September S, 18£9 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
199 
gardener, occupied a distinctive place as callings ; there was, indeed) 
of older date a guild of gardeners. The members of it, however, 
were mostly gardeners to some nobleman or citizen, or else were 
amateurs. The law, too, of supply and demand made men reluctant 
to raise articles of a perishable nature the sale of which was 
doubtful, until the growing prosperity of the nation led many to 
seek articles previously regarded as luxuries. 
John Rea, who writes himself a gentleman (as every gardener 
is, or might be, and I was pleased to read some statistics lately 
showing how rarely gardeners are guilty of any crime), appears to 
have been one of the first professional gardeners. He published 
about 16G5 a folio book, now scarce, explanatory of the art of 
planning ornamental gardens and pleasure grounds. But the great 
man of this period was John Evelyn, of whom Switzer wrote, with 
all a young man’s enthusiasm for one who was old in the craft, that 
after the calamities of England were over “ he reanimated the spirit 
of his countrymen for the planting of woods, and made gardening 
speak proper English.” As a young man of twenty-four he travelled 
on the Continent while Charles I. was king, and in his journal he 
notes that he made careful examination of twenty-six gardens in 
France and Ttaly. From his observations there and elsewhere he 
was led to form theories which on his return to England he put 
into practice, and tried to persuade his countrymen to do likewise. 
While Cromwell was Protector Evelyn wrote his “ Gardener’s 
Calender,” an able work, though only a fragment of an encyclopaedia 
which he had planned but did not complete. But his grand perform¬ 
ance was the famous “ Sylva,” of interest to the gardener as well as 
to the forester. This was published in 1G64, and about 1000 copies 
sold in two years—a remarkable event. Evelyn was also able to 
state that, within a few years after its appearance many millions 
of trees were sown or planted as a result, and, as a minor conse¬ 
quence, more and better cider was made ; this subject being treated 
in “ Sylva.” Another book of his, which was somewhat significant, 
was his “ Fumifugium,” designed to show that the “ inconvenience of 
the air and the smoke of London ” might be removed. How gladly 
should we greet a modern Evelyn who would tell us a plan to 
deliver London from its murky fogs ! The scheme proposed in 
the reign of Charles II. was not a bad one for the time—viz., the 
removal of all factories or furnaces six miles out of London, and 
also the planting of groves and shrubberies in vacant spots. We 
are, however, working on his line in the movement by which 
hundreds of open spaces about the metropolis have been made 
bright with flowers and greenery during the last seven years. 
The estate attached to Sayes Court at Deptford, of 260 acres, 
gave Evelyn the opportunity of planting largely, and there, remarks 
Lord Guildford, he illustrated his book on trees, for he spared no 
pains to obtain every species attainable, both useful and orna¬ 
mental. English hedges, till then, had chiefly been made of Haw¬ 
thorn ; but the conduct of Czar Peter, to whom for a time Evelyn 
unwisely let his mansion, showed Evelyn that it would be an 
advantage to enclose gardens with hedges, through which barrows 
could not be wheeled, and he advised the use of Holly or Yew. 
One of his Holly hedges w r as long famous on account of its length, 
breadth, and from a mention of Phillyreas, in a MS. regarding 
damages done to plants at Sayes Court by the careless Czar, it may 
be concluded this species was one of Evelyn’s favourites. The 
arrangement of fruit trees upon walls, built circle within circle, 
was a new fashion followed by Evelyn and others, supposed to be 
advantageous then, now out of date ; but specimens of these walls 
remain. Pepys, in hi3 Diary, notes down in July, 1666, that he 
considered flowers were better grown in plots than in borders, 
because the latter are likely to be trod over by strollers along 
garden walks. He also notes what he had perhaps heard from 
Evelyn, that English garden walks were at that time unrivalled, 
even by France or Italy. 
Under date of June 10th, 1658, Evelyn records a visit to a 
garden in Westminster containing exotic plants, collected by one 
Morgan, a botanist. This is supposed to have been the establish¬ 
ment referred to in the early annals of the Apothecaries Company, 
as having given the start to their Physic Garden at Chelsea, which 
was the means subsequently of bringing to England a very large 
number of rare plants. Some of the best private gardens of this 
reign were on the north or east of London ; thus, on the way to 
Hampstead there was Belsize House, with groves and gardens, and 
a house containing fine Orange and Lemon trees, the seat of Lord 
Wootton. At Hackney a much-admired garden was owned by 
Lord Brooke, and Sir O. Cook had a garden there containing two 
greenhouses when Pepys went to the place, and he saw that the 
roof of one of these having been made a receptacle for water it 
gave way, being overweighted, destroying many of the plants. 
This little anecdote is interesting, as proving that the greenhouses 
of that time had neither glazed nor sloped roofs usually. Gourle 
was a well-known gardener at Hoxton, who was probably a raiser 
of varieties, for he produced a Nectarine, to which he gave the 
name of Elrouge, by transposing the letters of his own name. Then 
Loader, a maker of anchors, had in Greenwich an extensive garden, 
with terraces and an orangery. Inigo Jones, who had already 
distinguished himself in other ways, is said to have occupied his 
time during part of the reign of Charles II. in planning or execut¬ 
ing decorative garden buildings. This monarch made overtures to 
several French gardeners of distinction, and one of these—Le 
Notre, who had laid out Versailles and other celebrated gardens— 
came over to England. Under his direction Greenwich and 
St. James’s Parks were planted, and it is supposed that he may 
have helped to plan the gardens at Chatsworth and Ham House, 
possibly suggesting changes at Hampton Court, which were some¬ 
what altered about this time. One of the peculiarities of.the 
period was the occasional planting of lines of Reeds, placed in a 
narrow streamlet, to protect choice plants from high winds. 
—J. R. S. C. 
GLOXINIAS. 
The idea prevails with many that a strong heat is necessary for 
Gloxinias, and that their sole acceptable home is the stove. That 
may be so where large leaves are the object, but where the con¬ 
venience exists, and those in charge are not ambitious to excel in 
size of foliage, a fine display of flowers may be had in a late vinery 
during July, August, and September, provided the growths over¬ 
head are so thinly trained as to admit plenty of light. . In many 
instances the roots are brought on successively, and this is a useful 
practice as regards cutting ; but for decoration a plant here and 
there a yard apart is entirely lost ; they must be seen in a mass to 
be fully appreciated. The flowers being choice and exceptionally 
showy, a stage containing 100 or more plants in flower, relieved 
by several small elegant Palms, is a feast of colour not soon 
forgotten. 
Started in boxes in April they adapt themselves to circumstances 
quire comfortably, taking up little room, while the houses are 
filled with bedding plants, and when relief comes they are ready 
for potting and the space left vacant. Houses that would other¬ 
wise be empty or dull can thus be rendered brilliant and pleasing. 
It is useless, however, attempting to grow Gloxinias well, or, m 
fact, anything else, under Vines that are cultivated (?) on the go-as- 
you-please principle.—S. Y. 
THE FIRST SHOW OF THE SEASON. 
Chrysanthemum growers are already beginning to look with 
greater interest at their plants in preparation for the November ex¬ 
hibitions, and in the meantime the National Society’s Exhibition 
of early varieties, which takes place at the Westminster Aquarium on 
Wednesday and Thursday, September 11th and 12th, may be considered 
as the commencement of the Show season. Usetul as the early 
Chrysanthemums undoubtedly are, it cannot be expected that they will 
ever attain the popularity of the November varieties for Show purposes. 
Still they are well worth encouragement, and the classes provided 
for them form an agreeable feature. 
In the schedule issued by the Society named nine classes are 
devoted to the early Chrysanthemums, the prizes ranging from £5 to 5s. 
They are as follows Group of Chrysanthemums, any varieties, arranged 
in a space not exceeding 60 square feet, quality and general effect to 
be the leading features ; collection cut Chrysanthemums (any varieties 
and in bunches), quality and number of varieties to be the leading 
features ; twelve blooms, Madame C. Desgrange ; twelve blooms, any 
varieties except Madame C. Desgrange ; twelve Pompons, three flowers 
of each, to be shown in bunches with foliage ; six bunches Madame 
C. Desgrange, three blooms in each, with foliage ; six bunches any of 
the yellow varieties of Madame C. Desgrange, three blooms in each, 
with foliage ; six bunches any varieties except Madame C. Desgrange, 
three blooms in each, with foliage. Amateur class, for those who do not 
employ paid assistance of any kind in the culture of Chrysanthemums. 
_Twelve bunches Chrysanthemums (Pompons allowed), three blooms 
in each, with foliage, in addition to these sixteen classes are devoted 
to Dahlias in the different sections, and there is one for a collection of 
Gladioli spikes. _ 
A Conference of cultivators and others interested in the Chrysan¬ 
themum will be held on September 11th in conjunction with the 
Exhibition above named, and the programme prepared by the Sub- 
Committee appointed to carry out the arrangements includes a paper by 
Mr. W. Piercy of Forest Hill on “ Early Flowering Chrysanthemums, 
