1878.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



23S 



mania for novelties^ varieties or wonderful blue 

 glass, all of which are pursued with such clamor 

 and ardor by their respective votaries, that the 

 non-enthusiast is ready to exclaim, "let us 

 alone." 



VARIEGATED COBCEA SCANDENS. 



BY G. A. II., PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



Your notice of the variegated Cobcea scan- 

 dens, in the May number, leads me to say a 

 good word for it. A year ago I planted out in 

 the green-house a small plant, which exceeded 

 in luxuriant growth anything I had ever culti- 

 vated. The only difficulty was to keep it within 

 reasonable bounds. At Christmas and Easter 

 I cut perhaps two dozen sprays, from two to six 

 feet long, without missing them. If put in 

 water immediately they will keep in the parlor 

 four to six weeks without wilting. It seems to 

 me that the spraj's would meet with a ready sale 

 in Winter, as they are very effective and beauti- 

 ful for decoration. The plant also bloomed all 

 Winter, but I regard the blooms as of little con- 

 sequence compared with the vine. It appears 

 to be entirely free from insects. 



Another climber which has been very satis- 

 factory, is Tacsonia Van Volxemi. This grew 

 nearly as rapidly as the Coboea, but being deli- 

 cate did not cover so much space. Since Feb- 

 ruary it was constantly in bloom, until I cut it 

 back a month ago, and the flowers far surpass 

 any passion flower I have seen. The rich 

 "Turkey red " blossoms seem to light up the 

 green-house, and the fruit is very conspicuous. 

 The blossoms last about three days. It was 

 quite a novelty in this neighborhood. As my 

 green-house is only about 12x24, and a very cool 

 one, I think these vines could be grown by 

 almost any amateur, but do not think they would 

 do well in pots. I have other choice climbers 

 not yet bloomed, of which I hope at some time 

 to give a good account if desired. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



AVALLFLOWERS.--We take the subjoined char- 

 acteristic remarks on "Wallflowers in Paris," 

 from the Gardener''s Magazine: "Amongst the 

 many rural elegancies that make Paris the fresh- 

 est and brightest of cities, we must give a large 

 place to the Wallflower. We see Walltlowers 

 in plenty in all parts of Europe, and even in 

 London they are not unknown. But really j'ou 



must go to Paris to see Wallflowers just rights 

 and to learn thereby how cheap is beauty, and 

 how universal is the medicine of gladness for 

 the single eye that is full of light. On a sunny 

 day in April you may see in the Pare de Mon~ 

 ceaux, and other such places, what at a mode- 

 rate distance look like beds of crimson Azaleas ■,. 

 but when you reach the spot you find them to 

 be beds of Wallflowers, solid with bloom, quite 

 uniform in height, and, as gardeners say, " as 

 neat as if turned out of a bandbox." Almost in- 

 variably the sorts employed are the deep blood- 

 red and the bluish-purple, all the slaty blues 

 being repudiated, and the best yellows being 

 scarcely anywhere represented. These blood- 

 reds and purples are mixed throughout in equal 

 proportions, and the near view of them is as 

 enjoyable as the distant view is surprising. The 

 odor difflised adds very much to the charm of 

 the golden-green leafage of the trees overhead, 

 for wherever these fiery masses of Wallflowers 

 are to be seen there are also trees enough to 

 make a bower of pleasantness to drive dull care 

 away. How simple and inexpensive are the 

 best pleasures !" 



We may add to what the Gardener'' s Magazine 

 says, that at Osborne House, the residence of 

 Queen Victoria, the writer of this, visiting there 

 last year, found immense quantities of these old- 

 fashioned Wallflowers growing, of which it was 

 said the Queen was passionately fond, and had 

 the flowers cut and sent to her regularly when 

 she was in London or elsewhere. 



The Double Amaryllis. — The parties who 

 sent us the double Amaryllis had better hurry 

 up with their prize, or, judging by the following 

 from the Garden the old world folks will get 

 ahead of them : 



"Agood double Amaryllis (A., equestris fl.pl.) 

 is now added to the collection of the New Plant 

 and Bulb Company at Colchester. It is said to 

 resemble a double Rose, and flowering speci- 

 mens which we saw in a dried state seem to 

 justify this description." 



Chameleon Wallflowers. — A correspon- 

 dent in the Garden has the following rela- 

 tive to that curious and interesting plant — the 

 Chameleon Wallflowers : " This plant is the 

 Cheiranthus Cheiri var. Chameleon, figured 

 long ago in the Botanical Register. It is very 

 aptly named, as its flowers are continuallj'- 

 changing their color ; on first expanding they 

 are of a bright yellow, then gradually become 

 bright purple, and this peculiarity, together 



