1844 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



115 



7n I NEWEST AND VERY REST FUCHSIAS, 

 VERBENAS, PETUNIAS, ANAGALLIS, &c. 



FOR 14S4. 



YOUELL wd CO. beg to refer the Readers of the 

 mtdtmrr'8 Chronicle to their Catalogue of the above, which 

 **mmd in this paper of last week, and will be founri to eon tain 

 SSTwielies onlv as are worthy of cultivation.-Great Yar- 

 South N»rsfry. Feb. 23. 1844. 



XI7ILLIAM MASTERS begs most respectfully to 



\\ inform the Nobility and Gentry of the United Kingdom 



.v.J i!2 onttes the Professions of LANDSCAPE-GARDENER and 



Uvu^FRYM fcN and this enables him to offer an extensive Col- 



N !J? B( J Coniferns Plant, as well as of the Hardy Ornamental 



JJ2ii and Shrubs cultivated in Britain, at very moderate prices. 



vvM also possesses a numerous Assortment of Hothouse and 

 rehouse Plants, many of the rarer species of Orchidaceae, 



'TJr.l new hvbrid Crinums, Rhododendrons, Azaleas inclica. 

 Camellias. Succulents, Pelargoniums, &c. &c— Exotic Nursery, 

 Canterbury. F eb., 1844. 



' " CHEAPER THAN EVER ! 



f T~ MILLER begs to inform his numerous Friends 



\ > • that he offers the.following Beautiful Plants cheaper 



Uit »ea*on, viz., ..„.., m e , 



12 Fine new distinct Fuchsias for /*. od. 



IS Splendid Verbenas 3 6 



l-iAnagaPs, fine sort 4 



Petunia Punctata, per Plant 7 6 



See Mr. M/s extensive List in last week's Chronicie, contain- 

 er ererj new variety.— Providence Nursery, Ramsgate. 



GarUenetV ©fjrontcle. 



SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1844. 



MRBTINOS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 



Whdnkkoav, Feb. 28 Society of Arts . ; 8 pm. 



PmmT, March 1 . Botanical ... 8 p.m. 



Moxoav, March i . Entomological . . 8 pm. 



., . . f Horticultural 

 TuaatMV, March 5 -{ LinniBan . . , 



3 p.m. 

 8 P.M. 



In pursuing the subject of Landscape Gardening, 

 and attempting in a plain manner to make principles 

 easily understood, we cannot too often repeat that we 

 must look to Nature as our instructress. Not only, 

 however, must we look to external, but to internal 

 nature; that is, into our own mental constitution. It 

 may not have occurred to some, that science, as well 

 aa art, is necessary to the exercise of Landscape-Gar- 

 dening ; and few, probably, have imagined that geo- 

 logy can aid us in tracing to their origin the most 

 sublime spectacles which Nature presents to our view. 

 A brief appeal to that science will not appear either 

 uninteresting or useless. 



Very little observation and inquiry is needed to sa- 

 tisfy us that the abode of man, this fair world, was 

 made in all respects fit for his residence before he was 

 called into existence. Geologists have observed the 

 effects of the various revolutions which this globe has 

 undergone— that destruction and renewal have been 

 never-ceasing operations— that they are the very basis 

 of creative design; and, when investigated, they ap- 

 pear to be the sources of all our enjoyment— startling 

 as to some the remark may seem. We are taught by 

 geology that what are called strata and rock were all 

 originally deposited in conformity with the curvature 

 of the earth. These have, at different periods, been 

 invaded and broken up by rocky matter in a state of 

 fusion ; and finally, it appears, from the extremely 

 disturbed state of the entire crust of the globe, and the 

 elevation of igneous rocks, that a tremendous force 

 acting from below upwards has dislocated the whole, 

 so that immense masses have been erected into the 

 forms of mountains and hills, while others have sunk 

 2 tne abysses left by the escape of the expansive 

 nuid, whicn was most probably steam. The bottom 

 oi ne ocean is as uneven as the surface of the earth : 

 and islands and volcanoes testify what has been done, 

 and by what agency. 



all th a ^ H! he ! 1, ? e t? nd ^ruction to be the origin of 

 S£i? a f dmirabIe in Landscape, so far as the un- 

 tinn ,1 ! ° f ll ! e surface ^ concerned. To this destruc- 



tion wp n „. fl f u vviiwwucu. a o mis uestruc- 



mountain th stu P endous > ragged, and snow-capped 



vallerand tK° Verhan 8 ing P reci P^ the lake" the 

 <7, and th* river. The elevation of the land 



causes w a ro« n ^vuivu oi uie lanu 



the nerT« f ? fl ? w ' and its Durban ce has caused 

 ft Is and I y , lts b «ng precipitated in the form of 

 lime and T F' ^during m any of the most sub- 



ou r WteiSado? SpeCtacles Whfch Nature offers t0 



T «thde2 d 2i at fi , rst view > a stran ge coalition ; ne- 

 fiublimitv^ u° Utdestruction > there could b e neither 

 *"* fatal tn ♦K aU , ty ; The association is unavoidable, 

 an <l beaut J a 6al theor y of Taste - To sublimity 



^ while L r i U , Ct ! 0n has been, and is still, and will 

 we find t k S ' the secant of all-work ; for 



*"> in the P U , US> in the Sunder — beneath 

 tu ^s wind I ™ T ak( V on every side, in the tempes- 



find " alone in T v! n the -?6 in e billows - Nor do we 

 <*"■ quiet an, rT lble of Nature's powers. In 



,te ers his nn. PeaC V ^ dome stic concerns destruction 

 ani »an i 8 fnr regarded cour se. The hand of the 

 Aerials to f er i at ?'° rk ' de stroying a part of his 

 men ^l ThI Ule remainder useful or orna- 



?P° n to cloth! P ° Wers T ? f fi re and of water are called 



Ji S hl 5 and fromtho ul\ C tion S ives us food and 

 8tal ne and tW i r ° U§h block of stone fashions the 



of '"an shoud h, Pl u Won <ierful ! that the faculties 

 fr °rn the effZl 7 bee n created to derive enjoyment 



ejects of what he dreads and shrinks from ! 



f To him an All-wise Intelligence has extended hi 

 ings which unlimited benevolence had designed. 

 Man, while uninformed, does shrink from destruction, 

 and knows that it awaits himself: but means are 

 placed within his reach, if he would but look for 

 them, by which, freed from all risk, he might goon 

 his way rejoicing, till, reaching the appointed goal, he 

 lays himself down in peace, and resigns his spirit to 

 Him who gave it. Yet, how blind is man ! The indul- 

 gence by one man of that curiosity which is implanted 

 in him by the Creator himself, is by another scouted 

 as vain philosophy ! If one man attempts to 

 turn to a new page of Nature's book, and dares to an- 

 nounce discovered truth, another speedily comes forth 

 to condemn even the opening of the book at all ; and 

 because truth oversets his prejudices and his dogmas, 

 instead of casting them away, he grasps them the 

 closer, and shouts aloud, in destructive spirit — 

 Infidel! Atheist! 



We beg pardon of the reader ; we were nearly 

 leaving our theme behind us, and plunging into a re- 

 gion where we have no present business. 



It is obvious that the last great breaking up of the 

 globe took place before man appeared upon it. He 

 was formed to enjoy the existing order of things— 

 what Nature presented in all her aspects, and adapted 

 as his race multiplied, to prefer the regions of per- 

 petual ice, or the heat of the equator. Animal and 

 vegetable life were constituted for every climate— for 

 every scene. The surface of the globe having been 

 fixed, after a convulsion of a magnitude that may 

 have changed its axis, (for we may trace the progress 

 of the rushing of waters which would certainly follow 

 such an event,) we find that, in the destruction of a 

 former surface, provision was made for the formation 

 of soil on the new one. Abundance of loose matter 

 was deposited, and in it vegetation commenced, 

 scanty at first. Plants drawing much of their suste- 

 nance from the atmosphere, lived and died after 

 rendering gaseous matter solid; and thus the soil 

 became gradually enriched, and in the course of 

 advancement towards litness to receive greater variety, 

 others we may suppose were supplied, till, at last, the 

 earth being covered by objects, some of the most 

 delicate beauty, some of stately magnificence, animal 

 life at length appeared, and all was prepared for the 

 being who was to enter on the splendid stage to admire 

 and to adore. — G. 



We are assured that many admirers of the Polyan- 

 thus flower are unsuccessful in itsmanagement, simply 

 because they do not study the habits of the plant. 

 It is next to impossible to grow it in a warm sunny 

 situation ; it may be done in early spring, but after 

 blooming time it is extremely susceptible of drought, 

 and exposure to a July sun lays it open to the attack 

 of red spiders, which is often fatal to it. The habitat 

 of its relation will give some idea in what manner 

 it ought to be treated. The " Pale-faced Primrose" 

 affects sunny banks, it is true, flowering at a season 

 when other vegetation has made but little progress. 

 But who sees Primroses after their blooms have 

 passed away ? Sheltered and hidden from the sum- 

 mer heat by the rank vegetation which usually springs 

 up around them, retiring, as it were, beneath the 

 friendly shade of Briars and overhanging bushes, they 

 escape the at tacks of those maladies to which their tribe 

 are subject when exposed. This, then, proves that 

 Polyanthuses may be grown to advantage in borders 

 fully exposed to the sun, provided, after a certain 

 period, they are artificially shaded. We have seen 

 them grown and flowered most beautifully by simply 

 having a moveable w shade placed on the north side of 

 the bed in the winter and early spring months, and 

 removed to the south side when the sun became too 

 powerful. The situation where we grow a choice col- 

 lection, is under a bank running due north and south ; 

 the bank is crowned with a thick hedge, and the sub- 

 soil is a strong retentive clay; on the east, the 

 border is overhune with Plum and other fruit-trees. 

 As a matter of course, till the trees are in full foliage, 

 the plants get the genial rays of the morning sun,which 

 in their early growth is so essentially necessary ; and 

 when they most need shelter, these trees, thickly 

 covered with verdure, give them the requisite protec- 

 tion, thus in a great measure imitating their natural 

 habits. 



A suitable situation is, we are convinced, half the 

 battle for the successful cultivation of Polyanthuses. 

 Often has it been our lot to witness the vain at- 

 tempts of people to grow them. They were unremitting 

 in their attention, and their composts were after the 

 most approved receipts ; still, all efforts appeared to be 

 attended with a sort of fatality, for after the plants 

 had flowered they began to assume a sickly hue, and 

 eventually became diseased and curled, arising from 



improper exposure and the subsoil being of too porous 

 a nature. 



These details may appear uncalled for to our more 

 practised Floricultural friends, but we are sure that 

 simplicity of description, joined to the repudiation of 

 all quackery, will do more to create a taste for these 



" gaily- laced (lowers, than the most elaborate and 

 highly-coloured delineations. 



We lately noticed a few of the leading varieties 

 which had at various times come under our observa- 

 tion, and to those who may not be conversant with the 

 properties required to constitute agood Polyanthus, or 

 show-flower, we will for their especial benefit and 

 information endeavour to describe them. 



The plant itself ought to he in fine robust health, 

 the leaves of a dark -green colour, the rib up the centre 

 of each being clean and semi-transparent. 'Ihe stem, 

 rising stoutly from the heart, should bear its truss of 

 flowers erect, without being "drawn'' or requiring 

 support ro enable it to stand. The pips or flowers 

 ought to be in number from five to fifteen, forming a 

 head slightly convex. Superficial observers would 

 suppose that the flower was composed of five distinct 

 leaves or petals. The corolla, however, is monope- 

 talous, with five deep segments, thus forming five 

 apparent petals. We have aeen diagrams at various 

 times representing the flower as having six segments; 

 but this is unusual ; when it does happen the blooms 

 have a crowded frilled appearance wholly at variance 

 with the flat even character, which is one of the 

 requisites desired by the best cultivators. The centre 

 of the flower must l>e of a fine clear yellow, more or 

 less intense, without those shades or streaks of reddish 

 brown, observable in some seedlin , and which is 

 very apparent in both the Cowslip and Primrose. 

 The tube is best when surrounded by a slight 

 collar, having, as it is technically termed, " a trumpet 

 eye," conspicuous in the old variety " Tantarara." 

 Some sorts are destitute of such distinction, but this 

 " moulding" as it may be styled, gives a decided 

 finish to that part of the flower. It is also requisite 

 that the thrums or stamens fill the tube, concealing 

 the stigma. This is a point of great importance, as how- 

 ever good its other properties may be, a show -flower in 

 which the stigma prominently occupies the centre — 

 when it is termed " Pin-eyed" — is considered worth- 

 less. The segments of the corolla must not cut 

 farther than the body colour or dark ground of the 

 petals ; should this be the case the yellow centre has 

 a cracked unsightly appearance, which is often the 

 defect in an old flower styled "The Yorkshire Regent." 

 The ground-colour [ought to bear a fair proportion to 

 the eye ; in some it is too small, take for instance 

 Lakin's George Canning, alias Clegg's Lord Crewe, in 

 which the yellow is out of proportion. As for shape, 

 the petals, if possible, ought to form as near as may be 

 a perfect circle : those varieties making the greatest 

 approach to this desideratum, of course are best; each 

 petal being margined with a clear yellow lace, similar 

 in colour to the eye, which also strikes from the cir- 

 cumference to the centre through the middle of each. 

 In some cases this lace is neat and even, as in Crown- 

 shaw's Invincible, Hufton's Squire Ray, and Cox's 

 Regent ; in others, broad and often coarse, as Nichol- 

 son's Gold Lace, and Hudson's Morning Star. There- 

 is yet another property we would allude to before 

 closing these remarks — it is indispensable that the 

 colours should retain their brilliancy to the last, or in 

 other words "die well." The lace or edge of some 

 varieties is apt to fade, and become of a different 

 shade to the eye of the flower, even when in a state of 

 apparent freshness ; this is a serious drawback on 

 the other good qualities, and we are sorry to record 

 that those two fine flowers, Fletcher's Defiance and 

 Nicholson's Bang Europe, are liable to this objec- 

 tion.- IF. ' 



____ 



It will be seen by an Advertisement in another 

 column, that the Meeting held last Saturday on 

 behalf of the late Mr. Loudon's family, promises u to 

 produce all the advantages that were anticipated from 

 it. The names of a large number of noblemen and 

 gentlemen were mentioned as having already become 

 purchasers of Mr. Loudon's works, and among them 

 those of Prince Albert, the Dukes of Devonshire, 

 Northumberland, Sutherland, and Leinster ; the 

 Marquesses of Northampton and Water ford ; the 

 Earls of Auckland, Fitzwilliam, Burlington, Radnor, 

 Derby, Fortescue, Mexborough, and Aboyne, with a 

 large number of other noblemen and gentlemen. 



A money subscription was also opened, with the 

 names of His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, Presi- 

 dent of the Horticultural Society, for 25/. ; J. Cook, 

 Esq., of Brookland, for 20/. ; Mr. Paxton,for 10/., &c; 

 and a Committee was appointed to carry into effect 

 the resolutions of the Meeting. We trust that the 

 example of London will be followed by Edinburgh 

 and Dublin. It gives us great pleasure to add, that 

 the sum subscribed, either in money or purchases of 

 books, since the subject was first mentioned in the 

 Gardeners Chronicle, now amounts to £014 11*. Od. 



RANUNCULUSES. 

 The following notes were taken / rom the private me- 

 morandum book of an extensive and success.^ cultivator 

 of that neat and beautiful Florists' Flower, the Ranun- 

 culus, and as the observations were penned in the sunny 

 hours of June, while the ardent admirers of this flower 

 were encircling their respective beds, eagerly investigating, 



