February 23, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
403 
When the bolder pieces have been got into position, 
and the general shape of the rockery fashioned out, the 
smaller pieces of stone should be used for building or 
constructing pouches of various sizes, so as to make the 
whole as diversified as possible. In utilising these 
smaller pieces it will be necessary to use cement, 
otherwise the soil will be liable to be washed away in 
the process of watering, and the stones will tumble out 
of position, giving the whole a dilapidated appearance. 
Ordinary cement used alone would be expensive, besides 
giving the work too much the appearance of the 
builder. It is, however, more holding and better in 
every way than mortar, and may be mixed with clay 
or even ordinary soil, so as to make it go farther and 
tone down the colour. 
If the rockery is sufficiently large to necessitate 
making paths over it, they should be made substantial 
enough to walk upon comfortably even in wet weather. 
Their course should be winding and irregular, which 
has the effect not only of making them appear longer, 
but they will be less formal and artificial. 
-- 
G-LENFINART. 
The estate of Glenfinart, and family seat of Charles 
J. C. Douglas, Esq. (late of General Sir John Douglas, 
G.C.B.), is beautifully situated on the shores of Loch 
Long, in Argyllshire, and at the entrance or mouth of 
a glen between two hills, from the summit of which 
rises a tiny brook, which, as it flows onward to the 
loch aforesaid, is augmented by numerous tributaries 
until it expands into a majestic river called the Finart, 
from which the estate derives its name. The mansion 
is of Elizabethan architecture—all finely-hewn ashlar— 
with a very handsome porch over the front door bearing 
the family crest, is approached by a short avenue, and 
surrounded with beautiful lawns, four miles drive from 
Blairmon, and within ten minutes’ walk of Ardenfinny, 
where steamboats call several times daily. Opposite 
the main entrance is a beautiful waterfall, tumbling 
down over a rocky precipice of about 100 ft. The 
water is as clear as crystal even in the wettest of 
weather, and is the overflow of the fountain-head, 
which has never been known to be dry. Further along 
the public road is Fingall’s Well, where the late Sir 
John had a jug attached for foot passengers to refresh 
themselves. The water is as cold as ice in the warmest 
weather. 
The Finart passes the gardens and principal part of 
the grounds in serpentine form, and is spanned by three 
beautiful bridges, two of which form the main accesses 
to the flower and kitchen gardens. The former is of 
triangular form, and embraces an area of about two 
acres, finely sheltered from all winds. On the north 
side is a Rhododendron hedge, 8 ft. high, at the back 
of which is a high bank, interspersed with various 
evergreens, and large Oak and Beech trees. On the 
south the river flows, and divides the flower garden 
from the Pinetum. 
The east end of the mansion is sheltered by the 
kitchen garden, and screened therefrom by an English 
Yew hedge of quaint, though elegant appearance, and 
of itself a feature in the garden. It is 6 ft. high, 6 ft. 
broad, and 185 yards long, and has four arches in it 
opposite the different entries to the kitchen and flower 
gardens. These arches are 12 ft. high, and are square 
on the top, with the exception of one, which is semi¬ 
circular, and all as dense and green as a finely kept 
lawn. 
Returning to the flower garden, we note its unique 
design, with spacious beds, some of which must take 
several thousands of plants to fill, as they are for the 
most part panelled—very few massed. One portion of 
this garden was re-modelled in 1887 in honour of the 
Queen’s Jubilee, and is called the Jubilee garden. It 
consists of two crowns, two Prince of 'Wales’ Feathers, 
and a huge Victoria Cross as a centre. The two Prince 
of Wales’ Feathers were last season filled in with 
the family crest and monogram, and carpeted with 
Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum. 
The crest was formed with Echeveria secunda glauca 
and Pyrethrum aureum selaginoides, and the monogram 
with Iresine metallica and I. Lindenii, which were kept 
neatly pinched, and thus had a very distinct effect on 
the carpeting of Mesembryanthemum. No Sedums are 
used here in carpet bedding, and thus the stiff, formal 
appearance usually seen in such work is reduced to a 
minimum, the designs being neat and yet natural. 
Lobelias are raised from cuttings by thousands—blue 
and white—and, indeed, any dwarf-habited plant, 
effective in flower and foliage, is taken advantage of, 
and harmonies in colouring and design wrought out. 
Nor, indeed, are the usual occupants of the flower 
garden ignored, Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, Ageratums, 
&c., being used by the thousand, with centres and 
dottings of Dracrenas, Palms, &e. We must not leave 
the flower garden without making special mention of a 
magnificent Araucaria, which is 37 ft. high, and 5 ft. in 
girth at 4 ft. from the ground, and has a circumference 
of 68 ft. This specimen is furnished to the ground, and 
is of peculiar appearance, each branch resembling a 
saddle with from forty to fifty side branches. 
The most indifferent tyro in horticultural—or rather 
arboricultural—pursuits cannot fail to observe this 
specimen, as it strikes the visitor at once with its rare 
proportions and graceful outline. Another specimen 
of the same is fast approaching the height of this one, 
but lacks the girth and circumference, though possessed 
of the same graceful habit. There are also three 
splendid specimens of Cedrus deodara, which with 
their pendulous growth and pale green colour lend a 
rare and pleasing contrast. The queen of flowers, the 
Rose, is not forgotten here, but is grown largely and 
in various ways—bedded, and pegged down, also in 
borders and over arches. These do remarkably well ; 
indeed, they bloom well into the winter, and on the 
gardener’s house is a Gloire de Dijon, which is usually 
blooming at Christmas with perfect freedom. The 
finest Teas and Noisettes grow in the open borders, 
and are seldom injured, even in the severest winters. 
This is very remarkable when the exceptionally 
humid atmosphere and proximity to the river is con¬ 
sidered. 
The kitchen garden is a walled enclosure, and has 
the fault of being rather flat and low lying. It is only 
about 4 ft. above the sea level; indeed, the tide used to 
overflow it once a year, and would do so still but for a 
few small arrangements of trifling detail. The soil 
being light and gravelly is easily worked and easily 
dried ; but precautions have always to be taken in 
planting trees to keep them well to the surface, otherwise 
failures would ensue. The garden is well stocked with 
healthy, good bearing trees of all the popular kinds, 
Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries annually producing 
very fine crops. Plums are specially good, and the 
■walls are principally planted with these. All small 
fruits are grown on a limited scale, but are really 
splendid. Vegetables are produced of excellent quality 
and in large quantities, but great difficulty is ex¬ 
perienced in producing them early and seasonable ; 
and winter vegetables are difficult to keep sound, 
especially Broccoli. 
The main range of fruit and plant houses is inside 
the kitchen garden, and is 300 ft. long, divided as 
follows:—Three vineries in the centre, with a greenhouse 
and stove at either end, and at each end of the range 
is a Peach house of 70 ft. in length. The early vinery 
is planted with Black Hamburgh principally, and last 
year finished a heavy crop of fine fruit—bunches for 
the most part of a very useful table size, but many 
larger ones of from 6 lbs. to 7 lbs. weight interspersed 
the rods. The second is a Muscat house, and is 
planted with Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Ham¬ 
burgh, with one rod of John Downie, and one of Buck- 
land Sweetwater, the latter preserved when the house 
was altered, as it carried and finished such fine fruit, 
and does so still—berries as pure as amber, and as large 
as good BlacK Hamburghs. The third is a late house 
planted with the usual late sorts, Black Alicaute, 
Lady Downes, Mrs. Pince, &e. The latter at the 
warm end of the house finishes and crops well. 
The Peach houses are planted with the leading sorts, 
and are all in the best of health, and produce heavy 
crops annually. In the early Peach house is a Royal 
George, which has a spread of branches of over 40 ft. ; 
the girth of the stem is 3 ft. 3 ins., and its height 
is 12 ft. This tree annually carries an average of 300 
Peaches, and it is no uncommon thing to find them 
measure 15 ins. and 16 ins. in circumference, none 
under 10 ins. Grosse Mignonne, Noblesse, Stirling 
Castle, Alexandra Noblesse Peaches,andViolette Hative 
and Pitmaston Orange Nectarines fill this house. The 
second or late house is planted with Violette Hative, 
Bellegarde, Noblesse, Walburton Admirable, Gregory’s 
Late, A Bee, and Grosse Mignonne Peaches, and one 
Elruge Nectarine, all in high-class bearing order. The 
house is filled with the usual occupants in foliage and 
flowering plants, with some exceptionally good Eucharis. 
The back wall is utilised in a substantial way for 
growing all sorts of foliage plants, &c. It is fitted 
with wire netting 4 ins. from the wall, the vacancies 
being filled in with sphagnum, in which the plants are 
grown. The rafters are covered with the usual stove 
creepers, while from the roof at intervals baskets of 
Ferns, &c., are suspended. 
The greenhouse is filled at different seasons of the 
year with the various seasonable decorative plants, and 
usually filled with winter-flowering Pelargoniums fiom 
October to January, for which purpose all the best 
flowering sorts are struck early each spring and grown 
out of doors all the summer, and regularly pinched. 
Another range at the south side of the gardens, which 
will be of considerablednterest by-and-bye, consists of 
two orchard houses, each 100 ft. long, intersected by a 
Rose house—span-roofed, and forming a very neat and 
fitting entrance to the garden. These orchard houses 
—built three years ago—will, in the course of two or 
three years, be in fine bearing order. They are planted 
with all the best and most popular sorts of Apples, 
Pears, Plums, and Apricots. One of them is devoted 
to Apple and Pear culture, while the other has the 
stone fruits. All are planted in thoroughly prepared 
borders—indeed, concreted and drained like Vine 
borders ; and thus the very best results may be looked 
for, as the trees have all made a good start. The Rose 
house is planted with Mareehal Niel, Gloire de Dijon, 
W. A. Richardson, and other fine Tea Roses, and on 
our visit was a fine sight, many of the Mareehal Niels 
measuring 7 ins. and 8 ins. in diameter. 
In the flower garden is another house, commonly 
called the conservatory, of octagon shape and span- 
roofed. In this house is a Mareehal Niel Rose planted 
three years ago, and many of its branches have attained 
a length of 50 ft. ; this season it carried no fewer 
than 412 Roses, and when in bloom, as on our visit, 
it perfumed the air for a good distance away. In the 
centre bed of this house are planted Camellias and Roses, 
all doing remarkably well, the bed itself being fringed 
with Selaginella Kraussiana. The side staging is covered 
with fine gravel, on which the pots are set, and has a 
sub-tropical appearance, being dotted with numerous 
stove plants. 
Liliums are a great feature here in their season, about 
one hundred pots of various sorts being grown. This 
conservatory is usually filled with these in the shooting 
season. 
At the rear of the kitchen garden, and beside the 
potting shed, numerous pits and frames are arranged 
for forcing and growing on young stuff to supply the 
houses, and also for Melon and Cucumber culture. 
It may be noted iu passing that the main range is 
heated by one boiler, which is placed iu the centre, the 
valves and connections being well arranged, so that 
any may be cool or warm as desired, whilst the service 
pipes are carried along under the paths. In all the 
houses slate tanks are fitted up, which are supplied 
with rain-water off the houses, and also gravitation 
water ad libitum. 
We now leave the gardens, and cross the river by a 
beautiful suspension bridge, from which a glimpse of 
what is called the Rhododendron bank is obtained. 
Across the bridge, we find ourselves on the terraces, 
which are newly made, and present a vast improvement 
on the late formation of the same ground. From these 
we have a commanding view of the Pinetum and Rho¬ 
dodendron banks, the former being quite under our feet, 
with the latter on our right leiving us iu semi-circular 
fashion, and giving the Pinetum an amphitheatre 
appearance—really picturesque. 
For several months the Rhododendron bank is very 
pretty ; but seen in June it is one of the prettiest 
sights one can wish to see, and is to be made more 
effective by the introduction of many more hybrids. 
It is very effectively relieved by numerous Cupressus, 
white and a late yellow Broom, Lilacs, Azaleas, &e. 
This bank is over 300 yards long, and 36 yards broad, 
or rather, deep, as it has a considerable incline. The 
soil is rather shallow and of a gravelly nature, but 
from the position of the bank it is naturally moist, 
which no doubt accounts for the luxuriant growth of 
all the specimens. 
The Pinetum is planted with some good Conifers, but 
all are young, and consequently not so interesting. 
Numerous specimens of Araucaria, however, form an 
outline of it, running parallel with the Rhododendron 
bank and the terraces, while along the side next the 
river a splendid row of Irish Yew forms a fine back¬ 
ground. 
The atmosphere here is very mild and humid, indeed, 
too humid at times, as it sometimes rains for weeks. 
The average annual rainfall for the past three years is 
73’08 inches. On July 10th, 1884, the glen was 
visited by a storm which did thousands of pounds 
worth of damage, and covered the gardens with 8 ft. of 
water. The gardens are in charge of a most able 
practitioner, Mr. J. Proctor, and great credit is due to 
him for the admirable manner in which every depart¬ 
ment is maintained.— J. Downie. 
