THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



223 



Alfred Salter, bore no sort of resemblance 

 to the original Chinese curiosity to which 

 it was indebted for its parentage. But 

 the passing of the Smoke Act lifted the 

 veil of crape from the Temple Gardens, 

 put new hope into the heart, and new life 

 into the hands, of the veteran Broome, 

 and he then commenced the restoration of 

 the scene to something like the freshness 

 it wore in the days of Addison and Steele, 

 who at times sought inspiration there, in 

 sight of the silvery river and the enjoy- 

 ment of the rustling boughs. It has 

 become famous throughout the land as 

 the home of the chrysanthemum. Most 

 of the societies about London and iu the 

 provinces, which exist solely for the en- 

 couragement of the culture, of this flower, 

 owe their origin to the example set before 

 the world at Temple Gardens ; and Mr. 

 Broome himself, not content with labour- 

 ing incessantly to produce us an annual 

 show, which attracts thousands of the 

 general public, and all the florists who 

 can get to it by omnibus or railway, 

 actually goes about, among the London 

 suburbs, teaching artizans the art of 

 managing their plants, and laying the 

 foundations of local chrysanthemum so- 

 cieties. Let the possessors of London 

 gardens, and the possessors of gardens in 

 the vicinity of towns in all parts of the 

 country, all who love the sight of a 

 green leaf on house-top or balcony, take 

 lessons of Mr. Broome by visiting the 

 scene of his labours, and let all who have 

 to endure from their windows the dismal 

 prospects furnished forth in the neglected, 

 ill-managed, scrubby, and soot-eaten Lon- 

 don squai'es, observe how, within a stone's 

 throw of the Strand, one earnest gardener 

 holds enduringly to his task, and makes 

 a paradise of smoke-town. 



I went to the Temple Gardens a 

 short time since, iu no sanguine state of 

 anticipation, and was most agreeably sur- 

 prised. There is a splendid breadth of 

 turf, cut up terribly where the children 

 are allowed to romp, and the rifle volun- 

 teers to practice on it, but on the slope 

 below what may, for distinction sake, be 

 called the upper terrace-walk, where the 

 flower-beds and roses are, it is fresh in 

 verdure, with a close and springy bottom, 

 consisting of the finest lawn grasses. I 

 told Mr. Broome it was worth the journey 

 to tread on such turf in the heart of the 

 City. On the border of this upper walk 

 is the rank unci file of the show chrysan- 

 themums, including all the leading varie- 

 ties of the last ten years, respecting the 

 names of which it i3 sufficient to refer to 



Mr. Broome's little book, which contains 

 lists of them all. They are now in robust 

 health, the foliage ample, and, through 

 the plentifulness of rain, not in the hast 

 burnt or browned. They were then being 

 tied out in regular lines by means of 

 tarred yarn and iron rods, so as to with- 

 stand any amount of wind and rain when 

 loaded, as they will be shortly, with their 

 heavy blossoms. From this walk, look- 

 ing down on the slope of turf, and around 

 the distant borders, the scene is one of 

 the most delightful description, always, 

 of course, remembering where you are, in 

 the very centre of an interminable forest 

 of chimneys, which the Smoke Act does 

 not coerce at all. There is plenty of real 

 wood, as well as pretty baby trees, and the 

 grass sparkles with flowers displayed ac- 

 cording to the best rules of the bedding 

 system. There are two rows of beds on 

 the slope, and a row of half- standard roses 

 between them on the turf. Among the 

 flowers that are still good, we may men- 

 tion a pair of beds filled with intermediate 

 stocks that have been blazing with bloom 

 since the middle of May. Early in the 

 season the Cheiranthus Marshalli was used 

 as a bedder, and when done bloom, Mr. 

 Broome sent the stools to Hyde Park, 

 whither I followed them later in the day. 

 The Cheiranthus beds were planted with 

 ageratums, which have bloomed abun- 

 dantly. These beds are edged with the 

 variegated ageratum. Calceolaria aurea 

 floribunda has been oue of the most useful 

 plants, City smoke seeming to do it no 

 harm. Tom Thumb geranium, edged 

 with variegated balm, is also good on this 

 slope, but the pride of the place has been 

 two match bed3 of cloves, one at either 

 end of the hue, and a few beds of well- 

 marked and abundantly-blooming pinks. 

 Dahlias pegged down make a good centre 

 bed, but hollyhocks have not come up to 

 the mark, though we give all praise to Mr. 

 Broome for his bold attempt, and hope he 

 will try again with a bed lower down. 

 We would rather blame the season than 

 the place this time, for hollyhocks have 

 had a severe trial everywhere. Strange to 

 say, verbenas are as good here as any we 

 have seen in all our travels this season. 

 They are sprinkled about the borders 

 plentifully ; Defiance, Andre, Purple King, 

 Mrs. llolford, and St. Margaret's have 

 given abundance of bloom, and Mrs. llol- 

 ford does not show a speck on her cheerful 

 face. 



And about the roses ; they are on turf, 

 which is against them, but Mr. Broome 

 was right in the taste that suggested a line 



