102 



JOUKNAIi OF HOETICtTLTUEE AJST) COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



C Aagust 11, 1SC3. 



bed phxnted with Sidonia for centre, one lovely mass of 

 pink ; then one circle of Harry Hieover, the outer circle 

 being Lobelia Paxtoniana: this bed strikes me as one of 

 the most perfect in the gardens. Some, perhaps, would 

 prefer a rather broader circle of Harry Hieover, but you 

 mu^t remember Harry is a new comer, and his progeny 

 are not as yet very numerous. Sidonia is a Geranium 

 which I am surprised is not more used. For bloom it far 

 surpasses Christine; but it is rather difficult to get up a 

 stock of, and must be planted very close ; old plants are 

 also the best. There are several of the breed in the 

 market, but this is the true one. Eemember, this Sidonia- 

 bed is oiu' starting-point. Now if you will be kind enough 

 to take your way as if going \ip to the Palace by the walk 

 round the Mount (thus the Mount will be on your right), 

 you will come to another round bed planted with Tro- 

 pseolum elegans and Golden Chain round — a bold stroke, 

 orange and yellow ! but forming a very good contrast to the 

 first — viz., the Sidonia, and to the next. This is planted 

 with another new Geranium — Baron Ricasoli, as a centre, a 

 circle of two rows of Christine, a circle of one row of old 

 Floiibunda Geranium, the outer circle or edging being 

 Lobelia speciosa. The Baron is much the same colour as 

 Harkaway, but brighter and with much larger petals and 

 truss, and a far more abundant bloomer : it has a slight 

 horseshoe on the leaf. The old Floribunda is a friend of 

 my youth. I remember a ladder plant of it 2 or 3 feet high, 

 which annuaUy decorated our nursery window. It pro- 

 pagates easily, and, if the old blooms are picked off, flowers 

 well during the whole summer ; but if you will take my 

 advice, use it only as an inner circle or centre and not as an 

 edging, as when the white petals drop oif they make a sad 

 litter. 



We now come to another path leading up the Eose Mount. 

 At the corner formed by this and the walk going round, is 

 a heart-shaped bed, with a centre of Trentham Eose and 

 Aurea floribunda Calceolaria as an edging. Turn now up 

 the walk leading to the top of the Eose Mount ; and next 

 the heart-shaped bed at the corner, on your right going up, 

 is a veiy charming bed. I call this a salad-bed, for it has 

 the same kind of fresh cool appearance. It would form a 

 very good neutral tint to bring in between stronger combi- 

 nations of colour. It is planted with alternate circles of 

 Lobalia Gordoniana, and Alma Geranium. Up again two or 

 three steps, and stOl looking to the right, you have a bed 

 of dai-k maroon Calceolaria (seedlings of Mr. Gordon's, very 

 beautiful at my first visit, but faUen off on my second, owing, 

 no doubt, to the excessively hot sunny weather), with an 

 edging of crimson Ivy, far too narrow, and not the right 

 colour to put next to the Calceolaria. And now turn back 

 .Tgain and go down the walk, and you come to another salad- 

 bed on the right, opposite the other, planted with Julia 

 variegated Geranium, and Lobelia Paxtoniana. This Julia 

 was brought out by Turner or Kinghorn, and, as you wiU 

 probably notice, is superior to Alma. At the corner oppo- 

 site No. 1 heart-shaped bed, is a round bed, oenti-e Prince 

 of Orange Calceolai-ia, with an edging of Harkaway. 



Now, you are again in the walk going round the Mount, 

 and at the next bed you exclaim, " Oh, how dull-looking ! " 

 It is an attempt to make the Fuchsia useful as a bedding 

 plant, and is planted with Fuchsia Queen of Hanover for 

 centre, two circles of Empress Eugenie Verbena, one circle 

 Fuchsia Globosa, edging a white Lobelia. 



We now come to No. 2 heart-shaped bed. planted with Crys- 

 tal Palace Scarlet Geranium, with an edging of Flower of the 

 Day. Continuing yoiu- course you come to a large bed planted 

 with Khododendi-ons, and next to No. .3 heart-shape, with a 

 centre of Purple Nosegay, bordered with a hybrid Geranium 

 called Lady Mary Fox and edged with Tropseolum Elegans. 

 Close to this No. 3 is a tree with a seat imder, and a walk 

 runs up the Eose Mount. Up this walk I shall not take 

 you, as there is nothing particidar to notice, the beds on both 

 sides being made up of mixtures of small variegated Gera- 

 niums and Verbenas, which last have failed. Tou may, 

 perhaps, notic-e the edging of the first round bed on the right 

 of the walk. It is Golden Ivy -leaf Geranium. The round 

 bed at the corner is filled with Tropa'olum Ball of Fire. 



Proceed nov* along the circumference-walk, always keep- 

 ing the Mount on your right, and you come to a round 

 bed filled with Gp.zania splendens, mixed with Cerastium 



Biebersteinii, edged with Cerastium tomentosum. The next 

 is a very bright bed, centre BrilUant Geranium, edged with 

 Agathsea ccelestis variegata. Then, there is another attempt 

 with Fuchsias. We now come to No. 4 heart-shape bed, 

 centre Punch four rows, encircled by two rows of Gaines' 

 YeUow Calceolaria, two of Christine, the whole edged with 

 Purple King Verbena — a very effective bed. Now, turn up 

 the walk to the top of Eose Mount, and on your right you 

 have a bed centred with one of the new Nosegays of much 

 the same colour as Trentham Eose. a capital bloomer, edged 

 with Blush Minimum Geranium. The next bed is variegated 

 Geranium Bijou, mixed with Eyebright Verbena, edged with 

 Lobelia Gordoniana. 



Turn do^\Ti again, and with your back to the Eose Mount, 

 you have on your right a bright rosy-coloured Verbena, a 

 new seedling edged with Shottesham Pet Geranium. Now 

 you come to my pet bedding Geranium, Lord Palmerston, 

 for centre, with an edging of Blush Minimum. Lord Pal- 

 merston is equal in truss to Stella, but of a more crimson 

 colour. I measured some of the petals, they were li inch 

 in length, and you will find it difficult to count the buds on 

 a truss. The next bed is filled with a dull-looking double 

 TropjEolum, edged with Gnaphahiun lanatum. You are 

 again in the circumference-walk ; continue along it passing 

 two or three round beds, one of which Ls Eoscs, till you come 

 to No. 5 heart-shape, centre Cottage Maid, surrounded by 

 Christine, edged with GnaphaUum lanatum. 



Then comes another walk leading up the Mount, up which 

 it is not worth while to go. Opposite to No. 5 Ls another 

 bed of Mr. Gordon's dark Calceolarias, edged with variegated 

 Crimson Minimiuu Geranium. Pass along the circumference- 

 walk, and the first bed is Queen of Hanover Fuchsia, edged 

 with Cuphea; next bed is Gazania splendens, edged with 

 Arctotis reptans, a new edging plant ; next, a bed of Helio- 

 trope mixed with Verbena venosa ; and next, RoUisson's 

 Unique Geranium edged with a seedling white Verbena. 



We now come to ths sixth heart-shape bed, Trentham 

 Eose as a centre, round which is Aurea floribunda Calceo- 

 laria two rows, edged with Purple King Verbena. Now up 

 the Eose Mount, and the first bed on youi- right is, centre 

 Eyebright Verbena, edged with Lobelia Paxtoniana. The 

 next is a very pretty bed made up of Lady Plymouth varie- 

 gated Geranium, mixed with Melindres Verbena, and edged 

 with Cloth of Gold Geranium. On the other side of the 

 walk going down again, you have on your right a counter- 

 part to the last in a bed filled with Dandy Geranium mixed 

 with Verbena Hendersoni, and edged with Cloth of Gold ; 

 then a bed with a rosy-crimson Verbena not named, edged 

 with Lobelia Paxtoniana ; and the round bed at the comer 

 is Tropieolum elegans, edged with Gnaphalium lanatum. 



And now along the circumference-walk and you have a 

 splendid bed of Brilliant Geranium, edged with Golden Ivy • 

 leaf. The next bed is of a dull-coloured Petunia, edged with 

 Nierembergia. Then a bed of Calceolaria Prince of Orange, 

 edged with Golden Chain ; and the last, Gaines' Yellow Cal- 

 ceolaria, edged with Floribunda Geranium. 



Y'ou are now at No. 7 heart-shape bed, just opposite the 

 entrance irom the railway station. It is planted with 

 Cottage Maid for centre, suiTOunded by Crystal Palace 

 Scarlet Geranium, edged with Flower of the Day. 



We have now completed our circuit of the Eose Mount, 

 and you had better proceed up the walk next to No. 7. On 

 your right is Trentham Eose for centre, a circle of Chris- 

 tine, and an edging of Purple King. On your left going up 

 is another of Mr. Beaton's seedling Geraniums of dwarf 

 habit and an abundant bloomer. Sir. Page did not know 

 the name, and only Mr. Gordon is in the secret as to the 

 numbers. On the left again going up is a new Tropseolum 

 of a dark maroon tint, a seedling of Mr. Gordon's. 



And now we are on the Eose Mount. It is planted in 

 festoons. First, a centre of Christine, festooned with two 

 rows of Crystal Palace Scarlet, one row of Gaines' Yellow 

 Calceolaria, one row of Aurea floribunda Calceolaria as of 

 dwarfer habit, then two rows of Flower of the Day ; the 

 angles formed by the festoons being Lobelia Paxtoniana ; 

 the whole edged with two rov/s of Lobelia speciosa. This 

 is one of the most showy examples of bedding-out you will 

 see anywhere. Unfortunately Chiistine seeds too freely this 

 dry season ; but we sha.U have Helen Lindsay next year, 

 which they say has not the same bo,d habit. 



