174 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKB AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. t September 4, 1873. 



understand the plant is a cross between the Irishman and the 

 Telegraph. It is a very free bearer, but was not thought to 

 be possessed of the power of producing such a freak of nature 

 as that represented in the photograph, and the like of which 

 has not been previously known in this district, nor, indeed, 

 amongst gardeners of extended experience in many parts of 

 the country. The present example is perfectly formed, and is 

 not at all the result of pressure, as is so often the case.— 

 S. Leech, Hotlin;iwood, near Mandtcster. 



[The photograph represents the two Cucumbers united at 

 the shoulder, but both attached to one and the same stalk. 

 All fruits are liable to produce similar unions, as they are 

 occasioned by two embryos being in the same flower. — Eds.] 



PREVENTING CALCEOLAEIA FAILUEES. 

 I HA^-E often noticed complaints of failures of bedding Cal- 

 ceolarias from one cause or another, including fly and weevil. 

 For three years I have regularly bedded some five hundred 

 plants, and have lost at least half of them, in hot weather 

 especially, and mostly owing to fly. I determined, however, 

 this year to try an experiment of my own, which has turned 

 out most successfully. It is as follows. I mixed in a bucket a 

 strong solution of Fowler's insecticide, heat about 100°, and in 

 this solution dipped every plant overhead, before putting it 

 into the ground, for about ten seconds. Out of over five 

 hundred bedded this year I have not lost a dozen, and have 

 not seen the slightest sign of weevil or fly of any kind upon 

 the plants, and they have grown and bloomed most profusely. 

 —James Eailton, Roselands, Falloicfield, Manchester. 



BEDDING PLANTS IN THE LONDON PAEKS. 



No. 2. 



r We will now cross from the Green Park into Hyde Park, 

 and after passing some very good beds on the right, near 

 Apsley House, we reach Stanhope Gate, from which point to 

 Grosvenor Gate there is a series of beds which are simply 

 superb ; there are great sheets of splendidly-coloured flowers 

 and of leaf-plants, and the numerous beds are at once extremely 

 rich in colour, uniform as regards growth, and absolutely free 

 from blanks. 



From Stanhope Gate to South Street Gate the oblong beds 

 on the right between the Plane trees are margined with Golden 

 Feather Pyrethrum and edged with Iresine Liudeni, the dark, 

 lanceolate, entire leaves of which offer a striking contrast to 

 the beautifully cut golden foliage of the Pyrethrum. On the 

 left-hand side next the park, the oblongs with rounded ends 

 are margined with Echeveria secunda glauca, and edged with 

 Dactylis glomerata variegata and Blue King Lobelia planted 

 alternately, and which produce a light and elegant effect. 

 There is then an inner line of Alternanthera amabilis latifolia. 

 The small circles round the Oaks are margined with Sedum 

 glaucum, and edged with Alternanthera amosna, and the remain- 

 ing space is filled with Mesembryanthemums. The oblongs next 

 the boundary, though their position between the trees is un- 

 favourable, are so good that all deserve particular mention. The 

 first is filled with Duchess of Sutherland Geranium ; the second 

 with the silvery-leaved Queen of Queens mixed with Verbena 

 venosa ; the third with Lucius ; the fourth with Mrs. Pollock 

 mixed with Blue Perfection Viola, a very effective combination ; 

 the fifth with Warrior, a magnificent scarlet bed ; the sixth 

 with Gaines's Dwarf Calceolaria ; the seventh with Christine ; 

 the eighth with Paul's Bonfire, literally a blaze of flower ; the 

 ninth with Gaines's Calceolaria ; and the tenth with Welling- 

 ton, a fine dark crimson, but not at its best. The remaining 

 four beds consist of Crystal Palace Gem, Heliotrope Jean 

 d'Amour ; James Eichards, bronze Geranium, very fine as a 

 bedder ; and Stanstead Eival, which forms a splendid glowing 

 crimson bed. Turning backwards, again on the right, next 

 the park, the first oblong is Model Geranium, a neat, compact, 

 golden-bronze kind, but which we shall discard another year, 

 and the result here accorded with our own experience, as the 

 bed of it is inferior to the rest in the series. Next to this is 

 Eose Bradwardine, one of Mr. Pearson's raising, a beautiful 

 and very pleasing deep rose, this is extremely fine. The next 

 bed is one of the finest iu the series. Crystal Palace Gem 

 Geranium, with a centre of Coleus Verschaffclti Improved, 

 perfectly even throughout, and which is much more brilliant 

 in colour than the old form when thus seen in mass. A 

 splendid bed of Glow comes next, followed by Mrs. C. Custons, 



and then with Variegated Stella Geranium mixed with Pnrple 

 Queen Verbena. A fine bed of Mrs. John Lee, of a deeper 

 bronze than James Eichards, comes next, and then a bed of 

 Crystal Palace Gem centred with the Improved Coleus. The 

 remaining two beds are of Amaranth (Pearson), deep pink, 

 with splendid trusses and very fine in colour ; the other being 

 Mrs. Pollock mixed with Blue Perfection. 



We now come to a fresh series of beds, that from th& 

 South Street Gate to the Mount Street Gate. In this the 

 margin to the beds on the right-hand side is of Veronica in- 

 cana, the edging of Lantana Selovii ; whilst on the left, as far 

 as the Elm tree, the margin is Echeveria secimda glauca, the 

 edging Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum, with an 

 inner hue of Alternanthera amcena. The circles are the same 

 as in the previous series. From the Elm tree to the Mount 

 Street Gate the margin is Mesembryanthemum deltoidenm, 

 with an edging of Alternanthera magnifica, and an inner line ol 

 Robert Fish Geranium. Among the beds of Geraniums there 

 are very fine ones of Editor ; Artemus Ward, a narrow-zoned 

 Golden Bronze, very neat and even ; Princess Alexandra, 

 silver-edged, very pure white; Glow; Louis Eajseler, deep rose, 

 changing to soft rose, trusses very large, and forming a fine 

 mass; Perilla, Scarlet Gem, Lucius, Christine, and Bayard, 

 splendid. With these aie some beds of Calceolarias, but as 

 Gaines's Dwarf is the only one grown, we need not notice this 

 flower further. 



We will now take the inner, or park side, backwards towards 

 South Street. The two heart-shaped beds at the end are 

 planted with Lady Plymouth white-variegated Geranium, 

 interspersed with Blue King LobeUa. The oblongs which 

 follow are in pairs as regards colour, or as nearly so as pos- 

 sible. The first pair consists of rich masses of Coleus Ver- 

 schaffclti Improved ; then come Pearson's Florence Durand 

 and Cleopatra, beautiful deep rose ; next. La Vestale, white, 

 which is better than its companion Madame Vaucher ; then 

 Coleus Verschaffelti Improved ; and finally the two heart- 

 shaped beds at the end are planted with Bijou, white-varie- 

 gated Geranium, mixed with Lobelia Lustrous, deep blue. 

 This is a very striking series of beds, those of the Coleus in 

 particular being admirable. From the Elm tree, backwards 

 still, are fine beds of Golden Circle and Golden Nugget Gera- 

 niums, respectively intermixed with Viola Blue Perfection and 

 Charming, and others of remarkable beauty, planted with 

 Coleus and Centaurea. 



Starting again northward from Mount Street to Grosvenor 

 Gate we find the beds on the right are margined with Alter- 

 nanthera magnifica, and edged with Sportsman Verbena, rosy 

 purple ; while those on the left are chiefly margined with 

 Echeveria secunda glauca and edged with Mesembryanthemum 

 cordifolium variegatum, within which is a hne of Iresine 

 Lindeni. The heart-shaped beds, however, are margined with 

 the Californian Houseleek. In the long beds on the right 

 Kubro-cinctum, Bonfire especially fine, and Lucius are the 

 most conspicuous for free-flowering among the Geraniums ; 

 but we must not omit to notice charming beds of Centaurea 

 candidissima mixed with Verbena venosa, and a scroll of Mrs. 

 Laing silver Tricolor Geranium, which is magnificent. Turn- 

 ing backwards we have a fine heart-shaped bed of W. Sanday, 

 golden Tricolor ; then follow oblongs in pairs of White Star 

 and Flower of Spring, Mrs. Milford and Golden Chain, Jean 

 Sisley and Leonidas, Albion's Cliffs intermixed with Blue King 

 Lobelia, along with Lady Plymouth similarly blended. Then 

 come Chilwell Beauty and Duchess of Sutherland, both very fine 

 but the former taking the lead. Four heart-shaped beds round 

 the Rhododendron clump are beautifully finished-off. These 

 are planted with Imperatrice Eugenie Geranium, golden bronze, 

 interspersed with Lobelia Lustrous. There are, besides, two 

 circles of Mrs. Upton, pink, fine; and then we come to an 

 oblong of Violet Hill Nosegay, and Vesta, dark crimson scarlet, 

 extremely free. Next follow Artemus Ward and Mrs. PoUock, 

 and then Mrs. Laing and the Rev. F. F. Fenn, the latter with 

 splendid crimson trusses, large and freely produced ; and then 

 we have Madame D. Bertrod, deep jsink with a white eye, 

 paired with Pink Nosegay ; followed by beds of Black Douglas 

 and James liichards of the Bronze class, the former very effec- 

 tive by its deep blackish zone. Of William Thomson there is 

 a magnificent bed ; the colour of the flowers, a magenta-flushed 

 rosy crimson, being splendid, while the trusses are not only 

 good but very freely produced. Lawrence Heywood, iu the 

 way of Duchess of Sutherland, is also very good. There is a 

 charming bed of Golden Harry Hieover; and the heart-shaped 

 beds at the end are most effectively planted with Bright Star 



