Gardening and Botany of Spain. 75 



In every cleft of the rocks which bound the garden of the 

 Bishop of Murcia, on the mountain of Saint Catalina, a league 

 to the south-east of the city, I saw growing, as if wild, the 

 Jasminum grandiflorum, which flowers throughout the year. 

 The yiVum Colocasia is also met with in many gardens, and 

 probably may, ere long, be cultivated as an edible root in that 

 country. 



In the city of Valencia, the most celebrated garden is that 

 of the Baron Manuel ; those of the Marquis la Romana, 

 the Plaza de St. Domingo, the Capuchins, the Nuns of St. 

 Cataline, and the newly erected royal gardens, are worthy of 

 note. Perhaps, there is not throughout Spain a people so 

 passionately fond of flowers as the Valencians : many employ 

 themselves exclusively as florists, and find it a profitable em- 

 ployment. It is true, they cultivate but few species ; their 

 collections consisting only of wallflowers, roses, anemones, 

 violets, jasmines, and a few lilies ; but from these they 

 have obtained such a multitude of varieties, particularly pinks, 

 anemones, and wallflowers, that they must be considered 

 proficients in floriculture. The carnations of Valencia are 

 eagerly sought for, and were it not that the communication 

 with the interior is tardy and difficult, the growers would 

 derive considerable profit from the sale of this plant alone : it 

 was only there I observed pinks of a blue colour; those of 

 straw and lemon colour are common. The only gardener in 

 Madrid who gained a livelihood in this way was a Valencian. 



The environs of Barcelona are embellished with many 

 country houses called torres ; as in Sarragossa, their plea- 

 sure-gardens are also so called : such are regularly laid out, 

 and as usual adorned with sculpture and fountains. 



Their commercial intercourse with France and Italy en- 

 ables them to procure the scarce ornamental plants and 

 flowers with facility and despatch. The garden of the Mar- 

 quis of Llupia, called the Labyrinth, three miles distant from 

 Barcelona, of Don Antonia Gironella, merchant, and that of 

 the Capuchin Friars of Sarria, scarcely a league distant from 

 the above city, are greatly superior to any of the others. 

 The first of these comprises the greater part of an estate a 

 mile in circumference ; and it has, besides an extensive laby- 

 rinth formed by hedges of clipped box, another portion 

 of ground exclusively appropriated to the cultivation of 

 flowers and ornamental shrubs, delightfully interspersed with 

 cascades and other waterworks, and the most exquisite 

 marble statues of Italian workmanship. There is on the same 

 estate a fine wood, with a fruit and culinary garden. The 



