DIANTHUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



DIANTHUS. 



445 



a sweet and lovely thing, which may 

 be had also in several different shades 

 of self-colour. The florists of the old 

 school did not pay much attention 

 to self-coloured Carnations, and till 

 recently there was a scarcity of fine 

 varieties. We may now have them 

 in all shades of colour. They combine 

 hardiness and vigour with free bloom- 

 ing and great effect. For the flower 

 garden they are the most important. 

 They should be grown in bold groups 

 or simple masses associated with Roses 

 or choice hardy flowers. 



The Tree or perpetual flowering 

 Carnation is valuable as a pot plant ; 

 or, if planted out in a greenhouse 

 border, it produces flowers in winter 

 and spring, when none can be had out 

 of doors. The most popular of this 

 class is Souvenir de la Malmaison, with 

 large cream-coloured blossoms and 

 delightful fragrance, and from this 

 have been obtained many new and 

 beautiful colours ; so that, with these 

 and other varieties, there is now no 

 difficulty in obtaining all colours, from 

 pure white to bright scarlet. 



We have had the greatest success 

 with fine selfs that combine hardiness 

 with good form and colour, and, what 

 is more precious, a perpetual blooming 

 habit. Nothing could be better than 

 Countess of Paris, Carolus Duran, 

 Colin de Harville, Mad Roland, Murillo, 

 Mme. Lafausse, Mdlle. Rouselle, Vero- 

 nica, Jenny Lind, Comte de Melbourne, 

 and Flora." Of English kinds the only 

 one we have had to equal the preceding 

 is Alice, a white self of perfect form 

 and a perpetual bloomer. Some stan- 

 dard kinds of the present are : Beau 

 Nash, Border Yellow, Bookham Clove, 

 Gordon Douglas, The King, Bookham 

 White, Innocence, Fujiyama, Mrs 

 Eliot Douglas. The Grey Douglas, 

 Daffodil, Elizabeth Shiffner, Hercules, 

 Lawrence, Linkman, Lord Steyne, 

 Mephisto, Miss Willmott, Pasquin, 

 Ruby, Pink Beauty, Solfaterre, Ketton 

 Rose, Purple Emperor, Rose Celestial, 

 Mary Morris, Roy Moms (scarlet), 

 Trojan (white), George Maquay (white), 

 Mrs Sudway (dark red), Robinson 

 Suisse (rosy), Raby Castle (rose), Lady 

 Hermione '(salmon), Crimson Clove 

 (not the old Clove), Redskin (red), 

 Mephisto (rich velvety claret), Suisse 

 Seedling (pale rose), and Fred Vaughan 

 (striped red and dark). 



The soil has a marked influence upon 

 Carnations. In very light, hot soils, 

 as in Surrey, they cannot be grown 



well at all. They want a loamy soil, 

 calcareous loams being the best. In 

 these they make a harder growth, and 

 stand two or more years, spreading 

 into great tufts and bushes. 



CULTURE FOR BEDS AND BORDERS. 

 For this purpose no type of plant sur- 

 passes well-rooted layers. To obtain 

 these the layering must be done in 

 July, when the young plants will be 

 ready for their permanent quarters by 

 the end of September. At that season 

 the soil is usually warm and in good 

 condition, and the plants quickly take 

 to their new positions. Planting must 

 be firmly done, and the plants bedded 

 in the soil right up to the lowest leaves. 

 The border Carnation prefers loam of 

 a good holding type which is also 

 moderately sandy. Chalky and cal- 

 careous loams are the best, and where 

 these are not at hand ceiling plaster or 

 old mortar rubble may be added freely 

 to the soil. In light, sandy, and 

 gravelly soils the Carnation is rarely 

 happy, and where these obtain, clay 

 soil, if added to the extent of one- third, 

 will materially benefit. Air-slaked 

 lime may also be added to such soils 

 with decided advantage. Whilst the 

 Carnation prefers a soil of moderate 

 richness, the excessive use of manure 

 is abhorrent to it. Bone-meal worked 

 into the soil prior to planting is useful 

 and enduring, or a dressing of steamed 

 bone-flour and superphosphate of lime 

 mixed in equal parts may be given in 

 March and pricked lightly into the 

 soil between the plants. This latter 

 is excellent, and while gently stimulat- 

 ing, promotes that firm and good 

 growth from which the best results 

 ensue. Where from any cause Sep- 

 tember planting is not possible, the 

 layers should be potted and kept in an 

 airy frame for the winter, bedding 

 them out in March. In such a case, 

 however, the ground should be pre- 

 pared and treated as suggested above 

 during the winter season. In certain 

 instances Carnations so treated may 

 remain in position for two years 

 without layering, when they afford a 

 magnificent display of flowers. 



PERPETUAL CARNATIONS IN THE 

 OPEN AIR. For open-air gardening 

 these have the decided advantage of 

 continuous flowering over the border 

 types of Carnations, and for bedding 

 out are increasing in popularity. To 

 ensure success, however, they require 

 to be specially grown for the purpose. 



