September  8,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
189 
Doubtless  the  tiny  village  and  the  picturesque  church  are  not  without 
their  history,  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  time  has  made  few  altera¬ 
tions.  There  is  something  attractive  about  the  little  flower-surrounded 
lodge  which  stands  close  to  the  church,  the  well-kept  carriage  drive, 
and  the  gates  marking  the  entrance  to  the  domain  within,  but  from 
the  road  itself  all  appearance  of  a  mansion  is  hidden  by  a  wealth  of 
timber  which  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  this  part  of  Kent.  When 
through  the  gates  and  round  the  bend  of  the  drive,  however,  suppo¬ 
sition  develops  into  reality,  for  there,  commanding  a  view  over  a  fine 
stretch  of  scenery  made  up  of  hill  and  valley,  water  and  timber,  stands 
the  country  home  of  Lord  Stanhope,  and  close  by  is  the  garden  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  C.  J.  Sutton. 
You  may  look  in  vain  for  specialities  at  Chevening  Park,  speaking 
horticulturally,  for  it  is,  perhaps,  safe  to  say  that  they  do  not  exist.  A 
walk  through  the  gardens  provides  ample  evidence  that  Mr.  Sutton 
succeeds  admirably  in  supplying  the  wants  of  a  large  establishment.  No 
doubt  the  afternoon  of  an  August  day  is  a  time  when  one  would  expect  to 
looked  cool  and  refreshing  in  the  heat  of  the  summer  day.  In  a  land¬ 
scape  without  water  there  is  always  something  wanting,  but  here  there 
is  no  ground  for  such  a  complaint,  as  the  lake  stretches  away  till  it 
appears  to  lose  itself  in  the  woodland  beyond.  A  shady  winding  walk 
runs  all  round,  and  though  here  gardening  skill  is  not  brought 
much  into  play,  the  wa'k  by  the  lake  is  one  of  the  features  of 
Chevening. 
Gardeners  are  sometimes  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  grow  for  the 
summer  adornment  of  conservatories  so  erected  near  mansions  as  not 
to  be  conducive  to  the  welfare  of  many  flowering  plants.  If  any 
readers  of  these  lines  are  in  such  a  quandary  T  would  suggest  that 
they  follow  Mr.  Sutton’s  example  and  grow  Campanula  pyramidalisr 
blue  and  white,  a  plant  which  has  no  superior  for  this  purpose.  Large 
specimens,  with  several  spikes  clothed  with  bell-shaped  flowers,  looked 
charming  in  the  conservatory  on  the  day  of  my  visit,  and  gave  ample 
proof  of  the  usefulness  of  these  old-fashioned  plants.  The  cultivation  is 
simplicity  itself.  Young  plants  raised  from  seeds  are  planted  in  the 
■  : 
ISyf  > 
f8EBgK£&,'  i 
Fig.  34.— WATER  LILIES  AT  GUNNERSBURY  HOUSE. 
see  a  flower  garden  looking  gay,  and  the  word  hardly  does  justice  to  the 
brilliancy  of  colour  on  the  beds  under  the  windows  of  the  mansion.  Yellow 
Calceolarias  were  a  picture,  and  one  might  look  in  vain  for  “  gappy  ” 
places  and  diseased  plants.  Past  experience  of  Calceolaria  troubles  led 
me  to  be  inquisitive  as  to  treatment  ;  but  the  explanation,  if  such  it  can 
be  called,  was  brief,  practical,  and  to  the  point.  Summed  up  in  a  few 
words,  the  secret  of  Mr.  Sutton’s  success  with  Calceolarias  is — no  coddling 
and  early  planting.  And  it  is  extremely  likely  that  if  plants  in  the  early 
spring  were  transferred  to  the  beds  instead  of  being  allowed  to  remain  in 
a  crowded  state  in  frames  till  bedding  proper  begins,  there  would  be  fewer 
complaints  about  Calceolarias  dying  off. 
It  was  too  late  for  the  Roses,  they  were  over.  All  except  Crimson 
Rambler,  dotted  about  here  and  there  trained  to  pillars  and  tree  stumps. 
Its  glory  was  on  the  wane,  but  had  not  entirely  departed,  and  though  one 
has  got  so  accustomed  to  admiring  its  wreaths  of  crimson  flowers,  to  see  it 
as  it  was  in  the  gardens  at  Chevening,  thoroughly  at  home,  and  in 
keeping  with  the  surroundings,  meant  that  another  burst  of  eulogy  was 
merited.  It  was  something  of  a  relief  to  turn  from  the  masses  of  gaudy 
colour  on  the  flower  beds  and  rest  the  eye  on  the  stretch  of  green  turf 
that  slopes  down  to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  the  placid  water  of  which 
kitchen  garden  till  the  spikes  make  their  appearance,  when  they  are 
taken  up  carefully  and  potted.  They  remain  outside  till  required,  and 
when  placed  under  glass  they  soon  make  handsome  specimens.  Along  a 
border  in  the  kitchen  garden  was  a  fine  bed  of  Carnations  of  the  best 
known  sorts  just  in  the  full  beauty  of  their  flowering  season.  The 
popularity  of  the  Carnation  as  a  fashionable  flower  is  undisputed,  and 
in  many  gardens  where  only  a  few  of  the  old  Clove-scented  sorts 
were  grown  unique  collections  may  now  be  seen.  The  owner  of 
Chevening  is  a  Carnation  lover,  hence  the  extensive  cultivation  of 
the  flower. 
Among  the  many  features  that  interested  me  during  the  hour’s  visit 
was  a  collection  of  dessert  Gooseberries  grown  as  cordons.  Perhaps  the 
qualities  of  this  fruit  for  dessert  purposes  are  under-rated,  and  berries  of 
the  larger  kinds  grown  on  the  cordon  system  for  the  purpose  named 
are  invaluable.  According  to  Mr.  Sutton’s  version,  the  best  yellow  sort 
he  grows  is  Stella,  a  variety  of  excellent  flavour.  Dan’s  Mistake  is  a 
good  red,  as  also  is  Companion,  of  the  same  colour.  The  white  varieties 
are  not  so  acceptable  to  the  palate  as  the  reds  and  yellows,  and  among 
the  best  of  the  section  are  Alma  and  Snowdrop.  In  justice  to  the  old 
sorts  grown  for  so  long  as  bushes,  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  the  flavour  of 
