Calls at the Nurseries. 349 



Art. VIII. Calls at the London Nurseries, and other Suburban 



Gardens. 



Sion-House, April 10th. This place, so long neglected or mismanaged, 

 is at last likely to be restored to its characteristic dignity and beauty. 

 Mr. Forrest, who so highly distinguished himself in laying out the grounds 

 at Eaton-Hall, having just been engaged as head manager here. There are 

 few old places where there is so much to do as at Sion, but there are few 

 also where so much effect may be produced by judicious doings. The 

 kitchen-garden requires to be entirely renovated, including even the soil 

 of the borders, the walls, the walks, and the hot-houses. The pleasure- 

 ground, so rich in exotics, and so incumbered and injured by the com- 

 monest trees and shrubs, requires to have the latter entirely removed, to 

 give room and effect to the former ; and to render this scenery complete, 

 a great number of new exotics, introduced since Sion was planted, now 

 upwards of half a century ago, require to be added. There are few 

 gardeners more competent to effect all this than Mr. Forrest, and if he 

 obtain a reasonable share of liberty, and is not limited in expence, we may 

 look forward to something which will restore this fine old place to its 

 ancient celebrity. 



Bayswater Garden, Comte de Vandes, April 12th. A magnificent spe- 

 cimen of Glycine sinensis is in flower in the green-house ; each raceme is 

 as large as a bunch of grapes, of a delicate pale purple at the shoulders 

 of the bunch, where the blossom is fully expanded, and of a dark purple 

 at the pendant extremities, where the flowers are not yet opened. 

 Numerous species of acacias are in full bloom, and also polygalas, cor- 

 reas, heaths, brachysema, cytisus, boronia, &c. Mr. Campbell has been 

 very successful in blooming hyacinths, of sorts that for upwards of 

 seven years have been grown in this garden ; a large bed of blues, reds, 

 and double whites are now in perfection, and to all appearance as strong 

 as if the bulbs had been newly imported. The borders here are remark- 

 ably well stocked with herbaceous plants and standard roses ; among the 

 latter are some of the most magnificent specimens in the neighbourhood 

 of London. The whole is kept in excellent order ; and this garden, for 

 many years celebrated for its beautiful collection, was never better worth 

 seeing than it is at present. Perhaps more new plants have been published 

 in botanical works as having first flowered here, than in any private garden 

 round London. 



Walworth Florists' Garden, Mr. Groom, April 17th. This establishment 

 is wholly devoted to the culture of florists' flowers, and though the depart- 

 ment of floriculture is not now so fashionable as it was in the time of Mr. 

 Madocks, the founder of this garden, and the author of the Florists' 

 Directory, it is still a good deal encouraged. The purchasers of florists' 

 flowers are quite a different class of persons from the purchasers of rare 

 and curious species, or what, for the sake of distinction, we may call 

 botanists' plants. They are chiefly tradesmen, and, in part, even operative 

 manufacturers and mechanics. All these form a distinct class of flower- 

 fanciers, and are as much occupied by the artificial properties and high- 

 sounding names of auriculas, tulips, and carnations, as botanists are with 

 the generic and specific distinctions of science. The grand object of the 

 flower-fancier is to gain a prize at some of the flower-shows which are held 

 in different places about London, at the period when auriculas, tulips, 

 and carnations are in bloom. The four principal shows are held at Isling- 

 ton, Dulwich, Hammersmith, and Chelsea, and generally on or about the 

 end of April for auriculas, the end of May for tulips, and the end of 

 July for carnations. We intend in future to give short notices of these 

 shows, in the hope of extending this department among gentlemen's 

 gardeners, by whom, we think, florists' flowers are at present too much 



