195 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 20, 1857. 
dell; pools and mimic lakes have been formed; and 
when I saw it at the end of harvest, the banks had 
been covered grotesquely with all kinds of rough and 
romantic-looking tree-roots, &c. And upon these, and 
in the spaces between them, a good collection of Ferns 
had been planted; the more rare being kept in appro¬ 
priate positions near the sides of the walks. The 
walks were bordered with several rows of white flint 
stones, which' rendered them rather glaring for the 
subdued sombre colour of the Ferns. Mr. Iteid in¬ 
formed me that they intended planting variegated and 
other fine-leaved plants among the Ferns ; and when 
this was done, and a little more light given, there 
would be less danger of monotony, and these flint lines 
might be broken with advantage. 
The lawn on the side of the park is bounded by a 
neat iron fence ; but the walk does not go near it, and 
you are so taken up with other subjects, that you never 
think of the fence—though there it is, if you should 
take it into you head to look for it—affecting no con¬ 
cealment ; its seen utility and efficiency stamping it 
with appropriateness. Unless it be peculiarly desired 
to convey the idea of extent, a seen boundary, when 
not too near, is just as good as a concealed one. With 
the main walk at such a distance from the boundary, 
as in the present case, the concealed fence, or the 
exposed fence, is merely a question of desires and 
expense : but what I have already protested against 
is, the practice of making a sunk concealed fence, and 
then taking the principal walk so near it, that you 
must of necessity see it. 
On the lower side of this lawn are a number of Rose- 
beds, covered in summer and autumn with Verbenas, 
without at all injuring the Roses; many raised beds, the 
sides being covered with dense masses of Maurandyas, 
and Lophospermums; and some of them furnished 
with arches over them to resemble huge baskets ; the 
arch being also densely clothed with summer creepers, 
the centres being filled in many different ways. A 
circular bed in front of the house, planted on the ring 
system, had disappointed Mrs. Reid; chiefly because 
the fourth row from the outside was composed of 
Campanula Carpatica, which could not be made to 
bloom densely right through the autumn. The three 
outside rows were Baron Hugel, Bandy, and Golden 
Chain Geraniums. The Bandy, though a fine plant, 
being rather short for its right and left hand supporters. 
One of our neighbours manages the Campanula all the 
autumn by means of frequent waterings, and never 
allowing a seed-pod to remain. Of course, the trouble 
is great; and where that trouble cannot be given, and 
the plants are divided and fresh-planted every year, it 
| must not be depended on after August. 
On the east side of this main walk the chief flower 
garden is placed, with the plantation fronted by a 
| shrubbery, as a nice background in one direction ; and 
| the glass houses, and a lofty colonnaded fence, formed 
of larch poles, and densely clothed with climbing 
! Roses, &c., on the other side. The group consists of 
nine large clumps on grass ; and for huge masses of 
bloom I have seen nothing more striking this season. 
Mr. Smith has frequently told me, that, if he had not 
planted these beds, he could not have believed they 
would have required so many plants. Each bed con¬ 
sisted of two colours—a centre and a broad margin. 
The centre clump is of a circular form, and twenty- 
four feet across ; but sixteen feet in the centre are 
grass, and supplied, I think, with a huge basket; 
leaving a border outside the grass, all round, of four 
feet. Another twelve feet of grass from that and the 
other eight clumps are arranged in a circular form. 
Four of these are heart-shaped, but with the points | 
bluntly rounded ; some twenty-six feet in length, and j 
much the same in breadth at the widest part. To ; 
var 3 r the outline, lessen the size of the figure, make 
the centre more accessible, and give a more intricate 
blending of colour, three small semicircles are swept 
off the figure—one at the wide apex, and one on each 
of the sides. Four triangles of the same length, but 
narrower at the base, and the sides rounded, are 
placed between these large-hearted figures. Like most 
effective planting, the arrangement could hardly have 
been simpler. Two hearts opposite each other were 
filled with scarlet Geraniums in the centre, and with a 
belt two feet and a half wide of Floribunda. Two 
triangles opposite each other with yellow Calceolarias, 
belted with two feet and a half of purple Verbenas. 
The other two hearts were filled with Ageratums, 
belted with two feet and a half of scarlet Geraniums. 
The other two triangles had white Verbena for centre, 
bordered with two feet and a half of blue Campanula 
Carpatica; which here had done better than in the 
centre of a bed. These might be changed and ar¬ 
ranged in many ways : but for very large beds, if not 
ringed in rows, no mode is more telling than giving 
broad margins. 
Though Grapes are cultivated in the houses with 
very fair success, the growing and keeping plants are 
the chief objects with them ; and a house, and frames, 
and pits in the small garden behind the Rose fence. 
There is a good wall at the north side of this, partly 
supplied with Peach trees, and partly with Vines. 
Mr. Smith is generally very successful in ripening 
Grapes in great perfection, under a common garden 
frame ; though this season, just when nearly ready to 
cut, a hailstorm smashed the glass, and riddled the 
bunches. I have seen here very fine black and white 
Grapes in former years. The Vines are grown against 
the wall, chiefly.on the rod system ; every encourage¬ 
ment being given to enable them to swell their buds, 
and ripen the wood. In spring, before the buds 
break, a shallow bed of sweet dung is made in front of 
the Vines. By the time the buds break and show, the 
bed is quite sweet, though retaining a fair portion of 
heat. The surface of the bed is now covered with 
slate, which gets heated by the sun after the heat of 
the dung is well-nigh gone. The best canes or shoots, 
that show strongest and most abundantly, are now 
introduced into the frame, fastened to a rough trellis ; 
and all they require are a little attention to covering, 
air-giving especially, and thinning the bunches. We 
have seen good Grapes obtained much earlier by this 
mode, than by merely placing sashes against the wall, 
as in a cold house ; and, in general, they are not so 
liable to the red spider. Painting the slates with sul¬ 
phur water is a good preventive ; and also doing the 
same with the woodwork of the frame. Vines have 
been, and may be, forced pretty early by this mode ; 
but more care is necessary when dung is the sole agent 
used. 
The main kitchen garden is some five or ten minutes 
distance off; and besides having a good supply of the 
needful, has nothing very remarkable, except a long 
narrow glass house about its centre. Had the Rose- 
fence not already been at the flower garden, I have 
no doubt this house would have been a fine feature as 
a boundary ; and would have formed a fine promenade 
besides. It may be considered an improvement on 
the glass walls, that lately received such high recom¬ 
mendations ; though gardeners looked very sly and 
wary at them. This house is glass all over ; the length 
is ninety feet; the width inside is six feet and a half; 
the height of the sides is nine feet. From the two 
sides it rises and curves to the centre, where the 
height is twelve feet.. For ventilation, a cap in the 
centre is raised for half the length, by a windlass at 
each end. Small sashes open outwardly at the bottom 
of each side. Half of each side is done from one end, 
