80 



JOUBNAL OP HOKTICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July al, 1873. 



stampede was caused by the knowledge that the annuals on 

 Messrs. Suttons' seed farm were thi'U in full bloom ; and wheli, 

 in common with my fellow travellers, I looked on the sight pre- 

 sented to our view, I did not wonder at the movement, nor at 

 what I was told afterwards — that when Her Most Gracious Ma- 

 jesty was travelling on the same line the other day, she drew 

 up the blinds to gaze on it. As it presented itself to the view 

 one saw all the colours of the rainbow were there, and more 

 too — gorgeous yellows, glowing crimsons, brilliant scarlet, soft 

 pinks, dazzling oranges — yea, even deepest maroons and pure 

 whites were there, and as my destination was Beading, I 

 promised myself the pleasure of looking at them in detail. This 

 I did on the following morning, and found that most of this bril- 

 liant effect was occasioned by the annuals, which are many of 

 them so easily managed, but when grown, too often, alas! 

 sadly neglected. I spent then a couple of hours in the trial 

 grounds, and think that perhaps a few notes of what I saw may 

 be acceptable to the many re:iJers of the Journal to whom 

 Messrs. Sutton are so well known by name. Here let me say 

 that annuals do not receive even from those who profess to 

 grow them that care they ought to have. If, instead of sowing 

 them in patches, and then leaving them to take their chance, 

 they were thiuned-out so as to leave each plant separate, and 

 so give them a better chance of doing well, and if more care 

 were taken with the soil, better results would be achieved. 



The utmost care is taken with those seeds whence supplies 

 are taken for their customers by the Messrs. Sutton, while 

 those grown for them by growers are severely tested in these 

 trial grounds. All "rogues," as false j)lants are called, are 

 carefully weeded-out, and only those perfectly true retained 

 for seed ; it is by this means that the correctness which is so 

 essential a part of such a business as that of Messrs. Sutton 

 can be obtained. 



Amongst the most showy and useful of annuals are the 

 various varieties of Tom Thumb Tropa>olam, of which there 

 were here several distinct and beautiful kinds. Scarlet Tom 

 Thumb was most brilUant, and as all the plants were regular, 

 nothing could be more beautiful than this large piece. Then 

 there was the crimson, not so brilliant, but still very handsome, 

 the Rose Tom Thumb of a pleasing soft shade of colour. 

 Cserulea nana, which has a very faint soupron of what may 

 by euphony be called blue, as in Blue Bell Pelargonium, 

 but very misleading to those who expect to see anything de- 

 cided in it. King of Crimsons is another very fine variety, 

 with deep-coloured foliage and brilliant scarlet flowers, yellow- 

 spotted, very bright in colour. 



Of the old favourite Sweet WilUam there was a very fine 

 patch of various shades of colour, and with large well-formed 

 flowers, reminding me of Hunt's strain of what he called 

 Auricula-eyed Sweet William. And who can describe the 

 glorious colours in the large piece of Poppies from deepest 

 purple, almost black, down through all the gradations of red, 

 rose, pink, and scarlet, to blush and then pure white ? Eutoca 

 viscida was very fine, its intense deep blue and its profusion of 

 bloom making it a very pleasing annual. I wonder that in large 

 places, where many a piece of ground suitable for hardly any- 

 thing else might be found. Poppies are not more grown. These 

 were past their prime, but still a large number remained in 

 bloom to bear witness to their excellence. 



In Leptosiphons I particularly noticed in large quantity : — 

 Eoseus, a very beautiful and dwarf species, which cannot fail 

 to be a general favourite; hybridus, which is very suitable for 

 rockwork (of various colours) ; and densiflorus, a fine lilac. 

 Amongst the showy Lupins there were Lupinus subcarnosus, a 

 beautiful ultramariue blue ; atrococcineus, brilliant scarlet and 

 white ; while lovely pieces of the minor Convolvulus, Bartouia 

 aurea, Amarauthus atro-purpureus with its dark handsome- 

 looking foliage afforded admirable contrasts of colour. Godetia 

 Whitneyi, one of the more recent introductions of Mr. Thomp- 

 son, of Ipswich, was there in large quantities, and exceedingly 

 beautiful it is. Of the Clarkias there were many varieties, 

 espeeiaUy of the integripetala section, such as alba and mar- 

 ginata, and they are a very great improvement on the older 

 pulchella. Collinsia bicolor was nearly over, but still good. 

 Erysinum arkansauum,a showy yeUow Ilower, a different shade 

 from the older Peroffskianum, was alwa}'s very good. Of the 

 many varieties of Candytuft the sweet-scented was, perhaps, 

 the most interesting ; while the beds of double-white Chrys- 

 anthemum were exceedingly good, although difficult to keep 

 true. But time and space would fail me were I to enumerate 

 all the various beauties that were here displayed. Enough 

 has, however, been said to show that it was a sight well worth 



seeing, and gave abundant evidence of the care bestowed by 

 this firm in keeping their seeds select, and thus maintaining 

 the confidence of their customers. — Voyageu. 



PEUNELLA OPTIMA. 



Perhaps there is nothing more damaging to the reputatioQ 

 of a plant than giving it a higher character than it deserves. 

 Many years ago an instance of this kind occurred in the 

 case of Plumbago Larpentie, which was ushered in with a 

 flourish of trumpets, and great was the disappointment created 

 amongst the majority of its buyers — so great, indeed, that it is 

 questionable at the present day if there are as many plants 

 now in the hands of growers as were sent out from the nursery 

 that first held the stock, and yet the plant was after all not 

 without its merits. The fact was, it was extolled so much 

 that those who bought it, not finding it possessed of all the 

 recommendations it was reported to have, repudiated it be- 

 fore making themselves acquainted with its real merits. 

 Other instances might be named of a like kind ; but it is more 

 pleasing to turn to those of an opposite character, and such are 

 plentiful enough, in which a reaUy good plant has been sent, 

 out without any fuss or parade, and its real merits not faiily 

 recognised until a year or two afterwards. An instance of 

 this was Geranium Mrs. Pollock, which, if my memory is rights 

 was sent out with not half the floiu'ish which accompanied 

 many of its successors, and I am not certain but that this 

 variety holds as respectable a position now in most flower 

 gardens as any of its fashionable offspring. 



My purpose is not to speak of Tricolor Geraniums, but of 

 hardy herbaceous plants, and if the good properties of Plum- 

 bago LarpentiE were unduly set forth, there is another plant 

 of more recent date that has been quietly making its way 

 without any such help. This is Prunella optima, a dwarf- 

 growing herbaceous plant of great beauty, which I think is 

 not sufficiently known to the admirers of such things. I am 

 not certain what country it hails from, but it is a credit to 

 wherever its early home has been. Akin to the Lamium, it is 

 of dwarfer habit than the best form of L. maculatum, or its 

 fashionable still-more-variegated offspring ; for this Prunella is 

 not more than 6 or 8 inches high, and as a plant very compact, 

 with upright flower stems, each supporting a globular head of 

 its curiously incurved flowers tinted in two or three colours ; 

 but, as a whole, furnishing a sort of combination of red and 

 violet, while the individual heads are large and so numerous 

 on a healthy plant as almost to conceal it. It is also perfectly 

 hardy, and I have not found it at all particular as to site. I 

 need hardly say that well-established plants flower much better 

 than newly-planted ones, but it will bear as rough treatment 

 as anything I know of, and still do well. Its habit being of a 

 somewhat spreading character — i.e., its shoots leaning towards 

 the ground and striking root as they touch it, propagation is 

 easy; at the same time it is not a rambler like some of the 

 Veronicas. On the contrary, it is as easily kept in a line as a 

 Primrose, and occupies no more space in width. It flowers in 

 Juue, therefore too late for spring bedding, but the admirer 

 of the herbaceous border, and those who like now and then to 

 vary their edgings of hardy plants, and may have in some 

 degree become tired of Viola cornuta, should try this plant. It 

 is not quite so tall, is widely different in colour, but is equally 

 interesting as an ornamental object, and if it does not continue 

 to furnish flowers so long, it is more interesting when it is 

 in flower, and when not so, it is one of the class never in. 

 deshabille. — J. Eobson. 



THE "SETTING" OF GEAPES. 



There was a period, almost within the recollection of middle- 

 aged men, before Californian or Australian gold was discovered,, 

 or cheap glass had become the order of the day, when Vines 

 were generally grown in houses glazed with diminutive panes 

 of glass, nearly one-half of the roof being formed of overlaps 

 and the other of timber ; and when also, apparently to increase 

 the quantity under limited accommodation, the young wood 

 was trained-in as closely together as that of the Morello Cherry 

 generally is now. The consequence was indifferently ripened 

 wood ; and when the flowering season came round the rods 

 showed abundance of long lanky semi-tendrjls, with a few 

 flowers here and there about then- extremities. This state of 

 matters required an amount of skill to " set " the Grapes 

 which was not always forthcoming. 



The scene has now changed. Large, light, airy structures 



