^60 



JOUBNAIi OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDEKER. 



[ May 14, 1868. 



both richly coloored varieties. Among Ms other plants we noticed a 

 fine specimen of Cibotinm regale, a fine pair of varies:ated Aloe-leaved 

 Yuccas, a beautiful mass of Trichomanes radicsms, Anemia liueata, 

 and Dracaena Banksii in flower, Bronze and Gold Zonal Pelurgoniums, 

 Azaleas, and a pretty striped Petunia, called Herald. 



Messrs. Veitch sent a remarkably fine group of plants not for com- 

 petition, consisting of Sauchezia nobilis variegata. one of the best- 

 marked of new variegated plants ; Maranta Veitchii, now well known 

 as one of the finest of the Marantas ; Alocasia Jenniugsii, with bright 

 green leaves regularly marked with dark blotches betwixt the veins ; 

 AbutiloB Thompsoni, with leaves blotched and mottled with gold ; 

 Azaleas Stella and Marie Vervaene ; Primula coriusoides amcena, of 

 which a striking variety was shown at the last Floral Committee ; 

 Davallia parvula, with ]»retty finely-divided fronds ; a specimen of 

 Cypripedium caudatum, with five hae flowers with tails '2 feet and 

 more in length ; Begonia bolivieusis ; Nepenthes Ralfiesiana, with ten 

 large pitchers ; Anthurium Scherzerianum, with tea of its brilliant 

 scarlet spathes, and tlu-ee more about to expand ; and, lastly, the new 

 Coleuses which the firm has recently acquired, and which, it canuot 

 he doubted, are destined to take a high place in ornamental garden- 

 ing. Messrs. Lee sent, likewise not for competition, a collection of 

 plants, in which were good examples of Orchids, Heaths, Azaleas, 

 Kriostemone, Yucca quadricolor, aud Cordyline indivisa ; and Messrs. 

 F. & A. Smith, Mr. Wilkie, and Mr. Reeves had exti-a prizes for mis- 

 cellaaeous collections ; Mr. Bartlett for a number of pots of Spirsea 

 barbata or Hoteia japonica; Mr. James for fine herbaceous Calceo- 

 larias, also for Cinerarias. Aji extra prize was also awarded to Mr. 

 Salter for a large collection of hardy variegated plants. Among 

 them were Beta chilensis, with ^-iolet crimson shaded stalks ; several 

 Funkias, Spir^a ulmaria, with the centre of the leaflets striped and 

 blotched with golden yellow ; variegated Lily of the Valley, very 

 pretty ; Hemerocallis Kwanso plena variegata with long white-striped 

 leaves ; Sedum Sieboldi variegatum ; S. Faberianum variegatum, 

 yellow, edged with green, aud Trifolium repens rubrum with chocolate 

 foliage edged with green. Mr. AVara also received an extra prize for 

 a pretty collection of herbaceous plants, in which were several with 

 ornamental foliage, the pretty white Phlox Xelsoni, the rose-coloured 

 Phlox setacea, Cheira nth uses, Aubrieti&s, Lithospermnmfruticosnm, 

 which attracted every one by the intense blue of its flowers, Trillium 

 grandiflorum, Dodeeatheou elegans, Iiis pavonia, and many others. 



Messrs. F. 6c A. Smith, Mr. Watson, and Mr. Shenton seut varie- 

 gated Zonal Pelargoniums, of the Tricolor and Gold aud Bronze sec- 

 tions ; and Mr. Mann, Brentwood, his splendid scarlet-flowered variety, 

 Lord Derby, which fully maintains tbe high character which has been 

 given of it in previous reports ; also trusses of The Baron, a showy 

 crimson scarlet Nosegay. A collection of Gloxinias came from Mr. 

 August, Beddington ; and from the Society's garden at Chiawick a 

 large coUectiou of Palms, Draca-nas, Pandauads. aud other plants 

 with ornamental foliage, and the new Caladiumg raised by Mr. Bause. 

 The leaves are pale green, with a strong golden tinge, and are variously 

 marked ; in one kind with crimson, in anotber with white and crimson 

 spots, aud in a third these are seen on a silvery ground. These 

 varieties, one parent of which was Ciiladinm bicolor splendens, will, 

 doubtless, attract much attention as they become more fully developed, 

 and they promise to become charming additions to our ornamental- 

 foliaged plants. There was also from Chiswick Anthurium Scherze- 

 rianum with seveu fine spathes. 



KED BEET AS A FLOWER-GARDEN PLANT. 

 I Ail sorry I am not acquainted with tlie variety of Beet of 

 ■which my friend ilr. Perkins gave an account in page 421 of 

 your last volume, neither can I lay claim, I fear, to being the 

 first to call attention to this plant for tiower-garden deco- 

 ration. Twelve years ago, or more, when the beauty of the 

 foliage of certain plants, as Dracfpnas, Crotons, and llarantas, 

 became fairly acknowledged, I urged, it is true, the claims of 

 plants of a humbler class as deserving more attention than 

 had been paid to them, and mentioned the Globe Artichoke, 

 Fennel, Bed Beet, coloured Kale, Carrots, and Pursley, and 

 suggested that an effective striped border (the term ribbon 

 border not having then been invented), might be composed of 

 these plants, as each of them might be considered likely to 

 last the season. I must confess to not having used the Beet 

 so much as it deserves, in consequence of the variety I had, 

 though good for salads and culinary purposes, having a pro- 

 pensity to run to seed at the precise time at which the other 

 occupants of the same bed were at their best, and instead of 

 the graceful, recurved, and flowing foliage, a few small pointed 

 leaves were all that was left when the seed stem was removed, 

 and removing one seed stem only induced tbe plant to produce 

 more ; otherwise I must admit that when at its best nothing 

 can well exceed the glittering beauty of Beet when of a good 

 colour and looked at in sunshine. I have found, however, 

 from the limited trials which I have made, that this period of 

 perfection is of short duration ; therefore I have mostly used 

 Bnother plant — Perilla nankinensis — which I fear Mr. Perkins 



will think a sorry substitute for Beet, yet it is not destitute o' 



merit. 



The Perilla is most extensively grown here as a dark-leaved 

 plant ; and although Coleus, Iresine, Amaranthus melancholi- 

 cus ruber, and Beet may all be better than Perilla when at 

 their best, their services are either obtained at a greater cost 

 as regards potting, or they are of shorter duration. The PeiiUa 

 may, without much trouble, be grown to show a tolerably good 

 line by the 1st of .Tune ; and that line may be kept trimmed to 

 a height corresponding with neighbouring plants until the end 

 of the season, say the middle of November, and will look well 

 the whole time, as there are comparatively few plants which 

 furnish such an abundance of foliage on specimens struggling 

 continuously into seed. Some plants will succumb altogether 

 when the flower stems are continually cut off. Even perennial 

 ones do not always like to have the intentions of Nature fnis- 

 trated in so persevering a manner, and in this way great losses 

 are met with in the case of Centaurea gymnocarpa and other 

 plants ; but the Perilla seems to endure cutting-in almost as 

 well as grass itself, and when viewed at the distance of 50 or 

 100 yards its appearance is very often as good as that of the 

 Coleus, and very much better than that of the Iresine — in fact, 

 the latter has been so often a complete or partial failure, that 

 it will only be used in future in places of secondary importance. 



I may state in favour of the Amaranthus, which in 1867 did 

 very well here, that it has the richest appearance when looked 

 at with the face of the observer to the sun. This is exactly 

 the reverse of what happens in the case of many other plants. 

 Those, therefore, who have their flower beds on the south sides 

 of their principal walks or lines of vision may safely plant 

 Amaranthus if other conditions be favourable, as the semi- 

 transparent character of the leaf allows so much light to shine 

 through it as to show the rich colouring to great advantage. 

 On the other hand, many flowering plants — the blue Lobelia, 

 for instance, look best when viewed the reverse way, as so 

 many open to the sun. 



To return to Beet as an ornamental plant. As a variety has 

 been pointed out which can be sown in March, and yet does 

 not run to seed, we have in it a great acquisition for flower- 

 garden decoration, as Beet can be transplanted as well as most 

 plants, and, as Mr. Perkins says, is both ornamental and useful 

 afterwards. A friend of mine in Hertfordshire, who grew it as 

 well as the Coleus, Amaranthus, Perilla, and Iresine, during the 

 past season, aflirms that it excelled them all. The best ex- 

 amples that I have met with, I saw in Yorkshire some years 

 ago ; but, as I have before observed, merely looking once at a 

 plant when it is at its best, is not a suSicient knowledge of it 

 to justify unquaUfied praise. I once knew a lady in raptures 

 with a bed of blue Nemophila, but she was not, perhaps, aware 

 that its display extended only over six or seven days. That 

 Beet will remain in beauty longer than that there is no question, 

 but whether for both early and late display it can be depended 

 upon to continue good, is more than I can decide. That it will 

 be useful for its foliage late in the season I know, but where 

 as much bloom and colour as possible are wanted before the Ist 

 of August, or say from June 1st to that period, what experience 

 I have hitherto had with Beet tends to prove it is not so much 

 to be depended on as the Perilla. 



Mr. Perkins justly calls attention to the utility of the foliage 

 of Beet for embellishing the dishes of the dessert, and I can 

 fully endorse all he says as to its merits in that respect ; but 

 there is also another plant of which the utility of the foliage 

 for the dessert has never been fully recognised, although I have 

 known it employed for the purpose as much as thirty years 

 ago. and that is coloured Kale. The best variety is the white, 

 as the rosy purple kinds, iftwever ricli and pretty in daylight, 

 do not look well at night. The Beet in foliage is no mean 

 competitor to the exotic Dracfena, and if when gracing a flower 

 stand it should be mistaken for a new Calla or Caladium, what 

 matter? Ought beauty when combined with utility and sim- 

 plicity to be condemned because of the two latter quahfications ? 

 Assuredly not, rather let us can-y the matter further, and see 

 if other useful plants do not furnish us with forms that may 

 be turned to account. I have on more than one occasion seen 

 a half-blanched half-dead leaf of a very common plant take s, 

 place with great advantage in a bouquet, and' the reader will be 

 more startled in this second case than in the former, for the 

 plant was the common Carrot. Yet it is so. In a Carrot bed 

 may be met with leaves of a rich orange colour, having all the 

 Fern-like character of fresh ones. I hope to hear more of Mr. 

 Shortt's Dwarf Beet, and if it do not run to seed during the 

 summer after being sown so early, it will probably be moro 



