THE PAEK AND GROUNDS OF VRANA. 



537 



to the beautiful palace, a building of Oriental type of architecture. 

 From the main drive, branch off others, in addition to innumerable 

 winding paths, leading through the plantations and copses to lovely- 

 open spaces of flower gardens, unexpected rock gardens full of rare 

 collections of alpine plants from all parts of Europe and Asia Minor, 

 and large lawns, in one of which is the lily lake, which contains a 

 magnificent collection of aquatics, and the banks of which are bordered 

 by a luxuriant growth of sub-tropical and temperate plants. 



This lake, when in full luxuriance of vegetation and blossom, is a 

 sight not to be forgotten ; the thousands of Nymphaea flowers of every 

 sh,ade of colour, the beautiful long-stalked Nelumbiums, with their 

 exquisitely-formed and graceful blue-green foliage, the enormous 

 curiously armed leaves of Euryale ferox, the many masses of tall 

 Papyrus antiquormn, and the small islands, with their tangled growth 

 of creepers and tropical foliage plants, transport the beholder to some 

 quiet backwater in the upper reaches of a tropical river, without 

 any of the annoyances of alligators, insect bites, and fevers. 



Many of the sub-tropical and even some tropical aquatics have 

 become acclimatized, and with a little protection have resisted the 

 rigours of the Bulgarian winter. 



There is a fine range of hothouses in the park, including a large 

 Victoria Regia house; and the "nurseries" for conifers and other 

 trees contain large, interesting, and valuable collections, which are 

 continuously being added to from all parts of the world, and amongst 

 them may be noted a great and rare collection of the genus Salix. 



A brief list of somie of the most noteworthy specimens of Coniferae, 

 all of which are fine examples of their kind, and picturesquely grouped 

 in the park, is here given. 



arizonica .... 



Arizona. 



halsamea .... 



. N. America. 



concolor^A. lasiocarpa . 



California. 



concolor violacea 



California. 



firma .... 



Japan. 



grandis .... 



California. 



N ordmanniana . 



Crimea, &c. 



pectinata 



Europe. 



Pinsapo .... 



S. Spain. 



sihirica .... 



Siberia. 



laecyparis Lawsoniana 



N. California. 



erus Sahina 



S. Europe. 



europaea^L. pyramidaiis . 



. Europe. 



leptolepis = L. japonica 



Japan. 



sihirica .... 



Siberia. 



ajanensis 



Japan. 



Engelmanni glauca . 



Eocky Mountains. 



pungens argentea 



Eocky Mountains. 



pungens glauca 



Eocky Mountains. 



