June 26, 1909. 



HORTICULTURE 



896 



Notes from the Arnold Arboretum 



Tliougli the number of Spireas cultivated in our gar- 

 dens is by no means small, the new Chinese Spiraea 

 Henryi promises to be a valuable addition on account of 

 its blooming so late for a species of the spring flowering 

 group, its flowers appearing about the middle of June, 

 when all the other hardy Spireas of. this group have 

 passed. The white flat flower clusters are produced in 

 great abundance along the spreading branches of the 

 previous year as in the other species of this particular 

 group, while in the summer-flowering Spireas the flow- 

 ers appear at the end of the usually wand-like shoots 

 which gives them an entirely difiEerent and as a rule less 

 graceful habit. Spiraea Henryi is a compact shrub 

 three feet in height or more with upright stems and 

 spreading branches clothed with neat bright green foli- 

 age, the leaves being about an inch long or a little longer 

 and oval to oblong in outline with a few teeth toward 

 the apex. The white flowers appear in flat clusters 

 about two inches in diameter along the whole length of 

 last year's branches. As it has stood at the Arboretum 

 the last two winters without being injured, it may be 

 considered as hardy in this latitude. Two other species 

 from China, Spiraea Veitchii and S. Wilsonii, have not 

 yet bloomed here, but to judge from herbarium speci- 

 mens and descriptions they are very similar in habit and 

 general appearance and probably as hardy as S. Henryi. 

 It was a happy thought or may be unintentional to com- 

 memorate in the names of these three closely related 

 species introduced recently from China the names of the 

 three men who have been in recent j'ears so successful in 

 bringing to our knowledge as well as introducing into 

 cultivation so many beautiful plants from China the 

 flora of which seems unexpectedly rich and almost inex- 

 haustible. 



Among the Honeysuckles attention may be drawn to 

 two recently introduced species which like the above 

 mentioned Spiraeas are valuable on account of their 

 blooming later than the other species in cultivation ; 

 these are Lonicera deflexicalyx and L. leycesterioides. 

 The former is an upright shrub with long and slender 

 arching or nearly pendulous branches studded with rath- 

 er small two-lipped flowers about three-quarters of an 

 inch in length, pale yellow when they open, but changing 

 soon to almost golden yellow ; they are borne on short 

 stalks in the axils of the leaves which are about two 

 inches long and lanceolate in outline. The berries which 

 ripen in autumn are orange yellow. The other species 

 L. leycesterioides has also yellow flowers of about the 

 same size borne at the end of the branchlets in the axils 

 of the upper leaves smaller than those of the preceding 

 species and more ovate in outline. The berries are 

 bright red but partly enclosed by an involucre formed of 

 the bract lets. Both species se(>m to bo perfectlv hardy 

 here and though not very showy, worth planting on ac- 

 count of their late flowers. Another comparatively new 

 Honeysuckle, Lonicera Altmannii from Turkestan, is 

 now ven' attractive with its numerous pea-sized twin 

 berries of a bright scarlet color. It is an upright shrub 

 three feet high or more with dull green rather small foli- 

 age and whitish not very showy flowers appearing early 

 in May together with the leaves. It is perfectly hardy. 



European Horticulture 



TUBEROUS ]iEGONIA GRAF ZEPPELIN 



In recent years not much has been seen or heard of 

 Begonia Graf Zeppelin, and it looks as if it had quite 

 disappeared. It is not easy to find any plants prettier 

 than this light brick-red colored begonia for a bed. It 

 is the usual practice to propagate the plant by cuttinga 

 made from the young shoots, and by the leaf. Earth- 

 iug-up is an advantageous method. For this purpose a 

 few plants should be planted in frames rather wide 

 apart; and when these mother plants have produced a 

 number of shoots, the soil should be drawn over the 

 tuber a few inches high, or it should be added from an 

 outside source. In about three weeks the whole of the 

 earthed-up shoots will have formed roots at the point 

 where the earthing-up is closed. The rooted shoots may 

 then be detached in such a way as not to make wounds 

 in the tubers, and planted in pots of suitable sizes, in a 

 mixture of two parts leaf soil, one part peat, and a good 

 proportion of sharp sand. This method of propagation 

 may be carried out thrice during the course of the sum- 

 mer. 



THE BOTANIC GARDEN, REGENTS PARK, LONDON 



The Eoyal Botanic Garden has not been a financial 

 success for many years past for the probable reason that 

 it has not served any useful scientific purpose. The few 

 shows held are not well patronized by the public, ex- 

 cepting always on the occasions when some special so- 

 ciety, as the National Eose, decides to hold one there, 

 when the highest in the land come in large numbers, 

 or some ridiculous floral fete is being held. Now, the 

 society is passing through a financial crisis. The deben- 

 ture debt amounts to £30,000, and there are numerous 

 creditors, the chief one being the ofiice of Woods and 

 Forests, to whom rent is owing. The matter was 

 brought before a special meeting of the Fellows on 

 Tuesday, May 25 last, and it was resolved almost unani- 

 mously that Fellows should give five guineas each to pay 

 the debts and save the garden from going into liquida- 

 tion. This decision was reported to a general meeting. 

 Towards the end of last year a writ was hanging over 

 the garden, and to prevent it being served Mr. C. Brins- 

 ley Morley, vice-president and treasurer, paid the money. 

 After a stay in Germany he returned to London a few- 

 weeks ago to find another writ. Again he paid the 

 money to save the garden. The sum required to place 

 the society in a fair condition on January 1, 1910, was 

 about £5000. He proposed that each Fellow should sub- 

 scribe a minimum of three guineas; but an amendment 

 that the subscription should be five guineas was carried, 

 only three voting against it. 



THE CANNA FAMILY (Das GerchUcht der Canna) 

 In recent years M. Arpad Muhle, fiorist and nursery- 

 man, Temesvar, Hungary, has proved himself to be the 

 most successful raiser of new varieties of cannas. He 

 has now brought out a brochure consisting of 118 pages, 

 in which everything is stated that a cultivator and raiser 

 of new cannas needs to know. Particular chapters deal 

 with the crossing of varieties, natural and artificial 

 propagation, cultivation and employment in the garden. 

 The greater part of the contents of this pamphlet con- 

 sists of a scrupulously worked out catalogue of the 

 true species and large flowered varieties of cannas. 



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