526 DIANTHUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



niANTurs. 



little sheaf of cuttings may be taken from 

 the tips of the main stems, so that each 

 plant would furnish over a hundred 

 cuttings. 



Double-flowered kinds, as a rule, are 

 not desirable except the double dwarf 

 magnificus, the deep velvety crimson 

 flowers of which are the finest among the 

 double kinds : the large heads of flower 

 are numerous, the colour is rich and 

 effective, it is a dwarf, vigorous grower, 

 and soon forms a strong tuft. 



D. Caryophyllus (Carnation). 1\us 

 beautiful flower, so much loved in all 

 countries where it can be grown both 

 under glass and in the open air, in all its 

 forms, is derived from a wild Dianthus of 

 Western Europe and the Alps, which as 

 regards our own country is wild on 

 Norman castles such as Rochester. 

 From very early days it seems to have been 

 a favourite flower, as in Dutch pictures 

 nearly 200 years old the Carnation, mostly I 

 in its striped forms, is shown in perfection. 

 Clearly at this early date the tendency of 

 the flowers to vary in colour and markings 

 was greatly admired. At a very early 

 date the Carnation was divided into four 

 classes viz. Flakes, Bizarres, Picotees, 

 and Painted Ladies. The Flakes had two 

 colours only, the stripes going the whole 

 length of the petals. Bizarres (from the 

 French, meaning odd or irregular) were 

 spotted or striped with three distinct 

 colours. Picotees (from the French, 

 piquotte] had a white ground with addi- 

 tional colours in spots, giving the flowers 

 the appearance of being dusted with 

 colour. Painted Ladies had the under 

 side of the petals white and the upper 

 side red or purple, so laid on as to appear 

 as if really painted. Unfortunately this 

 class has so entirely disappeared that 

 many growers are not aware that it 

 ever existed. The first two classes still 

 remain unchanged ; but the Picotee, 

 instead of being spotted, has the colours 

 confined to the edge of the petals, and any 

 spot on the ground colour (which may 

 be either white or yellow) would detract 

 from the merits of the flower as an 

 exhibition flower. 



Another class, too long neglected, con- 

 sists of self-coloured kinds. A familiar 

 type is the old crimson Clove, 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 blooming 



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 Carnation is very 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 de- 

 lightful fragrance, and from this have 

 been obtained sports of different colours ; 

 so that, with these and other varieties, 

 there is now no difficulty in obtaining 

 all colours, from pure white to bright 

 scarlet. 



As a rule, the choice-named varieties of 

 Picotees and Carnations for show are 

 grown in pots, but we confine our remarks 

 to their culture in the garden, also treating 

 of it, shortly, from the exhibiting florist's 

 point of view. 



A great number of people still think 

 Carnations are tender, and they coddle 

 them up in frames throughout the winter. 

 The florists, too, continue much in their 

 old ways, which do not tend to the 

 advancement of Carnation culture in 

 gardens where we should see and grow 

 fine selfs of brilliancy and beauty. As 

 garden flowers Carnations have been 

 badly treated, and yet there is no brighter 

 and sweeter flower for the garden 

 throughout summer and autumn. This 

 fact is dawning on English raisers, but we 

 have had the greatest success with fine 

 French-raised selfs that combine hardi- 

 ness 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, 

 Madame Lafausse, Mdlle. Rouselle, 

 Veronica, Jenny Lind, Comte de Mel- 

 bourne, and Flora. Of English kinds the 

 only one we have had to equal the pre- 

 ceding is Alice, a white self of perfect 

 form and a perpetual bloomer. Some 

 standard kinds of the present are : Ketton 

 Rose, Purple Emperor, Mrs. Muir, Ger- 

 mania, Rose Celestial, Emma Lakin, Hebe, 

 Mary Morris, Mrs. Reynolds Hole, Aline 

 Newman, Celia, and Joe Willett. 



SOILS. 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, but as this varies 

 in texture and richness so the plants vary 

 in growth. In very rich soils they are so 

 luxuriant that it is necessary to make new 

 plantations, annually destroying the old 



