LONDON THE BEAUTIFUL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 11

LONDON THE BEAUTIFUL.

There aro a few other cities—but you could probably count them on tho lingers of both hands—which havo botanic gardens on a lino scale. The most beautiful placo in England this week has been Kew Gardens, says an English correspondent of Juno IT. I went to Kew Gardens at tho beginning of Juno expecting to find about twentv acres of pot plants with white labels 'and Latin names. I found— tho most perfect English landscape, I think, that. I have seen—in a park of 288 acres, reaching for one mile along tho Thames and about half a mile inland from the bank. Tho garden plots and white labels were there, and 1 saw one Japanese, notebook in hand, who had evidently come to study them; and crowds of other foreigners attracted to the placo by its reputation, which perhaps is rather greater on tho Continent than "ra._ England. There was a crowd of English people ioo, not quite as thick as that which visit Sydney Gardens on a Sunday in summer; and for tho English (as for tho Australians in Sydney) the attraction clearly was, not the curious plants, but the exquisite landscape. For sheer perfection of beautiful scenery it is worth while just describing two, of the landscapes upon which we enmo in these wonderful gardens. The first is called the "Rhododendron Walk. It lasts in its perfection for about two weeks only, but whilst it lasts words almost fail to describe it. Imagine a path wandering for a quarter of a niilo through deep, dark, towering forest-ash trees, elms, horse chestnuts, oak trees, real deep thick forest foliage, high on either side. Below, on either side of the path, piled mass upon mass against the dark shade of the undergrowth, are two deep borders of rhododendrons, pink, white, lilao, red, purple, twenty yards wide-ra strip, ot every sort of- brilliant colour wandering awav bevond sight. The only » lln S more- brilliant in Kew than the Rhododendron Walk is Tuo Azalea Garden, which fades just before the rhododendrons como out. Tho flame-coloured azaleas are so brilliant that a lady who visited tho garden when they were in full bloom to d mo that she and her brother, on catching sight of them through the trees, actually thought the gardens were on fire, and ran to the spot to see. - The other landscape, which personally I thought even surpassing the rhododendrons, was a vista of tho lake. Looking back at it from the Richmond end (irom a certain glade, which is known as bion Vista, because Sion House, across the Thame, can bo seen at tho other end of it) oho found a picture of glassy water and water lilies, surrounded by huge forest trees lightly covered with all the brilliant green of spring. In tho lake towards the far end were two islands covered altogether with great trees-two colossal willows, far the' biggest I ever saw, and a couple of solemn stalwart poplarson the nearer edge. Tho whole laudscape was a mass of forest green in all «orts of huge s-toiely ■ decorativo forest shapes, except for orte tiny point fair m the middle of the picture, where, just drooping and" kissing the water on the margin of the nearer island, was a single patch of brilliant pink weigelia. I, can only say that it was the sort of exquisite polite landscape that sometimes-one has read about,.and dreamed about; and never really believed to exist until one found if here well within the borders of Greater London. _—. - Weddings.—Shower Bouquets for brides and bridesmaids. Only the choicest of Flowers used. ' Specially packed and sent to any part of the Dominion. Miss Murray, 35 Willis Street (Florist to his Excellency Lord Islin:ton).* Income tax for the past financial year yielded the British Exchequer ii millions sterling. ,