AUGUST. 



119 



SUMMER FLOWERS AND THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 



SOCIETY. 



Some time back the Times, which rarely says a word about gardening, was 

 grumbling that there were no flowers in the Royal Horticultural Garden, at 

 which I am not surprised ; for under the modern system of flower gardening, 

 and especially with an 1862 season, to get the beds into bloom by June would 

 simply be an impossibility ; and if the London public expect to see a flower 

 garden in perfection in June, some other description of plants must be used 

 than Verbenas and Scarlet Geraniums, which, though really grand in August, 

 are nearly negative in June. 



It strikes me, however, that the great feature necessary to constitute 

 Kensington a grand flower garden in May, June, and the early part of July 

 (before the London aristocracy have left town for the country), is entirely 

 wanting. The design is so purely geometrical that it scarcely admits of the 

 adoption of great masses of colour interspersed with evergreens without 

 interfering with the design. 



A writer in your periodical, during the time the gardens were in course of 

 formation, deplored the absence of evergreen hedges and architectural trees, 

 and anticipated the baldness and meagreness which he found would be apparent 

 even when the garden was finished. This is evident enough now ; and I and 

 numbers of others besides regret it, for the place loses immensely by com- 

 parison even with the Crystal Palace, and the evidence not indicates that it 

 should have been adapted to the London season even more completely than 

 Sydenham. However unsatisfactory it would be now to interfere with the 

 general design, something might be done towards furnishing a portion of the 

 garden with early summer flowers, and no doubt Mr. Eyles' practical judg- 

 ment would soon obviate the difficulty if left to himself; for instance, there is 

 no reason why the space between the conservatory and Exhibition memorial, 

 and more particularly the lower divisions of the garden, might not be appro- 

 priated to this class of plants, leaving the central compartments as now for a 

 geometrical garden. I throw out these suggestions without the remotest idea 

 that they may be carried out ; but they will serve to show that the public are 

 not generally blind to defects, which in fact are but too obvious to all 

 visitors. 



The want of architectural trees is another point evident to those who have • 

 paid attention to the subject. These should have been introduced much more 

 freely and in much greater variety than they are, which, so far as I cotdd 

 judge, are principally Limes and Lombardy Poplars. It is a question whether 

 the rarer Conifers, or even Cypresses and Junipers, would thrive so completely 

 within the field of London smoke ; but there are many other good things 

 which would, and which should have been tried. If Deodars have been 

 introduced with the idea of their ever becoming trees, why not a number of 

 others which may be supposed as fastidious as to atmosphere as the Deodar ? 

 But besides arboreal decoration, there are a number of smaller shrubs, bushes, 

 herbaceous plants, bulbs, &c, which would have contributed to give a brilliant 

 effect between May and July, room for which, as it appears to me, has been 

 lost sight of by the designer. I presume the Society are hopeful about 

 making the charges for admission pay them something handsome towards 

 defraying the expenses of maintenance, and therefore, in addition to the 

 wishes and objects of the Society, per se, the public appetite for this descrip- 

 tion of enjoyable recreation should have been studied. Your London public 

 always want variety, and vastly prefer masses of colour glowing with life and 



