February 10, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOKTICULTTJRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



117 



chiefly applied to the rooms necessary for attending to very 

 superior Btabling. The right wing is chiefly devoted to rooms 

 for the house-steward, housekeeper, kitchens, &c. Each of these 

 wings has a suitable entrance at its end. These two wings are 

 connected with the centre by a colonnade or conservatory on each 

 side, each 43 feet by 10. 



If flower-gardening were to be attempted at all in front of 

 such a magnificent building, it seemed to be required that its 

 characteristics should be simplicity, uniqueness, and elegance. 

 So far as we could judge from our short visit, these have been 

 thoroughly secured, and by a mode not more simple than un- 

 common. Leaving lesser matters out of consideration there are 

 two grand features. First, four square or parallelogram gar- 

 dens bounded by low Tew hedgeB, in front of the centre of the 

 mansion. The first pair is next the portico. The second pair is 

 separated from the first by a breadth of grass of GO feet. This 

 grass is extended, but wider, 300 feet on each side, making with 

 the centre of 220 feet, 820 feet in all. This forms the Irish Yew 

 avenue — the second grand feature — the trees standing 60 feet 

 apart across the avenue, and, therefore, on one side in a direct 

 line with the farther boundary of the first pair of gardens, and 

 on the other side in line with the nearer boundary of the second 

 pair of gardens. 



Through Mr. James's kindness we would have given a large 

 plan of these unique gardens, but have been obliged to give a 

 very condensed one to Buit our page. With that plan, however, 

 and even without it, our youngest reader may easily make the 

 main outlines for himself by the following simple details. Take a 

 straight line across in front of the steps of the portico, which 

 will leave about 17 feet between it and the mansion for grass lawn, 

 and three clumps for flowers on each side. Then from this line 

 take another close to the wing, on each side and beyond it, mea- 

 suring altogether 262 feet. Cross that at the farther end, and 

 you have a parallelogram 262 feet by 220. Come back again to 

 the line of the portico, and measure from that line of grass 28 feet 

 for gravel. Take the same width along each side, and across 

 the farther end, and thus you have another parallelogram less by 

 28 feet at each end and the sides than the first one. Divide this 

 longitudinally again, just opposite the portico, by another walk 

 of 28 feet, and yon have now two equal-sized parallelograms 

 bounded by gravel all round. Lay-off in the centre of this piece 

 of ground longitudinally, which we have seen at first was 

 202 feet, a space of 60 feet transversely for grass, unless where 

 the three walks pass through it, and then you will see that 

 that grass avenue and the different walks will leave two paral- 

 lelograms next the mansion, and two beyond the grass avenue, 

 each of which will be 68 feet in breadth and 73 feet in length. 

 Aa already stated, the Yews in the avenue are 60 feet apart 

 transversely, the same width of 60 feet extending for 300 feet on 

 each side. 



As described, each of these parallelograms would have straight 

 sides but for good reasons. One of the four sides of each of these 

 gardens is curved in the middle where the entrance to each is, 

 which is about 5 feet in width. These entrances are from the 

 middle walk, and those of each pair opposite each other. Even 

 at the middle walk the Btraight square form is maintained at 

 each end for 16 feet, and is then curved towards the centre 

 opening, so that the width of gravel there, from one Bquare to 

 its opposite neighbour, is 36 feet instead of 28 feet. In the 

 centre of this wide space next the mansion is placed a massive 

 stone table, and in the similar space farthest from the house 

 there is a Bundial ; and the propriety of the arrangement we shall 

 presently see. We may just state here that in the centre of the 

 same central walk, with the 60 feet of grass on each side, is 

 an elegant fountain with lofty statuary, and here the grass is 

 swept out on each side so as to give, across the fountain and 

 gravel, a width of 50 feet. 



The external arrangements of these four parallelogram gardens 

 are the same. It will have been Been that one side of each of the 

 four will abut on the central avenue of grass of 60 feet wide, tne 

 other three sides will come against these twenty-eight-feet walks 

 of gravel. To prevent this there is a verge on these three sides 

 of about a foot of grass. The outside of each garden is then 

 bounded with a beautiful Yew hedge 20 inches in height and 

 18 inches across. A grass lawn 8 feet in width separates this 

 hedge from a second hedge of the same size and equally well 

 kept, and then a grass walk of about 4 feet separates the second 

 hedge from the centre, devoted to flowers. 



In the centre of each of these gardens is an architectural 

 pedestal 2 feet square, and 3 feet in height, and surmounted by 



suitable statuary, also 3 feet in height. At each of the four 

 outBide corners of these gardens, and in the centre of the three 

 sides — that iB, on all sides, except where the entrance is situated, 

 is a pedestal 2 feet square, and 40 inches in height ; the pedestal 

 being partly in and partly outside the Yew hedge, so as to show 

 clearly. On these pedestals are beautiful vessels in the basket 

 style, which when we saw them, in September, were filled with 

 Scarlet Geraniums and other plants, and in winter are chiefly 

 filled with Box trees about 18 inches in height. Whether for 

 summer or winter decoration the plants are placed in small, 

 suitable tubs, and these are slipped inside of the baskets, and 

 now we see there was more designed than mere variety of out- 

 line, in the widening of the central walk opposite the entrances 

 to these gardens. To balance each garden and render it uniform,, 

 there should have been eight baskets instead of seven. The 

 eighth could not be placed on the inner side, on account of the 

 entrance-opening ; but the table in the centre of one pair of 

 gardens, and the dial in the other, come in very nicely as a com- 

 promise to the claims of balancing and uniformity. 



These central statues, with the lofty one at the fountain, the 

 dial, table, and twenty-eight baskets, gave a very striking, rich- 



appearance to the whole scene, increased as that was by the 

 uniqueness and the dark colour of the Yew boundaries. As far 

 as we recoDect, each garden was arranged differently. The 

 pedestal in the centre of each was free, as it ought to be, and 

 surrounded with a ring either of grass or gravel, and narrow 

 walks of one or the other up to it. Some of the gardens were 

 balanced in either direction. In others, as the one engraved, this 

 had been disregarded, and the picture was to be looked at as a 

 whole, instead of in quarters or parts. Whatever the ground' 

 plan, the carrying-out of the arrangements reflected the higheEt 

 credit on the" skill, culture, and taste of our new friend, Mr. 

 James. It would be endless to describe the planting of the 

 larger and smaller beds, especially without plans ; but three 

 features Beemed to be prominent : First, the contrasting of the 

 larger beds with bright colours ; secondly, the mixing of such 

 Geraniums as Lady Plymouth and the old Scarlet Variegated 

 with Verbena venosa, or the Flower of the Day with Purple 

 King, which were done to perfection ; and thirdly, the sur- 

 rounding the outsides of the group with dotted pearls— such as 

 having Verbenas Purple King, Pulchella, Manetti, &c, for 

 ground colour, and spots regularly dotted with Alma, Flower of 

 the Day, &c. ; or the ground colour would be white, as these Gera- 

 niums or Variegated Alyssum, and the spots purple or scarlet. 



Before noticing the avenue, we may mention that in front of 

 each wing of the house lengthwise is a piece of lawn similar to 

 that in front of the main centre, then a walk some 8 feet, and 

 lawn beyond, going on to the 60 feet between the trees. This 

 Yew avenue is a grand feature, extending 300 feet on each sido 

 of these central gardens, and the baskets in the Yew hedges 

 coming in a line with these specimen Irish Yews, making the 

 avenue altogether 820 feet, and backed by a border of Hollyhocks 



