290 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



9 feet or 10 feet high, and 7 feet or 8 feet across, but the remarkable 

 thing was the way in which it was absohitely smothered in bloom. 

 Mr. Waterer remarked to me that if we offered him £1,000 he could 

 not let us have another like it. Well, two years afterwards, 

 when at Knaphill, about Whitsuntide, I inquired if 1 could see my old 

 friend which had since been in hospital. I was told I could do so, but 

 when we met it was a positive shock to me. He had been cut back to a 

 fourth of the size he had been when I last saw him. He had next to no 

 bloom on him, and I would not have had him back in Hyde Park as a free 

 gift. I have told you this story merely as illustrating the difficulties and 

 i3xpense under which gardening in London fogs is carried on. 



There are another class of plants which have come much into 

 prominence and public favour recently, and which are specially valuable 

 for the plunging style of gardening, which of late years we have gone 

 in for so largely ; I allude to Bamboos, which specially lend them- 

 selves thereto, apart from the very beautiful Bamboo gardens which may 

 be formed in suitable places. The first garden of the kind I saw was at 

 Shrubland Park, Lord De Saumarez's beautiful place in Suffolk. A very 

 successful one has also recently been made at Kew, which doubtless is 

 known to many, if not most of you. I cannot call attention in any way 

 to Bamboos without bringing in the name of my old friend, Mr. Mitford, 

 who was for many years secretary of the Office of Works, and did so much 

 to initiate and encourage the numerous changes and improvements in 

 gardening in the Eoyal Parks which ha^e taken place in the last twenty 

 years. At his place, Batsford Park, Glos., he has formed one of the most 

 beautiful and interesting wild gardens in the world, and in this he has 

 given special attention to Bamboos and their capabilities. In the latest 

 edition of Mr. Robinson's " English Flower Garden " is a long account of 

 the varieties of Bamboo, which I think I am right in saying was con- 

 tributed by Mr. Mitford. 



I do not, hoAvever, call your attention to Bamboos with a view to the 

 formation of Bamboo gardens, for I much doubt if we shall ever succeed 

 in producing a really good Bamboo garden in the London parks, owing to 

 the terrible fog and climate generally, even though they can be grown 

 successfully and kept out all the year so near London as Kew Gardens. 

 We have certainly not so far succeeded in keeping any out all the year 

 round in good health and strength, except Metake and Simoni, and even 

 these all through the spring and early summer remain brown and 

 emaciated after the winter fogs, and only recover themselves later in the 

 year, when, unfortunately for us, everyone is going or gone out of 

 London. 



If, however, a collection of the more tender Bamboos be kept in houses 

 during the winter, such as aurea, nitida, viridi-glaucescens, Quilioi, nigra, 

 nobilis, falcata, and anceps, which, by the way, seems more likely to 

 become gradually hardy than any of them, excellent effects may be pro- 

 duced in summer by plunging them out in conjunction with other plants. 

 One of the most beautiful effects I know has been that of groups of 

 Bamboos interspersed with and behind a large number of Agapanthuses 

 in full flower, which was to be seen last year and the year before in the 

 Regent's Park, and which I hope you will be able to see later on this 



