Our National Gardens 



hydrangea, etc. ; while if he wanted a good collec- 

 tion of climbing plants, there is a charming collec- 

 tion of clematis trained to poles and chains, and 

 a most interesting collection of vines also trained 

 on poles and chains, which will be a pleasant 

 surprise to many whose one idea of vines is 

 connected with grapes. 



But even if my friend wished to confine his 

 attention to the hardy plants, I should not keep 

 to the open-air garden only, especially if his own 

 garden was in the south or west of England. I 

 should certainly take him to the Temperate House. 

 This is a large house and a very delightful one, 

 filled for the most part with plants from Australia, 

 New Zealand, China, Japan, the Himalayas, and 

 other parts which produce plants which we can 

 often grow out of doors, but which for the most 

 part are doubtfully hardy. The real delight of 

 the house is in the luxuriance of the growth and 

 the way in which the plants rejoice in the tem- 

 perature and in the care with which they are 

 watched and treated. The whole space is divided 

 into narrow beds, with good wide paths between 

 them, but there is nothing stiff in this arrange- 

 ment, for, owing to the luxuriant growth of the 

 plants, it is seldom easy to see more than one 

 path at a time. There may be seen immense tree 

 ferns, palms, fuchsias to the top of the house, a large 

 number of climbing flowering plants, etc., while the 

 beautiful Sikkim rhododendrons, which seem to 

 revel there, are alone worth a visit in their season. 



