22 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 11, 1859. 
few evergreens, thinly scattered would break, if not conceal, the 
outline of the front of the mansion. 
The second thing is, that from that pathway, and also the 
approach, the naked boundary wall on the north-eastern side of 
the kitchen garden is rather obtrusively apparent. Line timber 
trees come so near that wall that it would be no use covering it 
with fruit trees, and then they too would need another fence 
from cattle, which might be again as obtrusive. Even on a fine 
summer day the old-looking wall can hardly be considered an 
eye-sore, as the same utility demonstrates the fitness and appro¬ 
priateness. Nevertheless, green would be more pleasant to the 
eye than dirty brick, and a covering of Ivy allowed to grow some¬ 
what wildly would do no harm to the wall, but keep it drier and 
warmer for the tender fruit trees on the opposite side. 
Few places have been so much improved within a short period 
as Stockwood. It used to be chiefly distinguished for its vege¬ 
tables and the fino fruit against the garden Avails. In the latter 
years of his life the late Mr. Crawley became an enthusiastic 
gardener. A series of excellent pits for Pines, Melons, and other 
purposes were erected, heated bottom and top with hot water. 
Two ranges of houses were also put up, forming the end and side 
of a parallelogram in the kitchen garden, under the superintend¬ 
ence of Mr. Busby, whose name is so intimately associated with 
the Golden Hamburgh Grape. The west and south Avails of the 
garden formed the other lines of the parallelogram, thus enclosing 
a large space of ground between the glass and the said walls. 
Travelling much on the continent, Mr. Crawley sent everything 
in the way of fruit and flowers he deemed neAV and desirable. 
Many splendid Roses Avere thus sent, as Avell as Camellias, &c. 
The present proprietor is also, along with his lady, passionately 
fond of Roses, &c. Notwithstanding these improvements, the 
floAver garden remained as it had long been, and was not allowed 
to be altered; most likely from a laudable feeling of respect for 
old associations. With the exception of the terrace 3, in fig. 1, 
and the park 8, a person now would hardly recognise the flower 
garden. It was much the same width as at present opposite the 
house, and was bounded by an iron fence, but extended little 
farther eastwards than the first straight line of the conservative 
wall; the wider space of lawn now between the palisaded wall 
and the sunk fence being then an orchard. The chief feature of 
the old flower garden consisted not so much in arrangement or 
in the size of the beds, as extra large or small, as in the fact that 
all the massive large beds, and filled with evergreens chiefly, Avith 
room for flowering herbaceous plants here and there, were placed 
next the sloping bank 4, which sloped more then than now ; and 
the small beds, which alone permitted of being grouped in the now 
fashionable mode, were scattered outside near the fence. These 
were not. only exposed to the full force of the wind from the open 
park, but, planted ever so well, they always presented an un¬ 
satisfactory effect from the tei’race. First, because there was no 
background for the eye to rest upon ; and secondly, because the 
masses of large clumps with their shrubs came between them and 
the eye. 
Lines supposed to pass through centre of house and flower 
garden. 
Fig. 1. 
1 2 3 
4 
1. Ground of park slightly declining to the main entrance, Avliich points 
to the north-west. 
2. Width of house, about tAvcnty-fivc yards. 
3. Terrace of asphalt and grass, nine yards wide. 
4. Bank of turf, about four feet deep and eight feet on slope, with a 
flight of stone steps, and vases at the side, opposite the centre of 
the house, fromAvhence a straight walk passes and joins the boundary 
walk 6, at three or four yards from the sunk fence. On each side of 
this walk proceeding from the steps, a group of flower-beds is placed, 
as shown in Fig. 2. 
5. Level lawn, on which fioAver-groups aro placed, thirty-four yards 
from bank to fence. 
6. Walk eight feet wide. 
7. Sunk brick wall four feet and a half deep. 
8. Part of park beyond, ground gently rising. 
Despairing of satisfying himself or anybody else under such 
circumstances, Mr. Busby had the space in front of the houses 
laid down in grass, and there he had two separate groups of 
flower-beds, one for Yerbenas, and the other for varieties in 
masses, with small circles dotted in the wide places on the grass 
for holding anything peculiarly new or striking. These beds 
were generally so attractive that I could not help, on friendly 
visits, expressing my Avish, that by means of a short wall and 
arched doorways at the ends of the houses, the view of the kitchen 
garden should be quite shut out from this new flower garden, 
that the fruit trees should be removed from the west wall, and 
floAvering plants placed against that wall, and the border be 
devoted to ornamental purposes ; and that the wall on the south 
sido should beloAvered to three and a half or four feet in height, be 
coped with stone and decorated with vases; and the orchard then in 
front turned into a pleasure-ground, with a gate in the centre com¬ 
municating with the outside and inside. I do not know w r ho the 
artist was that was ultimately called in ; but these ideas have since 
been carried out to the letter, with the exception that a stout 
iron railing is on the top of the low wall instead of vases—a plan 
that can only be justified under the circumstances, on the plea of 
security, and the public pathway referred to being so near. What 
used to be the fruit-tree borders are now occupied with fine 
specimens and a very large collection of Roses. The orchard is 
now an excellent lawn ; and just opposite the gateway in the wall, 
or nearly so, is a beautiful rosery, with groups of fine shrubs 
round it, and lighted up with, perhaps, just enough of pretty 
plants of Weeping Willow. 
To prevent returning to the matter, I may mention that this 
enclosed flower garden has been planted in the general way, by 
Mr. Peacock, and, no doubt, looked well ; but as its circum¬ 
stances are quite different from the garden in front of the mansion, 
it struck me that to produce variety the planting and arrange¬ 
ment should also be different. For instance : if each of these little 
circles had a large, massive, single specimen, a distinctive feature 
would be apparent—one that ere long will be as much thought of 
and considered more artistic than mere flat beds of colour. 
So far as I recollect, the enlarging and altering of the pleasure- 
grounds have been conducted under the auspices of the present 
proprietor. The best things, especially in the way of evergreens, 
were saved and thrown into groups. Massive groups of the best 
Rhododendrons have been planted on the lawn, Avhere the orchard 
used to be, and fine large single specimens of Araucaria, Cedrus 
Deodara, Cryptomeria, Taxodium, and the best of the Pine tribe, 
as Finns insignis , excelsa, australis, Lambertiana, Abies Doug - 
lasii, Menziesii, Morinda, Ficea nobilis , Finsapo, Nordmanniana, 
&c. These are planted so as to have room to grow ; and the 
groups of evergreens, Rhododendrons, &c., are separated by such 
wide glades of turf, that the whole has a light, airy appearance. 
From the extreme east-end, from a seat under a fine Oak tree, a 
good peep through these glades is obtained of the flower-masses 
in front of the house. 
Nothwithstanding all this, there is much truth in the old state¬ 
ment that few men can accomplish a work that is above or 
beyond criticism, whilst anybody can criticise. Well, placed 
among the anybodies, I may state that there are two or three 
things I should have liked to see different. First. A separation 
lias been made between the park entrance-front and the pleasure- 
ground at the end of the house by a raised mound of earth, covered 
with evergreens and rock-plants. This is a great improvement to 
what formerly existed; but, considering the massiveness of the 
mansion, a stone wall from the corner of the house to join the 
sunk fence Avould have been more in character. That might have 
been topped Avith evergreens as at the Hyde. A gate at the 
corner, to appear as if of stone, or of massive iron bronzed, 
would be more like the house than a simple Avire gate. Secondly. 
The flower garden, as seen from the windows and terrace, would 
have been more telling if it had a background of single 
specimens, or groups of evergreens. At present the eye sweeps 
over the beds with nothing but the narrow grass verge between 
the walk and the sunk fence, and the bare park beyond to give 
relief. Lately, some largish groups of Pinuses have been planted 
in the park, at no great distance from the sunk fence; and what¬ 
ever else they may do, they will help to give that relief of a back¬ 
ground as they grow up. To be convinced of the advantage of 
this, it is only necessary to leave the terrace and notice the same 
beds under similar conditions from the park, with the green grass 
bank and the house as a background, or to stand on the lawn a 
good distance on the east side of the beds, there being a back¬ 
ground on their west side of single trees and groups of ever¬ 
greens. Thirdly. This Arant of a background can hardly be 
avoided, owing to the beds occupying the space between the 
bank and surrounding walk, and the nearness of that walk, 
averaging, three or four yards from the sunk fence. I need not 
repeat what I have several times said of the seeming incongruity 
of sinking a wall as a concealed boundary, and then taking a 
Avalk so near to it that you cannot help seeing it, and looking 
