H. H. HUNKE WELL'S GROUNDS. 409 



abridge their description, and merely mention the lawn 

 of thirty acres in extent ; the gate lodge, nearly covered 

 with the Ampelopsis Veitchii, the first of this beautiful 

 climber planted in this vicinity ; the rhododendrons, for 

 which, perhaps more than for any thing else, the place 

 is noted, comprising one hundred and eighty varieties in 

 every shade of color; the azaleas, as gorgeous as the 

 rhododendrons are delicate, in seventy-five varieties ; 

 the beautiful lake near which the mansion is placed, 

 with a geometrical flower garden between it and the 

 bank ; the lofty and spacious conservatory adjoining the 

 mansion, filled with choice plants, above them all tower- 

 ing the Musa ensete, its leaves fourteen feet long and 

 three broad, without a spot or blemish ; the green- 

 houses and stoves ; the fern, palm, and grape houses; 

 the orchard and forcing houses for peaches, plums, apri- 

 cots, and nectarines ; the rose garden with its walls of 

 living green ; the flower garden with its ribbon, carpet, 

 and sub-tropical planting, and especially the great bed 

 of succulents, with centre of agaves, framed in rows of 

 Echeverias ; the carefully prepared structures for the 

 protection of half hardy plants ; the grotto, fernery, and 

 rockery ; the extensive pinetum, comprising the rarest 

 and best conifers of the world, especially the new spe- 

 cies from China and Japan ; the rare and beautiful 

 deciduous and evergreen trees scattered over every part 

 of the grounds, many of which have attained to large 

 size ; the majestic oak upon the lawn, the sole survivor 

 of the original forest, all the other trees having been 

 planted by Mr. Hunnewell since 1852 ; the beautiful 

 vistas opening like a flash of sunshine, now through a 

 row of purple beeches, now to a remote statue, or 

 through long lines of graceful elms, reaching the pur- 



