CHAPTER VI

KITCHEN-GARDEN AND ORCHARD

Hitherto we have mainly considered that part of garden design which has for its object the production of pleasant scenes, of pictures formed by gay flowers, and beauteous carpets and backgrounds of greenery. But utilitarian ends have yet to be served, and fruits and vegetables must be grown to supply our needs. There need be nothing dull or prosaic about the kitchen-garden and orchard, distinct though they be from that which is purely ornamental. The truest garden pictures are often to be found in these seemingly severe and business-like quarters, and these without in any way varying the keynote of utility, which is the chief reason for their existence.

A foolish prejudice has of recent years been raised against the kitchen-garden, and the designer is often asked to hide it away in some remote corner of the plan. It must be carefully screened away from the gaze of visitors, as though there were something to be ashamed of in being the possessor of a piece of ground, where the best of fruits may be grown, and gathered in the freshest condition. Personally I would rather wander in such plebeian quarters than in many of the tricked-out landscape gardens which excite such wonderment and admiration. Are there not a thousand sights dear to the heart of the nature lover—the tender blossoms of the fruit-trees, the drowsy hum of bees, the old-fashioned lavender hedges and reserve borders of mixed flowers for cutting? Even is there beauty of flower and foliage in many of the humblest vegetables, a beauty which, because unlooked for, is doubly welcome.

The site of the kitchen-garden should be fixed in close proximity to the house and stables. On no account should it be so arranged that a portion of the pleasure ground must be traversed to reach it. If it can be walled in so much the better, both on account of the added shelter and for the facilities afforded for the growing of wall fruit. The plan should be entirely regular, the walks crossing one another at right angles, the fruit borders and vegetable beds laid out with due regard to convenience and economy of space.

A suitable aspect is very important—land having a gentle slope to the south being by far the most suitable. In any case the position should be an open one, with free exposure to the sunlight. The presence of large trees, whose branches overshade and roots impoverish the soil, will be extremely prejudicial. The question of boundaries is one in which the initial cost will be more considered than the adaptability of various forms to certain situations. A good yew hedge, or even a split oak fence, may occasionally prove useful, but nothing can equal the merits of well built walls. No doubt they are expensive, but a close examination proves that they are really more economical in the long run. If well built, and properly treated, they last some hundreds of years; they provide the best form of shelter, enabling a variety of tender vegetables to be grown, without the loss occasioned by cold and exposure: they afford support for trained fruit-trees, which by their high-class crops return no insignificant proportion of the initial outlay. The hedge, cheaper though it is at the outset, possesses few of these advantages. Constant attention, in the shape of clipping and training, is necessary, if it is to afford adequate shelter; it is many years before it is of sufficient size to compete with the wall; it is useless as a support for fruit-trees, and its roots deprive the crops in neighbouring borders of much of the fertility which is rightly theirs. The highest walls should face the coldest quarters, the north, east and west. A good height for a north wall would be twelve or even fourteen feet; for the two side walls ten feet, and for the south wall six or seven feet. A coping, either of stone or bricks set at an angle, should always be found on kitchen-garden walls, the projection on either side being at least two inches. The face of the wall should be perfectly smooth to facilitate the training of trees, but on the outer side buttresses or any ornamental details harmonising with the architectural work in the rest of the garden, may be employed to obviate monotony. Detailed descriptions of mural work would be out of place here, but the owner is advised to see that the wall is well pointed, so that there shall be no crevices likely to harbour vermin. Training wires are much better than nailing the branches to the wall, a practice which weakens the brickwork and involves more trouble and risk of injury. The eyelets, at any rate the chief ones, to which the wires will be attached and strained, should be built into the wall and not driven in subsequently. They will thus be much firmer in position, and the wall will remain uninjured. Suitable irons, from which nets may be hung as a protection from frost and birds, may also be fixed at the same time.

In a stone country, this material will take the place of bricks, as being more in keeping for garden walls.

A delightful approach to the kitchen-garden may be made by way of a deeply-arched opening in the wall; a pair of bent iron gates would look charming set in a grey stone wall, much better than a door. Too often the kitchen garden is gained by passing through a doorway which suggests the entrance of a prison cell: these massive, nail-studded arrangements are strangely out of keeping with the freedom and freshness of the garden. By means of a few clumps of gay herbaceous flowers just inside the kitchen-garden entrance, there will be no need to screen this department off from the rest of the garden: in fact, a very pleasant vista may be arranged from one to the other.

Whether the garden is surrounded by walls or hedge, a wide border should be formed immediately next the boundary line. In the case of walls, this is especially desirable, as enabling a suitable root medium to be provided for the choice fruit-trees which will be trained to them. These borders will vary in width, partly according to the aspect, but mainly with reference to the size of the garden. A twelve-foot border is perhaps as satisfactory as any, but eighteen feet is no uncommon width in larger establishments. Under a wall facing north, the width of the border need seldom be more than six feet. It is well to devote very careful attention to the preparation of these borders, thorough drainage being the first essential. The soil may also be removed to a depth of two and a half feet, and a layer of stones, brick rubbish, and other material spread at the bottom; this will prevent the roots of the fruit-trees from striking too deeply. If some old turf and manure be placed above and the soil finally returned, the border will be in the best condition for planting. A gentle fall from back to front should be contrived, so that sun and air may reach all parts of the crop.

One of the primary essentials for the kitchen-garden is the formation of really good walks. Constant traffic, the passage to and fro of water-carts and wheelbarrows, would soon cut up a half-made pathway and render it almost useless. Nothing can be nicer than broad flags, both for appearance and utility, but unless stone happens to be plentiful in the neighbourhood, the expense of these would be considerable. Tar walks, though entirely objectionable in the flower garden, are sometimes tolerated here, and are both durable and fairly satisfactory. A good gravel path lasts a long time if kept constantly in repair, but the main considerations are good gravel and plenty of it. Kitchen-garden paths should always be of fair width, though in a small place every available inch of ground must be pressed into service for cropping purposes. A wide walk possesses many advantages—it enables barrows and carts to pass without the necessity of one or other being taken back, and generally facilitates those operations which are in a sense peculiar to the vegetable department.

Next to the pathway on the inner side, a smaller border for herbaceous plants may be made. From these plants the chief supplies of cut flowers for the house would be obtained, as it is often undesirable to denude the garden borders for the purpose. A four-foot border would be sufficient, and when filled with gay perennials would prove a charming and useful feature of the design. Behind this border a suitable opportunity occurs for a row of espalier fruit-trees, and these might be continued round each division of the garden, with suitable breaks at intervals for obtaining access to the ground behind them. The smaller the garden, the more suitable would be the espalier method of training, as it occupies the minimum of space, allows the fruit to ripen freely, and gives opportunity for those cultural details which are with difficulty performed on standard or bush trees. The usual style of fence is one formed of iron uprights and strained wires, but this is not so picturesque as a combination of wood and wire. If in addition to wooden posts, a top rail is added, the effect of the whole when covered with branches in full blossom is beautiful in the extreme. In suitable situations, notably short pathways leading from one part of the kitchen-garden to another, the espalier fences may be brought almost to the edge of the walk, and the two joined by a succession of iron arches with strained wires from one to the other. Long bowers of fruit-trees may thus be made, and having regard to the economy of space thus effected, and the high quality crops which may be obtained by this means, the practice is worthy of further extension.

A good water supply, either in or near the kitchen-garden, is very necessary. It is advisable also that some provision exist for exposing water intended for garden plants to the air for some time before use. A pump with an open cistern attached is good, if not altogether picturesque, but a circular tank, such as may be found in many old gardens, combines both principles. A good position for a sunk tank would be at the junction of four paths, which if the garden is laid out on the rectangular system advised, would be the exact centre, thereby giving convenient access from all points. A stone coping would give the necessary finish to the tank and at the same time prevent anyone falling in. By the by, it would be well if designers would sometimes devote more attention towards rendering fountains, lily ponds, and other such introductions, safe. I remember once looking over some fine gardens in company with other visitors, when an incident of this kind occurred. A lady, carried away by the beauty of the surroundings, entirely failed to notice a small lily tank placed at the angle of a pathway. The consequences were disastrous, but I hardly know which of the two suffered the more—the lady, as she surveyed the bedraggled remains of a Paris frock, or the owner, at the loss of a specially choice Nymphæa. Such is the enthusiasm of the lily specialist, that I rather incline towards the latter!

Adjoining the kitchen-garden and communicating easily with it, there should be a sufficiently large enclosure to contain the frame ground, hot beds, compost and manure heaps. It is a great advantage to have these outside the walls of the garden itself, as a certain amount of untidiness is inseparable from such quarters. An entrance from the stable yard, large enough to admit a horse and cart, will be needed, as naturally much of the manure will be brought here for hot beds, preparation of compost heaps, etc. A small reserve ground would also fittingly adjoin, where plants for bedding and other purposes could be grown until needed.

In gardens of considerable extent, a well built toolhouse would prove an inestimable benefit. If built in two stories, the upper portion might be used as a fruit room, though I certainly prefer underground structures for the purpose; whilst the lower would accommodate lawn mowers, garden implements, and other impedimenta. As only places of considerable extent will require buildings of this description, it is unnecessary to do more than make passing reference to them; however, those whom it may concern should devote some attention to the matter, as it is surprising to note the number of large gardens which are miserably provided with suitable structures.

The orchard is the glory of many of our old country gardens, providing scenes of beauty which not even the choicest artificial planning and arrangement can compass. The orchard beautiful is perfectly distinct from the orchard utilitarian, though owing to neglect and the consequent assertion of Nature’s ways, the former often takes the place of the latter. Shelter is perhaps the most important consideration where fruit-trees are concerned, and as in the orchard this will not be attained by walls, thick belts of evergreen and deciduous trees should be planted on the more exposed sides. Damsons make excellent shelter trees, and are both beautiful in flower and welcome in fruit. A well-drained, sunny position should always be chosen, and if the trees are to be grown on the plantation system, that is on arable land, there is no need for the site to be easily approached from the pleasure grounds. Except during the blossom season the utility orchard is not particularly beautiful, and there is little inducement for visitors to make it part of their round of inspection. However, it should always be so situated that the fruit may be safe from trespassers, who are often troublesome when the orchard is close to a main road.

The old grass land orchard, filled with picturesque standard trees, is capable of being made a wild garden of true beauty. In early spring we may have troops of golden daffodils and silvery narcissi, making vistas of colour among the lines of grey trunks. Ropes of purple and white clematis may festoon the trees, and some of the semi-wild roses, with their rich foliage and single flowers will fill the hedges and ramble over the banks. The cool swordlike foliage of Iris, with the stately spikes of flowers, the old-fashioned holly-hocks and spreading clumps of poppies, may all find a home in the chequered shade of the orchard. White Madonna lilies will fringe the pathway, and honeysuckle and sweetbriar would welcome us at the gate. But lest I be misunderstood—this orchard, lovely though it be and easy of attainment, is not for fruit; at least the crops will be small and blemished, and very different to those from the market grower’s plantation, where the idea of climbers twisting among the branches of the trees would be regarded as an act of vandalism. But to the lover of flowers, the setting of an old orchard is so precious, that some sacrifice is willingly made to enable the possession of this kind of wild garden.