PUBLIC NURSERIES OF THE CITY OF PARIS. 141 



for tlie purpose than if they had been grown at home. The 

 Planes recently placed on the Thames embankment have 

 been imported from the Continent^ and of course there 

 would not have been the slightest occasion for this if we 

 possessed the kind of establishment I suggest^ and of which 

 the necessity must be seen by every reader. In Paris there 

 is a great central establishment at Passy where all the 

 tender plants are grown and increased^ and there are 

 nurseries specially devoted to the production of city trees 

 and shrubs^ in which the most suitable kinds are grown, 

 and grown exactly to the size and shape in which they are 

 best suited for being placed on the boulevards, or in the 

 parks or gardens. The cost of each plant or tree is in this 

 case a mere trifle ; in our own the plantation of even a very 

 small park, or one boulevard, would amount to a very con- 

 siderable sum. To pay a guinea apiece for specimens that 

 we could produce for a few shillings, and a shilling or two 

 each for common stuff that we could grow for a few pence, 

 is to follow a plan whereby our public gardening, and con- 

 sequently the health and beauty of our cities, are con- 

 siderably retarded. 



The Jardin Fleuriste of the city of Paris is situated in 

 the Avenue d^Eylau, close to the Porte de la Muette, 

 leading to the principal promenade of the Bois de Boulogne, 

 and should be seen by every visitor interested either in 

 public or private gardening. It is the depot for all the 

 tender plants used in the decoration of the parks, gar- 

 dens, and squares of the city. Entering from the Avenue 

 d'Eylau, the first objects of interest that meet the eye are 

 collections of handsome plants growing in the open air on 

 a small lawn amidst the glass-houses with which the place 

 is nearly covered. My object is not to describe the garden 

 in detail, but simply here as elsewhere to point out its 

 most instructive features. To me the most interesting and 

 valuable group planted on this lawn is a number of hardy 

 Bamboos, proving clearly that in our latitudes we may 

 enjoy the peculiar grace and verdure of these giant grasses, 

 and by planting them highly improve the appearance of our 

 gardens and pleasure-grounds, especially in places under the 



