THE GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, JUNE, 1843. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. ART. I. Hints for the Improvement of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. By the CONDUCTOR. THE improvement of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park has been the subject of a variety of articles in this Magazine, from its commencement in 1826 to the present time, and we have at length been amply rewarded by seeing many of our suggestions carried into execution. The removal of the line of dead wall reaching from Cumberland Gate to the Gravel Pits, and the substitution of an improved line and of open railing, widening the public road in some places and enclosing a part of the waste in others, are what we have been trying for since 1816; and, though the ground formerly occupied as a kitchen-garden has not yet been added to the pleasure-ground, we are happy to find that the high dead wall, which has so long been an eyesore and an injury, will be removed, and set farther back from the public road, and that, instead of brickwork 18 ft. high, there will be a low parapet, crowned with an iron railing. Our attention has been called to the subject of Kensington Gardens at the present time, by observing that a very complete collection of low shrubs, and especially of Ericaceæ, has been planted in two masses near the piece of water called the Serpentine River; and that a new line of boundary wall has been formed at the upper part of this piece of water, which, by adding a portion of ground to the gardens in that quarter, will render it practicable to give the water a better termination. Fig. 68. shows a plan of that part of the Serpentine River which is in Kensington Gardens; the bridge a separating it from the part which is in Hyde Park, and which may be called the Lower Serpentine; and, at the opposite end of the figure, c representing the Uxbridge Road. The newly made plantations of shrubs are indicated at e e; not by the dotted lines h h, which show proposed alterations on the boundary of the water, but by the black lines, as explained in the references in the margin of the engraving. The widest part of these plantations is nearly Fig. 68. REFERENCES. a, Bridge on the line of sepa- b, Blind bridge, forming the e, Plantations of rhododen- f. Trees at present existing. i, Present line of walk. j, Floating islands, proposed to be removed. The upper Serpentine River in Kensington Gardens as it is, with dotted Lines indicating proposed Alterations to change the Character from that of a River to that of a Lake. REFERENCES. a, Bridge on the line of sepa- k, Proposed continuation of 2, The upper or Gothic bridge, 2, Trees and shrubs proposed o, Situation for a rockwork cascade, or the, termination of a ruined aqueduct forming a cascade, to indicate the supply to the lake, &c. Fig. 69. The upper Serpentine River in Kensington Gardens, as it would appear if the Alterations suggested in fig. 68. were carried into Execution. 150 ft., and the narrowest part above 50 ft. The plants are planted in alphabetical order, each with its name attached; and they are distributed irregularly at proper distances, the intervals being planted with common laurel. The situation is completely sheltered, and slightly shaded; and the soil cool, soft, and moist. The plants have been planted with the greatest care, and the entire surface of the plantation is thickly mulched with rotten leaves. In short, no American shrubs could be placed in more favourable circumstances, with respect to growth. The names, however, of nineteen twentieths of the plants are necessarily too far from the eye to be read, and consequently the public will not benefit so much as they ought to do from the plants being named; and the laurels are not only useless, but as injurious to the plants as so many noxious weeds. The named plants do not require more shade and shelter than the situation affords naturally; and the laurels can only serve to deprive them of nourishment, and to give a general sameness of character to the plantation. We hardly expected to see such an example of obsolete practice in these Gardens; though we recollect the Scotch firs planted in the new plantation in Hyde Park, and the Black Italian poplars which still continue among the Lebanon and Deodar cedars in the Green Park. Every one of these laurels, in our opinion, ought to be immediately removed; or, to save appearances, they might stand till autumn, and then be quietly taken away, as the Scotch firs were some years since. With respect to the named shrubs, very great praise is due to the Earl of Lincoln for having introduced labels into the Gardens; but, in order that the public may profit from these shrubs being named, they would require to be distributed in such a manner as to bring each species and its name near the eye. We have suggested the idea of placing them in small square and circular beds round the central basin opposite the east front of Kensington Palace, as shown in fig. 70.; in which the beds next the water are proposed to be planted with low shrubs, not allowed to rise above 4 ft. high; and the outer row with herbaceous plants, each bed being limited to one order or tribe. All the shrubs in the plantations e e, in fig. 68., would not be included in these beds, because a number of them would grow too high; but almost all the Ericàcea (including the numerous kinds of rhododendrons, azaleas, kalmias, vacciniums, and heaths), with the daphnes, mahonias, &c., which have been planted, would be perfectly suitable, and would produce a splendid effect, not only by themselves, but by their reflection in the water, more especially when in flower. The larger-growing shrubs we would dispose of partly in the plantations on the south and north side of the gardens, and partly in single specimens, enclosed in wire fences, along certain open portions of the walks. Between the row of beds of shrubs and that of herbaceous plants, shown in fig. 69., we would form a gravel walk 15 ft. in width, connected with the grand south and north walk d in fig. 70., by the straight walk c. The warm colour of the gravel REFERENCES. a, Outer line of beds for herbaceous plants. 6, Line of beds, next the water, for low flowering shrubs. c, Walk, 15 ft. wide, connecting the walk round the basin with the broad gravel walk, d, which crosses Kensington Gardens from north to south. ee, Floating islands. ff. Pedestals for statues, vases, or fountains, on the supposition that the water is surrounded by a stone margin. gg, Strained wire fence. A, Central fountain, to be worked by a steam engine, concealed in the adjoining mass of wood. Fig. 70. The Basin in Kensington Gardens as supposed to be surrounded with low Shrubs, &c. of this walk would relieve the view of the water from that cold, dull, monotonous appearance which is so often complained of in that part of Kensington Gardens, and which is the result of the want of warm colours in the scene. The only relief from the eternal green and blue is a momentary one on fine Sundays, when the banks are promenaded by gaily dressed females and children. This dull scene forms the view from the principal front of Kensington Palace; and, judging from Miss Burney's picture of court life in the time of George III., it may not have been unappropriate to the ideas of royalty of the by-gone generation. Now, however, thanks to the aquatic fowls with which this piece of water has lately been stocked, the attraction to walk on its banks is increased, and the monotony of the |