386 



JOURNAL OF HOETICDLTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 2, 1876. 



two specialities, whioh make the grand feature of the place; 

 yet all three in their way have a beauty of their own, and to 

 one who, like myself, is bound by no limits in horticulture, all 

 were attractive. 



I last year, in mentioning Dr. Bennett's pretty residence, 

 alluded to the manner in which he has made innovations 

 on old-established ways of doing things : that the Heather 

 which forms the groundwork of his wood garden, instead 

 of being allowed to grow long and lanky is kept close cut, and 

 presents a beautiful carpet of purple bloom, the idea being 

 borrowed from patohes in St. George's Hills, whioh he found 

 apparently nibbled by rabbits and throwing out their shoots 

 abundantly, instead of, as in ordinary cases, merely coming out 

 at the end of the blooming branches. This year it has made 

 still further progress, and after a time will, I am sure, fulfil 

 his expectations. He has this year introduced another inno- 

 vation — namely, planting some creepers at the base of the 

 trees, and thus covering the stems with bloom. We know how 

 completely this is the ease in tropical climates, and I am sure 

 that to see Clematises of various colours, Bignonia radicans 

 major, and other climbing plants throwing out their shining 

 blooms aloDg the stems and among the branches of our trees 

 would be a pleasing sight, and I hope in a small way to try it 

 myself. I was particularly struck, too, with the effectiveness 

 of the large Fuchsias grown in pots and standing outside the 

 house. Their branches heavily laden with blossoms of various 

 colours and their graceful habit fit them admirably for such 

 work. The difficulties in the way of Dr. Bennett's gardening 

 are manifold, arising from the fact that he is here for only 

 four months, and that his heart is with his Mentone garden, 

 and that for duriDg eight months he is obliged to leave all 

 at The Ferns in the care of his gardener. Yet no one coming 

 upon it as I did in the month of September would believe 

 either that this was the case or that the whole house had been 

 dismantled ; but so it is, and the able superintendence without 

 and the deft hands within soon bring beauty out of disorder, 

 and make one wonder that it could ever be otherwise than we 

 see it. 



Mr. Wilson's pretty place, Heatherbank, is, as all the gar- 

 dening world knows, the home of everything that is rare and 

 beautiful amongst herbaceous plants and Lilies, and the mar- 

 vellous manner in which they grow here reflects the utmost 

 credit on his skill as a cultivator. We all know how he 

 astonishes us sometimes at the Eoyal Horticultural Society 

 with some new Lily or some favourite herbaceous plant, and 

 here every nook in the garden shows how thoroughly they are 

 at home. It was too late to see the garden in its beauty, 

 but where herbaceous and alpine plants are grown there is 

 always something of deep interest. Amongst these I noticed 

 the rare and beautiful Omphalodes Luciliaa, fine pieces of Col- 

 chicum speoiosum and Crocus speciosus, the Aricectoehilus-like 

 Goodyera pubeseens, Soldanella Wheeleri, Gaultheria procum- 

 bens growing quite rampant, Dahlia glabrata, Fragaria indica, 

 Vitis heterophylla, Rhododendron praacox superbum, Anemone 

 japonica bybrida, Gypaophila prostrata and G. Stevensii, Gen- 

 tiana asclepiadea, &o. ; while in the houses, waiting for their 

 turn of potting, which Mr. W.'s zeal on behalf of the poor 

 Royal Horticultural Society had hindered, were quantities of 

 Lilies, Calochortuses, Cyclobothras, and all rare and curious 

 bulbs in which their owner delights. The one great point of 

 novelty was, however, Mr. Wilson's tank, which he has already 

 described in these columns, and in which I saw many aquatic 

 plants doing admirably on their little floating islands. The 

 plan is evidently sound, and I have no doubt admits of many 

 modifications more or less ornamental. 



We have all heard of the wonderful examples of Lilium 

 auratum at Daneevan, and I had received many a courteous 

 invitation from Mr. Mcintosh to see them or the Rhododen- 

 drons when they were in bloom. This I was unable to do, but 

 I could not be in the neighbourhood without seeing the place 

 where they grow ; and well worthy is it of a visit. It stands 

 in Oatlands Park, and the ground slopes down from the house 

 to a piece of water, called here the Broadwater — in fact a large 

 long pond. Every advantage has been taken of the nature of 

 the ground, and masses of Rhododendrons are grouped in 

 every direction, containing the very choicest and best of the 

 sorts in cultivation. Among them in all directions were Lilies, 

 some 11 and 12 feet high, carrying sixty or seventy bloomB, and 

 displaying a vigour which I think we may venture to say they 

 have never attained in their native habitat, and compelling 

 me to say, Well, I must come and see these in flower. But 

 although Mr. Molntosh exoels in these two specialities, yet his 



garden contains many other things which are worthy of notice. 

 Does he grow Roses ? Well, in answer to this just let me say 

 that in one of his rooms is a table on which there are arranged 

 250 specimen glasses of various Bizes, and that these are kept 

 filled all through the season with single blooms of Roses ; and 

 I rather imagine that anyone who can do this must be able to 

 grow Roses. Like Charles Waterton Mr. Mcintosh makes 

 friends with the feathered tribes of his garden. A robin flies 

 up and takes a crumb from between his lips, and a chaffinch 

 is very nearly as tame. All who have met him will not wonder 

 at this familiarity. I have rarely seen a small place where so 

 much is made of it by judicious landscape gardening. Stand- 

 ing at the top of the terrace it seems large in extent, and 

 everywhere fine trees and shrubs meet the eye ; and if I am 

 spared for another year I hope to visit it when either one or 

 other of the specialities of the place are in flower. — D., Deal. 



ACACIA RICEANA. 



Acacia Riceana I consider the most beautiful and useful cf 

 the entire genus. It is much more graceful in growth than 

 A. longifolia, its branches being very slender, and are elegant 

 by their drooping habit. When planted out and allowed plenty 

 of headroom this Acacia quickly assumes a tree form, and a 

 more handsome tree it is impossible to conceive. I have also 

 found it exceedingly well adapted for a pillar plant. Its beauty 

 is never seen to greater advantage than when allowed to grow 

 unmolested — that is, without being cut or tied into any stiff 

 form. The flowers are pale yellow or lemon-coloured, and are 

 produced in long pendulous festoons, and however ornamental 

 they may be on the plant, they are none the less so in a 

 cut state, and for this purpose alone it is worth growing in 

 quantity. 1 may further state that although it succeeds beBt 

 planted out, it also submits readily to be grown in either large 

 or small pots. — N. 



FLOWERS OP ROSE TREES SMALL. 



I have a lot of Roses on the Manetti four years old, which 

 still grow well and flower well, but the blooms are Email and 

 lack substance. They have been dressed each year with plenty 

 of fresh rich loam, the top spit of good feeding land mixed 

 with old pig dung and night soil ; and as my soil is rather 

 light they have had a good mulching applied in May of littery 

 stable manure. Must I part with my old favourites, or can I 

 restore them by taking them up, root-pruning, and planting in 

 some new ground just enclosed from a pasture field ? I always 

 prune closely in March. — Midland Counties Rose-groweb. 



[I should take up all the old Roses, and not only prune the 

 roots but cut off the old Manetti stocks, for in most, if not 

 all, cases the four-year-old Manetti Roses will have rooted 

 themselves so well above the junction of the scion and stock, 

 that the foster-parent can be discarded and the nurslings 

 walk and do well on their own legs. In case, however, where 

 these roots are not sufficiently strong it would be better merely 

 to prune the Manetti roots and plant in fresh ground. If the 

 grower could regard with indifference the quality of the blooms 

 from those plants for one year, I should recommend him to 

 give them a year's rest. Do not manure the ground, and do 

 not prune the plants, but leave the Roses to grow and form 

 fresh roots ; then next year cut very hard indeed, and send 

 them along with every kind of forcing manure applied on the 

 surface, and I shall be very much surprised if those plants do 

 not give him wonderful blooms. If, however, he cannot give 

 them a year's grace, let the manure be put on the surface 

 after planting and forked lightly in after pruning in March. 

 — Wyld Savage.] 



EARLY "WRITERS ON ENGLISH GARDENING. 



No. 21. 

 SLE WILLIAM CHAHBEK3. 

 Sie William Chambers, of Scottish parentage, was born in 

 Sweden in 1726, but came to England when only two years old, 

 and was placed at Ripon School. On arriving at manhood he 

 became supercargo of a Swedish East India ship, and made one 

 voyage in that capacity to China. On his return he commenced 

 the study of architecture under the patronage of Lord Bute, by 

 whose interest he was appointed drawing master to the Prince 

 of Wales, afterwards George III. His first architectural erection 

 was a villa for the Earl of Besborough at Roehampton. He 

 was afterwards employed in laying cut the Royal Gardens at 



