1066 



STATISTICS OF GARDENING. 



Part IV. 



adapted for villas and other residences. That part of the metropolis which is within the county, contains 

 a garden-market for the commoner fruits and vegetables, but it is not extensive. There are several re- 

 spectable seed-shops, and the greatest seed-factors reside here; in the suburbs and suburban villages, 

 are some good market-gardens, the principal herb-gardens in the kingdom, and some seed-gardens : ju- 

 niper-berries and cranberries used to be gathered on the commons on Box Hill and Leith Hill, and sold 

 in the metropolis. There are a few nurseries : the county abounds in villas, and contains some mansion- 

 residences. There are no public gardens in the county ; but the promenade of Greenwich Park, in Kent, 

 adjoins the metropolis. In Stevenson's survey of the county, it is stated, that 3500 acres are employed as 

 farmers' market-gardens. The greatest gardening author this county has produced is Evelyn, of Wootton 

 House, and the most celebrated gardens which have existed in this country those of the Carews, at 

 Beddington. 



7525. There are various commercial gardens. 



Farmers' garden*. Of these there are a considerable number 

 in the low part of the county, adjoining the Thames. Turnips 

 are grown in abundance and in great perfection, for the cow- 

 feeders. 



Market- Gardens. There are some highly cultivated and of 

 very considerable extent on the banks of the Thames, especially 

 at Barnes, Mortlake, and Camberwell. The two former 

 places are famous for asparagus, and Battersea for cabbages. 

 There are generally about eighty acres under asparagus in the 

 parish of Alortlake : the greatest grower is Biggs, who has had 

 forty acres under this crop at one time. There are some good 

 gardens near Chertsey, and here the Ghertsey or great Surrey 

 carrot is better grown than anywhere else, and the London 

 seedsmen are supplied from the growers with its seeds. The 

 hardy fruits are less generally grown for the markets in 

 Surrey than in Middlesex and Kent; but there is one cele- 

 brated grower of exotic and forced fruits, Isaac Andrews at 

 Lambeth, famous for his pine-apples, and being annually 

 among the first who send early grapes and cherries to market. 

 His hot-houses, like those of Gunter and Orange in Middlesex, 

 are all heated by steam. 



Herb and Physic Gardens. These are chiefly in the parish 

 of Mitcham, where the soil is poor and gravelly. The oldest 

 establishment of this description is that of Potter and Moore, 

 who formerly grew most of the articles in the vegetable 

 materia medica then in vogue. They now grow chiefly roses, 

 lavender, chamomile, the mints, opium-poppy (Papaver som- 

 niferum), balm, blessed-thistle, borage, clary, hyssop, sage, 

 scurvy-grass, angelica, thyme, fennel, pot-marigold, &c. 

 Messrs. Dickson and Anderson, of Covent-garden, seedsmen 

 and herbalists, have a garden at Croydon for a general collec- 

 tion of such herbs as are only in demand in small quantities. 



Market Flower-Gardens There are several of them near the 

 metropolis, but none eminently deserving description. 



Florists' Gardens The principal of these is that of Messrs. 

 Milliken and Curtis, at Walworth, who have the first collec- 

 tion of hardy bulbs grown in this country. It was founded by 



the late Maddock, author of the Florists' Directory, 



about the middle of the last century. There are also one or two 

 other very respectable gardens of this description. 



Nursery-Gardens. Before London was so much extended 

 on this side, there were some old and extensive nurseries, 

 such as those of the Drivers, Malcolms, North, &c. ; but the 

 grounds which occupied these gardens, are now generally built 

 on, and the existing nurseries are of 'less note though highly 

 respectable. Of these may be mentioned that of Ronaldson at 

 Tooting, noted for the best collection of ericae in the vicinity 

 of the metropolis; Chandler at Vauxhall, noted for camellias; 

 Griffins of South Lambeth, for bulbs; Phillips at Lambeth, 

 for fruit-trees ; and Buchanan at Camberwell, for a general 

 collection. Near Bagshot are a number of nurseries, devoted 

 chiefly to the growth of stocks for fruit-trees, with which they 

 supply the trade in London, and elsewhere. Among these may 

 be mentioned Donald at ^Voking, Cobbett at Horsehill, Ham- 

 monxl, and others, at Ripley and Trimley ; Lee, of the Vine- 

 yard, has also extensive nurseries in this quarter, for raising 

 the commoner articles. 



Botanic Gardens That of Tradescant at Lambeth, and a 



medical garden by Morgan, mentioned by Evelyn, the lease of 

 which was bought by the Apothecaries' Company in 1676, 

 may be noticed as belonging to the garden-antiquities of the 

 county. Curtis, the botanist, had formerly a subscription 

 botanical garden at Lambeth Marsh ; which was afterwards 

 removed to Queen's Elm, Brompton. Benjamin Robertson 

 formed a valuable botanic garden, at a great expense, at 

 Stockwell; he died in 1800, and bequeathed the whole of his 

 estates for the purpose of establishing it as a public botanic 

 garden ; but his will was set aside. 



7526. Private gardens, as already observed, are 

 very numerous, and generally well managed, com- 

 pared with those of most other counties. Cottage- 

 gardens are neat, and often ornamental, and the 

 farmers' gardens are generally well attended to, 

 this class of cultivators being here, as round most 

 large towns, in groat part retired tradesmen. 



Suburban Villas {Jig. 741.) are certainly more numerous, and 

 better laid out than anywhere else. They border the different 



great roads for some miles from town, and render them de- 

 ghtful to the passing traveller. 



7527. VUlas. We have selected a few ; but the 

 number that merit attention is more than double 

 those here named. 



Addington Place, near Croydon ; Archbishop of Canterbury 

 A good house in the centre of a park, much varied and well 

 planted : the house lately enlarged and improved. 



Atdbury Place, near Blackheath; S. Thornton, Esn. An 

 elegant Ionic mansion, greatly altered and improved by the 

 present proprietor. The park, a beautiful piece of &*&* <f 

 &50 acres, finely wooded, especially with old Spanish chestnuts. 

 There are some small pieces of water in the park, and a basin 

 and fountain in the garden. This place was noted in EwJjn 

 time (327-) for the subterraneous passage of 1G0 yards in length, 



