l>48' 



HOKT1CULTURL 



March 3, 1906 



is beautiful and unique. There is certainlj no other 

 sweet pea like it: it was recognized as quite a new 

 color break aiming sweet peas. Ii has received high 

 honors, an award of merii from the Royal Horticultural 



S ty, and a medal for the best novelty of the year 



from the National Sweel Pea Society. All who havi 

 seen Henry Eckford sweet pea have admired it for the 

 size, shape, and coloring. It says a good deal for 

 Messrs. Eckford's opinion of its merits that they rims,, 

 fur it the name of the head of their firm. 



Evelyn Byatt is a handsome new variety sent out by 

 Watkins & Simpson, Covent Garden, London. It some- 

 what resembles the older variety Gorgeous, but it is of 

 more rich and brilliant coloring. It is not a large 

 flower, but what it lacks in size is amply compensated 

 for by the fine color. 



Queen Alexandra is a new variety with an excellent 

 reputation. It is a good deal similar to Scarlet Gem, 

 but Eckford says that the flower does not scorch in the 

 sunshine as the latter is apt to do. Scarlet Gem, 

 although a beautiful sort, is often disappointing, espe- 

 cially in a hot dry garden on account of its flowers get- 

 ting scorched. If Queen Alexandra is as valuable as it 

 is reputed to be, then it will be a novelty worth having. 



Helen Lewis and John Inginan are two lovely varie- 

 ties of the Countess Spencer type of flower. Helen 

 Lewis was honored by the Sweet Pea Society last year. 

 The standard is rich orange-salmon, and the wings are 

 orange tinged with rose. John Inginan. which deceived 

 a first-class certificate in 1904, is described as rose- 

 magenta, flushed with crimson. 



Sybil Eckford (pink and cream); Phyllis Onwin (a 

 rose-carmine form of Gladys (Tnwin) ; Helen Pierce 

 (mottled with bright blue on a white ground); Bacou 

 (carmine and cream); Mrs. Hardcastle Sykes (pink, 

 Countess Spencer type) : ami Codsall Rose, a large rose 1 



colored variety, are other g 1 new ones. All the above 



were exhibited in 1905 for the first time, and are there- 

 fore only oU'ered to the public this spring. The partic- 

 ulars given are therefore from the raisers' descriptions, 

 for gardeners have not yet had an opportunity of test- 

 ing their merits. There is no doubt thai most of them 

 are very lovely, and if the plants prove as satisfactory 

 as the flowers are beautiful, they will he grown in even 

 garden when the seeds are cheaper. 



There were some excellent sorts sent out in 1905, the 

 best being the following: 



Black Michael. This is a new shade of maroon, hut 

 it is doubtful if it will ever supersede those two splen- 

 did maroon colored sweet peas. Black Knight and 

 Othello. 



Gladys I'liwin. This is a lighter shade of pink than 

 Countess Spencer, and is said to fade in color when cut. 

 It is not unlike Countess Spencer, which is generally 

 admitted to he better colored. 



David P. Williamson is a really good dark blue sweet 

 pea. Tt generally hears at least three blossoms on a 

 stem, and the -terns are long and strong. 



Romolo Piazzani too bears three blossoms on a stem, 

 which is unusually long, thus giving the variety a con- 

 siderable decorative value. When the blooms first open 

 they are mauve rather than blue, but soon develop into 

 the truest blue color yet seen in the sweet pea. The 

 sweet peas Florence Molyneux (rose flaked). Mrs. II. 

 Kendal Karnes (apricot-colored), and Mrs. George Hcj- 

 ginson. Flora Norton and Miss Philbrick, all pale blue, 

 are other really good varieties. 



Strobilanthes 



The genus Strobilanthes has about ISO species, but 

 there are mdv about three species that are cultivated in 

 our greenhouses. The- come from the East Indies and 

 grow very satisfactorily in an intermediate house, say 

 from 50 degrees to 55 degrees Fahr. The most showy 

 species at the present time is Strobilanthes anisophyl- 

 liis. It grows about 3 ft. high and has very graceful 

 branches. The pleasing lavender colored flowers which 

 are produed in great abundance are over an inch in 

 length. The plants last in bloom about four months. 



Another species very nearly related to the above is 

 Strobilanthes isophyllus. It is a more compact plant 

 but has not tin' graceful habit id' S. anisophyllus. As 

 they bloom at i be same time S. isophyllus makes a good 

 companion to the other. 



They are nol new plants by any means but have been 

 in cultivation for over half a century anil used to be 

 grown under tin 1 generic name. Goldfussia. It was 

 very amusing at a recent exhibition in Boston where 

 these plants were shown how many of the old gardeners 

 had forgotten these old plains, and many of them 

 asked the writer "If he knew what these pentstemon 

 flowered plants were." This is only another instance 

 where botanic gardens show their usefulness in preserv- 

 ing from oblivion plants that were once common. Al- 

 though the flowers look like pentstemon flowers they 

 do not belong to that family but to the closely related 

 Acanthus family. 



These plants are well worth bringing back into com- 

 mon cull nation again and given a place where easily 

 grown and floriferous plants are needed. I have no 

 doubt but any of tin- above specie- if grown well would 

 make ;i desirable addition to our florist winterflowering 

 plants. Xot only this hut 1 think they would make 

 charming window plants for amateurs who could grow 

 them and flower them in a good sunny window. What 

 would be more graceful and pleasing in a window than 

 a nicely grown plant of S. anisophyllus? The cultiva- 

 tion is very simple. It is desirable that they should be 

 grown from cuttings each winter or spring. The tips 

 of young branches when made into cuttings root very 

 easily. In two or three weeks they are rooted and 

 ready to pot into small thumb-pots. Out of thumb-pots 

 they can be shifted into four-inch pots using any ordi- 

 nary potting soil. \bout the end of May they can he 

 planted out into the garden where they can stay until 

 the middle of August when they will be large enough 

 for six or seven inch pots. 



Muring the summer they require frequent pinching 

 to make them into bushy plants. Discontinue pinching 

 after tin' third week in August: this will give them 

 ample time to make long, graceful flowering branches. 

 Give them plenty of water during the summer. When 

 the night begins to get cold take them hack to the 

 greenhouse. When potting use a compost of fibrous 

 loam with plenty of leaf-mold. 



Tin' other species that is grown is of more recent 

 introduction and is known as Strobilanthes Dyerianus. 

 This is one of our finest foliage plants lint requires more 

 heat than the other species. In a hot dry summer and 

 in a position where it will get plenty of sunlight this 

 makes a charming bedding plant. If the summer is wet 

 or .old the leaves fail in their brilliant colors. 



/fzVtSK.^ ff- //C<r 



London, Eng. 



