IRISH GARDENING 



57 



Roscoea cautlioides. 



This is one of the finest plants sent home by Mr. 

 George Forrest while collecting in China for 

 Messrs. Bees, Ltd., of Liverpool. Everyone who 

 saw it in Bees' exhibit at the Boyal International 

 Horticultural Exhibition last year ivas struck by 

 its unique character and beauty. It belongs to 

 the same natural order as the " Canna "- 

 Scitaminece — and its relationship to that gor- 

 geous genus is 

 evident upon an 

 inspection of the 

 flowers. When the 

 plant was submit- 

 ted to the Floral 

 Committee of the 

 Boyal Horticultural 

 Society for an 

 award, we under- 

 stand that a doubt 

 was expressed as to 

 its hardiness, and 

 that this was prac- 

 tically the sole 

 reason no award 

 was made. It is a 

 plant of great 

 beauty and unique 

 character, so that 

 we may well express 

 a hope that it will 

 eventually p rove 

 amenable to out- 

 door cultivation in 

 the British Isles. 

 There is reason to 

 believe that this 

 will prove to be the 

 case, as Messrs. 

 Bees inform us that 

 plants have conic 

 safely through the 

 past winter, on 

 their exposed nur- 

 sery in North 

 Wales, without 

 protection of any 

 kind. 



The roots are 

 fleshy, almost tube- 

 rous, partaking of 

 the same character 

 as those of Ere- 

 murus. There seems 

 no reason why they 

 should not survive 

 if planted four to 

 six inches below 

 the surface, as is 



done with many other fleshy-rooted plants. A well 

 drained sandy loam, with or without a slight 

 admixture of peat, is recommended as the 

 best medium in which to grow this fine new 

 plant . 



The colour of the flowers is a particularly 

 refined shade of yellow : something deeper than 

 •' primrose," but not so crude as " canary." It 

 most nearly resembles the fine tint which gives 

 value and attractiveness to Meconopsis integrifolia, 

 As many as half a dozen flowers are produced in 

 succession at the apex of each strong stem, the 

 season lasting from May till July. The foliage 



Photo by} 



BOSCOEA CAUTLIOIDES 



reminds one of the Iris, bright green in tint, 

 erect, and seldom more than three-quarters of an 

 inch wide. The flower stems grow about twelve 

 inches in height, and carry the blooms well above 

 tbe leaves. 



Roscoea purpurea (called sikkimensis by some) 

 is the only other species in general cultivation, 

 but the colour is not very striking, and this 

 probably accounts for the fact that it is not at all 

 col union in gardens. We understand, however, 

 that Mr. Forrest has sent home another species 



with flowers of a 

 fine Tyrian purple, 

 of which we shall 

 doubtless hear more 

 in due course. — E.IL 



The Greenhouse 

 Flax 



Lixuji trigynum 

 and tetragynum are 

 old but very useful 

 plants for the de- 

 coration of the con- 

 servatory through- 

 out January and 

 February. Blanted 

 in a border of a 

 greenhouse corridor 

 their bright yellow 

 flowers have been 

 exceedingly gay for 

 a long time, the 

 foliage is clean and 

 healthy, and not so 

 subject to red spider 

 as pot-bound plants. 

 Linum trigynum, 

 with three styles, 

 has an erect habit, 

 with orange-yellow 

 flowers ; while L. 

 tetragynum, with 

 four styles, has long 

 arching shoots 

 covered with lemon- 

 yellow flowers ; al- 

 though usually 

 known as Linums 

 they are now re- 

 ferred to the genus 

 Beinwardtia. 



Cuttings may now 

 be inserted in sandy 

 soil in a propagating 

 frame with a temper- 

 ature of about sixty 

 degrees, and kept 

 close until they are 

 rooted. If to be grown in pots they can be trans- 

 ferred from a 3-inch to a 5 or 6-inch pot, and may 

 be grown quite cool through the summer months. 

 Sometimes the inside of a greenhouse wall looks 

 very blank and bare ; a pleasing effect is easily 

 made by clothing it with plants. Fasten some 

 strong wire-netting to laths about 2 inches from 

 the wall and All up the space between the wire 

 and wall with fibrous peat and loam ; then this 

 may be planted with Selaginellas, Ferns and 

 Linum tetragynum ; the long arching shoots of 

 this plant show to great advantagefa such a 

 position. 



[Bees, Ltd 



