Journal of a Horticultural Tour through Germany, Belgium, and part of France, in the Autumn of 1835

We proceeded next to the seat of M. Caters De-wolfe, which is several miles from Antwerp; the grounds attached to this residence are prettily laid out, particularly a sheet of water, which is amongst the best I have seen; it is formed so as to produce a picturesque effect from several points of view. At a contracted part of it a wooden bridge is constructed across, springing on both sides on elevated well-formed artificial pieces of rockwork. In the pleasure ground are three very pretty curvilinear iron-bar hothouses, erected by Baily, of London, and devoted to the growth of exotic plants and pine-apples, which evidently fully answered in that climate their intended purpose. Here is also a good kitchen garden, with numerous low houses and pits for the growth of the pine, vine and peach, as well as one devoted to orchideous plants, a collection of which was just then forming. The pines and exotic plants in this establishment were all in a very flourishing state, and the gardens in pretty fair keeping.

We next proceeded to the seat of Le Chevalier Parthon Divan, whom I found devotedly attached to horticultural pursuits. The grounds attached to his château are very prettily formed, and are situated about four English miles from Antwerp. This gentleman pointed out to me the Rhododendron ferrugineum, with white flowers, which I believe is hardly to be met with in any other collection. He has many good and rare species of greenhouse plants. I saw from five to seven species of Scotia, also a fine specimen of the Scotia angustata; a collection of Orchideæ is also cultivated here; and he has lately introduced many new and curious species of this tribe of plants, as well as some new Cacteæ. The variety of dahlias cultivated here was particularly fine; a very complete arrangement of herbaceous plants growing along the face of a bank in their natural arrangement forms also an interesting feature in these grounds, the exterior of which is bounded by a plantation, in which are formed various beech avenues. This gentleman disposes of his duplicate plants to any one who will purchase them, but did not seem inclined to make any exchanges.

We next visited the gardens of Madame Smetz, which are situated about four miles from the last place. These grounds are celebrated for their extent of hot houses and other garden ornaments, which may justly entitle them to be considered as presenting a greater variety of picturesque objects than any garden in Belgium. There is a very good greenhouse, with a pretty fair collection of plants in very neat order, and a corresponding house for the growth of stove plants. I here observed the Pandanus odoratissimus, fifteen feet high, with four large branches diverging from it. A large orangery, that runs parallel to the north ends of the stove and greenhouse, forms a centre betwixt the two latter buildings, that appear like two projecting wings to the orange-house; there are also several low houses and pits for pines, vines, and peaches. The pines in these gardens were amongst the best grown that I had previously met with on the continent. I observed a plant with seven fruits on it all branching from the top of a single stem. There were also some very fine dwarf cockscombs growing in a pit.

The superb Chinese tower is more deserving of notice than anything of the kind that I have yet seen, being of a considerable height, from sixty to eighty feet I should imagine from its appearance, with a handsome staircase leading to the top, from whence there is a fine prospect of these extensive grounds, which are curiously laid out; in this Chinese building a couple of handsomely fitted up rooms are occasionally used for taking tea or coffee.

There are numerous walks leading through various parts of the grounds to secluded spots, where we come unexpectedly on groups of figures in stone, such, for instance, as a group of boys at play, figures of old men, and groups of sheep grazing in the grounds, which are very naturally executed, and at a short distance formed a very good deception; there are also numerous marble busts and pieces of sculpture. A sheet of water, with rock-work and a wooden bridge, appear prominent objects from the Chinese temple. Opposite to the south and north sides of the mansion are curiously clipped box hedges, with pyramidal formed bushes on their top; the intervening spaces being clipped into irregular figures, presenting a curious appearance. A rock bridge, over the narrow part of a sheet of water, is deserving of notice; but the wooden bridges here and elsewhere in Belgium are made more for the intention of permitting ships to pass under them, than for the ease of the visitors in walking over them. I also observed several painted arbours and recesses in different parts of the grounds, and one of the finest specimens of the purple beech that I have ever seen, which is a truly magnificent tree. The kitchen cropping, such as cabbages, asparagus, &c., being carried close up to the house, is in very bad taste; these vegetables all appearing in view from the principal windows do not harmonize with the ornamented ground, which, in such an extensive piece, might easily be cultivated in a much more appropriate spot.

Oct. 2nd. Left Antwerp at six o'clock a.m., passing through a beautiful fertile country, which abounds in vegetable and other green crops; we arrived at Malines about eight o'clock; it contains about twenty thousand inhabitants, and has some pretty churches, and an ancient cathedral. The rail-road from Brussels to Malines had been completed for some time, and was expected to be finished as far as Antwerp by the end of another month, and to proceed from hence to Paris. At Malines I quitted my tedious mode of conveyance for the rail road – a much more pleasant and expeditious mode of travelling. We were about forty minutes going by it the distance of twelve English miles; a heavy train of carriages and a strong wind right ahead, prevented our accomplishing the distance in the usual time, which was said in general to occupy the space of from twenty to thirty minutes.

On my arrival at Brussells I proceeded to the establishment of M. J. F. Vandermaelen, which consists of an extensive collection of geographical books, minerals, birds, insects, and plants, from various climates, which this gentleman offers for mutual exchanges, with the view of furthering the interests of science and natural history.

The grounds attached to it are rather confined, but prettily varied, with water, and rising and undulating ground. There are also several very good hothouses, and a choice collection of plants. M. Vandermaelen's catalogue enumerates nearly two hundred and forty sorts of Camellias and above four hundred and fifty sorts of Pelargoniums. I here observed a specimen of the Cactus senilis, about two feet in height; several other very fine and curious species were likewise to be seen here. M. Vandermaelen has also sent out a collector in search of Cacteæ and other orchideous plants.

I next proceeded to the Brussells Botanic Garden, which contains the most ornamental range of hothouses that I have seen, and some noble specimens of palms. The Caryota urens about forty-five feet high, its girth at eighteen inches from the ground, four feet. The Arenga saccharifera and the Carica Papaya both forty feet in height. The Elate sylvestris had also reached to the glass. The Latania borbonia, about eighteen feet high, the fronds spreading in the like proportion. The Pandanus odoratissimus, a fine specimen, and various other species equally luxuriant. This magnificent range of plant houses are all heated with steam, and the sash bars formed of wrought iron; – the effect of it from the Boulevards is really grand. The principal range being situated on a terrace, with several fountains and broad flights of steps in front of it, has a very imposing appearance; on a lower level in front of these houses and terrace, are two ranges constructed with curvilinear iron bars, which are occupied by pine-apple plants and other dwarf tropical species. Opposite to the hothouses are the herbaceous grounds, which are laid out in a circular form, divided in small divisions, for the Linnean arrangement of the hardy perennial plants, each class forming a separate piece of ground radiating from the centre. This garden consists of a fine irregular piece of ground, and is much varied in its surface, having five different levels, and is placed in a fine situation; but I regretted to see the ground occupied by a quantity of common forest trees and shrubs, and but little of novelty or good plants in it: the common sorts were grown principally for sale, and for the support of the garden, which practice I understood was extensively adopted in this establishment. The hothouse and greenhouse species were ticketed with the price required for the different plants.

I next called on Mr. Bigwood, who kindly procured me a sight of the Prince of Orange's splendid residence, which is justly considered one of the finest finished palaces in Europe, with most beautiful polished oak floors, and the walls of several of the apartments inlaid with marble: in one of the rooms that belonged to the princess is a table of Siberian lapis lazuli, valued at fifty thousand pounds. The chairs, tables, paintings, and other superb furniture in the interior of this palace, with its magnificent staircase, are beyond my powers of description.

The park at Brussells is situated in front of the king's palace, and is said to contain about fourteen acres of ground, which are laid out as a public promenade for the inhabitants, with several avenues, and various groups of sculpture, which are considered of superior execution, especially the statues of Alexander the Great, and Cleopatra, and the groups of Diana, Apollo, Narcissus, and Venus. In the avenue fronting the king's palace are statues of the twelve Roman emperors, and a fountain, which throws the water from twelve to fifteen feet high.

I proceeded next to Louvain. The entrance to Brussells from the Louvain gate is very fine, and commands extensive views of the adjacent country, as well as a part of the town. The small villas leading from this entrance towards Louvain are handsomely ornamented with tastefully planted gardens; the road, winding along through a fine agricultural country, is more varied than in the Antwerp district; the soil consisting of a deep red loam, produces abundantly red clover, rape, and other green crops.

October 3rd. The town of Louvain is situated on the river Dyle, which runs through it. The grand appearance of the Stadt-huis, or now police-office, is very imposing; the numerous carved figures and spires that adorn the front are beautiful specimens of workmanship: in the interior a large apartment is occupied as a picture gallery, in which are deposited some very fine old paintings: the wainscot ceilings of some of the rooms are also well worthy of notice.

There are likewise several churches in this town, which are richly ornamented with paintings and other costly decorations, such as marble columns.

The botanic garden adjoins the town, and contains from two to three acres of ground; the space in front of the range of hot houses is occupied with a collection of hardy perennial plants, and the exterior of the garden planted by trees and shrubs. The range of plant houses consists of a long dark-roofed green house, with a circular stove projecting in front of it at each end, which has a very good effect; these stoves are constructed with iron bars, and appeared to stand remarkably well; in one of them was a very fine specimen of the Latania rubra, which was in great luxuriance; the Maxillaria Harrissonia, was quite covered with large flowers. The Cactus Macrocanthus, was here four feet in circumference; several other species were also very fine; in short, the whole collection were in a healthy and flourishing state. I found M. Donkelar, the gardener, to be a very intelligent young man, devotedly attached to his business.

I next proceeded to see the collection of fruits and trees at professor Van Mons, where I was shewn a large assortment of pears, which the professor had raised from seed, also many sorts of apples, and several good seedling grapes and peaches. The professor has long been distinguished for his attachment to horticultural pursuits; but I unfortunately did not find him at home; he has, however, forwarded to me, since my return home, his "Arbres Fruitiers," which describes many of the fruits cultivated in Belgium. I was much gratified by the fine collection of pears in the fruit room, and the fine healthy trees in the professor's gardens, which are well stocked with seedlings, as well as others in a bearing state.

I next proceeded to the duke d'Aremberg's, which is situated at a short distance from Louvain, having a letter of introduction from Sir R. Adair, to his highness, whom I found particularly attached to botany and horticultural pursuits. The kitchen garden here is very extensive, and large quantities of vegetables are cultivated; several pits for the growth of the pine and peach were also in this establishment; but the collection of choice pears pleased me more than any I had previously seen, and certainly produced very fine fruit; the following sorts were pointed out to me as the best deserving of cultivation, which were then in the fruit room.

and many other sorts, and fine collections of apples which were also extensively grown here. I also observed a very fine collection of seedling dahlias, many of which were very choice flowers, and formed a gay appearance in the kitchen garden borders in this season. His highness pointed out to me a noble specimen of the Platanus accidentalis, which measured, at four feet from the ground, thirteen feet in circumference, and its branches spreading over a space of ground twenty two yards in diameter; this was a beautiful grown tree, and appeared in great luxuriance.

The grounds attached to this ancient mansion are very extensive, and have several fine straight avenue walks, leading in various directions, one of which is formed by the purple beech planted on each side of the walk for a considerable distance; but this being a very wet forenoon, I was unable to see the grounds to advantage. They are a little varied as we approach the house, and a small stream of water enlivened the scenery: they appeared to me, however, of much less extent than his highness's grounds and park at Enghien, where his splendid range of plant-houses and extensive collection of plants are fixed and deposited.

I left Louvain about four o'clock, and arrived in Brussells just in time to get my luggage taken to the diligence office, from whence the diligence started at half-past nine o'clock for Paris.

Oct. 4th. Arrived at Valenciennes, a good sized town: here another passport was furnished, and my former one taken from me, and retained by the police until the evening I left Paris. The country between Brussells and Valenciennes, as far as I could observe, appeared to be of considerable sameness, but the ground was well cultivated, with good crops of rape clover; the turnip was evidently a failure here, and in other parts of the continent, as well as in England.

We arrived at Cambray at two o'clock, a strong fortified town. The country from Brussells hitherto appeared to be but very thinly planted, and of little picturesque scenery: as we approached Paris there appeared very few plantations or trees worthy of notice, and much less variety of scenery than I passed through in the latter part of my tour through Germany.

Oct. 5th. Arrived at Paris at half-past ten o'clock, a.m. after a ride of twenty-four hours. On my arrival I proceeded to the Gardens of the Tuilleries, where there is a large collection of orange trees, and several capacious gravel walks, or avenues, with numerous ornamental groups of sculpture. A space of ground, running parallel to the palace, about sixty yards wide, has been lately laid out with flower borders, and is separated from the public promenade by a grass ha-ha, with a slight wire fence on the top of it; in this inclosure are some very fine orange trees, bronze figures, and ornamental sculpture, arranged along the edges of the walks.

A very fine walk leads from the palace towards a piece of water at the entrance from the Place Louis XV., where there are various groups of sculpture and terrace walks, which have a very imposing effect. The walks and flower borders in the promenade were in very neat order, and the triangular pieces of grass not so roughly kept as some I had previously seen about the seats of royalty. The walk or road leading from the Place Louis XV. to the magnificent arch now nearly completed on the rising ground near to the Barrier Neuilly, has a fine effect, and the prospect from this arch, which is much elevated above the town, is very grand.

Oct. 6th. This morning I proceeded to the seed establishment of Messrs. Andrieux and Vilmorin, to whom I had a letter of introduction from Mr. Lawson, of Edinburgh; these gentlemen very kindly furnished me with a note of the various gardens and objects most worthy of notice.

I then proceeded to the Jardin des Plantes, where I was much gratified with numerous fine specimens from all quarters of the globe. Mr. W. Douglas, a young man lately sent to this garden from Chatsworth by the Duke of Devonshire, conducted me through the various departments. I was much pleased with the elegant appearance of two very fine houses that were then nearly completed, one of which was just receiving the plants.

These houses are seventy-two feet long each by forty-two feet wide, and about fifty feet high; the space where the tubes stand is sunk about six feet under the floor or foot-path level, so that the whole of the tubs, boxes, and pots may be concealed, and the plants have the appearance of being planted out in the border. There is a very handsome marble cistern about the centre of the house for supplying the plants with water. These houses consist of a double span roof, are constructed with iron bars, and heated by steam; the under-ground work is very judiciously arranged: it appeared from the excavations that were here proceeding, that the range of glass was to extend to the Galerie d' Histoire Naturelle. There are numerous other hothouses on different elevations well stocked with healthy plants, one of which is devoted to Succulentæ, where I observed several fine specimens of Cacteæ. The curvilinear iron bar appeared to be the favourite material used for the erection of plant-houses in this establishment, which must evidently be the most economical and substantial for large houses. I observed this bar used in various parts of Belgium and Germany, where they apprehended no fear of the breakage of glass by expansion or contraction, although the frost is much more intense in those countries than in this.

I here saw a very fine plant of the Araucaria Cunninghamia, which appeared to be from nine to ten feet high, beautifully feathered from the pot to the top. The Araucariæ excelsæ were tall plants, but evidently drawn up, and had been too much confined, as they were not feathered equal to the specimens at Baron Rothschild's and at Prince de Ligne's. The ground in this far-famed Jardin des Plantes appeared to be too contracted for the various purposes that it is devoted to. An enclosed apartment is under a nursery of trees and shrubs, another for hardy herbaceous plants, and one planted with a collection of the various fruits, particularly of pears, in beds about four or five feet wide, with four feet in width of paths between them; these beds were covered with short dung, to prevent the roots of the trees from becoming too dry. The fruit was, unfortunately, all gathered, so that I had not the pleasure of seeing the various sorts that are here cultivated: nearly adjoining to the fruit tree department is the zoological establishment, with a very numerous collection of animals. The museum of natural history is situated at the extremity of the new range of hothouses; the collection of birds, minerals, quadrupeds, shells, &c. is really astonishing: there are also numerous specimens of Fungi preserved in one of the departments.

I next visited the nursery garden of M. Noisette, which is well stocked with Camellias and stove plants; the former had numerous seed vessels perfecting on them. The small low hothouses are in a very dilapidated condition, and the plants in a crowded state for want of more room; although there is a great extent of glass, such as it is. The grounds are likewise crowded with fir trees, which were evidently planted for shelter and shade from the effects of the sun, but they give the ground a cheerless and contracted appearance.

I next proceeded to the vegetable garden of M. de Coufle, which is considered amongst the best in the neighbourhood of Paris for culinary forcing, but I saw but very little in it at this season of the year at all worthy of a visit.

At a short distance from the latter is the garden of Prince D'Esling; the neatness of this little spot, which was very gay with dahlias and other autumnal flowers, was very pleasing. There is also cultivated here a very extensive collection of pine-apples evidently for sale, as at this season of the year, there must have been nearly two hundred fruit, and some thousands of young plants, which for health and well-swelled fruit were but little inferior to any in England. The largest fruit was grown in a low span-roofed house, and planted out into the beds into a mixture of sandy peat; the house was six feet six inches high, with a foot path in the centre, and the beds for plants along each side. The succession pines are grown in wooden frames with dung linings around them, and were in great vigour of health. The Providence and Montsserats were extensively cultivated. A very complete stove for exotic plants is also here. The Aristolochia Braziliensis was beautifully in flower, and the other plants in a very healthy state.

I next visited the Pantheon, a noble edifice, with magnificent architectural columns, and cornice: it is reckoned one of the finest erections in Paris.

Oct. 7th. Went at six o'clock this morning to see the fruit and vegetable market: the display of pears, grapes, and wallnuts was very fine, there were also a number of peaches, but these were rather of an inferior size to those grown on the open walls in England. The fruit market was really so crowded with baskets of pears and women that it was with much difficulty that I could pass through it: there was an abundant display of vegetables. Cardoons were now brought to market, and a few bunches of small asparagus; celery appeared in great abundance and of good quality; various baskets of the Alpine strawberry and a few pretty good looking melons were also to be had.

I started at eight o'clock for Versailles, passing through a beautiful part of the country, well planted with numerous handsomely erected villas, and the road winding along for a considerable distance by the river Seine.

On my arrival I proceeded to the gardens, where I was quite astonished at the extent of these magnificent grounds; there were numerous groups of sculpture and bronze, and fountains ornamented with various figures, such as sea monsters, dolphins, &c. which spout the water into the basons, the effect of which, when the water-works are playing, must be grand in the extreme.

The various terraces, parterres, and avenues, the latter leading in every direction, with their beautiful groups of sculpture, are very grand.

Under the south terrace is situated the orangery, and from the terrace walk we look down upon at least several hundred magnificent trees, which for number and vigour of health, were undoubtedly surpassed by none that I had previously met with on the continent; I am, however, inclined to think that there were some at Sans-souci fully as large.

The orange-houses are all formed under the south terrace, and appear like arched cellars, with only glass windows in front; I could perceive no means of applying artificial heat, but the windows were furnished with shutters, which appeared to be the only protection they had against frost; they were busy at this time removing trees to their winter quarters.