THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, July 7, 1857. 211 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
JULY 7—13, 1857. 
Weather ni 
Barometer. 
iar London in 
i 
Thermo . 1 Wind. 
| 
1856. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day ol 
Year. 
7 
Tu 
Trailing Rosebay (Azalea). 
29-769-29-342 
62—44 
S.W. 
25 
54 a. 3 
15 a. 8 
rises. 
© 
4 
33 
188 
8 
W 
Bell-flowers (Campanula). 
29.682-29-308 
48—39 
N.W. 
48 
55 
15 
9 a41 
17 
4 
43 
189 
9 
Tn 
Rampion (TPhyteuma). 
29.851—29.745 
64—3 7 
N.W. 
01 
56 
14 
9 59 
18 
4 
52 
190 
10 
F 
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia). 
29 . 926 — 299 IO 
74-50 
JN.W, 
57 
13 
10 15 
19 
5 
0 
191 
11 
S 
Mullein (Verbascum). 
29-906—29.848 
73—56 
S.W. 
02 
58 
13 
10 28 
20 
5 
9 
192 
12 
Sun 
5 Sunday after Trinity. 
29-874—29.790 
70—42 
S.W. 
01 
59 
12 
10 40 
21 
5 
16 
193 
13 
M 
Thorn-apple (Datura). 
29-898-29.871 
73—52 
S.W. 
IV 
11 
10 52 
22 
5 
24 
194 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 74.7°, and 51.6°, respectively. The greatest heat, 95°, occurred on the 6 th, in 1852 ; and the lowest cold, 38 
on the 10 th, in 1851. During the period 113 days were fine, and on 83 rain fell. 
PARK PLACE, FRODSHAM, CHESHIRE. 
THE SEAT OF JOSEPH STUBBS, ESQ. 
During the time I was taking the report of the 
Manchester Floral Exhibition I met with the above- 
named gentleman, and he very kindly invited me to go 
down with him to his house, and see the improvements 
he was effecting in his garden and pleasure grounds. 
It always affords me and my fellow coadjutors in 
The Cottage Gardener great pleasure to observe im¬ 
provements in any gardens, and to take note of such 
improvements. 
I have already given a small report of the gardens at 
Park Place, but there are now a few further points that 
I think worthy of being known. 
Mr. Stubbs is quite an amateur in Rose growing. His 
gardens are situated at the foot of some lofty hills, and 
the soil is rather good naturally, but has been greatly 
improved by trenching and additions of good loam and 
manure. The kitchen garden is sunk at least three feet, 
and the borders surrounding that portion of the ground 
are planted with Roses chiefly on their own roots. To pre¬ 
vent the soil from being washed down into the walk at the 
foot of the border they are covered with unhewn rock- 
stones, projecting from four to six inches out of the 
soil. At regular intervals spaces are left, in which the 
Roses are planted. There are three rows of these dwarf 
Roses. Now, the stones keep the soil moist, or at least 
prevent it from drying, and the consequence is, they 
thrive exceedingly well. I never saw Roses, even in the 
most favoured part of that Rose-growing county, Hert¬ 
fordshire, so healthy on their own roots as on these 
stone-covered banks. Whoever has a naked bank, and 
wishes to clothe it with interesting and beautiful flowers, 
cannot do better than imitate those that I saw at 
Park Place. A north bank was covered with stones in a 
similar manner, and was planted in the interstices with 
that beautiful shrub, the Cotoneaster microphylla ; aud 
most beautifully the plants are thriving. At one end, 
where steps lead the visitor down to the kitchen garden, 
Violets are planted on the bank, and more healthy 
plants no one need wish to see. The beds in the 
pleasure ground in front of the mansion are judiciously 
planted with the choicest flowering shrubs. Rhodo¬ 
dendrons were thriving and flowering in great perfec¬ 
tion. I was much pleased with a large bed of the 
Chinese Paeonies on the lawn. They were full of buds, 
and must, when in flower, have a fine appearance. Long 
as these plants have been introduced to our gardens, 
they are not half so much cultivated as they deserve. 
Their flowers are large and showy, and most of them 
are as fragrant as a Rose. Their foliage, too, is very 
handsome, and their culture is as easy as a Cabbage. 
All that they require is a deep, well-manured soil, and a 
good mulching of dung annually. So managed, they 
will last many years without any care excepting that of 
keeping them clear of weeds. 
Another class of plants, the Ghent Azaleas, are success¬ 
fully cultivated here on the lawn. A large bed of them 
by themselves was in full flower, and was very showy. 
These are grown in heath mould, with a thin covering 
of fresh mould, enriched with decayed leaves annually. 
The Weigela rosea is cultivated here in considerable 
numbers, and they were covered with their beautiful, rosy, 
Apple-like blossoms. I observed numbers of them planted 
under trees, where they thrive as well as any shrub I 
ever noticed. The new shrub Berberis Danvinii proves 
perfectly hardy in Cheshire. I saw several fine plants 
that had just gone out of bloom, and Mr. Cunnah, the 
gardener, assured me the blooms have been perfect and 
beautiful. This is a fact worth recording, as many cul¬ 
tivators doubt its being quite hardy. 
In a mixed flower border I observed several plants of 
the true Lilium Japonicum flourishing well, and showing 
their noble pendulous blossoms. In the same border I 
noticed the Lilium superbum , a Lily that is by no means 
common. 
Straggling flowering shrubs, such as Jasminum nudi- 
jlorum, Pyrus Japonicci, Forsythia viridissima, various 
kinds of Honeysuckles, and some Spiraeas are here 
rendered sightly objects by being tied to strong pillars. 
These pillar shrubs are planted amongst the other 
shrubs, and by their height and peculiar appearance 
break the level line of the shrubbery with the best effect. 
At the garden end of the house there is a rather large 
flower garden laid out on grass in a geometrical style. 
In it there are some beds planted with somewhat un¬ 
usual plants. I especially noticed a large bed of the 
lovely, sweet-smelling trailing shrub, the Daphne oneo- 
rum. It was in full flower, and was gay with its red-pink 
blossoms. The soil is a compost, in which heath mould, 
decayed leaves, and sand form the principal portion. 
This flower garden forms a square, and is divided into 
No. CCCCLVIII. Vol. XVIII. 
