400 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November 3, 1881. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
I have no space left to dwell on this, and can only say it is near the 
mansion, and that forty thousand bedding plants are employed, and 
fine herbaceous borders are admirably furnished and managed. 
Verbenas grow like weeds—Crimson King and Purple King. “They 
will not grow in my soil,” say hundreds in sadness. But perhaps 
they would if William Taylor prepared the plants. “ A puff at last,” 
I think I hear a whisper. But wait for evidence. I have a garden 
in London, which is certainly not a Verbena city; and soil as light 
almost as leaf mould and poor, which is certainly not a Verbena soil. 
Still I tried some Verbenas from three sources, but the plants from 
two of them lingered and died, while the dozen kindly sent by Mr. 
Taylor grew with the greatest freedom, and flowered until frost 
destroyed them. This is a simple fact which readers can deal with 
as they think proper ; for myself I intend turning it to account by 
asking for a few more Longleat Verbenas. The only scarlet bedding 
Pelargonium grown at Longleat is Triomphe de Stella, Vesuvius not 
being nearly bright enough. 
THE PARK. 
After a drive through the finely timbered and deer-stocked park, in 
which the trees and roads are kept so well by Mr. Berry, we creep up 
the bold Beech-clad promontory and stand in “ Heaven’s Gate.” The 
view below is indeed grand. The mansion, two miles distant, is in the 
lowest position in the park. The monks—shrewd men—always chose 
fertile soil near a stream-of water, and a monastery once stood where 
Longleat stands now. The ground rises from it on all sides—a vast 
amphitheatre of foliage bounded by the horizon. I said last week 
that Longleat is “open, grand, and free.” It is so literally, for the 
grand park and mansion are open and free to all, and thousands 
annually enjoy and doubtless appreciate the privilege so generously 
accorded. A further enjoyable drive oE two miles to Warminster, 
then a pleasant hour with Mr. Hinton—a man who engages in many 
good works besides the Bose election—and I am switched back to 
town by the night express, well pleased, and also, I think, benefited, 
by my “ Run to the West.”—J. W. 
P.S.—It may perhaps be useful to state that an engraving of the 
Longleat mansion may be found on page 10, vol. xxiv., the issue of 
July 3rd, 1873 ; a view of the large vinery on page 125, vol. xxvii., 
the issue of August 6th, 1874; and an engraving of the Vines on 
page 535, vol. xxxi., the issue of December 21st, 1876 ; but the Vines 
are, of course, very much larger now. Interesting and useful notes 
accompany the above engravings. 
STRAWBERRIES FOR TABLE DECORATION. 
Visitors to Cranmore Hall, the seat of R. J. Paget, Esq., 
M.P., are invariably delighted with the fine plants of Vicomtesse 
Hericart de Thury, specially prepared by Mr. Moore for the 
dinner table during the shooting season. We have never seen 
them grown more successfully even in the spring months, and 
they well repay the extra trouble taken. The plants for the first 
supply had been previously forced, the fruit ripening in March, 
and were afterwards hardened-off and kept watered. About the 
middle of May they were plunged deeply along the side of a 
, walk, and encouraged to root over the sides of the pots into the 
surrounding soil, water still being given when required. By the 
middle of September the plants were lifted, having all outside 
roots cut away, and placed on a cool airy shelf in Peach house. 
They are stood in saucers, and these being kept filled with liquid 
manure no other watering is required, sufficient moisture being 
soaked up. Six-inch-sized pots are employed. The plants are 
crowded with good-sized fruit, ripe and unripe, the bunches being 
supported with a few neat stakes, and in most instances measure 
fully 15 inches across. Later batches are prepared in precisely 
the same way, but those for Christmas especially are ripened on 
a warmer but equally airy shelf. Placed in wine-coolers they 
are very effective decorative plants, and, of course, the fruit forms 
a welcome dish at that period of the year.—W. I. 
THE ARRANGEMENT OF CUT FLOWERS. 
A purpose and plan in the arrangement of cut flowers is 
essential, not only as regards the work itself, but even more 
so in the economical use of flowers. A clear conception ought, 
therefore, to be had beforehand of what we have to do, how it is 
to be done, and of the quantity and kind of flowers required. Be 
very sure it by no means follows that the man who has the 
command of an unlimited supply of flowers is the most suc¬ 
cessful ; he who has to cut and contrive has his wits sharpened, 
and learns of necessity how to turn many odds and ends to 
account that would probably otherwise be overlooked, and really 
it is surprising how few and simple are the materials requisite to 
make a room or table bright. Take, for example, three or four 
leaves of Ampelopsis Veitchii, rich in colour as they now are, a 
frond or two of any favourite Fern, one cluster of Japanese Rose 
berries with the deep green foliage, and a white Rose or two, 
Mrs. Bosanquet for choice. With these the vase for our sitting- 
room is made bright with colour—colour which is attractive and 
pleasant, because it is subdued and balanced by the other quieter 
features and in keeping with the most refined surroundings. 
Such arrangements of foliage and blossom taken each in its 
season are always acceptable and tend to the economy of mate¬ 
rials. At the present time the various kinds of autumnal foliage 
and berries afford so much variety that very little blossom is 
required. Ampelopsis Veitchii, especially, is so beautiful in its 
many rich and varied tints of colour that we never tire of it, 
but rather regret that the season of its beauty is so brief. What 
lovely wreaths and scrolls may be made upon a tablecloth among 
the dishes with its slender shoots, and how useful such shoots 
are for other purposes ! I have lately again turned them to 
good account for chandelier decoration. The arrangement con¬ 
sisted of the usual globes of clear glass containing white Roses, 
medium-sized highly coloured leaves of Ampelopsis, and small 
fronds of Maidenhair Fern. Long slender Ampelopsis shoots 
hung gracefully downwards from each glass, and were intertwined 
and festooned in a light informal manner. Another and bolder 
way of using it is to make a wreath of the large leaves just 
inside the circle described by the globes of the chandelier, and to 
have sprays with smaller foliage pendent from the wreath in a 
graceful but irregular manner. 
To further illustrate what has been said about economy I may 
describe my last dinner table. It was a small circular one, having 
a cup and two tall water-jugs in the centre, and afforded space 
for a circle around the centre of eight slender vases, four of which 
had white Carnations, and four had half-opened flowers of Madame 
Falcot Rose for blossom, two flowers and a bud or two being used 
for each vase, with a leaf of Ampelopsis, two large leaves and a 
spray of Pelargonium filicifolium odoratum, three spikes of dried 
Briza minima, and two of the long slender shoots of the Ampe¬ 
lopsis pendent from opposite sides. The Roses and Carnations 
were placed alternately in the circle of vases, and instead of being 
festooned the Ampelopsis shoots were lightly interlaced outside 
the vases, the effect being novel and pleasing. 
Soon after the autumn Violets became abundant I was requested 
to make a floral wreath for a grave. A ring of a foot in diameter 
was made of a couple of hazel sticks nearly as large as one’s 
finger, and a thick coating of fresh moss was tied upon it. It 
required eleven bunches of Violets, three dozen Roses, and a 
suitable proportion of shoots of Oak-leaved Pelargonium and 
Maidenhair Fern. The difficulty in making such a wreath is to 
avoid formality. Bearing this in mind, the Violet bunches were 
not placed in a formal circle along the centre of the wreath, but 
upon the outside and inside at irregular intervals, with Roses and 
foliage Clustering between, around them, and along the centre. 
Mrs. Bosanquet half opened, and Gloire de Dijon fully expanded, 
were the Roses used, a few fine Gloire de Dijons being put on 
singly with a suitable foil of foliage as a relief to the clusters of 
the lighter-coloured Rose. Fresh green damp moss was plenti¬ 
fully used among the flower stems as they were bound securely 
in position. When finished the wreath was about 16 inches in 
diameter. It was sent a considerable distance by rail in a circular 
wooden box, being fastened securely for the journey by fine string 
drawn through holes in the bottom of the box ; a sheet of tissue 
paper was placed over the top beneath the lid to keep out dust, 
and the lid fastened securely kept the paper from contact with 
the flowers. 
Violets of the blue shades of colour do not look well by lamp 
light, yet as the fragrance renders them much in request for the 
dinner table, all that is possible must be done to relieve the heavy 
dull look which they have at night. White China figures of animals 
laden with panniers filled with Violets have been used occa¬ 
sionally. Wreaths of Violets around the bases of cups and vases 
afford the much-liked perfume, and are comparatively inconspi¬ 
cuous. White Roses and Violets were the flowers lately chosen by 
a lady for a birthday dinner. I had only the common Russian 
in sufficient quantity for the purpose, and its flower stems are 
much too short to arrange with Roses. The difficulty was over¬ 
come by mingling tall stands of Roses with low stands of Violets 
and white Begonias. Such large flowers with long stems as The 
Czar and Victoria Regina tied up in medium-sized bunches form 
an admirable mixture with the rich yellow flowers of Mar6chal 
Niel Rose for every purpose to which cut flowers are applied. 
It is just one of those rich combinations of which we never 
grow tired.— Edward Luckhurst. 
Mr. Luckhurst's recent articles on the arrangement of cut 
flowers will, no doubt, be justly valued by gardeners generally ; 
still I think the remarks of “ R. I. L.,” page 271, and “Hortus,” 
page 307, are too severe on gardeners. “ Hortus ” remarks, 
