Calls at Gardens and J\'''urse7'ies. 377 



fruit ffardens, to enter into the cultivation of all excellent vecfetahlcs, 

 to the forming of new orchards, and to generally etiil)ellish the dwellings 

 of the citizens, of whatever class. 



Garden of O. Johnso7i, Esq. — Jlug. 5th. We mention this fine place 

 first, not because it is the oldest, but that it stands now, not only at the 

 head of others in the village, but, as respects its high keeping, at the 

 head of all the amateur gardens we ev^er had the pleasure of visiting. Mr. 

 Johnson is excessively fond of flowers, and has been at great expense 

 to procure fine plants of such kinds as will atford hira gratification and 

 delight during the summer season. Residing at the south through the 

 winter season, a green-house or stove would be of little use, and would 

 at present be a source of much expense, and the beauty of tlie ))lants 

 would remain unseen. At some future time, we have no doubt, Mr. 

 Johnson will have such an agreeable and indispensable appendage to 

 his garden; at least we certainly hope he will. 



The whole grounds are about two acres in extent, situated on Fede- 

 ral Street, but a short distance from the half-way house between Bos- 

 ton and Salem. The mausion is built plain and neat, in the style usu- 

 ally adopted, and is situated in the centre of the grounds, near to the 

 street. On one side is the fruit and flower garden, and on the other 

 the vegetable garden, which communicate together behind the out- 

 buildmgs. In front of the house is a semi-circle of shrubs and plants, 

 bordered with a hedge of buckthorns, kept very handsomely trimmed. 

 Two large gates, at each end of the semi-circle of shrubs, &c., afford a 

 carriage entrance to the door. There is also another entrance, by a 

 straight walk, from the street, leading directly thi'ough the semi-circle of 

 shrubs, &c. The house is somewhat elevated, upon a double banking, 

 and has a very fine appearance. Upon the banking we noticed several 

 vases, some with plants growing in them, and others for mere ornament 

 alone. They added much to the general effect of the grounds. 



The fruit and flower garden is situated on the western side of the 

 house, and part of it is laid out in small beds with box edgings. A 

 walk, with a trellis for grapes each side, runs across the garden, sepa- 

 rating the flower department from the fruit garden. In the back 

 part of the fruit garden, with a small space of green in the rear, stands 

 the grapery, erected about three years since, and now containing a crop 

 of grapes. A walk runs round the whole garden, and against the west 

 fence are planted several Isabella and Catawba grape vines, which are 

 now bearing fine crops. The flower beds are filled with annuals, roses, 

 geraniums, and other plants, among them some very fine things: Fuch- 

 sia coccinea and gracilis, trained to stakes, were upwards of two feet 

 high, well branched, and covered with a profusion of their beautiful 

 flowers; — they are lovely plants for turning out doors in summer, as we 

 have before stated, (p. 298.) i?6sa macrophylla was blooming exqui- 

 sitely, planted out in the border; the plant was full of buds, and some 

 were expanded: the beauty, however, of this species, like the moss ro- 

 ses, consists in its buds, which are covered with short, densely set, soft 

 spines; it is a curious rose, and should be in all collections. It may be 

 well to remark here, that it does not flower well in a pot, seeming to 

 require a vigorous growth, which it scarcely makes when standing in 

 pots, to ensure buds: with us a large plant in a pot has not yet blos- 

 somed, while the plant here referred to was young, and quite small, 

 last spring, but by planting it in the ground it has made very strong 

 shoots, which are full of flower buds. We here saw some remarkable 

 large ice plants, measuring in diameter about five feet, which had a 

 j)rctty apijcarance in the border. Patches of Chryseis crocea, Ferbena 

 chauiiedrifolia, Heliotropiuni peruvianum, were exceedingly showy, and 

 the latter, with an abundance of mignonette, gave out a delicious fra- 



VOL. III. NO. X. ,48 



