JOUHNAL  OF  HOETICULTVRE,  January  1'. 
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THE  NEW  GARDEN  OF  THE  ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Opinions  vary,  as  they  ever  will  when  the  matter  is 
of  some  importance,  as  to  the  wisdom  of  having 
accepted  a  garden  so  far  from  the  centre  of 
London,  and  in  such  an  ungetatable  locality.  The 
gift  of  Oakwood,  at  Wisley,  in  Surrey,  which  was 
the  garden  of  the  late  Air.  George  F.  Wilson, 
F.R.S.,  by  Sir  Thomas  Ilanbury,  of  La  Mortola, 
Italy,  certainly  relieved  the  Council  of  the  R.H.S.  from  an  ex¬ 
ceedingly  embarrassing  position — a  position  which  need  not  have 
arisen— and  from  many  points  of  view  the  gift  is  a  great  blessing. 
But  the  fact  remains  that  to  get  to  Oakwood  means  one  whole 
day’s  outing,  and  even  then  a  very  considerable  portion  of 
the  time  will  perforce  have  to  be  spent  in  travelling  to  and 
fro.  The  garden  is  situated  in  a  valley,  is  surrounded  by 
streams  and  meadows,  wood,  coppices,  and,  on  the  east,  the 
fairly  extensive  Wisley  Common.  One  wanders  for  long 
distances  through  the  lanes  and  country  roads  without  seeing 
any  other  than  the  field  labourers,  or  the  bargemen  on  the 
W’ey,  or  here  and  there  children  at  play,  and  merchants’  vans 
trading  in  the  country  around.  The  late  Mr.  Wilson  did  not 
live  at  Oakwood,  but  at  Weybridge,  a  town  five  miles  away, 
and  he  chose  Oakwood  when  he  retired  from  business  as  just 
the  place  for  the  kind  of  garden  he  pictured  in  his  mind — an 
informal  garden,  with  the  plants  and  shrubs  naturalised  and 
growing  as  in  their  own  habitats.  Nor  did  he  spend  more  than 
two,  or  perhaps  three,  days  per  week  in  his  beantiful  garden  ; 
he  left  it  in  charge  of  Mr.  Tatnall,  who  had  a  substantial 
house  on  the  spot.  Mr.  Tatnall,  we  may  remark,  has  left 
Oakwood  for  a  situation  in  Leicestershire,  and  Messrs.  Veitcli’s 
late  herbaceous  plant  foreman  (]\Ir.  Fraser)  has  succeeded  him. 
Whether  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  can  arrange  to 
run  a  motor  vehicle  at  stated  intervals  on  certain  days  of  the 
week  remains  to  be  seen;  but  such  a  means  of  transit  seems 
almost  necessary.  Fellows  might  be  required  to  pay  into  a 
certain  fund,  or  be  individually  taxed  for  each  occasion  of 
using  such  vehicle. 
The  garden  trials  will  not  be  conducted  in  1904,  but  the 
Chiswick  collection  of  herbaceous  perennial  plants  are  now’ 
being  transferred  thither.  The  formal  entry  of  the  entire 
staff  may  be  made  in  May.  A  suggestion  w’as  recently  made  by 
the  officials  of  the  South-eastern  Agricultural  College  at  Wye 
to  establish  a  horticultural  .school,  as  well  as  a  forestry  school, 
at,  or  very  near  to,  Wisley;  but  of  this  w’e  have  heard  nothing 
further.  The  Sw’anley  Horticultural  College  means  to  make 
u.se  of  Wisley  by  taking  students  there  on  certain  days  of  the 
week. 
Now  to  the  garden  itself,  w’hich  we  had  the  privilege  to 
visit  in  September  last  year.  It  is  tw’enty  miles  from  London, 
and  is  best  reached  by  taking  train  to  Weybridge  Station  from 
Waterloo,  thence  by  cab.  Or  again,  from  Waterloo  to  Byfleet, 
and  walk  three  or  four  miles  through  winding  narrow  lanes, 
and  run  the  chance  of  going  off  on  a  wwong  path.  When  Oak- 
Avood  and  Glebe  Farm  estate  were  pht  up  for  sale,  the 
auctioneers  (Turner  and  Co.,  Audley  Street)  furni.shed  some 
particulars,  of  w  hich  w  e  take  the  following ;  — 
“  The  e.state  is  freehold,  and  -situate  amidst  beautiful  rural 
countrj’^,  whilst  its  immediate  surroundings  are  most 
picturesque.  The  delightful  Wisley  Common  borders  it  on  the 
one  side,  on  the  other  it  .slopes  to  the  River  Wey.  It  is  only 
a  short  distance  from  the  main  Portsmouth  road  between  The 
Huts,  at  Wi.sley,  and  the  quaint  old  village  of  Ripley,  Avhich 
is  distant  about  li  miles.  Byfleet  and  Horsley  Stations  are 
distant  about  3^  and  4  miles  respectively,  and  Weybridge 
about  5  miles.  There  is  a  gentleman’s  small  residence,  erected 
by  Messrs.  Lascelles  and  Co.,  of  timber  framing  and  concrete 
slabs,  w’ith  red-tiled  gabled  roof,  situate  on  the  upper  ground, 
commanding  pretty  views,  and  approached  by  a  charming 
drive  bordered  by  fruit  and  Hawdhorn  trees  and  flowering 
.shrubs;  it  contains  entrance  hall,  two  sitting-rooms  about 
15  by  12,  and  12  by  12  respectively,  kitchen,  Ac.  There  is 
a  good  site  for  a  larger  residence  on  tlie  still  higher  ground, 
fOAvards  the  southern  boundary  of  the  property.  ‘  Glebe  Farm 
House  ’  is  a  bungaloAV  of  similar  comstruction  to  ‘  OakAvood  ;  ’ 
it  contains  tAvo  good  sitting-rooms,  four  good  bedrooms,  pump 
and  Avater  supply,  earth  closet,  coal  shed,  and  gai-den.  The 
outbuildings  are  old,  they  compri.se  timber  and  tiled  stabling, 
barn,  root  .store,  open  .sheds,  fatting  .stall  for  sixteen 
beasts,  Ac. 
‘  The  gardens  and  grounds  are  Avithin  a  delightful  Oak 
Avood,  and  there  are  numerous  Avell-groAvn  trees,  extensive 
shady  Avalks  bordered  by  ornamental  shrubs,  most  pleasing 
fruit  and  vegetable  gardens  Avith  a  fine  selection  of  highly 
productive  fruit  trees  of  the  choicest  sorts,  Avith  Apples,  Pears, 
Plums,  Damsons,  Quinces,  bush  fruit  and  shrubberies,  broad 
grass  paths  and  hei'baceons  borders,  the  gardens  being  supplied 
with  Avater  from  a  well  Avith  gearing  forcing  it  to  tanks.  There 
is  another  vegetable  garden  and  a  larg*)  plantation  of  Pine 
and  Broom,  'the  alpine,  rock,  Avood,  and  Avater  gardens  have 
spring-fed  ponds,  over  AAhich  is  a  rustic  bridge.  They  are 
fringed  Avith  Japanese  Irises,  fine-foliage  plants,  ferns,  &c., 
including  Bamboos,  Eulalias,  Arundo  conspicua,  Ncav  Zealand 
I  lax,  Saxifraga  peltata,  Osmundas,  Gunnera  scabra,  and  a 
splendid  specimen  of  Gunnera  manicata,  ornamented  by  a  great 
variety  of  neAv  hybrid  Water  Lilies.  The  Cape  PondAveed  Avith 
its  .scented  floAvers  is  thoroughly  establi.shcd.  There  is  also  a 
large  field  Avith  lianks  and  Aviiiding  ditches  containing  thou¬ 
sands  of  Japanese  and  other  Iris,  Roses,  Lupines,  Ac.  The 
gardens  contain  a  valuable  and  unique  collection  of  noAv  and 
rare  floAvering  and  ornamental  plants,  trees,  shrubs,  rock, 
alpine,  and  herbaceous  plants  and  bulbs,  bamboos,  ferns,  and 
Lilies,  Avith  hedges  and  banks  of  Japane.se  and  other  Roses, 
including  the  iicaa’  Ramblers  and  Hybrid  Wicliiwaiaiia  Roses. 
“  I  rom  early  spring  until  the  end  of  May  thei'e  are  thou¬ 
sands  of  plants  and  bulbs  carpeting  the  ground  alino.st  every- 
Avhere,  forming  a  very  pretty  picture  under  the  floAvering  trees 
and  shrubs.  They  include  all  the  Avell-knoAvn  spring  floAvers, 
such  as  SnoAA'drops,  SnoAvflakes,  Squills,  Mu.scari,  Chionodoxas 
Hepaticas,  Cyclamens,  Hellebores,  Crocu.ses,  Trilliums,  Lily  of 
the  Valley,  Orchises,  Erythroniums,  Pi'imro.ses  in  cA’ery  shade, 
of  colour,  including  the  Avell-knoAvn  OakAvood  Blue;  Jiipanese, 
Indian,  and  alpine  Primro.ses  and  Auriculas ;  a  splendid  collec 
tion  of  Anemones,  Narci.ssi,  and  Gentians.  One  border  of 
Gentianella  (Gentiana  acaulis)  is  over  120  yards  long.  There 
are  also  bulbous  Irises,  Tulips,  Camassias,  Ac.  Among  the 
spring  and  early  summer  floAvering  shrubs  are  Andronredas, 
Prunu.s  Pissardi,  Cydonia  japonica  in  a  great  many  varieties ; 
Berberi.ses,  Sediims,  Viburnums,  Weigelas,  Exochordas, 
Eor.sythias,  Japanese  Cherries,  Styrax  japonica  and  Styrax 
Obassia,  Phillyrea  decora,  Skimmias,  Zenobia.s,  Spirteas,  Vacci- 
ninm.s,  a  great  variety  of  Pyruses,  Cotoneasters,  Cytisns, 
floAvering  Thorn.s,  Chimonanthus  retusa  and  virginica,  Caly- 
canthns  prsecox.  Daphnes,  and  a  splendid  collection  of  Azaleas. 
Rhododendrons,  and  Kalmias.” 
It  Avould  bo  Avearisome  to  name  all  the  late  summer  and 
autumn-floAvering  shrubs,  but  these  include  “Spiraeas,  Hyperi¬ 
cums,  Deufzias,  Philadelphus,  Althaeas,  Caryopteris  masta- 
cantha,  Ceanothiis,  Clethras,  Ci.stus,  Heaths,  Pernettyas  Avitli 
many  coloured  berries,  Abelias,  Leycesteria  formo.sa,  Osmanthiis 
illicifo'lia,  Andromeda  arborea,  Buddleia  globosa,  and  Viburnum 
macrocephaliis. 
“  The  rock,  alpine,  and  bog  plants  include  Pingiiiculas, 
Sarracenias,  Orchis,  Gentiana  ornata,  Rhexia  virginica, 
Nierembergia  riviilaris,  Mimiiltis  radicans,  Galax  aphylla, 
Ourisia  coccinea.  Campanulas,  Andro.saces,  Daphnes  Blagayana 
and  hj^emalis,  Onosma  taiirica,  Hypericum  reptans,  Mitchella 
repens,  Gaultheria  procumbeiis,  Linnsea  borealis,  Dryas 
octopetala  and  D.  Drummondi,  Ramondia  pyrenaica.  Anemone 
palmata,  Armerias,  Veronica  BidAvilli,  Haberlea  rhodopensis, 
Epimediums,  Arenarias,  Litho.spermiim  pro.strata.  Euphorbia 
pilosa,  Soldanellas  alpijia  and  minima,  Shortia  galacifolia, 
Diantliiis  alpiniis,  Schizocodon  soldanelloides,  the  iioav  and  beau¬ 
tiful  LeAvisia  TAveedi,  Tecophilea  cyanocrocus,  and  many  other 
things. 
“  The  land  includes  about  nineteen  acres  of  Oak  Avood, 
gardens,  grounds,  Avater,  and  sites ;  about  eighteen  acres  of 
grass  land,  and  about  22^  acres  of  arable,  prettily  timbered 
and  .sloping  to  the  River  Wey,  Avith  the  boathouse  thereon. 
The  total  area  of  the  land  is  about  59^  acres.  The  arable  fields 
are  let  Avith  the  Glebe  Farm  House  and  buildings  to  Mr.  G.  F. 
Gaylard  on  a  yearly  .Michaelmas  tenancy  at  .£28  per  annum, 
the  grazing  over  the  gra.ss  land  is  let  to  Mr.  Ward  at  £8  per 
annum.  The  small  residence  and  the  gardens  and  grounds  are 
iir  hand,  and  po.sse-ssion  can  be  had  of  the  same  on  completion. 
The  groAving  timber  and  the  Avhole  of  the  valuable  plants  Avill 
be  included  in  the  pnrcha.se  money.  The  property  is  subject 
to  tithe,  the  amount  payable  being  £10  per  annum.  The 
