Green Bank [????-1861]

Every one interested in Chinese plants has heard of the garden of the late Mr. Beale at Macao, a friend of Mr. Reeves, and like him an ardent botanical collector. Nearly the whole of the English residents left Macao and went to Hong-kong when that island was ceded to England, and all the plants in Mr. Beale's garden which could be moved with safety were brought over in 1845 and planted in the garden at " Green Bank."

On entering the garden at its lower side there is a wide chunamed walk leading in a winding manner up the side of the hill, in the direction of the house. On each side of this walk are arranged the trees and shrubs indigenous to the country, as well as many of the fruits, all of which grow most luxuriantly. Ficus nitida, the Chinese banyan, grows on the right-hand side, and promises soon to form a beautiful tree. This is one of the most valuable trees for ornamental purposes met with in the south of China. It grows rapidly with but little care, its foliage is of a glossy green colour, and it soon affords an agreeable shade from the fierce rays of the sun, which renders it peculiarly valuable in a place like Hong-kong. The India-rubber tree (Ficus elastica) also succeeds well in the same part of the garden, but it grows much slower than the species just noticed. On the other side of the main walk I observed several specimens of the Indian "neem" tree (Melia Azedarach), which grows with great vigour, but is rather liable to have its branches broken by high winds, owing to the brittle nature of the wood. This defect renders it of less value than it otherwise would be, particularly in a place so liable to high winds and typhoons. This same Melia seems to be found all round the world in tropical and temperate latitudes; I believe it exists in South America, and I have seen it in Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, the Straits, and in the south and north of China, at least as far north as the 31st degree of north latitude. Amongst other plants worthy of notice in this part of the garden are the Chinese cinnamon, the pretty Aglaia odorata, and Murraya exotica, both of which are very sweet scented and much cultivated by the Chinese. Two specimens of the cocoa-nut palm imported from the Straits are promising well. Other fruits—such as the loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), the Chinese gooseberry (Averrhoa Carambola), the wangpee (Cookia punctata), and the longan and leechee—are all succeeding as well as could be expected, considering the short time they have been planted. The Pinus sinensis, which is met with on the sides of every barren hill, both in the south and north of China, and which is generally badly used by the natives, who lop off its under branches for fuel, is here growing as it ought to do. The Chinese have been prevented, not without some difficulty, from cutting off the under branches, and the tree now shows itself in its natural beauty. It does not seem to grow large, but in a young state, with its fine green foliage reaching to the ground, it is not unhandsome.

As the main walk approaches the terrace on which the house stands it turns to the right, between two rows of beautiful yellow bamboos. This species of bamboo is a very striking one, and well worthy of some attention in England; the stems are straight, of a fine yellow colour, and beautifully striped with green, as if done by the hand of a first-rate artist. I sent a plant of it to the Horticultural Society in 1844.

At the bottom of the terrace on which the house stands there is a long narrow bamboo avenue, which is called the " Orchid Walk." This always affords a cool retreat, even at mid-day, as the rays of the sun can only partially reach it, and then they are cooled by the dense foliage. Here are cultivated many of the Chinese orchids and other plants which require shade. Amongst them I observed Phaius grandifolius, Cymbidium sinense and aloifolium, Aerides odoratum, Vanda multiflora and teretifolia, Renanthera coccinea, Fernandezia ensifolia, Arundina sinensis, Habenaria Susannce, a species of Cypripedium, and Spathoglottis Fortuni. There are also some other plants, such as Chirita sinensis, the "man-neenchung" (a dwarf species of Lycopodium, highly prized by the Chinese), and various other things which, taken all together, render this shaded "Orchid Walk " a spot of much interest.

Above the "Orchid Walk" is a green sloping bank, on which are growing some fine specimens of bamboos, Poinciana pulcherrima, myrtles, Gardenias, oleanders (which thrive admirably in China), Croton variegatum and pictum, Magnolia fuscata, Olea fragrans, Dracama ferrea, and Buddha Lindleyana. The latter was brought down from Chusan by me in 1844, and is now common in several gardens on the island, where it thrives well, and is almost always in bloom, although the flower-spikes are not so fine as they are in a colder climate. A large collection of plants in pots are arranged on each side of the broad terrace in front of the mansion. These consist of camellias, azaleas, roses, and such plants as are seen in the Fa-tee gardens at Canton; many of the pots are prettily painted in the Chinese style, and placed upon porcelain stands.