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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, June 29, 1858. 
what my borders are ; for I made them myself, and I believe 
the Grapes will swell up, and every berry colour well. I know 
the roots are sound and healthy, as you see the wood and 
leaves are; so I have no fear. Last year they did well, and 
I trust they will do so tills. 
Near the vineries, there are some low, span-roofed houses (one 
is a stove), in which I noted well-grown plants, some going out 
of bloom, and cut in to grow, and others coming into bloom. 
I was told there was a conservatory adjoining the house, and 
all these plants were grown with a view to keep it constantly 
supplied with plants in flower. This is legitimate. Plants 
so grown, and then bloomed in a conservatory, are not in¬ 
jured, like those unhappy plants that are, when in flower, 
placed in dry, dusty rooms, or in the draughts of an entrance- 
hall. The kinds of plants grown I need not enumerate. The 
reader may easily conjecture what they are for such a purpose. 
I may mention, however, the following in this conservatory :— 
Camellias, Azaleas, Epacris, Ericas, Geraniums, Fuchsias, 
and stove plants for summer decoration. The plants were 
grown in good style, equal to many I see at exhibitions. 
Near the vineries, I also noted a tolerably-sized, span-roofed 
house, heated with hot water, which is used as a winter 
kitchen garden, and is kept at a moderate temperature during 
that season. Mr. Chaplin told me he found this house un¬ 
commonly useful. In autumn he brought in late Cauliflowers, 
and early Broccoli, which there perfected their heads, and 
produced dishes of these vegetables during the most severe 
Weather. Pots of various herbs were also brought in ; and, 
When the Broccoli was all gathered, Potatoes were planted, 
and came in quite early : many other vegetables, so protected, 
came in useful, let the season be ever so unfavourable. This 
idea of a winter kitchen garden is a good one ; and, as glass 
and wood are cheap, a large space of ground might be 
covered, in the ridge and furrow style, for the special purpose 
of cultivating useful vegetables, under glass, protected from 
frost and snow. 
In the kitchen garden proper, I noticed that the small 
fruits—such as Gooseberries, Currants, Raspberries, and 
Strawberries—were more than commonly productive this 
season. Indeed, I think this is general throughout the 
country. Apples, Pears, and wall fruit will also, in most 
places, be plentiful this season, owing, it is supposed, to the 
warm weather of last year ripening the wood and perfect¬ 
ing the blossom-buds. Even the common Hawthorn and 
Hollies in our hedges show the effects of a ripening 
summer; for I never saw them so full of blossoms as I have 
this spring. 
Passing from the gardens, we entered the pleasure-grounds. 
The walk wound down to the edge of the lake, and was fringed 
with clumps of Rhododendrons in full flower. One part is 
in the picturesque style; that is, there is a rockery, a fernery, 
and some dripping water trickling over part of the stones : 
there the Ferns thrive most luxuriantly, showing that moisture 
helps their growth amazingly. Whoever forms a fernery 
should, if possible, have water near it, to cause a moist at¬ 
mosphere. I was last week among the hills of Derbyshire, 
near Castleton, and wherever moisture was, there I found 
Ferns in abundance. On common stone fences, on the road¬ 
side,—where built against a moist bank, shaded from the sun,— 
the Ferns were plentiful; whilst, on the opposite side of the 
road, exposed to the sun, and quite dry, not a Fern was to 
be seen. 
An ascending w r alk, past the fernery, brought us up to the 
flower garden, near the house. This is rather small, and, I 
think, ought to be enlarged. The beds had been just planted 
out in a most judicious manner, just such as would please 
Mr. Beaton. Mr. Chaplin has evidently studied the effect of 
contrasting colours ; aiming, however, more at variety in each 
bed, than matching one bed with another. The effect will, 
no doubt, be pleasing when all are in bloom. 
The next place I saw was the conservatory, alluded to 
above. The blaze of flowers here was quite dazzling, consist¬ 
ing chiefly of Geraniums and Azaleas. At one end there is a 
blank wall: this was covered entirely with the old Unique 
Geranium. Its neat heads of purple blossoms w r ere very 
numerous and very effective. The passage leading to this 
conservatory was planted with the different species of 
Ceanothus, and the wall was quite blue with their balls of 
bloom. 
On the pleasure-ground, after leaving this show r -house, I 
saw a specimen of the far-famed Wellingtonia gigantea. It is 
the finest plant I have yet seen. I measured it carefully; it 
was five feet high, and the branches spread four feet and a half ; 
across at the base. Last year the growth was exactly twenty- 
five inches. It has been planted out three years, and has 
never been protected; so that it is undoubtedly perfectly 
hardy. 
To the right of the spot where this Wellingtonia grows, 
there is a walk, which leads to an elevated terrace-walk of 
some length. This has been formed for the purpose of seeing 
the fine prospect visible from it. In the foreground, the lovely 
lake reposes in quiet beauty. On the other side, the country 
is beautifully undulated ; and in the distance is seen the lofty 
range of hills, one of which rises to a considerable altitude, 
and is named the Nag’s Head, from its fancied resemblance 
to the head of a horse, and another is called the Cloud. 
This terrace-walk should be carried forward in the open 
park, to oommand many other pleasing points in the land¬ 
scape.— T. Appleby. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
PLANTING IN VASES—IMPROVING A PATCHY 
LAWN. 
“ How am I to plant most effectively nine vases, of the size 
of peck pots, which stand on a wall somewhat exposed to 
south and south-west winds ? 
“ How must I treat a bit of patchy, coarse, hard, bad lawn, 
exposed to strong sun reflexion from water, from this time 
forth, so as to have it in better order next summer ?”—W. A. 
[If the vases are deep enough to grow Geraniums, Tom 
Thumbs would tell best above, or level with, the eye, on a 
wall. Any attempt to put mixed plants in these small vases, 
for effect, will fail. They are best adapted for spring flowers, 
such as Arabis, Aubretia, and the hke ci*eeping plants; and 
for very small plants of Tom Thumb } in summer. 
Keep the patchy lawn closely cut till September; then sow 
it, and dress it with fine coal ashes, and in February dress 
again with fine sandy soil and sifted ashes, or any rotten tan; 
but spud out the coarse tusseky grass, plantain, and other 
weeds, before the early part of March. Constant (once a 
week) cutting, and heavy rolling, will improve the coarsest 
meadow in time. If the roots of the coarsest gi’ass do not get 
the use of them leaves for a length of time, they will get so 
weak as to give fine grass; and the very small yellow 
running Clover is the best plant to give a soft bottom to such 
lawns. Moss is best, but moss seldom comes with coarse 
grass. 
“ Harry Moore’s ” system of growing scarlet Geraniums is j 
in our 53rd number.] 
SPORT IN THE WHITE FOXGLOVE. 
“ I have in my garden a white Foxglove, which has just j 
commenced flowering for the second year. Last year it was ! 
a true Foxglove throughout ; but this year I find that a ] 
different kind of flower has made its appearance, at the top of ; 
the main shoot, very much like a Canterbury Bell. There is 
another shoot budding, and the uppermost bud seems much 
larger than the rest, and I think will be the same a3 the one 
now sent. Can you explain in your next number the cause ! 
of this seeming freak of nature ?”—D. Dilwokth, Neivcastle , 
Staffordshire. 
[This sport looks very much like the flower of a Canterbury 
Bell. Science can offer no reason for a sport of any kind; , 
but the irregularity of the corolla of this order of plants is 
proverbial. The Antirrhinum and Calceolaria are well-known 
instances of bags and pouches in the corolla; while in 
Veronica we have a symmetrical flower. Preserve seeds from 
the other flower, and you may have erect Foxgloves to rival 
the erect-flowering Gloxinias, which is another departure from 
the natural form.] 
