PART II
The Flower Garden
Emerging from the excesses of the Victorian craze for brightly coloured annual bedding plants, gardening in the first decade of the nineteenth century trod a careful line. Hardy perennials, the original backbone of the cottage garden, had for many years been eclipsed by the brash new annuals so easily obtained by seed and so attractively ‘cheap and cheerful’, but as Mr Sanders pointed out in his booklet No. 5, ‘people of taste’ were now returning to the culture of ‘old fashioned flowers - hardy perennials, bulbs and tubers’. For the economical gardener, unable to afford the actual plants, these could be obtained with a little extra effort and time by raising from seed (a packet of twelve varieties being available from The Agricultural and Horticultural association itself for a mere shilling.). Using as his backbone the most popular of perennials: antirrhinum, phlox, asters, poppies and carnations, the economically challenged gardener envisaged by the ‘One & All’ writers could mix in the annuals that would provide almost instant colour to his garden. These too could be obligingly provided by ‘One & All’, as a mixed pack, sized to accommodate large or small gardens. That these annuals were more popular with the readers of the One & All guides, despite their morale low-ground, may be indicated by the publication of the booklet on ‘Annuals’ as No. 2 in the series (after Sweet Peas). Roses, a perennial favourite now widely available as standards and hybrids, also merited a specific booklet, whilst some of the more exotic possibilities (the Golden Rayed Japanese Lily for example) were allocated a few tantalising pages in the 1913 ‘Annual’ for those with aspirations beyond the common pansy. Having filled the beds and borders attention was turned to climbers, an essential adjunct to the urban garden confined by high walls and fences, or even the larger garden where division into productive and aesthetic areas was recommended. A series of images in this booklet (No. 14) sought to persuade that however humble the terraced dwelling, however shady the spot, or however poor the tenant, there was a climber for you. Ranging from the delights of the rose or the clematis, to the humbler Canary Creeper or nasturtium, down to the ‘beautiful and productive’ runner bean covered archway. Even the poorest of soils could raise an ivy to give nobility to an ‘East End home’.
Twigs Way