Sandy's Garden ... Horticultural Competition and Promenade

“The ninth annual competition of the Polmont Horticultural Society took place on Friday last. As has been the practice for several years, the show was held within the grounds of Millfield, which the proprietor, Mr. Miller, with most enlightened liberal and public spirit, places at the disposal of the Society on these occasions.

The attractions of a beautiful promenade, which are thus added to those of the flower show, had the effect of drawing together a very large number of visitors of all classes, and some from a considerable distance.

There was a display of fashion and elegance which would have done no discredit to a metropolitan promenade: but perhaps the most gratifying feature of the exhibition was the large assemblage of people of the lower classes, who had been allowed a holiday by their employers in the neighbourhood, and who, by their lively curiosity and by the admiration they manifested for what was beautiful around them, afforded a pleasing illustration of the facility with which such occasions may be made to minister to the intelligence as well as to the recreation of the people.”

“The Flowers, Fruits and Vegetables sent for exhibition were arranged in two tents erected on a well-chosen part of the lawn. The show was the largest the Society has ever had, and, although more commodious accommodation was provided than on former years, there were several articles for which room could not be found in the tents, and which therefore had to be exhibited outside.

Although the season has not been very favourable for the production of the garden, the exhibition generally was of a very creditable character, while some of the articles shown, especially the flowers sent by Messrs.

Lawson and Son of Edinburgh, were very superior. The judges, we believe, had considerable difficulty in arriving at their decisions, and although there were two sets of them doing the work, the three hours allotted to it were barely sufficient. Their judgements, however, were regarded as sound and unbiased.”

“From three o’clock till five, during which the show was open to the public, the tents were very much thronged; they were so inconveniently crowded that the Committee will, we have no doubt, see it advisable to adopt some other plan of accommodation next year, either to dispense with the tents or to provide them on a larger scale.

A single tour of the stands seemed to satisfy most of the visitors, except the more enthusiastic florists - the walks and fountains of Millfield proving a counter-attraction, against which the confinements of the tent had no chance. The parks, gardens and shrubberies were in all directions dotted with gay parties, which gathered into large groups at every point more worthy of admiration than the rest.”

“The beautiful bowling green with its statues, and the little lake with its rock-work, and grottoes and strange water-fowl were the objects of interest, and when viewed from the high ground above were, if possible, more than usually picturesque from the presence of the visitors.

‘Strange was the sight and smacking of the time.’ It was one which could not but recall the scene described by the poet laureate in the prologue to the Princess, in which that line occurs: - ‘Sir Walter Vivian, all a summer’s day / Gave his broad lawns, until the set of sun, / Up to the people; thither flocked at noon / His tenants, wife and child, and thither half / The neighbouring borough, with their institute, / Of which he was the patron.’”

Wow! Follow that!