THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
AUGUST 1, 1902. 
LEQLY 
Government House, Melbourne. ke 
Ore illustration is a landscape view with 
® Melbourne Government House showing 
in the distance, taken froma favourite spot in 
the Botanic Gardens. Nothing can be seen 
of the Government House Grounds from any 
part of the Botanic Gardens. This is, how- 
ever, a picturesque spot, known as the Ander- 
son-street Lawn, which is eight acres in éx- 
tent. The vegetation in the foreground of 
the picture gives a good view of the handsome 
Yucca gloriosa (Adam’s needle) in flower, 
introduced from America (to the left), and 
numerous flowering shrubs, such as Pittos- 
porum (from pitte, tar or pitch, and sporos, 
seed ; seeds covered with resinous pulp) ; 
Rhaphiolepis, or Indian Hawthorn (from 
raphis, a needle, and lepis, a scale, referring 
to the formation of the bracts) ; Viburnum 
(from vieo, to tie; use of flexible shoots) ; 
Solanum, nightshade (from solor, to comfort, . 
giving a soothing narcotic effect) ; Cestrum, 
belonging to the same tribe as Habrothamnus 
{from habros, gay, and thamnos, a shrub), 
also shown in the picture; Arundo, or bam- 
boo-reed (probably from arundo, a ‘reed), 
This little group of landscape garden shrubs 
is picturesque and very effective as shown in 
bloom. A glimpse of the Botanic lake is 
given, and one of its islands, partly fringed 
with Nile rush,’ Papyrus (from babeer, pro- 
nounced papeer, Syrian; hence papyrus) 
from which paper was made by the Egyptians. 
The Eucalyptus, gum tree (from eu, good, 
and kalypto, covering ; referring to the Hower 
envelope, or calyx, which .covers the flower 
and falls off like a cap) to the right of the 
picture, near the lake, was in existence long 
before the Gardens were laid out, and _ there- 
fore must be of considerable age. Certainly 
this and several other gum trees of the original 
forest, says Mr. W. R. Guilfoyle, have not 
Increased in size during the thirty years of his 
directorship. 
man we are indebted for a description of the 
Gardens. They are universally acknowledged 
as amongst the very best public gardens in 
all respects in the world, In our subsequent 
To the courtesy of this gentle 
issues we shall be pleased to make use o* 
these descriptions, accompanied by illustra- 
tions, as space will permit. 
The Government House Grounds, laid out 
by Mr. Guilfoyle in 1873, cover an area of 
sixty acres, in park-like landscape with groups 
and lawns. ‘Two or three acres near the 
residence are reserved for flower gardens, and 
include tennis courts and croquet lawns. 
The ground is undulating in character and 
admirably suited for the purposes of effective 
landscape gardening. Fenced off from the 
gardens proper is a large paddock for horses 
and cattle. ' 
At the time this now beautiful estate was 
laid out it was simply a bare hill surrounded 
by native trees and shrubs. ‘Vo bring it up 
to the plans arranged by Mr. Guilfoyle a tre- 
mendous quantity of soil was required to be 
brought in, and the task of the landscape 
gardener was a considerable undertaking, 
which now redounds to the infinite credit 
of the present Director of the Botanic 
Gardens, 
' 
