284 THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE AND COUNTEY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, August 4, 1857. 
A VISIT TO THE CEYSTAL PALACE. 
It never occurred to me, when visiting the Crystal Palace 
last week, to make notes for the use of The Cottage 
Gaedenee, hut since my return home one or two facts 
remain prominent in my memory. 
On landing from the railway and walking leisurely up the 
long covered corridor I was struck with the well-trained and 
healthy appearance of the climbers, hut disappointed at 
seeing so few in bloom; indeed, with the exception of 
Eccremocarpuses, Clematises, Solanums, Passifloras, and 
Geraniums in the intervening spaces, there was not much to 
study or arrest the attention. It is greatly in favour of the 
visitor having to meet them in advancing order, whereas, on 
descending the inclined plane, they appear to retire from 
him; hut the good English custom of keeping to the right 
of those you meet places a line of population between you 
and the plants which is unfavourable to a close examination. 
The row of Ehododendrons in front of the border struck me 
as being planted too thickly, and in a year or so they will form 
a complete hedge. For two months, when in flower, they 
will be very effective, but for ten months, when out of bloom, 
very monotonous. Might not this in some measure be 
remedied by substituting at suitable intervals among them 
a few free-flowering shrubs, as Weigelas, Deutzias, &c. ? It 
would break this monotony and please the visitors better. 
On reaching the head of the corridor and entering the 
interior of the palace the display of plants is charming. All 
honour to the cultivators, both for their skill in training 
them and for their judicious arrangement. Admiration was 
my predominant feeling, and admiration is an involuntary 
tribute of homage which the mind pays to excellence. The 
symptoms of delight and satisfaction depicted upon the 
countenances of the well-dressed ladies and gentlemen 
walking amid the rich foliage, and under the beautiful 
climbers, showed that this homage was sincere and unmis- 
takeable. 
Who can estimate the extent and value of the moral 
influence thus happily excited in the breasts of thousands ? 
And how it calls to mind those luxuriant and flowery 
regions 
“ Where beasts with man divided empire claim. 
And the wild Indian takes his deadly aim.” 
Two years had elapsed since my last visit to the place, and 
the interval was marked by improvement. 
It was a happy or well-designed idea to reserve the 
statelier and more tropical plants for the further end of the 
building, as the visitor moving onwards has his agreeable 
feelings carried to a climax instead of experiencing an 
abatement. The Wellingtonia gigantea was a new object, 
and a striking one; it reminded me, whilst standing before 
it, of the representations we see of the Eddystone Light¬ 
house, with its door of entrance at the bottom. Surprise 
approaching to wonder was experienced by others as well as 
myself; and wonder, we are told by Dr. Johnson, is the 
effect of novelty upon ignorance. What an amount of this 
feeling must have been excited if we reflect on the multitude 
of visitors who have here seen this vegetable giant for the 
first time! 
There is a grandeur about tropical plants surpassing 
those of our clime, and the stranger may here enjoy their 
beauty exempt from their attendant drawbacks. He steps 
cautiously, 
“but still without fears to wake 
The rattling terrors of the vengeful snake.” 
An elegant little scarlet bird with a crest seemed quite at 
home in this region, whistling at the top of his voice; and, 
although often chased by his playmates from his elevated 
position, yet he no sooner reached another spray than he 
warbled again victoriously. 
It was a beautiful summer’s evening, and on going to the 
front balcony to enjoy the prospect I was disappointed at 
finding the improvements in the grounds had not apparently 
kept pace with those in the interior of the building. To the 
right of the great central walk all looked sylvan and appro¬ 
priate, but to the left there was vacancy; more trees were 
wanted to make it a park, more flowers to make it a garden, 
and more shrubs to make it a pleasure ground. The few 
beds of flowers looked diminutive, toy-like, and lost upon so 
wide an extent of lawn. On traversing the walks you find 
them disintegrated and very uncomfortable in places to tread 
upon, forcing the visitors to take to the grass in spite of its 
being prohibited. There were at least 6,000 persons present 
on the evening of my visit, and of this number not 300 were 
to be seen in the grounds. If a few more shrubbery clumps 
were formed, and borders containing hardy herbaceous 
plants introduced, it would greatly improve the place and 
add to the pleasure and instruction of the visitors. At 
present there is not one-tenth of the variety of flowers which 
may be seen in many small, but well-kept country gardens. 
Flowers are silent teachers—they are God’s messengers, day 
unto day uttering speech, not to the ear, but to the heart. 
The moral influence of flowers is great; they produce 
pleasurable feelings, and a pleasurable feeling derived from 
a pure source is a blessing; it bespeaks a mind in harmony 
with Nature, and satisfied with the dispensations of Provi¬ 
dence. I witnessed the beneficial influence of flowers in an 
incident which occurred on my way to town. A lady entered 
the compartment of the railway carriage in which I w£fe 
seated at Marks Tay, a small station on the Eastern 
Counties line. She held in her hand a large, fresh-gathered 
bouquet of flowers, the sight and fragrance of which were 
electric. All were eager to examine and admire them, and 
zee travellers, who had before sat isolated and silently 
looking at each other, became of a sudden animated, pleasant 
associations were kindled, questions were asked and cour¬ 
teously answered, new ideas sprang up, and conversation 
flowed freely. The effect thus produced lasted to the end of 
the journey agreeably and profitably. Now, that which 
awakens in the mind fresh trains of thought may be looked 
upon as a monitor, and what furnishes the hour with’inno¬ 
cent amusement may be regarded as a good. These unob¬ 
trusive and lesser ministrations to man’s happiness, which 
form part of the Divine economy, are too much overlooked 
and too little appreciated. My remarks owe their origin to 
that nosegay.—S. P., Bushmere. 
HAEDY HEBBACEOUS PEEENNIALS IN 
BLOOM. —Ipswich, July 17th, 1857. 
In addition to the list of hardy perennials flowering in my 
garden on the 20th of last month, and inserted in The 
Cottage Gaedenee, I now send another of such flowers as 
have since made their appearance, and are at present in 
blossom (July). 
Platycodon grancliflorum, 1 foot, blue. 
Mulgedium Plumierii, 4 feet, blue. 
Salvia bracteafa, showy, 3 feet, bracts tinged pink. 
,, qne or two others, names unknown, blue. 
Lychnis coronaria, 1 foot 6 inches, dark pink. 
„ „ bicolor, 1 foot 6 inches, pink and white. 
,, dioica plena, 1 foot, rose. 
Verbascuip lagurus, 5 feet, white. 
„ blattaria, 4 feet, primrose. 
Cephalaria Tatarica, 4 feet, yellow. 
Centaurea macrocephala, 3 feet, yellow. 
Primula cortusoides, G inches, pale pink. 
Gardoquia, 1 foot, pink. 
Sanguisorba Canadensis, 2 feet, white. 
Lilium eximium, 1 foot, large, white. 
Phlox Van Houtte, 2 feet, white, striped rose. 
„ Abdel Medschid Khan, 2£ feet, white. 
Orange and White Lilies. 
Lythrum roseum superbum, 3 feet, bright rose. 
Pentstemons, various. 
Gaillardia Eichardsonii, 1 foot, yellow, dark eye. 
„ splendidissima, 1 foot, red, brown, and yellow. 
Coreopsis lanceolata, 1 foot C inches, yellow. 
Calystegia pubescens, double white, climbing. 
Hypericum, or St. John’s Wort, yellow, dwarf. 
Alyssum saxatile, G inches, yellow. 
Sedums, various, rock plants. 
Arenaria ciespitosa, rock plant, 3 inches, white. 
Myosotis alpestris, 1 foot, light purple. 
Linaria cymbalaria, trailer. 
„ Dalmatica, 2 feet, yellow. 
Monarda didyma, 2 feet, bright red. 
CEnothera speciosa, 2 feet, white. 
