584 



GALANTHUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



GALANTHUS. 



off before putting out, will also give a 

 quick return in the shape of flowers. In- 

 creased by cuttings in autumn or spring, 

 and division in spring. 



Species of Gaillardia — acaiilis, N. Amer. aw- 

 blyodon, Texas, aristata, N. Amer. arzzonica, 

 Arizona, coinosa, Mexico. lanceolata, N. 

 Amer. megapolamica, Braz. inexuana, Mex. 

 odorata, N. West Amer. pinnatijida, N. W. 

 Amer. pidchella, N. Amer. Roezli, Calif. 

 si7iip/ex, N. W. Amer. spathnlata, N. W. 

 Amer. ioiitaleusis, Argent. 



GALANTHUS {Snowdrop). — ^\w^.y-> 

 loved in English gardens, the old Snow- 

 drop is now known to be only one meni- 

 ber of a large family most of which have 

 merits for garden culture. The Snow- 

 drop never looks better than when 

 naturalised in turf in orchards, on the 

 margins of lawns, or beside woodland 

 walks. Almost any soil suits the Snow- 

 drop, but peaty and warm open soils are 

 best. All the Snowdrops are hardy, and 

 may be naturalised, grown on the rock- 

 garden, or in the wild garden, where they 

 may be associated with Anemone, early 

 Crocuses, Winter Aconites. As cut flowers. 

 Snowdrops are most attractive, but to cull 

 the flowers in bud is, however, essential, 

 as they can be carried better and open 

 fresher in water than if cut when fully 

 open. Buds so gathered will remain beau- 

 tiful for ten days or longer, while flowers 

 cut after expansion will fade in about a 

 week. 



The present growing state of our know- 

 ledge of Snowdrops may best be gleaned 

 from a paper read by Mr. Jas. Allen 

 before the Royal Horticultural Society, 

 of which the following is an abstract : — 



In speaking of Snowdrops we must not 

 forget that, besides the division into 

 species and sub-species, we have the ar- 

 rangements into classes, according to 

 colours and other peculiarities. Conse- 

 quently we hear of white Snowdrops and 

 yellow Snowdrops, and also green Snow- 

 drops. 



G. Imperati. — I think no botanist 

 would be able to say where nivalis ended 

 and Imperati commenced. In the section 

 to \\'hich G. Jiivalis and G. Imperati be- 

 long there are some most lovely Snow- 

 drops, amongst which I would mention 

 first Mr. Melville's Uunrobin form. G. n. 

 Atkinsi is second to none in size, form, 

 quality, and freedom in growth. It is 

 the plant known to some as Imperati of 

 Atkins. 



G. Plicatus is very distinct and its best 

 forms possess great beauty. The fore- 

 most place in this section belongs to 

 G. p. inaxhmis. G. plicatus usually 



flowers late, but I have a selected form,. 

 G. p. prcccox, which flowers with the 

 early varieties of G.. nivalis. Another 

 selected form, G. p. Oiitcga., flowers with 

 the very latest. 



G. Elwesi. — The best forms of this 

 are large and handsome, but it wants the 

 most sheltered spots in the garden to 

 thrive. Many find G. Ehocsi difficult to 

 manage, but with me it grows very freely, 

 especially in one bed of very light soil, 

 where the seedlings are almost a nuisance. 



G. LATIFOLIUS.— This is the most dis- 

 tinct of all Snowdrops, with its broad 

 grass-green foliage and small pure white 

 flowers, and it has a delicate beauty all 

 its own, more especially just before the 

 bud expands, when the two leaves curve 

 so lovingly round the flower-stem. 



G. Foster I. — The markings on the inner 

 petals are very similar to those oiG.Ehuesiy 

 but the foliag-e is quite different, being broad 

 and somewhat blunt, and in shape and 

 colour much like the leaves of Scilla 

 sibij'ica. M. Max Leichtlin thinks very 

 highly of G. Fosteri, and considers it to 

 be the " king of Snowdrops." 



G. Alleni. — Mr. Barker thinks this is 

 probably a hybrid between G. latifolius 

 and G. caucasicus, as it has some of the 

 features of each species. The flower is 

 of much the same character as that of 

 G. latifolius, but nearly twice as large, 

 and the foliage corresponds in size with 

 the blossoms. 



Autumnal Snowdrops. — In Greece 

 and the adjacent countries several Snow- 

 drops have been found which flower in 

 the autumn or early winter. They seem 

 to belong to the nivalis section. One 

 peculiarity I have noticed in them is that 

 they have a glaucous line running down 

 the centre of each leaf, and by this they 

 can be at once distinguished from the 

 spring-flowering forms of nivalis. So far 

 as I can learn, all these Snowdrops grow 

 on high ground, mostly on mountains. I 

 understand that the Snowdrops on the 

 lower grounds do not flower until early in 

 the year. 



G. O'LGJE. — From the descriptions given 

 of it, G. OlgcE must be a fine variety, and 

 it is very unfortunate that it is lost to 

 cultivation. M. Tanka, the Hungarian 

 botanist, asserts that this and G. octo- 

 brcnsis are identical, but I do not think so ; 

 and the difference between G. octobrcnsis 

 and G. RacJielce confirms my opinion. 



G. OCTOHRENSIS.— Lord Walsingham, 

 when travelling in Albania about the year 

 1875, collected some bulbs on one of the 

 mountains and sent them to the late Rev. 

 H. Harpur-Crewe. Amongst these was 



