PRIVATE GARDENS 341 



box-edged beds of the Dutch garden as is the Japanese 

 garden, a new addition which lies further to the north. 

 It was near here that the fatal duel between Lord 

 Camelford and Colonel Best took place in 1804. There 

 is yet another small enclosed garden cut off by thick 

 yew hedges and fat hollies from the rest. In it is the 

 seat inscribed with lines to the poet Rogers : — 



" Here Rogers sat, and here forever dwell 

 With me those Pleasures that he sings so well." 



In this garden, year by year, dahlias have grown 

 ever since they were first successfully grown in England. 

 In 1789 the dahlia came for the first time from the 

 New World to the Old. It was then sent to Spain, 

 and that same year Lady Bute procured some from 

 Madrid. She was not, however, successful in growing 

 it and it quite died out, until it was reintroduced by 

 Lady Holland in 1804. The plants remained rare in 

 England for some years. It was being grown in France, 

 Germany, and Holland, but little had been done to 

 improve the original plant. When, however, a larger 

 supply was available in England after 18 14, the English 

 growers took it up, and produced, before long, the 

 round very double flowers which soon became the rage. 

 In stilted style a writer in 1824 describes the dahlia 

 mania, after giving the history of its introduction. " It 

 was left to English capital and perseverance," he says, 

 *' to illuminate the northern part of the globe by the 

 full brilliancy of these floral luminaries." Thus in 

 extravagant language he continues to sing the praises 

 of the dahlia. It is curious that the name is now 

 generally pronounced as if it were "dalea," forgetful 

 of the fact that there is a flower, something like a vetch. 



