The Summer House.
Brilliant pink, supplied by a large circle of Silene pendula compacta, set in emerald green, was conspicuous in the distance; nearer were lavender and blue, furnished by Nepeta cærulea and forget-me-nots; buff, by Limnanthes Douglasi; golden yellow, by Lasthenia Californica; and crimson, by the old China rose of that colour and rhododendrons. Other colours, too, were equally striking, and these only a secondary display, that earlier and brighter being made by early tulips. The plan is, when the tulips are planted, to cover the surface of the beds with annuals, sown in July and August, and transplanted when the bulbs are put in. These commence flowering when the tulips are over, and remain in beauty until the bedding plants are planted out. Vasefuls of Tom Thumb pelargoniums stand on the grass near the walk at the base of the terrace wall, close to which is a ribbon border bright with pansies, for which Cliefden is justly celebrated; and right and left are gardens of early flowers, arranged on the one hand in the form of a huge shell, and on the other in beds on the grass that have been bright all the season with spring flowers in great beauty. But, brilliant as the floral display on the dressed ground undoubtedly has been, and soon will be again, it cannot arrest attention long. The eye is naturally carried beyond it to the wood-clad hills and dales, the rich meadows, and the river Thames, at this season alive with water-parties from Maidenhead and pleasure-boats of every description. These form the foreground, as it were, to a landscape unmatched for picturesque beauty, its distant boundary being the Surrey hills on the one hand, and the Chilterns, in Buckinghamshire, on the other.
“Vistas, too, have been cut here and there through the trees, so as to bring into view the water or some more distant object of interest. By reclaiming pieces of land here and there from the river, a wide and agreeable promenade has been formed along its bank, overhung at intervals by stately trees, consisting of beech, ash, and elm, with here and there a tulip-tree and scarlet chestnut. This is reached from the plateau above, on which the mansion stands, by means of winding walks and flights of rustic steps, through what may be termed a gigantic wild garden, consisting of ancient yews, whose hold on mother earth is but small, their roots—weather-beaten and weird-looking—being half out of the ground, and tangled brushwood, fantastically overrun in places with honeysuckle and traveller’s joy. Here, too, even on the chalk, are masses of ferns, and nearer the river-side a very fine Judas-tree, clumps of pampas grass, mulberry-coloured hazels, and other flowering and fine-leaved subjects, while in spring every open space is a garden of wild flowers.
“Let us now return to the entrance front of the mansion. This has been strikingly improved, by removing the old kitchen garden, and laying its site down in grass as level as a bowling-green, cut off from its surroundings right and left by newly built walls, and in front by a thick yew hedge, still kept in vigour by means of good root treatment. These, with the mansion, enclose a spacious quadrangle, on the side of which farthest from the windows are large vases; these in early spring are gay with tulips, and later in the season with annuals, the most effective of which is Silene pendula compacta in masses of rosy blossoms. On the walls, which are covered with climbing and other wall plants, are rare roses, and honeysuckles in profusion. In another part is a rose hedge, consisting of Fellenberg, a kind not very full when open, but excellent in the bud state for table decoration.
“Shut out from view of the mansion by these walls are the glasshouses, a conservatory being on the one side, and the forcing-houses on the other—all new, and arranged with consummate skill and forethought, as regards saving of labour: the whole, with the exception of the conservatory, are built in parallel lines right and left of a central pathway, under which are the hot-water pipes, a glass-covered corridor running round the whole, and binding them, as it were, together. Close to them are the offices and young men’s rooms, the latter built in a style and furnished with appliances such as are to be found in but few gardens. Grapes, peaches, and other tender fruits are grown here in perfection, and among other things we noticed a houseful of tree, or perpetual, carnations in flower, a brilliant sight—the blooms being abundant, large, and fragrant. The extension system of vine-growing is that which is most in favour here. In one vinery—an old one, sixty feet long—one vine has been allowed to fill the house; it is in excellent condition, and is carrying some two hundred bunches of promising fruit. Near here, too, is a glass corridor, the roof of which is covered with an aged fuchsia of the corallina kind; several other varieties have been grafted on it, all of which are literally masses of flower, and most effective, owing to the contrast produced by their different colours. Ivies, grown in zinc boxes and trained on trellises for indoor screens, are here out of doors in the shade. These fit into ornamental trays, and when taken indoors have a pelargonium or nasturtium, or some other flowering plant plunged in the box in front of them.
“The conservatory is fifty-six yards in length and twelve yards in width, and span-roofed, the spans being placed at right angles with the wall against which it is built. It is in two divisions, but so arranged that both can be thrown into one, which, when lighted up at night (which it is on certain occasions) has a fine effect. It is as gay as a house of the kind can well be—arum lilies, as they are called, being especially good and conspicuous. Among the more arborescent vegetation which it contains are oranges, carrying heavy crops of ripe fruit, and a vigorous specimen of Abutilon Boule de Neige, loaded with drooping white bell-shaped flowers, which, when inverted in bouquets with the stamens removed, have a charming effect. Against the back wall is Lantana mutabilis, quite a mass of variously coloured flowers, exhibiting, in fact, a luxuriance of blossom wholly unattainable by plants in pots.
“With the noble entrance to Cliefden most people are familiar. It consists of a straight avenue of dimensions commensurate with the palatial residence to which it leads. This remains as it always has been; but the approach in connection with it has of late been greatly altered and improved. On the one side we have natural wood intermixed with flowering shrubs and trees; and on the other, here and there glades of grass pleasantly undulated, and furnished with clumps of rhododendrons and azaleas—some near, some distant, but all effectively planted, and more or less over-canopied with lofty trees, chiefly beeches, whose stems rise for an unusual height clear of branches. A large stagnant pond, by which the road passes, has been drained, filled up, and converted into a grassy lawn, one side of which hugs the approach for a considerable distance, while the other loses itself in the wood on the other side of the valley. Vistas, too, have been judiciously cut through the trees where the planting and views are most beautiful, thus rendering this portion of the grounds by no means the least interesting feature of Cliefden.
“Of the kitchen garden we have said nothing; nor of the miles of green drives, in summer shady and pleasant, with which the woods abound; nor of the indoor fruit-growing, which is excellent; but enough has been said to show that Cliefden, since it has become the property of the Duke of Westminster, has been greatly improved, both as regards its buildings and its gardens, and is now one of the most charming of seats.”