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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



of their working liours, and that it is appreciated is ap- 

 parent from the extent it is used and from the fact that 

 there is no vandalism. 



It is refreshing and encouraging to realize that a great 

 firm such as this realizes the importance of beautiful 

 surroundings in the lives of human beings. That the 

 beneficial influence of a garden is fully recognized, is to 

 be deduced from the fact that this garden is kept to the 

 top notch of perfection with the assistance of a competent 

 staff of trained gardeners, headed by a graduate of the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew. 



Our next move was an expedition into the Shake- 

 spearean country, and, in true American fashion, a start 

 was made from Birmingham rather late in the morning, 

 with the idea of taking in all that Warwick. Stratford- 

 on-Avon and Kenilworth had to oft'er in the way of hor- 

 ticultural interest. We did not do all that we set out to 

 do by any means, but to compensate somewhat for this, 

 we were enabled to take in one or two gardens of which 

 we had no previous knowledge. 



On finding that a wait of one hour or so was necessary 

 at Coventry, in order to make rail connection for War- 

 wick, a hurried expedition was made into the town to see 

 what it contained in the way of gardens. Possibly our 

 visit was somewhat too hurried, for Coventry proved to 

 be rather barren of interest horticulturally, except for 

 some wonderful specimens of holly trees which were seen 

 in abundance on the grounds of villa residences near the 

 station. However, fine holly trees in England are by no 

 means rarities ! 



Warwick Castle and its environs furnishes much of 

 interest to the gardener. The approach to the castle is 

 made through a picturesque winding driveway for part 

 of the distance cut through solid rock, scometimes to a 

 depth of fifteen to twenty feet. This was constructed bv 

 George, the second Earl of Warwick, about one hundred 

 and twenty or more years ago. This driveway is now of 

 great beauty, overhung as it is with ancient trees, its walls 

 mantled with moss, and its crevices filled with ferns and 

 other plants. 



Upon emerging into the open, one is impressed with 

 the immense plantings of rhododendrons. Amongst 

 these, at the time of our visit, were many patches of 

 flaming scarlet, caused by the blossoming of Tropccolum 

 speciosiini. This interesting perennial nasturtium is a 

 native of Chile, and resents anything approaching hot 

 conditions at the root. Its cultviral needs are very similar 

 to those of some of the hardy lilies, and it will only suc- 

 ceed when planted amongst shrubs. In England it is 

 frequently planted among yew hedges, and the garden 

 books usually recoiumend such a situation for it, but the 

 vigor and beauty of the plants at Warwick are sufficient 

 evidence that it will thrive eriuallv well, if not better, 

 amongst rhododendrons. 



In addition to the rhododendron plantings around the 

 grounds, the deep, dry moat that encircles the castle has 

 its banks entirely clothed with the commoner varieties. 

 These must be a wonderful sight in Spring, when in full 

 bloom. 



The formal gardens, which were laid out by Capability 

 Brown, occupy an area in front of a structure which was 

 built for the purpose of housing the gigantic "Warwick 

 Vase," two thousand three hundred years old, one 

 of the finest remains of Grecian art. This was recovered 

 from a small lake near Rome in 1770. and bought by 

 George, the second Earl of W'arwick. This Bacchanalian 

 vase is carved from a solid block of white marble and 

 holds one hundred and sixty-three gallons. It is sup- 

 posed by many to have been designed as a container for 

 wine and used on festive occasions in ancient times. 



The building in which it is housed was formerly used 

 as an orangery, but it is now filled with palms and other 

 conservatory plants, which provide a beautiful setting for 

 the gigantic vase. There are advantages in being a gar- 

 dener after all, for, upon introducing ourselves to Mr. 

 Small, the head gardener, we were conducted, as a pre- 

 liminar\- to a tour around the grounds, to the conservatory 

 and accorded a close view of this wonderful work of art, 

 a privilege that is denied the casual visitor, who has to 

 get the best view he can through the glass door of the 

 conservatory. 



Incidentally, there is a fine specimen of wistaria grow- 

 ing over this building, and its ancient appearance causes 

 one to surmise that it must have been planted at the time 

 when the conservatory was built, one hundred and twenty 

 years or more ago. 



One could wish that the gardens surrounding the castle 

 were kept up in a manner more befitting the importance 

 of the estate and the beauty of the architectural environ- 

 ment. The formal garden, although well designed, loses 

 a great deal of its effectiveness because of the mediocrity 

 of the bedding. The beds here are bordered with well 

 kept dwarf, and clipped hedges of box and yew, with 

 larger specimens, sheared to simulate the outlines of 

 birds, etc., placed at certain principal and strategic points. 

 But it was disturbing, to say the least, to see some ex- 

 amples of topiary work nea?by in process of being over- 

 grown by adjacent shrubbery. 



Like all English gardens, Warwick Castle has its Rock 

 Garden, but in this case there is nothing to brag about. 

 It is overhung by large trees, and in such a position, it is 

 of course impossible to grow a large selection of rock 

 plants. 



Most of the greenhouses are located in the kitchen gar- 

 den and are used mainly in the cultivation of fruits such 

 as grapes, peaches, and figs. The kitchen garden itself 

 is of course walled, and the walls are furnished with 

 splendid fruit trees. 



The great glory of the castle grounds, however, is to 

 be seen not in the more formal plantings, but in the won- 

 derful specimen trees, with which the grounds imme- 

 diately surrounding the castle are replete. Many of these 

 were planted about one hundred and twenty years ago 

 by George, second Earl of Warwick, the same noble- 

 man who was responsible for the construction of the 

 entrance driveway, the conservatory, and the ornamental 

 lake. The guide-book states that he planted trees to the 

 value of nearly 100,000 pounds, which was quite a con- 

 siderable amount of money in those days. There are 

 still many wonderful specimens of the Cedar of Lebanon 

 (which probably date back to the time of the second 

 Earl), in spite of the havoc wrought amongst them bv a 

 great gale in 1895. which completely destroyed two of the 

 best of them. Quite a number were badly injtired bv 

 a belated fall of snow ten or eleven years ago, which 

 settled on their horizontal branches and, by its sheer 

 weight, caused them to break down. The oak, beeches, 

 and Spanish chestnuts are very fine, and one would have 

 to travel far to find specimens such as can be seen on 

 either hand, when traversing the grounds of Warwick 

 Castle. 



Here, too, are to be seen great specimen vew trees, a 

 source of surprise to those accustomed to seeing the small 

 specimens that are commonly met with in this country-, 

 which, after all, can only be considered as bushes. The 

 vews at Warwick, many of them, have trunks which must 

 be eighteen inches or more in diameter, and which ascend 

 in the same manner as a regular tree. One can onlv 

 euess at the age of these yews, which must be tha' of 

 Methuselah ! 



(Continued on page 772) 



