May 16, 1867. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTOBB AND COTTAGE QABDENEB. 



UL 



the night of January 4th-5th, and the cold of the succeeding 



fortnight was doubtless similarly proportioned to that ex- 

 perienced at other places. In this valley is situated the well- 

 tnown nursery of Messrs. Ivery & Sou, and upon this devoted 

 spot and the neighbouring gardens has the severity of the 

 weather told to a fearful degree, causing death and injury to 

 trees and plants to an unprecedented extent. 



Wherever there is a rirst-class nursery established, the horti- 

 tore of the nei^^hbourhood is sure to be beneficially influenced, 

 the standard of gardening is raised, and the taste for beautiful 

 plants spread and improved. This is very applicable to these 

 unrseries, and your respected correspondent "D,, Dful," in 

 his article upon Denbies at page US, has very aptly remarked 

 that " Dorking is a classic name to the English horticulturist;" 

 lor, although, the high repute of the firm in the horticultural 

 world is in a great measure due to the untiring energy and 

 perseverance with which the successful cultivation, and the 

 raising and collecting of new varieties of hardy British Ferns 

 and of Azalea Indies, are pursued, other departmeuts have also 

 received especial care, particularly the growth of ornamental 

 trees and shrubs ; and the pleasing appearance of the numerous 

 gardens around Dorking and Eeigate, where the fine scenery 

 afforded by the Surrey Hills, and the undulation of the district, 

 have attracted so many different residents, is in no slight degree 

 owing to the fine specimens with which they have been en- 

 jriched from Messrs. Ivery's nurseries. Specimen plants of 

 all the principal Conifers and evergreens are kept in consider- 

 able numbers in the home nursery for the selection of purchasers, 

 and it is upon these that the severity of the late winter has 

 iallen with unsparing rigour. 



Having for many years made frequent visits to the nursery, 

 the feeling of depression which attended an inspection of it a 

 few days ago may be easily imagined. Some idea may be formed 

 of the destruction, when I state that plants of Araucaria im- 

 bricata from G to li! feet high are killed, not here and there a 

 single specimen, but by the score — indeed in an avenue of 

 finely grown trees, scarcely one is left that will be of service — 

 Deodars from 10 to 15 feet high have been killed to the 

 snow line, and in some cases are quite dead. A Cedar of 

 Lebanon l.j feet high is dead or nearly so; Cedrus deodara 

 robusta, a fine specimen, 10 feet high, is also dead; Abies 

 Morinda 8 or 9 feet high, and Finns excelsa of the same height 

 are also dead ; and, which is much to be regretted, a fine old 

 plant of Berberis Darwinii which when in bloom has always 

 teen a conspicuous object, is killed to the snow line. In fact, 

 except those to be presently noticed scarcely a quarter assigned 

 to any particular kind has escaped uninjured more or less, and 

 sn some instances the whole stock is entirely destroyed. The 

 utility of snow as a protection was here very distinctly and 

 even remarkably proved. The snow was about l(j inches in 

 depth, and in those quarters occupied by young plants which 

 were entirely covered by it, the greater part have escaped, and, 

 wherever the tops of plants were exposed above the snow, that 

 portion was killed. In the case of large plants the bottoms 

 that were under the snow are still alive and breaking into 

 foliage, although all above is destroyed. Throughout the 

 grounds the placo of the snow line can be clearly traced. So 

 assured was Mr. Ivery of the protection the snow was affording, 

 that he had a stock of evergreen Magnolias, M. grandiflora, 

 II. exoniensis, itc, only slightly protected, banked up with snow 

 both above and around, and every plant was saved. 



I subjoin a list from my notes taken on the spot which I 

 have arranged under the different headings of killed, injured 

 more or less, and uninjured. 



1. Killed. 



Cetlrns deodara. — Nearly every plant killed, or so severely injnred 

 aa to be wortliless. 



Cedrus libani. — The same as the preceding. 



Cedrns deodara robusta. — Large plants killed ; smaller ones killed 

 to the snow Hue. 



CapressQs Larabertiana. — The whole stock. 



Arthrotaxis Doniana.— A pluutS feet high, sUghtly sheltered. 



Cupressus Bempervirens. — The same ; a few escaped, but were 

 very severely injured. 



Araucaria imbricata. — As above stated, probably four-fifths of the 

 whole numb.n* ; the rest reudered useless. 



Abies Morinda. — Some lari^e specimens, while others were ftppft- 

 rently uniujured. A singular instance of the capricious effects of the 

 cold. 



Pinus excelsa. — Nearly all the larger specimens ; others much in- 

 jured. 



Pinus insignis. — The whole stock. 



Portugal Laurels. — The same, or nearly. 



Common Laurels. — The same, or nearly. 

 Arbutus unedo. — All the larger plants. 

 Ithododendron ponticum. — A whole bnd. 

 Qucrcus ilex (Evergieen Oak). — The whole stock. 

 I^aurnstinuH. — The same. 

 Itoaes. — SevL-nty-five percent of the whole. 



2. Is,TUREIi. 



Besides the above, this list includes many kinds where the 

 death of individual plants or of more than one was not ob- 

 servable. 



Abies Douplafiii. — More or less. 



Juuiperns recurva. — Liir^e specimens, .5 and H feet high. 



Libocedrus chilensis. — Killed above the snow liue. 



Cupressus elegans. — The same. 



Taxus (Yew), of varieties. — Sli.^'htly. 



Arbutus. — .\11 mu.'h injured, especially A. Milleri, A. photinifoha, 

 A. mai^ifica. and others. 



Aucntias. — The couunon variety, slif^litly. 



Escallonia nuierantha. — Killed to the snow line. 



Ivies. — Upwards of thirty varieties very much injured, mauy of them 

 killed to the snow line. 



Holhes. — Most of the variegated, and many of the greca kinds, some 

 veiT severely. 



Hybrid Ithododendrous. — Veiy severely. 



Cytisus (Broom), the donbleflowerini Furze, and even Box and 

 Pampas Grass, the last slightly protected. 



f^uouymus japonicus. — Severely. 



Jasmines. — Some kinds. 



The foregoing lists do not include every kind of plant or tree 

 injured or killed. I have noted the most conspicuous in- 

 stances among well-known species. For the same reason, in 

 adding a list of kinds that have escaped uninjured, which is 

 equally interesting, since we may know from it those capable 

 of enduring the severest ordeal our climate can inflict, the 

 high estimation in which many of them arejustly held will cer- 

 tainly be enhanced. 



3. U.N'iNJur.F.n. 



Abies Albertii, A. orientahs, A. Meuzicsii, A. Claubrasiliana, and 

 its varieties. • 



Cryptomeria japonica, C. japouica ariucarioides, and C. japonica 

 nana. 



Cupressus Lawsouiana. 



Seiadopitys (Umbrella Pine).— Vciw sliKhtly sheltered. 



Juniperus. — Uf upwards of thirty kinds of Juniper, the only onea 

 injured are some large ])lant3 of J. recurva previously rcfen-ed to. All 

 the others that came uuder my notice were in perfect health. This 

 beautiful rliiss of ornamental plants will, doubtless, gain increased 

 favour, not simply from their hardy character, but also from their 

 peculiar but pleasing habit, and colour of foliage. 



Pinus. — Besides those naturally found in countries with severe 

 climate, the foUowiu" have escaped uninjured : — 



P. Benthamiaua, P. laricio, P. Lamhertiana, P. Beardsleyi, and 

 P. Pallaaiana. 



Picea (Allies). — P. Nordmauuiana, P. piusapo, P. amabUis, P. 

 nobilis, and P. cephalonica. 



lietinospora ohtnsa, and R. pisifera. These recent introductions 

 will, therefore, prove valuable acquisitions. 



Thujas— T. aurea, T. compacta, T. Lobbii (cigantea). and T. gi- 

 Rantea (Tjibocedrus decnrreus), besides the weU-kno^vn Chinese Arbor- 

 Vitm I Biota), and its varieties. 



Thujopsis boroalis, T. dolabrata, and T. Standishii. 



Wellingtonia gigantea. 



It is impossible to avoid expressing satisfaction that there 

 are some of the most beautiful forms of the Conifera? which we 

 possess found also to be the most hardy. A winter garden out 

 of doors may yet be a reality in England. 



The deciduous shrubs anil trees appear to have suffered least. 

 Mr. Ivery hopes that the generality of them have escaped 

 without material injury. The Purple Magnolias are showing 

 bloom freely. 



A word or two on the Koses. An inspection of the quarters 

 showed plainly that not less than three out of every four are 

 dead. The effects, too, have been strangely capricious, as it 

 has always happened with Roses. As a rule, the whole of the 

 Noisettes and Teas exposed are killed, as well as most of the 

 Bourbons, and those that have generally been considered tender. 

 Among the llemontant Hybrids (H.P.s), some kinds have 

 passed through the ordeal entirely unscathed, while of others 

 the whole stock is killed! Some, again, have been severely 

 injured, while there are instances where one plant is safe and 

 sound, and its next neighbour of the same variety is quite dead. 



The following first-class Boses have escaped— Charles Le- 

 febvre, Senateur Yaisse, Jules Margottin. Prince Camille de 

 Kohan, Baron C.onella. and General Jacqueminot. Of these 

 favourites, I did not observe a plant affected. On the other 



