October 2, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
69 
THE HANDSWORTH NURSERIES, 
SHEFFIELD. 
Sheffield may well be described as a town of con¬ 
trasts, for, probably, in no other place is beauty and 
ugliness so closely associated. The town itself is in 
a valley, yet it possesses as great a variety of street 
gradients as the most ardent admirer of the pic¬ 
turesque could desire. Its climate is described as 
vile, by those who are compelled by circumstances to 
live in it, while its soot-laden atmosphere beggars 
accurate description; and yet there are gardening 
establishments in Sheffield, on the west side of the 
town in particular, which are models of beauty and good 
order, illustrating, in the highest degree, the triumphs 
of mind over matter ; and on all sides, but a compara¬ 
tively short distance away, may be seen some of the finest 
scenery to be found in the midlands. The famous 
Handsworth Nurseries furnish an admirable illustra¬ 
tion of this. If you are making a pilgrimage there for 
the first time, you will in all probability remember 
pleasant residence, pretty views are obtained over the 
extensive nursery to the Derbyshire hills beyond, and 
the Yorkshire moors on the right, Sheffield lying in the 
valley between, but well-nigh out of sight. The nur¬ 
sery consists of some 200 acres, and contains a rich 
collection of hardy trees and shrubs of all kinds, fruit 
trees, Roses, etc., including specimens of a great many 
useful and ornamental subjects, which were obtained 
and planted as soon as sent out, and are now of the 
greatest value and usefulness as guides to planters. 
But let us look through the houses, as we are anxious 
to see the Lapagerias and the greenhouse Rhododen¬ 
drons. The Handsworth culture of the former used to 
be the talk of the trade, and the show-house still 
devoted to them is truly a magnificent sight ; but, in 
our opinion, the Lapageria is totally eclipsed as a 
speciality by the hybrid greenhouse Rhododendrons. 
For extent and quality of cultivation combined, we know 
of nothing approaching Messrs. Fisher, Son & Sibray’s 
collection. Six large span-roofed houses are devoted to 
The principal Lapageria-house is a large span-roofed 
structure, the roof of which is completely covered with 
the shoots of alba and rosea, or rather a variety of rosea 
named profusa — a broader-leaved, handsomely mottled, 
and much more free-flowering plant than the ordinary 
form, and the mass of flowers produced had a singularly 
striking effect. The Orchid-houses contain fine batches 
of Vandas, thrifty specimens with leaves to the pots ; 
Oncidium Jonesianum in quantity, with many good 
varieties among them ; the Hawthorn-scented Odonto- 
glossum Madrense ; 0. Insleayi splendens, many fine 
varieties; large quantities of 0. Alexandra;, in the 
rudest of health ; a great number of all the leading 
Masdevallias, and especially of the white Tovarense, 
which appears to be done specially well ; a fine clean 
lot of Phalrenopsis, with stout, robust foliage and free 
from spot or blemish ; and a host of other subjects 
grown in the best manner, which we need not stay to 
particularise. 
Other long span-roofed houses we noticed full of 
Ardisia picta. 
what you have been told, at various times, of the grand 
things that have been seen there under glass, and will 
picture to yourself, out-of-doors, sickly-looking trees and 
shrubs, befouled with soot and dust—yes, Handsworth, 
near Sheffield, it must be so ! Nothing of the kind. 
What you will see is quite the reverse of this, and you 
will be surprised at the contrast. Handsworth is four 
miles away from Sheffield, and so situated geographi- 
cally, that it is practically outside the smoke radius, at 
all events, so far out of it as to suffer little from its 
influence. You learn how this is on the road, as 
leaving the valley of the Shefif behind, you have to 
cross another valley before ascending the hill on which 
Handsworth is situated. You will learn that the pre¬ 
vailing direction of the wind is west or north-east, 
consequently the smoke is drawn up or down the valley 
as in a flue, and thus is the immunity from smoke at 
Handsworth explained. We have been thus careful to 
explain the matter, lest, in alluding to the beauties of 
the situation and the exceedingly fine character of 
most of the things grown, some may imagine that 
we are drawing on our imagination. 
From the garden front of Mr. Charles Fisher’s 
their cultivation, and in them may be seen plants of all 
sizes, and of the most admirable shape, of all the leading 
kinds that have been sent out. Remembering what 
leggy subjects the earlier-raised varieties were, the neat 
bushy habit surprises one, until we learn that it is duo 
to careful grafting rather than to an improvement of 
the habit, though a marked change in this respect is 
observable in the later crosses. As seen here, it is 
impossible to over-estimate the value of this race of 
Rhododendrons as useful decorative subjects. Being 
easily grown, and at no time requiring coddling, they 
can, by judicious management, be had in flower at all 
seasons of the year, and there is something so fresh and 
pleasing about their foliage and flowers, that one never 
tires of them. The flowering house, as distinguished 
from the growing houses, presents a floral picture not 
easily to be forgotten, so imposing is the mass of white, 
scarlet, crimson, pink, salmon, rose, and intermediate 
shades of colour. A considerable number of the plants 
we noticed out of doors, in skeleton frames, where they 
flower even in the summer months, and among them 
were some beautiful examples of R. Taylori, perfect 
bushes, 8 ft. to 9 ft. in circumference. 
zonal Pelargoniums, Ferns in great variety; Bou- 
vardias, Azaleas, Hydrangeas, Camellias, &c., all of 
which are grown by thousands. Araucaria excelsa is 
exceedingly well managed, and the stock of young 
plants is very fine. In a cool house we noticed a seed¬ 
ling Stephanotis, which makes its growth and flowers 
in a cooler house than the ordinary S. grandiflora 
This will make a favourite amateurs’ plant when it be¬ 
comes plentiful. The variegated Indiarubber plant, 
Iver’s variety, is magnificently grown, the colouring of 
the foliage being perfect. As seen here in bulk, plants 
twelve months old with about 20 leaves each, we are 
compelled to admit its striking beauty. Nepenthes are 
also lai'gely grown ; and the collection of Anaectochilus 
in a frame, seemed to be particularly happy. 
The collection of hardy trees and shrubs, as we have 
before remarked, is especially fine, but we have not 
space to-day for any lengthened description. The cul¬ 
tivation of small shrubs in pots is a prime feature, the 
stock consisting of about half a million ; Ivies are also 
well done in pots, and, for planting against dwelling- 
houses, the variety Caenwoodiana is grown to the ex¬ 
tent of some 5,000 plants, up to 7 ft. high. But the 
