May 23, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



687 



The Chionodoxas 



lu a recent issue I mentioned these charming plants, 

 but too much can't be said in their favor. In the very 

 places one would expect to see large masses of these 

 early flowering bulbous plants they are conspicuous by 

 their absence. In our cemeteries and public gardens 

 where very large suras of money are expended each 

 year in raising the common run of bedding plants, 

 those in charge of such places grudge to spend a few 

 hundred dollars in these charming spring blooming 

 plants. 



HoETicuLTUKE will be doing good service if it will 

 only point out and impress upon the owners of gardens 

 and grounds the absurdity of not enjoying their gar- 

 dens very much earlier than they do. Ohionodoxa Lu- 

 ciliae, C. gigantea, and C. Sardensis can be bought for 

 five dollars a thousand and in larger quantities they 

 can be had for much less. What a feast for the eyes 

 ten thousand C'hionodoxa gigantea all in one bed would 

 make ! They can be bought for a little more than 

 forty dollars. Can any one raise bedding plants as 

 cheaply as this? 



These early-flowering bulbous plants should not be 

 put in beds that are to be filled up during the summer 

 with geraniums, cannas or any deep-rooting plants, but 

 should be planted where they can remain for several 

 years without being disturbed. When the leaves begin 

 to ripen the beds may be filled up for the summer 

 months with shallow-rooting annuals. In the fall when 

 the annuals are killed by frost the beds may be cleaned 

 up and pointed over and given a coating of well-rotted 

 manure. If given this little care the bulbs will keep on 

 increasing and blooming stronger and more profusely 

 eacli year. 



You must not think I am prejudiced against bedding 

 plants. I am not. I love all kinds of plants and there 

 are places in our gardens for them all if we know how 

 to use them properly. These notes are mainly to point 

 out that many people do not get as much pleasure out 

 of their gardens as they should if they knew the 

 earliest reliable flowering plants and also the very lat- 

 est flowering plants in the fall. 



The best species and varieties of this most charm- 

 ing genus come to our gardens from the mountains of 

 Asia Minor. We are very much indebted to Mr. Ed- 

 ward Whittall of Smyrna for first collecting and in- 

 troducing the best varieties to cultivation. Indeed he 

 not only collected Chionodoxas but many other useful 

 plants from the high mountains of Asia Minor. A few 

 of the choicest are Sternbergia macrantha, a variety of 

 Fritillaria aurea, Fritillaria Whittallii, Crocus Tauri, 

 and Galanthus Ikaraei. 



The nomenclature of the species and varieties is 

 rather mixed up. In an article Mr. Whittall wrote sev- 

 eral years ago he says that Chionodoxa Luciliae is only 

 found on the Nymph Dagh range of mountains begin- 

 ning from the heights of Tahiti above Smyrna and end- 

 ing with those above the village of Nymphio. In the 

 wild state, he says, the pink and white varieties of 

 LuciliiB are charming plants. 



The first variety Mr. Whittall discovered was Sar- 

 densis, finding it on the Malimond Dagh, from which 

 one can see by looking in an easterly direction the 

 plains of Sardis. In its wild state the most distinctive 

 features of this plant are its deeper and almost entirely 

 porcelain blue petals and small white eye. There are 

 white and pink forms in the wild state but not so pretty 

 as those of Luciliae. 



The variety gigantea was named by Mr. Whittall on 

 account of the very large size of the flowers and it 



also ditt'ers materially from Luciliae and Sardensis in 

 color. The white and pink forms are very handsome. 



Tmolusii is found on the Tmolus range of moun- 

 tains and on that account received its name. It is 

 dwarfer than Luciliae or Sardensis but more free 

 flowering and more brilliant in color. Its white eye is 

 larger than in Luciliae and the points of the petals 

 more vivid than in Sardensis. 



The variety Alleni was also discovered and intro- 

 duced by Mr. Whittall and is said to be a natural 

 hybrid of Scilla bifolia and Chionodoxa Luciliae. 



In the Kew Hand-list of plants the momenclature of 

 Luciliae is given as follows: 



Chionodoxa Luciliae, Boiss. , ,j 



" " Var. Alleni. 



' " . " Var. gigantea. 



" Var. Sardensis. 



Var. Tmolusii. 



These bulbs coming from the high mountains of Asia 

 Minor are as hardy as any of our native plants and can 

 be planted in any situation. They are low growing and 

 clumps in the front of the herbaceous border are excep- 

 tionally fine now. In the rock garden they are per- 

 fectly at home and are a blaze of color. The two species 

 cretica and nana are not as showy or yet as good gar- 

 den plants as the above kinds. 



Let us plant more of these spring harbingers and 

 make this world better and happier to live in. Some 

 one has said that flowers preach to us if we would only 

 allow them. This is true; they preach most wonderful 

 and interesting discourses to some of us. 



British Horticulture 



THE MIDLAND DAFFODIL SHOW 



The unfavorable spring which has been experienced in 

 this country militated against the complete success of 

 the annual show of the Midland DafEodil Society as re- 

 gards the number of exhibits. There was an interesting 

 display of novelties, awards being made to the following: 

 Narcissus Buttercup, a medium-sized deep self flower 

 of the magui-coronati type; exhibited by C. Dawson. 

 X. Chloe, another of the magni-coronati type, a shapely 

 bloom, with a broad, cream colored perianth, and a soft 

 canary or pale yellow cup ; exliibited by T. Bateson. 

 Saxif raga, Ditton seedling, a neat plant, with deep crim- 

 son flowers; exhibited by Messrs. Barr & Sons. Viola 

 gracilis, bearing clusters of small, violet blue flowers; 

 exhibited by E. Wallace & Co. The Cartwright Chal- 

 lenge Cup, which was offered for 12 varieties of daffo- 

 dils which have not been in commerce for a longer peri- 

 od than four years, was won by E. M. Crosfield, who 

 staged some good specimens of Malaga, Lolah, Tiara, 

 Penguin, Athelta, Stay Sail, Mrs. Ernest Crosfield, Ra- 

 diant, Giraffe, Phantasy, Makeshift and Potent. The 

 Bourne Memorial Challenge Cup was won by P. D. 

 Williams. . At the formal opening Eobert Sydenham, 

 w'ho has labored so zealously in the interests of the 

 society, was presented with a handsome illuminated 

 album, Mrs. Sydenham receiving a massive silver can- 

 delabra. Mrs. H. Smith, one of the honorable Secre- 

 laries, was the recipient of a silver tea service and a 

 purse of gold. 



yp^rf. C^dni:^^. 



