HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS 83 



cut and placed in water, he sees the buds unfolding in succession day 

 by day from the base to the tip. Its lasting beauty in a vase of 

 water is one of the greatest of the charms of the Gladiolus. It is not 

 uncommon for one to be a really beautiful object for three weeks. 

 The following are good varieties of Gladioli : 



Agnus, salmon pink, yellow eye. 

 Commandant Marchand, ruby red. 

 Duchess of York, white and lilac. 

 Enchantresse, lilac rose. 

 Formosa, rose. 

 Grand Rouge, crimson. 



Hadrian, pink, white centre. 



L'Incendie, cherry red. 



Marie Thtrhe, creamy white. 



Mary Anderson, mauve. 



Pascal, rose, white centre. 



William Kelivay, crimson, white spots. 



Hollyhocks. The Hollyhock, Althaea rosea of botanists, must be 

 classed with the great flowers of the past. About half-way through 

 the nineteenth century it rose on a wave of popularity. It was 

 one of the elect, one of the handful of special things that we 

 dignify as " florist's flowers " that phrase which has so little 

 meaning to the outsider, and is so full of significance to the pro- 

 fessional horticulturist. The Hollyhock was grown in nearly every 

 garden ; it was a recognised exhibition flower. Then, suddenly, 

 came a terrible debacle. It was brought about by a fungus, called 

 Puccinia malvacearum^ which first attacked wild Mallows, and 

 then spread to the stately garden Mallow the Hollyhock. There 

 were no half measures in the operations of the fungus. It came, 

 it saw, it conquered. It did its maleficent work with startling 

 rapidity. It spread all over the country like a swift and deadly 

 pestilence. A few weeks, and the Hollyhock was practically 

 "wiped out." Its lovers were in despair. A few cheerful spirits 

 prophesied a swift resurrection. In the somewhat grandiose words 

 of one writer of former days : " The eclipse is but a paltry shadow 

 that for a season blots the sun from the heavens. We may 

 reasonably hope to see the Hollyhock once more in its proper 

 splendour, the noblest occupant of the country garden." Alas for 

 the prophet! After more than a quarter of a century the shadow 

 still remains. Even if the fungus had lost its violence, or some 



