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numerous trunks, made a picture of great beauty, every branch 

 being hung with the slender graceful racemes, about a foot in 

 length. Paulowma imperially too, showed that it revelled in the 

 heat of a Viennese summer ; one specimen has a trunk 7 ft. 6 in. 

 in girth. Gydonia sinensis, which at Kew requires to be grown 

 against a wall to succeed really well, is, in this garden, a tree 15 ft. 

 high, with a striking trunk, the bark of which peels off like that 

 of a plane. Vitex Agnus-Castus makes a bush 10 ft. high and 

 lo feet through. Celtis Toumefortii, a tree rare in England, with 

 rather grey or glaucous foliage, cordate, and coarsely toothed, was 

 noticeable for its hornbeam-like trunk. I was interested to see 

 lor the first time in flower the true Schizophrag ma hydrangeoides : 

 this is the Japanese creeper for which Hydrangea scandens is so 

 often made to do duty. 



An interesting feature of the garden is a series of small plots 

 devoted to common and uncommon economic plants, vegetables, 

 medicinal herbs, cereals, etc. This has a distinct educational 

 value. On the whole the outdoor department of the Botanic 

 Garden at Vienna is ably managed, considering the disadvantages 

 as regards locality and want of space that have to be contended 

 with. A rock garden of a somewhat puerile character and the 

 usual needless geographical groups are the only things open to 

 criticism. 



SchOnbrunn. June 14. 



The Imperial residence of Schonbrunn and the famous gardens 

 attached to it are about three miles from the centre of Vienna, 

 and easily reached by electric tram. The influence of Le Notre 

 and his chef cFceuvre at Versailles, which is manifest in so many 

 large gardens of the Continent, is nowhere more in evidence than 

 at Schonbrunn. Originally designed by Fischer von Erlach at 

 the end of the 17th century, the main features of the gardens have 

 apparently been but little altered since. Immediately in front of 

 the Palace is a flat, open parterre extending to the base of a hill ; 

 the slopes of this hill have been partly terraced, and its summit is 

 crowned by the conspicuous colonnade called the " Gloriette." 

 The parterre is occupied by beds cut out on the turf, and filled 

 with the usual summer bedding plants— pelargoniums, tuberous 

 begonias and the like. 



The chief features of Schonbrunn are its long, straight walks 

 and avenues bordered by clipped hedges. Some of these hedges 

 are 30 to 50 ft. high, and must represent an enormous expenditure 

 in labour. The trees in commonest use are the field maple {Acer 

 campestre) and hornbeam, and, judging by the size of *he trunks 

 of many of those that border the parterre, they must date back to 

 Fischer's time. They are really big trees, with one side converted 

 into a perpendicular wall of verdure by persistent pruning, borne 

 of them show signs of rebellion, and a good mauy holes ^ are 

 appearing in these walls. Thus, the effect .which is J^mn.to 

 the first view, is spoilt by a closer examination. Of gardening m 

 the true sense there is but little. 



-, fmong the architectural features of Schonbrunn besides he 

 Palace itself, the most striking is the " Gloriette which s ua ed 

 °» a hill nearlv 800 ft. high, gives a fine view of Vienna and tne 



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