December 30, 1369. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



521 



manded. Among the crevices of the loose rock, which cropped 

 up here and there lilte the ruins of some long line of ramparts, 

 I gathered specimens of a plant which I had not previously 

 noticed in my rambles. This I discovered to be Poterinm 

 Sanguisorba, or Salad Burnet, a plant which I have since 

 found growing plentifully among the crevices of the limestone 

 rock, particularly in places where the rock had been long since 

 sscavated for conversion into lime. — H. 



GARDENS AJVTD GARDENING AROUND 

 HASIBURG. 



Whilst on our visit to the Great International Horticultural 

 Exhibition at Hamburg in September last, -which -was fully 

 reported on in our colunms at the time, we took the opportunity 

 to look around to spy the richness, not the nakedness, of the land 

 — to visit some of the principal seats and gardens of the nobility 

 and merchant princes of Hamburg. At the time of such a great 

 and exhaustive exhibition as this was, embracing as it did nearly 

 every plant and article coimected with gardening, and supported, 

 as it was, in the most liberal spirit by all horticulturists in the 

 immediate neighbourhood, the time of our visit was so far iu- 

 opportime — the main treasures of the establishments for the time 

 being were gracing the great Show, so that much in the way of 

 cultivation which we might otherwise have noted has on this 

 account to be passed over. 



Visitors to Hamburg by steamer are most favourably im- 

 pressed with the exceeding beauty of the country surrounding. 

 Entering on the waters of the magnificent Elbe (a river soine- 

 what in the character of our own Humber), about seventy miles 

 from the mouth of which H amburg is situated, we have on the 

 right hand, on the south, the province of Hanover — low, fiat, and 

 uninteresting, as seen from the river, with an enormous extent of 

 forests in the distance. To the left hand, on the north, lie the 

 Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which have of late years 

 obtained not a little notoriety through the war which took place 

 between Denmark and Prussia for the right to impose taxes 

 n.pon and draw soldiers from them. These were a few years 

 ago a portion of Denmark ; now, like Hanover, they are 

 Prussian territory. For some distance the country is flat and 

 uninviting, but within about twenty miles of Hamburg the 

 ground rises considerably immediately along the bank of the 

 river, and the most lovely scenery commences, reminding one 

 not a Uttle of the Thames at "Richmond, or rather Rich- 

 mond Hill from the Thames. Here is the West End of 

 Hamburg; here Hve the aristocratic portion of the great mer- 

 chant city, like our own "upper ten," away from the din and 

 bustle of money-making ; and we feel bound to admit that for 

 situation, for beauty, for shelter, and for extent of landscape, 

 there are few such places to be met with as this delightful river's 

 bank. Here we spy, as we speed along, a pretty little villa or 

 two, half hidden by the fresh green trees, or maybe the Roses, 

 Clematises, &c., which are covering its walls, and the glorious 

 beds of Pelargoniums, &c., in front, with the grassy bank 

 sloping down amongst the trees and shrubs to the terrace by 

 the river's bank ; there a stately mansion with its towers and 

 steeples, its more broad and spacious lawns and terraces, its 

 beautiful gardens and long ranges of hothouses, all, all exposed 

 to our view. Fro'm Blankenase, the first place we touch, the 

 most thickly populated, and perhaps the most beautiful, to 

 Hamburg, is one long succession of these pretty villas and 

 gardens, to visit which we must proceed from Hamburg by the 

 high road through Altona, the town part of Holstein adjoining 

 Hamburg, forming to the stranger part and parcel of one city, 

 although under different govenmient, Hamburg being as yet 

 one of the free or Hanse to^vn3 of Germany. 

 NEDMUHLEN— ALTONA, 

 THE RESIDEKCE OF FILIU SENATOKCf DONKEE. 



This is an extensive and most pleasantly situated place near to 

 Altona, on the banks of the river Elbe, the grounds in some 

 places sloping nearly at right angles more than 100 feet, and 

 clothed with fine old trees, Oak, Beech, Elm, &c., of great 

 altitude, and with fine clean stems for 70 or 80 feet high. These 

 fine trees show the quality of the soil, and give a rich appearance 

 to the place. Herr Reimers, the very intelligent obergartner 

 (head gardener) here, speaks English very fluently, having 

 resided some time in this country, so that Englishmen meet here 

 with the greatest courtesy, as, indeed, is the case everywhere. 



The sloping nature of the ground gives a very diversified style 

 throughout the place, portions of the gardens being on one level 

 and some on the other — a sort of terraced style. On one side of 



the mansion we have low shady dingles or dells, the tall trees 

 overhanging, and pretty Uttle streams of water twisting natur- 

 ally along amongst the rocks, and Ferns, and Pampas Grass, 

 and Conifers, c&c, the whole being extremely pleasing. The 

 house itself stands a Uttle higher, overlooking the river, with its 

 troops of pleasure boats, and huge merchant steamers, passing 

 continuously. A smaU terraced elope immediately fronts the 

 house, and it was tastefully planted with the usual bedding 

 plants, amongst which Iresine Herbstii looked exceedingly well, 

 and Snowflake proved the best variegated Pelargonium. Around 

 some of the beds was a sort of festooned chain about 2 feet in 

 height, neatly covered with a very pretty little-leaved Cucurbit 

 named PUogyne suavis. This is a style of ornamenting flower 

 beds peculiar to the Continent, which we have seldom seen 

 adopted in this country. Here a score or two of fine, green, 

 leafy, dwarf, bushy plants, quite covered with bloom, of that 

 much-neglected but exceedingly beautiful plant, Torenia asiatica, 

 attracted our attention ; many have given up the cultivation of 

 this plant, owing to its tendency to red spider and mealy bug, 

 cultivated, as it has always been, as a stove or warm greenhouse 

 plant. Here in Mr. Reimers', and in many other gardens round 

 Hamburg, it is cultivated with the greatest ease in pots plimged 

 out of doors during the summer months, much in the same way 

 as we do Salvias, and in autumn, when the flowers begin to open, 

 removed to the greenhouse, where it flowers to perfection, and 

 nothing can exceed the lovely appearance of its pretty blue 

 flowers. 



Another plant cultivated here in quantity for decorative 

 purposes, and almost unknown in this country, is Haemanthus 

 puniceus. Its singular-looking umbelliferous scarlet flowers 

 have a fine effect. It has been found, where tried, somewhat 

 diificult to flower. Mr. Reimers succeeds by keeping the plants 

 rather pot-bound, and in the cold for a time ; then, to induce 

 flowering, they are placed in a temperate house. Great quantities 

 of smaU flowering plants are cultivated here for house decoration 

 in convenient houses for the purpose. CamelUas were especially 

 fine, likewise Epiphyllums by the himdred, double Primulas, 

 Begonias, and Salvias, of which S. Suchettii was considered a 

 very great improvement on S. splendens. 



Mr. Reimers has also the advantage of a fine orchard house 

 for the cultivation of Peaches in pots, and most abundant were 

 these fruits here last season. The only fault that could be found, 

 itself a serious one, was the too heavy crop on the trees. The 

 trees, which were of the common bush kind, in 15 and 18-inch 

 pots, had some of them three and four dozen fruits of very fair 

 we are afraid, however, that the quality would not be 



equally good. Quantity with quaUty can never be had with, 

 fruits. 



We caimot notice all the interesting features of this place. We 

 dare not, however, pass by a small but exceedingly valuable 

 coUection of sculpture in a building near the conservatory, 

 executed by the great Danish sculptor, Thorwalsden, that of the 

 Three Graces, in solid white marble, being considered the finest 

 ever executed, and of a most fabulous price. Sculptmre being a 

 sister art of gardening, we recommend all fond of the beauty of 

 form, who may have the opportunity, to view Thorwalsden's 

 Three Graces, the most perfect model of the most beautiful form 

 in creation. 



(To be contlBued.) 



RENDLE'S PATENT GROUND VINERIES AND 

 PLANT PROTECTORS. 



My attention has just been called to an article in your paper 

 of the 16th inst., signed by Mr. Edward Luckhurst. In it he 

 recommends that ground vineries should be constructed of 

 wood and glass, because wood is cheaper than earthenware. 

 He says that his carpenter can produce deal boards IJ inch 

 thick, 12 inches high at the back, and 8 inches high in the 

 front, at Is. id. per running foot. I do not know how he in- 

 tends to fix the glass to these boards, but he will find a great 

 difficulty, unless he infringe my patent rights. This idea is 

 not a new one, because I well considered the subject in all its 

 bearings, and my first models were made of wood, and exhi- 

 bited by me at the Royal Horticultural Show, at Leicester, 

 in the year 1863. But wood wiU not answer. In the first 

 place the top groove must be at least l* inchdeep, so that 

 each pane of glass can be " shunted up " into it so as to free 

 it from the under groove. His deal boards, therefore, must 

 be at least 3 inches thick, and this will double the cost. In 

 the next place, how does he contrive to fix his deal boards in 

 the ground ? They will not stand by themselves. He must 



