THE GARDENS OF WARLEY PLACE.
57
Growing among the Nut-bushes is Lathraea squamosa, our
only indigenous representative of the genus, whilst upon the roots
of Poplars and Willows are large masses of that more showy and
more beautiful parasite, Lathraea clandestina, from the Basque
country. Bamboos, Willows, and Himalayan Rhododendrons,
Sea-Buckthorns, and Spindle-trees grow as though friendly
neighbours from the same locality.
The lawn recalls the beautiful stretches of green sward around
the Oxford and Cambridge Colleges, and is no doubt of great
age. There is a fine specimen of Araucaria imbricata, upwards of
forty feet high, with its lower branches sweeping to the ground.
It was brought to England with the first shipload of these plants
which arrived. An unusually fine specimen of Quercus ilex
bounds the lawn on one side, and some sweet Chestnuts serve as
a break to the westerly gales, which, if unchecked, would speedily
devastate this part of the garden. Amongst trees in this part of
the garden are some very fine Elms, and a group of Oaks of
great age, but still full of strength and vigour.
Turning to John Evelyn's old walled-in garden, one could
imagine oneself back into the seventeenth century, were it not
for the plants of recent introduction, for the garden mainly
keeps to its old world aspect. Evelyn's apricots have now made
way for flowers, and the south wall now gives support to the
tender Berberis fremontii, whilst high above the wall Cytisus
virgatus, Elceagnus argenteus, and the pink July-flowering Acacia
neo-mexicana breaks the straight outline against the sky.
A grand sight in summer is Solanum crispum, with a thick
trunk and spreading branches, covered with large purple flowers
of such unusually large dimensions that the plant is rarely recog-
nized by botanists at first sight. Equally beautiful, and still
more unusual in this part of England, is the red flowered Pome-
granate, Punica granatum, growing more than four feet over the
nine foot wall. This flowers so profusely that a Cornishman who
saw it could not recollect having seen a finer specimen in
his favoured county. Berberidopsis, Lardizabala, Stauntona,
Crinodendron, and Apios tuberosa have also places upon the walls;
In a dry, sunny corner of this garden is a mount which
sufficiently fulfils the conditions required by the Cacti, and induces
several varieties of Opuntias to flower and bear fruit. Agaves,
Echeverias, Mesembryanthems, and other succulents withstand