214 



JOUENAIi OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ September 16, 1875. 



resolves itself more into a shortening and balancing of strong 

 growths, and a moderate thinning of crowded shoots, than a 

 hacking and hewing by line and rule. 



3. Eipe7iing or Maturing of the Wood in Autumn. — This is 

 always done thoroughly well by the aid of the permanent 

 wooden coping, which not only protects the wood from early 

 frosts, but, acting as a reflector, helps to retain heat in the 

 walls, and also by the reflection of the heat given off by the 

 wall promotes the play of a genial temperature upon the wood. 

 The foliage is removed as fast as its hold upon the branches 

 becomes loosened ; no branches are unfastened, and not a nail 

 or shred removed till the time of winter pruning, which occurs 

 early in February. 



I may add that the land near the Peach walls is well drained, 

 although not cold and heavy, and in every instance before 

 proceeding to plant such trees in the open air due care should 

 be taken to thoroughly drain the entire garden, not only to 

 prevent the accumulation of stagnant water, but to elevate the 

 temperature of the soil, and consequently that of the air, as 

 much as possible. Nj doubt Mr. Taylor has given due atten- 

 tion to this important matter, but it is nevertheless one which 

 must not lightly be passed over here, for I am well acquainted 

 with more than one large garden from whence come frequent 

 plaints of the ravages of frosts, and yet the value and im- 

 portance of drainage apparently remains ignored or misunder- 

 stood. — Edwabd Luckhuest. 



TWO PEEPS INTO A EOSE AND CLBMATIcJ 

 GARDEN IN BATH. 



PREFACE. 



There must perforce be two peeps, because the Rose and 

 Clematis bloom at different times. 



Peep the First. 



Two notices by my pen of Mr. Ambrose Awdry's extensive 

 and beautifully kept rosery at Seend, Wilts, appeared some 

 years since in this Journal — viz., in August, 1800, and again 

 in August, 1800. Since then Mr. Awdry, owing to the con- 

 tinuous delicate health of a member of his family, has been 

 obliged to live entirely in Bath. The Seend rosery has dis- 

 appeared — it has not for the last six years been a garden, but 

 a field ; its glories gone, it is but as other green fields, or it 

 may be, for I know not, as I have never seen it, that 



•' Where once the garden emiled 

 Still many a garden flower grows wild." 



Howsoever it be, the Seend rosery is but a bright memory 

 and no more ; but a man who really and enthusiastically loves 

 anything never gives up — he is never daunted. There was a 

 charming series of papers written years ago by " D., Deal" 

 among the very best he ever wrote, well worthy of a reprint, 

 which appeared, I think, in the "Florist and Pomologiet," 

 edited then by Robert Hogg and John Spencer, describing his 

 gardening difficulties in his curate days, especially how he cul- 

 tivated his beloved " florist flowers " when neither soil nor 

 situation was favourable ; how from this place to that place 

 he went, still carrying with him flower taste and determination 

 to cultivate it whatever might oppose. So of Mr. Awdry ; cut 

 off from the pleasure of a large country garden, he determined 

 to make and enjoy one in town. Sometimes a town-dweller 

 hires a garden with the chief object — quietly kept from his 

 wife, by the way, of having a place for him to meet his cronies 

 in, and that snug arbour in the corner is more prized than 

 anything else — that arbour where day after day 



"The ecent of the 'bacca it hangs round it still." 



Sometimes a town garden is hired — good purposes these — 

 for the benefit of having fresh vegetables and the healthy 

 exercise caused by their cultivation. Bat if people have had 

 a good country garden, unless they are thoroughly enthusiastic, 

 when they come to live in town they content themselves with 

 talking, when a peg too low, about the happiness they used to 

 have in their garden ; but that happiness is a past thing. 



Mr. Awdry lives in historic Pulteney Street, one of the 

 finest streets in England, which one seldom passes through 

 without thinking of good old King George IH. and the late 

 Emperor Napoleon, both of whom lived in it, and its name 

 commemorates a statesmen of George I.'s reign, now forgotten 

 save from this street. Such is the fate of btatesmen — in all 

 men's mouths while living, but when dead remembered only by 

 two rows of houses ! Mr. Awdry has fortunately been able to 

 secure a garden within five minutes' walk of his house, which 

 I find on the morning of 29th of June to be just a stroll from 



the back of Pnlteney Street past or through Henrietta Park, 

 a sort of grassy square where some schoolboys have their 

 cricket field, and around which are neat villas; turning along 

 Henrietta Road I am at the garden — at least a door in a wall 

 leading to it ; a moment more I am ineide, and before me a 

 blaze of Roses. The size of the garden is about half an acre, 

 and it is narrow, its width being much less than its length. 

 Its situation, shut in entirely from the road, is, as seen from 

 the inside, very pretty. The old parish church of Bathwick, 

 long since disused, is on one side with its Willows and cemetery. 

 The cemetery, Mr. Awdry tells me, he finds an excellent neigh- 

 bour, as no thieves will cross a graveyard, and the whole gar- 

 den is catproof — thiefproof and catproof, almost equal blessings 

 to a gardener. Above, at one end, but at a considerable dis- 

 tance, is Camden Crescent (what a pretty shape is a crescent 

 when you can see the whole of it at once) ; at the other end, a 

 long way off up the hill, is Sham Castle. .Ml who know Bath 

 know it has a girdle of hills around it, and Sham Castle is on 

 one. 



On looking before me I see the plan of the garden. At the 

 end at which I enter are twenty-four small oblong beds on 

 grass for bedding plants chiefly. These occupy but a small 

 space, still the green of the grass as you look along it to the 

 Roses beyond, is in capital taste. Around the garden is a 

 walk, with at equal distances wire arches. Down the middle 

 is another walk and other arches, and a wire dome of some 

 size. Then around the fence is high. Arches, dome, fence 

 chiefly for growing the new varieties of the Clematis, the 

 ground for Roses. No potting-shed, no compost-heap, or any- 

 thing of the kind is visible, all screened off, the whole garden 

 a fair show with nothing to take the eye from the rich display 

 of floral beauty. I should add, that in addition to Roses and 

 Clematis, Mr. Awdry cultivates Strawberries to much per- 

 fection. 



Among the Roses that have done best this year here are 

 La France, John Hopper, Mme. La Baronne de Rothschild, 

 Eugene Verdier, and Duke of Edinburgh. The Duchess of 

 Edinburgh has not done so well. Paul Neron, that huge Rose, 

 has done well ; so has Eugene Verdier and Charles Lefebvre, 

 also the Countess of Oxford. Bath is a good climate as we all 

 know, and this year so favourable to growth, all Roses have 

 made good wood. Baron Gonella always does well in Mr. 

 Awdry's garden, but not so many others until this year. All 

 the Roses are grown either on their own roots or on the 

 Manetti. Walking among end looking down into Roses is 

 such an advantage. For instance : so best you see that neat 

 and trim but not too vigorous Rose, Madame Vidot. It is 

 pleasant to see a whole place pretty, and all — every foot used, 

 with no spare bald places. There were in addition gome grand 

 pillar Roses standing-up in their glory. 



I may just mention that the Strawberries found to suit 

 best are President, Cockscomb, Sir Harry, Sir Charles Napier, 

 and Dr. Hogg. Of these I can say that their flavour was ad- 

 mirable. Walking through the Roses, examining choice blooms, 

 taking general views of the garden from different points passed 

 the time away pleasantly until the time to spare was gone, 

 and I passed out of the door and the pretty garden was seen 

 no more. " Now," said Mr. Awdry, " you muet come and 

 have a second peep at my garden when the Clematises are 

 out." 



Peep the Second. 



Now, August 27th. — Again I enter, and what a change of 

 floral beauty. The Roses are gone save here and there a few 

 blooms. No more Baroness Rothschilds, which somehow will 

 catch the eye more than any other Rose. The twenty-four 

 beds on grass as you enter are now bright with Asters, French 

 and German; also dwarf Victoria Asters, which bear looking 

 into. How different are the French and German Asters ! the 

 former showy in the extreme, the latter neat in the extreme, 

 particularly those having a white centre. The other beds are 

 ablaze with Verbenas and Calceolarias. Of course, the great 

 difference I see in this garden since my first peep is that the 

 boards around, the arches over, and the wired dome, a very 

 conspicuous object, are now bright with Clematis. As yet 

 certainly the general colour of different varieties of the Cle- 

 matis is, well — purple or violet. Upon a near inspection one 

 sees differences, but at a distance they resemble each other, 

 save that here and there is a white. What is wanted is another 

 decided colour, a crimson or an orange ; but while saying this 

 I am far from depreciating what as yet we have. Then, again, 

 what a gain it is to have a perfectly hardy flower, vigorous in 

 growth, abundant in bloom, and the blooms very large, and 



