116 THE FLORIST. 



— they will continue to increase, and bloom constantly in March for 

 ten or twelve or more years. The most desirable species are Scilla 

 bifolia, with bright blue flowers, — how very brilliant and beautiful they 

 are! — S. bifolia alba, with flowers of pure white, coming into bloom 

 about a week after the preceding ; S. bifolia rubra, with pink flowers; 

 and S. sibirica, with flowers of the most beautiful azure blue. 



In some of our old pleasure-grounds may be seen, in April, here 

 and there a tree conspicuous for its snowy whiteness : this is the 

 Snowy Mespilus, well named by our old gardeners. Its botanical 

 name is now Amelanchier botryapium. My tree is about eighty 

 years old ; and really no greater pleasure do I feel in the varied pro- 

 ductions of my grounds, than the constant annually recurring grati- 

 fication of seeing this fine tree, covered with its pure white flowers. 

 It is perfectly hardy, and grows well any where and every where. 



Your readers will, I fear, think I w^ite about old matters, when 

 I mention the Persian Iris (Iris persica) as being worthy of a passing 

 word or two. The roots of this most beautiful and sweet-smelling 

 flower are sold in the autumn by the seedsmen in a dry state ; they 

 are potted, forced, perhaps give a flower or two, and are then for- 

 gotten. This is not the way to enjoy them. Let me tell my way. 

 Take one, two, or three dozen — they are cheap ; plant them in a 

 group or small bed, three or four inches apart, with a permanent 

 label, so that they are not disturbed by the spade, and let them rest, 

 merely weeding them when required : they will, as constantly as 

 March returns, gladden your eyes with their very beautiful flowers. 

 My bed has now been undisturbed for ten years, and a week or two 

 since it was a mass of beauty. 



Fortune's " Yellow China Rose." Decidedly a misnomer, for 

 it has no yellow in it. It is, however, a very pretty Rose, and 

 appears to bloom wdth great profusion; in size and colour its flowers 

 are like the Noisette Rose Ophirie ; indeed, so much so, that when 

 Mr. Fortune shewed me a figure of it, when he introduced it from 

 China, I without hesitation assured him it must be the same Rose. 

 This idea was almost confirmed by its foliage and habit, the former 

 of which is small, the latter slender; but a plant has recently bloomed 

 in great perfection in one of my forcing houses. The plant, about a 

 foot in height, was covered with flowers. They are, as I have said 

 above, like those of Ophirie as regards size and colour, but diff^er in 

 being little more than semidouble, and all circular ; while those of 

 Ophirie are often angular, and too much crowded with petals. Their 

 peculiar bright fawn-colour, tinted with salmon, is exceedingly novel 

 and pleasing. A well- grown tree, trained to a wall, would have a 

 fine effect. 



Nurseries, Sawbridgeworth, Herts. T. Rivers. 



