90 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  31,  1901. 
FROGMORE, 
WHERE  OUR  QUEEN  WILL  REST. 
Among  the  Crown  lands  sold  after  the  Civil  War  was  Frog- 
more,  which  came  into  the  possession  of  George  Fitzroy,  Duke  of 
Northumberland,  whose  widow,  the  Dowager  Duchess,  died  here 
at  a  very  advanced  age.  About  1748  Frogmore  was  purchased  by 
Sir  Edward  Walpole,  K.B.,  who  made  many  improvements  in  the 
gardens,  and  to  whom  we  are  do  doubt  much  indebted  for  the 
wealth  of  magnificent  and  interesting  deciduous  trees  found 
therein.  Queen  Charlotte,  Consort  of  George  III.,  purchased  the 
lease  of  Frogmore,  when  it  became  her  Majesty’s  favourite 
residence,  and  subsequently  that  of  her  Royal  Highness  the 
Princess  Augusta.  Afterwards  for  many  years  her  Royal 
Highness  the  Duchess  of  Kent  resided  here,  and  since  her  mother’s 
death  it  was  in  the  occupation  of 
her  late  Majesty  the  Queen.  Their 
Majesties  King  Edward  the  Seventh 
and  the  Queen  Consort  lived 
here  for  a  short  time,  and  this 
was  the  birthplace  of  their  first¬ 
born  child  —  the  late  Duke  of 
Clarence,  whose  pathetic  end  is 
still  fresh  in  our  recollection.  It 
was  also  the  home  of  their  Royal 
Highnesses  Prince  and  Princess 
Christian  before  they  took  up  their 
residence  at  Cumberland  Lodge. 
Entering  the  garden  by  the 
Queen’s  little  gate  (see  plaD  on 
page  100),  immediately  on  the  left 
is  the  quaint  and  interesting  old 
Dutch  garden  with  its  immense 
Yew  hedges  and  beds  of  old- 
fashioned  herbaceous  plants,  the 
whole  kept  as  near  as  possible  in 
the  same  fashion  as  it  was  in  those 
far-off  days  cf  William  and  Mary. 
To  the  right  lies  the  sheltered  and 
cosy  garden  belonging  to  Frogmore 
Cottage.  At  a  turn  of  the  walk  a 
few  yards  further  we  come  upon  a 
beautiful  lawn,  almost  of  an  oval 
shape,  bounded  on  three  sides  by  a 
belt  of  high  trees,  giving  one  a 
momentary  impression  that  we  have 
the  whole  of  the  garden  before  us, 
so  cleverly  are  the  other  portions 
hidden  from  view.  In  the  centre 
of  this  lawn  is  a  beautiful  Indian 
marble  kiosk,  sent  the  late  Queen  by 
the  first  Governor-General  of  India, 
Lord  Canning.  To  the  right  are  the  glass  houses  in  which  plants 
for  the  decoration  of  Frogmore  House  and  gardens  are  grown, 
and  in  which,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  bright  and  elegant 
old  Begonia  fuchsioides  grew  and  flowered  in  great  luxuriance 
over  pillars  and  arches,  bearing  its  beautiful  coral-like  heads^of 
drooping  flowers. 
The  Lake  and  Island. 
Passing  these  houses,  and  skirting  the  belt  of  plantation  to 
the  right,  we  meet  a  charming  panoramic  view  of  a  portion  of 
the  garden.  Immediately  in  front  extends  a  large,  well-wooded 
island,  and  at  its  base  a  beautiful  lake  (see  plan  on  page  100), 
which  plays  so  important  a  part  in  the  embellishment  of  these 
delightful  grounds.  Looking  to  the  left  along  a  portion  of  the 
lake  the  eye  first  rests  on  what  appears  a  small  Gothic  ruin, 
nestling  under  the  branches  of  an  immense  Cedar  of  Lebanon, 
and  guarded  in  front  by  an  equally  ancient  and  noble  giant 
Plane  tree.  Near  this  is  a  small  rustic  bridge,  crossing  a  neck 
of  the  lake,  and  over  which  hang  oaressing-like  the  drooping 
branches  of  a  Babylonian  Willow. 
Glancing  a  little  farther — still  over  the  lake — the  eye  roams 
over  another  pleasant  lawn,  flanked  on  the  right  and  left  by 
high  banks  of  Rhododendrons,  Horse  Chestnuts,  several  species 
of  Laburnum,  Bird  Cherries,  Thorns,  Lilacs,  and  other  flowering 
shrubs.  On  this  lawn  are  growing  many  single  specimen 
trees  of  great  rarity  and  beauty,  some  of  them  perhaps  the 
finest  examples  of  the  kind  to  be  seen  in  any  garden.  Very 
conspicuous  is  an  immense  columnar  exemplar  of  Libocedrus 
decurrens,  65  feet  high,  of  great  girth,  a  splendid  specimen 
without  fault  or  blemish.  It  was  planted  in  1857  by  the 
Princess  Hoheulohe 
Near  this  is  a  singularly  fine  example  of  the  Maidenhair 
Tree  (Salisburia  adiantifolia).  In  form  this  may  be  said  to  be 
a  blunt  pyramid,  75  feet  high,  with  a  girth  of  stem  9  feet  at 
three  feet  from  the  ground,  and  so  heavy  are  some  of  its  branches 
that  they  have  been,  for  a  long  time,  banded  together  to  the 
trunk  by  chains  for  safety.  Close 
by  is  a  fine  specimen  of  Thuiopsis 
borealis,  36  feet  high,  and 
Cupressus  Lawsoniana,  upwards  of 
40  feet. 
After  viewing  the  left  part  of 
the  garden,  on  turning  to  the  right 
the  eye  of  the  spectator  again 
encounters  the  placid  waters  of  the 
lake  Destling  against  the  banks  of 
the  previously  mentioned  wooded 
island.  Near  the  walk  rises  an 
immense  tree  of X  the  Deciduous 
Cypress,  measuring  75  feet  high,  its 
stem  being  clear  of  branches  to  the 
height  of  about  40  feet.  A  little 
farther  to  the  left,  on  the  bank  of 
the  lake,  stands  the  best  proportioned 
and  finest-looking  Cedar  of  Lebanon 
in  the  garden,  although  not  the 
largest,  and  close  by  under  the 
shade  of  this  tree  is  a  simple  rustic 
summer  house,  surmounted  with  a 
thatched  straw  roof,  promising  a  cool 
and  restful  spot  for  hot  summer 
days. 
The  Royal  Mausoleum  and 
Memorial  Trees,  j 
Proceeding  in  the  same  direction 
we  come  to  a  piece  of  lawn,  on 
the  north-west  side  of  which  x-ises 
the  Royal  Mausoleum.  Here  are 
planted  a  large  number  of  specimen 
coniferous  and  other  trees  by 
members  of  our  own  or  other  Royal 
houses.  Abies  Pattoniana,  one  planted  by  her  Majesty  the 
Queen  of  Denmark  in  1875;  and  another  of  the  same  variety  by 
her  Majesty  the  Empress  of  Germany  in  1876;  Cedrus  deodara, 
a  magnificent  specimen,  planted  by  H.R.H.  the  Duchess  of  Kent 
in  1850;  Cupressus  fuuebris,  by  Princess  Adelaide  of  Hobenlohe 
in  1853;  Cedrus  libani,  by  H.R.H.  Prince  Christian  in  1867 ; 
Cupressus  Lambertiana,  by  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales  in  1864; 
the  same  by  his  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians  at  the 
same  time;  and  on  the  same  date  Cupressus  Lawsoniana,  by 
H.R.H.  Princess  Louise  ;  and  also  on  the  same  date  Cupressus 
Lawsoniana  was  planted  by  H.R  H.  Princess  Beatrice. 
Cedrus  atlantica  was  planted  by  Prince  Albert  Victor  of  Wales 
in  1873  ;  Pinus  pinsapo,  by  their  Royal  Highnesses  Prince  and 
Princess  Christian  in  1867  ;  Picea  lasiocarpa,  by  Princess  Thyra 
of  Denmark  in  1875;  Picea  Nordmaniana,  by  H.R.H.  the 
Duchess  of  Edinburgh  in  1874;  Quercus  Suber  (Cork  tree), 
by  H.R.H.  the  Princess  of  Wales  in  1873 ;  the  same  by  her 
Majesty  the  Queen  of  the  Belgians  at  the  same  time  ;  Thuia 
The  Dutch  Garden  at  Frogmore. 
