the hil and draw up at the hotel. 
a83 Jan. 9, 1904. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
5 
THE RESIDENCE OF DR. E. LESLIE 
POOLER, STIRLING WEST. . 
The residence of Dr. Pooler is on a pro- 
fessional site, ag the nature of his calling 
demands. ~ On the main road to Adelaide 
he has for immediate neighbors the Sal- 
vation Army Barracks, so that the material 
and spiritual welfare of those who require 
to visit him professionally can be con- 
veniently attended, if so desired. Not 
that there is anything specially in common 
between the doctor and the Army captain, 
but the possibility of united effort for the 
well-being of patients ailing in body and 
Soul is there if needed. The Salvation 
Barracks is a part of the old establish- 
- ment of Hill & Co.’s stables, so well known 
before the railway in the old coaching days 
by travellers to Mount Barker and 
Strathalbyn. Here the travellers rested 
at what was known as the “Half Way,” and 
a great sight it was to see the five-in-hand 
coaches towering away up with their loads 
of people and baggage, come spanking down 
é It was 
2 busy time for everybody, not the least ex- 
cited being the local villagers who were 
wont to gather round. All this is now 
transferred to the more prosaic and modern 
railway station, and the road maintains a 
mo.e comfortable, easy-going traffic. The 
Strains of Salvation now take the place of 
the Iss saintly declamations of coach- 
dlrive:s, ostlers, stablemen and boys, weary 
travellers, and those who have to deal with 
horses. 
Tho next neighbors to the Barracks are 
the Post and Telegraph Office authorities 
and the Police Station, each of which car- 
ties records of equal interest to the other, 
and near by is the Half-Way House Hotel. 
All within a stone’s throw of each other, 
and all brimful of traditional stories. 
In such a position the doctor has neces- 
Sarily a limited area of garden, about 
three-quarters of an acre, but we are will- 
ang to express the opinion that, leaving 
out the portion covered by his pretty villa 
residence and the prescribed limits of a 
backyard and stabling, the balance of the 
ground carries a greater burden of choice 
garden beauties than any place that has 
tome under our observation. It is a per- 
fect little study in garden economy and 
Scientific culture. As one walks quietly 
round the little plots the visitor becomes 
intensely interested. He cannot help it. 
Everything ‘is so choice, so effective, so 
highly cultured, and yet so delightfully 
simple. _ The doctor delights in telling his 
visitors everything they want to know, and 
would tell them everything he knows if it 
wero possible. After an hour the visitor 
feels that he is on the highway to a liberal 
education in the art of growing the most 
lovely flowers. He criticises everything 
and. spares nothing in his efforts at setting 
perfection. His specialities “are Roses 
Carnations, and Gladioli, and, althouch He 
delights in all other flowers, they do not 
claim much of his attention, while’ trees 
and shrubs are simply that and nothing 
What he does not know 
more to him. 
about Roses cannot be found in any ordi- 
mary book. He does not profess to know 
much, and would blush at being called 
anything but a humble amateur, yet: some- 
how he carried off several coveted prizes at 
the Mount Lofty Gardeners’, Association 
Rose Show last year. All the work is done 
by a staff of two head gardeners and a lad— 
that is, the doctor, his wife, and Master 
Wilfred Ashenden. Regarding the lad 
the doctor says he could not possibly keep 
the garden as it.is without his assistance— 
a good testimonial. Regarding Mrs. 
Pooler, of course, he has no testimonial to 
offer, but the visitor need net spend more 
than five minutes in the company of the 
lady to learn that her better half has by 
no means a monopoly of learning. | What 
one. does not know the other does, and 
therein les the secret of the whole busi- 
ness. 
We try as far as possible not to intro- 
duce personalities, but where a garden is 
so palpably invested with the detail work 
of the gardeners, and the results are not 
bought from the brains of professional nur- 
serymen, with all their additional know- 
Dr. Pooler’s Residence, Side View of Front Entrance. 
ledge of Nature’s wily ways, we find it ex- 
tremely difficult to separate the man from 
the product of his hand, heart, and brains. 
The visitor can trace the master hand in 
almost every flower that blooms in this 
garden, and it would only require a small 
percentage of imagination to sce the doctor 
transmuted into a sprite, entering the 
secret recess2s of the flowers, and gleaning 
knowledge therein “that is hidden from 
ordinary mortals. J, 
But we must give our readers some idea 
of what is to be seen in the garden in the 
hope that they may learn something. 
The garden is practically hidden from the 
view of passers-by. 
not with an idea to prevent observation, 
but for shelter, by large growths of Laurel, 
Lauristinus, Viburnum opulus, and Wei- 
gela rosea. The paling fence is covered with 
Austrian brier, Monthly Rose, Gloire de 
Dijon, and Lamarque. 
tower up, and variegated Honeysuckle com- 
pletes the frontage of the public footpath. 
Entering the gate we pass under a double 
Tne front is sheltered, 
Then Hawthorns — 
ee =— — ~ 
archway, one leading up to the steps of the 
verandah, and the other into the southern 
and main portion of the garden. The 
arches are formed of a lovely Cloth of Gold. 
Rose, whose butt measures 12} inches in 
circumference, and upon its 16 years of age: 
carries the most beautiful blossoms. The 
front elevation of the villa is adorned with 
Ampelopsis Veitchii and White Jessamine, 
and the verandah is beautified with climb- 
ing Marie Henriette and E. Veyrat: Her- 
manos Roses. A peep into the verandah 
shows some charming Lilium Lancifolium. 
revoluta. There is also a large wooden . 
vevoluta. There is also a large wooden 
case covered with glass, containing “noth- 
ing,’ and as we are not interested in 
“nothing,” we pass it by without further 
question, suspicious, however, that the 
doctor has not much room for “nothing.” 
Passing by the pillar that ornaments the 
steps up to the verandah, a hand, coming 
into contact with something of a vicious. 
nature, makes us aware of a vigorous speci- 
men of the Cactus tribe, one of the Cereus ,. 
family. This family received the doctor’s 
attention while living in a region wheré™ - 
nothing else would grow. The narrow bor-~ . 
dering next the front wall of the house is 
planted with red Zinnias on one side of the ~ 
entrance and white on the other. The ~ 
small angular corner of the garden on the — 
north side of the house is laid out with an , 
oblong bed of questionable shape, and bor-.. 
dering next the fence. In the centre bed _ 
we find some rare beauties of Roses in Sun-. 
rise, Ben Cant (new this season, and look- ° 
ing well), Mad. Abel Chatenay, and Kil-_ 
larney, amongst a number of others. At- 
tention is also arrested by a beautiful 
Sweet Pea, Mrs. Walter Wright, her first 
appearance in South Australia, Eckford, 
1902. And such charming. Gladioli. 
Named, but not yet published, too good to 
be thrown upon the public in their first 
year. Certainly the finest blooms we have 
seen, and carefully robbed of their stamens 
to thwart ine busy bee that has no sense: ~~ 
of judgment in cross fertilization... A> 
