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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Foreign Exchange Department 



KXIPHOFIAS. — The effectiveness and Iirilliance of Kniphofias 

 in the scarlet border, or the mixed herbaceous border, during 

 August and September is well known, ai;d these striking Autumn 

 flowers should be largely grown for these purposes. 



They are, howe\er, even more effecti\e when grown in large 

 masses in the wild garden where they may be given prominent 

 positions, as they are magnificent when in flower and in Winter 

 Ihcir dark green leaves are quite attractive. They revel in an 

 open position in full sunshine, where their torch-like spikes are 

 seen at their best and produce a wonderful blending of yellow, 

 orange and scarlet with a soft "bloom"' thrown over these brilliant 

 shades. Planted in bold groups their effect is visible from a long 

 distance, so that they are plants of much value to the landscape 

 gardener. 



K. aloides and the varieties grandis, nobilis and longiscapa are 

 all particularly handsome, and well worth growing, as also are 

 many of the hybrids such as Obelisque and Ophir, which have 

 handsome yellow and orange spikes of flower 6 feet or 7 feet high. 

 There have been many varieties of Torch-Lilies introduced dur- 

 ing the last twenty years, but probably seventy per cent, of them 

 are traceable to K. aloides, itself a plant capable of yieldmg very 

 fine effects either planted in quantity, alone, or grouped with other 

 suitable vegetation. 



Kniphotias grow well in a good, medium, sandy loam and appre- 

 ciate liberal, annual top-dressings of manure. The soil should, 

 however, be well drained, as, although these plants like plenty of 

 moisture during the Summer, anything approaching stagnant 

 moisture at the roots is inimical to them, and is frequently the 

 cause of losses during the Winter. 



Kniphotias may be increased by division in the Spring, but it is 

 not wise to disturb the old plants more than is really necessary. 

 Seed is produced fairly freely from the bases of the earlier flower 

 spikes, and affords an additional means of propagation. — Gardeners' 

 Chronicle (British). 



BOISSIER'S GLORY OF THE SNOW.— Chionodoxa LucilliK 

 has long been known as one of the most charming of the Glories 

 of the Snow, and ever since its introduction it has been recognized 

 as one of the luost charming of our Spring flowers. It is not 

 generally known, however, that the form in general cultivation is 

 not the same as the one originally found by Boissier and described 

 by him in glowing language. The Chionodoxa named Lucilliae, 

 which was first introduced, flowers a little earlier and is not such 

 a fine blue as Boissier's plant. Within recent years the latter has 

 come into commerce and is one of the most delightful of all. It 

 resembles the other in the possession of a large white centre, but 

 the blue which surrounds this is much deeper, yet of great bright- 

 ness. Tastes will not agree in everything and there may be some 

 dissent from my view that Boissier's variety is superior to what 

 is known as the type. It may be cultivated with advantage, cither 

 in clumps or masses in the rock garden or grass or in the front 

 of the border. Bulbs are not expensive and may be obtained from 

 most bulb dealers and planted at a depth of 2 ins. to 3 ins. as 

 soon as obtained. Boissier's Glory of the Snow also makes a 

 good pot plant, putting the bulbs almost close together and bring- 

 ing on slowly in a cool house, or, better still, plunging the pots 

 outside and bringing them in as soon as the plants show flower. 

 — The Garden. 



THE GLADIOLUS AS A DECORATIVE CUT FLOWER. 

 The value of the Gladiolus as a decorative garden flower has 

 been realized for many years, but, chiefly owing to its size, it 

 has never been .seriously considered as having any particular merit 

 as a cut flower for indoor decoration. However, the improvement 

 of the priniulinus hybrids has now, to a large extent, removed the 

 disadvantage of unwicldiness possessed by the Gandavensis section, 

 though the latter type still holds a very high place in decorative 

 schemes on a large scale, such as ballrooms. 



The main points in favor of the priniulinus hybrids are beauty 

 of coloring, and shape of flower, gracefulness of spacing of the 

 blooms on the spikes, and slenderness of the spike itself. 



In glass l)Owls. with Gypsophila, the spikes may be arranged 

 quite easily, to give a very beautiful effect. The straight, stiff, 

 sword-like spike of the Gandavensis, with its mass of closely set 

 flowers, does not show to advantage and, should any spike come 

 away from the perpendicular to any degree, the whole beauty of 

 the flower is lost. With the priniulinus hvljrids it is different; 

 the graceful curves of the slender spikes and the peculiar shape 

 and placing of the flowers themselves, both lend beauty to a bowl. 



August and September often present difficulties in the way of 

 indoor floral decorations, which these priniulinus hybrids go far to 

 overcome. The initial outlay is not great, the flowers themselves 

 are no trouble to grow, and their beauty and value for Autumn 

 decoration will be readily realized by all who cultivate them. 



[Our correspondent decs not refer to the value of the smaller- 

 flowered varieties for floral decorations indoors. These, however, 

 are exceedingly beautiful. Eds.] — Gardeners' Chronicle (British). 



THE ORANGE-FLOWERED BITTER VETCH.— Falling 

 over a large boulder the orange-yellow flowers of this plant are 

 very attractive, the color unusual among this class of plants. Un- 

 like the Spring Bitter \'etch (O. vernus), which grows little more 

 than 9 inches in height, this handsome kind reaches 2 feet or more 

 and is suitable for positions as above described. This plant re- 

 (|uires to become well established before commencing to flower 

 freely, after which it needs very little attention. It blooms during 

 .May and June, and I was pleased to see a vase of its pretty flowers 

 in one of the exhibits at the Chelsea Show. — Gardenin;; Illustrated. 



HEUCHERAS. — Heucheras are not grown so much as they 

 deserve to be, and from gardens where one would expect to find 

 them they are absent. Planted in clumps about a border they are 

 charming in their season of blooming, and the slender spikes of 

 flowers contribute not a little to the beauty of a garden. This 

 season 1 have used the spikes as adjuncts to vases of other flowers, 

 and they have been much admired. Perhaps still the best-known 

 of ihe Heucheras is the old H. sanguinea, with coral-red flowers. 

 Edge Hall is a salmon-pink, very pretty, whilst Flambeau (deep 

 red) and Xellie (light pink) are worth inclusion in any garden. 

 — Gardening Illustrated. 



THERMOPSIS. — Though a rampant grower and a very 

 aggressive spreader, so that it needs care in planting, this is a 

 very valuable plant for the Spring", and I find it comes in very well 

 for house decoration, its spikes of yellow Lupin-like flowers com- 

 bining very well with blue and white Lupins in a tall vase. I 

 find it a very attractive plant, and if one can give it plenty of 

 room it will need no care whatever, but go on happily year after 

 year, giving an abundance of spikes of deep, clear yellow, Pea- 

 shiiped blossoms. It is a true friend to a busy gardener because 

 of its contented habit. Another great joint in its favor is that 

 it needs no staking, nor have I ever found it subject to insect 

 pests. — Gardening Illustrated. 



SCABIOSA CAUCASICA.— If I were limited to six sorts for 

 cutting I would certainly include the Caucasian Scabious. More 

 especially would I choose some of the seedling kinds which show 

 a decided improvement in color and form. There is a varietal 

 form which produces immense flowers of a much deeper shade 

 tlian the type. This sort or a variation from, it appears under 

 \arious names in different catalogs, but it is advisable to make 

 sr.re of securing a really good strain. The hardiness of this 

 Scabious is beyond question. It is quite true that the plants have 

 a way 'of dying off in the Winter, but this is invariably due to 

 excessive moisture. In heavy retentive soils in Devonshire this 

 piant frequently succumbs in the Winter, but I have known of 

 large plantations in a Yorkshire nursery where losses rarely 

 occurred even in the most rigorous of Winters. It is really a ques- 

 tion of giving them a fairly light and well-drained soil. Well- 

 rotted manure may, of course, be generously supplied, and this 

 appears to be a necessity in order to secure an abundant supply 

 of good long-stemmed blossoms. 



This Scabious may be easily propagated from seeds, and it is 

 advisable to raise a batch of seedlings now' and again to provide 

 against accidents. Seeds mav be sown now under handlights in 

 a light sandy compost containing a plentiful supply of leaf-mould. 

 The lights .should be removed during the Summer and replaced in 

 the Winter. The seedlings may be transplanted to their flowering 

 (|uarters the following Spring. I do not wish to dogmatize in this 

 matter. I mention this course of procedure as being the one I 

 prefer to follow, and which I have found most suitable to the 

 conditions prevailing in a Devonshire garden. Others prefer to 

 sow in the .'Xutunin, and doubtless they achieve an equal measure 

 of success by .so doing. The older one gets the more does one 

 realize the futility of attempting to lay down hard and fast rules 

 in gardening matters. Most of us are able to call to mind in- 

 .stances where orthodox systems have failed while methods which 

 the trained .gardener would avoid have been attended by success. 

 —Gardening Ilhistrated. 



PINKS: OLD PLANTS VERSUS NEW.— I find there is a 

 certain amount of sentiment in the minds of many folk who grow 

 Pinks in their gardens that is seldom associated with other early 

 .Summer-flowering plants, and is somewhat difficult to appreciate. 

 I'or instance, how often one notices in gardens miniature beds of 

 Pinks that long since have outgrown the space they originally 

 occupied. It was never intended that they should rob ground be- 

 longing to other plants and to smother them, but owners of these 

 gardens "could not lind the heart," so they have told me. to limit 

 the growth nf their sweet-smelling favorites, and so Mrs. .Sinkins 

 and the rest of them have gone on from year to year unmolested. 

 It almost inevitably happens that a day comes when at the centres 

 of these "rings,'' or siuall beds, canker shows itself, and it quickly 

 .'priads, the result being that the flowers are poorer in quality each 

 succeeding year. To keep up a healthy stock atid to ensure Pinks 



