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JOURNAIi OP HORTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE tiAEDENER. 



[ iJecember 4, 18; 3. 



Small beds planted 'with the subjects uamed have a tendency 

 to look "dumpy," but if of large size, like these beds, they 

 are indeed " sensational," when seen with the sun shining 

 upon them. They have also this advantage, that no rain 

 seems to mar their beauty ; in fact, the more it rains the 

 brighter they look. — James Smith, Gardener to the Earl of 

 Gainshorough, Exton Park, liutland. 



MESSRS. BUNYARD & SONS' NURSERIES, 

 MAIDSTONE. 



Looking over a nurseryman's establishment where there are 

 enormous quantities of almost every garden plant grown to 

 meet an extensive demand, is not only interesting to anyone 

 who has a taste for horticulture, but is instructive as well ; 

 and even a gardener who may be credited with having some 

 idea of nursery work and the trade going on in most kinds of 

 nursery stock, would, I presume, be likely to be very wide of 

 the mark if he attempted to estimate, before seeing for himself, 

 the thousands upon thousands of plants growing in a nursery 

 establishment with a lirst-olass connection : but so great is 

 the demand for fruit and flowers both for private use and 

 commercial purposes, that there appears to be a market for 

 all that is reared. 



I took the opportunity recently to go over the extensive 

 nurseries of Messrs. Bunyard & Sons, of Maidstone, and I 

 came away gratified and surprised at the large acreage they 

 have under cultivation. This was accounted for when I re- 

 collected that the name of Bunyard has been associated with 

 these nurseries for a great many years, if not at the time of 

 their establishment in 170(5, and, of course, any additions that 

 an increase of trade rendered necessary have been made till 

 the nursery is now of large proportions. The aim of Mr. 

 Bunyard has been to establish a first-rate country business, 

 with no particular speciality, but to grow something of every- 

 thing, and in this he has succeeded ; but for some years he 

 was ably assisted in his endeavours by his two sons, and three 

 years ago he retired from business in their favour. 



Maidstone is a station on the North Kent line of the South 

 Eastern Ilailway, and is easy of access from all parts of Kent 

 and the adjoining counties. Directly opposite to the station 

 are the seed warehouse, olHces, and a portion of the florist's 

 department of the nursery. In this enclosure of about an 

 acre are several glass structures devoted to the growth of a 

 large miscellaneous collection of plants, of which great 

 numbers are sent out for table decoration, and others grown 

 to supply cut blooms. For this purpose there were quantities 

 of Bouvardia Hogarth and elegans, and the white one called 

 loDgiflora ; Libonia lloribunda in pood bloom, and a hybrid 

 Libonia named penrhosiensis, dwarfer, earlier in bloom, also 

 freer, and much brighter in colour. There was a small stove 

 with choice Ferns and Orchids, and attached to this are a range 

 of pits with quantities of Mignonette in different stages, also 

 early bulbs, and cold pits filled with herbaceous plants. Be- 

 hind the glass houses is a space for the growth of a great 

 variety of border plants. 



I nest proceeded to the old garden nursery, situated on the 

 opposite side of the railway, within two minutes' walk, and 

 here have recently been erected some half a dozen houses and 

 pits as an addition to the lloricultural department, but also 

 for rearing Vines in large quantities, and well grown and 

 ripened they are ; among the many plants there were some of 

 the handsome Aralia leptophjUa, a model of gracefulness, also 

 small Palms, Dracicnas, A'c. There were lots of Aucuba 

 longifolia, a narrow-leaved sort, loaded with berries just 

 colouring. One of the large houses was devoted entirely to 

 Oamellias, Azaleas, Heaths, and Epacrises, which gave signs 

 of being admirably managed. In another unheated span- 

 roofed bouse were specimen plants in pots of Tea Koses of the 

 most approved sorts, and conspicuous were some hue exam- 

 ples of Marechal Niel, double-budded ; as I understood, first 

 Gloire de Dijon on the Manetti, and then the MarC-chal on 

 Gloise de Dijon, and it is surprising in what a short time they 

 make fine plants. In the spacious cold pita are found large 

 quantities of Magnolias, Ceanothus in variety, Myrtles, Rho- 

 dodendrons, and a fine stock of the lovely, scented Dajihne 

 indica rubra ; I should say there are a thousand unusually 

 healthy blooming plants in pots, and others of smaller growth 

 coming on to take their places, all well-grown compact plants. 

 There were also lihododendrons in fine named sorts, and 

 Camellias grafted or inarched. The piece of ground being 

 surrounded by a wall, Mr. Bunyard takes the opportunity of 



growing a collection of wall plants. There are the different 

 sorts of Ivies, Bignonias, Ceanothus, Magnolias, and the pretty 

 Ampelopsis hederacea and Veitchii, the latter a great improve- 

 ment on the former; its leaves are magnificent towards 

 autumn, and it is curious to observe the neat way in which it 

 cUngs to the wall. 



The space not occupied by glass houses is divided into con- 

 venient compartments by Yew hedges for the purposes of 

 shelter and securing different aspects. Here all available 

 space is devoted to the propagation and rearing of the choicer 

 kinds of Coniferas, aU arranged according to their different 

 habits in beds of thousands. Among these there are many 

 noticeable or handsome kinds, such as Cupressus Lawsoniana 

 alba pendula (Paul), of a beautiful silvery glaucous colour, 

 with somewhat drooping branches, and a new dwarf white sort 

 called alba nana, also Waterer's new one, called C. Lawsoniana 

 erccta viridis, similar to C. macrocarpa in habit, and of a 

 lovely grass green. I likewise noticed Juniperus excelsa 

 stricta, an erect glaucous variety of a neat pyramidal habit 

 of growth ; I saw a bed of this, which was very striking. 

 Among Thujas I saw a new variety, just arrived, called lutea ; 

 it is very pretty, and appears to be of the T. Lobbii habit. 

 Then there was T. aurea, of which I will speak again ; also 

 Thuja elegantissima, very attractive in spring, as well as one 

 called Thuja semper-auresoens, remarkable for keeping its 

 colour all the year ; the habit is stouter than that of T. aurea. 

 Then there is T. Yervaeneaua, a very tine golden-leaved variety 

 of American origin, and the variegated Chinese variety with 

 blotches of gold. Retinospora pisifera aurea was in larg) 

 quantities ; I considered it would be a desirable plant for 

 winter and spring bedding. 



Many other subjects I was compelled to leave in order to 

 make my way to another piece of ground about one mile and 

 a half on the London road, called the AUington Nursery, in 

 the parish of AUington. It is a large space of ground, 

 devoted principally to the growth of fruit and forest trees. 

 This was originally a piece of woodland, of which about three 

 or four years ago a small portion was let on lease to the 

 Messrs. I3unyard, but a rapidly-increasing business has caused 

 them to make considerable additions, till they have under 

 cultivation over twenty-one acres. It is wonderful what well- 

 directed energy has done in transforming this piece of ground 

 into what turns out to be a first-rate nursery. The soil is a 

 good workable loam, not less than 2 feet in depth, and in some 

 parts extending to 4 feet. It has all been well trenched-up to 

 a good dejith, and in such a soil everything makes abundance 

 of roots, and fibrous roots too, in plenty, as I witnessed when 

 trees were being taken up for ordtrs ; as a natural consequence, 

 everything possesses a vigorous and healthy appearance. 



The quantities of standard Apples, i?ears. Plums, and 

 Cherries are very large ; then there are thousands of pyra- 

 mids, and dwarf-trained as well as aiaiden trees of every sort 

 in demand, all arranged in convenient quarters according to 

 their sort and their different stages of growth. To observe 

 the uniform growth of all, especially that exhibited by the 

 maiden trees, and the perfect union of the bud with the stock 

 in the short space of one season, is interesting, because it 

 shows that the roots must be plentiful and in a good soil — a 

 thing to be stcured before budding or grafting, because it 

 must have a corresponding influence on the futiu'e success of 

 the tree. 



In this department Mr. Bunyard takes considerable pains to 

 ascertain the merits of each sort of stock upon which to work 

 his trees, and the following is his classification. He considers 

 Rivers's Broad-leaved Paradise stock to be the best for the 

 coarser-growing Apples, as Northern Spy, Blenheim Orange, 

 etc. ; and the Nonesuch (Rivers's) for the medium growers and 

 fine-wooded sorts like Golden Harvey. The Enghsh Paradise 

 is also very good for all but the coarse-wooded Apples ; this 

 latter stock is greatly used for the pyramidal, espalier, and 

 cordon Apples. For standards the Crab stock is a well-known 

 good and suitable one for .\pple3. I learn that the sis favourite 

 kitchen Apples for market are Lord Sutfield, Dumelow's Seed- 

 ling, Northern Greening, Keswick Codlin, Blenheim Orange, and 

 New Hawthornden ; and among dessert kinds. Red Quarren- 

 den. Golden Knob, Summer Golden Pippin, Cox's Orange 

 Pippin, King of the Pippins, and Sturmer Pippin. The latter, 

 I think, is generally a heavy cropper and a regular bearer, has 

 a Ribston flavour, and keeps till May and sometimes June. 



For orchards, tho principal market Pears are the Chalk or 

 Sweetwater Pear, Williams'.s Bon Chii'tien, Hessle, Bishop's 

 Thumb, Marie Louise, and Louise Bonne of Jersey. 



