July 17, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
53 
of my visit. Masdevallias were in snlendid condition, as were also 
Oncidiums, Dendrobiutns, E{)idendrums, Dendrochilums, Cypripediums, 
and Phalienopsids. The collection of Aeride^, Vandas, and Saccolabinms 
were in the best possible condition in another house, and the cool Orchids 
such as Odontoglossums seemed equally at home in their quarters. 
A large house is devoted to growing the deservedly popular class of 
Tuberous Begonias, in which over 50,000 seedlings were coming into 
flower. Next we come to a large house of curvilinear form, in which 
are growing in pots many thousands of healthy young Camellias fresh 
from the propagating house. These are being hardened off preparatory 
to being placed out of doors. It is surprising how quickly young 
Camellias are grown into handsome plants. The Belgian leaf mould is 
undoubtedly the grand secret of success with these and the Azaleas, as 
indeed with all other stove and greenhouse plants ; indeed this is the 
only suitable kind of soil at command in Belgium for plant-growing 
purposes. M. Van Eechaute informed me that such soils as peat and 
loam, also silver sand, have to be procured from England. As might 
be expected, these are but seldom used on account of the great cost 
involved. 
Returning to the houses we enter the large Palm stove. The most 
striking for size and beauty of the “ Princely Palms ” were Kentia 
Lindeni, Cocos Michauxiana, Plectocoma elongata. Kentia Wendlandi, 
Carludovica macropoda, Livistona Jenkinsiana (a very flue specimen), 
Licuala (Pritchardia) grandis, and others too numerous to mention in 
these notes. Another large stove is full of fine specimen plants, among 
•which the following are fine examples :—Fourcroya Lindeni, a very large 
handsome plant; Pandanus ornatus and Pancheri, Alocasia Van Houttei, 
a magnificent plant, with large beautiful deep green leaves. Some idea 
of its beauty and rarity may be understood when we state that its lowest 
selling price is 100 guineas. There are a number of other stoves for 
producing plants in tens of thousands for trade purposes. Houses are 
devoted solely to the cultivation of such plants as the Amaryllises and 
Imantophyllums, of which there are splendid collections. Herbaceous 
Calceolarias are also grown to an enormous extent from seed. Gloxinias 
are also grown by hundreds of thousands. Advantage is taken of the 
greenhouses after their occupants are turned out of doors for the summer 
by covering the stages with leaf soil to the depth of 6 inches, and in this 
the young seedling Gloxinias are planted out. When in flower the finest 
types are selected for saving seed, and all those of inferior merit have 
their flowers removed. M. Van Houtte does a large trade in this class 
of plants. Such popular plants as Pelargoniums (Fancy and Zonal), 
Fuchsias, Hydrangeas, &c., are grown in enormous quantity. A large 
area of span-roof houses are devoted to the production of stove and 
greenhouse plants in quantity. 
In these nurseries all the greenhouse plants are turned out of doors 
earlj- in May, and arranged in order on beds of ashes. Such plants as 
Metrosideros, Boronias, Pimeleas, Genetyllis, Polygalas, Cytisus, Copros- 
mas, &c., were making sturdy growth, which will have an excellent 
opportunity of becoming thoroughly ripened. It is the practice of 
Belgian gardeners to prune hardwooded greenhouse plants in closely 
after flowering, and thus encourage fine sturdy growth and handsomely 
shaped plants. Not only are greenhouse plants turned out of doors, but 
also a great number of the hardier Palms. A large area, shaded by 
Poplar trees, is occupied with Lapagerias, Camellias, and Azaleas in 
pots. The Azaleas, for which the Belgian gardens are celebrated, are 
grown on a large scale ; but few (except large or choice specimens) 
are retained in pots throughout the summer, the majority being planted 
out in spring in prepared beds of leaf mould, and lifted and potted in the 
autumn. Tens of thousands of these are grown and sold every year to 
purchasers in all parts of Europe. The mean temperature of Belgium is 
not much in excess of our own climate. Hence I do not see why we 
should not adopt the Belgian method of growing our Azaleas by planting 
out and lifting annually. It might be safely done in the south of 
England, and even 100 miles south of London we should imagine. At 
any rate the plan is well worthy of a trial. Heaths they cannot grow in 
Belgian soil, hence have to depend upon their supply of this class of 
plants from England. 
In taking leave of the glass department I must not overlook their 
principle of shading the various houses. The material used for this 
purpose consists of lath blinds—that is, laths an inch or so wide and a 
quarter of an inch deep ; these are connected together at distances of 
half an inch apart by means of small waterproof cord. The laths are 
made in lengths of, I believe, about 12 feet, and are rolled up and down 
the roof similarly to the way in which we do our blinds in England. 
These blinds are very durable, M. Van Eechaute telling me that they 
generally last twenty years in good condition. These lath blinds serve a 
twofold object. In Belgium they are subject to heavy hailstorms, which 
would commit serious havoc with the glass were it not that the blinds 
were let down. In the second jdace they answer admirably for shading 
the plants in hot weather, the spaces between the laths admitting more 
light than would be obtained by means of tiffany. Many will perhaps 
think that the spaces (half-inch) between the laths would admit too 
much of the scorching rays of the sun, and thus injure the plants. But 
this is not so, as owing to the slope of the roof it is impossible for the 
rays to descend vertically. On the contrary, the direct force of the ray 
is broken by contact with the edges of the laths, thus intercepting its 
scorching power and creating a shadow. 
The outdoor departments embrace the cultivation of bulbs, herbaceous 
plants, evergreens, fruit trees, &c., on a large scale. The various quarters 
are divided by charming hedges of Pyracantha and Hornbeam. The 
branches of the latter are grafted together by approach when young. It 
is a pity these hedges are not more generally adopted in England. The 
bulb farm is very interesting, thousands of bulbs of the grand Lilium 
giganteum were growing vigorously in beds of sandy soil. Acres of 
Hyacinths were just going out of bloom, also of Tulips, Narcissus, Crocus, 
Jonquils, and other bulbs. Then one comes upon vast tracts of Irises, 
which were in full flower. Azalea mollis, and Rhododendrons of every 
conceivable colour. Evergreens and deciduous shrubs are grown to a 
great extent, as are also fruit trees and Roses. The fruit crops there, as 
here, had suffered very much from the late spring frosts. 
Before closing my notes on these vast nurseries, which, to inspect 
properly, would be a task of many days instead of one, as in my case, I 
must not omit to mention the hearty reception I received from the 
accomplished Mademoiselle Marie Van Houtte, who in the absence of her 
brother very kindly invited me to partake of my first and excellent 
Belgian dinner. M. Louis Van Houtte I saw later in the day, and 
enjoyed a pleasant converse with him on English gardening. My brief 
visit to their celebrated nursery was a pleasant one, and my best thanks 
are tendered to all. 
M. LINDEN’S NURSERY. 
The next day I paid a visit to M. Linden's (now known as the 
Compagnie Continentale d’Horticulture) celebrated nurseries. The visitor 
can either reach it by tram or cab ; if a stranger to town and language 
I would recommend the latter. I fortunately had the advantage of a 
guide in the person of a very intelligent young Dutchman, M. Moll, 
who could speak several languages—French and English included, and 
whose services was kindly given me by M. Van Houtte, his employer. I 
had a letter of introduction to M. Linden, and had the pleasure of being 
conducted over this famous establishment for new and rare plants by Mr. 
Neuberry, an English member of M. Linden’s staff. The plants in this 
establishment consist of some of the finest to be seen. In a large octagon 
house is one of the finest specimens of Kentia rupicola—a rare and 
beautiful Palm—in Europe. Some idea of its size may be gained when 
I state that the plant is nearly 16 feet high from the top of the tub in 
whic’n it is growing, and the spread of its leaves considerably more in 
diameter. It is one of the most graceful of the Kentia family, and is 
justly prized. In the plant stoves, which are numerous, are many very 
strikingly beautiful new and rare plants, among which the following 
deserve notice :—Friesia helliconoides, a most graceful Bromeliad, with 
metallic purple leaves and carmine and white bracts ; Croton Osteeryeei 
(rather a barbaric name for so pretty a plant), with long deep green 
leaves, spotted with yellow ; Dieffenbachia magnifica, a beautiful species, 
with bright green leaves, diffused with white ; Dracaena madagascarensis, 
a free-growing species ; Aglaonema pictum, a charmingly variegated 
Aroid; Alocasia Putzeysii, with exquisitely marked foliage; Heliconia 
triumphans, Dracaena Lindeni, and others. These are only a small 
moiety of the grand collections to be found in this establishment. 
Several houses are devoted to Palms, thousands of young seedlings being 
planted out in prepared beds, in which they are grown rapidly for sale. 
New and rare Palms in pots were represented in such beautiful species 
as Calamus Lindeni, a graceful form, sent out by Mr. Linden last spring ; 
Calamus Kentiseformis, another new Palm somewhat similar in habit to 
K. Fosteriana; K. Luciana, K. divaricata, K. robusta, and Licuala 
(Pritchardia) grandis. The large Palm stove contains giant specimens 
of Palms and Tree Ferns. Fine examples of Areca Baueri and sapida, 
Livistona Sieboldi, Pritchardia pacifica among Palms, and Dicksonia 
antarctica, Cyathea Dregei, C. medullaris, C. Smithi, and others among 
Tree Ferns are to be met with here. A long span-roof house is filled with 
thousands of three-year-old seedlings of the beautiful Friesia hieroglyphica, 
a new Bromeliad, now being sent out by. M. Linden for the first time. 
Orchids are a great feature here, several houses being devoted to their 
cultivation, also stove plants. I saw but few greenhouse plants. 
Amongst these I saw very fine and symmetrically trained plants of 
Azalea indica, which, although large, were planted out in beds and 
treated similarly to the young plants previously described. A house of 
fine large healthy Camellias completes the list of what is worthy of 
special note in this department. 
There is, strictly speaking, no outdoor department in this nursery. 
They have, however, a nursery of about fifty acres situated in the Isle of 
Levant in the Mediterranean. In concluding our brief notes on this 
fine establishment we must not omit to make mention of the principal 
entrance, which is of a very ornamental character, also the tastefully 
laid-out lawn, with its miniature lake and prettily and tastefully disposed 
groups of Palms, shrubs, and well-arranged flower beds filled with the 
choicest bedding plants. Everything in this establishment, plants, 
houses, and grounds, are in excellent condition. My best thanks are 
tendered to M. Lucien Linden, the Directeur-G4n6ral, and his skilled 
assistant, Mr. Neuberry, for their courtesy in showing and explaining 
everything to me. 
Thus ended my visit there, and having an hour or so to spare I paid 
a visit to the gardens of the Jardin Zoblogique. It is one of the leading 
promenades of Ghent, and a band discourses excellent music every alter¬ 
nate evening. A pleasant walk through shady boulevards and avenues 
brought us to the " people’s park,” the Parc de la Porte de Courtrai. It 
is situated in, a very pleasant spot, and contains choice examples of the 
landscape gardener’s art, and is planted with well-arranged and skilfully 
disposed clumps of trees and shrubs. There is a magnificent artificial 
stalactite cavern, with its curiously arranged nooks, crannies, and 
trickling waterfalls. Now I have come to the close of Jmy third day, 
and after a Belgian supper and a good night’s rest I am’prepared for a 
visit to Brussels.—-T. W, Sanders. 
