THE GARDENING WORLD. 
229 
December 10 , 1892 . 
BUSH HILL PARK, 
ENFIELD. 
Those who have been to the nurseries of Messrs. 
Hugh Low & Co., Upper Clapton, are familiar with 
the enormous area of ground covered with low span- 
roofed houses for the cultivation of Orchids, stove 
and greenhouse plants, but more especially the first- 
named. The same class of houses is repeated at 
Bush Hill Park, Enfield, where stove and green¬ 
house as well as hardy plants are grown in enor¬ 
mous quantities to supply the home nurseries with 
stock that does better in the clearer atmosphere of 
Enfield. There are also extensive grounds for the 
cultivation of Roses, fruit trees, and other subjects 
for which the^heavy clay soil is well adapted. 
Stove Plants. 
As might naturally be expected, Palms are a strong 
feature of a nursery intended to supply the million 
with popular decorative subjects of the day. 
Numerous houses, each 8o ft. to ioo ft. long, are 
devoted to them, and some of the most useful kinds 
have one or more houses entirely filled with a single 
kind. Kentia Forsteriana, K. Belmoreana, Cocos 
Weddeliana.Corypha aus¬ 
tralis, Latania borbonica, 
and Areca lutescens are to 
be counted by thousands, 
in various sizes from one 
to three feet high. The 
specimens ofLatania rang¬ 
ing from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high 
are specially noticeable 
for their quality and good 
condition. Seaforthia 
elegans, Phcenix rupicola, 
Areca Baueri, and A. ’ 
sapida are also grown in 
greater or less quantity. 
The side stages of several 
houses are occupied by 
healthy and attractive 
specimens of Asplenium 
bulbiferum, A. b. Collen- 
soi, A. b Fabianum, 
Lomaria Gibba, and 
others, all in 48-size pots. 
Several houses are de¬ 
voted toGardenias in vari¬ 
ous stages of advancement 
as to size and time of 
flowering. The variety 
intermedia is considered 
the best, and is grown to 
the exclusionof the others. 
Numerous pieces of Alla- 
manda in 32-size pots still 
show a determination to 
bloom, even with such 
restricted root room and 
stems only 2 ft. long. 
Useful foliage plants are 
Dracaena gracilis andPan- 
danus Veitchi. The dark 
bronzy green leaves of 
Ficus elastica show that 
the treatment they receive 
is congenial to their wel- 
lare. The same may be 
said of the variegated variety which occupies an 
entire house 90 ft. long and is highly effective. 
Greenhouse Plants. 
One of the most striking features of this nursery is 
the great quantities of the more useful and popular 
subjects grown. For instance, there are eight houses, 
each 80 ft. to 90 ft. long, devoted to Cyclamens in 32 
and 48 size pots. Some of the more forward of them 
are placed in a slightly warmer house so as to bring 
them forward and thus prolong the season. The 
leathery foliage is ample, covering the pots and 
literally hiding hundreds of flower buds pushing up 
beneath it. The marbled markings are often very 
effective. Some of the white flowers had the rich 
purple colouring of the mouth extending a long way 
down the segments. There are also eight to ten 
houses of Indian Azaleas in different stages, recently 
imported and otherwise. A houseful of A. narcissi- 
llora, Deutsche Perle and others are coming into 
bloom for early work, while others will keep up the 
supply for months. Another largely grown plant is 
the common berried Solanum, so much used for 
decorative work in winter. Of this there were eight 
or ten houses in the beginning of the season, but 
they have now been considerably reduced. 
Heaths are extensively grown both here and at 
Clapton. Thousands of Erica hyemalis are now in 
bloom in 48-size pots, and good stuff too. A long 
house is entirely filled with Aspidistra lurida and A. 
1 . variegata in fine condition. Cytisus racemosus, 
here known as Genista fragrans, and G. atleana are 
grown in quantity in frames. Being in small pots 
they form dwarf bushy plants suitable for conserva¬ 
tory work or for dwelling rooms. The popular 
Asparagus plumosus and A. p. nanus, but particu¬ 
larly the latter, are largely grown in 48-size pots. 
Crassula jasminea with fragrant, jasmine like flowers 
has more recently come into popularity and is here 
grown by the thousand in small pots. Camellias in 
48 and 32 size pots are well furnished with flower 
buds and will be a fine sight presently. The quan¬ 
tities of Araucaria excelsa and A. e. albo-spica are 
also notable for their attractive appearance. Some 
very large plants of Lapageria in pots have found 
their way here. Owing to the miserable state of the 
weather and the muddy state of the ground we did 
n ot inspect the Roses in the open ground, but we 
Primula sinensis alba plena. 
noted some fine pot specimens. All the leading 
kinds of Tea and Noisette Roses are represented, 
including Marechal Niel, Gloire de Dijon, Reine 
Marie Henriette, Celine Forestier, Francisca Kruger, 
Catherine Mermet, Madame Lambard, Jean Ducher, 
Niphetos and others. 
This nursery is also notable for the large numbers 
and great variety of hard-wooded plants, generally 
known as new Holland plants, so beautiful in spring 
and the earlier part of summer, but greatly and un¬ 
deservedly neglected in most gardens at the present 
day. A somewhat novel feature here is that many 
of the kinds are grown not only in the bush form, 
but also as standards, with stems varying from 1 ft. 
to 3 ft. high according to the size and nature of the 
species. When to be treated in this way they are 
allowed to run up with a single stem, and topped 
only when the required height is attained. They 
then form a bushy head on the top of their own 
stems. Amongst the plants treated in this way are 
Acacia Drummondi, grown in great quantity and 
having stems 2% ft. high, also Epacris Eclipse about 
the same height, Acacia undulata, Grevillea Preisii, 
and Polygala Dalmaisiana, all of which look fine, 
especially when in bloom. They are useful for 
forming a background to banks or groups, or to 
break the monotony of plants of uniform height. 
The varieties of Correa are not often grown at the 
present day, yet here we noted a fine batch in eight 
varieties at least, including C. speciosa major; C. 
ventricosa, red ; C. bicolor, pink and creamy at the 
tips; C. picta superba, rose and green tips ; C. 
curiosa, red and green tips ; and C. brilliant, deep 
red with green tips. Very distinct is C. magnifica 
with creamy yellow flowers, and likewise C. cardi- 
nalis, with scarlet flowers and small dark green 
leaves. All are dwarf, slow-growing plants, that 
flourish well in a cool greenhouse. Several fine 
species of Pimelea are grown, including P. spectabi- 
lis, P. Hendersoni, and P. Neippergiana. The last- 
named, having white flowers, has already commenced 
blooming, the others being well furnished with buds. 
The species of Eriostemon, having orange-like blos¬ 
soms, are far too seldom seen in private conserva¬ 
tories at the present day. Large quantities of E. 
buxifolius, E. linifolius, E. myoporoides, and E. 
scaber in 48-size pots are now laden with flower 
buds that will soon com¬ 
mence to expand. The 
same may be said of Leu- 
copogon Reichei with 
panicles of small white 
flowers, and the well- 
known Genetyllis tulipi- 
fera, well furnished with 
bloom. 
Chorizemas are well 
represented, as might be 
expected, in Chorizema 
ilicifolia, C. cordata, C. 
splendens, and C. elegans. 
We more particularly 
noted C. Lowii because it 
has already commenced 
to bloom It seems to be 
a variety or a hybrid of C. 
ilicifolia judging by its 
dark spiny leaves. The 
flowers, however, are of a 
dark orange with deep 
purple wings. Metro- 
sideros floribunda in large 
quantities, is showing 
freely for bloom. A num¬ 
ber of species of Acacia is 
grown in greater or less 
quantity according to 
their value for decorative 
purposes in a small state. 
Some of these are A. 
ovata, A. Riceana, A. pla- 
typtera, and A. cordifolia, 
the latter being grown in 
quantity upon trial. All 
are well set with bloom 
and promise to be very in¬ 
teresting. Chironiaexifera 
and Crowea atifolia are 
herbaceous in character, 
producing rose coloured 
flowers,and growing about 
a foot in height. In the 
frames close by are large quantities of the variegated 
Euonymus, particularly the broad-leaved kinds, 
golden and silver leaved, as well as some of the 
Conifers: Eleagnus aurea marginata is also hardy, 
but is grown as pot plants in the houses. Altogether 
the collection is very interesting to those who like 
New Holland plants, as they may be seen by 
hundreds, and sometimes by thousands, in various 
stages of growth—the young stocks in 60-size pots 
showing how these plants should be treated This 
is particularly the case with Boronia megastigma, 
many of the plants even in«6o-size pots being treated 
to form standards. B. elatior and B. heterophylla 
are also abundantly in evidence and in fine form. 
-——- 
Dieffenbachia eburnea. — The oblong-ovate 
leaves of this Dieffenbachia are of a rich 
dark green, and closely marbled or blotched 
with oval or oblong white blotches arranged in 
ascending lines between the principal lateral veins, 
except towards the margins. The petioles are up¬ 
right, so that the plant occupies but little space. 
Plants about 18 in. high have relatively short stems, 
and in that stage are very useful for enlivening the 
stove during the winter months. 
