558 
THE OAR DEN mo WORLD. 
June 27. 1903. 
about the place, may be made to assume an air of 
antiquity in the course of a season or two at least. 
The stately old trees are a guarantee of this. The 
author was. not entirely happy, however, for the bunny 
was in full possession, and was difficult to dislodge and keep 
out by means of wire netting. We must not omit mention, 
however, of the three subjects that had originally been planted 
and continued to hold their ground when the author took pos¬ 
session. These were hardy Fuchsia, Funkia, and white Water 
Lily. 
In speaking of the upper garden the author gives us an idea 
of his method of work. The upper portion of the garden was 
a jungle of trees, brambles, and weeds, while the ground was 
in a boggy condition. The fence was first of all thrown back, 
and the ground generally cleared of unnecessary objects, leav¬ 
ing a few trees for artistic effect. One of the principal objects 
in clearing away this natural jungle was to get rid of the 
rabbits. In this upper garden is a tiny streamlet, which keeps 
running most of the year, except the season happens to be a 
veiy droughty one. This spring, however, supplies the water 
to feed the two ponds at the lower levels. Wood, water, and 
elevation are three of the. more important essentials in the 
formation of wild gardens of uncommon and yet natural ap¬ 
pearance. In the central area of the ground are masses of 
rock covered with mosses and Honeysuckles, and various other 
subjects. The brook is also fringed with Ferns, showing how 
easy it is to fill in the details when one has got the essentials. 
Some of the illustrations show these Ferns and other subjects 
growing in a very luxuriant manner. 
English and Japanese Irises have been planted in suitable 
situations, together with the Californian Lilies (L. pardalinum 
and superbum). Of all his successes, the author is most de¬ 
lighted by the flowering of Lilium giganteum. It took four 
years for this plant to bloom, when it threw up a stem measur¬ 
ing 4| in. in circumference at the base, and carrying, a raceme 
of twelve of its magnificent drooping flowers. This, the author 
exclaims, is surely the queen-empress of the Lily family. The 
other associates in the neighbourhood of this, and also coming 
from the Himalayas', are Pinus exceisa and Leycesteria for- 
mo-sa, which he calls the tassel plant and describes the hand¬ 
some effect it makes with its red bracts and purple berries in¬ 
termixed. We have also seen that latter shrub fruiting splen¬ 
didly in Glamorganshire, further to the' west. It seems to do 
Better in the west of England than in the east. 
Amongst the nobler forms of herbaceous vegetation, we 
note the planting of Spiraea camtsohatica, here called S. 
gigantea, also Agapant-hus, Crinum capense, Funkias, and 
yellow and white Water Lilies. Here the author, rails upon 
the doings of wild ducks, which have destroyed the .Cape Pond 
Weed, although he admits that they are useful in keeping the 
garden clear of slug's-, snails, and frogs, which were pests in 
various degrees to the water plants prior to the advent of the 
ducks. The latter even breed here, as do various other wild 
waterfowl, so that in all essentials the garden must be regarded 
as-a typically wild one, with interesting, even if troublesome,, 
occupants. Voles, water rats, and mice have also to be con¬ 
tended against in gardens so situated. All these things are 
interesting enough, and give the place a secluded a,s well as a 
wild aspect, and the makers of such gardens must put up with 
some loss by way of balancing their pleasures. 
A number of strong growing Senecios have been got to¬ 
gether, and are spoken of as Ragworts, but that named S. 
arborea does not seem to be recorded in any authoritative 
work. It is probably -the nursery name for some other sub¬ 
ject-. Bam'busa palmata is described as the broadest le-a-ved 
species of Bamboo known, but the proper name of that is said 
to be Arundinaria kumasasa, and it has received various other 
names, including that of A. metallica, shown not- long ago as 
a new plant. 
In a chapter on Bamboos he speaks of the planting of various 
subjects that would realise the tropical effect with which he 
had been accusto-med in India, but the various subjects em¬ 
ployed lacked that colour which would be supplied by 
Dracaenas and Crotons, necessary to recall an Indian garden. 
In speaking of the Musa, he says that their immense leave; 
and tropical aspect can never be fully realised in the herbaeeou> 
border proper, and in that respect we agree with him. Musas 
require shelter to prevent their immense leaves from beino 
torn into shreds by the wind. Even in Hyde Park we have 
seen them sadly battered in this respect by planting them ir 
situations exposed to gales of wind which may occur durinc 
any month of our summer when the Musas are planted out 
The term “wild garden” at first employed by the autlioi 
gradually developed into the sub-tropical garden. The initia 
five was brought about by the introduction of Bamboo: 
amongst the plants more commonly seen in western Europe 
and the Bamboos having once been planted, other subject: 
gradually followed. 
In discussing the names of the various Bamboos employed 
he speaks- of the troublesome classifications employed by thi 
botanists by which various Bamboos are distributed in differen 
genera, according to the structure of the flowers. While be 
wailing the doings of the botanists in this respect, he ulti 
mately arrives at the conclusion that classification lias its use 
at least amongst nurserymen. He also relates the fac r tha 
Mr. Freeman Mitford ordered five Bamboos from as many urn 
serymen, giving each a different name, and, to his disappoint 
ment-, he got- the same species- of Bamboo from each of them 
We- may also add that the classification is necessary both fo 
botanists and cultivators alike, otherwise neither of the tw- 
classes of people would be able to understand one another i: 
speaking of plants of any class, as well as Bamboos. How 
ever, the author practically comes to that conclusion, so tha 
we are at one with him on the point. It is quite correct t- 
speak of all of them as simply Bamboos, in the same way as w 
can speak -of Wheat, Oats, Rice, Rye Grass, Fescue, and Meadot 
Grass as grasses. We can even go further, and say that Bam 
boos are shrubby grasses, which is indeed the case. 
We like the chapter on tender exotics, but think it migh 
very well have been divided into two, for the simple rerTsoi 
that, after speaking of tender exotics, correctly so called, h- 
goes on to describe ornamental species of Rhubarb, Polvgo 
minis, Gunneras, Eremuri, and various other t hirers which ar- 
bardy in many parts of the country. On page- 82 it is state 
that the New Zealand Flax does not flower in England, but 
like the Century plant, it flowers frequently in various parts 
of the country, even ripening seeds in some instances. 
The book contains some twentv-six full pane illustrations 
which are monochromes printed in brown. These have tin 
merit of being relevant to the subject matter under discussion 
for they are views in the various parts of the wild and sut 
tropical gardens. One of these we reproduce, which wall giv 
readers a glimpse of the plants grown in the immediate neigl 
bo-urho-od of Lilium giganteum above- mentioned. (See p. 551 
Azaleas at the Ghent Quinquennial. 
(See Supplement.) 
Our Supplement this -week will serve to give readers wh 
have never been to the Ghent Quinquennial some idea of tl 
views to be seen in the large annexe where these flotvers at 
chiefly exhibited. The large -bed of Azaleas in the view repr 
sent-ed was the first prize lot of sixty plants -of a suitable si; 
for commercial purposes, and was exhibited by Messr 
Sander and Sons, St. Albans, England, and Bruges, Belgiun 
The plants were, of course, perfectly similar to those seen i 
any nursery or florist’s establishment- in this country, as v 
are supplied with the same from Belgium, but the plants show 
on -t-his occasion were of the very best of their kinds ani 
amongst the more recent. The- whole centre of the Ian; 
annexe, in the upper half of it, at least, is usually occupied wit 
Azaleas of the Indian type, and the lower end of the anne> 
with the deciduous or Ghent Azaleas. The group of Amaryll 
seen under the staircase was exhibited by Messrs. R. P. K< 
and Sons, Liverpool. A group of hard-wooded greenh oil¬ 
plants can be seen on the right of the picture. 
