July 14 1900 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
729 
though never better than in a damp j'et thoroughly 
well-drained, half-shady position. In such a place it 
forms large spreading Fern or Hemlock-like leaves 
beautifully marked with white on either side of the 
midrib and pinnules. The odour emitted is very 
pleasant, and reminds one of liquorice. A few plants 
should be grown in all gardens. It is easily raised 
from seeds sown in springtime, or by division. 
Rumex Patientia.— F. S.: The Sourick, or Sorrel, 
is R. Acetosa; the specimen you send is R. Patientia, 
a much taller and very ornamental plant which will 
grow under the same conditions. As you say, these 
species of Rumex are not half well enough known. 
We hope to have a note on these shortly. 
GREY FRIARS 
Is the name of the residence of F. Hollins, Esq., J.P., 
and is situated on the west side of Preston, three- 
hundreds of loads of bog peat having been got in 
the neighbourhood for the carting. Most of the 
commoner plants are planted in groups with here 
and there a Conifer having groups of three to seven 
Pinus insignis in the background. The yellow Aus¬ 
trian Brier played a conspicuous part near the front; 
also Kalmia latifolia, Weigela of sorts, as well as 
Barberries, Sambucus nigra aurea, Spiraeas, Phila- 
delphus, Prunus Pissardii, a large plant in a portion 
of the old shrubbery ; Hemerocallis, Eryngium alpi- 
num, Oriental Poppies and Bambusas. A large 
clump of Metake having been moved last year from 
the old shrubbery to a conspicuous corner of a bed, 
was throwing up shoots nicely from the base. I 
hope at some future time to have an opportunity of 
visiting these interesting grounds again and report 
on the behaviour of the choicer subjects. There 
are numbers of large beds at the lower part of the 
lawn which serve to hide the walk from the upper 
should like to know where another can be seen. 
Mr. Ings planted it three years ago, when quite a 
small piece from Messrs Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Veitch’s hybrid Aquilegias were a treat to see in the 
vacant spaces in one of these beds, and in the centre 
of another was a plant of Eremurus robustus with 
numbers of seed vessels. Crossing the lawn east¬ 
ward, past the front of the mansion, we pass a wall 
covered with Laburnum treated as a climber, and 
near are three well built span-roofed glass houses, 
each crowded with plants suitable for house and 
table decorations with Cucumbers and Tomatos 
overhead, the latter a heavy crop. Like many 
others Mr. Ings has one of his own selection, 
which he has named Ings’ Invincible. It had as 
many as a score of fruits in a truss, with very 
small space between the trusses. Adjoining these is 
a glass covered cricket shed ioo ft. long and 30 ft., 
wide, heated with hot water and furnished with 
Cypripedium spectabile at Grey Friars, Preston, 
quarters of an hour’s walk from Preston railway 
station, but the distance is shortened, though in point 
of time there is not much gained by taking the tram 
from the Town Hall to the Withy Trees, Fulwood. 
Arriving there one evening at the end of the third 
week in June, I was fortunate in meeting with Mr. 
Ings, the gardener, at the lodge entrance and we 
were not long before we were in the well kept 
pleasure ground, which was a meadow three years 
ago. It slopes pleasingly to the south, the mansion 
being at the extreme north. Round the outskirts is 
a wide border planted with shrubs and herbaceous 
plants of all kinds, many of them seldom risked in 
the north. This is flanked by a belt of grass of vary¬ 
ing width, and next to this a walk 600 yards long. 
The natural soil here is sandy and rather poor ; 
but where required suitable soil has been added, 
part, as it winds its way round. One is planted with 
about fifty plants, 3 ft. to 4 ft. each in diameter, of 
John Waterer Rhododendrons; a similar one with 
Mrs. John Clutton and a third with Lady Lorisdale. 
Dotted amongst them are Sweet Peas and Holly¬ 
hocks, edged with Ghent Azaleas. A little further 
on we come to a clump of the Penzance Roses. 
As a continuation of the border there is on the 
west side near the mansion a splendid bank of 
Rhododendron banked by a plantation. On the 
opposite side on the lawn there are beds of the same 
plants edged with broad masses of Violas in patches 
of various sorts. These were remarkably fine. In 
a corner of one of these beds facing north was a 
clump of Cypripedium spectabile with thirteen flow¬ 
ers, two twins, the first of the kind I have seen in 
the north ; but then I am not a great traveller and I 
electric light. Lawn tennis and other games enacted 
on the lawn can be played here in the stormiest of 
weather, as well as cricket, and it is also suitable for 
a ball room. 
After a hasty glance at this we pass through a 
doorway leading to the back of the premises over¬ 
looking a deep dell, which must have been a perfect 
Chaos before Mr. Ings took it in hand ; and now it 
is a delightful spot, as ornamental as any part of the 
pleasure ground. 
Proceeding along the upper part we reach the 
newly-made kitchen garden, an irregular piece of 
ground sloping east and south. Chelsea Gem and 
Sutton's Model Peas sown in pots and planted out 
were a fortnight in advance of those sown in the 
open. Strawberries were an enormous crop, twenty 
sorts having been planted for trial. Louise Gautier 
