THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 29. 
144 
Esq., took the next prize for Strawberries, and there 
were six or seven more prizes given for them. The 
British Queen, from Mr. McEwen, were particularly 
good. Mr. Busby, gardener to J. Crawley, Esq., 
took the best prize for Brown Turkey Figs; and Mr. 
Feming for the best Melon—his own Trentham Seed¬ 
ling. Mr. Robertson, gardener to Lady Emily Foley, 
had the second best prize for Melons. A dish of beau¬ 
tiful Lemons, grown in the open air, by Mr. Lockyer, 
Prince’s-square, Plymouth, had a prize; and also some 
very long, good-looking Cucumbers, called the Himalaya, 
from Mr. Roser, gardener to J. Bradbury, Esq., of 
Streatham. D. Beaton. 
GLIMPSES AT GARDENS. 
WHITTLE BURY. 
Tuts interesting residence of the Earl of Southampton 
is within a few miles of Towcester, and not so far from 
either the Buckingham or Blisworth Railway Stations 
as ought to cool down the professional enthusiasm of a 
young pedestrian gardener. For several years 1 have 
been anxious to see the place, and more especially when 
Mr. Tillyard made many of the gardening world hold 
up their hands in wonder at the detail, by others, of the 
splendid masses ot the dwarf Dahlia, Belinda, harmoni¬ 
ously blended and contrasted with other beds equally 
beautiful. These gardens have lately come under the 
management of our old friend, Mr. Ayres, and though 
the fevv minutes I was enabled to spend upon the place 
I would preclude anything like a description, a few glances 
at some ol the salient points might induce many to 
visit it in the height of its beauty, as I mean to do some¬ 
time myself; and more especially, as 1 understand that 
the noble Earl has kindly resolved to open the gardens 
once a week, during the season (Fridays, 1 believe), and 
every day during the earlier months of summer. Although, 
in the forcing-houses, pits, and greenhouses, there seemed 
to be a vast quantity of bedding material, yet, on seeing 
the vast size ot the beds, and the number of them, 1 
was forced to couclude, with Mr. Ayres, that annuals 
must be partly employed for groups during the present 
season, so that a second summer will be wanted to see 
the beds filled with the very best bedding-plants. 
I have incidentally alluded to one of the characteristics 
of the place;—the very large flower-beds on grass in 
front ol the mansion;—and the other characteristics are 
chiefly two—the great variety of scene produced on a 
comparatively small piece of ground; and the extreme 
simplicity ot the means employed, these consisting 
chiefly, it not next to entirely, of broad hedges, masses 
and banks of the common and the Portugal Laurels. 
These, in most places, seem to be regularly cut and 
pruned, thus presenting at once a strongly-marked out¬ 
line ol the artistic gardenesque, instead of what may be 
deemed the more natural picturesque. 
In traversing the main walks, and noticing side 
avenues, with walks of velvet turf, between these "laurel 
banks, the small borders at their base covered with Lilies 
of the Valley, Winter Aconites, and other spring bulbs— 
I could not help wishing that the shears and the knife 
had performed their work less regularly, so has to leave, 
here and there, some out-jutting spray; but then I 
reflected that such a departure from rule might interfere 
with the unity of expression it was desirous to maintain 
throughout, a subject which it is no easy thing to make 
matter ol compromise. There can be no question, that 
allowing these lines of evergreen a little more of their 
own way would greatly reduce the necessary labour, but 
then one ot the defined features of the place would be 
lost; and, seeing the great similarity that is moulding 
our gardens, I would much prefer that Whittlebury 
should stand out as a bold exception to what generally 
prevails, and from whence ideas might be gleaned for 
giving seeming amplitude of dimensions upon a com¬ 
paratively limited space of ground. 
it will often be found that such an artistic stylo will 
be most satisfactory when—owing to there being nothing 
attractive in the external scenery, or for the gratification 
of the feelings of quiet seclusion, or for the indulging 
of the somewhat morbid “ monarch of all I survey ” 
principle—there is little seen beyond the garden 
demesne. With all the variety and extent of mental 
powers, few men, or women either, can grasp and enjoy 
more than one set of ideas at the same time; and though 
contrasts, if not too violent, are ever pleasant, and variety 
seems indispensable to our enjoyment, still, when the 
purely artistic and the naturally picturesque in gar¬ 
dening are introduced in the same place, they should 
succeed ea,ch other rather than be mingled. I do not 
recollect one view from the grounds or main walks at 
Whittlebury that broke in upon the one feeling of unity 
of idea and of expression. The beauty and interest of 
such a place, therefore, if it is to maintain its unique 
character, will greatly depend upon the yearly cost and 
labour of high finished keeping—a fact of no little im¬ 
port to those who otherwise might feel disposed to adopt 
the artistic style—without a due consideration of the 
cost of maintaining it in efficiency. 
The flower-garden to which I have alluded, with beds 
so large as to be measured by yards and poles, instead 
of feet and inches—contrasting so strangely with the 
general gimorackery and gimtracery Lilliputs that are 
getting all the fashion—are placed on grass on the 
south-east side of the mansion. The mansion itself has 
a large out-jutting wing on the south-west side, as far as 
I recollect, terminating with a neat conservatory. A 
gravel-walk surrounds this lawn garden, and is bounded 
all round by a bank of Laurels. In frout of these 
Laurels is a broad border of Rhododendrons, and other 
shrubs, that must be beautiful in this season. This 
border is also well stocked with Hollyhocks; and I under¬ 
stood these were all of one colour—rose, I believe. 
Although the beds might be altered in shape and 
slightly reduced in size—thus widening the turf spaces 
—the changing any of them for the Lilliput form 
would, I think, not only destroy the distinctive feature, 
but lessen and dwindle down the massiveness of their 
beauty. Such beds are peculiarly fitted for having 
broad margins of complementary colours to the chief 
colours of the beds, and these beds again contrasting 
with each other; and though I have never seen such 
beds iti their beauty, I could easily fancy their splendour 
in full bloom, in a fine sunny day, with such a mass of 
green as a background, to throw back and reflect the 
colours. The storing plants, so as to fill such beds 
effectively, will give full play to the reflective and 
scheming faculties. Pity the luckless wight, who can 
get no farther than the good old lesson, “ Put everything 
in its proper place ; and keep every place for its allotted 
thing.’’ Let this bedding system go on, and woe betide 
him who cannot make one place the habitation and the 
home, for a time, of many a different thing. 
Though I, for one, would be sorry, in such a place, 
to see or hear of such massive beds being cut up into 
groups of smaller size, a little change might be intro¬ 
duced with advantage, or, at least, might become matter 
for consideration. Standing on the east side of the 
conservatory, as far as I recollect, with the width of the 
lawn, which is here much the same as the width of the 
main part of the mansion, separating you from it, is a 
broad, straight gravel-walk, backed by evergreens, and 
apparently terminating in a grotto at the farther ex¬ 
tremity. Now, there is no apparent means of getting 
along to this wall and grotto excepting rounding the 
lawn, by one end or the other, or walking straight 
