142 ROYAL GARDENS 



the sometimes despised Kitchen Garden demands here as much 

 attention and forethought as any other department. 



Fruit Houses. — There are two principal fruit ranges, one 

 200 and the other 50 yards long ; and, in addition, lean-to 

 houses (on the south walls of the Kitchen Garden) consist of 

 eleven Vineries, five houses in which Peaches and Nectarines 

 grow together, one Orchard-house and a Fig-house with five 

 connecting porches planted respectively with Cordon Plums, 

 American and Indian Grape Vines, Figs and Peaches. One 

 compartment contains H.M. Queen Alexandra's collection of 

 dwarfed Japanese trees ; one ancient specimen over three 

 hundred years old, growing in a handsome blue vase. In 

 addition to the foregoing there are two other Fig-houses and a 

 house for early pot Vines ; while close upon 5000 pot Straw- 

 berries are annually forced. Up-to-date varieties of the 

 leading fruits are grown, high quality and good crops being 

 commanded and invariably secured. 



Plant-houses. — A handsome block of plant-houses, known 

 as the " Persimmon Range," built of teak (and with blinds 

 composed of laths of the same wood), occupies an open 

 position just behind the long fruit range. A corridor 400 

 feet long covers three sides of a square and has four span- 

 roofed houses branching from it. These contain three Orchid- 

 houses, two large stoves, three Begonia and two Carnation 

 houses. The corridor itself is kept continually furnished with 

 seasonable flowering plants on the stages. A border running 

 entirely round is planted with creepers which cover the 

 back wall and hang in a free manner from the roof. The 

 same border is also planted with various flowering and orna- 

 mental foliage plants, including a group of Tree Ferns which 

 H.M. the King brought home from Australia in the Ophir 

 in 1 901. Just inside the main entrance to the corridor a 

 flourishing group of Luculia gratissima is planted, and at 

 flowering-time fills the air with its delightful fragrance. A 

 little further on and overhead, masses of Bougainvillea glabra, 



