ID  URN  A  L  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  22,  19  '1 
173 
A  Lily-Pond  Garden. 
The  present  view  of  the  Water  Lily  pond  in  the  Earl  of  Ilchester’s 
beautiful  and  interesting  garden  at  Holland  House,  was  of  necessity 
held  over  when  the  gardens  were  described  and  portrayed  in  our  spring 
number  of  March  14th,  this  year.  The  Lily-“  pond  ”  is  seen  in  the 
centre,  and  consists  of  a  shallow  oval  basin  of  considerable  dimensions, 
and  contains  Nymplseis.  A  very  much  larger  and  more  imposing 
basin,  with  fountain,  has  just  been  completed  on  the  south  front  of 
Holland  House,  from  a  design  by  his  lordship’s  head  gardener,  Mr. 
Charles  Dixon.  The  be-foliaged  tower  in  the  angle  of  the  view  presented 
on  the  next  page  forms  an  attractive  architectural  feature,  whioh  is 
readily  noticed  from  almost  any  part  of  the  grounds  on  the  northern  side. 
From  it  a  splendid  view  of  the  handsome  demesne,  surrounded  by 
lawns,  shrubbery  belts,  trees,  plant  borders,  rock  gardens,  and  the  old 
Dutch  garden  can  be  obtained.  The  beds  and  borders,  also  shown  in 
the  illustration,  are  filled  in  summer  with  the  ordinary  bedding  plants, 
and  suitable  spring  flowering  subjects  occupy  them  during  winter.  The 
Wistaria  will  be  observed  scrambling  profusely  over  the  columnar 
arches  supporting  the  tower,  and  the  Lime  tree  arches  are  seen  meeting 
it  at  right  angles.  Numerous  busts  of  celebrities  during  the  reigns  of 
the  Charleses  adorn  the  walls  of  an  open-air  corridor  facing  the  tower, 
and  running  parallel  with  the  archway  just  mentioned. 
Ciemttis  Coltnre. 
I  think  few  plants  have  yielded  such  a  glorious  harvest  to  the 
hybridiser  as  this  genus.  They  are  all  really  fine  plants,  and  what 
will  interest  amateur  readers  most  is  the  fact  that  they  are  perfectly 
hardy  and  well  adapted  to  the  cottager’s  garden,  and  will  grow  with 
equal  vigour  in  town  and  country.  Clematis  Jackmanni  was  a 
complete  surprise  to  me  one  year,  for  all  the  flowers  were  of  an 
immense  size,  and  nearly  all  had  six  petals  instead  of  four,  which  adds 
in  no  small  degree  to  its  beauty. 
It  is  as  adjuncts  to  town  gardens  that  I  wish  particularly  to  direct 
attention  to  the  hybrid  Clematis,  for  in  such  positions  they  cannot  fail 
to  be  seen  and  appreciated  by  everyone.  First  plant  a  number  of  the 
small  leaved  Ivies  or  Ampelopsis  Veitchi ;  either  of  these  will  attach 
themselves  closely  to  the  wall,  and  each  will  have  distinct  claims  to 
the  notice  of  plant  lovers.  The  Ampelopsis  will  clothe  the  wall 
with  its  deep  green  leaves,  which  in  the  autumn  will  assume  rich 
and  brilliant  shades  of  colour,  but  the  wall  will  ba  left  bare  in  the 
winter ;  but  in  the  case  of  the  Ivy  the  wall  will  be  clothed  with 
green  all  the  year. 
Whichever  be  chosen,  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  plants  pruned 
and  trimmed  close  to  the  wall ;  over  this  covering  the  Clematis  should 
be  trained,  and  the  rich  green  background  will  add  materially  to  the 
beauty,  and  quite  cover  the  blank  wall,  which  the  leaves  of  the 
Clematis  alone  would  not  do. 
The  Clematis,  however,  need  not  be  confined  to  the  single  purpose 
of  covering  walls,  for  they  are  equally  adapted  for  training  on  a 
verandah,  porch,  or  trelliswork;  or  they  may  be  trained  upon  pillars 
and  festooned  together.  In  this  way  I  have  grown  many  varieties 
with  great  success,  and  amongst  others  those  depicted  on  page  181, 
which  are  C.  rubra,  marmorata,  and  Fair  Rosamond.  The  latter,  as 
may  be  seen  from  the  engraving,  is  a  fine  flower.  It  is  a  bluish  white 
in  colour,  and  has  a  wine-red  bar  extending  from  the  base  of  the 
sepals  nearly  to  the  apex.  It  is  very  free  blooming,  and  may  be 
considered  to  be  one  of  the  best  in  cultivation. 
Again,  for  scrambling  over  ruins,  rockwcrk,  natural  or  artificial, 
they  are  excellent,  and  equally  at  home.  Another  use  to  which  they 
may  be  applied  is  for  massing  in  large  beds  on  the  lawn,  where  they 
scon  cover  the  soil,  and  with  a  little  attention  produce  an  astonishing 
effect.  Indeed,  I  may  sum  up  their  good  qualities  in  these  words— 
they  are  perfectly  hardy,  quick  in  growth,  require  but  little  attention, 
may  be  purchased  reasonably  from  Messrs.  Richard  Smith  &  Co., 
\\  orcester,  and  yield  a  profusion  of  large  flowers  of  rich  and  varied 
hues,  which  continue  in  lull  perfection  for  several  months. 
To  insure  success  with  these  Clematises,  plant  them  in  a  mixture 
of  good  turfy  loam,  well  decomposed  leal  mould,  and  some  thoroughly 
decayed  manure  ;  let  this  compost  be  turned  frequently  with  a  spade 
to  insure  its  becoming  thoroughly  mixed,  and  in  spring,  when 
vegetation  is  reviving,  give  a  good  mulching  of  manure  and  leaf 
mould.  During  the  flowering  season  they  should  enjoy  occasional 
waterings  with  weak  liquid  manure.— F. 
Rose  Cogitations. 
The  pruning  of  climbing,  pillar,  or  what  are  more  generally  known 
as  “  garden  ”  Roses,  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  details  to  attend 
to  in  the  obtaining  of  success  with  this  charming  sjction.  The  point 
at  the  6tart  of  growth'is  to  induce  the  plants  to  push  away  rapidly  and 
to  mature  their  growth  thoroughly,  as  this  section  is  not  like  the 
ordinary  Tea  Rose  or  H.P.,  flowering,  as  they  do,  from  the  current 
season’s  growth  entirely.  Instead,  then,  of  leaving  the  pruning  of 
climbing  vigorous  growing  sorts  until  the  spring,  as  in  the  case  of  Tea 
varieties,  it  is  much  better  to  prune  at  the  end  of  August  or  early  in 
September.  The  branches  and  shoots  retained  then  have  a  much  better 
opportunity  of  giving  a  fuller  crop  of  blossom  the  following  year,  as 
the  growth  is  more  readily  ripened  by  additional  space,  air,  and  sunshine 
which  the  shoots  obtain. 
The  point  is  to  out  away  all  weakly  growth  and  branches  three 
years  old,  laying  in  the  vigorous  growths  of  the  current  season,  as  from 
these  the  finest  trusses  of  bloom  are  obtained,  especially  in  the  oaBe  of 
Crimson  Rambler,  Paul’s  Carmine  Pillar,  and  Myrianthes  Reaoncule, 
oommonly  known  as  the  Seven  Sisters  Rose.  After  pruning,  if  there  is 
any  suspicion  of  the  roots  being  at  all  dry,  give  the  soil  suoh  a  soaking 
that  every  root  will  be  made  moist.  This  will  enable  the  plants  to  make 
their  final  growth,  and  plump  up  their  buds  in  suoh  a  manner  as  to  give 
the  best  results  next  season. 
Liquid  manure  for  Roses  is  not  employed  nearly  as  much  as  its 
merits  deserve ;  no  stimulant  that  I  know  is  so  easily  applied  or  so 
efficacious,  and  is  easily  obtained.  What  other  manure  or  aid  artificially 
employed  will  assist  the  developing  of  such  growth,  leaves,  and,  lastly, 
blossom,  as  liquid  manure  ?  I  would  ask.  The  drainings  from  the  cow¬ 
sheds,  stables,  and  piggeries  are,  of  course,  the  easier  obtained ;  but  it 
is  not  every  amateur  cultivator  who  is  possessed  of  such  means.  The 
remedy,  then,  is  to  obtain  animal  manure  of  some  kind,  such  as  cow, 
sheep,  or  horse  droppings,  place  them  in  a  bag  along  with  a  quarter 
portion  of  soot  in  a  tank  of  clear  water.  The  water  passing  through 
the  bag  will  extract  the  manurial  properties  from  the  manure.  Tb-'s 
applied  to  the  roots  of  the  Roses  liberally  will  give  a  fillip  to  the 
growth. 
Roses  upon  their  own  roots  is  an  interesting  method  of  cultivating 
this  favourite  flower.  It  is  purely  a  question  of  vigour  in  varieties ; 
some  sorts  appear  to  require  the  aid  of  an  added  stock  to  give  the  best 
results,  while  some  others  will  flourish  amazingly  when  growing  upon 
their  own  roots.  Now  is  a  good  time  to  insert  cuttings  of  half-ripened 
wood  taken  off  with  a  “  heel”  and  inserted  firmly  in  sandy  soil  in  a  cold 
frame,  the  frame  kept  close  and  shaded  for  a  week  or  two  until 
oallussing  has  made  good  progress.  Sprinkle  the  cuttings  occasionally 
to  keep  them  fresh  and  to  prevent  the  leaves  falling  off  prematurely,  as 
the  longer  the  leaves  are  retained  the  more  certainty  there  is  of 
obtaining  a  good  strike. 
The  bulk  of  the  vigorous-growing  varieties  will  succeed  from 
cuttings;  for  instance,  sorts  like  Baroness  Rothsohild,  Magna  Charta, 
La  France,  John  Hopper,  Edouard  Morren,  and  Mrs.  John  Laing.  In 
the  climbing  section  there  are  many  varieties  that  succeed  propagated 
in  this  way,  notably  Crimson  Rambler,  Rmunculoides,  Felioite  Perpetue, 
and  Aimee  Vibert.  Rose  Reve  d’Or  is  a  magnificent  variety  when 
properly  managed,  although  many  persons  complain  about  its  shyness  in 
flowering.  I  lately  saw  a  magnificent  example  of  this  Rose.  It  was 
planted  alongside  of  a  high  wire  fence  faoing  eastward ;  the  main 
branches  were  trained  thinly,  and  from  these  a  vigorous  annual  crop  of 
shoots  are  obtained  whioh  terminate  with  a  full  crop  of  blossom  at  the 
point  of  each  shoot. 
Growing  Roses  in  masses  of  one  variety  is  an  effective  method 
where  space  admits  of  it,  especially  when  the  surroundings  are  of  grass. 
As  a  “  setting  ”  for  almost  any  colour,  grass  has  no  equal  in  oolour 
contrast.  For  the  benefit  of  intending  Rose  planters  in  the  coming 
autumn  I  append  the  names  of  a  few  varieties  that  cannot  fail  to  give 
satisfaction.  The  Persian  Yellow  Brier,  with  its  dense  mass  of  deep 
yellow  blooms  borne  on  plants  of  a  semi-weeping  character,  with  dark 
stems  and  deep  green  leaves,  is  as  fine  an  object  in  the  garden  early  in 
June  as  it  is  possible  to  see.  Madame  Georges  Bruant,  belonging  to  the 
Ramanos  or  Rugosa  section,  is  another  oharmiog  variety  for  massing; 
its  pure  white  semi-double  blossoms  contrast  so  well  with  its  deep 
green  foliage,  and  it  has  the  merit  of  flowering  perpetually. 
Marie  Pave  belongs  to  the  section  known  as  miniature  or  Fairy 
Roses,  but  it  really  grows  much  too  strong  for  that  section.  A  stout 
bush  planted  here  less  than  two  years  since  is  now  a  yard  through,  and 
nearly  as  high.  At  any  rate,  it  is  a  Rose  that  should  be  grown  much 
more  than  it  is.  The  pure  white  blossoms  are  not  only  shapely  in 
themselves,  but  are  produced  in  the  utmost  profusion.  It  has  the 
merit,  too,  of  being  a  continuous  flowering  variety  ;  a  mass  of  it  would 
be  a  fine  objeot  in  any  garden.  Of  all  Roses  for  massing  none  is  more 
effective  than  Annosa  in  the  Chinese  section,  the  rosy  pink  tinted 
