TJic Counlrv Gciitlcniaiis Majraziuc 



459 



(Lhc 6arl:ien. 



GARDENING AT SEA-SIDE WATERING PLACES. 



AT the present period of the year, when 

 flower, fruit, and vegetable exhibitions 

 are being held in almost every city, town, 

 and village, the inhabitants of most of our 

 • popular marine bathing places, although ex- 

 posed to the cutting sea-breezes, which stunt 

 their surrounding vegetation, and forbid them 

 the enjoyment of sylvan shade from the hot 

 and glaring summer sunshine, yet seem to vie 

 Avith more weather-favoured communities in 

 their manifestation of gardening zeal, by hold- 

 ing horticultural fetes before their autumn 

 visitants depart for the season to their inland 

 homes. Many of the competitors at these ex- 

 hibitions are no doubt from neighbouring 

 places, where the blasting influences of the 

 sea winds do not reach their crops ; but still 

 greater numbers, and more especially those 

 ■of the amateur and cottager classes, have to 

 contend less or more with the baneful loaded 

 •sea-blasts' saline spray. Hence, in drawing up 

 the prize schedules, more attention should be 

 paid to offering liberal awards for such 

 articles as are naturally or peculiarly suited 

 for cultivation in sea-side localities, and this 

 would not only be dealing graciously with an 

 important portion of the members and com- 

 petitors, but it would impart a characteristic 

 feature to the exhibitions which would render 

 them pecuharly attractive to those temporary 

 residents who are expected to contribute, at 

 least their entrance-money, in support of the 

 show, and whose enjoyments it is the general 

 interest of the local inhabitants to promote. 



We have been led into making these re- 

 marks in consequence of being present at a 

 horticultural show recently held at Porto- 

 bello, in Scotland, the chief bathing-place of 

 the citizens of Edinburgh, from which it is 

 about three miles distant, where we saw 



much that was excellent, and even meritori- 

 ous, in the flowers, fruit, and vegetables that 

 were displayed, but nothing within the show- 

 rooms to indicate that the exhibition was 

 being held in proximity to the Scottish capital. 

 Gratified we certainly were at noticing on 

 the prize tickets the names of at least four 

 neighbouring farmers, who had outstripped 

 their landlords' gardeners in dahlias, geraniums, 

 cockscombs, lobelias, &c. The general ar- 

 rangement and management of the show was 

 excellent ; but we should like to have seen 

 all, or most of the following, together with 

 other sea and sea-side vegetable productions, 

 which we recommend to the attention of 

 future schedule-makers. 



In what may be termed the floral depart- 

 ment, prizes might have been offered for the 

 best kept and stocked sea-fronting gardens 

 and flower plots ; for the best dozen pots of 

 pan-grown specimens of flowering plants ; 

 for the best six ornamental or strikingly 

 peculiar foliaged plants ; for the best six 

 pots of grasses — all being either natives of, 

 or suitable for growing on the sea-side ; for the 

 best foliaged three plants of the garden beet; 

 for the best three varieties of the Sicilian 

 beet, now more highly esteemed for orna- 

 mental than useful foliage (one plant each), 

 both from the open ground, and growing in 

 pots ; for the best plant of the tree or sea-side 

 mallow ; for the best and most tastefully- 

 arranged collection of ivy leaves, say three 

 of each sort, grown upon sea-facing walls ; 

 for the best foliaged branches, under 3 feet 

 in length, of twelve trees or shrubs grown 

 where fully exposed to sea winds ; and for 

 the best aquarium of marine algre under, and 

 for the same over, 10 cubic feet in size. 



In the fruit department there may be 



