THE COTTAGE GAKDENEE AND COUNTEY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, August 4, 1857. 275 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
AUGUST 4—10, 1857. 
Weather ni 
Barometer. 
car London in 
1 ' 
Thermo. 1 Wind. 
s 
1856. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
4 
Tu 
Chironia pulchella. 
30.181—30.117 
87—44 
E. 
— 
30 a. 4 
42 a. 7 
2 7 
14 
5 
48 
216 
5 
W 
Oraches (Atriplex). 
30.216—30.190 
84—44 
N.E. 
— 
31 
40 
rises. 
© 
5 
43 
217 
6 
Th 
Prince Alfred born, 1844. 
30.171—30.046 
78—41 
E. 
— 
33 
38 
8a.21 
16 
5 
36 
218 
7 
F 
Marsh Gentian (Swertia). 
30.009—29.874 
88—42 
S.W. 
— 
35 
37 
8 35 
17 
5 
29 
219 
8 
S 
Gentians (Gentiana). 
29-718—29.640 
80—54 
S.W. 
08 
36 
35 
8 47 
18 
5 
22 
220 
9 
Sun 
9 Sunday after Trinity. 
29.808—29.750 
75—55 
S.W. 
10 
38 
33 
8 58 
19 
5 
14 
221 
10 
M 
Burnet Saxifrages. 
29.841—29.774 
84—54 
S.E. 
— 
39 
31 
9 11 
20 
5 
5 
222 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 74.4°, and 51.7°, respectively. The greatest heat, 93°, occurred on the 10th, in 1842 ; and the lowest cold, 36’, 
on the 6 th, in 1833. During the period 111 days were fine, and on 85 rain fell. 
! A EEW GLEANINGS EEOM BASING PAEK. 
This beautiful country residence of Joseph Martineau, 
Esq., is situated about eight miles from Alton, which 
now forms the termination of a branch line from Guild¬ 
ford on the London and South Western Eailway, the 
train whirling the traveller within a short distance of 
Aldershott, and amid the rich scenery, the fertile lands, 
and the flourishing Hop grounds of Farnham. As 
Basing Park owes it notoriety in the gardening world 
to the remodellings and improvements gradually ac¬ 
complished by Mr. Duncan, one of my oldest friends, 
I will not, partly on that account, and partly on 
account of the space it would occupy, attempt anything 
like a description, but will confine my recollections to 
| a few points likely to be generally interesting. 
Approaches. —At the gate which admits the visitor 
from the Alton road a beautiful lodge is situated, 
harmonising with the style and character of the 
mansion. These gates, as they always ought to do, 
but in such an exceptional case as that at Wrotham 
Park, alluded to the other week, are placed at right 
angles with the highway. The approach within is 
distinguished by the ease and gracefulness of its curves, 
and is as trim and neat as most walks in a pleasure 
ground; just rounded in the slightest degree in the 
middle, and the gravel at the sides, within half an inch 
of the grass verge. On the other side of the demesne, 
| joining, I believe, the Winchester road, a new approach 
| has been formed, the lodge being of a less pretending 
character. This approach mounts a steep ascent, 
but the steepness is greatly lessened by the graceful 
i curvatures and line-of-beauty windings with which the 
artist has taken the road up the hill. This new 
approach will, in time, be one of the most striking 
: features of Basing Park. Along its side a double 
avenue is formed of strong Deodars and Araucarias, the 
latter being next the approach, and standing about forty 
I feet apart, the Deodars not being opposite to, but in the 
centre between each two Araucarias, and at a similar 
distance from each other. Each tree is protected by a 
; round wattled fence, which has kept the plants from all 
i injury. Such an avenue would be interesting in any 
i circumstances, but I believe that a diversity of light 
and shade will be found, some years hence, from the 
windings of the approach, that no straight avenue could 
command, even with such materials as Araucarias and 
i Deodars. In producing effect and ornament it may 
be well worthy of inquiry whether certain forms of 
vegetation that are extremely interesting when looked 
at in a curved, ever-varying line, do not become 
monotonous and insipid when looked at along a straight 
one. As an instance of illustration from the flower 
garden, take the finely-cut, silvery white foliage of the 
Cineraria maritima when used as an edging, and mark 
the difference when that edging is in a straight and a 
curved line. 
Evergreen Gardens. —There did not seem to be 
any extra extent of mown lawn here—a matter of great 
moment in laying out new places, as every yard of that 
lawn is just so far a sacrifice of utility to ornament, and 
an ornament the most expensive of all about a garden, 
because to keep it as an ornament it requires a similar 
amount of unappreciable labour every week in the 
summer months. One reason urged in behalf of extensive 
lawns, even by those who do not aspire to their ever-so- 
many acres of green turf without a shrub or tree to 
relieve the eye, is, that otherwise they could have no 
chance of congregating around them those beautiful 
forms of evergreen vegetation that by their diversity 
lend such a charm to the ornamental grounds. Mr. 
Duncan has hit upon a happy mode of securing that 
ever-growing interest without any great sacrifice of 
utility or economy. In the thinnish part of a wood 
separating the different gardens from each other he 
has planted various evergreens, such as the best Bho- 
dodendrons, Pinuses, Cypresses, Junipers, Thujas, 
Biotias, Taxodiums, Cryptomerias, Deodars, Arau¬ 
carias, &c., so that each will have ample space to 
grow and develope its respective beauties. Access is 
easily obtained to any specimen, the grounds being 
traversed by narrowish winding walks, which cross 
each other frequently at right angles. An additional 
interest is given to these points of juncture by a circle 
being formed there considerably elevated iu the centre, 
and having planted there one of the more esteemed or 
rarer kinds, such as Cupressus funebris, Wellingtonia, 
Fitzroya Saxe Gotliea , &c. These circles not only 
produce variety, but do away with the sharp corners 
of two walks crossing each other. The ground between 
the specimens is chiefly covered with low-growing ever¬ 
greens, such as Berberis aquifolia, &c., which will not 
only save scythe work, but prove an excellent cover 
for pheasants and other winged game. In this same 
wood are some fine deep ravines and dells, in which 
Ferns and rock plants would find a suitable home. 
Bendering Loose-growing Evergreens Compact.— 
I was struck, not so much here as in the different Hower 
gardens, with the compactness and symmetry of many 
plants that generally grow rather loose and straggling, 
such as the Taxoclium sempervirens and Cryptomeria 
Japonica. This is effected by pinching off the ends of 
the young shoots, and so effectual has been the result 
that almost every specimen had a close, trim appear¬ 
ance, and yet not so much so as to conjure up any idea 
of a cutting or shearing process. Junipers, Cypresses, 
&c , had been so treated, and yet beyond their compact 
outline they contained no trace of the artist’s work. A 
stranger, not knowing anything of the process, would 
give all the credit to some peculiarity in the soil, posi¬ 
tion, &c. 
Diversity in Style. —Near the mansion and con¬ 
servatory are three small flotver gardens, each different 
in style, and yet arranged on one distinct principle, and 
that different from that which is now generally in 
fashion. For instance, in one garden the clumps are 
separated from the gravel by narrow green verges of 
grass about one inch in width, which look very neat, 
No. CCCCLXII. Vol. XVIII. 
