August IS, 18G3. J 



JOUBNAIi OF HOETICULTBRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



12j 



double iblnling-cloors at one effort, there burst upon us such 

 a blaze of floral beauty as quite arrested us, and made vis as 

 it' to recoil ivith the force of the impression it made. The 

 scene that was thiis exposed was the centre walk of the 

 kitchen gai-den, with ribbon-borders on either side of it 153 

 yards long, and 3 yards wide. Whether it was the sudden 

 effect produced by Mr. Brown's clever overture, or the in- 

 trinsic beauty of the arrangement itself, or both combined, 

 Vnit we were impressed with the feeling that we never before 

 saw two such ribbon-borders. 



For the benefit of our readers we have pleasure in being 

 able to record their composition. Commencing from the 

 gravel w:dk — 



l>t row, Lobelia specios.a, 



2iid ,, llanRle-*' Variegated Gera- 



3rd „ Piirtde Kins Verbena. 

 '1th ,, Cumet hcar;eL Verbena. 



5th row, Golden Chain Geranium. 

 Gth „ Liidy SaleycarleCGerai^ium 

 7th „ CountessolCurk Variegated 



Geranium. 

 Sth ,, PeriUa nankincnsis. 



The sanie was repeated on the other side. The borders 

 were in the very height of their beauty, and with the ex- 

 ception of Comet, which was a little too dwarf to be between 

 Purple King and Golden Chain, the whole was perfection. 



Immediately behind these ribbons are rows of pyramidal 

 Pears and Apples, some of them trained en qnenowille, and 

 now from 8 to 10 feet high. Most of them are covered with 

 fruit, and although they were removed into tliis position only 

 two years ago, they are now x>erfectly re-established, and 

 form a pretty feature behind the ribbons. 



Having gone the whole length of this broad walk, and 

 reached the opposite end, we turn to the right towards the 

 range of houses. Here, again, om- eyes were dazzled, and 

 our breath bated. Immediately in front of the houses is 

 another broad walk, speaking from memory, about 10 feet 

 wide ; and on one side of it another ribbon-border, if pos- 

 sible even finer than the other in effect, and certainly more 

 perfect in arrangement, for here there was not a fiaw to jar 

 the harmony of the whole. It is also 153 yards long and 

 3 yards wide, and is arranged in the following order : — 



Gth row, Lady Sale Scarlet Gera- 

 nium. 

 Jane Variegated Geranium. 

 Victoria Sc.irlet Ger.i)iium. 

 Gliidiolus brenclileyensid. 

 I'enlla nankinenst^. 

 HoUyhooks. 



In this border the two most attractive lines are the Cen- 

 taui'ea and the Gladiolus, the fiae broad and solid-silver 

 effect of the former ftdly justifying the great expectations 

 formed of it by Mr. Beaton when first he noticed it in these 

 pages, and the graceful stateUness of the latter forming a 

 fine transition between the dwarf Geraniums and the tail 

 Hollyhocks. At this season the PeriUa cannot be said to 

 make any striking effect, as it is in a measur-e hidden be- 

 tween the Gladiolus and the Hollyhock, and is intended to 

 come in when the Gladioluses are over. 



Never have we seen svich a stock of the Centaiu'ea as we 

 did here, and from the way in which it has been used there 

 is no doubt it will prove a permanent material for a third, 

 fourth, or fifth-row plant of silvery character far sui-jiassing 

 in efiect the old Cineraiia maritima. 



On the border next the houses there were beds of various 

 forms filled in the usual way ; but there was a round one 

 that especially attracted our attention filled with JNIi-s. Pol- 

 lock, one of those beautiful chromophyll Geraniums. This 

 was the first time we had ever seen it in a mass, and, judg- 

 ing from this example at Fawsley, we do not doubt but that 

 it will form a mew and telling feature both in beds and rib- 

 bons. In the same bed there were a few plants of Sunset, 

 also one of the chromophyUs, but the effect produced by it 

 in coir.parison with Mrs. PoUoek was poor in the extreme. 



The range of houses occupies nearly the whole length of 

 the gtifden. A considerable extent of them is devoted to 

 Peach culture, that part on the west side of the centre being 

 generally forced, while that at the eastern extreme has no 

 artificial heat, although pipes are provided in the event of 

 being called into requisition. And here we must again com- 

 pliment Mr. Brown on his skilful cultivation. These trees 

 on the walls are the very pictures of health, vigorous withotit 

 being gross, and producing a luxuriant dark green foliage, 

 some of the leaves being fiom S to 9 inches long, and pro- 

 portionately broad. The climate of this part of Northamp- 

 tonshire is such that Peaches and Nectarines cannot be 



grown with any degree of success against walls in the open 

 air; but this deficiency is amply compensated for in the 

 great success that Mr. Brown attains under gliiss. The 

 sorts that are most grown are the Royal George and Noblesse 

 Peaches, and the Violette Hative Nectarine. 



In the early vinery, now nearly over, there were still some 

 good examples of Black Hamburgh. In one of the vineries 

 there is a mixed collection, which we believe is intended 

 only to be temporary. Among these are — Trebbiano, Lady 

 Downes', Golden Hamburgh, &c., but as a late sort. Mi-. 

 Brown intends for the future to rely on Lady Downes', and 

 has accordingly planted a whole house with this valuable 

 variety exclusively. The Vines in all of the houses have 

 been but recently planted, and are in a state of healthy 

 vigoui'. 



In the Fig-house, which, too, is a mass of luxuriance, therr 

 was an excellent crop of Brown Tm-key, or, as it is sometimes 

 called, Lee's Perpetual, and one plant of another variety 

 called Datte, a strong, indeed too strong-gi-owing variety 

 for house culture. It is, nevertheless, a good Fig, and is 

 one of those varieties we find extensively in the markets of 

 Auch, Toulouse, and Montpelier. As we get higher up into 

 Provence, it is not so common. We doubt very much, 

 however, if this sorti, on account of its strong and robust 

 growth, is adapted for in-door cultivation. 



In the centre of the range, and standing out at right 

 angles with the wall, are two span-roofed stoves, both of 

 which were gay with flowering exotics, among which were 

 large hanging-baskets of various sorts of Achimenes. At the 

 end of each, and entirely covering the wall, were plants of 

 that singular plant, Aristolochia ornithocephala, certainly 

 one of the most remarkable plants in oultivfition, grotesque 

 beyond all measm-e. Imagine the head of a vulture, size 

 and shape included, with an enormous scythe-shaped bealc 

 9 inches long, with a great flapping bib or wattles under its 

 elfin 6 inches wide and 3 deep. The head and bib axe of a 

 steel grey colour, finelj' netted with a mahogany brown, 

 and the beak is entirely of the latter colour. There is in 

 these houses a fine collection of select Orchids, many of 

 them very fine specimens, but, of coui-se, at this season out 

 of flower. 



Our time being limited, we made but a hasty run through 

 the Pine-pits, in which are very fine luxuriant plants ; 

 and having looked into the Melon and Cucumber-franies. 

 we bade adieu to Fawsley, regretting our visit was so hasty. 

 t\nd resolving in our own minds when opportunity offers, to- 

 repeat a pleasvire which afforded us so much gratification. 



THE SPANISH CHESTNUT. 



In reading Mr. Eobson's article respecting our ancient 

 forest trees, I thought the following remarks might not be 

 unacceptable to some of your readers. There are to be seen 

 growing, or at least were four years since, at Shrubland 

 Park — the seat then of the late Sir W. Middleton, now of 

 Sir George Brooke Bart. — several much finer specimens of 

 Sweet Chestnut than those alluded to by Mi-. Eobson. 

 They were growing by the side of a tei-race-walk, and though 

 some of them were decaying they were objects of interest to 

 all who saw them. I am not prej^ared to state their exact 

 size. One of them wMch I often measui-ed was about 

 36 feet in cu-cumference at the ground, and I should think 

 that at 5 feet up it was about 21 feet in cu-cumference, as 

 the bottom was very much enlarged. 



Some of the largest Oaks I ever saw are growing at 

 Helmingham Hall, in Suffolk, the seat of— ToUemache, Esq.. 

 — ^E. Welch, Palace Gardens, Armagh, Ireland. 



Laege Elm.— a fine old Ebn tree, 25 feet in girth at 

 10 feet from the ground, is stfll in vigorous health at tlia 

 south-east corner of Tooting Common. — H. T. 



I SEE in your Journal of last week a paragraph about a 

 large Ebn at Bromyard. We have in this garden one 

 measuring 25 feet round at 1 foot 6 inches above the ground, 

 and 20 feet at 5 feet above the ground. It is perfectly 

 sound, and has stood whole in Umb against the heavy gales 

 of 1858-9. — H. P. B., Hartlebury Rectory, Kidderminstei-^ 



