316 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  10,  1902. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
“llEnE  .\wa’,  There  aava’.” 
Kennington  Park. 
Situated  amid  all  the  bustle,  grime,  and  dust  of  one  of  the 
metropolis’s  busie.st  and  most  densely  populated  districts. 
Kennington  Park  is  yet  bright  and  bonhie.  The  very  heat  and 
glitter  from  the  innumerable  buildings,  roadways,  and  paved 
paths  that  meet  the  eye  on  every  side,  seem  the  more  to  enliance 
the  deep  red  glow  of  the  crimson-leaved  Castor-oil  plants,  and 
seem  also  to  have  fostered  the  enormous  and  handsome  leaves 
of  the  Tree  of  Heaven  to  an  unparalleled  size  at  Kenninston. 
When  one  has  articulated  the  word  Kennington  there  unwittingly 
succeeds  another  and  shorter  word,  namely,  “  Oval  ” ;  thus, 
Kennington  Oval,  one  of  the  best  known  cricket  centres,,  either 
in  or  out  of  this  capital  of  capitals.  Yes,  the  crack  of  the  ball 
upon  the  bat,  and  the  applause  of  the  Oval  frequenters,  could 
scarlet  bedding  Pelargoniums  (Geraniums),'  Abutilon  Thompsoni, 
Centaurea  candidissima,  Alternantheras,  Lantanas,  and  other 
well-known  favoui’ites  are  employed.  The  green  lawns  surround¬ 
ing  the  geometrical  beds  afford  a  pleasant  and  gratifying  con¬ 
trast.  Neighbouring  the  busy  street  is  a  walk  and  an  herbaceous 
plant  border,  both  of  which  run  parallel  with  one  side  of  the 
flower  garden,  and,  of  course,  with  the  street  outside  the  railing. 
Kennington  Park  is  not  more  than  a  few  minutes’  walk  from 
Westminster  and  the  Houses  of  Parliament.  It  has  a  number 
of  shady  walks,  too  small,  perhaps,  to  be  honoured  with  the 
euphonious  name  “  boulevarde,”  but  boulevarde  in  verity  all 
the  same.  “  On  the  benches  in  the  park  ”  may  at  all  times  be 
seen  men,  women,  and  children  of  all  classes — all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men,”  to  quote  the  title  of  one  of  the  late  Sir 
Walter  Besant’s  entertaining  works. 
Alexandra  Palace,  London. 
It  is  scarcely  two  years  yet  since  the  Alexandra  Palace  and 
the  grounds  surrounding  it  were  imrchased  and  given  over  to  the- 
Flower  Garden,  Kennington  Park. 
be  heard  nicely  by  the  attentive  person  sitting  in  Kennington 
Park,  only  that  the  roar  of  street  trams,  ’buses,  and  general 
traffic  drowns  the  weaker  sounds. 
On  pages  316  and  317  appear  two  views  taken  in  the  Park  under 
noti(^.  One  shows  the  iilanters  busy  at  the  intricate  task  of 
furnishing  one  of  those  exquisitely  neat  and  cleverly  designed 
carpet  beds  that  are  still  found  in  the  principal  London  parks. 
The  view  without  the  workmen  shows  the  flower  garden  from 
another  point  of  view.  The  dwarf  Yuccas  between  the  beds 
stand  out  prominently.  The  whole  of  the  flower  garden  is  railed 
in,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  walk.  The  flower  garden  (for  this 
title  is  deserved  and  justifiable  here)  at  Kennington  Park  is  laid 
out  on  a  long,  rectangular  area,  dipping  a  foot  and  a  half  at  the 
sides  all  around,  in  the  fashion  of  a  bowling  green,  and  upon 
this  surface  the  beds  lie.  Relief  is  afforded  by  numerous 
specimen  single  stemmed  plants,  such  .as  Ailanthus  glandulosa 
(Tree  of  Heaven),  Rhus  typhina  in  groups,  also  Acacias,  Birches, 
Yuccas,  Eucalyptus,  Negundo  acerifolia  variegata  (also  termed 
Acer  Negundo  variegata),  Prunus  Pissardi,  golden  leaved  Elms, 
Privets,  Planfes,  and  other  .subjects  remarkable  for  the  beauty 
of  the  foimi  or  colour  of  their  foliage.  The  beds  are  filled  with 
the  express  purpose  of  creating  “  a  blaze,”  and  thus  Begonias, 
North  Londoners  as  a  great  public  recreation  place  and  centre- 
for  sports  and  entertainments.  Being  in  the  neighbourhood 
a  week  or  two  ago,  the  opportunity  was  utilised,  and  a  visit 
recorded.  I  found  the  main  features  of  the  grounds  and  the 
position  of  the  huge  and  handsomely  substantial  “  Palace  ” 
almost  exactly  duplicating  those  of  the  Crystal  Palace  at  Syden¬ 
ham,  many  miles  away  on  the  south  side  of  the  metropolis. 
Standing  on  an  elevation,  the  views  from  the  Alexandra  Palace 
reach  far  out  north,  east,  south,  and  west,  displaying  a  fearful 
composition  of  tall  factory  chimneys,  reservoirs,  streets,  open 
spaces,  groups  of  trees,  and  endless  mixture.  The  northward 
environs  are  as  yet  only  sparsely  built  upon,  but  great  London 
and  its  life  teemingly  throbs  through  every  artery  in  the  broad 
expanse  in  the  opposite  direction.  The  roads  leading  up  to 
the  Palace  have  been  renovated  and  seemingly  improved.  There 
is  no  pretence  at  gardening,  either  within  or  without  the  build¬ 
ing,  as  there  is  at  the  Ciystal  Palace,  and  at  present  the  general 
aspect  is  rather  bleak  ahd  uncomfortable.  By  the  judicious 
planting  of  trees  and  shrubs  and  clumps,  belts  and  borders,  a 
very  great  deal  could  be  done  to  improve  the  outward  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  many  acres.  The  interior  of  the  Palace  is  very 
spacious,  perhaps  larger  than  the  “  Lady  of  Sydenham  Hill,”  as 
