92 THE SQUARES, PLACES, CHURCH GARDENS, ETC. 



Next on the right again comes a magnificent group 

 of Caladium esculentum, springing out of Lobelia Paxtoni ; 

 behind it a dense mass of the Pampas Grass, in front of 

 groups of Poplars and Cedars. On the left a profuse 

 variety of the very best shrubs, flowering and otherwise; 

 all these groups of shrubs being edged with some kind of 

 summer flower. Indeed it is these margins that afford the 

 floral display; and the absence of all attempt to make a 

 species of extensive coloured cotton handkerchief of the 

 place makes it almost as fresh and free from vulgarity and 

 gaudiness as a ferny dell in a forest. The keeping is 

 perfect, and there is no fence between the public and the 

 flowers but the very neat edging of rustic iron, which rises 

 about five inches above the gravel, and is placed about two 

 inches outside the grass. The only bed without any green 

 relieving it in the whole place was one of Centaurea 

 ragusina, planted thinly and springing out of a ground- 

 work of variously coloured and brilliant Portulacas. Again 

 we come to another angle of the ground, and the walk 

 once more widens to forty feet, with lots of seats in its 

 back portion. Behind all, to the left, is the well diversified 

 dense shrubbery ; to the right Cedars and Thujopsis on the 

 grass, of the freshness, softness, and verdure of which 

 latter I can give no adequate idea. Here and there, 

 isolated on the turf, was a single plant of the red-stained 

 variety of the common Castor-oil plant, of which the 

 fruit, leaves, and stems were all effective, the former strik- 

 ingly so. The Bananas planted out here are in a poor 

 state, except Musa Ensete, which is, as usual, superb. At 

 another corner there is again a widening of the walk to 

 forty feet. A few Chestnuts are planted on these wide 

 spots for shade; on the right there is a bank of choice 

 shrubs and low trees, margined with a belt of scarlet 

 Pelargoniums — the only ones on the spot ; but as it pro- 

 bably took more than 800 plants to form this belt, I do not 

 think anybody could complain of the scarcity of them, 



We will next pass up the walk by the streamlet that 

 runs through the centre of the grass. This is tastefully 

 margined with tufts of water plants; but a novel and 



