Villa ofW. Borrer, Esq., Henfield. 501 



Hopwood/awa, and Tigridia, conspicuously in flower; and also 

 hepaticas, auriculas, and other plants, for early spring show. 



There were many other front gardens of the very smallest size 

 that, perhaps, equally deserved notice ; but the above will show 

 what may be accomplished in a locality by no means favourable 

 for gardening, where there is a desire to excel. A number of these 

 gardens, we were informed, belong to retired London tradesmen, 

 who look after them themselves ; and scarcely any of them are 

 under the care of iobbinfif gardeners. 



Among the Brighton gardens, we must not pass over some 

 of those directly facing the sea, more particularly in Kemp Town. 

 The great value of the French tamarisk is there strikingly con- 

 spicuous : it grows with the greatest luxuriance and vigour, and 

 assumes a beautiful light green foliage, protecting roses and 

 smaller shrubs, and numerous kinds of annual flowers. The 

 sweet bay, the arbutus, the laurustinus, rosemary, lavender, 

 myrtle, and sea ragwort, which have been killed to the ground 

 about London, have here escaped uninjured. There are several 

 small commercial gardens in and about Brighton, chiefly for the 

 culture of flowers. The most complete, and the best kept, ap- 

 peared to us to be one at Rose Hill, belonging to Mr. Evans, 

 who has erected, and continues to erect, a number of houses for 

 growing early grapes, strawberries, and salading. The ve- 

 getable market at Brighton is principally supplied from London ; 

 but the commoner vegetables are sent to it from Chichester and 

 Portsmouth ; and some fruits of inferior quality are from Havre 

 and Dieppe. The article which we found best was the potato. 

 Several varieties are grown, and all are excellent, both in flavour 

 and mealiness. 



The Villa of W, Borrer, Esq., Henjield. — The road to Hen- 

 field, for the first six or eight miles, is through those naked 

 downs, which mark the vicinity of Brighton to the traveller ar- 

 riving from London; but suddenly, on turning out of the Lon- 

 don Road, the country becomes varied, and richly wooded. 

 Mr. Borrer's villa, which is close to the town of Henfield, 

 occupies a piece of table land in an elevated situation, and ex- 

 hibits extensive views in every direction. It is neatly laid out, 

 and richly stocked with trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, 

 which it would require two or three days to examine properly. 

 There are green-houses, hot-houses, a vinery, pits, and nume- 

 rous frames ; and, what is unique, a house for growing exotic 

 ferns, consisting of a number of caves, formed by stone arches, 

 and disguised by rustic masonry; the walls, also, being co- 

 vered by the same material, and every part of them adapted 

 for receiving plants. The idea, Mr. Borrer informs us, was 

 suggested by the fern-caves in Mr. Ward's back garden, in Weli- 



KK 3 



