October 20, 1870. 1 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



309 



the wild woodlands, or between steep moss-clad banks verdant 

 and cool, or else to Bome opening through the trees affording 

 glimpses of scenes of 

 beauty. 



The whole of these de- 

 lightful grounds are 



thrown open to the public, 



and it is very gratifying 



to know how thoroughly 



the generosity of the Earl 



of Shrewsbury is appre- 

 ciated, for Mr. Rabone told 



me that very little damage 



had been done to any of 



the works of art or plants 



since he had charge of the 



gardens. 

 A door in the courtyard 



wall near the grand en- 

 trance opens on to a walk 



leading to a long wire 



arcade covered with Roses 



and Honeysuckles. At one 



extremity is an elegant 



alcove of stonework, with 



windows of stained glass, 



forming a charming se- 

 cluded resting plaoe, while 



at the other end is a flight 



of steps leading upwards 



from this retired spot to 



a broad promenade along 



the top of an embattled 



waJl, over which the de- 

 lighted glance sweeps 



down the valley, which is 



seen offering a charming 



general view of its rich 



and fanciful combination 



of works of art and nature. 



Nor is the scene so oon- 



fined here as at other 

 parts, for from this ele- 

 vated position a broad 

 expanse of turf and water 

 comes into view, the hills 

 forming an ap- 

 propriate back- 

 ground in the 

 distance. 



From the end 

 of this fine pro- 

 menade a walk 

 leads inside the 

 walls to Lady 

 Shrewsbury's 

 private flower 

 gardens, of 

 which there are 

 two, one on each 

 side of a splen- 

 did conserva- 

 tory. The con- 

 servatory is 

 about 60 feet 

 long by 15 feet 

 wide, and has 

 a central tran- 

 sept. It con- 

 nects the north 

 part of the 

 Towers with the 

 south. At the 

 south end a 

 flight of steps 

 leads up to the 

 vestibule, from 

 which the doors 

 open into the 

 flower gardens on either side, 

 tibule is painted the motto — 



. Fig. 8.— Rniua 

 Around the cornice of the ves- 



" The Epeech of flowers exceeds all flowers of speech ; 



while on that of the conservatory is another equally appro- 

 priate — " Consider the Lilies of the field how they grow ; they 



toil not, neither do they 

 spin, yet I Bay unto yon 

 that even Solomon in all 

 his glory was not arrayed 

 like one of these." 



The fine collection of 

 plants, arranged with 

 much taste and skill, were 

 worthy of the building 

 they adorned. Some plants 

 of the pretty Rivina hu- 

 milis with their long clus- 

 ters of bright red berries 

 were very attractive, as 

 were some magnificent 

 pyramidal plants of Pe- 

 largoniums, growing in 

 wooden boxes neatly faced 

 with bark. AfineCyathea 

 medullaris, and an equally 

 fine Dickaonia antarctica, 

 on opposite Bides of the 

 central pathway, were sin- 

 gularly well placed to give 

 relief to the flowering 

 plants. A variety of Palms 

 were equally effective in 

 the same way. A Btriking 

 and beautiful effect was 

 produced by covering long 

 circular blocks of wood 

 with moss, in which were 

 revelling in the rudest 

 health a charming mix- 

 ture of Iresine Herbstii, 

 Panicum variegatum, and 

 Selaginella denticulata. 

 Out of the tops of these 

 little pillars sprang single 

 plants of Woodwardia ra- 

 dicans and Lomaria gibba, 

 thus imparting a grace 

 and finish. I have en-, 

 deavoured to describe fully 

 these very suit- 

 able objects for 

 conservatory de- 

 coration, as I 

 think them 

 worthy of imi- 

 tation. Another 

 singular feature 

 was two pretty 

 arbours, one on 

 each side, very 

 ingeniously 

 formed by plac- 

 ing a deal box 

 filled with soil at 

 each end of a 

 seat, over which 

 a broad arch of 

 wi rework is 

 fixed ; both the 

 arches were 

 tastefully cover- 

 ed with Cobiea 

 scandens and; 

 Tropfeolum Tri- 

 oruphe deGand. 

 The sides of the 

 boxes, forming 

 the sides of the 

 arbours, as well 

 as those of 

 many others 

 placed in dif- 



7.— The Pagoda. 



Alton Castle. 



ferent parts of the conservatory, were faced with cork barb, its 

 rugged surface causing it to form a very suitable material for 

 such a purpose. This is another idea of Mr. Rabone's which 



