THE COTTACtE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 13, 1857. 
19 [ 
phanotis Jloribunda. At the back wall, in the shadiest j 
part of the house, a border of Ferns had been planted. 
Tlie mode of furnishing seemed to be based on com¬ 
bining flowering plants with those with rich and interest¬ 
ing foliage. Here among the first were huge well-bloomed 
Balsams, Fuchsias, Hibiscus rosa Sinensis of various 
varieties, and also other species ; neat Orange plants in 
fruit and flower, good plants of Vinca rosea and rosea 
alba, some Ixoras, a neat plant of Pleroma elegans , ditto 
of Lisianthus Russellianus, a good specimen of Sobralia 
macrantha, good plants of Orchids depending in baskets, 
masses of Achimenes, and many Begonias, some of 
them, as Harrisii, being distinguished for their large, 
peculiar foliage, and their free, continuous flowering. 
The mentioning the names of such kinds as albo coc- 
cinea, cinnabarina, fuchsioides, parvifolia, palmata, & c., 
would occupy a page, the place beiug rich in Begonias. 
As combining bloom and fine loliage I might notice 
Hedychiim Gardnerianum and coronarium, and Can¬ 
nas of different sorts, and, for fine foliage alone, large 
plants of different kinds of greenhouse and stove Ferns ; 
Caladiums of kinds; Marantas, with their fine colours; 
•and Cissus discolor , trained into various fancy shapes 
and looking well, though hardly shaded and hot enough 
there to give them full justice. Thus furnished a house 
presents a far richer appearance than when supplied 
with greenhouse plants alone. Mr. Foggo stated that 
the keeping the house somewhat close shortened, the 
period of blooming of the hardier plants, and injuiod 
specimens of hard-wooded plants very much, all 
which we believe; and therefore the necessity of acting, 
as he wisely does, in confining decoration here chiefly to 
soft-wooded plants. The finer New Holland plants and 
Heaths can be best attended to in their appropriate home. 
I presume that during most of the year this conser¬ 
vatory is kept at a temperature midway between a 
greenhouse and plant stove. 
Crossing this conservatory terrace and descending a 
flight of steps we find a narrow chain border on each 
side of it, supported in front by a plinth of stonewoik, 
the back being the balustrade of the terrace. The links 
of the chain are neither circles nor ovals, but a kind of 
compromise between the two. The circles do not touch 
each other, but a space of eighteen inches or so is left 
between, and the bounding line of Box so curves round 
the space left as to leave from a foot to eighteen inches 
at this narrowest part. The space outside the Box on 
both sides is covered with silver sand. The centre of 
all these chain beds is filled with scarlet Geraniums, and j 
part ribboned round entirely with blue Lobelia, and part 
alternately with the Lobelia and a yellow Heaitsease, 
each crossing the other at the narrow points of junction. 
I was told that the (Enothera viparii or parvifiora, and 
I know not what alias besides, was used last season 
instead of the Heartsease, and from its twiggy habit 
I should think it would be the best match for the 
Lobelia in varying the surrounding ribbons. In the 
centre of the open spaces on the sand where the links 
join were compact green bushes of the Gooscberry- 
jeaved -Geranium. With such groundworks and sur¬ 
roundings no other mode could have been more telling 
and suitable ; but, because authorities have rightly 
praised these blue ribbonings, we find numbers of good 
worthy people edging and ribboning everything with 
true blue, and making the first row of their to be grand 
ribbon border with this blue Lobelia, though the imme¬ 
diate surroundings in all the cases be green grass lawns, 
and they will not be cured of their hobby, though in 
dewy mornings and after every good pelt of ram then- 
ribbons of Lobelias look as weedy, and leafy, and misera¬ 
ble as even jealousy and envy could wish. "With a 
surrounding of warm sandstone or gravel the effect 
would be very different. 
Passing onwards to the south-west cornei of the 
mansion there is a beautiful oblong bed with its 
corners rounded off—the manner of planting which 
is worthy of being recorded. Beginning at the outside 
there is first the broad stone plinth, then a foot of 
white sand, then an edging of Box, inside of which is a 
ring of light-coloured Verbenas, then Cineraria maritima, 
then Crimson Unique Geranium, then pink variegated 
Geranium ( Lady Grenville ), followed by Mountain of 
Light, and centred with Punch. If anything at all 
could be desired it would be elevating Mountain of Light 
a few inches, but as it is the bed is very telling. Just 
as an example of the number of plants, not only for 
planting the beds at first, but for making changes and 
supplying deficiencies, I may mention that the centre of 
the bed in the first part of the season was the scarlet 
Crassula, and the edging, instead of Verbenas, was a 
light Phlox Drummondi. 
Passing other combinations we would now glance at 
the balcony garden, a large oblong parallelogram on the 
west front of the mansion, and some fifteen feet or so 
below the stone terrace that separates the mansion from 
it. For architectural effect, artistic design, simplicity in 
outline, massiveness of colouring, suitability in anange- 
meut, and harmony and elegance in detail combined, it 
would be no easy matter to equal this unique garden in 
its various merits. 
Goin^ along a broad walk near the terrace you stand 
at its centre; the wall of the terrace is behind you, th© 
rest of the garden is surrounded by an open stone balus- 
I trading ; a broad walk is before you going straight up to 
j the balustrading, which here in the centre is relieved of 
' its sameness by a beautiful arched temple, a bioad 
walk also bounding the front of the garden inside of the 
balustrading. Along the sides of this cential wa k 
opposite the temple are low, squarish stone vases at 
equal distances aud opposite each other, the sides so 
curved as to lessen in diameter as they rise, m contra¬ 
distinction to our generally adopted notions of pots and 
boxes; and in each of these is a standard Portugal 
Laurel in imitation of Orange trees. Each of the ends 
of this inclosed balcony garden is devoted to an artistic 
scroll garden on grass, the scrolls being filled with 
white sand, and many of the larger spaces furnished 
with tripods and vases, whilst room is found here and 
there on the grass for specimens of rare trees and shrubs. 
The space between the scroll garden and the centre walk 
on each side is occupied with four large squarish beds 
on a groundwork of gravel, with the corners of the beds 
rounded off to make them more artistic, lo simplify 
the matter Mr. Foggo has what he calls two scarlet beds 
and one purple, and one blue on each side. . I hey aie 
I so placed that, however you read the beds in parallel 
lines, you have blue and scarlet, and scarlet and purple 
opposite each other. . 
In order to see the propriety of this arrangement 
you must know that between the terrace and the walk 
on which we have been stauding all this time are 
long beds of bright pink Nosegay Geraniums, and that 
on each side of these main, gardens are long beds 
of yellow Calceolarias. All of these eight principal 
beds, four on each side, are made in the same style. 
First there is a massive stone edging eight inches 
wide, and standing six inches above the gravel, next 
there is a border of grass eighteen inches or so m width ; 
and then a space of a foot in width of white silver sand, 
bounded by a Box edging, inside of which all the plant¬ 
ing takes place, and has thus been managed. Tour 
scarlet beds—centre mass of Shrubland Scarlet Gei anium, 
next band of Punch, next broad band of Manglesn with 
the flowers picked off, and next the Box edging a band 
of Toon Thumb. Two purple beds—centre mass of Princes 
Feather , band round it of Love - lies - bleeding ; next 
Crimson Unique Geranium, but next year to be purple 
Petunia; then band of Golden Chain, followed next the 
