362 THE FLOKIST. 



lake ; and behind it, the far stretching Grampians fill up the perspective. 

 On passing through the Castle yard, and reaching the steps leading down 

 to the flower-gardens, we were most agreeably surprised and delighted 

 with the view which all at once met the eye. We have before stated that 

 the Castle occupies the summit of a ridge, in the valley or rather ravine 

 to the south of which are the flower-gardens, some 80 feet immediately 

 below ; the spectator therefore obtains from this point a complete bird's- 

 eye view of the whole ; its unique plan, decorations, and mode of 

 planting being taken in at a glance ; while the richly-wooded hill, 

 which rises rapidly to the south, forms a suitable background to the 

 gardens below. To reach this lower garden two or three terraces have 

 to be crossed, each supported by a deep wall, mounted with balus- 

 trading, &c. ; and before we descend to the principal garden, we must 

 notice the way in which these walls and the accompanying borders are 

 decorated. In the first place the walls, one of which is 14 feet high, 

 are covered with creepers, including Maurandyas, Lophospermums, 

 Rhodochiton, Tropseolums, Clematises, Roses, Cupheas, Myrtles, Mag- 

 nolias, Fuchsias, Petunias, Verbenas, and some lands of Geranium, as 

 the Crimson Unique and white -flowered Ivy-leaved, Convolvulus, &c. 

 We were surprised at seeing some of the above the entire height of 

 the wall, which consequently was a mass of bloom. Many of the 

 plants, we understood from Mr. M' Donald, were taken up the end of 

 each season, placed in large pots, with the tops carefully tied in to a 

 trelHs, and are wintered in the greenhouses ; treated in this way for 

 two or three years the plants have attained the size we saw them, and 

 bloom much more profusely than year-old plants. A border runs along 

 the base of each wall, 10 feet wide (which, with the walk, 10 feet wide, 

 and about 60 feet tVide in shrubs, constitutes the width of each terrace). 

 On this border the plants are arranged in masses, the colours being 

 suitably contrasted ; for instance, imagine a mass of the blue Salvia 

 patens, 15 feet in length, next the Calceolaria rugosa, followed by the 

 bright- coloured pyramidal Asters, silver-edged and Tom Tliumb 

 Geraniums, &c. ; and some idea will be formed of the effect produced 

 by this arrangement, running the length of a border 1000 feet in 

 length ; this is further heightened by groups of Hollyhocks and 

 Dahlias, say every twenty yards, the kinds selected being chiefly 

 scarlet, crimson, yellow, and white, three or four of each colour being 

 planted together ; the effect produced, when seen from either end of 

 the walks, was very striking, the masses of colour blending into each 

 other very satisfactorily, while the upright spikes of the Hollyhocks 

 told exceedingly well in the distance. 



On reaching the principal garden, which forms a long parallelogram 

 of upwards of 15 acres in extent, the principal feature in the design is 

 the " St. Andrew's Cross," formed by diagonal walks of turf, accom- 

 panied on each side by a border some five feet in width, along which 

 are planted, in masses, some of the gayest and most striking plants 

 which can be selected ; large groups of Larkspurs, Rockets, Lathy- 

 rums (especially roseum, which is very striking). Salvias, all the most 

 distinct and vivid-coloured Phloxes, Asters, Convolvulus, bedding plants, 

 annuals — in short, everything in the above way with bright colours, 



