200 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 31, 1893. 
see, were, though, rustic outside, not by any means so in, the floors 
being thickly carpeted, and comfortable looking chairs standing 
about, adding an air of cosiness to them which is all too often con¬ 
spicuous by its absence in these useful and ornamental additions to a 
garden. A long drive through the park brought us to the kitchen and 
fruit gardens, which are situated rather over a mile from the mansion 
and flower gardens. It is in this part of the estate that Mr. Sanders’ 
pleasant house is situated, almost hidden under some old Beech trees, 
and close beside an orchard which has been but very recently planted. 
Here we stayed and had a thoroughly good rest, took some substantial 
refreshment for the welfare of the body, and then away we started to 
walk through the park to the flower gardens, which are unusually 
extensive. 
The gardens round the mansion are composed of lawns and flower 
beds, all of which are kept scrupulously clean, and have been during the 
past summer heavily watered, which, as evidenced by the bright and 
robust condition of the plants, has had a most beneficial effect. The 
terrace beds are filled with tuberous and fibrous-rooted Begonias, 
Fuchsias, and Zonal Pelargoniums, all the varieties planted being 
conspicuous for their bright colours. The Begonias have not flowered so 
freely as is customary, the soil, which is of a very chalky nature, not 
having held enough moisture to insure the utmost floriferousness. 
There were, however, two strikingly notable exceptions to this, and they 
both belonged to the fibrous-rooted section ; one was B, Worthiana, and 
the other B. fioribunda rosea, the former being covered with its bright 
orange-coloured blossoms, and the latter forming a perfect mass of rosy 
pink. Down the centre walk from the garden entrance to the house 
beds and vases on each side look very bright, and at the end is a large 
circular fountain, round the back of which is a bright border containing 
Eucalyptus globulus (Blue Gum), Castor Oil Plants, Palma, Gannas, 
Nicotiana affinis. Marguerites, and Zonal Pelargonium John Gibbons. On 
each side of this fountain, partially hidden in the background of bushes, 
is a powerful electric light, with the reflectors fixed to shine directly on 
the centre ornament. The pedestals on which the vases are stood in 
the walk are made so that the lower portion swings back, and in each 
is found an electric light; this throws its light straight down the walk 
towards the fountain, and the effect thus produced when the lights are 
burning is, said Mr. Sanders, truly magnificent. The beds, vases, and 
fountains with their occupants are as clearly seen by this artificial 
light by night as they are by day under the natural rays of the sun. 
These vases are filled with Begonias and various other plants, amongst 
the best being those occupied by double white and pink Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums, which are flowering with exceptional freedom. 
We next visited the Italian garden, where a most emphatic change 
greets the eye. The centre is a lawn with one large centre bed, and the 
sides are of trellis, up which Ivy has been trained. Niches have been 
made in which statues are placed, and at the extreme end is a large 
summer house, over which Roses are being trained. The bed in the 
middle of this garden is a large one filled with Lilium longiflorum, 
L. tigrinum splendens,yellow Marguerites,and some excellent Fuchsias. 
This Italian garden is one of the most novel features of the estate, and 
for lovers of the uncommon certainly one of the most attractive. For 
my own part, however, I prefer the style so well portrayed in what is 
known as the German garden, where the beds are formed of large masses 
of a few different plants, planted in a manner which needs an inspection 
to be understood, as for me, at any rate, it is practically indescribable. 
Dark and light-foliaged Gannas are in this style of planting seen to 
advantage, as also are the Begonias, amongst which Acacia lophautha 
has been planted, Gentaurea Glementei, and Abutilons. The Indian 
garden represents an entirely different mode of planting, the pre¬ 
dominating features throughout being handsome Palms and Dracaenas 
of all sizes. These might be termed the background, but flowers of 
various sorts were used to form attractive beds and borders. A tent is 
erected in the Indian style in this garden, and forms an unusual feature 
in a flower garden, being furnished in a really luxurious manner. 
Stands are fixed in here, as in almost all the other structures on the 
estate in which flowers and plants may be placed, and these, it is 
needless to say are effective. An unique attraction on one of the 
lawns is a huge wicker basket filled with plants of different kinds. It 
is of immense size, measuring about 14 feet across and standing upwards 
of 5 feet high, the cross handle, of course, rising much higher than this. 
I was much struck with the beauty of this ornament, and have never 
before seen such a thing. The basket is lined with turves, grass side 
outwards, and in this is placed a casing, which carries the weight of the 
soil. The centre was bright with Lilium longiflorum and L. tigrinum 
splendens, grand Hydrangeas, Petunias, and Tropmolums, the latter 
being allowed to hang in festoons over the sides. The gardens surround¬ 
ing an ornamental lake, which has been formed mainly to provide 
skating during the winter months, are very charmingly laid out. 
Liliums and Zonal Pelargoniums are largely utilised here, as also are 
shrubs of various kinds and of all sizes. 
The kitchen and fruit gardens are also admirably kept, but the latter 
is completely overrun with wasps this season, and to such an extent do 
they carry their depredations that Mr. Sanders has found it absolutely 
necessary to have all the Pears gathered before they were nearly ripe, as 
they were all being rapidly destroyed. At the end of the garden runs 
an arm of the Grand Junction Ganal, and in the banks of this the wasps 
make their homes, which are unfortunately rather difficult of access for 
the men to destroy them. Gyanide of potassium is, however, being 
used with fatal effects to many hundreds of the pests daily. All the 
small fruits have been gathered, but the trees and bushes bear the 
unmistakeable stamp of being in good hands. A number of the Apple 
trees have been covered with hexagon netting to keep out the wasps, 
but if they are as precocious as those referred to by a Sussex corre¬ 
spondent at page 176 of your last issue this precaution will be of little 
use. All the best varieties of Apples are grown, and particularly notice¬ 
able were some trees of Oox’g Orange Pippin, King of the Pippins, and 
Wellington, which were carrying crops of magnificent fruits. Straw¬ 
berries are forced in very large numbers, and preparations are now in 
an advanced stage for supplying an abundance of fruits during the 
coming season. In the houses the same difficulty with the wasps has to 
be contended with, though not to quite such a large extent. Several 
vineries and Peach houses have been cleared of their fruit, as also have 
some Fig trees, for which there is a large demand. Notwithstanding 
the fruit that has been gathered, there is still abundance ripe and ripen¬ 
ing, more especially amongst the Grapes. 
The houses devoted to plants are completely filled with those suit¬ 
able for furnishing the mansion and summer houses, Galadiums, 
Grotons, Dracmnas, Anthuriums representing the largest stocks. 
Maidenhair Ferns are not largely grown in pots, though some are of 
course so cultivated, but the fronds when required are taken from the 
end wall of one of the vineries on which plants have been secured by 
the aid of a wire trellis. This, as will be readily admitted, besides 
supplying innumerable fronds, forms a most pleasing and at the same 
time novel appearance. Unfortunately my visit was too late for me to 
see the Souvenir de la Malmaison Garnations in their best condition, 
but some idea may be gained on referring to the illustration (fig. 29), 
which has been reproduced from a photograph, of the great beauty of 
the plants and the striking success of the mode of culture to which they 
are subjected. So grand are the plants and the few individual blooms 
which remained, that 1 asked Mr. Sanders to favour me with details of 
his mode of procedure, and he gives it as follows :— 
“ The house of Souvenir de la Malmaison Garnations in the photo¬ 
graph contains about 700 plants of the fleshy white and pink varieties, 
which, with the striped Lady Middleton, are the only three that can 
claim to be true types of that now popular flower. Their culture being 
generally well known by all who take an interest in Garnations, there is 
perhaps nothing new in our method of treating them. Layering, in 
preference to cuttings, is done in frames in July as soon as the plants 
are ready, shading them for a week or two until they commence to make 
fresh roots, when they are gradually hardened and exposed to the 
weather by removing the lights altogether. When well rooted the 
young plants are lifted and put in 48-size pots, using good loam, leaf 
mould, and sand. When well established in the soil they are again 
shifted into 32’s, a little well decayed manure being used this time and 
at all succeeding pottings. No more shifts are given them during 
November, December, and January, when growth is naturally slow and 
root extension is not required. Watering is at that period very care¬ 
fully done, and a dry atmosphere is maintained, with an even night 
temperature of 45° to 60°, and the plants being kept well up to the 
light. 
“ When the days begin to lengthen and the sun to regain its power 
the plants soon make new growth. Another potting is then given, 
which carries them through their flowering period, during which they 
are benefited by liberal treatment in the way of liquid manure water¬ 
ings, and an occasional application of Glay’s fertiliser. Soot, too, is an 
important factor in producing that deep leek-green foliage, indicating 
perfect health. One flower stem each is all to be expected the first 
flowering, but the plants are at the same time making side shoots close 
down to the soil. These shoots soon form a perfect cluster of growth, 
ensuring a good harvest of flowers the following year. After flowering, 
during which time shading is necessary, the plants are gradually 
exposed and stood outdoors for a week or two before being finally 
repotted, this time in 10 or 11-inch pots, to allow the soil to be 
worked well around the loosened balls with their mass of roots. The 
plants are shaded and syringed a little to establish them in their new 
quarters. They soon grow into good bushes, with from eight to sixteen 
strong growths, the earliest of which flower during the winter and early 
spring. A little higher temperature is given to the earliest plants, 55° 
at night, which materially assists the development of the flowers. The 
wealth of bloom is not looked for until May and June, when the same 
liberal treatment is resorted to until the plants have done flowering. 
The plants represented in the engraving are two years old. To have an 
abundance of flowers it is necessary to raise plants every year from the 
two-year-old plants after flowering, there being no advantage in keeping 
them longer, unless extra size specimens are required. They at no time 
want coddling, and like plenty of light and air on all favourable occa¬ 
sions, shading only after potting and when in flower. No plant repays the 
cultivator better for liberal treatment when the blooms are developing, 
and flowers 4, 5, and even 6 inches across are the result. 
“Like all other plants Garnations have their enemies, and a perpetual 
war is always raging to keep them under. Green fly is very persistent, 
and frequent fumigations are necessary to dislodge the pest. Red spider 
during hot dry weather is a still worse enemy ; dipping or syringing with 
insecticides being resorted to to clear the plants of them, or sickly yellow 
foliage soon follows. But worst of all is the brown fungi, which infests the 
plants during the winter, for which I know no absolute cure. We keep 
it under by continually going over the plants and rubbing it off with a 
dull pointed stick, using a mixture of water, softsoap, and sulphur, 
which kills the spores when dislodged. While there is really no cure, 
I believe there is a preventive, which lies in the management of the 
plants during late summer and autumn, growing them well exposed to 
