THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 22, 1857. 
Ealing Park, and other places round London. They are 
bushy, well formed, and perfect in health. Mr. Smith 
; evidently understands how to pot and water a Ileatli. He 
is all for lirm-potting — that is, when potting, he presses 
down his heath mould as hard as he can, and leaves space at 
the top to hold water enough to thorouglily wet, when neces¬ 
sary, the whole mass of earth in the pot. There were also 
two good specimens of that good, old, elegant plant the 
Boronia pinnata —one of them especially was, I verily be¬ 
hove, the healthiest and the best plant I ever saw. There 
was a new and good Boronia serrulata , wliich Mr. Smith said 
he had trained up himself; it was perfect in health, and 
dense in dark green foliage. Other plants of the same species, 
he said, he had not the starting-off to grow—they were a year 
or two older—and the difference was most remarkable. The 
foliage of these was yellowish and sickly, and the shoots thin 
and wiry. This little example shows how needful it is to 
commence from youth to get into health, and constant super¬ 
vision to keep them so. Once out of health, they are done 
for. I might fill up many pages of manuscript were I to par¬ 
ticularise every fine specimen in this large collection. Let it 
suffice, then, to say, that there is a great number of very ex¬ 
cellent specimens, well grown, and kept in good health, yet 
they were not crowded; sufficient space was allowed to each 
plant to keep its leaves on every side green as long as 
possible. 
On entering the stove house I was very much struck with 
a wall creeper. This stove house is like the heath house, a 
span-roof, with this difference, that there arc no front win¬ 
dows. The walls (brick) arc carried up to the casing of the 
glass roof. Now, this wall, on both sides of the house, is 
densely covered with the healthy, large foliage of the Cissus dis¬ 
color. In the darkest part of the wall the foliage was healthy, 
and of the richest shades of colour. The lower part was 
close upon the hot pipes ; but that excess of heat seemed not 
to affect the leaves in the least. Many a naked wall in our 
stoves and conservatories might be covered with this always - 
beautiful plant. 
The following plants were in flower in the stoves 
Sonerila margaritacea. This beautiful white-spotted-leaved 
plant would have done honour to the best exhibitor at any 
of the metropolitan shows. It measured two feet six inches 
diameter, and two feet high; and was most densely covered 
with its heads of beautiful pink flowers, far superior, in every 
way, to any plant I ever saw of this lovely species. To keep 
it in health, all these beautiful heads of blossom were being 
unmercifully picked off; the gardener observing that no other 
plan would keep it alive. If the least decaying matter in the 
shape of dead floral leaves dropped upon it, and was over¬ 
looked, it was good-bye to your plant. 
I noted, also, a good plant of Ansellia Africana just in 
bloom, with five good spikes; also the better variety of 
Calanthe vestita , with four spikes; and also a twiner JDipla- 
denia accuminata , had several flowers on it of the richest pink 
hue. Meyerda erecla had some flowers on it; but it is such 
a straggling plant, and opens so ffcw flowers at once, that it is 
no favourite here, nor will be long anywhere, 1 fear. 
^ There were some other plants in flower, such as Ixoras, 
Gardenias, &c. But I fear I am dwelling too long here; so I 
must request the reader to accompany me in idea to the front 
of the mansion: we get there through a shrubbery on raised 
banks on each side. The mansion lias an imposing projecting 
wing at each end. The space between is filled up with an 
architectural conservatory, very handsome as a building, but 
by no means a suitable one for plants. It requires a large 
house or two to keep it furnished. The creepers have rushed 
up to the roof, and there spread out, adding still more to the 
heavy shade of the pillars and rafters : hence there is but a 
small modicum of light strikes down to the plants below, 
hven the C amellia sheds its buds, excepting that part of the 
bush next the front light. If the place were mine I would 
pull up all the creepers, and thereby let in more light and ah’. 
It is, as I said, a beautiful building, and must have cost a 
great sum; therefore there can be no objection to show the 
roof clear of plants. 
In front of this conservatory there is a broad terrace walk 
with a broad low border of Yew, kept down to six inches 
by constant clipping. A flight of steps leads down into a 
g eometrical flower garden of considerable extent, now, of 
course, in a state of rest. A fine opportunity here offers itself 
of furnishing these beds with evergreens during winter and 
early spring. There is a sufficient number of various coloured¬ 
leaved plants to render this, or any such garden, almost as 
showy during this dead time of the year as in the glowing 
months of summer. The first expense would be the last; for 
the plants might be so managed as to bear removal at any 
time of the year. All that is wanted when they arc out of 
the flower garden is a space of ground in a reserve garden to 
grow them in. Just in coming away from this front of the 
house, I noticed a bank of earth covered exceedingly well with 
dwarfed Laurels. 
This place is well worthy of a visit at any time of the 
year ; but especially in May or June. It must then be very 
beautiful.—T. Aitbeby. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
THE VICTORIA REGIA AT DALVEY, NEAR 
FORRES. 
Until this year I have been accustomed to grow my Chry¬ 
santhemums against a wall; and early this spring 1 was in a 
strait, as to how I should grow them for the future, for the 
fruit trees were fast occupying the superfices of the Avail. The 
sorts were scions of old keepsakes from “ the old house at 
home,” in Suffolk ; and it grieved me to think of parting from 
them entirely ; so, whether the plan T hit upon be novel or no, 
I leave to my readers, but I like it much. I never relished 
Chrysanthemums in the open air so heartily before; though, 
as an excuse for position, I must observe, that I am compelled 
to economise space; therefore, measuring three feet from, 
and opposite to, the holes of the wall trees, I formed circles 
about two feet diameter ; and on this tier of circles I planted 
strong suckers, in throe colours, according to my taste, of 
what I had. I plied them well with soapsuds, water, and 
liquid manure, to the end of the chapter, and I staked and 
secured them at intervals. As soon as they began to groAv 
well, I stopped a third of them, w aited awhile, and stopped 
another third. The remainder were allowed to extend at 
pleasure. When those unstopped were grown sufficiently 
tall, I thrust a long stout rod into the soil, in their centres, 
and secured them to it. When the buds appeared prominent, 
I encircled the plants, perhaps three times, with shreds of 
matting, and so formed them pyramidally. The result was, 
I have had, from the top to the bottom of one fruit border, a 
showy rank and tile of “ May-day ” miniature Jacks-in-the- 
green, averaging six feet in height, and smothered with blos¬ 
som, in variety, from then’ base to their apex, contrasting plea¬ 
singly with their own healthy foliage for a groundwork, backed 
up by the green of the wall trees, and then, offering a daily 
kaleidescopo until the leaves were fallen. They have been 
much admired; and a lady avIio saAv them in their prime, 
about a month since, said she should send her gardener to a 
famous Chrysanthemum grower, near London, on purpose to 
choose colours, in order to groiv them, hi future, upon this 
plan. 
Upon reading again and again the interesting paper of 
“I. II. C.,” No. 476, on the Victoria regia , it has set me to 
rummage over some notes of five years ago, whence I find j 
that I can add for its page of history a home farther north, 
than, perhaps, many people may bo aware of. 
On a fine day, in the wane of the summer of 1852, having 
perambulated the environs, and overlooked the “ Laigh of 
Moray,” and the “ Plain of Forres,” from the Nelson Monu¬ 
ment or Tower, built upon the site of an ancient fort, upon : 
a hill of the range of dunie, a pleasant spot, encircled with i 
walks and shady groves, laid out for the enjoyment of the i 
gude folk of the picturesque town of Forres. Having, also, 
done justice to our luncheon ; and from the windows of our 
hotel laughed upon a pleasing trait of human nature, that of 
Mr. Gordon Cumming’s singling out a bit lassie from a crowd 
of juveniles, liis handing her into a mercer’s shop, and there 
and then presenting her with a new straw bonnet and ribbons 
to boot, to the bewildering surprise of the boddie, who, cer¬ 
tainly, if one might judge from her chestnut complexion, and 
flaxen matted locks, had never been the fortunate possessor 
of such a covering before; and the pride of the half-abashed 
