168 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 3, 1863. 



Well, it has heen well managed between them. It is no uncom- 

 mon thing to meet with gardeners who are ever harping on the 

 dolorous strains that their merits, their genius, their abilities, 



refusing the simplest compliments to his handiwork, the results 

 of no little planning and head-work, and seemingly quite jealous 

 that any such commendation would be apt to interfere with the 



have never been yet discovered or appreciated. It was, there- [ honour due to the superior intelligence and the more cultivated 

 fore, very pleasing to find a man of undoubted talents almost | and refined taste of his much-esteemed employers. 



X. 



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The accompanying cross surface line is supposed to pass from 

 the centre of the fine portico on the garden front along the 

 centre of the steps and the main walk, through terraces and 

 panel gardens, right up to the boundary balustrade, and then 

 over lawn and meadow on to and beyond the river. Prom the 

 centre of this walk the grounds extend on each side, at the panel 

 gardens, 110 feet, making the space here enclosed 220 feet in 

 width. A Will represent the ground floor of the mansion ; 

 B, porch across area ; C, balustrade, after a wide landing in the 

 porch, part of the staircase of eight steps is formed there, which 

 thus reduces the sloping bank of turf D from the balustrade ; E is 

 a level terrace 220 feet long, with a gravel walk of 12 feet in 

 width in the centre, and level grass verges of 7J feet in width 

 on each side. This walk on the west side is continued, and 

 winds southwards amid mazes of shrubberies, and on the east 

 side, after passing the terrace and small garden close to the 

 site of the conservatory it extends with graceful curves eastwards 

 to the kitchen garden, I" is a flight of six steps, with sloping 

 bamk on each side ; a is a level terrace of grass ; H, a grass 

 slope, with twelve steps of "Wicklow granite the same width as 

 the walk, 12 feet ; I is the line continued up to the balustrade 

 — a length of 87 feet ; I is a broken line of 900 feet to the 

 river ; and u, the rich pasture on the opposite bank. On each 

 side of the line I, set off 110 feet in another straight line, connect 

 theBe at the ends and sides with lines at right angles, and you 

 have a parallelogram 87 by 220 feet. Divide that parallelogram 

 from east to west into four, and you have the rough features 

 of these panel gardens, and Box gardens on grass. 



The panel on each side of this main walk is sunk a little more 

 than a foot below the level. With the addition of a level verge 

 of turf at the base of the bank H, and the same at the other end 

 next the balustrade, this panel is bounded on the opposite side 

 from the middle walk and at both ends by a gravel walk about 

 7 feet in width. Beyond this walk on each side the other spaces 

 are devoted to lawn, on which is laid out a Box garden with 

 beautiful artistic tracings ; and the spaces are filled with different 

 gravels, as in similar side gardens at Kensington. The panels 

 on each side of the wide middle walk, after theBe necessary 

 deductions of walks round, levels, and slopes, are 36 feet in width 

 by 57 feet in length, each having a noble granite vase in the 

 centre. The tracings and artistic beauty of these panels are 

 also very interesting, and part of the colouring is obtained from 

 flowers, and part from coloured gravels, not merely between 

 groups and clumps but as groups. There being no walks neces- 

 sary on the lawn on each side of these panels it is 60 feet in 

 width, and of course 87 feet in length; and on the panels re- 

 spectively are the beautiful box-coloured gardens already referred 

 to, which, so far as we recollect, appear to all the better advantage 

 from the panels being sunk, and the Box gardens placed on a 

 Blope rising to the Bide balustrade. The design of the plans 

 and the carrying them out give great credit to all concerned. 

 We have, however, that sense of right which would lead ub to 

 avoid giving any new plans of gardens to the public without the 

 full sanction and approbation of the artist. 



These Box gardens being all of a piece presented to the eye a 

 harmonious unity, as all the colouring of earth and gravels waB 

 on one level, whilst the growing Box gave something like life to 

 the whole. So long as ladies are contented day after day to 

 look upon the Bame appearances in part of a garden, let it be 

 winter or summer, just as they would look down on a fine- 

 patterned carpet on the floor of a room, or the rich artistic 

 papering on its walls, bo long will this style of gardening remain 

 popular. In the planting of the panels, we could see nothing 

 with whioh to find fault ; in the surrounding groups with suitable- 



coloured gravel, there is just as little to offend the eye ; but the 

 filling part of the figures with flowers and other parts as con- 

 spicuous with a mere level-colouring of gravel and of earth, 

 seemed to be incongruous, even on the question of unity of out- 

 line alone. Suppose we look upon a carpet which is doubly 

 pleasing from the brilliancy of its colouring and the artistic 

 beauty of its tracery, should we, whilst sitting at the parlour 

 fire, consider that carpet was enhanced in beauty by some parts 

 of its colouring being raised about 18 inches, or some other 

 parts depressed as much below the general level, and yet the 

 beauty greatly consist in the whole surface being seen at once ? 

 We need not, however, dwell upon this subject, having already 

 treated the matter somewhat largely, and even somewhat inci- 

 dentally the other week. It is just probable that we may be 

 quite wrong, but at present we are inclined to look on such 

 mixtures as failures, unless where the colour of the flowers and 

 the colour of the gravels as clumps are on a similar level. 



In a conservatory in the stove part we noticed a splendid 

 plant of the Brazilian Eern, Didymoehlsena truncatula, also of 

 Gleichenia dicarpa, pubsscens, mierophylla; large plants of 

 Gymnogramma Massoni, chrysophylla, variabilis, pulchella, 

 &c, and fine plants of the better sorts of Adiantums, and other 

 Eerns ; and under a glass protection a nice collection of Ancec- 

 tochilus, with beautiful plants of fine-leaved Begonias, and noble 

 plants of the Hedychium coronarium, scenting the air with the 

 rich fragrance of their milk-white flowers. In the greenhouse 

 part the column and roofs were richly wreathed with masses of 

 the singular flowers of Rhodochiton volubile ; and themoBt con- 

 spicuous flowers were fine Euchsias, Balsams, Cockscombs, &o. 

 Huge masses of Asplenium. marinum were set on the borders, 

 chiefly for future transplanting; and plenty of Camellias, 

 Azaleas, &c, were receiving their suitable treatment elsewhere. 

 The flower-beds near the conservatory were very neat and com- 

 pact. Dahlias were grown in fine style. 



Passing along the walk from the terrace already referred to, 

 we soon come to, and pass along the boundary wall of the 

 kitchen garden, the outside of which near the walk is covered 

 with creepers and other plants needing a little protection, as 

 Jasmines, Tea and climbing Roses, Ceanothus, Lonicera, &c. 

 Between the walk and the wall is a narrow ribbon-border of 

 three rows, ranging thus from the wall — yellow Calceolaria, Tom 

 Thumb Geranium, and Variegated Alyssum next the grass verge. 

 This border from the density of the plants and the abundance 

 of the bloom looked very nice, and waB 300 feet in length. We 

 are not quite sure of the position at this distance of time, but 

 we have a vivid recollection of another ribbon-border that looked 

 very nice, and which waB thus planted, beginning at the back — 

 Scarlet Geranium, yellow Calceolaria, Purple King Verbena, 

 Saponaria ealabrica, Variegated Alyssum, and Nemophila in- 

 signis and blue Lobelia mixed. Here the Nemophila seemed 

 to do as well in the autumn as at Carton. 



On entering the garden gate the eye was even more dazzled 

 with beauty than on the new terraces, as two massive parterres 

 presented themselves, one on each side of a central walk, the 

 parterres being backed at the farther end with a range of vineries 

 and a greenhouse in the middle. We will revert to this garden 

 presently ; meanwhile we may state that the kitchen garden 

 seemed large and well cropped, the trees in fine order, the Apricots 

 against the wall being, especially, noble specimens. Here, as well 

 as at the terraces, the walks and edgings were in excellent keep« 

 ing ; and a glance at the frames would tell you at once that 

 neither there nor elsewhere would a foot of glass ever be idle at 

 Straffan. The wood of the Vines in the earliest house in the 

 range seemed to be in fine order, and good Grapes were hanging 



