July 1, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAaE GARDEVEB, 



distant from the busy centre of this vast iron metropolis : and 

 by means of lakes for boating and fishing (one being exclusively 

 retained as an ornamental water for various species of water- 

 fowl, &c.) ; by providing archery, cricket, and croquet grounds, 

 and extensive bowling greens ; by high-class concerts, by pri- 

 vate theatricals and dancing under the strictest regulations ; 

 by the daily attendance of a first-class band of music ; and 

 lastly, and not least in the category of attractions, by the 

 introdactiou on an extensive scale of the best modern features 

 of spring, summer, and subtropical gardening, combined with 

 shady walks under umbrageous trees, grass plats, specimen 

 •ornamental trees, clumps of Ehododendrons, &c. — Mr. Quilter 

 has become related to Birmingham in such a beneficent 

 social bond as to secure ihe full approbation of the lover of 

 his kind, and the admiration of the practical horticulturist. 



The whole grounds are irregularly pyriform in shape, the 

 dwelling-house forming the apex, the large boating lake the re- 

 verse of the outline. While they may be roughlv divided so, next 

 the dwelling-house are the grass lawn and ornamental water ; 

 then a walled-in garden of four acres used as an extensive 

 flower garden, on the left of which are the archery, cricket, and 

 other grounds. Beyond this come the promenade and the 

 boating lake. A broad gravel walk 300 yards in length leads 

 down to the walled-in garden and recreation grounds. On the 

 right is a large stretch of grass plat, with the ornamental water 

 parallel with it ; on the left a verge of grass lawn, with a broad 

 flower and shrubbery border skirting the Harborne Boad. 

 Eight and left of this broad walk there is a line of oblong and 

 circular beds alternately, the one filled with hardy evergreen 

 Bhrubs, the other with spring flowers, such as Tulips, Iberis 

 Bompervirens, and such like. The grass plat on the right falls 

 with a gentle declivity towards the lake, and about it are studded 

 - various specimen Coniferie, while a line of golden Thuja aurea 

 skirts a narrow gravel path running parallel with the lake. 

 The broad floiver border in front of the line of shrubbery on 

 the left presented a striking floral spectacle. The flower border 

 proper is about 6 feet in width. Next the shrubbery comes, 

 as a kind of floral background, a line of herbaceous Phloxes 

 alternaulv with Dahlias ; in front of this dwarf Roses and her- 

 baceous Pasonies alternate, leaving a space of about 4 feet to 

 fill in with bedding plants, a sharply angled zigzag line of 

 single and double Tulips, early and late-blooming kinds being 

 mingled together for the purpose of prolonging the effect. The 

 groundwork of this bed was formed of slanting diamonds of 

 Viola cornuta and Cerastium tomentosum, each diamond filling 

 up two angles formed by the line of Tulips. As this border 

 falls gently towards the lower portion of the ground, the visitor 

 appeared to be looking along a broad band of Tulips instead of 

 a zigzag line simply. At the extremity of the broad walk, and 

 on the right of the same, and forming a fine and attractive 

 object when seen from the di.-itance, was a huge raised circular 

 bed about 1 foot from the ground, the pedestal formed of turf 

 banks. From the centre of this circle sprang two baskets, 

 the one appearing to issue from the other. The space round 

 the lower basket gave a circular border G feet in width, admit- 

 ting of nine circular lines of Tulips, the back and the front 

 circles being mixed double and the others mixed single flowers. 

 This was broadly edged with Cerastium tomentosum just coming 

 into bloom. The baskets were formed of pieces of the outside 

 wood and bark of the Fir held together by cables. This basket 

 was filled with Golden Prince early single Tuhp and Wallflowers, 

 edged with Stachys lanata. The upper basket was also filled 

 and edged in a similar manner. Between the lake and the 

 enclosed flower garden was a piece of ground which had been 

 prepared as a subtropical garden ; while on the other side of 

 this garden, close by the piomenade, are other beds to be used 

 for the same purpose. Many other nooks and corners and 

 raised beds, together with rustic baskets, are also utilised. 

 There are also introduced cascades, waterfalls, &c., all of 

 which considerably heighten the effect sought to be produced, 

 and impart a finish to the whole arrangement. 



So far I have only touched on what lies outside the area of 

 the great floral display within the enclosed garden. It is that 

 I will now attempt to pouitray, aided by the accompanying 

 plan, though the best my pen can perform would give but an 

 inadequate conception of the splendid effect produced here. 

 The walled-in garden is neaily four acres in extent, and is laid 

 out in the form of a huge Maltese cross, the arms of the cross 

 being represented by a broad raised border on either side, with 

 a broad gravel walk between. The centre of this garden, which 

 forma the body of the cross, is of a circular shape, and the 

 exterior border on the plan gives one-half of the raised border 



just referred to. The scale being 15 feet to 1 inch, some idea 

 of the extent of the central garden alone can be obtained. The 

 four openings in the outer border represent the main walks 

 forming the arms of the cross, running the length and breadth 

 of the garden from east to west and from north to south, 

 halfway between the wall enclosing the garden and the central 

 garden as given in the plan. Each arm of the cross expands 

 in order to admit a large oval bed, on either side of which runs 

 the broad gravel walk. Under the four walls forming the 

 boundary of the garden there are broad borders, and at the 

 angles huge banks of Hollies, Rhododendrons, &c., with back- 

 grounds of Conifera?. A broad gravel walk divides these borders 

 from the square occupied by the cross and the angles of grass 

 plats which fill up the outline of the garden. About these 

 angular grass plats are studded ornamental trees and shrubs, 

 rustic baskets, and various flower beds. The raised border on 

 either side of the central gravel walks thus faces both ways — • 

 to the gravel walks, and also to the grass plats in the angles of 

 the garden. A Yew hedge about 4 feet in height occupies the 

 apex of the raised border throughout, with standard Roses at 

 short intervals in a line with the Yews. When the central 

 garden is reached a background to the Y'ew hedge is introduced 

 in the form of a galvanised iron fence in perpendicular lines, 

 hollowed out at the top at intervals to give the form of hanging 

 in festoons. These festoons spring from standard plants of 

 Acer Negundo variegatum, the ends of the convex festoons 

 meeting just under the silvery head of foliage, and being sup- 

 ported thereby. The line of circles on the exterior of the ac- 

 companying plan gives the sites occupied by the variegated 

 Acers. The finest edge of this border, here in a level with the 

 gravel walk, is edged with turf. Next this is a broad circular 

 gravel walk, as seen in the plan, then a scroll bed inlaid in 

 turf, then a sharp fall of some 5 feet leads to a sunken panel 

 garden, in the centre of which is a fountain. So much for the 

 general outline of the grounds, and disposition of the beds. 

 The galvanised iron fence on each division of the outer border, 

 is continued across the gravel walks, dividing them by means 

 of lofty and handsome wire arches, from the centre of which, 

 and immediately over the centre of the walk, hangs an orna- 

 mental basket in wire, which, during the summer months, is 

 filled with flowering plants. Hops, climbing Koses, (Clematises, 

 &c., run over these arches, and form conspicuous and attractive 

 objects when viewed from any distant point. At the corners 

 next the central walk, and corresponding to the corners from 

 which the ornamental wire arches spring, are placed stone 

 vases on pedestals, filled in the spring months with Tulips, 

 Dielytra spcctabilis, &a., and in the summer months with 

 showy flowering and foliaged plants. 



The Hues running from front to back in the outer border, as 

 seen in the plan, represent divisional rows of dwarf Spruce 

 Firs, about 12 inches in height. These remain here constantly, 

 and are kept dipped at intervals to keep the line dwarf and 

 regular. The panel with double lines in each division so 

 formed, is also formed of two lines of Spruce Firs. These, 

 however, are removed when the summer-bedding plants are 

 placed out. This circular border is about 10 feet in width, and 

 rises from a level with the gravel walk to a height of nearly 

 3 feet at the apex, in which is planted the Yew hedge. Inside 

 the double line of Spruce Firs was a line of the variegated 

 Arabis next the Firs, the space between filled un with double 

 crimson Daisies. The groundwork outside the Firs was filled 

 with Stachys lanala, with the exception of the rounded angles, 

 which were masses of Aubrietia purpurea. Each bed was 

 planted in the same manner, with the exception of the centres 

 in this respect, a mass of the blue Forget-me-not, with which 

 was mingled a pretty pale-striped single Tulip, alternated with 

 a mass of the pink Silene peudula, with which was mingled a 

 showy double crimson Tulip. 



The scroll bed in the inner side of the walk was one of the 

 finest features 1 have ever beheld in the way of spring garden- 

 ing. It was a chaplet of various colours, inlaid on the emerald 

 turf. In length, this border is upwards of 90 yards, in width 

 about 5 feet. It was almost wholly planted with Daisies, and 

 it required 7000 to work out the design, independent of the 

 other plants employed. The serpentine line in the plan repre- 

 sents a broad line of the doublejcrimson Daisy ; the ground- 

 work of the bed occupying the rounded angles was composed 

 of double white Daisies. On either side of the crimson ser- 

 pentine band were lines of Eoheveria secunda. The line of 

 circles next the walk were composed of rings of Viola cornata 

 on the outside, then a ring of pink double Daisy encircling a 

 centre clump of the crimson-foliaged Ajuga reptans. The 



