548 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  24,  1897. 
great  supply  gardens  of  Windsor  will  be  subsequently  referred  to.  At 
present  we  will  take  a  survey  of  the  beauties  of  Nature  and  Art  which 
surround  the  great  and  good  monarch’s  glorious  home. 
It  may  here  be  stated  that  what  is  commonly  understood  as  the 
Royal  Gardens,  Windsor,  includes  in  this  enumeration  the  following 
departments :  —  The  Castle  terrace  flower  garden,  the  slopes  and 
Adelaide  Cottage  garden,  the  drives  and  plantations  in  the  Home  Park, 
Frogmore  House  grounds  and  gardens,  and  the  following  gardens  some 
distance  from  Windsor  belonging  to  the  Queen  : — The  Royal  Lodge,  in 
the  Great  Park  ;  the  great  Vine  at  Cumberland  Lodge,  also  in  the  Great 
Park  ;  the  Queen’s  garden  at  Virginia  Water,  and  at  Aldershot ;  also  the 
private  garden  and  the  old  Vine  at  Hampton  Court  Palace — all,  as  well 
as  the  great  charge  of  the  Royal  kitchen  gardens,  Frogmore,  under  the 
supervision  of  her  Majesty’s  head  gardener.  Endeavour  will  be  made 
to  note  some  of  the  most  interesting  portions  of  the  Royal  Gardens, 
so  far  as  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  may  contain  a  description  of 
them. 
THE  CASTLE  AND  FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Firm  as  the  rock  on  which  it  stands  towers  above  all  that  is  near  the 
majestic  Castle  of  Windsor.  The  splendid  residence  of  a  long  line  of 
monarchs,  it  typifies  the  solidity  and  strength  of  the  nation,  while  in 
dignity  and  repose  it  seems  to  represent  the  ideal  of  calm  security— not 
so  much  a  fortress  as  a  home.  Massive  and  picturesque  in  its  broad 
outline  is  the  magnificent  pile  (fig.  104,  page  547).  Imposing  is  its 
magnitude  ;  marvellous  is  its  preservation.  It  seems  to  have  passed 
unscathed  through  the  centuries,  and  the  absence  of  flaw  anywhere 
to  be  seen  suggests  its  power  to  pass  through  many  more.  To  the 
historian  it  is  as  a  book  of  infinite  treasure,  not  only  in  the  wealth 
of  its  unrivalled  library,  but  to  him  the  history  of  England  is 
written  on  every  stone.  To  the  true  Briton  at  home  and  abroad 
the  old  Castle  is  the  embodiment  of  England’s  life,  wealth,  and 
power,  and  above  all  does  it  appeal  to  the  hearts  of  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  Empire  as  the  Empire  home  of  their  much-loved 
Queen.  Striking  are  the  characteristics  of  Royal  Windsor,  and  perhaps 
the  most  significant  of  these  is  the  healthy  atmosphere  of  freedom  which 
is  felt  to  surround  it.  Apart  from  encroachments  on  its  privacy  as  a 
home,  to  which  the  humblest  cottage  in  the  land  is  entitled,  its  portals 
seem  to  be  open  to  all  ;  while  on  fitting  occasions  the  charms  of  its 
surroundings — its  noble  terraces,  its  beautiful  garden,  the  strains  of 
joyous  music  that  enliven,  the  flowers  which  smile,  the  freedom  that 
inspires — all  are  alike  shared  at  the  same  time  by  Sovereign,  princes, 
and  people,  and  the  more  enjoyed  by  all  because  of  the  happy 
association. 
The  Castle  garden  is  reached  by  visitors  either  through  the  main 
entrance  on  the  west,  nearly  opposite  the  Great  Western  Railway  Station, 
or  from  the  north,  near  the  terminus  of  the  South-Western  Railway,  by 
the.portal  and  the  route  known  as  the  “  Hundred  Steps,”  but  actually  as 
near  two  hundred,  which  zig-zag  their  way  up  the  heavily  wooded  sides 
of  the  ponderous  escarpment.  Seats  are  thoughtfully  provided  at  the 
top  for  those  who  need  a  moment’s  rest  before  traversing  the  famous 
North  Terrace.  From  here  the  scene  is  without  a  parallel.  Far  over¬ 
topping  the  tallest  trees  we  look  over  the  battlements  into  the  great 
umbrageous  depths  below. 
Reaching  the  north-eastern  corner  of  the  Castle,  the  bright  and 
beautiful  garden  comes  into  view— a  garden  different  from  any  other 
in  position,  configuration,  and  adornment.  It  is  a  garden  of  art 
emphatically,  yet  not  the  art  that  chills  ;  there  is  a  well-balanced  pro¬ 
portion  of  broad  gravel  walks,  deep  grassy  slopes,  wide  sweeps  of  lawn, 
large  beds  of  flowers,  effectively  associated  with  elegant  Conifers  and 
ornamental  shrubs.  From  this  terrace  garden  looking  to  the  left  a 
glorious  view  is  obtained  of  the  woods  of  the  slopes,  and  skirted  as  they  are 
with  flowering  trees  in  great  variety,  such  as  Lilacs,  Thorns,  Laburnums, 
and  Weigelas  in  rich  bloom,  the  sight  is  one  not  easily  forgotten.  From 
here  is  also  obtained  a  panoramic  glimpse  of  a  part  of  England  most 
interesting  and  beautiful.  To  the  north-west  is  seen  the  Oxfordshire 
hills  and  the  River  Thames,  as  it  quietly  winds  its  way  towards  Windsor, 
and  the  far-famed  Eton  College.  On  the  north  the  Chiltern  hills  form  a 
splendid  background,  with  Burnham  Beeches,  Stoke  Pogis,  and  Slough 
in  the  forefront.  To  the  east  is  seen  the  smoke  of  London,  and  on  a 
clear  day  the  towers  of  the  Crystal  Palace  are  distinctly  visible,  and  to 
the  south  and  south-west  the  sky  line  marks  the  great  forest  of  Windsor 
for  many  miles. 
The  flower  garden  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  Castle,  and  is 
about  4  acres  in  extent.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  broad  terrace  walk,  with 
an  embattled  wall  as  a  boundary  (fig.  105),  most  of  the  embrasures  being 
mounted  with  miniature  cannon.  The  body  of  the  garden  is  sunk  about 
12  feet  below  this  terrace, and  is  therefore  seen  to  the  best  advantage  by  the 
public,  who,  as  previously  mentioned,  are  admitted  on  Saturday  after¬ 
noons,  and  sometimes  on  Sunday,  by  the  Queen’s  commands,  when  also 
the  two  bands  of  the  regiments  staying  at  Windsor  play  here  for  a 
couple  of  hours  to  the  delight  of  the  numerous  visitors. 
The  lower  body  of  the  garden  is  divided  by  broad  walks  into  four 
sections,  a  handsome  fountain  occupying  the  central  position.  The 
style  in  which  it  is  formed  and  furnished  may  be  appropriately  called 
a  mixture  of  Italian  and  English.  It  is  rich  in  statues  and  other 
beautiful  and  valuable  works  of  art  in  marble.  A  series  of  large  beds 
are  planted  along  tbe  boundary  of  the  garden  at  the  base  of  the  green 
bank  which  supports  the  terrace  walk,  with  a  number  of  choice  ever¬ 
green  shrubs  from  5  to  8  feet  high,  such  as  Golden  Holly,  Golden 
Thuias,  Cupressus,  Retinosporas,  Irish  and  other  Golden  Tews,  all 
moderately  cut  into  perfect  pyramids  and  bushes  (fig.  106,  page  551). 
At  the  time  of  our  visit  these  were  rich  in  their  young  golden 
growth,  producing  a  striking  effect.  This  style  of  judiciously  intro¬ 
ducing  gold  and  green  pyramids  is  followed  throughout  the  body  of 
the  garden,  only  in  more  moderate  proportions,  for  giving  adequate 
room  between  the  shrubs  for  flowering  plants  in  spring  and  summer. 
The  introduction  of  these  groups  of  shrubs  helps  to  warm  the  garden, 
and  as  it  were  in  some  measure  to  counteract  the  grey,  cold,  and 
severe  aspect  of  the  Castle,  which  forms  its  massive  boundary  on  the 
west: 
About  50.000  plants  are  used  in  furnishing  this  garden  for  both  a 
spiiag  and  summer  display.  Most  of  the  plants  used  for  spring  are  raised 
from  seeds,  at  little  cost,  and  include  the  following  :  Dark  and  yellow 
Wallflowers,  purple  and  white  Honesty,  blue,  white,  and  yellow  Violas, 
Myosotis  dissitiflora,  Aubrietia,  Silene,  yellow  Alyssum,  Polyanthus, 
Primroses,  Daisies,  and  Pansies,  with  which  are  associated  Hyacinths, 
Tulips,  and  other  bulbs.  The  system  adopted  in  planting  is  to  aim  at 
massing  the  different  kinds  in  harmonious  colours  in  order  to  produce 
telling  effects  from  the  terrace  and  the  Castle  windows,  rather  than 
planting  in  rows  and  small  groups  for  close  inspection.  That  the 
desired  result  is  attained  is  beyond  question,  as  a  finer  exhibition  of 
spring  flowers  than  was  seen  in  May  it  is  difficult  to  imagine;  while 
those  who  have  inspected  the  garden  in  summer  will  admit  its  varied 
charms. 
Much  more  might  be  said  of  this  beautiful  garden,  with  its  numerous 
flowers,  and  of  the  old  orangery  which  forms  its  northern  boundary, 
and  which  is  furnished  chiefly  with  Palms,  Camellias,  and  in  winter  is 
used  for  preserving  tender  bedding  plants  (which  it  does  without  fire 
heat,  its  walls  being  so  thick,  and  its  shutters  so  closely  fitted),  as  might 
also  be  said  of  the  terrace  wall  next  to  the  Castle,  covered  as  it  is  with 
Magnolias,  Banksian  Roses,  Pomegranates,  Ceanothus,  Roses,  and 
many  other  beautiful  climbing  plants  ;  but  we  must  be  moving  on,  as 
we  have  much  to  see  and  to  say. 
Queen  Victokia's  Walk. 
Retracing  our  steps  a  little  way  we  stand  on  tbe  south  Bide  of  tbe 
Castle  near  the  Grand  Entrance,  and  face  the  Long  Walk  with  its 
splendid  avenue  of  Elms.  We  turn  to  oar  left  and  follow  the  wall 
of  the  flower  garden  on  the  Park  side.  In  front  of  this  wall,  which  is 
beautifully  clothed  with  Ivy,  is  a  plantation  of  evergreens  and  hardy 
flowering  trees  and  shrubs ;  the  latter  mostly  planted  about  two  years 
ago,  about  600  trees  of  about  fifty  species,  and  include  Almonds,  Mdbn- 
tain  Ash,  double  Cherry,  Crabs,  Laburnums,  Acer  Negundo  variegata, 
Lilacs  in  variety,  Weigelas,  Forsythias,  Arbutus,  Philadelphus,  Spirreas, 
in  variety,  Viburnums,  Halesias,  Magnolias,  Rhus  cotinus,  Sweet  Briars, 
Snowy  Mespilus,  Judas  Tree,  Bird  Cherry;  and  many  others  too  numerous 
to  mention.  These  will  be  very  beautiful  when  well  established  in  a  few 
years  time.  They  will  be  seen  to  great  advantage  from  the  flower 
garden  terrace,  and  from  the  Queen’s  apartments  in  the  Victoria  tower, 
which  overlooks  all  (fig.  106,  page  551). 
On  the  right  hand  as  we  go  along  is  a  wide  expanse  of  lawn  of 
about  9  acres,  kept  in  the  best  of  order,  as  are  all  the  other  parts. 
Many  handsome  deciduous  trees  of  modern  planting  are  to  be  seen,  the 
most  conspicuous  being  a  handsome  Copper  Birch.  On  the  left  hand  as 
we  go  along  we  see  next  the  terrace  wall  many  indications  of  the  Queen’s 
love  and  care  for  her  pet  dogs,  not  only  when  they  are  alive,  but  also 
when  they  are  gone,  in  tiny  monuments  of  marble  and  bronze  placed 
over  cheir  graves  and  partly  hidden  by  shrubs.  Here  we  also  pass  by  a 
splendid  CedruB  deodara  planted  by  the  Prince  CoDsort  a  few  days  after 
the  Queen’s  marriage  ;  and  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  terrace  one 
of  the  finest  trees  in  the  kingdom  of  Koelreuteria  paniculata,  #hich 
shows  its  noble  head  of  yellow  flower  above  the  embattled  wall. 
