March 28, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



403 



British Horticulture 



NEW SWEKT PEAS 



As previously indicated in these columns, there is a 

 useful batch of sweet pea novelties available this sea- 

 son. Hybridizers in this direction are still actively en- 

 gaged in seeking to further perfect this increasingly pop- 

 ular annual. Amongst the firms who are making a 

 special line of this branch are Messrs Watkins & Simp- 

 son of 13 Tavistock street, Covent Garden, London. Mr. 

 Alfred Watkins has been President of the National 

 Sweet Pea Society, and he is a member of the Executive 

 Committee of that organization. The members of the 

 society who paid a visit to the firm's local grounds at 

 Twickenham in 190C were able to judge of the extreme 

 care which is taken to ensure the varieties being sent 

 out properly fixed in character. W. Atlee Burpee, who 

 inspected the nursery last summer, was considerably im- 

 pressed with the splendid display of bloom on the firm's 

 ground. Messrs. Watkins & Simpson have this year a 

 very useful selection which will evidently secure many 

 admirers on both sides of the Atlantic. These are of 

 the giant-flowered type, witli the many standards now so 

 popular amongst exhibitors. Gladys Unwin has already 

 established itself m public favor amongst market flor- 

 ists. Nora Unwin shares with Dorothy Eckford the 

 honor of being the best white in the National Sweet Pea 

 Society's list. Phyllis Umvin is a deep rosy carmine 

 self. The other new comers offered by the firm com- 

 prise: A. J. Cook, violet mauve self; Frank Dolby, pale 

 blue ; Mrs. Alfred Watkins, pale pink, with salmon shad- 

 ing; E. J. Castle, carmine with salmon shading; Evelyn 

 Byatt, flame tint. Nora Unwin received an award of 

 merit at the National Society's trials at Reading last 

 summer. 



THE WINTER FLOWERING CARNATION SOCIETY 



An attractive schedule has been issued for the spring 

 show of this society which will be held on April 1st. On 

 the same day the annual meeting will be held^^ at which 

 a scheme for the registration of new varieties will be 

 presented. P. Smith of Mod.«tpad viW deliver a lecture 

 on the afternoon of the show on "The present and future 

 of the winter flowering carnation." The floral commit- 

 tee have arranged to award certificates of merit to new 

 varieties. In order that a full opportunity may be af- 

 forded of the form and liahit of the variety those plants 

 in bloom will have to be sho^^^l besides the cut flowers. 

 It is arranged that a variety must gain at least 30 points 

 to entitle it to a first-class certificate and 25 points to 

 entitle it to an award of merit. Five points will be al- 

 lotted for each of the following qualities : color, size, fra- 

 grance, substance, calyx, general appearance, length and 

 substance of stem, and habit of plant. 



Leading growers are this season ofEering Mrs. H. 

 Burnett, salmon; Aurora, bufi, flaked pink; Mikado, 

 heliotrope ; Ceres, yellow, flaked salmon pink ; and Mar- 

 mion, cherrj', picoteed with white. The last named re- 

 ceived an award of merit from the Royal Horticultural 

 Society and a first-class certificate at the Southampton 

 show last year. An English grower has produced a rival 

 to Mrs. T. W. Lawson, named Evelyn Davy. Although 

 a trifle smaller than the famous American variety it is 

 claimed to produce four times the number of blooms. 

 The color is described as a vivid rose cerise. 



A NEW FEBN 



In the hardy exotic house of one of our largest fern 

 growing establishments is to be seen Osmunda palustris 



Mayi. This was exhibited at the Holland House show, 

 and received a first-class certificate from the Eoyal Hor- 

 ticultural Society. 'Ihe normal variety is quite plain, 

 but in. this one all the pinnules are twisted and semi- 

 crested. It was obtained from one of the hardy exotics 

 grown in Brazil. Many varieties that come from trop- 

 ical countries like Brazil are hardy in England, but 

 the ferns from which Osmunda Mayi was raised were 

 found on a mountain. There appears to be an increased 

 interest taken in fern culture on this side. Some meri- 

 torious displays are often made at the leading shows by 

 the florists making a specialty of this branch of horti- 

 culture. A useful handbook on all phases of fern culture 

 is now being prepared for pul)lication by a leading firm 

 of London publishers. 



>t?v. C^di^. 



The Present Care of the Herbac- 

 eous Border 



Everywhere we turn we hear the query, "How have 

 vour perennials come through the ■winter?" and the 

 chances are that the answer will be : "They are looking 

 fine; better than we expected, after such a changeable 

 season." But take care; you may be deceived. Every- 

 body that has grown perennials for a few years knows 

 that more losses occur from now until the tenth or fif- 

 teenth of April than at any other time. But those that 

 have just started a collection, either last spring or last 

 fall, are the ones that should be warned. 



Let us divide a general collection into two sections. 

 First, those that have foliage above ground all winter. 

 It is a curious fact, and one not generally thought of, 

 that all plants in this section, with few exceptions, have 

 fibrous roots, which enables the plant to stay well into 

 the soil, so we do not cover these to keep them from 

 lifting but to keep the foliage and crowns from the 

 sun. Second, those that have their dormant crowns 

 more or less under the ground; and a great many of 

 these have tuberous, or thick, fleshy roots, which lose 

 their fibres in the fall, so readily lift out enough to 

 expose their crowns. These have to be covered to pre- 

 vent this lifting. In other words keep frost in the 

 ground as long as possible. 



Now, according to my experience, losses will be 

 greater during the next three weeks than at any time 

 during the winter; and there are reasons enough. For 

 example, March thirteenth and fourteenth were warm 

 and springlike, and the fifteenth a thunderstorm, then 

 on the morning of the seventeenth the thermometer 

 registered eighteen above and on the eighteenth a snow- 

 storm. All this is likely to happen three or four times 

 before it is safe to expose plants to bright sunlight; for 

 ■ it is the hot sun in combination with the cold nights 

 that does the killing. 



So, because we have two or three warm days, do not 

 uncover your plants, but wait till the frost is out of the 

 ground where covering has been done. By doing this 

 you will be wise and bring losses down to a minimiun. 



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