818 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 26, 1893. 
third compartment the plants were only 8 in. to 3 ft. 
high. 
From here the party passed through an area sur¬ 
rounded by the bothies, fruit-house, etc. A quantity 
of sturdy Chrysanthemums were notable for their 
dwarfness. The walls of the bothies were heavily 
hung with Clematis flammula, C. montana, 
Tamerisk, Ceanothus fragrans, and various other 
climbers or wall plants. The pale flowers of the 
Ceanothus (a variety of C. azureus) were indeed 
distinctly fragrant. The fruit-house contained some 
handsome fruits of William’s Bon Chretien, and 
Beurrc d’Am'anlis Pears, Peaches, Plums of various 
kinds, and large, tempting-looking fruits of the 
Brunswick Fig. 
The next house entered, was a tall roofed stove 
containing Palms, Ferns and Water Lilies in a tank. 
The roof was heavily draped with flowering masses 
of Bougainvillea glabra, Aristolochia gigas and 
Stigmaphyllum ciliatum, the latter having yellow 
Oncidium-like flowers. Near this was a very wide 
lean-to Fig-house bearing a heavy second crop. The 
next was a vinery rejoicing in a splendid crop of 
Madresfield Court and Muscat Grapes now ripe or 
nearly so. Another stove inspected contained 
Crotons, Dracaenas and other fine foliaged plants, 
while the roof was covered with a profusely flowering 
mass of Allamanda Hendersoni. In a small area 
between the ends of two houses, but exposed to the 
atmosphere, was a well-flowered plant of the 
Common Trumpet Flower (Tecoma radicans) with 
scarlet red flowers. Another range of houses in¬ 
cluded two vineries filled with Black Hamburgh 
grapes, on the back walls of which were covered 
with Camellias and some trees of the Shaddock 
(Citrus decumana) the numerous huge sized fruit of 
which were a source of great interest to the visitors. 
At the far end was a Peach house from which the 
fruits were gathered. A cool conservatory near this 
was gay with Campanula pyramidalis, Plumbago 
capensis, Petunias, Begonias, Celosias, Musa ensete, 
and the roof with Passion flowers, &c. The last house 
entered was a vinery containing Foster’s Seedling, 
Black Hamburgh, also under the name of 
Frankenthal, Muscats, Madresfield Court, scarcely 
ripe and a large, handsome white sort like the Duke 
of Buccleuch, grafted on another sort, and bearing 
finely. 
As the inspection was hurriedly being ac¬ 
complished, tantalising glimpses could be obtained 
of single, upright, cordon Pears on the walls heavily 
laden with fruit, also Pyramidal and Standard or 
bush Apples and Pears all more or less heavily laden 
with fine fruit. Pears, Plums, Figs and Peaches on 
the walls will yield a rich harvest presently, but at 
present constitute as fine a sight as any'gardener 
could wish to see. The fruit had also irresistible 
attractions for swarms of unwelcome visitors in the 
shape of wasps and blue-bottle flies, which were 
being caught by bottles containing sweets as well as 
by a simple but efficient contrivance consisting of a 
handlight placed over the top of another, the lower 
one having a hole in it near the top, and through 
which the insects could make their way up into the 
top light, but failed to find their way back again. 
Broken fruits were placed below the lower light to 
attract the insects, and the trap may be described 
as a great delusion for the ill fated insects. 
We had no time to thoroughly inspect the herbace¬ 
ous borders, suffice to say that the prominent features 
at present are Phloxes, Eryngium planum, Anemone 
japonica alba, A. j. elegans, Sedum spectabile, 
Asters, Salpiglossis, &c. The dry season is very 
favourable to the latter for they are flowering most 
profusely, and the several varieties are rich in colour, 
while there is no diminution in the size of the 
flowers. A very striking feature of one of the 
borders was the free use made of moderately large 
bushes of Rosa rugosa and R. spinosissima, the 
former being laden with their crimson red fruits and 
the latter with their smaller black heps. A notable 
feature of Park Place is the collection of Sweet Peas 
numbering some fifty of the newer varieties and 
about ten of the old Invincible varieties, making 
sixty sorts. The earlier sowings have ripened their 
fruits and have been gathered while a piece of ground 
is still tolerably gay with a later sowing of numerous 
varieties ; but the heat is almost too much for them, 
and the flowers are indeed out of character both as 
to shape and size, which can only be seen to perfec¬ 
tion in the earlier part of the summer when Sweet 
Peas are most at home, in the sunny south at least. 
Amongst the white varieties grown here, the best is 
White Eagle. One of the most striking and distinct 
is Orange Prince, the flowers of which have a decided 
tint of orange, but the constitution of the plant is 
rather delicate. 
Close under the mansion is a curious grotto, form¬ 
ing as it were the basement of a conservatory above. 
Here stalactites (artificial of course) hang in great 
profusion and in all sorts of grotesque and fantastic 
shapes from the roof and sides of what might be 
termed a curious and cool retreat. The floor is stood 
round with Palms, Ferns, Bamboos, and other kinds 
of vegetation that can live under the subdued light. 
Numerous mirrors round the sides in recesses give 
the illusive impression of extensive galleries or corri¬ 
dors stretching away in the distance. The house 
above is a combination of conservato and drawing 
room, with numerous tables, easy chairs and other 
articles that invite luxurious ease, but none was 
allotted the party of hurried inspection. Ivies, 
Eucalyptus, Fuchsias, Dracaenas, and other plants 
occupied highly ornamental boxes or vases. The 
new variegated Japan Hop swung high overhead in a 
basket, and is already bearing its catkins of curious 
flowers. 
Right in front of the mansion is the flower garden, 
surrounded by a low Yew hedge. Variegated and 
golden Conifers make a strong feature of the display. 
Begonias and Pelargoniums form the groundwork. 
A collection of these Conifers is also planted out near 
some of the hothouses and includes amongst their 
number the silvery, frosted looking Cedrus atlantica 
glauca, with Golden Yews, Cupressus, Thuya 
Vervseneana, and various others of the genus, besides 
Retinospora plumosa, R. p. aurea and a whole host 
of the golden and dwarf Conifers now at the com¬ 
mand of the planter. All this had to be perforce 
examined, or rather scampered over, in considerably 
less than an hour in view of the fact that the steam 
launch was waiting in the river to take the party ' 
back in time to catch the last train from Taplow to 
Ealing. 
We cannot take leave of Park Place, however, 
without making honourable mention of Mr. George 
Stanton who has successfully discharged the duties 
of gardener in this notable establishment for the last 
twenty years, and we must say that the garden, but 
more particularly the houses and hardy fruit do him 
credit in golden silence, even in an exceptionally 
difficult season. 
-- 
A ROCK GARDEN IN 
SOUTH DEVON. 
What may, without exaggeration, be described as 
certainly the best rock garden in the western 
counties has been recently completed at Abbotsbury, 
Newton Abbot. It is devoted principally to the 
cultivation of the choicest kinds of Alpine and other 
mountain plants from high altitudes. Considering 
that only last winter this picturesque spot was 
nothing but a plain grass field about an acre in 
extent, and adjoining the existing pleasure ground, 
the transformation effected is truly w'onderful. To 
produce the required irregularity several thousand 
tons of soil had to be excavated, and hundreds of 
tons of stones, some of which were over forty 
hundredweight each, were used to build the rocks. 
These have been formed of limestone found in the 
neighbourhood, and already look more like natural 
stratified rocks than the handiwork of man. 
Approaching the new Alpine garden from the 
older parts of the grounds, one would first notice 
scattered groups of rocks projecting through the 
sward, here and there, looking as though they nad 
been forced through the surface by volcanic up¬ 
heavals. They are adorned in every crevice with 
suitable vegetation, and in a part more massive than 
the rest is a cleft from which emerges a pleasant 
streamlet, bounded by huge boulders at intervals, 
and fringed with a variety of graceful flowering 
plants delighting in the moist bed provided for their 
roots. The stream is crossed by stepping stones 
from which the water can be seen dashing over rocks 
and forming a fall some 15ft. deep. The rocks on 
each side of the waterfall have a particularly bold 
and striking appearance, and in one place are 
traversed by a ravine in which the massive stone¬ 
work is so arranged that, although having an 
irregular and natural appearance, it provides, at the 
same time, a convenient series of steps for descending 
to the lower levels. Below the waterfall a large 
boulder forms a natural bridge across the stream, 
and here is found that part of the rocks which has 
been devoted to the smallest and choicest gems of 
the Mountain flora, which are arranged, not singly 
but in groups and colonies, and as nearly as possible 
as they would be seen in their native home. 
There are over goo varieties of plants, most of 
which are already doing exceedingly well. .There 
are large patches of the interesting Edelweiss, some 
fifteen or sixteen kinds of Alpine pinks, including the 
lovely Dianthus neglectus from Mont Cenis. The 
Gentian is represented by about a dozen sorts, and 
the varieties of Sedum, Sempervivum, and Saxifrage 
are numbered by the score. The latter include the 
great silvery Rockfoil, or Queen of Saxifrages 
(Saxifraga rougifolia), from the Pyrenees. -Another 
area has been devoted to the choicest kinds of 
Androsace, consisting not only of Alpine, but in¬ 
cluding many specimens from the Pyrenees and the 
Himalayas. Close by the poifd is a bog bed set apart 
for American cowslips, hardy Orchids, Primula 
farinosa, and many other plants which love a marshy 
ground. Perhaps the boldest part of the work is a 
cavern, apparently formed by the toppling over of 
cumbrous blocks of stratified rock. The entrance is 
suitable adorned with graceful creepers, and the 
interior with ferns, and other shade-frequenting 
plants. Close by is a group of the lovely Pyrenean 
plant, Ramondia pyrenaica. Another recess among 
the rocks is in a more sunny position, and is decora¬ 
ted with plants requiring such a situation, including 
many rare and new kinds. The whole of the work 
has (says the Western Morning News ) been designed 
and carried out under the direction of their able 
landscape gardener, Mr. F. W. Meyer, by Messrs. 
R. Veitch and Son, of the Royal Nurseries, Exeter, 
with whom the formation of picturesque rock 
gardens has long been an important department. 
-- 
EXETER FLOWER SHOW. 
The annual summer exhibition of the Devon and 
Exeter Horticultural Society took place at Northern- 
hay, Exeter, on the 18th inst., and the weather being 
exceedingly fine, and the show a good one, there was 
a large attendance of visitors from the city and 
country. The numbsr of exhibitors showed a steady 
increase, and the quality all round was excellent, 
especially the fruits and vegetables, while the local 
trade contributions were, as usual, a most attractive 
feature. The keenest competition took place in the 
class for a collection of vegetables. Here Mr. Copp, 
gardenerto W. E. S. Erie Drax, Esq., ran Mr. Mairs, 
gardener to Sir John Shelley, very close, but the 
award of premier honours to the last-named gave 
general satisfaction, his collection having a finish 
and uniformity of style that told much in its favour, 
while the individual exhibits were really first-rate, 
and, taken together, yielded the largest number of 
points. 
In the class for twelve and six stove and green¬ 
house plants, as well as for a miscellaneous group 
arranged for effect, Mr. Rowland, gardener to W. 
Brock, Esq , had. much his own way, coming out 
first in each competition. In the grouping a 
judicious use was made of some natural grasses, which 
gave a light and graceful finish. If anything, the 
group was a little deficient in colour, but this was 
compensated for by graceful management and har¬ 
mony of grouping. 
In the smaller group class (12 ft. by 8 ft.) the 
premier award was taken by Mr. W. F. Richards 
with a very nice collection arranged much on the 
same lines as that of Mr. Brock’s. Crotons, Humea 
elegans, Hyacinthus candicans, a few Coleus, 
Francoa racemosa, and a fringe of Panicum seemed 
to be the orthodox style. For eight stove and green¬ 
house Ferns, the Rev. Hamilton-Gell was first, 
and premier awards for collections of fruit went to 
V. Stuckey, Esq., and Col. Sir W. H. Walrond, 
Bart., M.P. 
The wild-flower classes were keenly contested, and 
the exhibits were worthy of all praise. Some of the 
specimens were very rare indeed, while all were 
arranged with exquisite taste. The open class in 
this section brought out a grand collection, and the 
Devonshire class, in which Miss Elsie Boundy was 
first, was also very good. Messrs. R. Veitch & Son 
made a most beautiful display of the good things 
grown in their nursery, including their new climbing 
French Bean, for which they received a Certificate 
of Merit. Other liberal contributors also were Mr. 
George, lverswell, Mr. C. G. Sclater, Messrs. Jarman 
& Co., Chard, and Mr. Smale, Torquay. 
