144 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUSE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ February 28, 1871. 



wooded, and studded with numerous pretty villas and well- 

 kept gardens. Here, I fancied, as I sped along, will be found 

 the retreat of many of Dublin's rich citizens, and gardening 

 will be found flourishing. Whilst I was musing thus, the 

 train slackened sneed a little on nearing the first station. Is 

 it Blackrock ? Yes, Blaokrock, where resides, as I was very 

 shortly informed by my friend ilr. Ejbertson, the great Mr. 

 Bewley in his world-famous gardens. To return to Blackrock 

 was, therefore, one of my first duties. Taking advantage of a 

 friendly car at the station, the distance — about a mile — of 

 rather uphill road was soon traversed, and I was at the garden 

 gates. 



There is at first sight nothing at all imposing in the appear- 

 ance of this place. Close to the public road stands Mr. B swley's 

 residence, having in the front an open space of grass, with 

 numerous beds tastefully formed and well filled with the usual 

 bedding materials. This is bounded on two sides by ranges of 

 hothouses, giving it a very circumscribed appearance. The 

 extent of the place is altogether very limited, yet it is rich and 

 full of interest. In every nook and every corner there is some- 

 thing worth seeing ; the extent of glass houses is very great, 

 and some are of very fine construction. 



Mr. Sayers, the very intelligent gardener, being on my arrival 

 engaged in showing a company of Irish belles his treasures, I 

 had time to cursorily survey the exteriors of the various build- 

 ings, the doors being all securely fastened, and to note some 

 of the arrangements of the ribbon borders, i-s. One border, 

 alongside what was once the orchard house, was planted as 

 follows, and I thought it looked very eff<ctive. Line 1, Geras- 

 tium Bieberateini ; li, Pelargonium Golden Chain ; S, Iresine 



; Herbstii ; 4, Pelargonium Flower of Spring; .5, Purple King 

 Verbena; 6. Pelargonium Eose Queen; 7, Cehtaurea can- 



I didissima ; 8, Pelargonium Stella, with a tall backing. I was 

 here again much pleased with several beds of Pelargonium Amy 



I Hogg, the colour of which in the mass was most charming. 



! Mr. Bewley ha? been a great experimental horticulturist. It 

 was at his establishment where the system of double-glazing 



i the roofs of hothouses was first tiied on a large scale. Greatly 

 applauded and recommended as it was for a time, like many 

 other new things, it is now condemned and almost forgotten. 



! Even at Blackrock little can be said for it. Here, also, were 

 erected the grandest of orchard houses, lofty span-roofed houses, 



! where the trees — Peaches, Pears, i-c. — were planted out and had 



j to grow as in the ordinary open-air orchard ; but success was 

 not attendant, and most of the fruit trees have been removed. 

 Vines still cover a portion of the roof. The Pear trees planted 

 in another portion of the garden were laden with fine fruit. 

 The orchard houses still exist at Blackrock, fine, noble,- span- 



: roofed liouses, two of them, about 60 feet long, joined to either 

 side of a broad span-roofed plant-house ; but they are directed 



' now to another use besides trnit-growing— that of ornamental 



I plant-houses, for which purpose they are much better adapted. 

 As orchard houses they were far too dark and heavy, fruit trees 

 requiring as much light and air as can be given. The middle 

 house of this group had a beautiful ground-covering of Salagi- 

 nella, with a winding path from one end to the other, lead- 

 ing to the great fernery. In it were many fine plants, lofty 

 tree Ferns, a very fine Theophrasta 10 feet high, a Dragon's 

 Blood, add some groups of fine-foliaged Begonias, a large Fan 



I Palm, ic. 



Too Fernery ;it UocltviUe 



"" Passing out through some low, narrow, dark rustic passages, 

 I entered the great fernery, the fame of which has spread far 

 and near. There is no question about the grandeur and 

 magnificence of this house. It is a great square place, DO feet 

 by 48, covered with a double-glazed glass root about 10 feet 

 high to the bottom of the ridges, there being five spans or 

 ridges in all, supported on columns enclosed in pillars of 

 rustic stonework and rustic Gothic arches mantled and draped 

 with Ferns, Mosses, and the coloured-leaved Begonias, the 

 sides being draped in the same way, so that it looks like a 

 great rustic civern. In intermediate lines with these sup- 

 porting pillars are placed tall specimen tree Ferns of majestic 

 character, grouped round their base with smaller varieties 

 in rustic style. The appearance of the whole is very grand 

 but very sombre, rather too much so for showing ofi' the graceful 

 forms of many of the beautiful Ferns. It impresses one with 

 a certain feelin" ^f awe, ns when inspecting the ruins of a great 

 abbey, to which, indeed, this fernery may not inaptly be 

 likened. At one end there is a rustic stone staircase giving 

 access to a high pathway along the end, whence one can look 

 down upon the lovely scene, and from which the tree Ferns 

 are seen to great advantage. It is beautiful to look up at a 

 majestic Fern ; it is much more so to look down into one and 



to observe the uncoiling of the young fronds. Tne arrange- 

 ment of the house is simple yet noble ; there is httle crowding, 

 and everywhere the Ferns are growingiin the wildest luxuriance. 

 To enumerate, or to give any idea ofithe character or number 

 of the noble plants is next to impossible. The tree Ferns are 

 wonderfully fine— Cyathea medullaris, with a 12-feet stem and 

 fronds 8 feet long ; Cyathea dealbata as large ; Cibotium prin- 

 ceps 12-feet stem, very beautiful ; Dieksonia squarrosa, the 

 various Alsophilas, A-o. Shining like silver amongst the dark 

 green of the various Fern fronds stood out the beautiful leaves 

 of the Begonias of the Hex type. This served to lighten up the 

 whole, and created a pretty feature. It is wonderful how well 

 these Begonias succeed planted amongst Ferns on rustic stone- 

 woik Never have I seen them look so finely as where planted 

 iu this way at Enckville. Along the roof of this magnificent 

 fernery rambled Hoya carnosa, flowering in the greatest luxu- 

 riance iu all its chaste and waxy loveliness. 



There are a great many other houses full of interesting 

 plants, as Ferns, numerous Orchids in fair condition, fine- 

 foliaged stove plants. Palms, i-c, to which I can make no 

 more than a passing allusion, but giving Mr. Savers a world of 

 care, and being very creditable to him. There is too much 

 glass for the size of the place, requiring too great an expenai- 



