THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
OcTORER 1, 1902, 
PESSOBOSE DSSSSESSS © 
++ GOVERNMENT ++ HOUSE, »+ ADELAIDE, +4 
HE gubernatorial residence of the repre- 
sentative of His Majesty the King in Ade- 
laide is all that could be wished for in the 
matter of position, and that is the best that 
can be said regarding the building. In 
point of architecture the word “ramshackle” 
would not be an inappropriate description. 
In point of beauty it has none, and in merit 
of stability the earthquake shock tried it 
severely, in fact another good shaking would 
demand the serious consideration of the 
State Treasurer and the taxpayers. But we 
have nothing to do with the building other 
than to say that the resourcefulness of the 
gardener is largely taxed to hide as much of 
it as possible with his landscape art. ‘This 
in previous years has been no trifling matter. 
The care of the property was in the hands 
of each Governor, whose tastes in the matter 
of landscape gardening varied in an agegra- 
vating fashion, and, needless perhaps to 
mention it, the lady of the household had 
taste or no taste, all of which the gardener 
had to submit to. A drive would be re- 
quired here, a lawn there, a grove somewhere 
else, and so on, until the grounds in their 
states of transition lost all sense of a respec- 
table character, and the wonder is that it 
looks as well as it does to-day. 
The grounds are now under the control 
of the State, and the head gardener, Mr. 
Stenning, who has not long been in control, 
is making the surroundings of the house 
something like what a {visitor might “fairly 
expect to see at such a place. 
The illustration by. our photographer was 
taken some time ago while the Chryan- 
themums were in full flower, giving the pic- 
ture a bright relief. The landscape aspect 
may be said to consist of a wide drive lead- 
ing around a spacious lawn in front of the 
house, with a deep border of trees, shrubs, 
and annuals in the immediate foreground of 
the picture. Passing the sentinel at the 
front gates and turning to the right of the 
picture the forest trees noticed on the border 
hiding the high street wall have been grow- 
ing there probably since the place was laid 
out, and fine specimens of giants they are. 
The Pinus Halepensis partly taken in on the 
right of the drive towers up a good height. 
Eucalypts of a hybrid character, Peppers, 
Figs, Carobs, Aurarcaria Bidwelli, Sterculia, 
Grevillea Robusta, varied by Yuccas, Wigan- 
dia, Agave, Cordylines, Lauristinus, Privets, 
Acacia siligna (Western Australian Waterfall 
Wattle), Hibiscus, Viburnum, Tecomas, 
Vitex Agnus-Castus, . Jasmine, Spiarea, 
Hakeas, Brugmansia, Double White Peach, 
Abutillons, and other varieties that give a 
great combination, if somewhat haphazard 
background. The edging of this border is 
planted with Echeveria, Iberis, Centaurea, 
Bicolor Pelargoniums, Stocks, Acroclinium, 
Chrysanthemums, Salvias, and Asters. Be- 
fore turning away to the left-hand side of the 
drive attention is claimed by a fine specimen 
ofSphaeralcea umbellatain fullcrimson bloom. 
After admiring the great growth of 
Auracaria Excelsa, showing up well in the 
right foreground of the picture, backed up 
by one of the American evergreen Oaks 
(Ilex), regarded by Mr. Stenning as the 
finest tree of its kind in the State, and 
trimmed to a graceful cone shape, we retrace 
our steps to note the border taking up the 
“centre of the picture. In the immediate 
foreground is an Acacia native of the West, 
a perfect sight of golden yellow. A variety 
of Palms have been lately set out in the 
centre of the border of the Pheenix, 
Chamaerops, Kentia, and Pritchardia varie- 
ties, and when full grown will givea pleasing 
tone to the character of the surroundings. 
Here we find a miscellaneous collection of 
shrubs of greater and smaller growth. The 
old fashioned but ever welcome Fabiana, 
Bignonia, Salvias, and Abutillons, with 
Hollyhocks, Gladiolus, Arums, Stocks, Car- 
nations, _Bracychome, Viscaria, _ Asters, 
Daisies, Erythrina, Hibiscus Syriacus, and 
H. Grandiflora.. Here we note that rare and 
pretty little blue Phaecelia Campanularia. 
Now rounding up to the lawn, whereupon 
the viceregal visitors desport their gay trim- 
mings on days of great note in the calendar, 
we admire the freshness of it for this time of 
the year, the clover helping the couch grass 
in this respect. Here, too, a pretty effect is 
