September 15, 1870. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



207 



hours of the morning a thick heavy clond passes low over the 

 country and leaves it bathed in generous dew ; nothing living 

 and striving to grow is missed or forgotten, and when the sun 

 comes forth he finds everything sparkling with joy, our pains 

 of the body suddenly depart, but they leave a pain that will 

 not go — a long-unanswered wish. 



We become sceptical of signs, though the troubled wind goes 

 sighing through every hole and cranny and unfastened window, 

 and moans away into the far distance. And even our house- 

 hold gods break their accustomed silence, and startle us with 

 strange noises, and Btairs creak all night through, as though 

 burglars with Bhoeless feet were ascending and descending ; 

 and veteran spiders come forth from their secret nooks to 

 catch the first breath of moisture, and flies with their im- : 

 patient visits torment the weary worker, and the pea fowl 

 from the neighbouring garden lifts his discordant voice in ; 

 louder and still louder notes, and deeper down go the worms 

 in their wondrous search for the necessaries of life ; and the 



swallows fly hither and thither, and hold long converse over the 

 abbey ruins, and we know they are meditating a journey to 

 more genial climates. Cold blows the wind from the north as 

 though in pity; it beats hard upon the trees with a noise aB of 

 waves beating upon a rocky shore. The rain comes not, and 

 through the same dusty lanes as the mower led his scanty 

 crop goeB the reaper with his golden harvest — a harvest that 

 in the olden times was stored away for winter use, now pressed 

 into the service of summer to supply her needs, to lessen the 

 Bufferings of the long summer drought. 



At laBt the change comeB, the welcome rain falls, slow at 

 first but sure and certain, touching everything as with a hand 

 of blessing, finding its hidden way among the bills, and giving 

 a voice of gladness to every running brook, a sense of renewed 

 life to every thirsty plant ; the poor brown moss comes back 

 to greenness, and every node of grass begins its work of 

 growth anew, and surely all our hearts are filled with thankful- 

 ness. — Maud. 



GARDENING IN THE LONDON PARKS.— No. 3. 

 THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 



The elevated position of the Crystal Palace, and the gentle 

 manner in which the grounds slope away from it, tend to 

 impart an additional dignity even to its gigantic proportions ; 

 this, and the scenery which it commands, proclaim the hand of 

 a master in the selection of its site. 



In a Burvey of the Palace and its surroundings one cannot 

 fail to be struck by the peculiar tone. which this huge mass of 

 glass and iron imparts to the whole scene. All who read these 

 notes, if they have never seen the Palace, should remember 

 that it is this peculiarity that enables the gardener to form 



combinations of such striking colours in the flower beds as 

 would be hardly adapted for small gardens, and which must be 

 followed with the greatest caution, for the bold style of colour- 

 ing which may be used here with safety, ie hardly suited to the 

 quiet repose of the Bmall lawn or shrubbery. Not that I would 

 wish to convey an impression that there are no beds at this 

 place the planting of which may not be safely followed, for 

 many of the circular beds on the rosery slopes are gems of 

 refined beauty, which are quite certain to be appreciated in al- 

 most any position. 



1. Verbena Purple King. 

 2, 2. Two rows of a Silver-edged Varie- 

 gated Pelargonium like Perfection 

 or Bijou. 



8, 8. Two rows of pink Pelargonium Chris- 

 tine. 

 4, 4. Coleus Verschaffelti. 



5. Diamonds of Centaurea candidissima. 



C, 6. Two rows Pelargonium Crys- 

 tal Palace Gem. 

 7. Pelargonium Stella. 



The flower beds at the Crystal Palace may be divided into 

 two distinct groups ; these are the rosery slopes, and the 

 terrace. Taking the rosery group first, we have a bold mass of 

 colour in the Bloping border, which closely encircles the rosery 

 itself. As the arrangement is somewhat complicated, I give the 

 above sketch of the border in order to convey a just impression 

 of its character. 



The Coleus was very beautiful ; nothing could be more satis- 

 factory than its even compact growth, and the deep rich hue 

 of its foliage. The effect of the entire border, fine aB it un- 

 doubtedly was, would, I think, have been more pleasing had 

 the flowers been kept picked off the yellow and white varie- 

 gated Pelargoniums, and this I would insist upon more espe- 

 cially in the case of Perfection, for, situated as it was here be- 

 tween deep purple and bright pink, its white variegation seen 

 pure and simple, as it ought always to be, would have pro- 

 duced an effect both chaste and refined in the highest degree. 

 The dark green foliage of the Ivy and other climbing plants 

 trained over the ironwork behind this border formed an ex- 

 cellent background. The bold Btyle of its colours and its ele- 

 vated position rendered it a conspicuous object, glimpses of 

 which are visible from all parts of the grounds. 



On the lawn sloping downwards from this border were a 

 number of beds, most of which were of a circular form, and 

 about 10 feet in diameter. Many of them were well arranged, 



and all were sufficiently quiet in tone to be quite subordinate 

 to the grand border. 0! these the best was one having an 

 edging of Pelargonium Flower of Spring surrounding a fine 

 mass of a large-flowered purple Petunia. There were no names 

 to the plants in any of the beds, which was to be regretted, as 

 it robs them of much of their interest. In another bed was a 

 mass of Centaurea candidissima, surrounded by a ring of Coleus 

 Verschaffelti, with a broad edging of Golden Pyrethrum ; this 

 was very fine. The Golden Feather Pyrethrum has been re- 

 markably healthy and well-coloured this season in all the 

 gardens in which I have met with it. 



Another circle was very attractive ; in it Gazania splendens 

 was edged with Ecbeveria secunda glauca. Another consisted 

 of an equally fine mass of Coleus Verschaffelti, surrounded 

 by a broad band of Centaurea candidissima, with an edging 

 of Lobelia Paxtoniana. The great proportion of white in 

 the flowers of this Lobelia renders it altogether unsuitable 

 for planting next the Centaurea; L. speciosa, or Borne other 

 deep blue variety, should have been used. A pair of these 

 circles had fine rings of Iresine Herbstii, which has succeeded 

 well in most gardens this season. Another bed, containing a 

 mixture of the pretty Pelargonium Lady Plymouth and Verbena 

 Purple King, was very good ; so, too, was a mixture of Verbena 

 venoea and Cineraria marilima. Another striking bed had a 

 broad edging of Golden Pyrethrum surrounding alternate ringa 



