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October 30. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION. 
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otten see them when they are kept dry iu cellars, without 
any earth, or provision for keeping the roots plump and 
fresh. ^ The whole of the idea is founded on Harry 
Moore’s system ot having them in the same pots from 
year to year. My Ladij Caroline Geranium is now, 
perhaps, the oldest pot-plant Geranium iu the kingdom, 
and it is now iu a less pot than it occupied seven years 
since. We must never lose sight of this great fact, that 
if you stint a young Geranium, you may as well stint 
your soldiers, and expect them to beat the Russians. It 
is as natural for young Geraniums and most young 
plants to I'eguire good feeding as it is to young animals; 
but when plants get to be ot full age, it is surprising 
with how little they can be kept in perfect health; as 
any one may learn by a visit to the Kew Gardens, where 
some woody plants, which are very difficult to keep for 
the first seven years from tlie seed, may be seen in the 
utmost health, after being twenty and tl)irty years, and 
upwards, iu less j)ots than they were in many years ago; 
so that there is, now, no question at all as to the fact; 
the only question is, are we willing to take advantage 
of it? ^ 
I cannot help thinking, that after the brilliant display 
along the terrace-walks and the fountain-basins at the 
Crystal Palace, people will get more into the way of 
having such things at home in their own gardens. Rut 
all cannot have marble vases; no, nor compo vases 
either; but painted, or even coloured, pots will do just 
as well; and although young plants do better in vases, 
old ones, to a certainty, do better in pots and tubs. Why, 
there are some 'I'oni 'Thumbs at Bank Grove, near 
Kingston here, the seat of W. Byam Martin, Esq., 
which require the united strength of four or six men to 
lift one plant of them on a barrow. Two of such 
plants, near the entrance to a house, or garden, or 
summer-house, would tell more to a stranger’s eye than 
the two best beds of them at the Crystal Palace. There¬ 
fore and altogether, any means by which the great bulk 
of our people could manage to get once into a good 
stock of such old plants, is well worth trying for. Let 
any one, therefore, choose any method he may think 
best to attain this end; so it be a cheap and sure one, it 
matters not how he sets about it. My plan, or, rather, 
this experiment, is now before you; and, at present, it 
appears to me to be one of the easiest and the simplest. 
LADY PLYMOUTH GERANIUM, 
Or the variegated form of Pelargonium Suaveolens, alias 
Rose-scented Oeranium. I met with another variety of 
this bedder in Mr. Walton’s garden, and I think I have 
seen it once before; at all events, it is four times stronger, 
and ten times better, for edgings, than the dwarf one 
which is generally sold about London. There is not 
a flower worth looking at in the same section to which 
this belongs. The green-leaved sorts are kept for the 
scent, and the variegated for little beds and low edgings. 
There is nothing new about this variety, only that it is 
not in general use, and the worth of it lies in its mode 
of growth, which is spreading, and the plant is so much 
stronger than the more common one. I also met with 
the two kinds of Pinh Ivy-leaf Geranium, the climber 
and bedder. They rather like the climbing one, as 
single plants in mixed borders; and I was told it flow¬ 
ered very well that way with them this summer; but I 
should think a rock-work, or a wall, was a proper place 
for it out-ofdoors But T have received such true and 
particular accounts of it, as a conservatory or green¬ 
house climber, that I have no desire to see it much in 
the pleasure-grounds. Still it might look even better 
than the Ivy-leaf, to hang round dark brown rustic 
baskets, and other naked wood-work of that kind. The 
white Ivydeaf seems to want Ivy, or a moss of some 
dark green, to bring its ofteot properly, 
CROCUSES, 
^I have just planted out a row of them thus Queen 
Victoria, the best ]nire white; Ke plus idtra, the best 
blue, and with ligijt points; Sir Walter Scott, iha best 
' white with lilac bands and feathered marking; and 
Jjurye Dutch Yellow, the best of the colour. The latter 
i cost Is. (id. the 100, and the other 2s. per 100, at Air, 
Jacksons. Everybody ought to have the Queen and 
Sir Walter. u. Be.vxox. 
THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE’S VILLA AT 
CHISWICK. 
I HAVE lived in the neighbourhood of I_,ondon well 
on to twenty years, and have visited most of the re¬ 
markable gardens round about it, and have, indeed, 
seen this beautiful place once or twice on Exhibition 
days in the Horticultural Society’s Garden, when the 
noble duke threw open the grounds in July to every 
visitor on that day. On those occasions, I saw the range 
ol hothouses, and the beautiful flower-garden in front, 
but not all the grounds. Very lately, however, I had 
that pleasure, and was rather astonished and right well 
pieced with my visit. I consider the place well worth 
seeing. It contains many interesting objects, as my 
note-book testifies. 
ihe place is so secluded from public view, and Air. 
Edmonds, the gardener, is such an unassuming man, 
that the garden-visiting public are really unaware what a 
treat the sight of these gardens and pleasure-grounds 
afford. Alany thousands, no doubt, saw them on the 
day above alluded to ; but, I apprehend, like myself, 
those were too busy days, and the time allowed much 
too short, to see and note all the remarkable and beauti¬ 
ful objects the place contains. These objects I shall 
endeavour to describe, in order that our readers (at least 
that part of them who have not seen with their own 
eyes) may know what a beautiful place the Duke’s villa 
is. I am not aware that it has a name, though there are 
many places in the country not nearly so extensive as 
this nameless villa that have high-sounding titles. 
It is, as is well known, situated close to the celebrated 
Chiswick garxlens ; consequently, about six miles from 
town. The carriage road to it is called the Duke’s AA^alk, 
open constantly to pedestrians. It is about a quarter-of- 
a-mile long, bordered on each side by an avenue of Lime 
trees, at the end of winch we arrive at what are termed 
the Golden Gates. They arc very handsome and pro¬ 
fusely gilded. A very civil porter opened the gates to 
admit me, and kindly directed me to Air. Edmonds’ 
house. The carriage drive inside is spacious, and 
bounded on each side by lofty trees. There is a foot-path 
j on the side next the gardens, with a lofty Hornbeam 
I hedge on the other side. The branches of the trees 
I meet the hedge trees, and form a beautiful, shady vista, 
very pleasant in hot weather. About half way down 
this avenue there is an opening through it into the 
gardens. As these were what I wanted to see, I turned 
out of the shady walk. I soon met with Mr. Edmonds, 
1 and he very kindly shewed me every thing worth seeing. 
; In general, gardeners are kind to each other, though the 
I rule, like all other rules, is not without exception. 
I Happily, it was not the case here. No gardener i ever 
i met with in all my travels was more courteous. 
The road we took brought us to the front of the 
long range of hothouses, 330 feet long. The centre 
] is a greenhouse, with a small stove for exotics at each 
j end. The centre ot the greenhouse has a circailar jn’o- 
jectiqu. All the houses were undergoing a thorough 
repair ; the old-fashioned small glass had been taken out, 
and loug squares of the best glass put in. ’The garden, 
consequently, was crowded with strange workmen, such 
I as carpenters, bricklayers, glaziers, painters, and white- 
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