THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 3, 1858. 271 
most charming lilac tinge I ever saw. The author of 
this line is Mr. Scott, nurseryman, near Crewkerne, 
Somersetshire. He says, in one of his annual cata¬ 
logues, that Verbena melindris, or any dwarf, creeping 
hind like it, would make this edging still more beau¬ 
tiful. But the lovely lilac could not be had that way, 
or without the yellow gravel on one side and the 
yellow Golden Chain, or some yellow leaf, on the 
other. Still, I should be particularly obliged to 
any one who would hunt out for me a very dwarf, 
trailing, bright scarlet Yerbena, for this very ribbon, 
next season. Then I would alter it to one white and 
two blue plants, one scarlet Yerbena, two blue Lo¬ 
belias, one white Alyssum, and so on. The arrange¬ 
ment is so good, that I cannot touch upon any other 
| topic to day. D. Beaton. 
— 
CALLS AT NURSERIES. 
MR. W. J. EPPS, THE BOYER NURSERY, 
MAIDSTONE. 
Maidstone is situated in Kent, that county so 
famous for its horticultural produce as to be frequently 
called “ The garden of England.” Kentish Eilberts 
and Kentish Cherries are as well known and esteemed 
i as Kentish Hops. The town of Maidstone is clean 
and healthy, situated on the river Medway, and is 
thirty-four miles by road from London, and rather 
more by rail. In the neighbourhood there are large 
Hop plantations, said to be to the extent of 4,500 acres. 
In this pleasant part of this pleasant county, about 
sixteen years ago, Mr. Epps commenced growing a 
few plants in a small greenhouse. This bud of a 
nursery swelled, burst gradually forth, and grew on 
to the goodly dimensions I saw on the 20th of this 
month. It is really interesting to note the progress 
of these establishments, and to me it is a great 
pleasure to record the advance they have achieved and 
arrived at. 
The nursery is about half a mile west of Maidstone, 
on a rising ground. The extent is seven acres, and 
there is a plot of two acres, to the south of the town, 
entirely occupied with young fruit trees. 
The view from Mr. Epps’ dwelling-house is very 
extensive,—part of the town in the foreground, and 
swelling, wood-clothed hills in the distance. Turning 
into the nursery, I came immediately upon the site of 
the plant-houses. These form a kind of oblong square. 
On the west side, I noted a good greenhouse, thirty 
feet by fifteen; then a propagating-house, for harcl- 
wooded stoveqflants; a Geranium-house ; and a good 
stove plant-house with a span roof. This stove is 
fifty feet by twelve feet, and in it I saw good specimens 
of Stephanotis jloribunda, Allamandas, Ixoras, &c. 
The north side of this square is occupied by one of 
the best Heath-houses I have seen. It is, as a matter 
of course, span-roofed. No other form will grow 
Heaths well. Air is given at the sides, top, and end 
by moving the lights. The top slides up and down, 
and the sides push out—an old-fashioned, but certainly 
effective mode of giving air. Then, on the east side, 
there is a span-roofed house, seventy feet long by 
fourteen feet wide, entirely filled with greenhouse 
Azaleas, both in a young state and specimens of va¬ 
rious sizes,—all clean, fresh-looking, healthy plants. 
Mr. Epps adopts the plan of keeping all his Azaleas 
on clear stems, from six inches to two feet high. In 
order to form them into specimens, the lower branches 
are gradually brought down to the rim of the pots, 
and even lower, so that the stems are completely hid. 
It may be asked, what is the use of the stems, if they 
are to be covered? An experienced Azalea grower 
would answer, the plants with stems are sure to live 
longer than those that have a number of branches 
springing from a stump close to the soil. Such plants 
die off suddenly at that point,—that is, just between 
the earth and the air. Now, had they been trained 
up to a single stem, or, what is still better, grafted on 
a strong-growing variety, as a stock such as I observe 
i here, they would not have died so suddenly and mys¬ 
teriously. The ground within this square is occupied, 
at the lower end, with beds of flowers, edged with 
earthen tiles. In the centre is a large round tank of 
water. This part looks neat and quite respectable. 
Beyond this tank and beds there is a long, low, pro¬ 
pagation-house, sixty feet by nine feet: a walk runs 
down the centre, dividing the inside into two parts ; 
one is occupied with a tan-pit, covered with frame-like 
lights. L T nder these lights, the work of propagation 
is successfully carried on to a great extent. 
Adjoining this propagating-house is a second house, 
of the same size and form, but divided into two parts. 
' The first I saw filled with a healthy stock of Geraniums, 
and the further part with young soft-wooded stove 
plants—such as Gloxinias, Achimenes, Tydeas, &c. 
Passing beyond this square of houses, I next saw a 
square of ground hedged round and entirely filled with 
frames, in fifty-feet lengths. These frames contained 
the stock of young Lleaths, ail of the more rare kinds, 
—such as Tricolors, Aristatas, Irbydnas, Jasmini- 
fioras ; also a considerable quantity of hybrids. One 
especially, named Eppsii, is a splendid variety : I was 
told its parents were Tricolor Wilsonii and Aristata 
major. The tube is nearly round; near the stem it is 
of a brilliant colour, almost scarlet, and the rest of the 
tube is of clear flesh colour. Another seedling is 
named Oblata pmrpurea, the origin of which is not so 
well known -, but the seed itself was saved on Erica 
Clowesiana, supposed to have been impregnated with 
the pollen of Oblata. This also is a truly splendid 
Heath : the tubes are large, and very oblate, or 
swollen, at the base: the original Oblata is pure 
white, but this variety is beautifully suffused with 
plum colour. A third seedling raised here is very fine. 
It has been named Maidstoniensis. It is a hybrid of 
great merit, and flowers both early and freely, pro¬ 
ducing flowers of a good substance, and bright, rosy- 
red colour. There w r ere several other seedlings in 
flower, but inferior to the other three, though quite 
superior to any of the older varieties. At the east 
side of this square, I noted a deep pit, full of half- 
grown specimen Heaths, just such as I should buy, if 
I had convenience to grow specimen Heaths to a full 
size. 
The soft-wooded plants are next to be noticed. They 
are propagated in a house similar in shape and size to 
; the one above mentioned. This house has its ad¬ 
juncts, a cool pit, and many frames to harden off the 
plants in, as they are potted oft" out of the cutting- 
pots. 
The reader may be certain that, with all these con¬ 
veniences, there are thousands of plants propagated 
every season, and distributed over various parts of the 
country as required. 
The out-doors nursery, I observed, is laid out most 
judiciously for business. A gravel walk, seven feet 
wide, stretches across from side to side, and is crossed 
itself, at right angles, by a gravel and a broader grass 
v r alk. On each side of these spacious walks, I ob¬ 
served specimens of choice ornamental trees and 
shrubs had been planted. This is an excellent plan. 
A purchaser can be show n at once wdiat his trees and 
shrubs that he may order will come to in a certain 
number of years. The turf walk has its borders 
planted with the choicest Coniferae. Some of the 
older species have made considerable advance. Deodars 
have reached the height of from tw r enty to twenty-five 
