277 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 2, 1858. 
| from Pegsden, and communicates also by another fork 
with the kitchen, and other house-offices. It will thus 
be seen, that a triangle of ground is enclosed between 
these two roads—the base of it being next to the 
gravel at the north entrance. The point and part of 
I the sides of this triangle, are planted with forest trees, 
accompanied with a dense underground of box ; but a 
good portion of the space next the house is devoted 
to a flower garden, surrounded by wire fencing. On 
the east side of this garden, separated from it by the 
approach, is a level part of the park, containing some 
good specimens of timber, and bounded at a consider- 
! able distance by a thick belt of plantation. A wide 
space of gravel separates the east side of the house 
from this part of the Park. A similar width of gravel 
is placed in front of the south side of the house, 
which has a large conservatory at its west end. A 
sloping bank of turf, some thirty feet or so in width, 
takes you down to the lake, which is narrow there : 
i the main spring being little farther westward than the 
end of the conservatory. This spring has sufficient 
fall to work the water-ram that supplies the mansion, 
&c., with water. The ground, therefore, rises abruptly 
from the end of the conservatory : and between this 
and the approach from Pegsden, is a piece of kept 
pleasure ground, to which I will again refer. Passing 
east-by-south from the house, the lake widens beau¬ 
tifully ; a walk being on the side next the park already 
referred to, and part of the park on the other side. 
The water is generally very free from weeds and scum, 
owing to the presence of water fowl, and the strength 
of the springs, which keep up an overflow for a good 
mill stream. At the extreme end are summer-houses, 
cascades, and islands, clothed with vegetation, and 
their branches drooping in the water. Passing a 
bridge close to a cascade, you enter a sweet flower- 
garden, surrounded on three sides with wood ; and on 
the south side, I think, with a single row of trees— 
Horse Chestnuts, so far as I recollect. Add, that 
through the woods and bounding belts are miles of 
shady walks in summer; and then making a few 
strokes for himself on paper, the youngest reader will 
better be able to follow us in our observations and 
criticisms. 
Taking our standing point, then, at this flower garden 
at the back of the house ; I would just say, that Mr. 
Watson, the intelligent gardener, made as much of it 
as the circumstances and his means would permit. 
He here tried an experiment with Verbenas, turning 
them out into well-aired beds at the beginning of 
April, in order to get room, and bending Spruce and 
other branches over them ; and they did well, and were 
covering their beds when other people were planting. 
The Scarlet Geraniums also, answered well, and w T ere 
planted early. Calceolarias do not, in general, do so 
well. There were, also, some fine beds of Poeonies ; 
and, perhaps, the most striking of all, were a great 
many plants of Hydrangeas, grown in tubs and 
boxes, and set round the sides of the garden. On 
: several of these tubs I counted more than a hundred 
| flowers, and in full health and vigour ; though, indivi¬ 
dually, of course, the flowers were not so large as if 
you took only one large head of bloom from a fine 
young plant. The treatment is extremely simple. 
Mr. Watson prunes away all the flower-stalks in 
autumn, but leaving almost every bud. The boxes are 
put in an empty coach-house for the winter, and want, 
and get, little more than a good top-dressing in spring. 
Hear the centre of the garden is a piece of rustic- 
work, where an opportunity is given for Clematises 
and other creepers to run over chains, pillars, &c. 
There is an old proverb, that it is an “ ill wind that 
blows good to no one.” At any rate, such an ill wind, 
a number of years ago, wreaked its fury, only for a few 
moments, in this pretty vale; and though the width 
of its range was not great, everything went down 
before it: three or four garden walls, glass-sashes out 
of number, and huge trees that lined the sides of this 
garden, were snapped as if they had been small icicles. 
Extra work was needed in consequence : one wall, at 
least, in the kitchen garden, was never rebuilt; and 
the garden was all the better for the want of it. This 
flower garden, so far as giving flowers a chance, was 
also all the better for it. Put it is questionable if this 
is an unmixed advantage. If there fis any truth in 
the principle, that if a flower garden is near a mansion, 
we ought to see the flowers after entering the house, 
or passing through it; then the position of this garden 
could hardly be worse, as you must pass it before 
getting to the entrance on the north side of the house. 
Knowing well, and having profited by the fine taste 
of the lady proprietor, I can only come to the con¬ 
clusion, that it remains there as a memento of old 
associations. Many such mementos are privileged to 
remain; and who would rudely remove them P In 
such a case, a very suitable compromise would be 
effected, the shade and position considered, by dis¬ 
carding herbaceous plants, and placing in their stead 
a few massive groups of American or other ever¬ 
greens. R. Fish. 
(To be continued.) 
ROSES IN POTS. 
FOR FORCING AND EXHIBITION. 
In my various peregrinations through the country, 
I do not meet with many well-grown Roses in pots. 
If the cultivators could but see the splendid examples 
exhibited at the Metropolitan Shows, in May and June, 
they would, no doubt, strive to imitate such specimens 
at home ; but I fear they might not adopt the right 
methods to attain that object. I think, in many cases, ! 
they are in too great a hurry to succeed perfectly ; j 
hence they content themselves by concluding that the ! 
great growers have some hocus-pocus way of managing 
that cannot be followed, except by those who are 
initated into the mystery. This is a great mistake; j 
and as I know it is so, I have taken pen in hand to 
show how simple the process is to obtain good speci- j 
mens in pots of this most lovely flower. 
Soil .—The first thing is to procure the right soil. 
Many country growers imagine that Roses grown in 
pots should have rich, light soil. This is decidedly a 
mistake, excepting, perhaps, the more tender kinds— 
such as some of the Bourbons, China, and Tea varieties. 
For the stronger growers, the right soil is fresh, rather i 
strong, turf, chopped into pieces about half an inch j 
square, and w r ell-rotted cowdung, in equal parts. This 
may, in truth, be described as a rich, strong, or heavy 
compost. For the tender varieties, alluded to above, 
I recommend an admixture of leaf mould, not too much 
decomposed. I do not approve of any sand, or heath 
mould, in the Rose compost. 
Drainage .—The Rose, like most other plants, can¬ 
not thrive in sour, stagnant, w*et soil, whether it be in 
the open border, or in pots; hence both must be 
thoroughly drained. In pots, use broken potsherds, 
of a large size, from one to two inches thick, according 
to the size of the pots. 
Dots .—Let the pots be clean and sweet, from six 
inches to eight inches diameter, at the first potting, in 
proportion to the size of the roots and plants. I like 
the pots to be rather deeper than ordinary, and not 
very hard burnt. 
Plants .—Having got the soil and pots ready, then 
look out for the plants. The potting may be done any 
time the first season, from November to the begin- 
