August 23, 1877. ] 



JOTJENAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDEnES. 



155 



rampant shoot, constitutes the sole attention it receives. The 

 ventilators of the house in which it is growing are open to 

 their Ml extent day and night during the summer months, 

 and in winter the temperature often falls to within a degree or 

 two of the freezing point, yet the plant flourishes admirably, and 

 the last two seasons has made sufficient growth to cover double 

 the space it now occupies, but which is all that can be afforded 

 for it. Its wax-like flowers are extremely beautiful. — A. E., 

 Hcanton Satchville. 



HYDE PARK. 



Nowheeb have flowers and flower beds so many admirers, 

 nowhere are they better appreciated, and nowhere are they 

 more skilfully arranged and better managed than in the 

 London parks. The high-class mode of decoration adopted in 

 all the chief parks render them much more than pleasant 

 places for the promenade of the million, although that is their 

 chief object — an important object, for the issues resulting when 

 art in its higher forms and Nature in her most attractive aspect 

 are blended have a much deeper effect than merely gratifying 

 the eye. The London parks afford lessons in garden decoration 

 which are learnt by passers-by of every grade, and hundreds of 

 gardens are consequently made more attractive and homes more 

 enjoyable by the artistic employment of plants and flowers. 



Geraniums continue, and are likely to continue, to be the 

 most popular of bedding plants. In Hyde Park there is a 

 choice seleotion of them. Varieties new and old are employed, 

 and the public can see for themselves which are the more likely 

 to satisfy in private gardens. A great advantage is that every 

 sort is legibly named, which renders the beds additionally 

 interesting. The Geranium beds commence near the Marble 

 Arch, and are continned along the narrow eastern enclosure 

 next to Park Lane. The Geraniums have passed their best, 

 but are still beautiful, and a glance at some of the varieties 

 may be useful during tbia the period of propagating. Some of 

 the beds are partially shaded by neighbouring trees, and this 

 with cloBe planting, rich soil, and a season when showers have 

 been tolerably frequent, and intense heat has not prevailed for 

 many consecutive days, have promoted the free growth of the 

 plants and somewhat diminished their season of beauty. 



Amongst the crimson-scarlet varieties General Outram and 

 Wellington are two of the finest bedders. They are free 

 growers, form a tolerably level surface, and produce numerous 

 and fine trusses of extremely rich colour. A trifle lighter in 

 colour and brighter is Sir Henry Stanhope ; this is a very fine 

 bedder, compact in habit, free, and brilliant. Brutus is very 

 good, but not equal to those named, and Milton of the same 

 type of colour is irregular in growth. The older variety Bon- 

 fire is a blaze of beauty, and must not be lightly discarded. 

 It has not large trusses, but they are numerous, and the colour 

 is extremely rich. Of the brighter scarlets Chunder Sen is 

 dwarf and lively in colour. A. Bogers is rather dull and irre- 

 gular in growth, and Maud Holden is a little shaky. There 

 are no really good pure scarlet beds. As a rosy crimson Amy 

 Hogg is yet good ; but the best bedder of this colour is Fire 

 King, a dwarf-growing NoBegay variety with a profusion of fine 

 trusses all of the same height. Pioneer, a dwarf variety with 

 cherry crimson flowers, is very distinct ; it is more novel, per- 

 haps, than effective. Different in tint to any of those named 

 is Jealousy, a slight tint of yellow playiDg on the soft scarlet 

 petals is very pleasing. It has well-formed flowers, but evi- 

 dently requires rather poor soil and an exposed sunny position 

 to bring it to perfection as a bedder. It is a free grower, but 

 apt to become a little irregular in ovor-rich soil ; it is much 

 admired by visitors. Amongst the lighter colours Amaranth, 

 rosy lilac, is very good; and of the rosy pinks Mrs. Gibbons 

 is certainly one of the best. Mrs. Turner, Mrs. Holden, Lucy, 

 and Princess of Wales are very fine, surpassing Sibylla, Tri- 

 omphe, and Master Christine. There is not a good bed of 

 white Geraniums, La Vestale being irregular in growth, and 

 the only good white with salmon centre as a bedder in the 

 Park is Maurice Bernadine, which is dwarf and floriferous. 

 The Geraniums are surrounded with a ring of blue Lobelia 

 edged with Golden Feather. 



A few mixed beds afford an agreeable change, such as Iresine 

 Lindeni and Gazania splendens ; Bilver variegated Geraniums 

 and dwarf Ageratums ; and Iresine Lindeni and golden-leaved 

 Geranium. Some beds have a ring of Mesembryanthemum 

 and an edging of Lobelia, but the Mesembryanthemum is too 

 dwarf for such a position. The fine specimens of Bays, Palms, 

 and Cordylines disposed down the centre of the lawn add con- 



siderably to the beauty of this portion of the Park. It is here, 

 too, where the " carpet beds " are to be seen, and it is indis- 

 putable that they are more lasting in beauty than the Gera- 

 niums. The artistically arranged beds of dwarf foliage plants 

 will be attractive for weeks to come, and long after the Gera- 

 niums have assumed a seedy and weedy appearance. 



The carpet beds in this Park have never been better than 

 this year, and their condition reflects much credit both on 

 those who have designed the patterns and those who have 

 " worked them out." In some of the beds the designs are 

 bold and simple, in others more intricate and flowing. Some 

 of the beds have flat smooth surfaces, others have raised lines 

 and figures and sunken panels. It is useless attempting to 

 describe minutely what is indescribable, but an outline of the 

 general character of some of the beds may be briefly submitted. 

 One of the " bold and simple " beds has squares and inter- 

 fitting triangles of Coleuses on a ground of Golden Feather. 

 The bed is margined with Alternantheras and edged with 

 Echeverias. The next bed is more elaborate. It has a centre 

 of Iresine Lindeni somewhat in the form of a Maltese cross, 

 scrolls of Alternantheras amccna and paronychyoides on a 

 groundwork of variegated Mesembryanthemum, and angles of 

 green Sedum, edged as before — very chaste. Another bed is 

 of a Turkey-carpet pattern, the centre and edge being formed 

 of the green Gibraltar Pennyroyal (Mentha Pnlegium gibral- 

 taricum), the greater portion of the bed consisting of an in- 

 tricate design of Alternanthera on a groundwork of Golden 

 Feather and Sedum glauoum. The next is a panel bed, the 

 raised portions being composed of Pachyphyton, Mentha, and 

 Iresine, with sunken panels of Leucophyton Browni,tbe whole 

 having a band of Golden Feather and an edging of Lobelia. 

 It is a novel and effective bed, somewhat marred, however, by 

 the Lobelia. Another panel bed has an elevated design of 

 Iresine ; raised cushions — diamonds and circles 18 inohes in 

 diameter — of Mentha ; sunken panels of Leucophyton and 

 Antennaria tomentosa, and bands of Golden Feather and Alter- 

 nanthera — effective. Near it is a bed having central squares 

 of Golden Feather surrounded with interlocking bands of two 

 distinct Alternantheras ; angles of Antennarias, a band of 

 Lobelia (too tall), and an edge of Echeverias — distinct and 

 novel. The next bed represents a flowing tracery of Golden 

 Feather and Alternanthera, the bands being about 6 inches 

 wide; angles of Sedum acreelegans, sunk panels of the Cob- 

 web Houseleek, and an edging of Alternanthera — very chaste. 

 Such are a few typical beds. They are large and the plants are 

 in excellent colour and condition, the only failure, perhaps, 

 being the Lobelia, which is not dependable for this artistic and 

 elaborate style of ornamentation. The visiting public linger 

 over these beds admiring and criticising. The style is un- 

 doubtedly popular and is well carried ont. 



Along the KnightBbridge side of the Park comes another 

 change, and an agreeable one. The long stretch of irregular 

 lawn — green and in perfect order, dotted with fine trees at 

 irregular intervals and having isolated specimens of Yuocas, 

 Palms, and Cordylines, with mop-headed Acacias (Bobinia 

 inermis) and evergreens, a few groups of subtropical plants, 

 and here and there bright beds of Geraniums — has a cool re- 

 freshing appearance, which is very acceptable after the glare 

 of the Geraniums and the trim formality of the carpet patterns. 

 This is a delightful and enjoyable portion of the Park, but not 

 more so than the tropical forest scene known as the Dell. 



This is the western extremity of the decorations, and is a 

 worthy finish to the varied attractions of the Park. From the 

 walk fronting the Dell a sloping lawn 5 or 6 yards wide descends 

 to the water — a moat-like stream 12 or 15 feet wide, which 

 forms a semicircular boundary to the semitropical grove. On 

 the near bank of the stream the Koyal Fern with Grasses and 

 Sedges luxuriate. On the opposite bank are bold Ivy-olad 

 knolls surmounted with Monsteras and Phormiums. Beyond 

 is an irregular expanse of turf of triangular shape, the ground 

 rising almost abruptly from the base to the distant apex. 

 Sheltered by surrounding banks of Bhododendrons and Bhaded 

 by the thinly disposed trees, the "tropicals" are artistically 

 grouped. Prominent is a grand specimen of the Fan Palm 

 and a few scattered specimens of Phormiums, Monsteras, and 

 other isolated specimens. Near the sides are bold groups of 

 Musas and Cannas, and in the centre a grove of towering Cor- 

 dylines. This dell, viewed from any point — from the lower 

 ground looking upwards or from the higher looking downwards 

 — is extremely beautiful and contributes greatly to the attrac- 

 tions of the Park. 



S jyeral beds which were formerly in the interior of the Park 



