Melbury <1>
16 April
My dear Henry
As you say nothing about the Pyrenees I hope we may meet in London
The weather has been very fine but bad for gardening <–> at Abbotsbury <2> we had strong South east gales with arid winds, drying up everything & making it impossible to plant out our late semi hardy plants with the ground either like sand or rock, & thermometer ranging daily between 68 or 70 – & 30 – I fear many nice rhodoraceæ planted only last year [over-written] autumn in a new peat border, not well shaded, will have become a Hortus siccus. <3>
I brought here some lovely rhododendrons, hybrids, lots of Narcissi – among which a German poeticus with cup all red lead colour – is a fine flower – Diclytra[?] spectabilis a beautiful hardy perennial – tree heath in magnificent branches – Edwardsias – I lost Tacsonia manicata & have not replaced it. I have an experimental wall which is very useful – I have the J. dranthifolium[?] not in flower. Ceanothi do not take well to Abbotsbury – Solanum crispum, Mahonia Nepalensis, Acacia vertita & longifolia & linearis – make good standards – Bignonia jasminoides is nearly hardy & I have had 4 plants of it out in different aspects the last 3 years – it will blow some day I hope – Spirea alpina & decumbens prunifolia beautiful – Forsythia promising. Peonia Wittmanni coming out. Styrax officinale & Tasmannia – all the Illiciums – Camellias very fine this year the Italian var – ‘Saccoi nova’ – & the American ‘Philadelphia’ – in particular beauty – Cytisus Eolicus – & more than I have room to tell.
Of genera that have the three principal colours – I note Anemone, Lathyrus, Orobus, Gentiana, Lobelia, Centaurea, Leschenaultia, Tropæolum, Anchusa. –
Your
W F S
[envelope:
Henry F. Talbot Esq
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. Melbury, Dorset: one of the Fox Strangways family homes; WHFT was born there.
2. Abbotsbury, Dorset: home of William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways.
3. A 'dried garden' - a reference collection of dried plant specimens.