Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 May 1882 — Newport’s Wonderful Flowers. [ARTICLE]

Newport’s Wonderful Flowers.

Where else do roses grow so near the sea that the salt spray falls upon them, and grow so wondrously as in the Bancroft rose garden? If “love begets love,” it is not at all strange that the great historian calls his own the finest rose garden in the land. He will point out and call by name for you a hundred varieties growing in one bed. An interesting fact is that, beside this famous garden and almost through it, with no fence guarding it, runs a public path, open to all the world; yet never a flower has been molested, never a bit of the fruit, which grows there also, has been touched. You may surprise Mr. Bancroft himself among his treasures almost any hour on a June day; but he keeps no guard, and trusts us all implicitly, and, if he sees a wisttul look come into your eyes as they wander over his roses, he is very likely to gather an arftful, and bring them to the path and give them to you, stranger though you are. To two things Newport owes its floral beauties—to the humidity of the atmosphere, and to the care of its florists and gaideners. The Eastern workman lavishes no more time and skill on the textile fabric, which grows under his hands, than did the gardener here, iast year, who faithfully copied an Oriental carpet and spread it upon a Newport lawn. It was a mavel—this great floral “prayer rug,” with its artistic, subdued, yet rich offering of the East. Its hues harmonized to a perfection that was almost inert dible when one reflected that it was made up of thousands of growing plants; and all sumpaer long it was carefully kept in this state of perfection. Looking down from the height of an upper window, the deception was complete, so closely did it imitate a Turkish carpet. Last summer on another lawn—belonging to a Bostonian—there grew a quotation from Shakespeare, every letter as perfectly outlined as the best draughtsman might do it with pencil or brush. The rarest of plants were employed, and the effect was exceedingly beautiful. Neither of these lawn decorations, though without doubt the finest of the kind ever attempted in America, were as surprising or as effective as a similar embroidery in flowers which I once saw in France. This was in the form of a lady’s necklace, of course greatly exaggerated in size, so that i% covered a large piece of lawn. A slender chain ofjgolden blossoms lay upon the grass, fastened with a clasp of amethyst. From this chain oepended pendants, each representing some precious stone set round with other stones, or in a filigree of yellow leaves. It was copied from a veritable necklace in a famous collection of jewels. All the plants used in this feature of landscape gardening are low-growing, so that the surface is compact and smooth, and lift little raised above the closely cut grsss. The words “Ocean House” have in <his manner lain upon the terrace before the hotel of that name at Newport for two summers. Soon at Newport we shall see a sight the like of which I doubt ever has been seen in our country—an acre or more of rare Holland tulips in blossom; such a wealth of blazing glowing color, a*f one must look upon to appreciate and realize. Nearly 400,000 bulbs, imported from been set out close togetheron this piece of land, lying in the middle of the tract recently purchased by the Boston syndicate. This is an experiment. If successful, andthe bulbs can be raised in Newport, it will no longer be necessary to bring them from Holland, which country now supplies the world.—Boston Herald. ♦,