September 18, 18CC. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



221 



these hedges, not a break, gap, or irregularity of growth is to be 

 seen in any part of them. Being evergreen they also afford pro- 

 tection in winter, and judging from the fine appearance of the 

 plants within the enclosures, they are certainly one of the most 

 efficient means that could be provided. How much more 

 garden-like are these green hedges than if brick walls had been 

 substituted, and given the place the aspect of a prison ! By 

 being kept clipped they form an effectual barrier against the 

 strongest gales, which a brick wall can scarcely be said to do at 

 all times. The subject of good evergreen hedges versus brick or 

 stone walls, has been before discussed in these pages, and it is 

 an important one, too, for in many situations they would have 

 an advantage over walls both in utility and appearance, and the 

 advantage, too, is so evident, that it is surprising they are not 

 more generally adopted. A wall, however, can be built in a 

 few weeks, or even days, but it requires several years to perfect 

 the kind of hedges such as are planted at Piltdown. 



The first compartment we entered was nearly filled with fruit 

 trees in various forms — as wall-trained, espalier, pyramidal, 

 &o. The fine condition of the Peach trees, and pyramidal 

 Pear trees, is worthy of notice. The following kinds of Pears 

 for pyramidal training are strongly recommended by Mr. 

 Mitchell — Easter Beurre, Beurre Diel, Beurre de Ranee, Prince 

 Albert, and Josephine de Malines. 



Then we come to the quarters for Roses, altogether occupy- 

 ing ten acres, and containing upwards of 83,000 plants. To 

 give names would only be repeating lists that have often ap- 

 peared in these columns. To many rosarians it would seem 

 that Mr. Mitchell keeps too many varieties, but when it is seen 

 how well they grow and bloom here, it is a difficult matter to 

 point out sufficient reasons for throwing some of them out. 

 There are two kinds at Piltdown more prominent than others, 

 and which must not be passed over, not only for their own 

 peculiar merits, but also on account of the great extent to which 

 they are propagated. These are — Triomphe de Rennes, and 

 Marechal Niel, and although the Mareehal is justly esteemed as 

 the greatest acquisition that has of late been made to our yellow 

 Roses, Triomphe de Rennes is still, as Mr. Mitchell says, a 

 wonderful Rose ; no other of its class, excepting Gloire de 

 Dijon, which may without much departure from the truth be 

 considered as closely allied, combines such qualities as hardi- 

 ness, beauty of form, delicacy of colouring, substance in petal, 

 and free blooming, added to vigour of growth when on soils 

 and stocks suited to it. The blooms of it at the time of my 

 visit were the best in the nursery ; still it is but fair to state 

 that the bloom of the other kinds was not abundant on account 

 of the great number of flowers that had been cut during the 

 previous week for local shows. One word on the propagation. 

 There are about 60,000 plants on the Briar, and 2.5,000 on the 

 Manetti stock, which are all budded quite close to the ground. 

 Not one of the plants is grafted or otherwise propagated under 

 glass ; they have, therefore, at least one winter to pass through 

 out of doors before being sent out. 



After a lengthened inspection of these quarters we retraced 

 our steps to the house, and rested a few minutes before looking 

 at the specimen Conifers near the entrance gate on the other- 

 side of the road. The most conspicuous of these is the grand 

 Araucaria imbricata. A more perfect tree of its kind can 

 scarcely be imagined, and I suppose that it ranks the first, or 

 very nearly so, in England. The dimensions of these Conifers 

 are as follow : — Araucaria imbricata — height, 45 feet ; trunk 

 near the ground, 6 feet inches ; at 4 feet high, 4 feet ; cir- 

 cumference of branches (spread), Go feet. The branches are 

 equidistant throughout, and there is not an imperfect growth to 

 be seen in any part of the tree. It was planted about twenty-five 

 years ago. Piceanobilis — height, 24 feet ; trunk near the ground 

 3 feet ; at 4 feet above, 23 inches ; spread of branches, 40 feet in 

 circumference: planted fourteen years ago. Thuja aurea — height, 

 5 feet; circumference of plant, 17; feet : a very beautiful spe- 

 cimen, and perfect. Thuja gigantea — height, 12 feet ; spread 

 of branches, 21 feet in circumference. Thuja sibirica — height, 

 11 feet ; spread of branches, 22 feet in circumference : a pe- 

 culiar but very handsome specimen. 



Besides the above-named Araucaria, there is another growing 

 beside it but little inferior in dimensions and symmetry ; and 

 from them for a considerable distance is a noble avenue of 

 these interesting trees, most of them attaining a height of from 

 15 to 20 feet. Against the wall of the offices in this portion of 

 the nursery the beautiful Clematis Jackmanni was in bloom, 

 and several plants of Lilium auratum. This fine Lilium is 

 found to do exceedingly well out of doors ; its stem is stronger, 

 higher, and more robust, and even produces more flowers than 



it generally does under pot culture. The time is not distant 

 when we shall meet with it in every garden where improvement 

 and progress are studied. The whole of these extensive nur- 

 series are in excellent order. — AuoLraus II. Kent. 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND 

 FRUITS. 



Rhododendron Fortunei (Mr. Fortune'.? Rhododendron). — 

 Wot. ord., Ericaceae. Linn., Pentandria Monogynia. Native 

 of Chekiang, China, on mountains 3000 feet high. Flowers 

 pale rose colour, and fragrant. — (Bot. Mag., t. 5596.) 



Ilex latifolia (Broad-leaved Japanese Holly).— Nut. ord., 

 Ilicinea?. Linn., Tetrandria Monogynia. Native of Japan. A 

 noble evergreen. — (Ibid., t. 5597.) 



Huntleya cebin-a (Waxy Huntleya). — Nat. ord., Orchidacea?. 

 Linn., Gynandria Monandria. Native of Veragua, on the vol- 

 cano of Chiriqui, at an elevation of 3000 feet. Flowers straw 

 colour, lip yellow, with crimson edging at its base. — (Ibid., 

 :. 5S98.) 



Nierembekgia Veitchii (Mr. Veitch's Nierembergia). — Nat. 

 ord., Solanacea;. Linn., Pentandria Digynia. Imported by 

 Messrs. Veitch from Tucuman, South America. Flowers pale 

 lilac, with veins of the same colour but darker. — (Ibid., t. 5599.) 



Kempferia Roscxeana (Mr. Roscoe's Krempferia). — Nat. 

 ord., Scitaminacea 1 . Linn., Monandria Monogynia. Native of 

 Burmah. Leaves only two, dark rifle green, with two zones of 

 pale green. Flowers white.— [I bid. t. 5600.) 



Ivy-leaved Pelargonium. — Silver Gem, leaves green, broadly 

 margined with white. Flowers pale pink. — (Floral Magazine, 

 pi. 305.) 



Hybrid Perpetual Rose. — Mrs. Ward, raised by Mr. Ward, 

 Ipswich. A cross between Jules Margottin and Comtesse 

 Oecile de Chabrillant. Petals of great substance, deep rose 

 colour.— (Ibid., pi. 306.) 



Urceolina pendula. — An Amaryllid long since introduced. 

 —(Ibid., pi. 307.) 



Orchis maculata sdperba. — Found wild in Ayrshire. In- 

 troduced by Messrs. Osbom, Fulham.— (Ibid., pi. 308.) 



Primula sinensis filicifolia rubea plena (Double Red 

 Fern-leaved Chinese Primrose). — " Produced at one of the 

 meetings at South Kensington by Mr. Toombs, gardener to 

 W. S. Roots, Esq., of Kingston-on-Thames. It is a remarkably 

 compact-growing plant, with full double flowers of a deep rosy 

 tint, paler at the edges, and very justly received a first-class 

 certificate. As the first double-flowered form of the Fern- 

 leaved race, it must be regarded as a most important addition 

 to the already extensive group of Chinese Primroses." — (Florist 

 and Pomologist, v. 185.) 



LOBELIA SNOWFLAKE. 



This has proved a complete failure with me, and in my 

 opinion is of no use as a bedding plant, having no good quality 

 whatever to recommend it. The habit is as bad as it can pos- 

 sibly be, and the colour much about the same as the habit. 



I very fortunately did not think of giving it a place in the 

 flower garden this season, but planted it in a very favourable 

 place in the kitchen garden, thoroughly preparing the bed to 

 give the plant every chance, but it was of no use ; death seemed 1 

 the only end appointed for Lobelia Snowflake. — James Stewart, 

 Nuneham Park. 



The Introduction of the Verbena. — The following notes in 

 relation to the introduction of the Verbena into this country, 

 are from Mr. Amory Edwards, of Elizabeth, N.J. It will in- 

 terest the admirers of this now very common and popular plant 

 to know something of its early history. Verbenas are natives 

 of Buenos Ayres, and were first noticed by John Tweedie, who 

 was collecting plants for the conservatories of the Earl of Derby, 

 and a firm in London. In 1834 and 1835, I frequently accom- 

 panied Mr. Tweedie, a Scotchman, and a hearty lover of flowers, 

 who was then about sixty years of age, in excursions around 

 Buenos Ayres, and as I was about sailing for New York, he 

 gave me a plant of the Verbena Tweedieana [now called phlogi- 

 flora. — Ed.] (red) and a fragrant white one, together with some 

 seed of the scarlet Petunia. These plants I gave in Sept. 1835, 



