180 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 30, 1883. 
seed, but was at least four times larger, had a perfect skin, but was not 
so well coloured as the parent berry. When held up to the light there 
wa3 no appearance of seeds in it, but the flesh was exactly the same as 
an ordinary berry. There were three seeds in the parent berry in 
addition to this curiosity. On showing this freak of Nature to my 
father he remarked that he had seen a berry inside another before, but 
not one partaking so exactly of the shape of a seed. I do not think 
such a thing is very often met with, however, and after many years’ 
close connection with Grapes I have only this once seen such a curious 
growth. 
Have any of your readers ever met with anything of the kind ? I 
have seen two berries united like Siamese twins, have seen them so 
much united that they were almost one berry to all appearance, have 
seen a little one growing out of the top of a big berry, and a berry 
growing directly out of the main stem of the Vine, but have never met 
with one like this. Though not of any practical value, still a note of 
any such freaks of Nature will, I am sure, be acceptable to all who grow 
Grapes and take an interest in anything relating to the history of that 
noble fruit.— John Thomson, Clovenfords. 
THE LONDON PARKS. 
An annual tour through the metropolitan parks has become a regular 
portion of the year’s routine with many gardeners who, by the liberality 
and good sense of their employers, are enabled to note all the most recent 
additions to useful bedding plants, the most tasteful carpet designs, and 
the most effective of the general beds. The knowledge thus gained can 
be utilised to good purpose in the following season’s arrangement, and 
hundreds of gardens have been thu3 greatly improved of recent years with 
increased satisfaction to both employer and employed. In these great 
parks every care is exercised to procure the very best results; and the 
public, indeed, have a right to expect something out of the common, for 
great expense is naturally incurred in propagating and growing so many 
hundreds of thousands of plants, preparing and planting the beds, and 
the general attention required. It may, however, be taken as a most 
pleasing indication of the care bestowed upon the management, that as a 
general rule the London bedding is unsurpassed in effectiveness and 
beauty; and though mistakes are occasionally notable they are quickly 
rectified, and what appears as an error of judgment at times is really due 
to an unavoidable lack of necessary material to complete previously 
formed designs. Further, there are some who would judge the combina¬ 
tions of colour in beds by hard-and-fast theoretical artistic rules, and thus 
introduce a sameness that it is most desirable to avoid. These can always 
find abundant material to cavil over, but fortunately the general public 
taste can appreciate a judiciously employed discord or striking contrast as 
■well as the most delicate harmony, and it is satisfactory to observe that 
the park superintendents are doing their best to promote originality of 
design by introducing diversity of arrangement; and in several cases this 
season some of the most admired beds are quite at variance with the 
stereotyped rules on the arrangement of colours. An additional interest 
is thus imparted to the display, and visitors will find abundant food for 
reflection by inspecting any of the parks, -which are now in their best 
condition, and should be seen, if possible, while the present fine weather 
continues. 
HYDE PARK. 
This is essentially “ the ” park of London in extent, beauty, and 
popularity, and during the early summer months presents on fine after¬ 
noons a scene such as probably no other could equal. The widely famed 
Rotten Row and the Drive may be seen thronged with the elite of London 
fashion for horns; but as August wanes the stream lessens, there is a 
general flight to country estates, watering places, and the Continent, 
pedestrians taking the place of the riders and imparting a new but 
scarcely less animated phase to the scene. It is these that may be daily 
observed thronging round the numerous flower beds which extend from 
Stanhope Gate to near the Marble Arch by Park Lane, and what may be 
termed the habitual frequenters of the Park scarcely remain long enough 
to witness its floral maturity. 
Invariably a visit to Hyde Park in August is time well spent, but this 
season it would be a valuable investment, for rarely have the beds looked 
better, or the arrangements been more original and varied. This is no 
mean degree of success, as of recent years bedding-out has seemed to be 
growing more stereotyped, and it has become an urgent necessity that 
efforts should be made to rescue it from such degradation. Valuable 
assistance has been afforded in this respect by the superintendents of the 
parks, and the results so far obtained give good promise of still further 
successes in the same direction. There is an increasing favour for the 
mixed style of planting—that is, several distinctly coloured variegated 
or flowering plants are arranged in oblique lines, so that when viewed from 
one side there is either an eftective contrast or an agreeable combination 
of tints. Variegated Pelargoniums and Veronica Andersoni variegata, 
with Violas and Verbenas, are great favourites for this purpose ; but one 
of the most effective beds that we have seen is the following, which is 
near Park Lane. I is of oblong form, with three rows of Lobelia 
mrdinalis ,the plants in the centre row alternating with Golden Treasure 
fuchsia, those in the two outer each alternate with Sunray Fuchsia; all 
( base are on a ground of Gazania splendens, and edged with bands of 
Lresine Lindeni, Pelargonium Golden Harry Hieover, and Lobelia Porce¬ 
lain Brilliant next the grass. Here we have a strange contrast of colours, 
’ ho dark-red foliage and brilliant scarlet flowers of the Lobelia next the 
golden and variegated foliage of the Fuchsias, Sunray having also rosy 
purple flowers. These, again, are contrasted with the dark-green leawes 
and rich yellow flowers of the Gazania framed in dark-red lresine, 
yellowish Pelargoniums, and bright blue Lobelias next the grass. This 
might appear almost alarming to a rigid colourist, but its very boldness 
renders it irresistible, and the observer will notice that it awakens far 
more admiration from the majority of the visitors than most of the others. 
It has, indeed, the merit of novelty to recommend it, and however it 
might be criticised it yet is pleasing. 
Another “ mixed ” bed stands out prominently from all the rest, and 
deserves especial attention—namely, that planted with varieties of Phlox 
Drummondii, and margined with Gnaphalium lanatum, lresine Herbstii, 
and Golden Feather. The Phlox has grown very strongly, but compact 
and even, and the colours are very evenly mixed, so that a charming 
combination of shades is produced. Crimson, lilac, purple, scarlet, rose, 
pink, blush, and pure white are abuudant, with many intermediate tints. 
There is too much diversity in the marking of the flowers. Some are seifs, 
others are bicolors with a light centre and a darker margin, or vice versa ; 
others, again, are tricolors, having a distinct zone of colour between the 
centre and the margin; the latter are very pretty, and some bear a 
surprising resemblance to Cinerarias. When a good strain is obtained, 
such as that represented in the above bed evidently is, Phlox Drummondii 
is a most valuable bedding plant, as the flowers are large, most freely 
produced, and brilliantly or softly coloured. 
Carpet beds are well represented, several exceedingly pretty designs 
being notable amongst them. Alternanthera versicolor grandis, A. 
paronyehyoides aurea, A amabilis, A. magnifica, and A. ainoena are largely 
employed, the golden variety being especially good, and appears to have 
coloured exceedingly well in most places this season. Sedum glaucum, 
S. acre elegans, and the indispensable Echeveria secunda glauca and 
Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum, with Leucophyton Browni 
and Antennaria tomentosa furnish the neutral tints, while the favourite 
ground plant is the dark Herniaria glabra, which is used much more largely 
and generally with better effect than Mentha Pulegium gibraltarica. In a 
few beds Lamium maculatum aureum has been introduced, and as it has 
assumed a brighter golden colour than usual this year it appears very 
well, and if it were always as good it might be safely recommended. 
Unfortunately, in a wet season or in rich soil it often becomes of a 
dingy greenish yellow that is far from satisfactory. Two large oblong 
beds near one of the small gates, about half way to the Marble Arch, are 
very telling, and though it is almost impossible to convey an adequate idea 
of a carpet bed by description the chief features may be briefly pointed 
out. The centre plant is an Agave americana, -which is surrounded by 
Alternanthera aurea. Then there is a scroll design in A. ainoena in a neat 
ground of Herniaria glabra, a few clumps of Sempervivum araclinoideum, 
and large Echeverias encircled with the Golden Spurrey (Spergula pilifera 
aurea), which is of good colour, and seems preferable for small designs to 
the Golden Stitchwort. The margin is composed of bands of Alter¬ 
nanthera aurea, A. magnifica, and Echeverias. Opposite to this bed is 
another of similar size and shape, but with a centre of Alternanthera 
versicolor, surrounded with Mesembryanthemum cordifolium, a bold chain 
of A. paronychioides major with bands of A. aurea and Herniaria glabra, 
margined with Kleinia repens, Alternanthera magnifica, and Echeveria 
secunda glauca. 
In the ordinary bedding a large number of Pelargoniums are employed, 
and as they include most of the best varieties for that purpose some of 
the leading and most distinct may be noted advantageously. Taking the 
scarlet Zonals first, the following are the chief varieties:—C. Smith, 
brilliant colour, large flower and truss, vigorous ; Ernest, very bright, 
truss large but scarcely high enough above the foliage; Henry Jacoby, 
extremely dark, a most useful free variety; Mrs. Scliwrind, cerise scarlet, 
distinct and floriferous; C. Scliwind, deep shade, large compact truss, 
strong habit; Mr. Plimsoll, bright clear shade, very effective ; Sir H. S. 
Stanhope, glowing colour, dwarf, compact, and free, a good variety; Rev. 
F. Atkins, brilliant, grand truss ; Princess of Wales, salmon scar-let, 
small flower, but very free and distinct; Miss Maud Holden, rich shade, 
beautiful variety; Mont Rouge, one of the best scarlets, very showy, large 
dense truss, and extremely rich in colour; Dr. Rawson, a grand dark 
variety, flower and truss large, most effective ; John Gibbons, brilliant 
true scarlet, truss fine, moderately vigorous ; Col. Wright, good colour, 
showy; General Ontrara, dark, few flowers, but show-y; and Mrs. Gordon, 
handsome flower and truss, clear rich scarlet, w-ith a white eye. Good 
pink varieties are not so numex-ous. The following are, however, reliable 
as seen at Hyde Park. Mrs. Leavers, one of the best dark pinks, very 
rich and clear in colour, flower and ti-uss fine, habit compact but vigorous; 
Lucy Bosworth, a strong vai-iety, with large flowers and truss, clear light 
pink, white eye : Lady Bailey, light pink, small truss, but free and eai-ly ; 
Olive Carr, not very free-flow-ei-ing, but the blooms are of good colour; 
and Lucy, fine bright pink, tall, but free, good ti-uss and small flowers. 
The only white Zonal is La Vestale, which, however, is not very 
satisfactory, the flowers being few. The best salmon is Mrs. Clifton, 
which has large flowei-s shaded lighter on the mai-gin, very distinct. 
The variegated foi-ms employed are Rosamond Wright, silver-edged, 
pink flowers, pretty; Robert Fish, gold foliage, scarlet flowers; 
Queen of Queens, silver edge, very clear and good; Golden Fleece, 
golden vai-iegated ; and the old Manglesi variegata. 
Starting from Stanhope Gate the visitor should take the right hand 
path nearest to Pai-k Lane; he will then have on his left hand a series 
of circular and oblong beds alternating, some planted in the ordinary 
style and others with cai-pet designs. On the right also are a number 
of beds, chiefly of oblong form, which are continued the whole distance. 
On the left, however, the single row is succeeded by two rows also in the 
