'•76 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 23, 1905. 
Notes on . . . 
Our Illustrations. 
ON CENTRE SHEET (pages 974 and 975). 
The Gardens at Tittenhurst. 
Those who make provision for summer 
flower bedding only lose the value of their 
gardens for a considerable period of the year. 
For some time past Conifers have been sys¬ 
tematically neglected in a great many 
gardens, but we hope the time is coming when 
owners will again see the utility of planting 
hardy evergreen Conifers in variety. They 
really supply a want in the garden that is 
but too seldom discovered until winter is 
upon us. Those, however, who have given 
the matter their attention and planted some 
of the many beautiful Conifers at hand now 
see that the garden is still alive with plants 
of various habit, height and colour. 
The view in the gardens represented on the 
top left-hand corner was taken in the summer 
time, showing how it is possible to work 
summer bedding of the most modern type 
into the landscape which is already well 
occupied both with deciduous and evergreen 
trees. The most noticeable tree in the fore¬ 
ground of this picture is the Monkey Puzzle 
(Araucaria imbricata). Behind it in the dis¬ 
tance are other trees belonging to the same 
family, which, though less important, serve to 
make the gardens and grounds gay at this 
period of the year, when the flower beds are 
practically barren and bare. The view was 
taken in the gardens of T. H. Lowinsky, Esq., 
Tittenhurst, Ascot, Berks, where Mr. Joseph 
Timson is in charge. 
On the right-hand side of the sheet another 
picture of the same establishment shows 
where the owner has taken great care to plant 
trees of a variety of habit and form, amongst 
which are those of columnar or pyramidal out¬ 
line occupying the background, while various 
trees in front are clipped and kept neat in 
forms representing the trees that used to 
occupy old-fashioned English flower gardens. 
The Conifers behind them naturally assume 
the habit they exhibit, while the trees in front 
are entirely of a different character. 
The Indian Bean (Catalpa bignonioides). 
There are several species of Catalpa in culti¬ 
vation, but the tree represented on the left- 
hand side of the page is the best-known 
species, and that which has been more or less 
cultivated in this country for many years. 
The most conspicuous feature of the tree, say 
in June, is its squat and spreading habit, and 
the large number of more or less horizontal 
branches. In July and August the tree 
reaches the flowering stage, when it becomes 
loaded with trusses of flowers that at a short 
distance appear white and are highly effective. 
On close inspection the flowers are seen to be 
handsomely variegated or marked with crim¬ 
son and orange inside. There is no other 
hardy tree tnat presents the same form of 
flower as the Catalpa and to which we can 
compare this one. 
Several other species of Catalpa are grown 
in the Royal Gardens, Kew, but only those 
who are in the habit of visiting are likely to 
see them. Another tree to which we may 
compare it is Paulownia imperialis, but 
although the leaves are similar, the Paulownia 
only flowers in spring, and then only in 
favoured parts of the country where the late 
frosts have not been so severe as to destroy 
the blossom. The colour of the flowers and 
their shape are quite diverse in the two cases. 
C. bignonioides comes from the South 
United States, while the others in this country 
come either from China or Japan, and are 
trees of very small size. The branches of this 
tree really do not come so close to the ground 
as they appear to, so that when in full leaf it 
would afford shade for a large number of 
people to- sit beneath during the flowering 
season. Those who have a lawn of fair size 
would find it a beautiful and distinct tree 
both on account of its foliage and flowers, and 
it would make a useful shade tree. After the 
leaves fall the tree is then seen to be more or 
less laden with long pod-like fruits, which 
have been compared to a Bean, hence the 
name Indian Bean. 
Wall Gardening at Gunnersbury House. 
On the lower left-hand corner is an illustra¬ 
tion of what appear to be ruins, and they were 
indeed meant to represent such, but while 
resembling ruins the waffs were intended to be 
covered with plants. The whole is built of brick 
except the pillars, which can be seen in some 
portions. The wall is really double, because 
the interior is filled with soil for the purpose 
of growing plants, not merely on the top, but 
in various places along the sides where there 
are either openings or small crevices between 
the bricks. When this photograph was taken 
the walls were still almost bare, and, although 
planted in places, the plants had made but 
little growth. The reader will also observe a 
tank in front of the wall, which was built for 
the jDurpose of growing aquatics. 
Another view of the same scene shows the 
wall very largely covered with a variety of 
subjects. Usually on any ordinary wall, if an 
attempt was made to plant or insert plants 
artificially most of them would in a short 
time come to grief. When, however, the 
gardener undertakes work of this kind the 
walls are so constructed not only to hold soil, 
but also to facilitate watering from time to 
time as the plants require it. Under such 
conditions the plants thrive admirably, and 
the wall gets almost covered with greenery of 
various kinds towards the end of summer. 
The two views we have just been describing 
represent wall gardening as it is conducted at 
Gunnersbury House, Acton, the property of 
Leopold de Rothschild, Esq. Mr. James Hud¬ 
son, the gardener, has employed a great 
variety of subjects on this wall with great 
success. Some which may be mentioned were 
Ivy-leaved Toad Flax, Rock Roses, Convol¬ 
vulus mauritanicus, and such old-fashioned 
things as Wallflowers and Snapdragons, ad¬ 
mirably adapted for the purpose. A great 
number of succulent or fleshy leaved subjects 
may be grown with success, and some of those 
employed here were Mesem bryanthemum, 
Portulac-a, and Aloes. On the top of the 
wall were several Roses, including R. wiehu- 
raiana and various others. 
We represent two stages of wall gardening 
in order to show what readers may do who 
desire to grow wall plants for the love of the 
same, or to build a wall that will not be un- 
sightlv and at the same time hide from view 
something of less desirable character. These 
advantages are often required in modern 
gardens where it may be that someone's house 
overlooks a neighbour’s stable, workshop or 
factory. The wall can be built so as to pre¬ 
sent the appearance of antiquity, and such 
walls are usually occupied by flowers of a 
varied character, so that wall gardens actually 
exist without any voluntary action on the 
part of man. By building a wall on purpose 
it may, however, be carried to a much greater 
extent, and be both beautiful and useful. 
The tank in front of the wall had been 
planted with Nelumbiums, Irises, the Egyp¬ 
tian Papyrus, and various other aquatics. 
The second picture, of course, represents vege¬ 
tation late in summer. 
The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Unedo.) 
The illustration of the above tree or shrub 
represents only some fruiting sprays. When 
planted on the grass or in a border or small 
bed and allowed to assume its natural form 
it makes a bush which gradually increases in 
size until it assumes the height of a small tree. 
By confining it to a single stem at the base 
and regulating the growth a little it may be 
made to assume the form of a small but neat 
and bushy habited tree. The leaves are ever¬ 
green, and may fairly well be compared to 
those of the true Laurel or Sweet Bay. 
Tlie flowers are, however, entirely different, 
being urn-shaped and not unlike the Lily of 
the Valley. These flowers are produced during 
October and November, and are followed by 
berries, which reach the ripening stage and 
remain in that condition during the next 
flowering period a twelvemonth hence. The 
berries are about the size of Cherries, bright 
red and highly ornamental. They assume the 
red colour some time in autumn, usually in 
September, when the weather has been suit¬ 
able, and remain on the bushes during the 
next two months if not eaten by birds. The 
berries are also useful for tarts and other 
dishes. 
As the name (Unedo—I eat one) indicates, 
the berries in me fresh state are not particu¬ 
larly tempting to the palate, however much 
they may be so to the eye, but after being 
cooked they are quite agreeable. The tree is 
a native of the south of Europe, and is also 
found in some parts of Ireland, particularly 
about the Lakes of Killarney, where the 
botanists who have seen the bushes aver that 
it is truly wild and indigenous. 
We refer-to this beautiful shrub or tree at 
this season of the year on account of its orna¬ 
mental character at a time of the year when 
very little may be seen flowering out of doors 
during winter. In smoky towns the floweis 
may not always give rise to berries, but 
whether the tree fruits or not it is highly to 
be recommended as a lawn specimen, where 
it will give the garden a warm and sheltered 
appearance when most deciduous subjects arc- 
cheerless even if not devoid of beauty for 
certain students of arboriculture. 
Narcissus Johnstoni King of Spain. 
We may say at the outset that this beauti¬ 
ful little Daffodil has not yet been spoiled 
under cultivation by altering its beautiful 
form and symmetry in order to obtain flowers 
of greater size. They are, however, suffi¬ 
ciently distinct and beautiful to have been 
utilised for crossing with other species of 
Daffodil in order to get hybrids of similar out¬ 
line and colour, but larger. The whole flower 
of N. Johnstoni is of a beautiful soft lemon- 
yellow, and so strongly is this colour inherent 
in the species that it is imparted to hybrids 
in a remarkable degree. 
The trumpet of the ordinary form is 
abruptly clipped short at the end, and that 
