WALDSTEINIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



VVEIGELA. 929 



danthe. They succeed best in an open 

 position in sandy peat. Seeds. The 

 seedlings should be potted before planting 

 out in May. Waitzias flower in August 

 and September. 



WALDSTEINIA (Barren Straw- 

 berry}. Dwarf Rosaceous plants, three 

 of which, W. geoides, W. fragarioidcs, 

 and W. trifolia are in cultivation. The 

 last is the best, but not one is ornamental 

 enough for border culture, but only for 

 dry banks and such places. Their yellow 

 flowers appear in spring. 



WATSONIA (Bugle Lily}. Beautiful 

 bulbous plants of the Iris family, long 

 cultivated in gardens. In the southern 

 counties some of them succeed perfectly 

 in open borders, but elsewhere they are 

 tender. There are about a dozen species 

 and about as many varieties, half of which 

 are variations from IV. Meriana. All 

 are from S. Africa, their headquarters 

 being the Cape. There is much variety 

 of colour, and " mixed " selections are 

 offered by the growers. The commonest 

 species seem to be W. Meriana, W. coc- 

 cinea, W. iridifolia, W. rosea alba, W. 

 humilis, W. angusta (also known as W. 

 fulgida), and W. aletroides. Choice kinds 

 with pure white flowers are W. Ardernei, 

 where they are borne on long branched 

 stems, and W. iridifolia CPBrieni, which 

 is like W. rosea except in colour. These 

 are true Watsonias and have finer flowers 

 than the other sections of the genus. The 

 white Watsonia ( W. alba) is a lovely 

 plant, flowering in early summer. Treat- 

 ment similar to that recommended for 

 the early Gladioli will suit them. Where 

 they are grown in frames much trouble 

 is saved, and they give finer flowers as 

 the young growths are protected when 

 they most need it. Generally, however, 

 it will be found best to grow the plants 

 in warm situations in open borders of light 

 rich soil. Of the varieties offered in trade 

 lists, the following may be taken as re- 

 presentative : W. '. coccinea, fulgens, Me- 

 riana, alba, humilis, marginata, rosea, 

 speciosa, fulgida, ' brevifolia, angustifolia, 

 Grootvorst, Louis XVI., Wreede, Du- 

 chess, George IV., Chilea, Due de Berri, 

 and Blucher. 



WEIGELA (Bush Honeysuckle}. 

 Graceful and hardy flowering shrubs, 

 summer-leafing, with showy clusters of 

 bloom ranging from pure white to dark 

 crimson. They have long been deserv- 

 edly popular, being elegant, rapid in 

 growth, and beautiful in bloom. A multi- 

 tude of varieties have sprung from IV. 

 floribunda, W. grandiflora (known also 

 as W. amabilis'}, W. rosea, and W. hor- 



tensis. These are natives of China and 

 Japan, have been introduced within the 

 last forty years, and so much hybridised 

 that they are rarely found pure. The 

 most valuable sorts have come from W- . 

 grandiflora, which has the largest flowers, 

 while the smaller, but more numerously- 

 flowered kinds, have originated from W. 

 rosea and W. Horibunda. The varieties 

 have been raised chiefly on the Continent, 

 as may be inferred from their names. 

 The best of the older kinds are : Abel 

 Carriere, numerous large flowers of soft 

 pink; Isolina?, large flowers of white or 

 pale rose with yellow markings ; Van 

 Houttei, large and showy white and red 



Weigela grandiflora. 



flowers ; Lemoinei, numerous small deep 

 crimson-red flowers ; Groenewegenei, one 

 of the best, the flowers being large, of 

 pink or pale rose, with a yellow blotch ; 

 striata, a pretty sort, having flowers 

 striped with red and white ; Stelzneri, with 

 numerous deep red flowers ; Lavallei with 

 numerous crimson-red flowers ; hortensis 

 nivea, more spreading than that of others, 

 with larger and paler foliage, and large 

 pure white flowers ; and Candida. Good 

 new kinds are Conquete, deep rose, with 

 the largest flowers yet seen in these plants; 

 Dame Blanche, large creamy- white flowers 

 with a yellow throat ; Descartes, crimson- 

 purple ; Diderot, deep bright red ; Emile 

 Galle, deep red ; Eva Rathkie, one of the 

 best, deep rich crimson ; floreal, pink, 



3 o 



