GARDENERS' MAGAZINE 



443 



r «. nnelv-executed hammered-copper bats serve to hold the 

 ibe bodies ot nneiy ca«=v- ^ „_ < .„ c .„„ ia mtr^t ; c n mduced«: owtoand 



01 r •. crtthat a most groiebt uc cnca la ■ 



.0 .he grotesques of the scene and .ncreas 



wonderment 



warm spot have passed the winter unharmed, and close by Mr. Knowles 

 has planted a pretty collection of choice hardy ferns among the Pulhamite 

 rockwork that extends below the waterfall. 



The rock garden is situated on the north side of the mansion, and is 



^roDuc.u—-- su ddenly appears in a glass you had imagined was a m every respect a fine piece of work. It is constructed in a most natural 

 bowl of gold tones sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly manner having a central valley with two small pools of water, sur- 



sort * nw*«! rounded by mountains of various heights, the 



highest being probably forty feet above the lowest 

 point in the garden. This garden was not all 

 constructed at one period, but the part nearest 

 the mansion is the oldest, and represents the 

 skilful manner in which Messrs. Backhouse and 



Son, of York, design and lay out such gardens ; 

 this is of considerable extent, and planted with 



and also a laree number of 



a large number 

 A most natural effect 



popular alpines, 

 extremely choice subjects, 

 is produced by the suggestion of a pass along 

 one of the higher portions, and also by the tiny 



lawn 



which, together with an elongated 

 the little valley. All around are 



LAKE 



HENLEY. 



■onkcy is substituted for the fishes, or, perhaps, your guide's head 



peai . ..ml you wonder where his body has disappeared ; the illusion is 

 "we; it consists of the objects you saw, some mirrors, and electric lights, 



iforKCttintf Mr. Harpham. 



! 



I 



inn 



-In one small recess is a clever representa- 

 Marguente neanng the church door, with Faust following admir- 

 short distance behind. The " - - - 



life 



figure— for it is but one — is three- 

 Marquente faces you, but the back of the figure is 



. . aUSt ^ and faces a mirror cleverly set, so that the illusion is 

 « complete. From close to the drawing-room 



«isan entrance to the caves, and besides the 

 mce on the rockery there is another close to 

 greenhouses. The subterranean passages 

 chambers are heated by hot water when 

 «r>, but at this season of the year they 

 w a deliciously cool and well ventilated 

 BM »neneverthe sun condescends to remind 

 wtnis is summer time. 



™»dy the lake has been referred to, and 

 onS „ ' y m ° St deli g htf "l Piece of water, 



KoLr pr u tt,iy p ianted ab ° ut a 



2» pomts and Wlt h a little island that is 



2e the r '« l ] t ^ hce - 11 is difficult to 



5* I yeHt" ndS - ( Friar Park without the 

 ere 



size 



green 



pool, make up 



fine patches of the purple Thymus serpyllus, blue 

 Campanula garganica, and lovely golden areas of 

 sedum, with saxifragas of varied form and hue 

 clustering in rocky crevices, or perching perkily 

 at the top of some boulder. Throughout the 

 whole of this magnificent rock garden the saxi- 

 fragas and sedums are very evident, both as 

 regards their happy condition and the number of 

 species, varieties, and hybrids. Campanulas are 

 plentiful, and many are just now in perfection, 

 while raroondias, edelweiss, hardy orchids, rock- 

 loving ferns, tiny pines, abies, and junipers 

 occupy positions such as they love, and are now 

 large enough to give these miniature alps a 

 clothed and natural appearance. It is frequently 

 a fault in rock gardens that the spaces or pockets 

 left for the plants are most inadequate, and do 

 not hold sufficient soil to properly support them ; 

 such a state of affairs does not, however, exist 

 at the Friar Park Alps, and everything that has 

 become established is flowering, has flowered, or 

 promises to flower with the utmost ^freedom, 

 while the more recently planted subjects are en- 

 couraged by the prevailing conditions to make 

 themselves at home as soon as possible. Gentiana acaulis, a sweetly 

 pretty plant when in flower, but one that refuses to grow satisfac- 

 torily in many gardens, is here— like G. verna — represented by a 

 mass of several square yards, which must have been a grand sight 

 when covered with intense blue blossoms. Quite a casual look round 

 reveals the fact that here is a grand collection of rock plants, and in 

 many cases these are represented by immense masses. Primulas, 

 androsaces, Antennaria tomentosa, dwarf spiraeas, Daphne Cneorum, 



i 



has been produced artificially 

 a small private house and 

 ■essrs PnlKo lile J h ? use w as pulled down, 



j-JJ lu ham and Son, of Fmsbury Square 



^^S^^ c n lle . d in > with SHE* 



^comWnS U n ! i that P ertain s to water 

 ^t*^^ rockwork > transformed the 

 " b5iS? d ' ?? de a waterf all of the wonder- 



. °nce was 



meadow. 

 «Mess 

 M 



1 tohamhf h V aterfal » of the wond< 

 fctkt ill .^ucted the water into 



as it it had existed her* 



a 



sted. here since 

 Prehistoric times, 



qui 



ttle tale. 



they tell 



ft ^^ano obtain a , nc u est0rs had to kUi'Md 



!5*f* the ZlaTu " g the lake > homeward 



Moth 



er 



it 



m Bruin 

 and bairns 



follows hard after 

 scurry off over the 

 one to the other 



« iS^on the tSn P hr ase7makerhim 



*K Mnd feet and ^• h !l t l andSt( l ne 'T thfc " ow ^c.enea m. 



• , 5erm ; ;;;-"> : hes. where he drew up for the fight 



various k nT • ls cert amly a story. s 

 • . ■■■•^the S. 8 . U SSf for water margins have been nla, 



the now hardened marks 



VIEW IN THE ROCK GARDEN AT FRIAR PARK, HENLEY, 



auhrietias in all the best species and varieties, herbaceous phloxes, 

 aubnetias in au ^ grjr Robinsoniana> A S ylvestris, A. vernahs 



If A a SnTana AmebTa" echioides, Aster alpinus in several varieties, 



A^agene alS Cypripedium spectabile, C. cilceolus, hepaticas, yellow, 

 g\ld g and wh P ;te\rooms, drabas, dianthuses, veron.cas, cVc, &c, were a 

 few of the subjects noted as being exceptionally good 



bog 



soon 



now are. 



ucalypt 



