198 FIELD MEETINGS. 
beautiful gardens, noted for their arrangement and for the 
variety and beauty of the plants they contain, these including 
many shrubs and herbaceous plants, not generally hardy in 
Scotland, but thriving under the genial conditions of St. Mary’s 
Isle. The gardens were found in perfect order, and the visitors 
were much delighted by their appearance and the wealth of 
bloom. Roses form a special feature of the gardens, and con- 
stant additions of the best of the new varieties are being made, 
while the most satisfactory of the older are retained. They 
are cultivated in various ways, especially beautiful being the 
pillar roses, those on the walls, and the weeping roses near the 
gardener’s cottage. In the beds of dwarf roses there were many 
perfect flowers, worthy of being exhibited at any rose show. 
Much notice was taken of the stately giant lily, Lilium 
giganteum, from China, of which some fine specimens were 
seen—one being about 10 feet high. The borders contain a 
great variety of herbaceous plants, and many of these were in 
bloom, such as campanulas, delphiniums, hardy geraniums, the 
fine blue Lactuca Plumieri, a good French honeysuckle, poppies, 
irises, pyrethrums, pzonias, spireas, and a host of others. 
Some extremely fine specimens of Phormium tenax, the New 
Zealand flax, were much admired. There are many shrubs and 
trees, including New Zealand shrubby Veronicas, a good 
collection of bamboos, which flourish at St. Mary’s Isle, 
fine examples of the orange-ball tree, Buddleia globosa, 
and the Mexican orange, Choisya ternata, and a_ vast 
number of others, such as tree peonias, clematises, smilax, and 
many more. The spacious conservatory and other ranges of 
glass houses were also inspected, the company viewing with 
admiration the flowers in the first-mentioned, where are splendid 
carnations, bougainvilleas, pelargoniums, and other tender 
plants. In the fernery some exceptionally fine gloxinias were 
much admired. The other plant houses were full of flowers 
and fruit in various stages of growth, displaying the cultural skill 
of Mr Jeffrey, the head gardener, and his staff. A new vinery, 
constructed a short time ago, is full of promising vines and 
other plants; while the out-door fruit and vegetable depart- 
ments were found in a most promising condition. In the 
rockeries and borders adjoining the houses were to be seen some 
rare plants, and those of the party interested in flowers were 
