SANDRINGHAM 



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SANDRINGHAM GARDENS AND GROUNDS 



By Mr. THOMAS H. COOK, Head Gardener 



Sandringham, the Norfolk home of His late Majesty- 

 King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra, will long bear the 

 impress of the great King's love for his country home and the 

 interest he took in the development of an obscure estate into 

 one of world-wide fame. It was purchased, in 1861, by 

 Lord Palmerston, then Prime Minister, for the Prince Consort 

 as a shooting-box for his son, Edward Prince of Wales. Two 

 years later he, with his lovely and gracious Princess, took up 

 residence here. His Royal Highness, as Prince and King the 

 greatest patron horticulture ever had, immediately set to work 

 to beautify and enlarge the grounds. Sheep and cattle at that 

 time grazed upon what are now trim lawns and flower gardens. 

 The house too, at this period, was practically rebuilt and made 

 fit for a royal residence. And much has httn done in more 

 recent years to still further adapt it to modern requirements. 



The walls of the mansion are well clothed with climbing 

 plants. Conspicuous in the early autumn by reason of its 

 intense colouring (doubtless owing to the sandy subsoil) is 

 Ampelopsis Veitchii on a part of the west front. Noteworthy, 

 too, are some fine plants of Euonymus radicans variegata 

 which completely cover a large portion of the wall to a height 

 of 27 feet and encircle a sundial, let into the masonry, which 

 bears the following inscription : 



" Let others tell of storm and showers, 

 I'll only count your sunny hours." 



A peculiarity of this Euonymus is its creeping propensity 

 when planted against a wall compared with its neat shrubby 

 growth in an open border. Lonicera fragrantissima and 

 Chimonanthus fragrans (Winter Sweet) find a congenial home 

 here, and their scented Jblossoms are welcomed as every 

 January comes round. Roses and Jasmines mingle pleasantly 

 together, and a shrub not often seen as a wall plant is 



