SUPPLEMENT TO 



>B 4 



, 1898 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE 



IX 



■ nrh that is of interest to those who take an interest of those trained to the walls of the mansion, bloom profusely and produce 



tot thcv contai n nlucI a glorious effect during the season of flowering. As will be seen from a 



0 ornamental and t^niD arborescent features 0 f Castle Ashby, it may be 



In connection « ' t ^ shoM nQt tQ continue his 



01 .ntercst to njem & fine open stretch of w00 dland, in which in 

 journey to \arcue X , nets hunted and Cowper moralised. The 

 W one «ll lv pleasant walks through its green glades but is of 

 ChaS V n .res? as containing the remnant of the old oak immor ; 

 special J nl f!~" r _ w ho, it may safely be assumed, was an occasional 

 ttlised by <-° »F { the great forest that one time spread over a large 

 visitor to this re ^ Northarnptons hire, for it is within a pleasant walk 



portion ottnis p residence of the poet. Absolute accuracy is not an 

 of Olney, long and we therefore do not expect it in Cowper's 



attribute 01 in ^ ^ otherw j se) j t wou id be necessary to point 



ouMhat Cowper indulged in a full play of poetic fancy when speaking 

 of this tree and h ard | y suc h, of all 



That once lived here, thy brethren at thy birth." 



p are a trio of ancient oaks in the Chase, and the two known respec- 

 ■ 7lv as Go* and Magog, if not exactly the same age as " Cowper's » oak, 

 v be properly regarded as contemporary with it, for they are of great 

 and have long since passed into a state of picturesque decay. Of 

 * gc ' 5g tree but little beyond a mere shell with one or two arms re- 

 n and in looking at its hollow, lichen-stained trunk, it is difficult to 

 resist the temptation to moralize, and say, with Cowper,— 



w Time made thee what thou wast, king of the woods ; 

 And Time hath made thee what thou art — a cave 

 For owls to roost in. Once thy spreading boughs 

 O erhung the champaign ; and the numerous flocks 

 That grazed it, stood beneath that ample cope 

 Uncrowded, yet safe, sheltered from the storm 

 No flocks frequent thee now. Thou hast outlived 

 Thy popularity, and art become 

 (Unless verse rescue thee awhile) a thing 

 Forgotten as the foliage of thy youth, 



As becomes a large establishment the structures for the cultivation of 

 plants, fruits and flowers under glass are numerous, and form an impor- 

 tant and eminently interesting feature. Chief among those devoted to 

 ornamental plants is the conservatory, a spacious building of handsome 



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a glorious effect during the season of flowering. As will be seen from a 

 glance at the full-page illustration of the interior there is a handsome 

 fountain basin in the centre of the middle division, and that the low wall 

 is divided into eight sections, four of which are provided with receptacles 

 for plants. These are changed from time to time, according to the season 

 of the year. During the winter and early in the spring they were filled 

 with examples of Primula obconica, which were remarkable for the high 

 quality of the strain they represented and the cultural skill that had been 

 brought to bear upon them. When the photograph was taken the sections 

 were occupied by white marguerites, and these in their turn made way in 

 the course of the summer for zonal pelargoniums, or it may be tuberous 

 begonias. The four groups of callas in the basin have occupied their 

 present position for a long period, and they are evidently at home with 

 their roots laving in the water, for they present at all times a luxuriance 

 and produce an abundance of finely developed spathes. As a matter of 

 course they have a large bank of soil in which to obtain anchorage, and 

 this is probably partly renewed from time to time. Surrounding the 

 fountain are huge orange, lemon, and citron trees in boxes, lofty tree 

 ferns, chiefly cyatheas, Seaforthia elegans, and Dracaena australis, 

 with an elegant undergrowth of ferns and flowering and ornamental- 

 leaved plants of dwarf growth. A portion of the roof is draped 

 with the elegant Tecoma jasminoides. For the most part, the 

 plants employed in the ornamentation of the two wings are 

 arranged in beds, of which there are three in each. The principal 

 bed in each extends the whole length, with a broad walk on either side, 

 and in these are planted the stately palms, tree ferns, New Zealand flax, 

 and other objects that help to contribute to the permanent attractions of 

 the structure. Conspicuous among the palms are finely-developed 

 specimens of Corypha australis, Chamaerops excelsa, Phoenix dactylifera, 

 P. rupicola, and several kentias. Especially noteworthy also in the 

 central beds are the specimens ot Phormium tenax variegatum, which 

 have leaves ranging from eight to ten feet in length, and are admirably 

 coloured throughout. In the borders on the outer side of the 

 walks are arranged the plants of scandent habit with which the roof 

 and wall spaces are clothed, and here were several so remarkable for 

 their development as to justify an expression of surprise by those 

 possessing a wide knowledge of the vegetation of temperate regions. 

 Streptosolon Jamesoni has climbed the wall to a height of twenty feet 



or so, clothing the masonry on its 

 way, and then spread over the 

 roof, and suspended in the air 

 large clouds of its rich orange- 

 coloured flowers. Many splen- 

 didly-developed specimens of this 

 handsome species have come under 

 my notice since its reintroduc- 

 tion, but in no case has its 

 ornamental character been more 

 strikingly exemplified than in this 

 instance. Cantua dependens, 

 Habrothamnus coccinea, Styrax 

 officinalis, Ruscus androgynus, and 

 I'ittosporum tobira are also em- 

 ployed with good effect for 

 clothing wall spaces, training up 

 pillars, and draping the roof. 

 Highly attractive also during the 

 summer season are the specimens 

 of Brugmansia Knighti and P. 

 sanguinea, which have noble heads, 



i 



LOWER TERRACE GARDEN 



•r. 



through the 



elevation occupying „ 

 minent position at the north 

 end of the Italian garden, 

 and so attractive within as 



„ f a , much -appreciated 

 resort both of the friends 

 « the noble owner 

 visitors on the days when 

 "M ! gardens are open to the 

 Public. A glimpse 



tamed of the conservatory 



itc , -l- — archway ; but 

 J architectural features are 

 seen in the illustration 



Bnefly described tht lofty 



SS« COnsists of a cen 5 - 

 OW transept and side wingp, 



EL" f has a handsome 



'hat i? St0ne simila r to 

 mat obtained from the 



^hbourhood oTftSC 

 ou ters H? eWOrk is on th * 



briars S? ht ^Austrian 

 arS ' wh,c h> as in the case 



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ITALIAN GARDEN- AND CONSERVATORY 



