THE FLOKAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



73 



villa, Thuscum. Here lie observes, ia a letter 

 to a friend, "I enjoy the most profound 

 retirement — 'all is c;ilna and composed; 

 circumstances which contribute no less 

 than its clear and unclouded sky, to that 

 health of body and cheerfulness of mind, 

 which in this place I so particularly enjoy." 

 Tibullus was a sincere and ardent lover of 

 the country ; and being disgusted with the 

 corruptions of the times, he retired to Pe- 

 dum, there to indulge in tlie occupations 

 of a country life. Soipio retired from the 

 malicious persecution of his enemies, to 

 philosophic ease and independence at his 

 villa of Liternum. Tasso and Ariosto 

 were both equal admirers of fine landscape. 

 Petrarch enjoyed the greatest rural delights 

 in his hermitage at Vaucluse. Martial 

 was never happier than when enjoying the 

 delights of his favourite Auxur, situated 

 amid craggy rocks. Ovid was fond of 

 writing in his garden ; Linnaeus studied in 

 a bower ; Buffon in his summer-house. 

 " Of all my works," says Pope, " I am 

 most proud of my garden." 



Some men have carried tbeir affections 

 so far, as to desire that their mortal remains 

 may repose in those sechislons which they 

 so ardently loved during their lifetime. 

 Plato was buried in his favourite grove of 

 Academus. Rousseau requested that his 

 mortal remains may rest in his retreat 

 at Ermonville. BaskerviUe, one of the 



founders of the fancy trades of Birmingham, 

 was, according to his will, interred in his 

 garden. Sir William Temple gave orders 

 for his heart to be inclosed in a silver 

 casket and placed under a sun-dial in his 

 garden. And the Duchess of Kent is to 

 have her final eai-thly x-est at Frogmore. 



Poets of all ages have depicted in glow- 

 ing strains the beauties of Nature. How 

 ardently have they expressed their feelings 

 in praise of rural life! Divina Gloria Rura- 

 lis seems to be the theme on which they 

 delighted to dwell. Well might the poet 

 Thomson exclaim — 



" Oh ! knew he but his happiness, of men, 

 The happiest he ! who, far from public rage, 

 Deep in the vale, with a clioice few retired, 

 Drinks the pure pleasure of the rural life." 



Is there a soul that acknowledges and 

 adores an Almighty Croator ? is there a 

 mind that delights in the pleasing pursuits 

 of literature, the refinements of art, tlie 

 wonders of science, or the calm consolations 

 of religion, but will respond to the ejacu- 

 lation of Cowley — 



" IS'or e'er by me shall you — 

 You of all names the sweptest and the best— 

 You muses, books, and liberty, and rest, 

 You fountains, fields, and floods, forsaken be 

 As long as life itself forsakes not me." 



William Harris. 



Swiss Cottage, 

 Birchfidd, Birm ingham. 



OLD AND NEW ANNUALS. 



OROWW FOIt TIUAL AT CHISWICK, 1860. 



Gtpsophila MURALis (Carter). — A slender, 

 branched, diffuse plant, forming a mass 

 about one foot in diameter, long linear 

 leaves, pale pinkish flowers. A neat plant 

 for rock-work, but ineffective as a mass. 



Helichrysum bracteatum incubvum 

 (Turner, Thompson, Carter). — Five im- 

 proved varieties were grown, namely, na- 

 num ferrugineum, compactum maximum, 

 compositum maximum, macranthura coni- 

 positum maximum, macranthum nanum. 

 A beautiful race of everlasting flowers, the 

 flowers large, incurved, veiy various iu 

 colour, height averaging three feet, flower- 

 heads twoinchesin diameter. Not very fixed 

 in character, but sportive. Bracteatum na- 

 num is dwarfer in habit, the height being 

 fifteen to eighteen inches. 



Hibiscus HispiDus and TRiONUi[(Veitch, 

 Carter, Parker). — The first a handsome 

 large-flowered species, flowers cream co- 

 loured with intense black spots at the base 

 of the petals. The second is like it but 



smaller flowers ; it is the Bladder Ketmla 

 of old gardening books. 



Iberisumbellata atropurpubea (Car- 

 ter).— Same habit as common candytuft, 

 flowers a rich deep rosy purple. Selected 

 plants of this are of the first class among 

 annuals, 



Leptcsiphon htbbidus (Vilmorin). — 

 Compact habit, four inches high, flowers 

 distinct in their colours, some rosy lilac, 

 others coppery red, some buff. At present 

 this hybrid is too mixed to be of much ser- 

 vice, but if the brighter coloured forms can 

 be perpetuated, they will be acceptable ad- 

 ditions to a ve.vy ornamental genus. 



Lobelia bicolor (syn., Erinus gracilis, 

 E. oculata, E. oculata alba, E. maxima, E. 

 compacta,E. grandiflora, E. ramosoides, cri- 

 noides, companulata, arguta; Carter,Thomp- 

 son, Yan Houtte, Veitch). — The report 

 says: "Thisis the pale blue lobelia so exten- 

 sively cultivated under the name oC gracilis, 

 to which species it has very slight resera- 



