September 23, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
57 
suitable plants to flower in rotation. Do not make 
the border too broad. The rest of the area would 
certainly appear best if laid out in grass. Smooth, 
well-kept, even lawns or plots of gra's are always 
pleasant. An arbour for afternoon teas could be 
erected in the south-west corner, and flowering or 
bright, variegated, non-deciduous climbers or even 
fruit trees to give pleasure and profit should clothe 
all the walls. The altera'ions should commence any 
time from now, but should be completed by April. 
CYPRIPEDIUM SHILLIANUM. 
The accompanying illustration of this hybrid 
Cypripedium was prepared from a photograph taken 
at Chiswick on the occasion of the International 
Conference on Hybridisation and Cross-breeding. 
It was raised from C. gowerianum crossed with C. 
LONDON PARKS AND GARDENS. 
III. —Battersea Park. 
" Comparisons are odious." The truth or applica¬ 
bility of the above old adage all depends on circum¬ 
stances. But we do not purpose to make com¬ 
parisons at all. We love all our parks, and each 
according to sentiment may be classed as the best. 
To the man or woman who goes to the parks for 
lessons in howto decorate plateaus or landscapes, or 
confined or broad limits, the question must at times 
arise “ How can the supervisor of this park stamp 
his area with the individuality it bears ? " It is, of 
course, true that no two parks in London have the 
same natural conformation. Yet all the same it would 
be easy to fall into sameness of style in the grouping, 
blending, and arranging of the plants used. But in 
one or more of the better known parks one will find 
stretches, or for heightening other effects that would 
otherwise fall short. The distinctiveness of a group 
of tall Yucca gloriosa, whose lower trunks are 
draped in Ivy, was impressive because not so very 
frequently seen, and this Yucca, like the Chili Pine 
(Araucaria imbricata), is a plant whose appearance 
in gardens is to my mind on the same status as fine 
old Walnut or Mahogany furniture in the best rooms 
of dwellings. The purple Vine-like leaves of 
Ricinus Gibsonii contrasted splendidly with the 
drooping and arching variegated Maize in oval beds, 
the edge being furnished by crimson Pelargoniums 
and Verbenas. Another tasty bed contained a tall, 
single stemmed Ailantus glandulosa (Tree of 
Heaven) around the base of which the golden Honey¬ 
suckle twined, and over the bed were eight or nine 
plants of Ficus elastica of ft. high. Below these 
and carpeting the bed were many bushy plants of 
rothschildianum, and is a very strong grower. The 
leaves are light green, netted with a deeper green. 
The scape bears two flowers. The upper sepal is 
triangular-ovate, and marked with dark brown veins 
on a light ground. The petals are greenish, and 
covered with broad, black spots, and strongly ciliate 
on both edges with black hairs. The large lip is 
deep brown in colour. It received an Award of 
Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society, and 
would have been honoured with a Gold Medal as 
the best new hybrid Orchid at the Conference, but 
was disqualified solely on the ground that it had pre¬ 
viously been exhibited at Manchester. It was 
exhibited by G. W. Law-Schofield, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. Shill), New Hall-Hey, Rawtenstall, near 
Manchester. 
-- 1 — 
The Cape of Good Hope bids fair to be a strong 
competitor with Canada in the English fruit 
market. 
Cypripedium shillianum. 
very liberal and effective use made of annuals. In 
another park subtropical perennials, exclusive of 
Palms and such like, are in predominance, while 
once again we find another superintendent placing 
out the very tenderest of flowering and foliage 
plants. Of course, these are seen more or less in all 
of the parks, but the distinctive classes are more 
largely used in one park than another. Bold beds 
of large plants are very numerous in Battersea 
Park. A bed of Nicotiana gigantea with very large, 
dark foliage and pink bloom heads, stands out 
with no little distinction in the area (almost at the 
west side of the park), where all the sub-tropical 
beds are arranged. This flower garden is just 
after the fashion one likes to see. The beds 
are all of the simplest designs, and are so placed 
that from any point of the encircling paths the 
gazer obtains a satisfactory view. 
Trees and shrubs, mostly of the bright or graceful 
deciduous species are used for relieving the flatter 
Heliotropes, the yellow Celosia pyramidalis, tuberous 
Begonias, Dactylis glomerata variegata, all edged 
with the Lobelia and Alternanthera aurea. 
The dark red Canna called C. Adrian Robinii, 
shooting up from beneath the variegated bushy heads 
of Acer Negundo variegatum, made a bed unsurpassed 
by any other in its effectiveness. The edge was that of 
Pelargonium Golden Flame, blue Lobelia and 
Gnaphalium lanatum. The use of such plants as 
the variegated pot-grown Maples is a phase of the 
art which might be more liberally indulged in. 
Then again still moving in this flower garden of 
Battersea Park, we get a big “ fill-up ” in a bed al¬ 
together on the massive scale. It is a bed filled 
with great bush and standard Fuchsias, Plumbago 
capensis, Heliotropes, Iresines, &c., with an under¬ 
growth of Flower of Spring Pelargonium, edged 
with the great flat Sempervivum tabulaeforme. To 
save the beds from rapid drying, many of them had 
been carefully mulched, chiefly with cocoanut fibre. 
