154 



The Hwiiculiurist and Journal 



oflFer to the cultivator, in forming the most 

 chaste and elegant designs in spring flowers. 

 The higher shades of rich blue and purple 

 were realized in A. grteca, and A. Campbelli, 

 especially in the latter, but it has proved too 

 delicate in its growth to produce certain bloom 

 without artificial protection at the required 

 season. 



A. HeuiU-rsoHl is offered as one of the 

 most valuable of early spring-flowering plants, 

 and a great improvement upon all the species 

 in its group, being perfectly hardy, of vigor- 

 ous growth and compact dwarf habit, 3 to 4 

 inches in height ; its flowers are a deep violet- 

 purple hue in their first stage, and maturing 

 into a permanent rich plum color, present- 

 ing a sheet of bloom throughout the spring 

 months. It forms a very chaste and beauti- 

 ful front belt or edging in its own self color, 

 and a charming effect as a broader verge 

 where evergreens form a background screen. 

 It is equally effective where a front line or 

 foil of silvery-grey is added, formed of ele- 

 gant miniature plants, as Sedum acre ele- 

 sans, S. glaucum, or Achillea umbellata. The 

 great display of the paler-flowered Aubrie- 

 tias, which were so much admired during the 

 spring of last year by thousands of visitors to 

 the gardens of Mr. Quilter, near Birmingham, 

 may be cited in proof of the still higher inter- 

 est to be produced by the much finer forms of 

 this valuable and effective plant. 



Ipoman leptophy 1 1(1. —This species, a 

 new introduction, is described from Dr. Tor- 

 rey as a beautiful perennial tuberous-rooted 

 climbing species, making very vigorous growth, 

 and producing numerous racemes or trusses 

 of large red Convolvulus-like flowers. The 

 species of Ipomoea are generally well known 

 as amongst the neatest and most effective of 

 all climbing plants, and often sought for their 

 easy culture and extensive growth. The 

 scarcity of red flowered species in the tribe 

 will render the present plant a desirable ac- 

 (piisition. The seed will be readily raised in 

 a cucumber or melon frame, and after the 

 plants are well established in the same posi- 

 tion, they may be planted out for bloom into 



tlj,e border of a warm conservatory or forcing- 

 house, and trained along the rafters. 



This is the plant that we saw on the plains 

 of Colorado. It is very beautiful. Our own 

 saving of seeds failed to grow. 



Abies Douf/lasii Stairii.—Of this new 

 variegated Spruce, introduced in England, 

 and first sent out this spring, the English 

 journals are printing very complimentary no- 

 tices. The Gardeners'' Chronicle says of it, 

 in an article on " Variegated Plants " : " The 

 first case was that of an Abies Douglasii, 

 which we saw at Castle Kennedy, one of the 

 seats of the Earl of Stair. * * * It was 

 almost white from head to foot. It is now a 

 well-grown plant about eight feet high, and 

 constantly exhibits the same phenomena, as 

 do also a number of other plants raised from 

 it by grafts or cuttings. When it first puts 

 out its leaves they are perfectly white, and 

 they continue so until the end of August, by 

 which time a shade of green begins to spread 

 over them. * * * Jt gj-jut appears at the 

 base of the older leaves, gradually creeps up 

 towards the tip, doing the same successively 

 with all the leaves, until, by the end of Sep- 

 tember, the variegation is wholly, or almost 

 wholly gone. * * * j^^ j^ strong and 

 healthy as any Douglas Fir around it, and so 

 are the young plants raised from it. It is 

 not the same as if the tree was originally 

 weak, and, on acquiring strength, threw off 

 the pallor of ill-health ; the same thing is 

 repeated year after year, with the unvarying 

 regularity of a normal action inherent in the 

 plant. * * * 



The Garden says : " It is a strikingly beau- 

 tiful tree, even in the autumn, but far more so 

 in the spring, when it is a veritable silver, 

 indeed, almost a pure white species. This, 

 unlike some so-called variegations, is not the 

 result of weakness or delicacy of constitution. 

 I had the opportunity of examining some 

 hundreds of these beautiful trees, which in 

 hardiness, rapidity of growth, and vigor of 

 constitution, seemed to equal their green 

 parent. There can be little doubt that a 

 brilliant future is in store for this Silver 

 Spruce in our woods and landscapes. It is 



