The first laying out of the Park does not seem to have been altogether satisfactory. A writer in 1851 criticises it very severely. The roads and paths, he says, were so badly laid as to require almost reconstruction. The "banks of the lake must be reduced to something like shape to resist the wash of the water," and the remodelling of the plantations will be "a work of time." Just then Mr. Gibson assumed the charge of the Park, and even this captious critic seems to have been well satisfied that he had "begun in real earnest" to carry out the necessary improvements. Modern gardeners might not applaud all his planting quite so enthusiastically as his contemporaries. For instance, the rage for araucarias-monkey puzzles-has somewhat subsided, though the planting of a number met with great praise in the Fifties. Most of the Park was planted with discrimination. In a line with the canal which forms one boundary, an avenue was put, now a charming shady road with well-grown trees. The artificial water with fancy ducks, in which is a wooded island with a Chinese pagoda, is a great delight for boating. The bathing-lake has still greater attraction, and thousands bathe there daily all through the summer months. It is said, as many as 25,000 have been counted on a summer's morning. Bedding out was at its height when Victoria Park was laid out, so the flower-garden included some elaborate scroll designs which were suited to the style of carpet-bedding then in vogue. Now, though less stiff, the formal bedding is well done, and attracts great attention. Those in the East End have just as keen an appreciation as the frequenters of Hyde Park, of the display of flowers. The green-house in winter is much enjoyed, and a succession of bright flowers is kept there during the dark months of the year. The children's sand garden is also a delight.
