91 
JOURNAL OF H0RTICUL1 URE AND COTTAGE GARDE A ER. 
[ July 30, 1885. 
Nurseries. They were of oblong form, and of a rich purple plum-like 
colour, similar to those of A. Webbiana, but smaller. The tree in question 
is one of the handsomest and hardiest of its class, and grows rapidly. 
BooJcs Beceioei .—Various donations were acknowledged for the library. 
The meetings of the Committee were then adjourned till November 10th. 
A RECTORY GARDEN. 
Gardens which have become famous, and consequently special objects 
of attraction, exist in large numbers in all parts of the kingdom. It is 
not, however, in these alone that noteworthy examples of high-class 
gardening are to be seen, but oftener in some quiet country garden away 
from towns, new ideas and methods of culture are quietly being worked 
out. It is about an interesting garden of the latter class that I now give a 
few descriptive notes. Kent has been justly termed the Garden of 
England, and it was to one of its southern points that I received an invi¬ 
tation a few weeks ago to visit Canon Hodgson’s charming gardens at 
Saltwood Rectory near Hythe. The journey by rail from town occupies 
about a couple of hours, pasdng through the most interesting and fertile 
districts of the country, in which Hop gardens and fruit orchards form a 
special feature. The traveller has to change carriages at Westenhanger 
station, which is only about three miles from Saltwood, and if he enjoys 
a walk and can admire beautiful scenery, it is best to perform the 
journey on foot. If not, then a few minutes by rail through huge cuttings, 
each side of which is clothe! with most charming variety of wild plants, 
Gorse, and Broom in flower, here an opening revealing the most lovely 
landscape, and finally a gradual and increasing glimpse of the Channel, 
with Dungeness Point in the distance, and Hythe is reached, one of the 
most rural of seaside resorts, with its conspicuous Martello towers along 
its beach nestling at the foot of an amphitheatre of hills. 
The village of Saltwood is within ten minutes’ walk of Hythe station, 
and is one of those quaint rural spots which has escaped the greedy hand 
of modern builders. Quaint old-fashioned cottages, with their sides and 
ends covered with Roses and other climbers ; forecourt gardens of charm¬ 
ing Snapdragons, Lilies, and other good old-fashioned plants ; trees laden 
with promising crops of fruit and large plots of useful vegetables ; ruddy 
faces of the apparently healthy occupiers suggest the happy contentment 
and condition of a rural life. The Rectory house and the church are 
situated within close distance of each other. Judging from the outward 
appearance of the latter it certainly bears the stamp of honoured age, and 
is a good type of the old village church. The Rectory house is one of 
the old-fashioned, commodious, and substantially built type usually met 
with in villages. 
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
Surrounded, then, as Canon Hodgson is by Nature in all her simple 
beauty, can it be wondered at that he possesses such a passionate love for 
gardening ? But the reverend Canon is, to use a common phrase, a born 
gardener, having from a youth been an enthusiastic cultivator and ex¬ 
hibitor of Pansies, Gladiolus, and Roses. Nor is he less successful in 
other branches of gardening ; fruit, especially Pears, Strawberries, and 
Raspberries, and vegetables are well looked after here. The Pear trees, 
both cordon and pyramid, were fine healthy trees, and the whole of the 
cordons were carrying fine crops of fruit. Particularly worthy of note were 
Beurrd Ranee, Marie Benoist, Beurrfj Superfin, Olivier de Serres, Pitmas- 
ton Duchess, usually a shy bearer but succeeds well here, Mardchal de 
Cour, Princess Marie Louise d’Uccle, Doyenne du Comice, and a number 
of others. A few good sized bush trees of the serviceable Catillac were 
carrying heavy crops. Promising trees ot such capital sorts of Apples as 
Stirling Castle, Ecklinville Seedling, Warner’s King, Lane’s Prince Albert, 
Golden Noble, Sandringham, The Queen, Worcester Pearmain, and 
Sturmer’s Pippin augured well for a good crop. In the same vegetable 
gaiden as the foregoing fruit trees were growing were some capital rows 
of Harrison’s Eclipse Pea, a first-rate early and prolific variety. 
HARDY PLANTS. 
On each side of the central walk were borders full of such showy 
herbaceous plants as Leucanthemum maximum, Campanula persicifolia 
alba, snow white masses of the lovely Iberis gibraltarica, Pinks, and a 
large quantity of the best strain of Brompton Stocks we have seen for 
some time. It is only just to say that the seed of the latter was supplied 
by Messrs. Veitch & Sons. A good-sized plant of the comparatively rare 
Rosa rugosa alba is worthy of note as being a capital companion to its 
congener R. rugosa, and growing against the south wall were vigorous 
young tree3 of Marie Yan Houtte and other Tea Roses laden with 
lovely blooms. 
PELARGONIUMS. 
At the lower end of this wall stands a substantially built vineryi 
which, however, has to do duty as a greenhouse too, as the glass erections 
are not extensive. Notwithstanding the fact that plants are grown 
largely in this house, the Vines were carrying a first-rate crop of Black 
Hamburgh Grapes. The Vines were comparatively young, but owing to 
generous treatment both stems and foliage were remarkably robust and 
large—a credit to the Canon and his able gardener, Mr. Shoesmith. 
Among the many specialities grown there so successfully is the Zonal type 
of Pelargoniums. All the best, newest, and most striking in colours find 
a home in this garden. The front stage of the vinery just mentioned 
was filled with such capital sorts as Mrs. Lord, a fine glowing 
crimson; Aglaia, intense crimson, large pips; Lord Mayo, a well-formed 
double pink ; Lady Reed, white, with salmon eye; Sophie Birkin, a good 
variety of the oculated type ; Sunbeam, brilliant crimson ; Queen of the 
Belgians, a first-rate silver white ; Edith Little, a very effective variety, 
white, with a shade of plum colour ; Metis, rich scarlet, individual blooms 
very fine and truss large ; Paul Charbonnier, a very fine double scarlet; 
Le Cygne, double white ; Constance, single pink; and Goldon Glory, a 
very rich crimson. The foregoing list is only an enumeration of the most 
striking varieties that were so conspicuously in flower at the time of our 
visit. Named varieties of Gloxinias are also a feature here, many of 
which were in flower. The Duchess of Connaught is a beautiful variety, 
with crimson-and-white blooms. This variety is considered to be iden¬ 
tical with another so-called variety, sent out under the name of Duchess 
of Edinburgh ; Mrs. Bause, white and pink ; Lord Derby, purplish blue ; 
Lady Brookes, white and violet; Lady Musgrave, red; and Nydia, purple, 
being also noteworthy varieties. 
PANSIES AND ROSES. 
Situated within a short distance of the latter garden is another vege' 
table, fruit, and Rose garden combined. There even the most unpractised 
eye could discover the trace of a master hand in the cultivation of it 3 
contents. This garden is in a capital situation, sloping well to the south 
with a deep, rich, and alluvial loamy soil. The first thing to arrest atten¬ 
tion is a large bed of the best varieties of Pansies. Canon Hodgson is a 
great admirer of these chaste and lovely flowers. We can only note a 
few of the most striking varieties in passing, among which Lord Beacons- 
field, yellow, with rich velvety centre ; Miss Bury, centre white, with an 
outer band of purple; Danger, a fine rich purple self; James Morgan, 
popularly called the Wallflower-coloured; Evelyn Bruce, Buttercup, Mrs. 
Taylor, and Mrs. Llewelyn, one of the new yellow bedding type, are 
deserving of special note. 
Now we come to the plantations of Roses—standard and dwarf 
Hybrid Perpetuals. About 150 are grown on standards and the same 
quantity as dwarfs, and on these robust, healthy, and clean trees and 
bushes are grown the many fine examples of blooms which have been so 
successfully exhibited at the various horticultural shows. Nearly all the 
so-called “ mifl’y ” varieties succeed well, the excellent soil and deep 
cultivation practised, and the bracing healthy air, thoroughly indi¬ 
cating by the texture of foliage and robustness of growth that Roses find 
a congenial home there. We must not forget to mention how well that 
charming, but usually somewhat difficult to manage Rose, A. K. Williams, 
succeeds here. Mr. Shoesmith informing us that he experiences no 
trouble in growing and flowering it successfully under the same treat¬ 
ment as the others. Mr. Shoesmith is a firm believer in close pruning, and 
the plants certainly testify that his practice is sound. Heavy mulchings 
of manure are spread over the ground so occupied by the Roses, which is 
an excellent preventive of excessive evaporation. 
Perhaps the most interesting feature of all to those who admire Tea 
Roses, and can appreciate a feast of their exquisite, sweet, and delicately 
coloured blossom during the early days of June, is the collection growing 
against a wooden fence, 4 feet high, and upwards of 100 yards long, at 
the south bottom of this garden. This fence was originally occupied by 
low-trained Plum trees, but as might have been expected, the latter was 
unsatisfactory. Canon Hodgson, wishing to grow Tea Roses, consulted 
his present gardener a year or two ago, and the latter hit upon the idea of 
utilising this fence. The ground was accordingly heavily manured and 
deeply trenched to the width of 4 feet, and in this the best varieties of Teas 
were planted. To guard against the north winds, a simple but efficient 
protection is used in the shape of wooden sheep hurdles, placed at a 
distance of 4 feet from the fence, between the bars of which branches of 
Gorse and Broom are interwoven. Here the young trees found a con¬ 
genial home, and soon repaid both owner and gardener for the expense 
and trouble bestowed on them. So well did they succeed last year, that 
blooms shown at Canterbury won the bronze medal of the National 
Society. As a guide to others who may wish to adopt a similar plan, I 
give the names of the sorts that succeed the best here. The following 
were specially noticeable on account of size, form, depth, and purity of 
colour—Hon. Edith Giffard, Anna Ollivier, Etoile de Lyon, Catherine 
Mermet, Marie Van Houtte, J.Ducher, Perle desJardins, Madame Lambard, 
Souvenir d’Elise, Souvenir d’un Ami, Inocente Pirola, Comtesse de 
Nadaillac, Franscisca Kruger, a new and but little-known Tea Rose in 
English gardens, and Princess of Wales, one of Bernett’s Pedigree varieties. 
With such sterling novelties as these, Canon Hodgson will probably be 
well to the front at the exhibition table this season. 
AN EXAMPLE OF TRENCHING. 
Much discussion has been going on in the Journal latterly about th e 
value of deep trenching, and if an example of its value were needed I 
could certainly point to one instance of success, and that in the vegetable 
gardens here. I was astonished to see such fine plantations of Strawberries, 
Raspberries, and other vegetable crops. A plantation of President Straw¬ 
berry, one year old, was marvellously vigorous, each individual plant 
measuring 2 feet in diameter. Not less worthy of note was another 
plantation of Dr. Hogg, the fruit last season averaging fourteen to the 
pound. Nor is this extraordinary vigour maintained at the expense of a 
good crop of fruit, as the crowns were bristling with buds and young 
fruit. Strawberries are special favourites with Canon Hodgson, hence 
one is not surprised to find good examples of such new varieties as Laxton’s 
Captain and King of the Earlies amongst his collection. So much does 
the Canon enjoy this luscious fruit, that it is no uncommon thing to 
see bim amongst his Strawberry beds at four o’clock in the morning. 
A peep into a frame ground close by reveals a capital batch of sturdy 
Chrysanthemums which promise to yield blooms, which, if slightly in 
advance of those shown by Mr. Shoesmith at the Aquarium last autumn, 
will not be far behind others this year. He is only a tyro in growing 
