888 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ May 28, 1868 



beauties, and I thought it more "telling" than the more geo- 

 metrical garden which we afterwards saw on the south terrace. 

 An irregular triangle I think I may term the groundwork of 

 this plan, and twenty-nine variously shaped or placed beds are 

 formed to fit it. A fine standard Holly occupies a position 

 near the eastern limb, and five handsome vases on pedestals 

 are made to arrange themselves as symmetrically as possible 

 in the centres of as many beds. I will give a general descrip- 

 tion of the planting ; and should I fail in some instances as to 

 truth of detail, Mr. Stewart can use a pen as well as a spade, 

 and I hope he will be good enough to correct the mistakes. I 

 ask my readers to conceive a few beds to be planted singly, 

 others in pairs, and some in groups of three of the same varie- 

 ties of flowers — viz., small opportune beds with Daisies and 

 Pansies ; triangular and shield-shaped beds with centres of 

 yellow Wallflowers and of Alyssum saxatile bordered with Myo- 

 Botis sylvatica and M. alba — remarkably striking were those 

 beds whose fields were planted with Alyssum saxatile and bor- 

 dered with the Myosotis ; entire beds of the latter in Myosotis 

 Bylvatica and alba, and also of both bordered with yellow Wall- 

 flowers, and the reverse. A bed bordered with Silene pendula, 

 having a carpet of Alyssum saxatile, was much admired. Two 

 beds of Polyanthus and Blue and Yellow Cliveden Pansies, 

 bordered with the Aucuba-leaved Daisy and Phlox frondosa, 

 were long pondered over. 



The vase beds had for carpeting Aubrietia deltoidea and 

 Blue and Yellow Cliveden Pansies, the latter good and true to 

 colour ; but truth compels me to state that the Blue Cliveden 

 Pansy, as I saw it here, was, with the exception of one instance, 

 a misnomer. This one instance was where it had a position 

 quite in the shade. In a dry position and in the sun it becomes 

 anything but blue ; but in the bed, bordered with the Aucuba- 

 leaved Daisy, running parallel with and near to the north wing 

 of the mansion, it was a true blue thing of beauty. The Au- 

 cnba-leaved Daisy also was more at home here ; and from this 

 Bpot as we stood in the shade, whilst the sun was shining upon 

 the design, the flowers and the surrounding fresh-bursting 

 verdure, including the play of the ground, and light and 

 shadow, on this a really old-fashioned May day, was a sight to 

 see and to be remembered. The Mimulus family takes rank 

 along a narrow border immediately flanking the house, Myosotis 

 along the east, whilst scarlet Stocks occupy the other narrow 

 border running their length for the outsides of the plan. We 

 then emerged on the front terrace, the groundwork of which is 

 plain gravel. The blossoms of the fine Wistaria sinensis, 

 growing against the outside of the bend of the mansion called 

 the corridor, have fortunately withstood the frost. Mr. Stewart 

 attributed this to the corridor being heated inside. We now 

 arrive at the south terrace. 



Plenty of enthusiasm remained even yet for the spring 

 flowers in this symmetrical arrangement, consisting of twenty- 

 eight beds, each nodding to another, and every flower bed 

 liaving its brother. We begin with a crescent of Cliveden Blue 

 and Yellow Pansies, then a vase on a pedestal, followed by a 

 large bed, something in the shape of a thick-waisted hour-glass, 

 planted with Y'oung's Blood-red Wallflower, introduced here 

 this season. It is a dark beauty, and is bordered with Myosotis 

 alba, then follow four parallelogram beds : that to the right 

 hand or outside occupied with Myosotis sylvatica, centred with 

 Alyssum saxatile, longitudinally followed by another bordered 

 with Myosotis alba, centred with M. sylvatica. The fellow beds 

 immediately on their left are bordered with the Aucuba-leaved 

 Daisy ; one centred with La Candeur Tulip, and the other, 

 ■which was lately centred with Hyacinths, was temporarily filled 

 with new sports of Daisies. The Hyacinths I afterwards saw in 

 the frame ground, the pots in which they were plunged being 

 placed on their sides. I could easily judge that they had 

 blossomed exceedingly well. Now follow two hour-glass beds 

 crosswise, having centres filled with yellow Wallflowers, 

 bordered individually with Myosotis sylvatica and M. alba, 

 and so conclude the quarterings of the design. A handsome 

 escalop vase ou a pedestal is here interposed, and there is a vase 

 to match it on the opposite side. 



The only departure from a similarity of planting in the four 

 quarters is in the parallelogram beds containing the Tulips. 

 Opposite that containing La Candeur Tulip, Tournesol appears ; 

 opposite Tournesol in the lower quarter as we proceed is Eex 

 rubrorum, and I can affirm that finer flowers of their kind 

 were never bloomed in old England. In order to make them 

 blossom together Mr. Stewart plants Eex rubrorum and Tour- 

 nesol 3 inches deeper in the soil than La Candeur, otherwise 

 the latter would appear blooming alone. Dielytra spectabOis, 



which occupied the six vases, was severely injured by the frosts. 

 Blue earthenware barrel seats interpose also in position along 

 each flank of the plan, and for my part I thought they dis- 

 tracted the eye from the flowers. I threatened you with the 

 arboretum when I came to Nnneham again, but again time 

 would not allow me to visit it. — Upwards ani> Onwakds. 



LATE BROCCOLI— DISEASED MUSHROOMS. 



I HAVE forwarded to you some specimens of Cattell's Eclipse 

 Broccoli, in order to show yon the value of this variety for 

 late spring use. The largest heads are the produce from 

 seed sown in the third week in May of last year, the next size 

 are from seed sown in the first week in June, and the smallest 

 are from seed sown in the last week in June. By these 

 successional sowings I shall be able, without difficulty, to send 

 Broccoli to table until Cauliflowers come in from hand-lights. 



1 know of several large gardens where Broccoli has been used 

 up a fortnight ago, therefore in the present trying season for 

 this class of vegetables I consider the sort I send you invalu- 

 able. I cut the same sort las' year until the 20th of June. 



I also enclose specimens of Fungi that came up in my Mush- 

 room bed, spawned five weeks since. Can you tell me what 

 they are ? and are they eatable ? — Thomas Eecord, Lillesden 

 Gardens. 



[The Broccoli was surpassingly fine, firm, compact, and 

 white. The specimen from seed sown in May weighed, when 

 prepared for boiling, 3 lbs. 2 ozs., and the flower was 2 feet 



2 inches in circumference. The Mushrooms are the true 

 species, but virulently attacked and diseased by the parasitical 

 Fungus mentioned at a meeting of the Eoyal Horticultural 

 Society a few weeks ago. This parasite is believed to render 

 the Mushroom unwholesome, if not actually poisonous. — Ens.] 



CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW.— :Mav 2:3. 



This was the finest Exhibition without any doubt that I ever re- 

 member to have seen at the Palace, and there were some older hands 

 than myself who endorsed my opinion by sajiug that it was the best 

 ever seen there by any one. The delightful rain which at last had 

 come to refresh the thij-sty ground would have damped the hopes of an 

 attendance in any other place ; but the Palace folks are independent 

 to a great degree of weather, the coolness of the au- added greatly 

 to the enjoyment of the Show, and the flowers greatly benefited by it. 

 I never remember to have seen so few indifferent collections, while in 

 some classes the plants were in advance of anything I had seen ; 

 notahly was this the case in Eoses and Pelargoniums. 



In the class for ten Koses in pots not larger than 13 inches across^ 

 the contest was so close that it was impossible to say to which of the 

 two collections — those of Mr. Charles Turner and Mr. W. Patd — the 

 first prize was to be awarded, and the Judges at last cut the Gordian 

 knot by making them both equal. Mr. Turner's collection comprised 

 Celine Forestier, very fine, Anna Alexieff, General Jacqueminot. John 

 Hopper, Souvenir de Malmaison, Souvenir d'uu Ami, Charles 

 Lawson. Victor Verdier, Vicomte Vigier, and Comtesse C. de Chabril- 

 laut. Mr. W. Paul's were CaroUne de Sansal, Anna Alexieff, General 

 Jacqueminot, Baronue Prevost, Celine Forestier, Senateur Vaisse, 

 Paul Pen-as, Juno. Souvenir d'un Ami, a grand plant, and Madame 

 "Willermoz. Messrs. Paul &■ Son were third with a nice collection, and 

 Messrs. Lane & Son fourth. 



In the class for twelve Roses Messrs. Paul & Son were first with 

 beautiful plants (in my estimation plants in this class are far i>rettier 

 than the larger ones), of Alba Rosea, CamiUe Bernardiu, Catherine 

 GuiUot, Souvenir d'un Ami, Celine Forestier. Mons. Noman, Antoine 

 Ducher, bearing out all I have said of it ; Madame Margottin, beau- 

 tiful ; Paul Verdier, Madame Willermoz, and Marie Baumann, fine. 

 Mr. Charles Turner was second with nearly equal jdants of General 

 Jacqueminot, Souvenir dun Ami, CamUle Bernardin, Madame Fil- 

 lion, beautiful, Madame Margottin, Madame Eugene Appert, MdUe. 

 Annie Wood, beautiful, Victor Verdier, Mons. Plaisanfon, and Com- 

 tesse de Chabrillant. Mr. W. Paul was third. 



Of Pelargoniums admirable collections were shown both in the 

 amateurs' class and by growers for sale In the former Mr. Nye, gar- 

 dener to E. Foster, Esq., and Mr. Ward, gardener to F. G. Wilkins, 

 Esq., were equal first. The former had Marion, Patroness, BeUe of the 

 Ball, Royalty. Etna, Miss Burdett Coutts, Mdlle. Patti, Desdemona, 

 Conqueror, and Garibaldi. Mr. Ward had fine plants which re- 

 minded oue very much of those of Mi-/ Bailey, of Shardeloes ; the 

 kinds being Patroness, Sir Colin Campbell, Pei-icles, Celeste, Lilacina, 

 Rose Celestial, MdUe. Patti, Desdemona, Etna, and Empress Eugenie. 

 Mr. Turner and Mr. Fraser as usual ran one another very closely, the 

 former being first with Spotted Gem. Lilaeiua, Desemona. Beacon, 

 Pericles. Koyal Bride, Rose Celestial, Fair Rosamond, Mdl'-'. Patti, 

 and Example. Mr. Eraser's plants were Celeste, Emjiress l^ugenje, 

 Lilacina, Jewess, Belle of the Ball, Desdemoua. Coast Guard, cnrions 

 and deUcate shade of lilac ; Favourite, Eegina Formosa, and Beacon. 



