THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, []vvt i, 1887, 
A VISIT TO KEW GARDENS. 
A visit to these world -renowned gardens caunob fail, 
at any season of the year, of being a source of the 
deepest pleasure and gratification to all lovers of plants 
and those interested in their cultivation ; but it is 
more particularly so in the spring time, I think, when 
not only can the tens of thousands of exotics, from 
all corners of the earth, be viewed with comfort under 
the shelter of the numerous glass structures, but when 
the enjoyment is enhanced by a ramble in the ex- 
tensive and beautifully kept grounds, which at this 
season assume a most attractive and captivating 
appearance. The deciduous trees and shrubs collected 
from many lands and arranged with due scientific care 
and order are now budding into leaf and flower; the 
noble evergreens are secretly dropping their seer and 
yellow leaves, under cover of the new ones which the 
present warm weather is rapidly developing, the lawns 
have already put out their carpets of richest green, 
thrushes, black birds and other birds may be seen 
hopping about amongst the grass and under the trees, 
and singing in the branches above ; the mysterious 
voice of the cuckoo comes floating on the still and 
balmy air, and when bird and plant life alike seem to 
have settled down to a time of deep enjoyment, 
at least so it appeared to me on my recent visit to the 
gardens. It was a day perhaps the more to be enjoyed 
as being among the very few really warm spring 
days we have yet enjoyed, since the termination of 
the miserable north easters we have been experiencing 
ever since the month of February. It was one of 
nature's holidays in fact, which had the effect of 
keeping me on my legs in the gardens for eight 
consecutive hours in rare enjoyment of its treasures 
both indoors and out. 
In years gone by, when the weather of the earlier 
months of the year in England was not quite so fickle 
as it is now-a-days, what is called amongst horti- 
culturists " bedding out," that is, replanting the beds 
of the flower garden with their summer and autumn 
flowering occupants was usually commenced not later 
than the 1st of May, but in these latter days, when 
spring time is so delayed, and when east winds and 
frosts are so loath to bid us farewell, no one dreams 
of filling up the beds of the flower garden with plants 
which produce such glorious annual displays, till the 
month of May has quite ended, so that the period of 
leave, as it were, has been extended to the spring 
flowers proper for displaying their fresh and delicate 
beauty, by one month. 
At the date of my visit numerous spring flowers 
and alpines were in the hey-day of their beauty in 
the flower beds, borders, lawns, and rockeries. On 
entering by the Cumberland gate, the first thing 
that caught the attention of the visitor was a charm- 
ing group of various coloured polyanthus, spiinging 
from the lawn on the left of the walk and backed by 
a row of primula denticulata ; in front the grass was 
dotted with plants, in full flower, of a pink tinged 
variety of the wood anemone (anemone nemerosa), the 
beautiful blue Bquill (scilla liberica), and one or two 
other dwarf spring flowers, which had a most pleasing 
effect. The flowers of the polyanthus were large and 
of the most varied and beautiful colours, and with 
the setting of the velvety lawn, where not a suspicion 
of soil was to be seen and the other flowers made a 
group which at once arrested the attention on enter- 
ing the garden and made it hard to believe that its 
arrangement was merely the result of accident and 
not the outcome of careful study on the part of 
some student of nature. Be that as it may, 
I think a useful hint might be taken with reference 
to the grouping of many flowers on lawns instead of 
on beds and borders as a better means of exhibiting 
their beauties. Not far from this group might be 
seen in all their freshness and rare beauty, such 
spring flowers as Caltha puhwtnis, or the March 
marigold, Primula, rosea, a most lovely Indian species 
producing quantities of deep rose coloured flowers 
from a stem 4 inches high. Muttcaria, or the grape 
hyacinth in great variety, some of the flowers of 
the most iutowe violet. Anemofia appenim, with its 
delicate pale-blue flowers. Anemone fulgens, that 
glaring and brilliant flower from South Europe. 
Christmas rose, in great variety and many curious 
forms, many kinds of Symphytum cauiasicum, or ccm- 
frey with its different shades of blue, Gentian wr/ia, 
Crown Imperial lily, Primula Japouica, 
Hyacinths and tulips too were in tht height of their 
beauty, both in beds of separate colours and mixed, 
but after seeing the entrance group on the lawn one 
could not help thinking that both hyacinths and tulips 
might be similarly treated in their cultivation with a 
very happy effect. Beds and borders of brown earth 
be they kept ever so tidy and clear of weeds detract 
from the beauty of flowers generally. Flowers in a 
purely natural state of growth are rarely to be seen 
without the assistance of other plants to hide from 
view mother earth " and give a setting to their floral 
conpanions," and I suppose after all we cannot do 
better than imitate nature in the arrangement and 
cultivation of the flower garden. I am tempted to 
give the names of a few hyacinths as seen at Kew 
in beds of the ordinary kind which were very 
beautiful indeed, but what they would have appeared 
like if similarly treated on lawns I leave to the 
imagination of your readers. There were several beds 
of Charles Dickens' single blue with a noble spike 
and wonderfully regular in size and shape. Grand 
Silas, — pale blue, also a grand spike. Baron Von 
Thuyl, dark blue, a fine flower, Madam Hodson, 
6ingle red beautiful spike, Grand vanquier, single 
white, beautifully pure, and noble flower, and giganta 
another grand white. There were other mixed beds 
of the abovenamed kinds, and the sight of these beds 
was one of rare beauty and the rich scent of the 
thousands of blooms filling the air. For the benefit 
of the cultivators of this flower on the Nilgiris, I 
would mention that the bulbs are cultivated in 
Holland, from which country they are yearly imported 
into England in a soil composed mostly of pure sand, 
mixed with a large proportion of completely decayed 
cow manure, and I should think that success in their 
cultivation, after the bulbs leave Holland, will depend 
greatly upon as near as possible an approach to a 
similar mode of treatment and cultivation. 
Amongst other plants in flower of which I made 
a note at the time t/e likely to be suitable for cultiv- 
ation in the climate of the Nilgherry Hills,* I 
would take leave to make particular mention of one 
which I came upon in the large conservatory or old 
Palm house, near the Chinese Pagoda, and one which 
if not already introduced would be likely to do well, 
and I venture to think would be a great acquisition 
if included amongst the garden plants of Ooty. It 
is named viburnum plication, and is a native of Japan, 
it is an evergreen shrub with handsome bronze-coloured 
leaves and flowers of the purest white, the shoots 
are long and slender and assume a pendent or droop- 
ing habit of growth, the clusters or globes of flowers 
are produced at short intervals in regular pairs along 
these shoots, forming long wreaths, giving the whole 
plant a most charming and striking appearance. The 
.old Guilder rose— vilurnum opulus— is a hardy 
plant in England, and is well kuown for its white 
balls of flower so profusely produced in the spring, 
but the viburnum under notice is much superior in 
gracefulness of habit and purity of colour as well 
as size, and has few equals I think as a flowering 
shrub. A writer in describing the Queen's Drawing 
room a few days ago says "Cherry blossom and white 
Rhododendron sppeard to be the newest floral gar- 
nature for white millinery. Guelder roses ate always 
pretty, but when carried straight down each side of 
a skirt and then brought upwards to a point 
in the centre they are particularly charming, " 
and if this be so with regard to the common 
guelder rose, how much more so would it be if flowers 
[of the plant under notice were used. Japanese plants 
do well in the climate of Ooty, as instance the Camellia, 
hydr mgia, and many others. Amongst Rhododendrons 
in fljwer in the same house I noticed that grand 
* And consequently in Nuwara Eliya and the 
^urroupding .hill*,~EiJ. 
