434 



JOURNAL OP HOETICTJLTTTEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. [ November 29, vm. 



grown on what was a wild moor five years ago, and the 

 ground behind this range is so still. The other houses are 

 devoted to Peaches and Figs. 



In front of these houses is the kitchen garden partly 

 formed, and forming — no easy task where there is scarcely 

 2 inches of surface soil. The kitchen garden borders which 

 had been formed, were planted with ribbon-rows, a practice 

 very prevalent in this neighbourhood, and of which more 

 anon. Fine dwarf Apple and Pear trees trained in the way 

 they should go and already in good bearing, were arranged 

 in the squares and borders. 



On leaving the kitchen garden we enter the north court 



which forms a large square, surrounded on each side by a 

 neat low wall. Opposite the front door, on the north side 

 of this, are a splendid pair of gates, once, we were told, the 

 property of the great Napoleon, and bought at a fabulous 

 price by Eaikes Currie, Esq., the owner of this fine place, 

 to whom it also owes its origin. 



Behind these gates and away over the moor, among the 

 heather, we could see the outlines of what would some day 

 be a splendid avenue. On entering the pleasure grounds and 

 flower garden we ccme first upon King Croquet's ground 

 (n), in the shape of a sunk panel with plenty of space 

 inside. Surrounding this, on one side, c, were large circular 





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FLOWZR GARDES AT MINLEY ABBEY. 



A. Beds in principal portion. 



1. Centre, Stella Geranium; nest, Rose Queen; 



edgirjg, Cerastium. 



2. CnUeolaria Aurea floribunda, Purple King 



Verbena; edging, Alyssum. 



3. Tom Thumb Geranium, edged with Man- 



glesii Geranium. 



4. Flower of the Day Geranium, edged with 



"^Verbena pulchella. 



5. Brilliant Geranium, edged with Lobelia 



speciosa. 



6. Shrubland Rose Petunia, edged with Prince 



of Orange Calceolaria (old variety). 



7. Mauglesii Geranium, Verbena venosa, mised; 



edged with Duke of Cornwall Verbena. 



8. Imperial Crimson Geranium, edged with 



Hanglesii. 



9. Bijou Geranium, edging Lobelia speciosa. 



10. Old variegated Scarlet Geranium, edging 



Lobelia. 



11. Christine Geranium, ^dged with Manglesii. 



12. Cerise Unique Geranium, edged with Gaza- 



nia splendens. 

 , Four beds No. 1. Christine Geranium, edged 

 with Lobelia speciosa. 

 Two beds No. 2. Tom Thumb Geranium, edged 



with Alyssum variegatum. 

 Oval bed No. 3. Pink Nosegay Geranium, i 

 Amplesicaulis Calceolaria, mised; Scarlet ! 

 Geranium edged with Cerastium. 



. These nine beds are all pyramids, about 4 feet 

 across, and from 4 to 5 feet high. Five of 

 them are salmon and pink Nosegay Gera- 

 nium mised. The other four are Scarlet 

 Geranium, with a wlii'e mised in order to 

 give life, the white Geranium Virginata. 



. Circles, Trenthara Rose Geranium, edged 

 ■with Alyssum. 5. Tail Heliotrope and Gera- 

 niums, Amplexicaulis Calceolaria^ edgedV 

 with Rose Ivy-leaf Geranium. 

 Grass. x k. Yew hedges 



Conservatory. l l. Grass elope. 



. Rosery. m. Walk. 



. Grass, K. Croquet ground. 



. Terrace wall. 



beds of pyramid Geraniums from 4 to 5 feet high. These 

 have a splendid effect. It is surprising that we so seldom 

 see this style of planting carried out. From here the view- 

 is magnificent ; -we are standing on a high point on a line of 

 hills on one side, and opposite, against the horizon as far as 

 the eye can reach, is a long range of the Surrey hills, with a 

 "wide-spreading valley, and Aldershot between, and a few 

 gentle rising woody knots, on which here and there a noble 

 mansion stands, the pride of all the neighbouring lands. 



The beds in the flower garden were in fine bloom. Abed of 

 Manglesii Geranium and the old-fashioned Verbena venosa 



I were beautiful. There is too little of this mixing done. We 

 tried the Purple King Verbena and Flower of the Day 

 Geranium, once with the flowers picked off; but the venosa 

 is a warmer colour and makes a richer bed. The whole is 

 beautifully kept, and does as much credit to Mr. Meads as 

 his fine Grapes. It must have been, literally speaking, up- 

 hill work to make this place in such a barren situation. The 

 conservatory is small but well filled. Being an architectural 

 structure, it is, like all of that class, ill-adapted for plants. 

 The dells behind the house are being filled with American 

 plants, which are best suited for heath soils. — J. P. 



