264 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 21, 1S76. 



sacrilege to destroy it, and the taste prompting any radical 

 alteration would be taste gone mad. It is a most enjoyable 

 garden — a lawn with trees, shrubs, and flowers, a garden where 

 at all times there is something to attract, and mo6t times from 

 which a posy may be gathered — a "posy of sweet-smelling 

 flowers,'' which many flower gardens of the "latest fashion" 

 cannot supply. 



A long Datnral hollow appears to have been selected for this 

 garden. It is bounded on the north side by a splendid range 

 of glass structures and a broad terrace walk, and on the south 

 by Rhododendrons and a corresponding walk. At the west is 

 a wall covered with Ivy and climbers, and at its foot a border 

 of herbiceous plants, and on the east is the park. A walk 

 traverses the entire length of the garden along the centre of 

 the hollow, and there is al60 a cross walk. In the centre of 

 the garden is a fountain partly surrounded by handsome spe- 

 cimens of Irish Yews, and similar spacimens are growing at 

 intervals along both sides of the walks. Entering the garden 

 by the long walk we pass a pair of statues — the Regent Mnrray 

 and Jeannie Deans. In other parts of the grounds statues of 

 the other characters immortalised in the Waverley Novels are 

 appropriately placed. At some distance from and on each side 

 of the long walk are Roses trained to flat hurdles, which were 

 designed by Mr. Overhead and which answer their purpose ad- 

 mirably. The garden i3 also in a great part surrounded by a 

 lofty festoon of climbirjg Roses. Other festoons of Roses 

 there are on the lawn, in one place encircling Lady Peek's her- 

 baceous garden — a circle with eight beds converging to the 

 centre, which are planted with old-fashioned herbaceous and 

 alpine plants. Another and a larger example of festooning is 

 known as the Rosery, a temple-like arrangement of climbers 

 with Roses trying to grow in the central bed. Roses cannot 

 well flourish when thus covered and confined; never mind, 

 the rosery is an " established institution" of the place, and is 

 wisely preserved for its original purpose. 



On the lawn, at irregular intervals, are trees, and shrubs, 

 and bushes which are not usually met with in such a position. 

 Conspicuous is a splendid example of the deciduous Cypress 

 (Taxodium distichum), quite a timber tree, but extremely 

 attractive by its light green pinnate foliage. This is sometimes 

 called Taxodium pinnatum, or CnpresBus disticha. T. pin- 

 natum is, however, a Mexican species, which is too tender for 

 the English climate. Taxodium distichum is a very hardy 

 and a highly ornamental tree, especially when it attains to the 

 size of the Wimbledon specimen, which is 55 fest high, 

 with a stem 10 feet in circumference. A deciduous Cypress 

 is mentioned in Miller's " Gardeners' Dictionary," which was 

 published in 1724, as growing in the garden of Sir Abraham 

 Janssen at 'Wimbledon, and as being then 30 feet in height 

 and bearing cones. Sir Henry Peek's tree is evidently very 

 old, but can scarcely be regarded as the tree referred to by 

 Miller ; it may be, however, the proceeds of a cone from that 

 noteworthy specimen. Another very fine tree in this flower 

 garden is the Tsvisted-leaved Willow (Salix Babylonica crispa), 

 the Ring-leaved Willow. This is commonly regarded as a 

 species under the name of S. annularis. This distinct variety 

 was introduced to this country by a Mr. Vernon, a merchant 

 at Aleppo, who afterwards retired to live at Twickenham, where 

 the original tree was growing in 1749. This Willow is most 

 distinct by its pendulous branchlets and convoluted foliage, 

 and is highly ornamental. The tree in thiB garden is about 

 the same height as the Taxodium referred to. Of lower 

 stature, yet of large size, is Magnolia conspicua, and which 

 is a splendid object in the twilight in spring, when its large 

 white flowers appear in the distance as if floating in the 

 air; near it is also a fine example of M. glauca, which is 

 producing at the present time a few stray wax-like flowers. 

 Arbutus Andrachne is also noticeable, a finer specimen being 

 seldom met with. There is also a very old Araucaria divested 

 of its lower branches, and cones of Yews " tipped with gold," 

 the golden variety having been grafted on the green. The 

 Smoke, Gauze, or Wig Tree, Rhus Cotinus, is also represented 

 by a large bush covered with panicles of feathery flower 

 stalks. This distinct and ornamental deciduous shrub is not 

 sufficiently planted. Noticeable also is an extraordinary speci- 

 men of Cydonia japonica. This is growing on the lawn in the 

 form of a dense globular bush, which cannot be much less 

 than 20 feet in diameter. Each spring it is laden with its 

 brilliant blossoms, and then presents a gorgeous appearance. 

 We pause also to admire a fine clump of Cotoneaster micro- 

 phylla covered with berries ; there are also tome very old 

 specimens of Andromedas. A bush of Ivy on the lawn, com- 



mon though it may be, is attractive by its close shrub-like 

 growth. There are also arcades of Ivy here and there of tree- 

 like megnitude through which the visitors pass and ako admire. 

 A much less common shrub is also here, the Comptonia asple- 

 nifolia, sometimes called the Sweet Fern from the odour of its 

 finely cut foliage. It belongs to the Myricacefe or Sweet Gale 

 family, and was named in honour of Bishop Comptori, who 

 was a great patron of horticulture. It is a North American 

 deciduous shrub growing about 4 feet high, and is hardy, ele- 

 gant, and sweet. 



The above aro a few of the trees and shrubs which adorn 

 this fine old flower garden, and scattered about amorjgst them 

 are large round beds of subtropical plants and flowers. There 

 are beds of Maize, Soianums, Cannas, Yuccas, and such flowers 

 as Cloves, Delphiniums, Irises, Petnnias, Zinnias, and even a 

 bed of one of the Club Mosse3, which Mr. Ollerhead states has 

 been established by a better man than himself ; for after try- 

 ing all ways aud periods he cannot successfully transplant it, 

 which is somewhat unfortunate, as the hot summer has injured 

 one portion of the bed. There is also a piece of water sur- 

 rounded by rockwork and Ferns, and occupied by Water 

 Lilies and Email fancy waterfowl, and an alpine cone planted 

 with Cerastium, &e., in one of the corners of the garden. 



An arrangement such as described may be considered sombre, 

 but this is obviated by a series of beds near the sides of the 

 walks ; the beds being occupied with the ordinary bedding-out 

 plants, such as Geraniums, Calceolarias, Coleuses, Centaureas, 

 &c, and their effect is enhanced by the bold background of 

 the other occupants of the lawn. The Calceolarias have been 

 splendid and grew luxuriantly during the hot weather. Pre- 

 viously to planting them the soil was removed to the depth ci 

 a foot, when a good layer of cow dung was put in and the soil 

 placed over it. This sustained the plants and prevented the 

 "disease" attacking them. Altogether the garden is suffi- 

 ciently bright, and is particularly enjoyable by its varied 

 attractions — a garden wherein one may wander day by day 

 and always find something fresh, and at no time can it be 

 considered as tame and unsightly. 



But there is still a little more for those of modern tastes. 

 At the sides of the southern terrace walk, which is divided 

 from the flower garden proper by Rhododendrons, is a lawn, 

 and on this lawn are a few large raised beds planted ia the 

 carpet-pattern style. These are well filled, and the desigDS are 

 pleasing; yet good though they are of their kind, they look 

 puny in comparison with the freer, bolder, easier mode of 

 decoration beyond the Ehrubs. On this terrace is a rustic seat 

 canopied with Sophora japonica pendula, aDd from this seat 

 the view across the flower garden — the fine trees, the towering 

 Yews, the glimpses of flowers, with the noble range of houses 

 with a central dome as the boundary — is strikingly beautiful. 



From the south-west corner of the flower garden an avenue 

 of Elms shows the way to the mansion ; a portion of this 

 avenue is seen in the accompanying engraving, which gives a 

 characteristic view of this excellent and ably-managed flower 

 garden, — J. W. 



BRAZILIAN FLOWERS. 



Mb. T. W. HrxcHLUT, F.R.G.S., President of the Alpine 

 Club, has recently published a " Narrative of WanderingB 

 Around the World," in which is given a marvellous account of 

 the floral treasures discovered in the wilds of Brazil. The 

 gentleman is an ardent botanist, and during the three-months 

 stay at Palmeiras made a large collection of interesting and 

 beautiful plants, many of which were new to science. He 

 Epeaks in terms of excusable enthusiasm of "Fuchsias 50 or 

 60 feet in height, blooming from top to bottom ;" of large 

 bushes of Abutilon venosum , "hanging its orange bells with 

 crimson streaks over the placid waters, close to the huge 

 Daturas with their hundreld of white trumpet-ehaped and 

 sweet-scented blossoms, some of which I have found to be 

 1(3 inches in length." 



Within a day's walk from Palmeiras Mr. Hinchliff and his 

 party gathered 250 species of Ferns, on every excursion dis- 

 covering new ones to add to the list. Among them were two 

 species of the Lygodium, or climbing Fern, and the rare Hemi- 

 dictyon marginatum, "with pale-green fronds, 11 feet high, 

 and broad pinna;, as delicate as silver paper." In the forests 

 each tree supports a vast variety of parasitical plants. 

 "Orchids and Ferns; huge Arums with shield-like leaves, 

 large enough to cover a man ; brilliunt red and yellow Bro- 

 lcelias and Tillp.ndsias ; epiphytes and parasites of all de- 



