TALBOT1563

Melbury ¹

Thursday

My dear Henry

I found the garden here in great beauty there are many things you would like to see particularly Cerastium alpinum – Arenaica grandiflora, graminifolia, & another O. ² narbonense I now see is quite diff^t from O– pyramidale & flowers later not being out yet – it is the only O. I know with glaucus leaves. For Dianthus arenarius I have three plants up one plain white, another with a red central ring, & another semidouble – There is a double pink Lychnis very handsome the single of which I cannot divine, we have double L. alpina, double dioica, a double viscaria – there is a dwarf single one too very like Viscaria but not viscous. Geranium umbrosum has white flowers & looks pretty under trees – I have a very handsome white Centaurea – no name – Anchusa Italica is a great ornament to a large garden it figures well among shrubs & Symphytum asperrimum

To my great surprise 4 or 5 plants of Psoralea glandulosa, a Peruvian plant which I had quite given up in the old seed bed after seeing them twice covered with a foot of snow to say nothing of frosts, are now nearly a foot high & very strong – it is naturally a shrub, but I dare say will become herbaceous here like the Fuchsia – I think other South american plants might be cultivated on the same terms the sweet Valkameria which is a shrub at Naples is herbaceous at Florence – Cæsalpinia Sappan little better – Verbena triphyllos is so here – at Abbotsbury ³ a shrub – Pray try this experiment at Lacock. The Roman Iris is in fine flower – at Maiden Newton ⁴ is one of nearly the same colour but larger – Ipomæa Quamoclit in flower (indoors) a beautiful blue one just over – & become a stout dwarf in stead of climber – rather an improvement –

I sent a manuscript Novel to Sackville street ⁵ which anybody may read it is rather long for London leisure & its chief interest is not till near the end Have you been to the Marchesa ⁶ or rather Contessa 28 Essex Strand. There are two things she particularly wants which perhaps you could help her in better than me – to be introduced to Countess S. Antonio & to get a ticket to see the prorogation of the H. of Lords particularly if the Kings <sic> goes in person.

I stay here till Monday when we adjourn to Abbotsbury –

Y^r Aff^te

W F S

If you sh^d go to Whitleys nursery Fulham with Jane ⁷ enquire for a yellow flowered Pittosporum quite new – Eaton said that & Clapton were the two best gardens he saw by far –

1827 Sherborne, June twenty two, Ilchester ⁸
H. Talbot Esq^r –
31 Sackville S^t
London

<enclosure>
Papilio ⁹
from Amici ¹⁰
June 14. 1827