i6 



IRISH GARDENING 



men as Mr. Kothschild and liis enthusiastic gar- 

 dener, who has worlced liis way to the liead of his 

 profession in the London distriet. To Mr. and 

 Mrs. Bedford we felt deeply indebted for their 

 kindness, and said goodbye in the hope that one 

 aay we nii^ht reoiproeatc their hospitality. 



Our next visit was made in fine weather to the 

 historic Royal Park of Greenwich, famous to every 

 one as the centre from which the world's time is 

 taken. 



Approached from the lower or dock side en- 

 trance this park is not imposing, and the grass- 

 less surface and partially leafless trees made it 

 appear worse. 



Mr. Campbell, the Superintendent, kindly placed 

 himself at our disposal and soon piloted us to the 

 brighter parts of the park. 



The flower garden portion was a revelation, in- 



RocKKUY W.\LK, People's Gardens, Phcenix P.4kk, 

 Dublin. 



deed it proved an " oasis " in a desert, the 

 beautifully kept beds were full of plants, vigorous 

 and happy, nmch as one would expect to see them 

 in the free air of a coruitry place. 



A long well-arranged border in front of a .shrub- 

 bery contained a fine collection of the best forms 

 of the Dahlia, while large masses of Antirrhinum 

 made other points gay with colour. 



A point of much importance was the .?omewhat 

 iniusual practice of lifting plants in full flower 

 from the reserve nursery beds, to make goocl 

 failures caused by the 'extreme drought, this 

 system, we were told, proved quite satisfactory. 



The flower bedding carried out here was on a 

 higher standard than some we had already seen 

 in London, and on leaving the flower gard^in 



proper we passed through a creation of Mr. 

 Hay's, when Superintendent at Greenwich, in the 

 nature of a dell planted with the choicer Chinese 

 shrubs and trees. This feature was an agreeable 

 and instructive one, well grown and nicely ar- 

 ranged. The nursery and propagating department 

 at Greenwich is 'a compact, well-managed one. 

 The foundations of new strains of plants likely to 

 be of value in public ijarks were being laid here — 

 notably tlie new winter-flowering Pansy and 

 Begonia seedlings. We shall certainly hear more 

 of tliese fhowers in the near future. 



The old sweet Chestnut trees are a striking 

 feature of this park, many of wliich have interest- 

 ing histories. The famous old " Queen Elizabeth's 

 Oak " is one of the old links with a connected 

 story preserved from the ages. 



Leaving Greenwich Park, with thanks to Mr. 

 Campljell for his kindness, we crossed London to 

 visit the premier park in the London Co. Council 

 trust — viz., Battersea. This beautiful park occupies 

 an ideal site on the right bank of the River 

 Thames, and serves as a breathing area for a 

 large industrial population, and it well deserves 

 its uudoid)ted popularity. 



From a. horticultural point of view it possesses 

 features all its own; in its monopoly of using 

 Palms and other exotic plants for sunnner bedding 

 schemes; these plants carefully grown ana 

 gradually hardened to outdoor conditions in early 

 summer are planted in sheltered places near the 

 lake, which occupies a considerable area, and the 

 tropical effect is reminiscent of a South Sea Island 

 scene rather than that of a park in the centre of 

 London. Opinion may differ as to the correct 

 grouping of these tropical subjects, but there can 

 lie no difference of mind as to the pleasing effect 

 these plants give to the visitor on a hot sunnner 

 day. 



An old English flower garden with Pergola and 

 central water fountain is an attractive and refresh- 

 ing feature, especially during the hot weather pre- 

 vailing at the time of our visit. 



The public desire for such sports as cricket 

 football, bowling, etc., is well catered for, good 

 ])itche3 and greens being provided for each, and, 

 judging from the numbers taking part in these 

 games, the provision is much appreciated by a 

 well-disciplined puljlic. 



Boating on the lake is a favourite pastime, and 

 yields a handsome revenue to the Council who 

 sujjiilies the boats. 



The niu'sery and propagating houses were laid 

 open to our inspection by one of the senior officials 

 who explained the details, and in many ways we 

 were surprised at the extensive nature of the 

 operations. The explanation that this centre pro- 

 vides the necessary plants for many other sub- 

 areas inunediately set us right. 



One feature exists in this park to brighten the 

 A\ inter months, and consists in setting aside a large 

 glass house for flowering Chrysanthemums. This 

 pleasure is very much appreciated by the public. 

 On the whole 3Battersea Park is one of no mean 

 order. 



Finsbury Park was on our list for the following 

 day, and we were fortunate in seeing this N.E. 

 London park at its best in fine weather; consider- 

 ing its high altitude the freshness of its trees and 

 shrubs was rather a surprise. This happy state is 

 explained by the fact that the subsoil of the park 

 is heavy I,ondon clay, a medium very retentive 

 of moisture, and evidently both trees and shrubs 

 had drawn their moisture from this source by 



