220 



THE QARDENEIVS MOSTIILY 



[July, 



The celebrated Kew Gardena of London, pos- 

 8088 in nil probability the beat, and most ex- 

 tensive collection of any j)ublic or private place 

 in the world. While Mr. I'eacock, an enthu.sias- 

 tic cultivator in the suburbs, rejoices in havinp the 

 most complete i)rivate collection, under the 

 charge of the clever Mr. Croucher. 



A well tilled Succulent-house, would not be 

 costly to keep, or care for. Neither would such 

 an astounding plant mehnujr, have any resem- 

 blance to an "old curiosity .shop"; crammed 

 with inert trash, and musty rubbish. Where 

 there is life, there are hopes of happiness, j^rcs- 

 ent and to come. Although they are tlie oddest 

 of all odd tilings, and the most "wonderful won- 

 ders " in the vegetable kingdom, they are a.s in- 

 tensd}! interesting, as extremely curious. To us, 

 it really seems as if The Author of all good, 

 had some strange device in view, when fashion- 

 ing their fantastic forms, many of which are 

 ultra-grotesque, while others, are unrivalled in 

 beauty. I have often noticed, both with ama- 

 teurs and professionals, a strong desire to linger 

 around them, longer than with many other 

 things, more gaudy and gay, bloomed they 

 never so grandly. 



The miscellaneous subjects under notice^ 

 chiefly belong to eight remarkable Families — or 

 Natural Orders; to wit: — Cactaceae, Ficoidcfc, 

 Crassulacete, Hemerocallidese, Portulacacea;, Eu- 

 phorbiacese, Bromeliaceae, and Liliaceae. Queer 

 things with queer names ; as in the natural fit- 

 ness of things, they should be. As the writer 

 has hitherto said but little about Succulents, he 

 now courteously bows to all " good garden folk," 

 and while describing them, will " a tale unfold," 

 which, is no fiction. 



He almost fancies there ia still the fragrance of 

 a night blooming cereus, or Cereus grandifiorus ; 

 pervading the room in which this is penned. 

 The flower is visible in the mind's eye now, the 

 first one lie saw in bloom. Although its gran- 

 •deur was so evanescent then, it has, like an ever- 

 lasting, retained all its pristine beauty, and in 

 recollection, is still freslilj* blooming. Well do I 

 remember the time and ])lace, when, and where 

 it occurred; (;f wliich, more anon. I was then, 

 I trust, a diligent pupil of a good man, and an 

 excellent Gardener, whom I shall call Mr. Pot- 

 marjoram ; simply, because that was not his 

 name. The estate, on wliich he lived, was old, 

 extensive and entailed. The orchards, kitchen 

 gardens, and forcing houses, were noted for the 

 abundance of good things they produced ; wliile 



the park, and pleasure grounda, were as pictur- 

 esque, and gardenesque, as Nature and art oom- 

 bincd, could make them. Taking it altogether, 

 it was as great and grand a j)lace, as could well 

 be found in the United Kingdom. A specialty, 

 of this famous place, was Succulents, or dry 

 stove plants, as they were then generally called. 



Mesembryanthcniuqis, at that time, were 

 much admired; and let me add — they are 

 equally admirable now. They are as well known 

 for their beautiful flowers, many of which are 

 conspicuously high colored, as for their very cu- 

 rious habit. The genus, to which they belong, 

 is one of the most numerous known. For pecu- 

 liar effect, they are indispensable, either in pots 

 or beds. They are excellent plants to put out 

 on warm sunny borders, during the Summer 

 months. They delight to bask on a hot, dry 

 bank, and in such a situation, will flourish and 

 flower, where many other things would fail. 

 They are also useful as vase, or rustic basket 

 plants, the sides of which they drape charming- 

 ly. There is a variegated kind, doing good ser- 

 vice, in that way. M. edule. is the Hottentot fig, 

 and is edible, as its name indicates. The sable epi- 

 cures of South Africa, seem to prize it highly. 

 Probably, the most generally known kind, is the 

 popular annual, M. crystallinum, or ice plant, a 

 native of Greece. M. calamiforme, and multi- 

 forme, are remarkable kinds. 



Little did the writer then dream that he would 

 afterwards see them in myriad masses, creeping 

 up the side of Table Mountain, or spreading 

 wildly over the sandy plains, at the Cape of 

 Good Hope ; with other jilants he has yet to 

 mention. 



Well, let the supposition with the reader be, 

 that at a certain time, and place, before al- 

 luded to, the writer is potterivc/ among them and 

 their curious congeners, where they most do 

 congregate. As he saw them at that time, in 

 the Succulent-house, so will he speak of them 

 now. 



There stood the big American Aloes, Agave 

 Americana, or Century plants, so-called. They 

 were quietly biding their time, as ancient aloes 

 do. The stolid, sturdy centenarians, were prob- 

 ably the two oldest inhabitants of the antiquated 

 community, of which they had long been hon- 

 ored members. While slowly accumulating 

 years, they had gathered strength and stabiUty. 

 And what a glorious end awaited them. To 

 raise a lofty floriferous monument before passfng 

 away, and then to repose calmly beneath, 



