262 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTDBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ Soptember 80, 1889. 



Bicci, a grand new continental variety, having brilliant Bcarlet 

 tlairers, pips very fine, and magnificent trusses ; foliage broadly 

 marked with a dark zone ; excellent habit. Theodore, soft 

 salmon rose, a finely-shaped flower, and striking dark zonate 

 foliage ; one of Messrs. Windebank & Kingsbury's fine new 

 varieties. Warrior, brilliant deep vermilion, immence trusses 

 of bloom, plain foliage ; very fine, one of the hybrid Nosegay 

 typo. I have no hesitation in heartily recommending the 

 foregoing to growers of this popular flower. Of the Nosegay 

 type, the following are well worthy a place with those just 

 described : — Gloirodea Massifs, brigbt orange crimson, very tine 

 trn.sses of bloom, foliage slightly zonate ; a grand bedder, most 

 effective in this relation, and one to be looked after by those 

 desirous of procuring something new and good. Monsieur E. 

 Bnenzod, soft pink, faintly zonate foliage, very dwarf grower, 

 and though furnishing very fine trusses of bloom, remarkably 

 free. Both these are new continental varieties. Nosegay St. 

 George, one of Mr. Williaih Paul's flowers, deserves the highest 

 commendation as a bedder. It is a plain-leaved variety, willi 

 rich deep crimson flowers, good trusses, and remarkably free ; 

 one of the flowers that deserve a place in every garden. 



la another part of the grounds I saw a new continental 

 variety of very considerable promise under the name of 

 AmedCe Achard, the flowers rose, tinted purple, the upper part 

 of the flower dashed with orange, trusses large and bold, 

 dark zonate foliage, and remarkably dwarf close habit, and an 

 excellent bedder. Mr. W. Paul's Blue Bell was succeeding re- 

 markatily well here, and the same experience of this fine new 

 variety has met me wherever I have seen it during the present 

 season, liising Sun is another excellent variety, very dwarf in 

 growth, and having good trusses of bright crimson flowers, 

 and extra fine as a bedder. There was also an excellent Nose- 

 gay variety with rich deep crimson flowers, something in the 

 way of Le Grand, but brighter. Unfortunately I could not dis- 

 cover the name of it. 



Of the Variegated Zonal section of bedding Pelargoniums, 

 Lady CuUum and Sophia Dumaresque are really good bedders, 

 and deserve to bo commended as such. By the side of the 

 path skirting the old Bath coach road, were a couple of large 

 stone vases, one filled with Lady Galium, the other with 

 Sophia Dumaresque, and both edged with blue Lobelia. These 

 were moat effective objects, the Pelargoniums being luxuriant 

 in growth and handsomely coloured. Of the Silver-edged 

 section. Bijou Improved is an excellent and most useful bedder; 

 having more white than the old Bijou, it is much softer-looking, 

 and it bears deep crimson flowers. Very fine indeed was old 

 Flower of the Day, by no means to be despised, though sur- 

 rounded by such a large group of new aspirants for popularity ; 

 but, alas ! how few are likely to run such a lengthened career 

 of usefulness as the perennial and constant Flower of the 

 Day. It will not be given up just yet by many. 



A large bed of Chrysanthemum SeoBation, the creamy-varie- 

 gated kind, mingled with King of Tom Thumbs Nasturtium, 

 had a very pleasant appearance. The dark hue of both flowers 

 and foliage of the latter, contrasted admirably with the former, 

 and were most effective. An oval-shaped bed of the old Ivy- 

 leaf Pelargonium was just as effective ; there was a kind of 

 natural unevenness about it that rather added to than detracted 

 from its usefulness. 



Mr. Turner's new Tropn-ilum Oohroleucum promises to be a 

 valuable golden-leaved bedding plant, the leaves being purely 

 of a creamy-golden hue. It grows freely and does not bloom, 

 or if it does, only produces a few half-developed flowers. For 

 colour, Pyrethrum Golden Feather is inferior to it, and the 

 Tropx^olum promises to displace it. It came up somewhere 

 about the nurseries self-sown, and will have to be propagated 

 by cuttings. 



There were also to be seen several effective beds of Verbenas, 

 inclusive of Mr. Perry's new kiuds. Of the latter. Chastity, 

 pale pink ; and Richard Dean, shaded plum purple, with large 

 and showy pale eye, make capital bedders, the latter especially, 

 the habit being remarkably good. King of Lilacs, of a some- 

 what pale hue of colour, makes an excellent bedder also ; and 

 old G£ant des Batailles, and the almo.^t as old Firefly, were 

 both rerjarkably good as bedders also. A variety named Deli- 

 cata, with violet rose flowers, was very pretty and attractive, 

 and has a somewhat unusual dwarf and compact habit for a 

 Verbena. 



Delphinium Madame Zelandais should be noted by those — 

 and it is to be hoped their name is legion — who cling with a 

 loving regard to the somewhat reelected class of perennials. 

 It throws up a handsome spike of double flowers, in form like 



that of a Hyacinth ; the individnal flowers are of a pale groaad 



heavily edged with light azure blue. 



But it is worth while glancing for a few micntes at some 

 aspects of Mr. Turner's garden ornamentation, or bedding-ont. 

 I have already stated that at each end of the Pelargonium beds 

 something hud been done in this way. There wan also a ribbon 

 border on the west side of the beds running at right angles to 

 them, and this was planted with a background of Perilla nan- 

 kinensis, then a line of Stachys lanata, then Pyrethrnm Golden 

 Feather, then an outer line of blue Lobelia. This was neat 

 and soft in appearance, even though there was such a glare of 

 colour behind it. On the north side there was a line of Madame 

 Vaucher white Pelargonium at the back, then a line of Perilla, 

 Stacbys, Pyrothrum, and blue Lobelia as before. On the sonth 

 side there was a background of the Catmint, Kepeta cassia, 

 with a profusion of lavender-coloured flowers, said to come 

 into bloom in May. and continue all the summer in flower ; 

 then a line of the Perilla and Iresine Herbstii mingled together, 

 contrasting the one with the other, and yet nicely blending ; 

 then the Golden Pyrethium ; then blue Lubelia, and an outer 

 edging of Cerastium tomentosum. On the east side of this 

 series of beds is a main walk running through the grounds 

 from south to north. Here was a ribbon border not nilhont 

 some elements of originality in its construction and some 

 novelty of arrangement. The background was composed of a 

 line of dark auJ li^lit Fuchsias, with white-corollaed varieties 

 at intervals. These Fuchsias were about 2 feet in height. 

 Then a line of Nosegay Pelargoniums composed of two plants 

 of Duchess of Sutherland and one of Lady Constance Grosvenor 

 planted alternately; next a good line of yellow Calceolarias, 

 then an excellent line of the Nepeta in full bloom, with Irish 

 Yews at intervals, a permanent row of them belonging to the 

 border. A line of Iresine Herbstii and Cei tauren candidissima 

 mingled together followed, then a line of scarlet Pelargoniums, 

 next the Pyrethrnm, then a line of the blue Lobelia and crim- 

 son Ivy-leaved Pelargonium mingled together, the crimson 

 flowers of the latter nicely blended with the blue of the Lobelia, 

 the whole edged with a broad band of Cerastium tomentosnm. 

 There was a pleasant stiffness about this border, so unlike 

 many ribbon borders where an undue and offensive glare of 

 colouring is the great feature. 



Around the square span-roofed conservatory were other flower 

 beds, some of which were of more than average merit. Two of 

 these have already been mentioned. A third was of the shape 

 of half a circular band, and wos filled with Golden Fleece 

 Pelargonium mingled with Amaranthus elcgantissimns. This 

 is a very showy plant indeed, and will alwnys prove a great 

 attraction in localities suited to it. The arrangement of another 

 bed struck me as being remarkably good, but the shape of the 

 bed was altogether unique. Imagine a horse with the legs and 

 head close behind the ears severed from the body, and the 

 shape of the bed can be realised. A line of Echeveria metallica 

 was placed along the centre, on each side was Amaranthns 

 melancholicus ruber, then on each side again Centanrea can- 

 didisaima, and an outer efl(;ing of blue Lobelia. Another good 

 bed was a long oblong in shape, with a specimen of Colens 

 Verschaffelti in the centre, and from this a line of Echeveria 

 metallica ran to each corner. The angles at the ends were 

 both filled with Pyrethrnm Golden Feather ; and those at the 

 aides, one with Lobelia Erinus speciosa, bine, the other with 

 Tj. Paxtouiana. 



On the north side of the conservatory was a large circular 

 group of plants, the arrangement of which was of such a nature 

 as to make it worthy the attention of the promoters of horti- 

 cultural exhibitions anxious to gain some idea of disposing 

 their forces, differing essentially from the stereotyped plans bo 

 invariably followed. Frequenters of the Royal Nurseries will 

 remember that on the north side of the conservatory there is a 

 broad open gravel space. Here Mr. Turner grouped twelve 

 standard Laurustinus in pots, bnt far enough apart to admit 

 of a free circulation of air among their head«. Then in among 

 them were placed flowering plants of Kalosanthcs coccinea, 

 scarlet and other Pelargoniums, and various plants, quite filling 

 np the intervening spaces ; then Humea elegans aud plants of 

 Campanula pyramidalis in pots were placed round these ; next 

 came a circle of Centaurea candidissima, then one of Amaran- 

 thus elegantissimus, another circle of a dense-growing Saxifrage, 

 with an outer edging of bine Lobelia, all the plants being in 

 pots. Finally, the plants of Campanula pyramidalis had been 

 bent down outwardly, and fastened to the ground between the 

 pots of the blue Lobelia. The effect was surprising— it was a 

 good idea well expressed. 



