The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-10-15
AGRAHD OLD GKAPE VINE.
1t Bore This Year Twelve Hundred
Bunches.

The famous vine at Hampton Court Pal
ace, which is so very old and yet so very
young, is reported to have quite excelled
itself this year. for It bears 1900 large
punches Of black Hamburgs. good enough
| for the Royal table for which they are
nominally reserved. though actually most
| of them are presented by Her Majesty
! TO the London Hospital No visitor to
| the garden OF Wolsey's pleasance ever
! thinks OF leaving without seeing this
| grapevine. Ii would be as uncOnvention-
! al as not TO get lost in the maze. Though
| the plant does not like so many other
wonders OF the gardeners art, date from
| the period when William Of Orange, un-
able TO bear the London air, took up his
residence, at Hampton, and amused him
self with introducing some Of the eccen-
tricities of Dutch Horticulture, 1t is not
without antiquity. Contained in very
democratic looking lean-to house. the
Royal vine covers some 2200 square feet,
the inside dimensions of the house be-
ing u feet in length by 80 In breadth.
The vine is planted inside the building,
and its branches almost entirely cover the
roof some Of them being 100 feet in
length. Its history is already largely
traditional. Yes it is, we believe. toler-
ably well settled that "the great grape
Vine of Hampton Court was planed in
1868 by LancelOt Brown afterward cele-
brated as the first of English landscape
gardens, and "Capability Brown" OF
host of amusing, but highly creditable,
tales.
To Brown, also, much Of the beauty Of
the adjoining garden is due. The earlier
Georgian horticultursts did not excel in
the aesthetic aspect Of the art, and some
Of the Batavian gardening introduced by
ztsoc In he oxyfro
The wildness and the maze, are, perhaps.
the most attractive remnants of the Dutch
Kings planting. But pleasant 10 visitors
by the recent opening OF the Home Park,
we come upon traces of the taste OF the
Sovereign who taught Dean Swift TO
grow asparagus after the Hollandish
fashion"
AS we approach the vine, for instance,
we pass two large greenhouses, contain
ing orange trees and other plants, one OF
which, an orange myrtle, Is affirmed by
tradition TO have been brought over by
the Prince Of Orange; and the entire gar
dens and park owe their present form TO
Loudon and Wise, who worked under the
direction Of William and Mary. Stiff, fiat
and formal, with long-drawn avenues and
opening glades. they are the very type Of
a hundred around the '1ust-hauses" Of
Rotterdam Amsterdam. Harlem and The
Hague. Yet there was time when they
smacked even more distinctly of the Low
Countries The private garden, the one
containing the great vine, has a number
of plants rare In 1858, which constitute
interesting memorials Of the time when
It was the favorite pleasure ground Of
the Queen. But much Of Williams Dutch
gardening has disappeared under the
hands of horticulturists with different no
lions of the ACCESSIBILITY of improving
upon nature.
In print OF Hampton Court published
about the time when the great vine was
planted, we see the other space opposite
the Home Park dotted with dismal as
semblage Of bushes, cut into the form of
those conical trees which form a part of
the contents Of Noah's ARK and several
clipped until they resemble nothing on
the face OF the earth. These fantastic
monstrosoties were greatly favored by |
tho King, who also intoduced the equally |
absurd practice Of scattering sepulchral |
urns among the flowers. In Walpole's |
day the walls of the palace were covered |
with rosemary, and he especially notes. |
not without polite sneer for the Lord |
Of Strawberry Hill was a man OF taste.
who did not always run in the line Of |
fashion,. the remarkable specimens OF the |
"topiary" art-the clipped eve and other
very unnatural specimens OF nature. SIN
IT is TO William OF Orange that London
Is indebted for much of the beauty of her
fayorite pleasure place. Charles ii. plant
ed the large semi-circle on the east side
of the palace. But the fine avenue Of
chestnuts in Bushey Park dates from
other times, and the gardens OF the palace
much altered as they have been for the
better, are virtually the creation OF the
Dutch Stakeholder, who was one OF the
greatest OF English Kings. - London
Standard.