January 17. 1914 



HORTICULTUEE 



71 



Boltonias 



At- a (libtii)fl fharactc'i i.stic feature 

 of the aspect of many hardy her- 

 baceous gardens and ijorders dur- 

 ing the month of August we 

 notice the approach of those rich 

 golden waves of color, which, from 

 that time on are coming. rt)lling 

 by and vanishing until frosts stop 

 vegetation. It is the splendid spec- 

 tacle of myriads of blossoms of the 

 lielenium varieties, the billows of 

 gold of the rudbeckias, the warm 

 tints of helianthus single and 

 double, and the graceful panicles of 

 the improved golden rods which 

 compel pur admiration. In case of 

 those of us who are prone to 

 look at certain hardy herbaceous 

 plants as ''unmanagable truck'" their 

 appearance is likely to justify the 

 term. Fortunately, however, the 

 number of craftsmen capable of mas- 

 tering tliis material, and to go a step 

 further, endowed with a clear con- 

 ception of the artistic jjossibilities in 

 the direction of beautiful alternate 

 floral effects, are ever increasing. 

 l"he wonderful variety of jDlants, in colors blending with 

 the strong golden notes of late summer and early fall 

 cha]lenc;es individual ingenuity. Aside from late-flow- 

 oring white phloxes. Chrysanthemum uliginosum and 

 stellata. the bright blue panicles of Salvia azurea and 

 Salvia Pitcheri and, the massive banks of blossoms of 

 Eupatorium ccclestinum, we find in the different shades 

 of hardy asters just the very notes which combined with 

 yellow form most agreeable color accords. For the same 

 pui-pose we should not fail to avail ourselves of the 

 boltonias. The tall growing white Boltonia asteroides 

 as a single plant or lined up in a single row draws little 

 or no attention. Our opinion, however, is soon to un- 

 dergo a radical change when seeing thickly growing plan- 

 tations covering from 3 to 4 feet square. The white 

 clouds of thousands of aster-like blossoms Ijecome irto- 

 sistible. It is very similar with Boltonia latisquama. 



Boltonia latisqu.\m.\ nana. 



lieaciiing a height of f]'om 5 to G feet this variety pro- 

 duces flowers of a beautiful soft rosy-lavender in great 

 iJiundance. The demand for a low-growing type can be 

 met by employing Boltonia latisquama nana, not ex- 

 ceeding 2 feet average height. The panicles of boltonias 

 are freely branching. In a cut state used for filling 

 vases they will be found long-lasting and graceful in 

 effect. 



Plantations thrive best in a rather light but richly 

 manured garden soil. Throughout the north an open 

 sunny exposure is a necessity; in the Middle Atlantic 

 States I find l)oltonias also adapted for half shady posi- 

 tions. Propagation liy divisions or from seed early in 

 spring. 



Rivevtori, N. J. 



-^jUAaxaxI -S^<jtAAy 



ORCHID NAMES. 



Almost every amateur is anxious to 

 raise a new hybrid orchid in order to 

 have the pleasure of naming it him- 

 self. A few, however, do not wish for 

 the trouble and time which the raising 

 of a seedling takes, but much prefer. 

 to purchase a new and unnamed plant 

 from one of the various trade growers. 

 It matters little which method of pro- 

 curing the plantis adopted, the ama- 

 teur having the' same privilege in 

 either case. There is a wide differ- 

 ence between a new hybrid and a new 

 variety. The former is produced by a 

 combination of parents not previously 

 effected; the latter applies to any va- 

 riation differing from those already 

 known or recorded. 



Now the name of a hybrid is the 

 word applied to a certain combination 

 of species, and is, therefore, known 

 as the specific name. It is of far 

 greater importance than that given to 



a variety, and consequently requires 

 considerably more care in its selec- 

 tion. Every time a variety is men- 

 tioned the specific name must always 

 be repeated. The following are ex- 

 amples: — Cattleya Fabia var. Miss 

 Williams, C. Fabia var. Emily R. 

 Smith, and C. Fabia Stone House var. 

 The specific name in this instance 

 consists of but one suitable word, and 

 its repetition is by no means objec- 

 tionable. 



The specific name of many hybrids 

 consists, unfortunately, of more than 

 one word, sometimes three, and the 

 repetition of such long, unsuitable 

 names is extremely awkward, as the 

 following example proves: — Dendro- 

 bium Mary Jane Brown var. Miss 

 Smith, D. Mary Jane Brown The Red 

 House var., and D. Mary Jane Brown 

 var. Sarah Ann Jenkins. Amateurs 

 who take the responsibility of naming 

 a new hybrid should always consider 

 the other growers who in due course 

 will produce plants with similar par- 

 entage, and who. by the rules of no- 



menclature, are bound to adopt the 

 earliest specific name. These later 

 hybrids are, of course, distinguished 

 by a varietal name, which follows the 

 f;pecific one in a way similar to the 

 name and variety of a species. 



From the preceding remarks anyone 

 will readily see the advisability of 

 selecting a single word for the specific 

 name of a new hybrid. Classical 

 names are much to be preferred, al- 

 though the name of the ow::er or 

 raiser may be used in the Latin form. 

 Varieties of species and hybrids can 

 only be named in Latin when the 

 character of the plant is expressed. 

 Odontoglossum crispum roseum and 

 Cattleya Holdenii alba are both cor- 

 rect, the latter word in each case ex- 

 pressing the character of the flower. 

 But Odontoglossum crispum Sraithii 

 and Cattleya Holdenii Robertsii are 

 incorrect, the use of Latin proper 

 names for horticultural varieties be- 

 ing proscribed by the Brussels Con- 

 gress of 1910. — The Orchid World, 

 Ijmdon. 



