardener, The, 303 - - Conduits of Water, 10 - - Conserves, flower, 153, 187, 192, 226 - - Cook, E. T., quoted, 320-321 - - Cookery, flowers in, 14, 210, 235, 237, 241 - - Cordials, 187, 192 - - Cornflowers, 22 - - Corona Imperialis, 70 - - Corn Rose, 203 - - Countess of Bedford, Garden of, 56-59 - - Country Farm, quoted, 68, 69-72 - - Cowdry, 23 - - Cowslips, 22, 62, 73, 83, 99-100, 101-107, 306 - - Cowslip of Jerusalem, 14 - - Crispin de Passe, 301 - - Crocus, 79, 166, 306 - - Crow-bells, 209 - - Crow-flowers, 132, 207-209, 307 - - Crowfoot, 82, 209 - - Crowfoot, winter, 81 - - Crown Imperial, 36, 79, 167-172, 307 - - Crown of Thorns, 154 - - Cuckoo-buds, 132, 214 - - Cuckoo-flowers, 131, 132, 213-214, 308 - - Cuckoo-pint, 209, 214 - - Cuckoo-pintle, 209 - - Cuddle-Me-to-You, 202 - - Cuirs, 41, 290 - - Cupid, 159 - - Cupid's Flower, 202 - - Cyclamen, 81 - - Cymbeline, 98, 104, 136, 190 - - Cytissus scoparius, 142 - - - D - - Daffodil, Daffodils, 78-79, 109-118, 308 - - Daffodil (Pastoral), 113-115 - - Daffy-down-dilly, 113, 296 - - Daisy. Daisies, 7, 14, 22, 62, 84, 118-122, 207, 308 - - Damask Rose, 146, 147, 152-153 - - Dame Quickly, 102 - - Dandelions, 10 - - Deceased Maiden's Lover, quoted, 208 - - Delphinium, 197 - - De Nature Rerum, 7 - - Dial, 73. See Sun-dials - - Diana, 160, 167, 247 - - Diana's Bud, 246-248, 309 - - Dianthus, 181 - - Dianthus Caryophyllus, 181 - - Dickens, quoted, 259 - - Didymus Mountain, 34, 68, 300 - - Didymus Mountain, quoted, 193-194, 278-280 - - Dobell, Sydney, quoted, 103 - - Dog Rose, 321 - - Don Armado, 138 - - Don Juan, 153 - - Door in Wall, 9, 13, 40 - - Dove-cote, 287 - - Dove-plant, 138 - - Drayton, Michael, quoted, 113-115, 201 - - Drosidae, 165-167 - - Druids, 261 - - Dryden, quoted, 121 - - Duke, 123 - - Duke of Burgundy, 103 - - Duke of York, 230 - - Dumain, 138 - - - E - - Edging, 297, 299 - - Edward III., 174 - - Eglantine, 49, 50, 74, 150-151, 178, 321 - - Egyptians, 134, 164, 172, 213 - - Elements of Architecture, 47 - - Elizabeth. See Queen Elizabeth - - Elizabeth of Bohemia, 47 - - Elizabethan estates, 276 - - Elizabethan housewife, 53-55 - - Eliza, Queen of the Shepherds, 22 - - Ellacombe, quoted, 182-183 - - Elves, 243 - - Ely Place, gardens of, 155 - - Elysian Fields, 113, 116, 166, 172 - - Endive, 14 - - English flowers, 83-85 - - Enna, Fields of, 129 - - Eros, 159 - - Essay on Gardening (Bacon), 55 - - Euphues and His England, quoted, 30, 245 - - Europa, 129 - - Exeter Book, quoted, 6 - - - F - - Fair Maid of France, 214 - - Fair Maid of Kent, 184 - - Fairies, 45, 101. See Elves - - Fairy Cups, 101 - - Fairy Flowers, 175, 239 - - Falernian wine, 160 - - Falls, 172 - - Falstaff, 51, 102, 201, 234, 244 - - Fancy Flamey, 201 - - Fanshaw, Sir Henry, garden of, 47 - - Fennel, 9, 14, 137, 234-236, 309 - - Fern. Ferns, 175-177, 309 - - Fern-seed, 175-177 - - Fidele, 97, 98, 136 - - Fiori di ogni mese, 192 - - Fitzherbert, 34 - - Five Points of Good Husbandry, 34 - - Flag, 81, 173, 310 - - Flemish Painters, Gardens of, 18 - - Fletcher, John, 108, 120 - - Fleur-de-lis, 166, 167, 173-174 - - Floramour, 82 - - Floral Games, 127 - - Flore et Blancheflore, 4 - - Flor di prima vera, 93, 94, 101 - - Flor di prima vera, gentile, 122 - - Flos Adonis, 136 - - Flos Africanus, 196 - - Flos Sanguineus, 199 - - Flower of Africa, 196 - - Flower of Ajax, 197 - - Flower of Bristow, 83 - - Flower fanciers, 33-37 - - Flower-gentile, 82 - - Flower de luce, 81, 172-174, 309-310 - - Flower-of-the-Sun, 82, 213 - - Flower of Tunis, 196 - - Flowers, 71-72, 296-297 - - Flowers, Anglo-Saxon, 7 - - Flowers, Care of, 37-38 - - Flowers, Colors of, 42-43, 139-140 - - Flowers, Church, 18 - - Flowers for decoration, 52 - - Flowers, English, 83-85 - - Flowers, Fad for, 24-25 - - Flowers, Fifteenth Century, 14 - - Flowers, funeral, 224, 225 - - Flowers, love of, 6 - - Flowers, Mediæval, 10, 14 - - Flowers, Medicinal, 8, 14, 31, 46, 53-55, 100, 125, 153, 156, 179, - 187, 192, 226, 228, 229-230, 231, 235, 241, - 244, 246, 247 - - Flowers, Norman, 7 - - Flowers, perfumes of, 43 - - Flowers, outlandish, 24, 32, 78-83 - - Flowers, seasonable, 64-68 - - Flowers, Tudor, 22 - - Flowers, wedding, 221, 225 - - Flowers, in wine, 129, 181, 248 - - Fœniculum vulgare, 234 - - Forest of Arden, 256 - - Forthrights, 41, 42, 86 - - Fountain of Love, 10 - - Fountains, 42, 63, 285-287 - - Franklyn's Tale, quoted, 12 - - Frantic Foolish Cowslip, 107 - - French cowslip, 80 - - French marigold, 196 - - Freya, 130, 261 - - Friar, 225 - - Friar's Cowl, 209 - - Fritillaria imperialis, 167 - - Fruits, 8, 9, 21, 65, 73 - - Fruit-trees, 21 - - - G - - Gadshill, 175 - - Garden, Babar's, 19 - - Garden books, 35 - - Garden, Burleigh's, 34 - - Garden, Countess of Bedford's, 56-59 - - Garden, Curious Knotted, 41 - - Garden of Delight, 3-5, 8-10, 168, 199 - - Garden of Eden, 222 - - Garden, Earl of Salisbury's, 35 - - Garden, Elizabethan, 23-29, 31, 40-52, 86, 88-89 - - Garden, Sir Henry Fanshaw's, 47 - - Garden of Fidelity, 19, 20 - - Garden, Fifteenth Century, 15-18 - - Garden, Gerard's, 34 - - Garden, Hackney, 35-36 - - Garden, Hampton Court Palace, 274 - - Garden, Henry VIII.'s, 20, 21 - - Garden, Hatfield, 35 - - Garden, Havering-atte-Bower, 26 - - Garden, Herb, 72 - - Garden, House, 281 - - Garden, Italian Renaissance, 15-18 - - Garden, Kenilworth, 275 - - Garden, Kitchen, 31 - - Garden, lay-out (small), 41, 70, 277 - - Garden, lay-out (stately), 41, 70, 271-276 - - Garden, Long Acre, garden at, 32 - - Garden, Mediæval, 11-13 - - Garden, Moor Park, 56-59 - - Garden, Nosegay, 71 - - Garden, Novelties, 20 - - Garden, Parkinson's, 32 - - Garden, pleasant flowers, 31 - - Garden, pleasures, 29 - - Garden, Small, 3-5 - - Garden, Terraced, 276 - - Garden, Theobald's, 27, 34, 39, 51, 301 - - Garden, Tuggie's, 35 - - Garden, Uses of, 52 - - Garden, Wolsey's, 20 - - Garden, Zouche's, 35-36 - - Gardens, Anglo-Saxon, 6-7 - - Gardens, Burleigh's, 27, 33, 34, 39, 51, 301 - - Gardens, Flemish painters, 18 - - Gardens, Indian, 18 - - Gardens, Italian painters, 18 - - Gardens, Ladies in, 13, 14 - - Gardens, Lay-out of, 76-77 - - Gardens, Locked, 13 - - Gardens, Mogul Emperors, 18-19 - - Gardens, Nonsuch Palace, 21, 273-274 - - Gardens, Norman, 7 - - Gardens, Rennaissance influence, 38-39 - - Gardens, Roman, 6 - - Gardens, Sixteenth Century, 20 - - Gardens, Tudor, 21, 23-29 - - Garlands. See Wreaths - - Garofalo, Il, 187 - - Garth, 6-7 - - Gaskell, Mrs., quoted, 149 - - Gate, 40, 280 - - Gazebo, 281 - - Gentlemen's Magazine, quoted, 88-89 - - Gerade. See Gerard - - Gerard, 33-34, 51, 109, 162, 218, 248 - - Gerard, Garden of, 34 - - Gerard, quoted, 128, 133, 168, 187, 201, 230, 231 - - George Gisze, 53 - - Germander, 62, 78 - - Gethsemane, Garden of, 170 - - Giardino segreto, 15 - - Gilliflowers, 7, 21, 22, 30, 35, 83, 84, 184, 186-187, 199, 296 - - Gilliflowers, names of, 184 - - Gladiolus, 166 - - Golden Apple, 219, 221 - - Golden Bough, 261 - - Gold Flower, 191, 192 - - Golds, 14 - - Gardener, business, 66-67 - - Gardener's Labyrinth, quoted, 34, 193-194, 278-280, 295, 299, 300 - - Gosse, Edmund, quoted, 156 - - Googe, Barnaby, 35 - - Great Harwich, 184, 185 - - Greek myths, 97, 115, 119, 129, 130, 134, 164, 174, 194, 213, 218-219, - 221, 228, 234, 238, 259, 264 - - Grete Herbal, 34 - - Guillaume de Lorris, 8 - - Guirlande de Julie, 171 - - Gunpowder, 249 - - Gustavus Adolphus, 171 - - Grumio, 51 - - Gyllofre. See Gilliflowers - - - H - - Hackney, garden at, 35-36 - - Haggard, Rider, quoted, 135-136 - - Hakluyt, quoted, 149, 152 - - Hamlet, 119, 137, 207 - - Hampton Court Palace, 20, 51 - - Hampton Court Palace, gardens, 274 - - Hampton Court Palace, Fountain, 286 - - Hampton Court Palace, Mount, 282 - - Handful of Pleasant Delights, quoted, 127-128, 225, 232 - - Hanging Gardens of Babylon, 5 - - Harebell, 136-137, 207, 266, 310 - - Harleian Mss., 11 - - Harpocrates, 159 - - Harrison, William, quoted, 24 - - Hatfield, garden, 35-36 - - Hathaway, Ann, 3 - - Havering-atte-Bower, garden, 26 - - Heartsease, 84, 202 - - Heath, 59, 62 - - Hebrews, 164 - - Hecate, 249 - - Hedera Helix, 257 - - Hedges, 40, 59, 63, 77, 293 - - Helena, 98 - - Heliotrope, 194 - - Henry II., 7 - - Henry V., 103 - - Henry VIII., garden, 20, 21, 274 - - Hentzner, Paul, quoted, 27-28, 285-287 - - Hepatica, 81 - - Hercules, 249 - - Herrick, quoted, 265-266 - - Herba leonis, 139 - - Herba Marguerita, 122 - - Herba Sanctæ Mariæ, 234 - - Herb of Grace, 48, 229-230, 237 - - Herb garden, 72 - - Herb Trinity, 201 - - Herbal, Gerard's, 34-35 - - Herbal, Great, 26 - - Herbals, 25-26 - - Herbals, List of, 34-35 - - Herbs, 14, 22, 46, 52, 72 - - Herbs, farsing, 241 - - Herbs, pot, 7 - - Herbs, medicinal, 8 - - Herbstrewer, 52 - - Hermia, 98 - - Hero, 49, 178 - - Hill, Thomas, 34, 68 - - Holbein, 53 - - Hole, Dean, quoted, 151 - - Holly, 253-257, 311 - - Holly, song, 257 - - Hollyhock, 22, 85 - - Homer, 228 - - Honey of Mount Hymettus, 240 - - Honeysuckle, 7, 49, 50, 82, 293, 311 - - Hood, quoted, 158 - - Horse-blobs, 132 - - Hortorum Viridariorumque, 301 - - Hortus Floridus, 301 - - Hulfeere, 256 - - Hungary water, 226 - - Huon of Bordeaux, 4 - - Hyacinth, 79, 136, 166 - - Hybla, 240 - - Hymen, 213 - - Hypernotomachia, 15 - - Hyssop, 78 - - - I - - Italian painters, gardens of, 18 - - Ilex aquifolium, 253 - - Imogen, 98, 136 - - Importation of flowers, 24-25 - - Iris, 22, 172, 309-310 - - Iris pseudacorus, 172 - - Ironmongers, Worshipful Company of, 37 - - Isaiah, quoted, 265 - - Ivy, 255-256, 257-260, 311 - - Ivy Green, The, 259-260 - - - J - - Jabberwocky, 289 - - Jachimo, 104 - - Jacinth, 136 - - Jack-an-Apes-on-Horseback, 84, 107 - - Jack-in-the-Pulpit, 209, 315 - - James I., 51 - - Jami, quoted, 159 - - Jars, 41, 284-285 - - Jasmine, 22, 82 - - Jessica, 86 - - Jesus Christ, legend, 171 - - Jews, 217 - - Joan's Silver Pin, 203 - - John de Garlande, quoted, 8 - - Johnny-Jump-Ups, 200, 201, 203 - - Johnson's Gardeners Dictionary, 302 - - Jonquil, 115 - - Juliet, 86, 215 - - July flowers, 187, 189 - - Juno's Rose, 162 - - Junquilia, 110 - - Jupiter, 160 - - - K - - Kate Greenaway, 40 - - Katharine of Aragon, 218 - - Keeler, Harriet L., quoted, 140-141 - - Kenilworth, 29 - - Kenilworth, garden of, 39, 275 - - Keats, quoted, 148, 196 - - Kingcups, 132 - - King Eteocles, 219 - - King Henry IV., 175, 234, 244, 248 - - King Henry VI., 155, 174 - - King John, 123 - - King Lear, 213 - - King Richard II., 230 - - Kiss-Me-at-the-Garden-Gate, 202 - - Kiss-Me-Quick, 202 - - Knight's Spur, 197 - - Knots, 20, 41, 46, 63, 78, 298-301 - - Knotted Garden, Curious, 41 - - - L - - Labyrinth, 41, 51 - - Ladies, skill in cookery, 14 - - Ladies, skill in simples, 14 - - Lady's Bower, 49, 82 - - Lady-Smocks, 130-133, 214, 311 - - Laertes, 234 - - Lamb, Charles, quoted, 288 - - Landor, quoted, 179 - - Laneham, Robert, quoted, 275 - - Lark's claws, 197 - - Lark's heels, 84, 197 - - Larkspur, 81, 197-200, 252, 312 - - Lark's toes, 197 - - Lavender, 22, 231-233, 237, 312 - - Lavender Spica, 231 - - Law, Ernest, quoted, 274, 338-345 - - Lawson, William, 35, 73 - - Lawson, William, quoted, 245, 296, 297, 299-300 - - Leate, Nicholas, 33, 36, 37 - - Lee, Vernon, quoted, 15-18 - - Leicester, Earl of, 29, 275 - - Leminius, Dr., quoted, 52-53 - - Lent Lily, 115 - - Lete, Nicholas. See Leate - - Levant Company, 36 - - Lewis Carroll, 287 - - Liébault, John, 68 - - Lilac, 35 - - Lily. Lilies, 7, 8, 14, 18, 22, 78, 79, 160-167 - - Lily, Annunciation, 313-315 - - Lily Conally, 22, 71, 161, 314 - - Lily, Lent, 115 - - Lily Madonna, 165, 167 - - Lily Martagon, 36, 79, 162-163 - - Lily, Scarlet Martagon, 162 - - Lily Tiger, 163 - - Lily-of-the-Valley, 22, 71, 161, 314 - - Lilium album, 162 - - Lilium candidum, 161 - - Lilium convallium, 62 - - Lilium Perticum, 170 - - Liverwort, 81 - - Lobel, Mathias de, 36 - - Lobelia, 36 - - Locker-Lampson, 46 - - Locker-Lampson, quoted, 181 - - Loggan, David, 301 - - London Pride, 188, 189, 298 - - London Tufts, 189 - - Long Acre, garden at, 32 - - Long Purples, 207, 209-210, 315 - - Longueville, 138 - - Love-in-Idleness, 200, 202, 247 - - Love's Labour's Lost, 41, 118, 133, 145 - - Lords-and-Ladies, 209, 210 - - Lorenzo, 86 - - Louis VII., 174 - - Lucrece, 118 - - Luini, 141 - - Lupton, quoted, 190 - - Lychnis Flos cuculi, 213 - - Lyly, John, quoted, 30, 245 - - Lyte, quoted, 100, 190, 226 - - - M - - Madame Plantier, 320 - - Madonna of the Melagrana, 219 - - Madonna of the Rose, 160 - - Madonna of the Rose Bush, 160 - - Madonna of the Rose Garden, 160 - - Madonna of the Rose Hedge, 160 - - Madonna Lily, 165, 167 - - Maiden's Blush, 320 - - Maison Rustique, La, 68 - - Mallows, 14 - - Malvolio, 86, 264 - - Marathon, 235 - - Margaret of Orleans, 195 - - Marguerite, 121, 122 - - Margueritons, 122 - - Maria, 86, 264 - - Marigold. Marigolds, 7, 8, 22, 82-84, 189-196, 315-316 - - Marina, 124 - - Marjoram, 14, 22, 236-239, 316 - - Markham, Gervase, 68, 69 - - Markham, Gervase, quoted, 50, 299 - - Marshall, William, 34 - - Martagon Lily, 36, 162-163 - - Martagons, 79 - - Marvel of Peru, 35, 82 - - Mary-buds, 190 - - Maske of Flowers, 325-330 - - Maudelyn, 121 - - Maudlin, 121 - - Mausoleum of Artemisia, 248 - - May flower, 131 - - May Lady, masque of, 23 - - May weed, 136 - - Mazes, 41, 50-51, 74, 300 - - Meadow cress, 131 - - Measure for Measure, 220 - - Meet-Me-at-the-Garden-Gate, 202 - - Melissa officinalis, 243 - - Menthe, 234 - - Menthe de Notre Dame, 234 - - Merry Wives of Windsor, 102, 174, 243 - - Mezerion, 64, 63 - - Middleton and Rowley, quoted, 191 - - Midsummer Daisy, 121 - - Midsummer Night, 175-176, 200 - - Midsummer Night's Dream, 98, 101, 102, 108, 247, 257 - - Milton, 201, 237 - - Milton, quoted, 98, 120 - - Mint. Mints, 9, 14, 22, 233-236, 317 - - Mistletoe, 261-264 - - Mistletoe Bough, 261, 262 - - Mistress Ford, 103 - - Mogul Emperors, gardens of, 18-19 - - Mohammed, 115 - - Mohammedans, quotation from, 129 - - Moly, 228 - - Monk's Cane, 250 - - Monk's hood, 197, 199, 232, 248-252, 317 - - Montacute, 281 - - Montacute, lay-out of, 272-273 - - Montausier, Duc de, 171 - - Moon, 160 - - Moon daisy, 121 - - Moor Park, garden at, 56-59 - - More the Merrier, quoted, 245 - - More, Sir Thomas, quoted, 21, 48, 224 - - Mort de Garin, La, 12 - - Mounts, 20, 73, 282 - - Much Ado About Nothing, 153, 178 - - Mugwort, 248 - - Musk Rose, 44, 45, 73, 148-150, 320 - - Myrtle, 160, 219-223 - - Myrtus latifolia, 219 - - - N - - Narcissus, 22, 115 - - Narcissus pseudo narcissus, 109 - - Nash, 259 - - Nasturtium, 81, 318 - - Nasturtium Indicum, 199 - - Neckan, Alexander, quoted, 78 - - Nettle red, 14 - - Nettles, 207 - - New Orchard and Garden, 35 - - New Orchard and Garden, quoted, 72-73, 75, 245 - - Noisette, 321 - - Nonesuch, 83 - - Nonesuch Palace, fountain at, 286 - - Nonesuch Palace, gardens of, 21, 39 - - Nonesuch Palace, lay-out of, 273-274 - - Nonesuch orange color, 32 - - Nosegay, 43, 128, 199, 232, 236 - - Nosegay garden, 71 - - Norman Castle, 183 - - Norman Kings, gardens of, 7 - - - O - - Oberon, 45, 175, 200, 247 - - Oceanides, 174 - - Œdipus Coloneus, 116 - - Oleander, 82 - - Olivia, garden of, 86, 264 - - Ophelia, 119, 121, 124, 137, 200, 207, 208, 214, 224, 230, 234 - - Orange-trees 20 - - Orchard, 8, 31, 51, 73, 74, 75 - - Order of Genest, 144 - - Orchis mascula, 209 - - Orris root, 81, 173 - - Ort-garth, 6 - - Orto, 16 - - Othello, 203 - - Our Lady's flowers, 130 - - Outlandish flowers, 24, 32, 78-83 - - Ovid, quoted, 250 - - Ox-eye daisy, 121 - - Oxlip. Oxlips, 107-108, 318 - - Oxonia Illustrata, 301 - - - P - - Pæstum, 159 - - Palsieworts, 107 - - Pansy, names of, 202 - - Pansy. Pansies, 22, 84, 200-203, 298, 318 - - Papaver somniferum, 203 - - Paquerette, 121, 122 - - Paradisi in Sole, 32, 35, 83 - - Pasque flowers, 135 - - Paralyses, 99 - - Paralysis vulgare pratensis, 101 - - Paris, 219, 221 - - Parkinson, John, 31, 32, 35, 75, 151, 156, 196 - - Parkinson, garden of, 32-33 - - Parkinson, quoted, 38, 75-78, 80, 81, 82-83, 84-85, 99-100, 106-107, - 109-111, 121-122, 134-135, 137, 138, 146-147, - 149-150, 150-151, 152-153, 161, 162-163, 168-170, - 173, 183, 185, 186, 186-187, 188, 192-193, 197-198, - 199, 203, 211, 214, 215-216, 220, 227, 229, - 231-232, 235, 238, 240-241, 242, 243-244, 245-246, - 250-252, 321 - - Parsley, 14 - - Paths, 9, 294 - - Peacock, 288 - - Pensée, 200 - - Penshurst, 292 - - Pensioners, 102 - - Peony. Peonies, 22, 85 - - Peony, Roman, 14 - - Perdita, 3, 72, 86, 98, 108, 111, 129, 160, 162, 167, 168, 172, 181, - 190, 225, 231, 233, 237, 242 - - Perennials, 46 - - Perfume, 43, 44, 45, 46, 153, 231, 232, 239, 244. - See Scent. - - Pericles, 124 - - Periwinkle, 7, 22, 62 - - Persian Lily, 170 - - Peruvian Sunflower, 196 - - Petruchio, 52 - - Petty Mullins, 107 - - Pheasant's Eye, 117 - - Pheidippides, 236 - - Phoradendron, 263 - - Phosphorescent flowers, 199 - - Pickwick Papers, 259 - - Picotee, 182 - - Pink. Pinks, 18, 85, 187-189 - - Pinks, names of, 188 - - Pink of My John, 202 - - Pinkster, 187 - - Pipe tree, 82 - - Plantagenesta, 143-144 - - Plantagenets, The, 144 - - Plashing, 50 - - Pleached alley, 50, 292 - - Pleaching, 50 - - Pleasance, 4, 11 - - Pliny, 134, 148, 176, 181, 218, 234, 259 - - Pliny, garden of, 6 - - Pliny, quoted, 234-235 - - Pluto, 218, 234, 249, 264 - - Poet's Hyacinth, 197 - - Poet's Narcissus, 117-118 - - Poison, 249-250 - - Polyanthus, 107 - - Pomegranate, 35, 215-219, 319 - - Pomegranate-trees, 20 - - Poppy. Poppies, 14, 22, 84, 203-206, 319 - - Portia, 87 - - Potpourri, 156, 324 - - Prickly Coral Tree, 83 - - Primerolles, 101 - - Primevera, 93 - - Primrose. Primroses, 21, 22, 30, 62, 73, 83, 93-101, 319 - - Primula eliator, 107 - - Primula veris, 122 - - Primula vulgaris, 93 - - Prior, Dr., quoted, 100-101 - - Proserpine, 116, 123, 129, 218, 234 - - Prospero, 268 - - Pseudo narcissus, 110 - - Pteris aquilina, 175 - - Puck, 101, 144, 200, 247 - - Pulsatillas, 135 - - Punica, 215, 218 - - Pyracantha, 77, 83 - - - Q - - Queen Elizabeth, 22, 102 - - Queen Elizabeth, gardens of, 26 - - - R - - Ragged Robin, 214, 208 - - Rails for beds, 20 - - Rambouillet, Julie de, 171 - - Ranunculus, 17, 82, 198, 208, 266 - - Rape of Lucrece, 118, 191 - - Rapin, quoted, 119, 221, 224-228, 238-239 - - Renaissance, Influence on English Gardens, 38-39 - - Richard Cœur de Lion, quoted, 12 - - Richmond Green, 245 - - Richmond Palace, Garden of, 26 - - Rimmon, 217 - - Rocket, 22 - - Rock-garden, 302 - - Roman de Berte, 12 - - Roman de la Rose, 4, 8-9, 19 - - Romans, 4-13 - - Romaunt of the Rose, 4, 8-9, 19 - - Romeo, 86, 248 - - Romeo and Juliet, 31, 225, 248 - - Rosarubie, 136 - - Rosa alba, 147-148 - - Rosa Anglica alba, 147 - - Rosa Anglica rubra, 146 - - Rosa canina, 153 - - Rosa centifolia, 151, 159 - - Rosa damascene, 152 - - Rosa eglanteria, 150 - - Rosa Junonis, 162 - - Rosa Moschata, 148 - - Rosa versicolor, 154 - - Rosary, 160 - - Rose. Roses, 7, 8, 10, 14, 18, 21, 22, 30, 49, 50, 73, 78, 145-160, - 293, 319-322 - - Rose canker, 153 - - Rose, damask, 146, 147, 152-153, 160, 297 - - Rose, dog, 153 - - Rose, Hundred Leaf, 151-152 - - Rose, musk, 44, 45, 73, 148-150, 320 - - Rose, Provençal, 151-152 - - Rose, red, 146-147 - white, 147-148, 160 - variegated, 154-155 - yellow, 156 - yellow, double, 37 - York and Lancaster, 154-155 - - Rose of Sharon, 115 - - Rose-water, 156, 159 - - Rosemary, 14, 22, 48, 72, 74, 241, 322 - - Rosmarinus officinalis, 224 - - Roxburgh Ballad, quoted, 222 - - Rue, 14, 72, 225-228, 322 - - Rushes, 52 - - Ruskin, quoted, 158, 165-167, 203-204 - - Ruta graveolus, 228 - - - S - - Sable Flag, 35 - - Sable Flower, 81 - - Saffron, 14, 210 - - Saffron Crocus, 210 - - Saffron flowers, 79 - - Saffron Hill, 212 - - Saffron lily, 115 - - Saffron Walden, 212 - - Sage, 14 - - Salads, 237 - - Salisbury, Earl of, garden of, 35 - - Sappho, 157 - - Satureia, 242 - - Saturnalia, 253 - - Savory, 237, 242, 322 - - Scent, 72, 55, 106, 108, 124, 125, 126, 128, 153, 156, 159, 161, 193, - 199, 227, 232, 237, 239, 241, 245, 264. - See Perfume - - Scilla nutans, 136, 207 - - Seats, garden, 284 - - Seeds, 67-68, 278-279 - - Sejanus, 249 - - Semele, 259 - - Serving-man's Joy, 230 - - Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, 18, 142 - - Shallow, 51 - - Shakespeare, 3, 33, 41, 43, 80, 94, 98, 101, 103, 104, 109, 111, 118, - 123, 124, 125, 132, 133, 143, 145, 148, 153, 157, 162, - 172, 174, 178, 203, 207-208, 215, 219, 230, 248, 256, - 257, 264 - - Shakespeare, quoted, 44, 45, 49, 51, 97, 98, 101, 103, 108, 109, 111, - 118, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 129, 131, 132, - 135, 136, 137, 143, 145, 155, 161, 174, 175, 178, - 190, 191, 207, 225, 230, 231, 237, 239, 244, 247, - 257, 258 - - Shelley, quoted, 124, 158, 161 - - Shepherd's Calendar, 181, 182 - - Sidney, Philip, 23 - - Sidney, Philip, quoted, 28 - - Simples, 14 - - Sir Andrew Aguecheek, 86, 264 - - Sir Toby Belch, 86, 264 - - Sir John Lubbock, 139 - - Skeat, 106 - - Smilax, 213 - - Snapdragon. Snapdragons, 22, 84 - - Soil, 278 - - Solomon, quoted, 18 - - Sonnet, XCIX, 125, 237 - - Sonnet, LIV, 157 - - Sops-in-Wine, 30, 182, 183 - - Sops-in-Wine, yellow, 36 - - Sophocles, quoted, 116 - - Sorcery, plants associated with, 176, 177, 179, 228, 247 - - Sowbread, 81 - - Spanish Gipsy, 191 - - Spenser, Edmund, 48, 143, 224 - - Spenser, Edmund, quoted, 22-23, 50, 181-182, 191 - - Sphinx, 172 - - Spinks, 131 - - Sports, 37 - - St. Barnabas, 214 - - St. Catharine, 219 - - St. Clotilde, 174 - - St. Dominick, 160 - - St. Francis de Sales, quoted, 126, 194 - - St. John the Baptist, 176, 267 - - St. John's Eve, 175 - - Stage-Setting, elaborate, 327 - - Star of Bethlehem, 166 - - Stevens, Charles, 68 - - Still-room, 54 - - Stock gilliflowers, 22 - - Strand, gardens in, 33 - - Strawberry. Strawberries, 18, 62 - - Strawberry leaves, 44 - - Strewing, 52 - - Strewing-plants, 225, 233 - - Summer's Last Will and Testament, 259 - - Sun-dials, 21, 274, 286, 288-289, 292 - - Sun-flower, 7, 196 - - Sun, flowers associated with, 190, 226, 230 - - Surflet, Richard, 68, 226 - - Sweet Balm, 243-244, 323 - - Sweetbrier, 62, 150-151, 321 - - Sweet Johns, 30, 85, 188, 189 - - Sweet Marjoram, 238 - - Sweet-williams, 21, 22, 62, 85, 188, 189, 298, 323 - - Sylva, 249 - - Symbolism, 19 - - Symbols, floral, 18, 19 - - Syringa, 82 - - - T - - Taming of the Shrew, 52 - - Tamora, 264 - - Tempest, 144, 258 - - Temple garden, 155 - - Temple, Sir William, quoted, 56-59 - - Tennyson, quoted, 103, 209 - - Terrace, 39, 40, 272-273, 289-292 - - Thaxter, Celia, quoted, 180, 204-206 - - Theobald's garden, 27, 33, 39, 51, 301 - - Thomas, H. H., quoted, 278, 282-284, 294, 295, 315 - - Thornbury, quoted, 53-55 - - Thorpe, John, 23 - - Three-Faces-Under-a-Hood, 201 - - Thrift, 78, 295, 298 - - Thyme, 14, 45, 62, 233, 239-241, 295, 323 - - Thymus serpyllum, 239 - - Tiger lilies, 163 - - Tisio, Benvenuto, 187 - - Titania, 45, 49, 101, 102, 108, 123, 148, 178, 200, 239, 247, 257 - - Titus Andronicus 264 - - Tools, gardener's, 8 - - Topiary work, 15, 39, 48 - - Tradescant, John, 35, 110, 216 - - Traveris, Peter, 34 - - Tricolor, 201 - - Trinity (clover), 18 - - Trouvères, 3, 11 - - Twelfth Night, 44, 86, 123 - - Two Noble Kinsmen, 94, 108, 120, 197, 239 - - Tubs, 284-285 - - Tudor mansions, 23 - - Tuggie, Mistress, 35 - - Tuggie, Ralph, 33, 35 - - Tuggie, Ralph, gardens of, 184 - - Tuggie, carnation named for, 184 - - Tuggy. See Tuggie - - Tulips, 80 - - Turkey cocks, 149 - - Turk's Cap, 36, 162 - - Turner, William, Dean of Wells, 26, 34 - - Turner, William, quoted, 176-177, 250 - - Tusser, Thomas, 34 - - Tusser, Thomas, quoted, 100, 211, 258 - - Tussie Mussie, 43, 199 - - - U - - Ulysses, 228 - - Underworld, 116, 218, 264 - - Urns, 41 - - - V - - Vases, 41, 284-285 - - Vegetables, 7 - - Venus, 119, 133, 159, 160, 219, 221, 234, 238 - - Venus and Adonis, 133 - - Vermouth, 248 - - Viola odorata, 122 - - Viola tricolor, 200 - - Violet. Violets, 7, 8, 10, 14, 18, 21, 22, 30, 62, 73, 84, 122-129, - 158, 178, 323 - - Virgil, 261 - - Virgin, flowers associated with, 130, 160, 164, 190, 234 - - Viscum album, 261 - - Vredeman de Vries, 301 - - - W - - Wake Robin, 209, 210 - - Walks, 41 - - Wall, 19, 40 - - Wall flowers, 22, 83 - - Walpole, Horace, 56 - - Wanstead, 23 - - Ware Park, 47 - - Warden pies, 210 - - Wars of the Roses, 38 - - Water-lilies, 166 - - Watson, Forbes, quoted, 95-97, 104-106, 108, 116-118, 126, 158-159, - 171, 212 - - Whitehill, Fountain at, 286 - - Windflower, 80, 133 - - Windsor Castle, 243 - - Wine, flowers in, 129, 181, 248 - - Winter cherry, 22 - - Winter's Tale, 98, 108, 109, 111, 123, 152, 190, 225, 237 - - Wither, George, quoted, 195 - - Wolfsbane, 81, 248, 250 - - Wolsey Cardinal, 274 - - Wolsey, Cardinal, garden of, 20 - - Woodbine, 50, 73, 74, 178 - - Wordsworth, 132 - - Wordsworth, quoted, 112 - - Wormwood, 8, 248 - - Wotton, Sir Henry, quoted, 47, 158, 276 - - Wreaths and garlands, 13, 128, 181, 221, 234, 265 - - - Y - - Yellow Rose of Constantinople, 37 - - Yellow Lark's heels, 199 - - York and Lancaster rose, 154 - - York and Lancaster song, 155 - - - Z - - Zouche, Lord, garden of, 35-36 - - - - - Transcribers Notes: - - Italics are shown thus: _sloping_. - - Small capitals have been capitalised. - - Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - Obvious typos were silently corrected. - - Katharine of Arragon was corrected to Katharine of - Aragon in the Index. - - Rosemarinus was corrected to Rosmarinus and placed accordingly - in the index. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Shakespeare Garden, by Esther Singleton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN *** - -***** This file should be named 61325-0.txt or 61325-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/3/2/61325/ - -Produced by ellinora, Alan and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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