40 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



space allotted to it, its tendency is to throw out almost at 

 right angles, strong growths which have leaves much 

 larger than those of the creeping form. A similar phe- 

 nomenon is to be seen in the case of English ivy when 

 growing on walls in England. If neglected it will send 

 out these strong growths which will ultimately flower. 

 The specimen under notice, of Ficiis re pens (or F. 

 pitinlla, to give it its up-to-date title), fills the space 

 between two buttresses of the chiirrb .md attains a 

 height of over 13 feet. 



^ :}: :!: 



The most interesting garden seen in Torquay was that 

 of Air. Eden Plnllpotts, the famous novelist. Here, 

 gathered together in a space not much exceeding an acre, 

 was a collection of interesting plants in such variety as 

 would be almost impossible to find in this country in 

 similar conditions. Not only were the plants interesting 

 themselves, but in many cases their growth was such, 

 favored no doubt by the amiable Torquay climate, as to 

 make one, coming from a section where the ^^'inters are 

 of a more rigorous nature, sigh with envy. 



For example there were Buddleias fully 25 feet in 

 height, and a splendid specimen of Bcrberidopsis coral- 

 Una 20 feet high. This beautiful climbing evergreen is a 

 native of Chile and is hardy only in favorable sections 

 even in England. The leaves, two or three inches long, 

 are of a beautiful dark green, and somewhat spiny along 

 the margins. Its small, globular, crimson flowers are 

 abundantly produced on long pedicels in leafy racemes. 



Here, too, the climbing Butcher's broom, Sem-cle an- 

 drogvjw, from the Canary Islands, was thriving vigor- 

 ously out of doors. This is one of the most handsome of 

 vines and imparts a curiously tropical appearance in any 

 garden in which it may be grown. It is usually grown 

 as a greenhouse plant and is valuable for this purpose 

 when room can be afiforded it. Its small, rather incon- 

 spicuous flowers are produced on the margins of the leaf- 

 like branches, m this respect being comparable to the 

 sniilax of the florist. 



This garden is fully described in a vastly entertaining 

 and whimsical fasiiion in Mr. Phillpott's book "jMy Gar- 

 den." In his introduction he states that he grows over 

 1000 ditlerent genera and this, be it remarked, in a space 

 of about one acre. It is perhaps this tendency of the 

 amateur gardener in England to grow collections of as 

 many species and varieties of plants as he possibly can 

 that serves much to distinguish him from his confrere 

 in this country. Everywhere throughout the wlmle of 

 Engl.-md one may find small gardens, containing ;i won- 

 derful variety of i)lants lovingly tended, in part at least, 

 by their owners, it is jjarlly made possiijle to grow such 

 a large number because of the hold that rock gardening 

 has on the hearts of the English gardeners. The plants 

 used for this purixise, in many cases, are so diminutive 

 that an eu'irmous number of species may be grown on a 

 relatively small area. 



In this connection, it may be worth while to again raise 

 the question as to whether more jjleasure is obt.iined from 

 a garden having a great variety of plant material, or from 

 one where the garden picture is all ini]'orlant and made 

 with the use of as fniall a variety of material as possible. 

 Those who look on the garden as a ])urely artistic affair 

 are always pione lo depreciate the use of a large number 

 of species. This ap;;lies in Ivngland as well as in this 

 cojntry. We will admit the fact that it is imixissihle to 

 obtain such truly artistic results when the aim of the 

 gardener is to maintain a large collection of jjlants. Yet, 

 does not a garden made op the latter ])rinciple, assuming 

 of cour.sc that the plants are spaced with as much regard 

 to artistic consideration as possible under the circum- 

 stances, present to tlie ])Iant lover a greater variety of 



interesting features throughout the year than one de- 

 signed by a landscape artist who ignores the intrinsic 

 interest that plants in themselves possess, and has no 

 other purpose in view than that of creating a beautiful 

 composition ? 



The inevitable rock garden was of course in evidence 

 in Mr. Phillpott's garden but in this case a distinct de- 

 parture from the usually accepted type was noticed. It 

 might perhaps be described as a "formal"' rock garden — 

 formal in the sense that no attempt whatever is made 

 to simulate natural surroundings. Its top is bounded by 

 the straight line of a terrace and its bottom by a similar 

 straight line, i)arallel to the former, of a gravel walk. 

 'I'he front of the rock garden is raised about two feet 

 above the level of the walk, extends backwards about 

 eight feet, rising to a height of five feet, and covering 

 what woitld normally be the ordinary terrace slope. The 

 rocks are arranged as naturally as possible .snd the 

 "pockets" are planted with a varied and interesting .collec- 

 tion of alpine and other plants. The dainty wild Cycla- 

 mens were thriving satisfactorily here, and also the rare 

 Hriiiacea piingois. a dwarf shrub with violet-olue 

 papilionaceous flowers. Rcthiispora Sandcri (^Chanuccy- 

 paris obtusa, var. ericoidcs). one of the most charming 

 forms in this valuable genus, here nroved its fitness as a 

 rock garden evergreen. The quaint and column-like 

 Junipcnis coiniinniis liihcriiica. was rejiresented in several 

 ])erfect specimens. 



A rock garden of this type may contain suggestions 

 for those who are faced with the problem of maintaining 

 a suitable growth of grass on a terraced slope. In those 

 cases where the slope is so steep as to make it difficult to 

 maintain grass in good condition, it might be worth while 

 to consider facing the slope with rocks and ])lanting it 

 with suitable material. This would "be siiecially service- 

 aljle in a small garden where room was unavailable else- 

 where for the growth of alpine and rock plants. 



If may be nientioned, by the way, that the printed page 

 of "Aly Gard.en"' presents a strange appearance to those 

 accustomed to orthodox gardening publications, as Mr. 

 Phillpotts for the most ])art dispenses with the use of cap- 

 itals for the initial letter of the generic names of the 

 ])lanls. In the case of the specific names, however, he is 

 usuallv (pute orthodox and. in conse(|Ucnce. throughout 

 the book we ccjmc upon names written as follows: 

 ;^eraninm Lancaslririisr. biiinhusa Fortiinci. fritilloria 

 Sc-Mcrzowi. Whether Mr. Phillpotts is estaijlishing a 

 ))recedent of his own in this case, or whether he is simply 

 follcjwing someone else, we do not know. The Zoolo- 

 gists, in their code of nomenclature, !ia\e eliminated the 

 use of capitals in tlie case of specific names, btit we have 

 never heard of anyone dis])ensing with them for the 

 iiiiti.d letter ol generic names. 



This hurried tri|:i into Devon was sufficient to indicate 

 why this county received the sobriquet "glorious Devon." 

 fhe richness of its agricultural di.stricts, the beauty of 

 its scenery, and the flavor of tlie far-famed Devonshire 

 cream, was sufficient to prove, to us at least, that the 

 native Devonians are not too boastful in using the adjec- 

 tive "glorious" in describing their county. One soul- 

 satisfying trip was made by automol)ile over Hay Tor on 

 Dartmoor. On the moor, usually associated with grey 

 granite rocks, were immense jiatc'ies of golden gorse and 

 purple he.-ilher intermixed which provided a picture that 

 w;is not surjjassed in anv "f llie gardens that we bar; the 

 ])rivilege ol" \isitin'.;. 



It was inleresling ;i day or iwd lati r to cuiiipare m 



our mind's eye llie character (if the vegetation that one 



sees in these upland, ninnvl.ind regions with that to be 



found on the chalk dnwii- that, in a kir-t- jiart. make up 



( ( 'oiiliii'ied (III p<',i:( M I 



