Identifier: gardensofcelebri00macg (find matches)
Title: Gardens of celebrities and celebrated gardens in and around London
Year: 1918 (1910s)
Authors: Macgregor, Jessie
Subjects: Gardens
Publisher: London : Hutchinson & co.
Contributing Library: University of British Columbia Library
Digitizing Sponsor: University of British Columbia Library

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nhanced by contrast, wherever there are wide lawns tobe mown, as at Chiswick, Fulham, Lambeth and Sion, thereshould be wild bits left of set purpose to be a playground, asit were, for Nature, wherein she may riot and do just whatshe likes. * Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too, says Cowper.It is to the sixth Duke of Devonshire the gardens owe the verybeautiful conservatory which is shown in the illustration. It isremarkable for its great length, and for having been the firstimportant work undertaken by Joseph, afterwards Sir Joseph,Paxton, whose talent the Duke discovered when Paxton was amere boy in his employment. It is unnecessary to remind anyonethat Paxton, born in 1801 of quite humble parentage, rose fromthe modest position of an under-gardener in the Arboretum atChiswick, to be superintendent of the Dukes gardens at Chats-worth, and manager of his Derbyshire estates ; and that he designedthe palace of crystal in which was held the first great internationalexhibition. 182
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CHISWICK HOUSE: The Conservatory Page 182 CHISWICK HOUSE A feature of the conservatory is the bank, or thicket, of magnifi-cent camelHa shrubs, or rather trees, for they rise from the groundto the roof. They extend the entire length of the glass-house,which is three hundred feet; the glossy beauty of their smoothdark leaves would render them attractive at any season ; even whenout of flower, but in the earlier months of the year, when, frombase to summit, they are laden with blossoms—rose, scarlet andwhite—the effect of the long perspective of the conservatory,studied from either extremity, is really wonderful. The camelliais an aristocratic flower, almost as much so, although in shape andmanner of growth it differs widely from it, as the stately whiteNile Lily, of which the conservatory at Chiswick shows fine speci-mens. There are fashions in floriculture as in everything else,and except in old-fashioned greenhouses like this, one rarelymeets now with the exquisite waxen flowers

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