The villa of Edward Cropper, Esq., and that of Edward Roscoe, Esq., have much merit. The garden of the latter contains all the flowers figured in Mrs. Roscoe's elegant periodical. But the most romantic villa in the neighbourhood of Liverpool is that of Otterspool, which is, at the same time, tolerably well kept. Oakland Cottage is justly celebrated for the perfection with which the gardener, Mr. Perrin, grows orchideous epiphytes and hot-house bulbs; Mr. Harrison limiting his hot-houses to the cultivation of these two classes of plants, because they flower chiefly in the winter season, when the open air furnishes little or nothing in the way of floral productions. The gardener at Mossly Hill, whose name we regret to have omitted to take down, is aware of the importance of not cropping his fruit tree borders; and the same may be said as to the gardener at Green Bank, James Lawton, who is a good botanist, and has discovered a new species of fern. At Gatacre, the most abundant and early crops of grapes are raised by Mr. Roskell, and sometimes sent to the London market. Here, a pit of stones is heated by steam, in Mr. Hay's manner, with perfect success. On the whole, however, we were disappointed in the keeping of the villa gardens in the neighbourhood of Liverpool; and we did not expect to find, in that liberal and enlightened town, the degree of parsimony towards gardeners which we were given to understand generally exists.
