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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  18,  ISaO' 
A  GAY  CONSERVATORY. 
The  show  of  Azaleas  in  the  conservatory  at  Walton  Lea  (the  res’dence 
of  John  Crosfield,  Esq.)  is  at  present  very  beautiful,  and  has  been  admired 
by  many  visitors.  The  photograph  (fig.  90)  gives  but  a  very  slight  idea  of 
the  effect  produced  by  the  arrangement  of  the  colours  of  the  following 
varieties  : — Alexander  II.,  Apollo,  B.  S.  Williams,  Bernhard  Andreas 
alba,  Balsamiuifiora,  Criterion,  Due  de  Nassau,  Eclatante,  Emperor  de 
Brazil,  Iveryana,  Illustris,  J.  B.  Yeronne,  Louise  Vervaene,  Mad.  Marie 
Van  Houtte,  Mad.  Camille  Van  Langenhove,  Mcdel,  Mad.  Van  der 
Cruyssen,  Othello,  President,  Roi  de  Holland,  Roi  des  Beiges,  Reine  des 
Pays  Bas,  Simon  Mardner.  Stella,  Souvenir  du  Prince  Albert,  Striata, 
Sigismund  Rucker,  an^  Versicolor. 
The  conservatory  is  40  feet  long  by  25  feet  wide.  There  are  two 
groups,  arranged  in  the  centre  ;  the  first  with  small  plants  of  Azaleas, 
including  mollis  and  Ghent  varieties,  with  Ferns  between  them,  and  a 
very  fine  Rhododendron  Veitchianum,  6  feet  high,  in  the  centre.  The 
second  group  is  composed  of  fine  pyramidal  Azaleas  7  to  8  feet  high, 
with  Araucaria  excelsa  in  the  centre.  Acacias,  Cytisus,  Deutzias,  with 
other  flowers  and  Ferns,  impart  variety  to  this  beautiful  group. 
At  the  end  of  the  conservatory  three  Camellias  are  planted  cut,  and  in 
the  side  bordi  rs  there  are  the  following  climbers  covering  the  span  roof : 
— Cobcea  scandens  variegata,  Lapagerias  alba  and  rosea,  Passiflora,  and 
Tacsonia. 
Suspended  from  the  roof  are  eight  baskets  of  Platycerium  alcicorne. 
In  the  ornamental  wirework  at  the  bottom  of  one  of  these  baskets  a 
wren  has  built  her  nest,  a  very  unusual  place  for  such  a  purpose. 
Great  care  is  taken  with  the  Azaleas  after  they  are  out  of  bloom  to 
promote  fresh  growths  and  the  formation  of  buds  for  another  season.  With 
this  object  in  view  the  plants  are  carefully  watered,  and  kept  free  from 
thrips  and  other  enemies.  Though  some  of  the  llargest  plants  have  not 
been  repotted  for  twenty  years,  they  are  still  in  a  healthy  Horiferous  state, 
and  reflect  no. small  credit  on  Mr.  W.  Kipps,  the  able  gardener,  and  his 
attentive  assistants. 
■AN  HOUR  AT  SHIRLEY. 
The  “Shirley  hills,”  with  the  common  and  Pine  woods,  form  a 
favourite  rendezvous  for  thousands  of  town  and  City  dwellers  who 
from  time  to  time  find,  as  adults,  a  day  of  recreation  from  labour, 
and,  as  children, '  the  equally  enjo}’ed  e-cajie  from  sehool.s.  The 
district  may  be  described  as  a  health  resort,  secured  by  the  Municipal 
authorities  of  Croydon  for  the  benefit  of  the  public.  '1  hough  only 
some  two  miles  from  the  most  populous  town  in  Surrey,  the  inhabi¬ 
tants  of  which  number  nearly  140,000,  the  jilantations  are  alive,  so 
to  say,  with  nightingales,  which  seem  as  much  at  home  during  the 
season  as  if  they  were  ten  times  as  far  from  the  busy  haunts  of  men. 
The  name  of  “  Shirley  ”  is,  however,  more  associated  with  Poppies 
than  nightingales  by  horticulturists,  because  from  the  vicarage 
garden  there  emanated  the  chaste  and  charming  strain  by  the  aid 
of  which  thousands  of  gardens  over  the.  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land  have  been  made  gayer  and  homes  innumerable  more  beautiful 
by  the  presence  of  these  variedly  attractive  flowers. . 
The  vicar  of  Shirley  is  not  only  a  lover  of  gardens  and  of  every¬ 
thing  good'  that  grows  in  them,  but  a  thorough  gardener.  He  is 
capable  not  only  of  directing  soundly,  but  of  doing  work  of  various 
kinds  as  well  as  is  done  by  most  professionals  in  the  craft,  and  in  some 
things  a  good  deal  better  than  many.  Take,  for  example,  the 
pruning  of  fruit  trees.  They  are  not  cut  into  fanciful  shapes,  but 
long  branches  are  formed  wreathed  with  blossom  from  base  to  summit, 
to  be  followed,  weather  permitting,  by  fruit  as  thickly  packed  as 
“  ropes  of  Oiiiors,”  rendering  thinning  as  much  a  necessity  outdoors 
as  it  is  under  glass  in  the  case  of  overladen  Peach  and  Nectarine  treis 
in  pots. 
It  seems  appropriate  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  should  be  such  a  real  and  actual  gardener  as  he  is,  and  it  was 
in  his  garden  that  an  hour  was  spent  the  other  day.  His  invitation 
arose  from  the  promptings  of  a  kind  heart,  and  h's  last  thought  would 
be  that  any  more  would  be  beard  beyond  the  acceptance,  for  the  sufficient 
reason  that  the  recipient  was  supposed  to  be  an  overworked,  broken- 
down  journalist,  incapable  of  using  the  pen,  and  in  need  of  a  few  days 
change  and  quier  rest.  But  devotees  of  the  pen  and  of  gardening  will 
only  rest  when  they  must,  and  will  work  while  they  can,  be  it  ever  so 
badly  ;  and  thus  the  “  days  ”  of  rest  were  cut  down  to  hours,  and  Mr. 
Wilks  must  be  content  to  feel  himself  a  victim  of  the  revival  of  his 
enfeebled  guest.  _ 
The  vicarage  is  not  a  modern  ornate  structure  of  pointed  gables 
and  florid  architectural  indulgences.  There  is  nothing  of  pompous 
villadom  about  it,  as  in  so  many  instances  where  “  show  ”  rules 
supreme.  No  ;  it  is  an  unpretentious  home  in  which  internal  con¬ 
venience  and  comfort  were  more  considered  than  external  display 
by  the  vicar  who  built  it  some  half  a  century  ago.  In  these  respects 
it  suits  the  present  occupant  exactly,  but  the  garden,  when  he  took 
possession  about  twenty  years  ago,  did  not  suit  him  at  all. 
His  predecessor  it  seems  was  a  gardener  in  his  way,  and  that  way 
appears  to  have  had  a  touch  of  originality  about  it.  He  believed  in 
the  mixed  system.  Some  half  dozen  miniature  kitchen  gardens  “  all 
over  the  place,”  in  association  with  patches  of  lawn,  beds  of  flowers, 
and  clumps  of  trees  represented  the  good  old  man’s  ideal  of  what  a 
garden  should  be.  He  no  doubt  enjoyed  it,  and  such  quaint  old 
gardens  possess  a  charm  to  persons  who  set  greater  store  by  a  tangle 
or  jumble  than  on  the  satisfactory  development  of  whatever  may  be 
grown,  and  on  the  health-giving  influences  of  sun  and  air. 
Trees  when  first  planted  and  for  a  time  afterwards,  may  not  be  too- 
numerous  for  furnishing  the  surroundings  of  a  home,  but  when  they 
grow  unthiuned  year  after  year  till  they  meet  in  persi.-tent  combat 
for  the  space  they  need,  the  result  is  not  an  afsemblage  of  beautiful 
trees — not  a  garden  at  all,  but  a  scene'of  six^liation,  a  wreckage,  wilder¬ 
ness,  or  ruined  plantation.  How  many  of  what  might  have  b  en  noble 
trees  and  handsome  shrubs,  are  to  be  seen  and  grieved  over  at  this 
moment  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  all  for  the  want  of 
timely,  reasonable,  rational  thinning?  They  are  in  thousands,  even 
millions,  more’s  the  pity,,  and  the  work  of  restoration  under  such 
circumstances  is  a  task  of  no  small  difficulty. 
Mr.  Wilks  had  recourse  to  a  thorough  remodelling,  and  he  has  goodf 
reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  results.  Such  trees  and  features  as 
could  be  effectively  retained  were  not  interfered  with,  except  they 
could  be  improved.  For  instance,  the  grand  Holly  hedge  which  forms 
the  boundary  along  the  highway  was  not  likely  to  be  otherwise  than 
cherished.  It  is ,  about  50  yards  long,  wide  and  lofty — a  truly 
ponderous  hedge,  the  equal  of  wiiich  is  seldom  to  be  seen.  It  is 
clipped  annually  in  April,  and  the  men  are  no  doubt  glad  enough 
when  it  is  done.  The  entrance  to  the  vicarage  is  through  this  dense 
green  screen.  _ 
On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  door,  which  faces  north,  a  contorted 
stump-like  object  arrests  attention.  It  is  the  trunk  and  lower  branches 
of  an  old  Wistaria,  the  growths  of  which  are  trained  round  the  west 
and  south  sides  of  a  verandah,  which  is  a  convenient  and  picturesque- 
adjunct  of  the  vicarage.  It  is  wide  and  lofty,  and  as  the  wall  of.  the 
building  is  covered  with  Solanum  jasminoides,  Roses,  and  other 
climbers,  and  the  raised  border  at  the  base  is  made  bright  and  sweet 
by  appropriate  flowers  in  spring  and  summer,  the  florally  covered  way 
forms  a  charming  retreat  during  warm  days  early  in  the  season,  and 
on  cool  quiet  evenings  after  sultry  days;  exlernally  the  verandah  is- 
covered  with  the  Wistaria  and  Clematis  montana,  which  also  ramble 
up  the  wall  above,  producing  festoons  of  charming  flowers  at  this- 
period  of  the  year.  _ 
From  the  verandah  we  step  to  the  lawn — an  expanse  of  an  acre  or 
two,  bounded  by  a  semicircular  line  of  Elms  planted  by  the  late  vicar, 
with  a  bold  frontage  of  Rhododendrons  provided  by  Mr.  Wilks.  Here- 
and  there  in  the  distance  ancient  Apple  trees,  the  remains  of  past 
orchards,  are  left  standing  on  the  lawn,  and  clumps  of  Rhododendrons 
have  been  established.  Other  fruits  have  been  honoured  by  positions, 
or  the  lawn  and  shrubbery  have  teen  honoured  by  them,  for  no  trees 
are  mot  e  ornamental  when  in  their  cl  arming  garb  of  spring,  while  they 
are  attractive  in  a  different  w'ay  in  the  autumn.  In  the  centre  of  the 
lawn  a  Dartmouth  Crab  gives  first  its  chaste  flowois  and  then  its 
brilliant  fruits.  Mr.  Wilks  is  an  aesthetico-utilitarian,  and  happily 
combines  beauty  with  usefulness  on  his  admired  lawn  and  its  immediate 
surroundings.  At  the  present  time  beauty  predominates,  as  combined 
in  the  wealth  of  Apple  blossom  and  glowing  masses  of  Rhododendrons. 
Nearer  the  house  is  the  flower  border- — a  broad  frontage  to  a  bank 
of  shrubs,  with  fruit  trees  rising  above  them,  a  twisting  walk  leading 
behind  to  a  secluded  rockery,  bright  with  established  bulbs  in  spring, 
cool  and  refreshing  by  hardy  Ferns  in  summer.  But  the  lawn  front 
is  only  massed  with  flowers  towards  the  end  of  the  present  month. 
Throughout  the  winter  it  is  furnished  with  choice  Conifers,  bright 
coloured  evergreens,  and  Ivies,  plunged  over  the  rims  of  the  pots  in 
which  they  have  been  established  for  many  a  year.  They  are  removed 
at  ithis  season  and  replunged  in  their  reserve  quarters  for  affording 
space  for  summer  flowers,  so  that  this  premirent  bordtr  is  rei  dered 
attractive  practically  all  the  year  round. 
On  the  east  of  the  vicarage  a  portion  of  ground  is  screened 
from  the  lawn,  and  there  we  find  sundry  frames,  packed  with  plants 
of  course,  as  lovers  of  gardening  will  pack  them.  Beds  of  various 
