A Septuagenarian
The scene of the most remarkable example of such survival in my own experience is a garden in the Isle of Wight. Up one wall of the castellated house grew a thick covering of ivy. When that was removed by a great ivy-hater there was found behind it and amongst it a Banksia rose whose existence had not been suspected. Near the base was a leaden disc record- ing the date when the rose was planted and the name of the little girl whose birthday it celebrated (she was a sister of Sir William Harcourt). At the date of the discovery of the rose it was over sixty years old, and when the competition of the ivy was removed flowered profusely for a good many years. The rose, like the pink hyacinth, was at least a septua- genarian. Moreover, it had met with a treatment that might be expected to kill the very lustiest of roses ; and the Banksia is usually regarded as rather tenderer than most. At one time makers of gardens adopted the pretty habit of making maps of their gardens, showing the exact site of each named tree. There is a charming Inigo Jones house on Edgehill which is "advantaged," as they used to say, by such a map ; and much pleasure it has given.
Previous page
