December 28, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 



997 



AUTUMN 



EFFECTS 



AT 



GUNNERSBURY HOUSE. 



We are told by Allingham in one of his 

 charming poems that 



Oetobor skies are misty, cool, and grey," 



and that the stubbles, being emptied of their 

 latest sheaf and the meadows of its mounds, 

 the woods assume a noble grief for these 

 and other charms, of which the workl has 

 lieen bereft in the -course of the passing of 

 the days from the glories of the summer to 

 the cold, sonnbre, and otherwise comfortless 

 conditions that are associated with the 

 winter season. Allingham's description of 

 the October skies are unquestionably true 

 of some, but not all, for in that month w^e 

 usually have short periods of the most de- 

 lightful w^eather in which it is possible to 



Thero's a dance of leaves in that aspen 

 bower; 



There's a tittor of winds in the beechen 

 tree ; 



Thore's a sniilo on the fruit, and a ^niile on 

 tho flower. 



And" a laugh on tho brook that runs to 

 the sea. 



And look at the broad-faced sun, how he 

 smiles 



On the dewy earth, tliat sniilevs in his ray! 

 On the leaping waters and p^ay yoiuig isles- 

 Aye, look ! and he'll smilo thy ffloom 

 away ! " 



It was a truly delightful day, a little too 

 brilliant perha.])s for the production of per- 

 fect photographs, and the display of flowers 

 was remarkable, for the month of October. 



derive an immense amount of pleasure from The magnifi<:'ent roof garden of the man- 



the garden when provisions are made for 

 plants that bloom in atitumn. In these 

 delightful reminders of the season of sum- 



sion was aglow with the brilliantly-coloure<l 

 flowers of Salvia Glory of Zurich and of Tro- 



pjeolum Lobbianum ; a considerable area 



as interesting and attractive as the gener- 

 ous owner and his talented gardener can 

 make them. 



The furnishing of tlie verandah was in 

 its way a triumph of dworative art, and 

 invariably evoke<l the warmest expression 

 of prais<^ from the many visitors to the 

 gardens during the summer months. The 

 \'ariety of Tro]nx^)lum Lobbianum that 

 used by Mr. Hudson with so much success 

 as a scre<m is that known as Fireball which 

 is strong in growth and ])rofus<i in bloom- 

 ing. 



The flowers are brilliant orange-s.car- 

 let, and ]>r<Hluce a striking contrast to the 

 grey-green leaves. The plants are raised 

 from cuttings struck early in the year, as 

 also are the salvias which are associated 

 with them in heautifying the verandah and 

 furnishing the roof garden. Both are 

 ])lanted in the broad box fixe<l on the para- 



^ 4 



A BEAUTIFUL FLOW^ER BOEDER IN 



OCTOBER AT GUNNERSBURY HOUSE. 



^"t^ sun and^the flowers vie with each of the lawn was bespangled with the exqui- 

 sitely beautiful blue flowers of the autumn 



huge specimens of vellow and 



other in their efforts to beautify the face 



of the earth, and thus contribute to the 



happiness of those who have their abode 

 thereon. 



It was on one of these glorious October 

 days that the writer made a short visit to 

 the Gunnersbury House gardens, and at its 

 close, instead of taking a gloomy view of 

 the month and its peculiarities, was in- 

 clmed to join with Byrant in asking : 



Is this a time to be cloudy and sad. 

 nhen our mother Xatiiro " lau^rhs arcund; 



eloped 



^^hen <^veii the deep blue li-iivi'ii> 



And gladness breathes from th.' 

 f^round? " 



look glad, 

 blossoming 



crocuses ; 



orange-coloured ^ ^ „ 



glorious colour effects on the lawn ; great 

 breadths of roses and tasteful mounds of 

 heliotropiums rendered the air redolent 

 with perfume, and in the broad lx)rder to 

 the north-west of the mansion was a 

 glorious display of hardy flowers. A ricluM- 

 floral feast in the garden after the middle 

 of October cannot well be imagined, and to 

 avoid any misapprehension with regard to 



scarlet flowers of Salvia Glory of Zurich 

 rising above the ti'opjeolums produce, 

 with the white walls of the mansion as a 

 background, a brilliant effect. Pyramidal 

 specimens of sweet-scented pelaigoniums 

 are used with singular success for clothing 

 tlie colujuns supporting the verandah, and 

 tiu^ tubs in which thoy are grown are hidden 

 with the variegate<l o])hio])()gan and sear- 

 let salvias. The salviavS used in furnishinn- 



od „ 



^ison it shotild be mentioned 



Also to express full agreement with him /f, ^^.^^'V'^^iV^^ 



when he sings : 



The clouds are at play in the azure space. 

 And their shadows at play on the bri^^ht 

 green vale; 



A.nd here they st.retch to the frolic chase, 

 And there they roll on the easy gale. 



during 



autumn, and that Mr. J. Hudson so shapes 

 his procedure as to have the gardens as 

 attractive as possible at that season. At 

 the same time it should be stated that there 

 is not a day in the whole year in which 

 the gardens of Gunnersbury House are not 



tho roof garden are grown in a series of 

 long bijxes throughout th(. summer and 

 autumn, and, judging from the l)rilliancy 

 the display, there must bo manv thou- 



sands of flower s])ikes fully developed at on* 

 time. Salvias an^ also successfully utilised in 

 beautifying the bridge by which the water 

 on the south-western side of tho lake is 

 <'ro8sed. Here they are grown in a recep- 

 tai'le of brickwork formed on either 



