GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



The Holly Walk, or Avenue, consists of a wonderfully 

 complete collection of species and varieties of Ilex, in- 

 cluding over seventy varieties of English holly, planted 

 on either side of a walk extending a distance of eight 

 hundred yards. This collection ati'ords connoisseurs an 

 admirable opportunity of studying the genus and the re- 

 markable diversity of form w'hich Ilex aquifolinm ex- 

 hibits. Probably in no other place would it be possible 

 to find gathered together in one place so many distinct 

 species and varieties. No fewer than ninety-seven are 

 enumerated in the Kew "Handbook of Trees and Shrubs." 

 The majority of these are, of course, evergreen. In ad- 

 dition to the specimens in the general collection there are 

 many superb holly hedges and also many sheared speci- 

 mens to be seen in the vicinity of the formal garden near 

 the great palm house. Probably no evergreen is better 

 adapted to withstand dry conditions than these noble 

 plants, and it was not only at Kew that we noticed the 

 ability of hollv as a drought resistance tree. In Epping 

 Forest, where' most of the trees and shrubs were in a 

 parlous condition, the holly was apparently no bit the 

 worse for the unusual drought. It is also tolerant of 

 shade, and many fine specimens were seen growing al- 

 most entirely overshadowed by large trees. What a 

 pity English holly is not reliably hardy in our northern 

 gardens ! 



The formal liedding at Kew is characterized by sim- 

 plicit)- but at the same time it is rich and interesting. 

 Carpet bedding is practically taboo. The onions had 

 been dismissed from the parterre in front of the great 

 palm house and it was gay with a variety of plants. The 

 most conspicuous in this bright assemblage, strangely 

 enough, were North American plants ; and yet we seldom 

 see them used as bedding plants in our own country. 



The large central beds were occupied by tall growing 

 pentstemons in light and dark red varieties and presented 

 a truly magnificent appearance. The garden pentstemons 

 have probably been derived from P. cobcca and P. Hart- 

 ives,i. The 'former occur wild on the prairies from 

 Kansas southwestward, and the latter is found in cool 

 regions of Mexico. The garden forms that have been 

 developed are a great improvement on the wild species 

 and are extremeily valuable for bedding purposes m 

 climates that suit them. Why is it that they are not used 

 in Eastern North America? Are our Summers too hot 

 or is it too much trouble to carry them over the Winter 

 as rooted cuttings? The other North American plant to 

 be seen here was in the form of an exceptionally fine 

 strain of Phlox Drummondii. a native of Texas. This 

 makes an admirable bedding subject if plants are raised 

 from .seeds of a good strain and the long traihng 

 growths pegged to the ground. 



Other materials used in this series of beds were half- 

 dwarf snapdragons in mixture,— a remarkably fine strain 

 such as we seldom see in this country; the yellow Cal- 

 ccolarui amplcxicaulis, still a favorite in almost all Eng- 

 lish bedding arrangements ; and a double Marguerite that 

 we assumed to be the variety "Mrs. Sander." 



:■: 5!« sis 



It is the practice at Kew to make up beds of some 

 particular variety or other that may be new, or one that 

 may be new, or one that may be old. so far as date of 

 prrxluction or introduction is concerned, but whose merits 

 as a plant for bedding purposes are unrecognized. For 

 example there was an immense circular bed filled entirely 

 with a dwarf, double-flowered, pink hollyhock, the name 

 of which we have unfortunately lost, these ])lants. al- 

 though well grown, were not more than three or four 

 feet in height and were wonderfully effective. Then too. 

 there was a lavender colored Erigcron which, when seen 



massed in a bed about thirty feet by ten, was exception- 

 ally good. W'e were unable to find a label on this plant, 

 presumably someone had stolen it, but we assumed it to 

 be the variety "Asa Gray." 



^ :jc :}: 



When a garden contains something over 20,000 differ- 

 ent species and varieties, as Kew does, it seems foolish 

 to attempt to single out a few for special mention. And 

 yet perhaps it may not be amiss to call attention to twc^ 

 or three that made a special impression on us. 



Myoporiim pan-ifoliam seemed to possess great pos- 

 sibilities as a decorative plant. It is an evergreen trailer 

 with abundant shoots thickly clothed with small bright 

 green leaves. Its flowers are white, sweet scented, and 

 freely produced. At Kew it was grown in hanging bas- 

 kets about one foot in diameter and from these the shoots, 

 covered with myriads of flowers, depended to a length 

 of at least four feet, completely covering the baskets. It 

 is not by any means a plant new to gardens, and yet it 

 is seldom seen nowadays. Bailey's Cyclopedia, in re- 

 ferring to this plant says: "In 1883 it was stated in the 

 Garden that for 20 years many thousand plants of it 

 had been sold annually in the flower markets of Paris. 

 One grower always had a stock of 30.000 plants." It 

 is a native of Australia and succeeds in a cool house. 



A gigantic climbing honeysuckle Lonicera Hildc- 

 hrandtiana, was diffusing its fragrance in the Temperate 

 House. Its flowers, seven inches in length, are the largest 

 known in the genus. They are variable in color, those 

 of the plant at Kew being white at the time of opening, 

 changing to yellowish-bufif as they age. This Lonicera 

 coming, as it does, from Upper Burma is of course not 

 hardy, but it is magnificent when grown in a cool house 

 of sufficient size to accomodate it. 



The gigantic Birthwort. Artstolochia gigas, was ex- 

 haling its disgustingly fetid odor in the water-lily house. 

 It possesses larger flowers than any other plant that is 

 amenable to cultivation and is only exceeded by the 

 jmrasitic Rafflcsia Anwldii. which, so far as is known, 

 has never been cultivated. Flowers have been produced 

 on the .Iristolochia at Kew, 18 inches wide, 22 inches 

 long, witli the stringlike appendage 42 inches in length : 

 making the flower 64 inches from top to bottom ! The 

 shape of the unopened flower buds inspired the common 

 names "Goose Plant" and "Pelican Flower," while its 

 reputed deadly effect when eaten by swine, was doubt- 

 less responsible for the elegant title "Poison Hog-meat." 



:|; * * 



Despite unfavorable soil condition.s — Kew is founded 

 on barren sand — there are many fine specimen trees, 

 especially in the section occupied by the old Botanic 

 Garden of 1760 which are far too numerous for even a 

 tithe of them to be mentioned. For example there is a 

 tree of our Persimmon. Drospyros znrginiana, planted in 

 1762, nearly 70 feet high with a trunk 2 feet in diameter: 

 also a noble siiecimcn of Sophora japonka, 70 feet high, 

 one of the original importation of 1753: and many fine 

 examples of the "Ilex." Qiicrcus Ilex, an evergreen oak 

 from Southern Europe, one of which is 50 feet in height, 

 with a spread of over 70 feet and a trunk 12 feet in 

 circimifercnce. 



Genius gets the world's praise because its work is a 

 tangible jiroduct, to be bought, or to be had for nothing. 

 It bribes the common voice to praise it by presents of 

 speeches, poems, statues, pictures, or whatever it can 

 please with. Character evolves its best products for home 

 consumption; hut, mind you. it takes a deal more to feed 

 a family for thirty vears than to make a holiday feast for 

 our neighbors once or twice. — -Holmes. 



