270 



MR. DOWNING'S LETTERS FROM ENGLAND. 



Among the latter, I noticed with astonish- 

 ment, Fuchsias, grown like standard roses to 

 a wonderful size, running up with a perfectly 

 straight stem sixteen feet high, and branching 

 into a fine spreading or depending head of 

 foliage, studded at every point with their grace- 

 ful ear-drops. Fuchsia corrallina, among 

 several species, was much the finest, treated 

 in this way, — its luxuriant dark foliage, and 

 deep crimson-purple flowers being quite beau- 

 tiful. 



I saw here two rare plants, which will, I 

 think, be very fine decorations to our gardens 

 in summer. The first is Habrothamnus ele- 

 gans ; a plant from Mexico, which, it is 

 thought, may stand the winter here.* It was 

 planted in the ground here, and trained to a 

 pillar some ten or twelve feet high. The end 

 of every branch was loaded with clusters of 

 fine dark pink flowers, (of the tint of a ripe Ant- 

 werp raspberry ;) and I was told it blooms 

 without interruption from spring to winter. 

 The size, colour, and profusion of the blossoms 

 are striking, and the whole plant is extremely 

 showy. The second favorite is the Oestrum 

 anrantiacum ; a green-house shrub, lately 

 inti'oduced from Guatemala. It grows six or 

 eight feet high, with fine luxuriant shoots, 

 and is loaded all summer with rich clusters 

 of golden buff blossoms — very ornamental. 

 Both these plants made a grand display here 

 in the conservatory, planted in the ground 

 and trained to the columns ; but if I am not 

 greatly mistaken, both will thrive equally 

 well in the United States, if turned out in the 

 open border, and trained up to stakes like 

 the Dahlia, — the roots being taken up and 

 housed in winter. 



The society of subscribers to whom this 

 garden belongs, have two or three horticultu- 

 ral shows in the grounds, every year, which 

 are among; the most brilliant things of the 



* I Ihink Mr. Buist has introduced this fine plant, and has it 

 in his nursery. 



kind on this side of the Atlantic. On these 

 occasions, the grounds are open to any one 

 who chooses to purchase tickets, and are 

 thronged by thousands of visitors. The dis- 

 play of fruits and flowers takes place in large 

 tents and marquees, pitched on the lawn, and 

 bands of music perform in the gardens. All 

 the elite of the West End of London are 

 here ; for in London, horticultural shows are 

 even more fashionable than the opera ; and a 

 gayer or more beautiful sight is not easily 

 found. At the last festival of this sort, the 

 great novelty was a magnificent plot, or gar- 

 den of Rhododendrons, of all colours ; the 

 plants, in full bloom, were large and finely- 

 grown specimens, sent beforehand from vari- 

 ous nursery gardens 50 or 100 miles ofi", 

 planted here in a scene by themselves, where 

 they bloomed in the same perfection as if they 

 had grown here for a dozen years. 



I was exceedingly gratified with this sub- 

 scription garden, and examined it in all its 

 details with great attention. In its tasteful 

 arrangement, its moderate extent, its manage- 

 ment and its position, it afi'orded the finest 

 possible type for a similar establishment near 

 one of our largest cities. Here are 18 acres 

 of the most exquisite lawn, pleasure grounds, 

 and conservatory, wholly created and main- 

 tained by 1600 individuals, and enjoyed by, 

 perhaps, 5 or 6000 persons more — their 

 friends — at all times. Here is a fine exam- 

 ple of the art of landscape-gardening, which, 

 if it were near New- York, Philadelphia or 

 Boston, so that it could be seen by those who 

 are anxious to learn, would have a great influ- 

 ence on the taste of the country in ornamental 

 gardening ; here is the most perfect exhibition 

 ground, for the shows of a horticultural so- 

 ciety, that can be imagined or devised ; and 

 here is a scientific arrangement of plants, for 

 the study of botanical and medical classes, — 

 the living plants arranged according to the 

 best system. Half the money which has 



