132 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 13, 1891. 
since, however, it was proved to be hardy, and is now the occupant 
of many borders. It succeeds wherever the soil is not excessively 
heavy, cold, or waterlogged, but is also adapted for culture in pots. 
COMPTON YERNEY. 
Within the radius of a few miles of Warwick many noble English 
mansions are situated, and it would be difficult to find within a given 
area of any other town in the British Isles so many stately homes which 
are rendered memorable in history. In addition to the associations 
connected with them, some of the mansions around Warwick are also 
notable on account of the magnitude and grandeur of their architec¬ 
tural features, or by the delightful views and rural scenes that surround 
them. Although Compton Verney cannot boast of being so rich in 
historical associations as many other places in the district, it yields the 
palm to none in the beauty of its surroundings. In whatever direction 
we look features of great interest meet the eye. In some parts the 
flowing undulating surface of a distant scene rivets the attention ; in 
another a stately tree stands boldly out, while the glimpses of a lake 
beyond show that the whole is so skilfully laid out as to leave no trace 
of the point at which the natural finishes and the artificial begins. 
Compton Verney belongs to Lord Willoughby de Broke, but is now in 
the occupancy of E. Cassell, Esq. It is about eight miles from Warwick, 
and is reached by a pleasant drive aloDg good roads, bounded by fertile 
fields of corn and pastures, diversified by scattered hamlets, isolated 
farmsteads, and well wooded hills. The entrance to the park is through 
massive iron gates, from which the road is lined on one side by a long 
belt of large Elm trees. A sharp curve in the drive brings us in sight of 
the mansion, which is a well built and commodious structure, designed 
with an object of securing well proportioned and well lighted rooms, 
rather than the display of architectural adornments. The front entrance 
with its finely sculptured colonnade is, however, imposing and 
beautiful. 
The lawns and pleasure grounds are very extensive, and must entail 
much labour to keep so large an area of lawn in good condition. Near 
the south front of the mansion a great feature is the splendid clump of 
Lime trees, supposed to have been planted on the site of the old chapel. 
They now form a fine shady bower some BO yards long and nearly as 
much broad, the leafy canopy above quite shutting out the sunlight. 
Not far from this spot stand two remarkable Cedars of Lebanon, which 
must have been amongst the first examples planted in this country. 
One is 25 feet in girth near the ground line, and the other 18 feet, but 
unfortunately from that point they break into numerous large branches, 
but for all that they are grand trees. Another interesting feature at 
Compton Verney are the fine young Wellingtonias, which thrive re¬ 
markably well there. The largest tree near the mansion is about 45 feet 
high, but there are many more handsome specimens, an avenue being 
planted near the entrance to the pleasure grounds, every tree of which 
is doing wonderfully well. 
From every part of the grounds we catch glimpses of the beautiful 
lake which is so well designed and so naturally adapted to the surround¬ 
ings as to give it the appearance of a broad running river wending its 
way among tree3 and groups of shrubs, diverted from its course in some 
places by a bold and irregular sweep in the rising ground, then curving 
inwards for a distance, only to turn again till the farthest extremity 
sweeps gracefully round by a clump of trees. From a point opposite 
the front of the mansion while standing on a bridge which spans the 
lake at a narrow part a good view is obtained of the broadest part of 
the lake backed up on the further side by the fine group of Limes 
already mentioned, and the front entrance to the mansion partly in 
sight, while all along the water’s edge in large masses, small clumps, 
and irregular bands forming a continuous fringe. The golden yellow 
flowers of the Water Flag (Iris pseudo-acorus) sparkle in the sunlight 
as they rear their heads abive their own glaucous leaves. 
Following a narrow winding walk we come suddenly upon the 
flower garden, which is not extensive, but bright with the glow of 
summer bedding, the picture of neatness and good keeping, and in addi¬ 
tion commands one of the prettiest views of the lake, the lawn, and the 
Cedars. Beg’nias are effectively used here, some of the beds containing 
them being edged with Alyssum variegatum. Oa one bed in the centre, 
which is raised in tiers, the drooping flowers of the Begonias are shown 
to advantage, and just at the time of my visit the yellow Saxifrage with 
which they were carpeted was in full flower. Other beds were filled 
with scarlet Pelargoniums and Mrs. Pollock, the latter looking par¬ 
ticularly distinct. A small grotto on one side gives an air of coolness 
and repose, and the water in the centre p.oves a useful place for 
Nymphasas and Lilies. 
The kitchen garden and glass structures are situated on a sharp 
incline to the north-west of the mansion, and so steep is the ground 
that the upper part of the garden seems to be on a level with the roof of 
the mansion, and, as may be imagined, entails considerable labour. Cut 
flowers and plants for decorative purposes are largely in demand, and 
consequently the plant houses are filled with a fine stock of useful 
material for that purpose. Isolepis gracilis, Panicum variegatum, 
Eulalias, Curculigos, Acacias, Grevilleas, Palms, Dracaenas, and Ferns 
are all represented in numbers by healthy plants in various sized pots ; 
and in the centre of the stove a large plant of Strelitzia regina was 
thriving well. Another good-sized house was filled with a mixed collec¬ 
tion of Orchids, which have been obtained recently, and as the plants 
are standing close together at present Mr. Garner intends to devote a 
couple of houses to them shortly. The vineries are four in number, the 
earliest house being filled principally with Black Hamburghs. The Vines 
were young, and this being the first year of cropping, the fruit was cut as 
soon as possible to give the Vines a long season of rest. The other 
houses are filled with Black Hamburghs, Alicantes, Muscats, Madres- 
field Court, and Foster’s Seedling—a rather difficult mixture to manage 
successfully when grown together; but by extending some of the Vines 
and cutting out others Mr. Garner is gradually reducing the number of 
varieties in each house, so as to retain only those that are known to 
succeed together. One house it is intended to devote entirely to 
Alicante, and another to Black Hamburgh, Madresfield Court, and 
Foster’s Seedling—a trio which I know from experience do well together. 
A good type of Foster's Seedling is growing here, the berries beiDg of 
large size, and the bunches well shaped and fairly large. Many of the 
Alicantes were very good. Though the bunches were not particularly 
large they had that sturdy compact appearance which exhibitors so 
much admire, the berries being large, and even showing evidences of good 
thinning, and judging from their appearance seem likely to colour well. 
Tomatoes, which had been bearing a good crop for some weeks, had still 
a fine show of fruits, the variety being Earliest of All, of which 
Mr. Garner speaks very highly. 
Melons are largely and well grown. The remains of a good crop was 
represented by well netted, highly coloured fruits of Hero of Lockinge 
and the less attractive but highly flavoured Sutton’s Imperial Green 
Flesh, while in other houses were healthy plants to form a succession. 
A row of pits also contained a large number of plants, with fine crops 
of fruits, nearly full grown, which were netting beautifully. Sutton’s 
Triumph and the two varieties previously mentioned were the principal 
varieties here. A capital plan adopted in these pits is to train the plants 
to a trellis fixed about a foot from the soil, there is then little danger 
from damp, and the fruits resting on the trellis need no other support; 
and I was much pleased to find such excellent Melons here. A single 
hot-water pipe runs round these pits, which proves useful in cold, wet 
weather. 
The kitchen garden in which the vineries are situated is one in which 
the ornamental is combined with the useful, a wide herbaceous border 
running the length of it in front of the houses, and planted in such a 
way as to secure plenty of flowers for cutting purposes throughout the 
spring and summer. The whole of the garden was well and closely 
cropped with such vegetables as are in constant demand, but some 
exceptionally fine rows of Peas deserve special mention, the variety 
being St. Duthus, which is an improvement upon Stratagem, and is even 
more prolific than that fine varietv, the pods also being larger, and, all 
points considered, it would be difficult to surpass for general use. 
Excellent Chrysanthemums in pots were growing near here, a 
portion of them being set apart for the production of large blooms, 
the others being grown in bush form. All were looking well. I had 
almost forgotten to notice the contents of the old conservatory, which is 
now used for growing Camellias and large Palms. The former showed 
by their green shining foliage that they were well cared for, and the 
Palms were in good condition, among them being handsome specimens 
of Phoenix rupicola and P. reclinata. Before concluding these notes, I 
must, on behalf of myself and a friend, tender our hearty thanks to 
Mr. Garner for his attention.—H. D. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
August 5th, 1891. 
The Floral Committee met at Chiswick on the above date. Present— 
W. Marshall, E^q., in the chair; Messrs. Dean, May, Paul, Furze, 
Herb3t, Leach, Jefferies, Gordon, Watson, Fraser, Goldring, Noble, 
Baines, and Phippen. The Committee examined the collections of 
Carnations, Violas, Pansies, Fuchsias, &c., growing in the gardens, when 
the following awards were made :—■ 
Three Marlin. 
Carnations. —White Queen (Fisher, Son, & Sibray) white self. 
Snowdrift (Fisher, Son, & Sibray) white self. 
Edith (Fisher, Son, & Sibray) pale pink, spotted scarlet. 
Penelope (Hooper) white self. 
Dante (Hooper) rose flaked. 
Maggie Laurie (Dicksons & Co ) delicate blush self. 
Guiding Star (Ware) scarlet self. 
Rowena (Dean) bright scarlet. 
The Moor (Dean) dark crimson. 
Mrs. Reynolds Hole (Veitch) terra cotta. 
Alice Ayres (Veitch) white, rose edge. 
Achilles (Novelty Seed Company) deep red streaked. 
Hoffgartner Schaffner (Benary) scarlet striped. 
Albrecht Duesser (Benary) deep rose, crimson flake. 
Madame Van Houtte (Benary) yellow ground. 
Professor Virchow (Benary) rose flaked. 
Dan Godfrey (Turner) scarlet flake. 
Agnes Chambers (Turner) yellow ground, lilac edge. 
No. 97 (Douglas) yellow, faintly striped. 
No. 62 (Paul & Son) crimson flaked. 
Grandiflora (Veitch) deep rose. 
Picotees. —Margaret Rueder (Benary 
Redbraes (Benary). 
Romeo (Paul & Son). 
Mr. Rudd (Turner). 
Favourite (Turner). 
Mary (Turner). 
