November 28, 1891, 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
190 
TEMPLETON HOUSE, 
ROEHAMPTON. 
Templeton House, the seat of H. L. Holland, Esq., 
although so near London, is quite secluded amongst 
tall old trees between East Sheen, Mortlake and 
Barnes on the one hand, and Wimbledon Common 
on the other. Oaks, Elms, Limes, Sycamores, 
Chestnuts, Cedars of Lebanon, and others scattered 
through the park and planted in belts, are of many 
years' standing, and serve to give the place an 
appearance of antiquity. 
At this late season there is little of floral beauty 
out-of-doors, so that the houses offer the chief feature 
of attraction. The Chrysanthemums are still gay and 
are arranged in the vineries, the Japanese kinds being 
collected together in one house and the incurved in 
the other. Many of them are still in fine condition, 
especially amongst the Japanese sorts. Etoile de 
Lyon retains its beauty, as well as Sunflower, Raplh 
Brocklebank, Meg Merrilies, Thunberg, Japonaise 
(a curious bronzy-amber), Gloriosum, and Mr. H. 
Canned. Moonlight with creamy white, incurved 
and much twisted florets, is a striking flower but 
seldom seen ; and Golden Dragon is also a great 
curiosity. Eugene Gait is a rich magenta-red with 
large flower heads. Madame Bacco, Cullingfordi, 
and Camille Flamerion are not to be overlooked even 
at this season of the year. 
The incurved varieties are located by themselves 
and certainly associate better that way than when 
mixed with the Japanese varieties, which always over¬ 
power them, especially when arranged in groups for 
effect. They have suffered more from damp than 
the Japanese sorts, but many were still in good con¬ 
dition when we saw them, and were notable for the 
change of colour which they undergo when past their 
prime. The orange colour of Barbara becomes yellow 
in the centre, Golden Queen becomes pink at the 
base, Golden George Glenny a bright purple at the 
base, and Miss M. A. Haggas slightly tinted with 
purple at the base of the yellow. None of them, 
however, show so great a change as Mrs. Heale, 
which changes to a deep purple with exception of the 
centre. Prince of Wales, Refulgens, Violet Tomlin, 
Beauty, Lord Wolseley, Lord Eversley, Lady Slade, 
and Empress of India, all as a rule retain their 
wonted hues. The Violet-scented Progne is still a 
good late reflexed variety with a rich amaranthe 
colour. 
Florence Percy and Elaine are grown in quantity 
or the sake of cut flowers. Planted in the open 
border and allowed to form bushes, they are then 
lifted and placed in pits, where they are now flower¬ 
ing freely. Some Chrysanthemums may also be seen 
in the conservatory, but particularly noticeable are 
those which are specially grown for this purpose as 
untrained standards. Florence Percy is particularly 
attractive as a dwarf standard, while Etoile de Lyon 
and Madame Bacco stand 8 ft. high, with stout stems. 
The last named is the least suitable for the purpose 
owing to the drooping and untidy character of its 
blooms when treated in this way. Notable amongst 
other plants in this structure were the climbers on 
the roof, including Tacsonia Van Volxemii, Plum- 
, bago capensis, Cobaea scandens variegata, and 
Solanum jasminoides; the latter hanging down in 
festoons and still flowering freely. 
In the Fern house some Begonias, including B. 
nitida and B. Scottiensis, will continue to flower for 
a long time to come; and plants of Rivina laevis 
i with red berries serve to brighten up Adiantum 
cuneatum and A. macrophyllum, which are still in 
the freshest of leafage. Two divisions of a house 
used for growing Melons in summer are made to do 
duty as a stove for flowering and other plants in 
winter. In one of them is a batch of Poinsettias in 
full bloom, and another of Euphorbia fulgens (jac- 
quineaeflora) will commence flowering in the course 
of three weeks. A seedling Canna, with orange-scar¬ 
let and yellow edged segments, has been flowering 
continuously since July, and looks as if it would 
continue till the new year at least. Amongst Orchids, 
Calanthes and Phaius grandifolius are throwing up 
their flower spikes, while Coelogyne speciosa is nearly 
always in flower. Some specimens of Musa Caven- 
dishi are planted in a narrow border along the back 
of the house, and one carries a good bunch of fruit. 
The other division was bright with well grown plants 
of Eranthemum pulchellum and Centropogon Lucy- 
anus. The bright blue flowers of the former make 
it a favourite with those who grow plants especially 
for winter work. Negro Largo and Donaldson’s Fig 
in pots are still bearing, the latter, indeed, carrying a 
heavy crop of fruit in various stages of maturity. 
A long supply of Azalea flowers will be obtained 
from now onwards till spring. One of the green¬ 
houses is almost wholly occupied with specimens 
mostly neatly trained. Little or no forcing is em¬ 
ployed, so that the flowers come on gradually. 
Deutsche Perle, Steven’s White, and Amoena are 
already commencing to flower. All the leading or 
best varieties of Bouvardia are grown in another 
house close by, and, like the Azaleas, are kept very 
cool by an abundance of ventilation. Double varie¬ 
ties are represented by the white Alfred Neuner, the 
pink President Garfield and the scarlet Hogarthi 
flore pleno. More brilliant than the latter is Vulcan, 
a single variety with scarlet flowers. The double 
flowers may be more durable, and the cool treatment 
to which they are subjected is very conducive to 
hardiness and freedom from damping. The best of 
all the single scarlet varieties is President Cleveland, 
which has much larger flowers than those of Vulcan 
and equally bright. The large white flowers of 
Humboldti corymbiflora find admirers everywhere, 
notwithstanding the fact that fewer of them are 
produced. The crop of hardy fruit has been so 
heavy during the past season that fresh accom¬ 
modation had to be found for it. Many of the 
best samples have been obtained from young trees, 
including Beurre Diel and Beurre Ranee, the former 
of which were notable for their great size. Peas- 
good's Nonsuch, Blenheim Orange, King of Pippins, 
Adam’s Pearmain, Cornish Aromatic, Betty Geeson, 
Annie Elizabeth, Lewis Incomparable, Northern 
Greening, and Court Pendu Plat were some of the 
finer samples of Apples. The crop is the heaviest 
that has occurred during the past ten years. Alto¬ 
gether, Mr. J. P. Kendall, the gardener, is to be 
credited for the keeping of the place and the order 
which prevails everywhere. 
Hardening |1iscellany. 
C_yj <Ti 
PODOCARPUS CHILINA, 
About sixty species of Podocarpus have been 
described, but the bulk of them are stove or green¬ 
house subjects. Although belonging to the Conifer 
family, they are totally distinct from the bulk of the 
hardy Conifers, with which British gardens abound. 
There is a considerable range of variety amongst 
them, and that under notice forms a large shrub or 
small tree, quite unlike the bulk of hardy shrubs in 
general. In its hardiness it differs from the bulk of 
its congeners, and should give no uneasiness in this 
respect, provided it is grown in a position sheltered 
from side winds, but well exposed to light, for upon 
this depends the hardening of its leaves, which are 
evergreen, lanceolate or linear, i£ in. to 3 in. long, 
of a deep shining green above and paler beneath. It 
is a native of Chili and Peru. A pyramidal, densely 
branched specimen of it, about 6 ft. to 8 ft. high and 
nearly as broad at the base, may be seen in the col¬ 
lection at Kew, where it withstood the past severe 
winter and several others quite unprotected. 
Although to a considerable extent allied to the Yew 
its general aspect is altogether distinct from that tree. 
EFFECTS OF FOG ON PLANTS. 
Last winter and spring, when setting forth the 
difficulties of growing gold-laced Polyanthuses and 
Auriculas on the west side of London, owing to the 
injurious influences of the fog, I was somewhat 
sharply taken to task, and the effects I mentioned 
were attributed to other causes. But a report issued 
by the authorities of Kew Gardens shows the serious 
effects of fogs, even the fog on Sept. 8th, upon vege¬ 
table life. Not only was there a serious dropping of 
leaves in the conservatories, but the leaves were also 
found to be covered with a substance like brown 
paint, which could only be scraped off with a knife. 
This substance was of a tarry nature and contained 
a large quantity of hydrocarbons. The effects of 
metropolitan fogs, even in a place so far removed 
from the centre of London as Kew, has become very 
serious, and it is to be feared that the most beautiful 
garden in the kingdom is in danger of being spoiled 
from this cause. Similar effects are seen on my 
Auriculas, Polyanthus and other plants. The brown 
deposit appears to burn as if it contained some fiery 
acids. So far the absence of fog in November is 
marked. The worst effects are experienced in spring 
when the wind is in the east, and drives dense 
volumes of fog westward. — R. D. 
A LESSON FROM NATURE. 
I was very pleased to see, on p. 146, the footnote 
under the above heading, in favour of the lovely 
Winter Aconite. To my mind it stands pre-eminent 
amongst spring flowering bulbs. It commences 
flowering before the Snowdrop, and it will grow and 
flourish in shrubberies and under trees. I have seen 
nothing prettier I think in early spring than dense 
masses of its golden flowers growing in a shrubbery, 
through a dense groundwork of Ivy, forming with 
their own peculiar foliage a pleasing contrast. I 
believe it is rather uncommon, as I only remember 
seeing it at my home (in Essex), where it flourished, 
not only in the shrubberies, but in the churchyard 
and meadow adjoining, flowering freely every year, 
and often might have been gathered when the ground 
was covered with snow. It thrives best, however, 
when left entirely alone. I often, when at home, tried 
to transplant it; but, if disturbed and removed, they 
invariably dwindled away. But if it could be induced 
to establish itself, I know of no prettier picture than 
that formed by this lovely harbinger of spring—,4 . F . 
RUELLIA MACRANTHA, 
About 150 specks of Ruellia are known to science, 
but only a small proportion of them are in cultiva¬ 
tion, and the latter are mostly grown for winter¬ 
flowering. The species under notice was introduced 
in 1883, and though not an old inhabitant of our hot 
houses, yet has had sufficient time to get more widely 
disseminated than we now find it. Those growers 
who have taken it in hand are highly satisfied with 
it, and it is certainly a showy plant when in bloom on 
account of the size and warm colouring of the 
flowers, which are of a bright or warm rose, paler in 
the throat, and striated with purple lines. They are 
trumpet-shaped, and produced from the axils of the 
leaves on the upper part of the shoots. The most 
satisfactory results are obtained by raising a fresh 
lot of plants from cuttings every year in the same 
way as Sericographis, Eranthemum, and Poinsettia. 
Mr. J. P. Kendall, The Gardens, Templeton House, 
Roehampton, grows it under the same treatment as 
his Poinsettias, and finds that some amount of shad¬ 
ing is beneficial during the summer months, but that 
full exposure is necessary from early autnmn on¬ 
wards. His plants seldom exceed 1 ft. in height, 
and the flowers are cut singly when wanted and put 
in water for indoor decoration. Treated in this way 
they last a week in good condition. 
VARIABILITY OF BRUSSELS SPROUTS. 
The same varieties in the same garden and appa¬ 
rently under the same conditions, do not always give 
the same satisfactory results. It is difficult to 
account for this, except on the assumption of their 
inherent variability from seeds and the effect of 
different climatic conditions in succeeding years. 
Mr. J. P. Kendall, gardener to H. L. Holland, Esq., 
Templeton House, Roehampton, grows a number 
of kinds every year, and notes their relative value 
according to the quantity of’ sprouts produced, their 
firmness and quality. Last year Sutton’s Exhibition 
came first on the list, but this year it is third. The 
best three in their order of merit at present are 
President Carnot, Veitch's Exhibition, and Sutton's 
Exhibition. There is not a great difference between 
either, as all are about the same height and bear 
well, with sprouts very similar in size. The first- 
named has rich dark green much-wrinkled leaves, 
reminding one of a Savoy. The rows stand 4 ft, 
apart, as they were originally planted between early 
Potatos which stood at the same distance. After 
they were dug, the Sprouts had the whole of the 
ground to themselves, and grew strongly on account 
of the free play of light and air about them, as well 
as an abundance of moisture. The space originally 
occupied by the Potatos is now planted with Spring 
Cabbages. 
VIOLET FROM NAPLES. 
Some years ago, a double Violet was brought from 
Naples by the Duchess of Edinburgh, and planted 
in a garden in the neighbourhood of East Sheen. 
From thence it got distributed amongst the neigh¬ 
bouring gardens, and has been cultivated more or 
less ever since in that district. Mr. J. P. Kendall, 
The Gardens, Templeton 1 7 o-uc<3 Rcehampton, has 
