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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 7, 1863. 



four of right, and when nothing was thought, in these " good 

 old times," of the exhausting labour so imposed on serfs and 

 rassals, as to send them prematurely out of that world which 

 had been to them a scene of toil and of woe. Neither could we 

 help reflecting how grand and picturesque a castellated mansion 

 would have looked loftily placed on the bosom of that hill, com- 

 manding such a rich distant view of the surrounding country, 

 and near at hand a series of terraces down to the beautiful lake. 

 In these days of quiet and social amelioration, when comfort is 

 even more important than security, and easy access to water, 

 com, and fuel more desiderated than even the most splendid 

 views, we gradually become reconciled to the mansion of Lyons 

 being situated where it is, as we feel there is an advantage ou 

 the score of prudential economy in looking over the lake up to 

 the hill, instead of looking down from a rich colonnade near its 

 crest. 



Owing to the lateness of our visit, we will chiefly confine our- 

 selves to the peculiar features of the large flower garden, the 

 management of the fruit trees, and the mode of heating the forcing- 

 houses ; and thus, whilst touching on some of the distinctive 

 features, help also to give variety to these sketches. 



The flower garden, as already indicated, is bounded at one end 

 by the mansion and a range of elegant vases, and at the other 

 end by the splendid lake. The two sides are bounded by 

 lawns meadows, and plantations, the meadow being one of the 

 things a gardener would wish elsewhere, owing to the weeds 

 that are apt to come from it. This oblong square is divided by 

 a walk down the centre, 21 feet in width, and bounded on the 

 sides by walks 1 feet in width with their suitable verges, &c. 

 Three transverse walks at something like equal distances apart, 

 would throw the whole space into four pair of oblongs ; but 

 a fine statue of Venus on a lofty pedestal being placed in the 

 middle of the central walk, and equidistant from the mansion 

 and the lake, the necessary curve round it breaks what might 

 have been the monotonous straight lines of the oblongs, and 

 secures a pair of curved triangles in addition to the oblongs, 

 as seen at 5, 5, in fig. 1. 



We here met with our new and very intelligent friend Mr. 

 Lind, who kindly detailed to us many changes and improve- 

 ments he proposed effecting, though the garden, as it was pre- 

 sented to us, had many charms, and chiefly for two reasons — 

 first, because in combination with the new grouping system, 

 there was full play given to the older and, perhaps, more simple 

 and natural arrangement of flowers ; and secondly, because each 

 pair of oblongs was planted not only so as to pretty well balance 

 each other, but so that each pair should be distinct and conjure 

 up different associations. 



Thus beginning at the two squares next the mansion, we find 

 that the beds are grouped with bedding plants and separated 

 from each other by walks of gravel, and that in addition each of 

 these oblongs is surrounded by a border about 6 feet in width, 

 planted chiefly on the mixed system with early bulbs in spring, 

 numbers of bedding plant6in summer, and having besides a num- 

 ber of fine plants of Lavender along the centre, and the sides well 

 supplied with huge massive plants of evergreen Candytuft, Au- 

 brietia purpurea, Arabis verna and variegata, and Alyssum saxa- 

 tile, &c, which give the border a very rich g3y appearance in 

 April and May, and a furnished look in winter. 



Amplexicaulis Calceolaria, aud two beds of Golden Ball Calceo- 

 laria in fine order ; 7, all Manglesii Geranium ; 8, planted in 

 lines, middle Perilla, then white Alyssum and Tropffiolum elegans ; 

 9, 9, Terbena venosa. We think these large beds would have 

 been improved by mixing with Elower of the Day or old Scarlet 

 Variegated Geranium. If the borders were ribboned in straight 

 lines, we should like more of the beds to be mixed, or edged, 

 and that would increase variety ; but then there should be a 

 different style from that adop'ed in the two squares 2, Jig. 1. 



In the couple of parterres, 2, 2, there were fine beds of Roses, 

 and a fine horseshoe bed of Berberi3 aquifolium, which looks 

 well summer and winter. The main beds, however, are filled 

 with early hardy bulbs ; and then, as these decay, the beds are 

 filled with bedding plants. Mr. Lind intended grouping all 

 these beds in future ; and as they have no border round them, 

 a different stvle of planting Ehould obtain from that adopted in 

 No. 1. 



The two beds, 5, 5, round the statue of Venus are filled 

 with Roses, and, the row next the Venus are pillar Roses, and 

 festooned together ; then follow standards, half-standards, and 

 dwarfs, so as to form a blunt pyramid of Roses. The break in 

 the masses of flowers here is very pleasing, and prevents one 

 being overpowered with dazzling colours, and there is no chance 

 of wearying from the monotony of the splendour presented. 



The pair, 3, 3, is on grass, and the parterres may be called 

 transition gardens. Here again were beds of Berberis and Hy- 

 pericum (St. John's-wort) ; fine beds of China Roses ; Dahlias ; 

 mixed bedding plants in lines ; herbaceous plants in varieties ; 

 Sweet Peas ; Hollyhocks ; and beds of Phloxes, &e. ; putting 

 one in mind of, and in love with, our old-fashioned flower- 

 gardening. Mr. Lind contemplated a better arrangement of 

 many of the beds, in addition to Hollyhocks, Dahlias, Phloxes, 

 &c, so that the beds should be gay all the year round — such as 

 mixtures of Delphinium formosum and Verbena venosa, both of 

 which stand the winter there well, and the Verbena would just 

 be coming strong when the Delphinium wanted pruning-in. 



The pair, 4, 4, are chiefly old herbaceous plants and deciduous 

 shrubs and trees. Among the latter are some fine old Laburnum 

 trees, which are stumped-in close every year, and yet bloom 

 most freely on the young wood, and, what is more singular, 

 produce endless sports, generally having three or more dis- 

 tinct forms of wood and colours of flower on every tree — the 

 large yellow and the small yellow, and the pink and purple as 

 well. ' Mr. Lind playfully hinted whether inquiring into the 

 causes of such eccentric variation might not be a pleasant relief 

 from the vexed question of the cause of variegation in plants. 

 We understood there was to be a change in the parterres, 4, 4, 

 by throwing the beds into grass near the lake, which we feel 

 sure would be a great improvement, especially if graced with a 

 few evergreens and Conifers, as there are plenty of beds to re- 

 quire an immense number of plants to fill them well. The Irish 

 Yews at the corners of the parterres come in well. The combi- 

 nation of the new grouping system with the old mixed system 

 is very pleasing to a stranger, more especially as the systems 

 are kept separate and distinct. The vases and statuary give a 

 light and elevated appearance to the whole. 



We just saw enough of the kitchen garden to be satisfied that 

 there was a good supply of all vegetables for family consumption ; 



these borders, though we quite coincide with Mr. Lind, that no 

 sticking-in of abundance of bedding plants during summer will 

 ever cause these borders in autumn to vie with or equal the 

 splendour of the grouped beds. If the labour-power would 

 permit, we would reduce the fine old plants to more manageable 

 dimensions, remove them to a reserve ground in the end of May, 

 and ribbon or parterre these borders so as to be of a piece with 

 the beds in autumn. The beds in the two squares l,fig. 1 have 

 also rows, &c, of Tulips, Crocus, and Snowdrops in spring ; 

 and with the exception of Roses, &c, were filled with bedding 

 plants in summer ; and we quite agree with Mr. Lind in re- 

 moving even Roses from such a parterre, as do what you will 

 you cannot get them to correspond with massive beds pf bedding 

 plants in the end of summer aud autumn. Fig. 2 is a plan of 

 one of the squares o{fig. 1, and was thus planted : — 1, all Scarlet 

 Geraniums, with Humea for centre j 2, Verbena venosa, which 

 generally grows strong in the moist climate of Ireland ; 3, one 

 bed with Roses, Perpetual and Moss, with a belt of Salvia patens, 

 the other bed belted with a violet Verbena ; 4, one bed Roses 

 and Salvia patens, the other Roses and Lord Raglan Verbena ; 

 5, all Lobelia fulgens — splendid beds in autumn ; 6, two beds of 



It would, therefore, be a pity to alter the arrangement of but the fruit trees having arrested our attention, aud Mr. Lind 



having had much practice in root-lifting and root-pruning, &c, 

 we will now devote a short space to that subject. The first we 

 shall refer to were fine-looking Apricots, with short-jointed, well- 

 ripened wood and prominent buds. Previously the wood did 

 not ripen well. On examining the border it was found to be 

 well flagged 3 feet from the surface. The soil and the roots 

 were dry ; but the latter were deep, and in a sad state with 

 warts and suckers, from deep cultivation of the borders. The 

 warts and suckers were carefully removed, the roots carefully 

 traced out, the lower soil well firmed, much of the surface soil 

 removed, and the trees were just not raised altogether, 2 feet 

 next the stem being left, and the roots were nicely packed in new 

 soil a foot from the surface. 



Then, Pear trees were greatly improved by the following 

 process. They had been root-pruned more than once — that is, 

 a trench had been dug round the stem, at 3 feet from it, and all 

 roots cut through. No attention to drainage being given, no en- 

 couragement to surface roots, the new roots formed went down 

 straight as a line after moisture, into the subsoil, and flower-bud* 

 and good fruit were things rather to be thought of than obtained. 

 These straight-downward roots were carefully raised as far as 



