33S 



JOUENAIi OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ November 5, 1868. 



other chimneys, and where, as a rule, for many months in the 

 year it rains almost incessantlj', he has only to find the means, 

 and give his instructions to skilful horticultural and floricul- 

 tnral generals, and superlative plants are produced. It matters 

 not whether they are natives of the tropics or of the dry hills 

 and plains of the Cape, they are there to be seen in the greatest 

 luxuriance ; and it must be very satisfactory to Mr. Mendel to 

 see such results produced, and also very gratifying to his able 

 gardeners, Messrs. Petoh and Milford, to find their labours 

 crowned with such success. Not twelve mouths ago I saw the 

 plants, and certainly a wonderful change for the better is now 

 apparent. 



There is no attempt at architectural gardening, but Mr. 

 Edward Milner has very successfully made the most of the 

 ground by a series of happy combinations, which are very 

 cheerful and picturescjue, and, in my opinion, very much more 

 pleasing to the eye than so much of the made-up style of gar- 

 dening seen in many places. The eye becomes wearied by 

 looking from month's end to year's end upon colours artificially 

 produced ; but the graceful style of imitating Nature, which 

 Mr. Milner has made peculiarly his own, introduces fresh 

 scenery at every turn, and thus avoids monotony. 



Manley Hall is situated on the west side of Manchester, and 

 is about three miles from the Manchester Exchange. The 

 approach to the mansion and gardens is from the Chorlton 

 road, and after passing through a very handsome gateway, by 

 the side of which there is a substantial lodge, we enter upon 

 the carriage drive, which is about 20 feet wide, and on each 

 side of which there is an avenue formed with Lime trees. 

 Hollies, and Thujopsis borealis planted alternately. These are 

 on grass, and at the back of them a low wall covered with Ivy 

 has a very pleasing effect. The carriage drive and all the 

 walks are made with asphalt and gravel, and are kept so clean 

 that anyone might walk over them barefooted without soiling 

 his feet. Directly opposite the entrance gate a portion of St. 

 Mark's Cjllege is seen in the distance, with its handsome 

 turrets surrounded by splendid masses of foliage, which are 

 just now assuming their autumnal tints, and between the 

 carriage drive and the College is a beautiful undulating glade, 

 through which the College is seen. The entrance to this glade 

 is concealed from the carriage drive by a group of figures repre- 

 senting Time, and the pedestals on which these figures are placed 

 are clothed with Ivy. At the back of the group there is a semi- 

 circular wall, which is also covered with Ivy, and a little to the 

 right a walk leads to the mansion. The ground on this front 

 has been skilfully laid out to afford undulating scenery. This 

 walk brings us up to the north front of the mansion, which is 

 a very handsome structure, on the south and east side of which 

 there is a terrace raised about 5 feet above the general level of 

 the grounds. 



The walk above-mentioned leads rsund below the terrace 

 wall to the east and south, and past the grand conservatory, 

 which is built at the south-west angle of the mansion. It is a 

 very handsome building, 'JO feet by 48, having four half-circular 

 roofs, three of which are parallel with the walk on the south 

 front, and one which covers the principal entrance from the 

 garden, through the conservatory, to the sculpture and picture 

 galleries. There are three flights of steps which lead to three 

 different levels in the conservatory, which is divided into three 

 sections by a walk from the west end under each of the three 

 roofs, and terminating at the top of each flight of steps. At 

 each side of the steps leading through the conservatory there 

 is a pair of Ehopala corcovadensis and Khopala de Jonghii. 

 These are handsome trees, 12 or 14 feet high, and form a 

 fine avenue ; between them are fine Palms, and costly marble 

 sculpture. 



Directly opposite the middle level, and on the right hand 

 side as we go up through the Ehopala avenue, there is a pair 

 of doors, which open to the terrace in front of the mansion. 

 The upper portion of the conservatory is parallel with the 

 picture gallery, and is very tastefully laid out as a rockery, and 

 about the centre of this there is a waterfall very skilfully ar- 

 ranged, and here and there, as we traverse this walk towards 

 the west end of the conservatory, we come upon splendid fine- 

 foliaged plants and many Ferns of great beauty. Here were 

 plants of Dracaena latifolia, with clean stems 10 feet high, and 

 beautiful heads of bright green foliage ; and at the base Cy- 

 perids. Ferns, and various Mosses grow from amongst the 

 rocks. At the west end of this walk there is a grand Ehopala 

 de Jonghii, 18 feet high, and near it we descend by some rustic 

 steps to the second level, or central portion of the conservatory. 

 This walk is 5 feet *j inches wide, and on each side there is a 



curb about 10 inches above the level of the path ; on this curb 

 there is a row of shallow pans, 3 inches deep and 9 inches 

 wide, which, being filled with Selaginella denticulata, look 

 exceedingly pretty. The borders right and left of the walk are 

 filled with flowering and fine-foliaged plants, among which I 

 noticed splendid plants of Cyoas revoluta, Dicksonia antarctica, 

 D. fibrosa, D. squarrosa, and several others ; Cyathea dealbata, 

 Cibotium princeps, the beautiful Cibotium Schiedei, Blechnum 

 corcovadense, with splendid fronds, the youngest of which 

 were nearly scarlet, Corypha australis. Azaleas and Camellias 

 covered with flower buds, and many other fine plants, such 

 as DracEcnas, Agave aureo-variegata, &c. At the east end 

 of the walk we turn to the right, descend another flight o£ 

 steps, and pass along the walk through the lower level. A 

 stage on the left is tilled with Nosegay Pelargoniums and yellow 

 and other Calceolarias ; these were exceedingly gay. The bed 

 on the right was filled with various kinds of ornamental- foliaged 

 plants, and amongst these a number of plants of Salvia splen- 

 dens were very bright. There were also numerous plants of 

 the Tricolor and Bronze and Gold Pelargoniums. The latter 

 Mr. Petch considers invaluable for conservatory decoration in 

 winter. The foliage of many of them was very bright ; many, 

 too, were also producing large numbers of very fine flowers. 



Just at the termination ot this walk, at the west end, on the 

 left-hand side of the door, there is a beautiful aviary filled with 

 birds, which kept up a perpetual chorus all the time I was ia 

 the conservatory. Their constant warbling notes mingled with 

 the dripping fountains, the beautiful plants one sees at every 

 turn, and the canopy of graceful climbing plants which here 

 and there covers the roof, rendered the conservatory one of 

 the most charming scenes I have ever witnessed. There one 

 might fancy himself far away in some secluded spot, instead of 

 being within three miles of the busy city of Manchester. 



I very reluctantly left this Crystal Palace, which contains so 

 many gems, both of Nature and art, by the door at the west 

 end. Here a flight of three steps brings us down to where a 

 large Peach house is being cleared away to make room for a 

 magnificent fernery, to be built in its place. This fernery will 

 be joined to the conservatory at the west end, and attached to 

 a solid block of houses, which extends more than 300 feet, with 

 a width of 55 or 60 feet, towards the south. The fernery which 

 is now being constructed will be G8 by 28 feet ; the conservatory 

 will open into it, and with a little trouble the family will be 

 able to pass from the conservatory through the whole block of 

 houses without going into the open air. 



On the west side of the block of plant houses are the bothies, 

 garden offices, workmen's mess rooms, fruit and Mushroom 

 houses, &c., which are very neat and comfortably fitted up, and 

 in front of these is a long border, where Mr. Petch plants out all 

 the evergreens used for the winter decoration of the flower 

 garden. 



In passing through the fine block of plant houses, which are 

 all admirably suited for the growth of the various families of 

 plants they contain, I shall give the sizes of the plants in order 

 that all persons interested in the cultivation of the different 

 kinds may know what marvellous specimens those are which I 

 am now about to review, and in how very short a time large 

 specimens of plants many people think very difficult to grow, 

 may be produced, if only placed in suitable houses and a 

 proper amount of care and attention bestowed. In the range 

 to which I now refer, are houses for East Indian and cool 

 Orchids, houses for Palms, houses for Gold and Silver Ferns, 

 a house for the graceful Gleichenia family, houses for fine- 

 foliaged greenhouse plants, also for stove plants with orna- 

 mental foliage, houses for flowering stove and greenhouse 

 plants, houses for Ericas and New Holland plants, houses for 

 Ixoras, also for Marantas, &c. 



The Maranta house was the first I entered after passing the 

 site of the new Fern house. This is a fine span-roofed house, 

 with a tank in the centre filled with water. Two 4-inch hot- 

 water pipes pass through the tank, and the noble Marantas, 

 Anthuriums, Alocasias, &c., are placed on pots just above the 

 level of the water. There is a pathway on each side of the 

 lank, and a slate slab forms a shelf next the glass all round the 

 sides of the house. Both the slabs and the ground beneath 

 them are covered with white Derbyshire spar, which gives a 

 very neat finish, and is an excellent material to set the plants 

 upon, as it allows the water to pass freely away from the pots 

 after watering. 



On entering the Maranta house by the door at the east end, 

 from the walk which runs parallel with the ends of all these 

 houses, the first plant that meets the eye is a noble Maranta 



