December 1, 1863. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICTJLTUBE AND COTTAGE 6AEDENEE. 



435 



in front are richly ornamented by vases on plinths and 

 pedestals, about 17 feet apart. 



Of the beauty of this upper flower garden, its artistic 

 tracery, masses of flowers, beautiful statuary, and handsome 



urns and vases on the balustrading, with a small temple 

 at the south-east and south-west corners, we should not 

 be able to say anything to please ourselves, and, therefore, 

 feel much pleasure in being able, through Mr. Henderson's 



CI Section 1. 



StATF TERR/ICE -j 



<5 'j-. 



FLOVJER CARDEM 

 ZIOF' 



«/r«s 



«5i F' LEKCTH OF VJULX FRIIH STEPS 



7 G 



1. Slate terrace 40 feet in Tvidth. 



2. Balustrade witti three steps to flower garden. 



3. Broken line, allowing 210 feet, the width of 

 flower garden. 



4. Fine balustrade, and in centre in line with 

 walk in the upper tlower garden and the central 

 walk in Italian gsrden, m.\ wide seraicirtular 

 steps down to Italian garden. 



5. Broken line along centre of central waHc of 

 Italian garden, repreeenting 65i feet from balus- 

 trade to lake. 



6. Position of statuary of Perseus, &c. 



kindness, to present our readers with a plan of the fourth 

 part of this garden, that they may see at once what we 

 shovdd fail to describe. The other three quarters are the 

 same as that given, so that our young friends who feel dis- 

 posed may make a fuU pltin for themselves. 



The centre is the noble fountain with its elevated statuary 

 of Naiads, water nymphs, &c. The fountain has a broad 

 kerb of stone. 



Though each of the foin- panels is a counterpart of the 

 rest, it will be observed that each panel is planted on the 

 principle of insiu-ing a great amount of variety. The Yews 

 and Humeas also formed a nice connecting link with the 

 Humeas round the fountain, and did away with all im- 

 pressions of monotonous flatness. The chain pattern at 

 the side was a gem of beauty. The rains had slightly 

 injured the circles of Geraniums, but the Lobelia and the 

 Gazania were in their glory. 



We now pass down the wide platform semicircular stone 

 steps, six in number, and enter upon the central walk of 

 the Italian panelled-garden. This walk is 40 feet in width. 

 The distance from balustrade to lake is rather more than 

 240 yards. The width across of this Italian garden is al- 

 together three times that of the upper flower garden, or 

 210 yards, the ground extending equally to the east and 

 west. On each side of the steps in front of a wall that 

 supports the south balustrade of the flower garden is a 

 border of flowers, among which that old favourite Salvia 

 patens was conspicuously beautiful. 



Besides this wide walk in the centre of 40 feet, there are 

 also wide walks at the north end next the flower gardens, 

 and across the lower end behind the balustrade that separates 



the garden from the lakfe. On the same level as the central 

 walk there are also two longitudinal walks, one on each 

 side, 25 feet in width ; and besides those at the ends, there 

 are two more cross walks which divide the space into six 

 divisions, not equal, but the two middle ones so much larger 

 than the four end ones as to be something in the same pro- 

 portion as five is to two. The beds in these panels are in 

 two compartments, nearly on the general level of the gravel 

 walks, but with sloping banks and lower levels all round 

 and between them. All these beds have a raised edging or 

 ridge, a foot in height and as much in breadth, of various 

 things — as Oak, Box, Yew, Berbeiis, Cotoneaster, Ivy, &c. 

 Each of these six panels or gardens has a fountain in the 

 centre, the largest two in the two middle ones — that is, six 

 in all, three on each side. The centre of these fountains is 

 105 feet from the centre of the middle walk of 40 feet, which 

 makes 210 feet from fountain to fountain crosswise, and 

 thus the three fountains on each side are in direct line with 

 the east and west-end balustrading and vases of the upper 

 flower garden. 



Both sides of this garden are bounded by a sloping bank 

 and raised terrace, with walk, &c., some 4 feet above the 

 i level of the panelled garden. On the west side this is 

 separated from the park by a shrubbery of ornamental 

 trees and evergreens. On the east side it is separated from 

 lawns and shrubberies by an arched walk covered with 

 creepers, &c. This as well as the position of the panels, or 

 beds, will be seen by section 2, which takes in half the 

 width across fr-om the arched walk to the broad middle walk. 

 Take the lower line of figures as references, the upper giving 

 the distance in feet. 



1, covered pathway 8 feet wide, arch about 13 feet in 

 height, covered with Eoses, Honeysuckles, Clematis, &c., 

 affording a fine shade in a hot sunny day; 2, is a ribbon- 

 border 10 feet wide, bordered with 3 feet of grass ; 3, is a 

 gravel walk 12 feet wide ; 4, is level grass, 6 feet ; 5, sloping 

 bank, 9-1 feet ; G, lower level of grass, 17i feet ; 7, side gravel 

 walk, 25 feet; 8, other 171 feet of grass; 9, sloping bank, 

 5i feet ; 10 level gi-ass of 11 feet in width, a foot lower than 

 the fountains, and which goes all round the panel; 11. slopes 

 and level up to panel level ; 12, the front hedge that sur- 

 rounds the beds. The same figuring might be continued 

 unto we reach the middle walk. The west side is ai-rauged 

 exactly the same, only the raised ten-ace is bounded by shrub- 

 bery instead of an arched walk, as 1 on the east side. The 

 position of the beds may also be still better seen by looking 

 at a part of .in end section (Sec. 3), as seen from a cross walk. 



Section 3. 



CRUSS WALK 



This will likewise show the level of the beds, with slopes, and 



the low level of 1 1 feet in widtli all round each compartment. 



Besides the plants of Yew and upright Cypresses, the 



most of the beds in these compartments were of large size. 



and notwithstanding the masses of plants required else- 

 where, these too were grouped with the gayest colours. 

 This, also, was done to a certain extent this season, and a 

 number of large beds were brilliant with annuals in the end 

 of August, and others had been quite as beautiful when the 

 family were there to see them. Circumstances to which we 

 need not here allude render it desirable to lessen the vast 

 masses of bedding plants ; and though, no doubt, a little 

 may be borrowed from showy annuals, more than a beginning 

 has been made to fiU the beds with permanent plants — that 

 is, that will require less looking-after. Many beds have, 

 therefore, been filled with China and free late-blooming 

 Roses ; others with Berberry and various dwarf shrubs of 

 striking foliage; and we are convinced that when all, or 

 mostly all, the beds are done in this way, it will present a 

 much better contrast to the present rich flower garden — will 

 yield on the whole much more of the pleasures of variety — 

 will call for even more plant-knowledge and cultural skill — 

 and, if not so bi-illiant in summer, will present from the 

 windows of the mansion a far more efi'eotive picture in 

 winter and spring. 



In one striking feature of this garden we noticed a change 

 since our previous visit many yeai's ago. Then there were 

 the finest-headed specimens of standard Portugal Laurels 



