January 20, 1912.] 



THE GAUD EX Ell S Ch li XI CL E. 



37 



thickly and have a very pretty effect. Her- 

 mannia candicans is still bearing its vellow 

 flowers, which it first commenced to produce 

 early in June. I cannot find any mention of this 

 plant in the horticultural dictionaries, but as I 

 see all the other soecies are natives cf South 



clover-like foliage, studded with innumerable 

 fiowers of a delightful clear blue made a pretty 

 picture. As the winter advances, the colour of 

 its blooms deepens, and it will often flower until 

 the end of January if severe frost does not in- 

 tervene. At the present time it has numbers of 

 expanded flowers. Helleborus altifolius has pro- 

 duced a few flowers, but the plants had a ter- 

 rible experience in the past summer and were 

 aim st killed by the drought. Some plants lost 

 every leaf and may not recover. The Lapagerias, 

 rose coloured and white, flowered well until 

 November, but it is impossible as yet to say if bloom during the three years it has occupied its 



c 



* ■ 



Africa, I presume this one comes from the ss 

 locality. Arctotis aureola was in flower for 

 months together. The great plant of Pueraria 

 Thunbergiana, which has made growths 25 feet 

 in length against a 12-foot wall, did not produce 

 single flower and has never had 



a 



a 



tlG. 2X. — MOR^A SINENSIS: FLOWERS YELLOW, SPOTTED WITH SCARLET AND ORANGE 



ummer, bloomed well, but Camia iridiflora- 

 Ehemannii, though it generally flowers freely 

 every year, threw up not a single bloom-spike. 

 Wyndham Fitzhcrbert. 



NOTES FROM A FRENCH FLOWER GARDEN. 



The following notes on the flower-garden her© 

 during the past season may be interesting to 

 readers. The climate in this district is very 

 similar to that in the southern counties of Eng- 

 land, with perhaps the temperature averaging 

 two or three degrees higher. The summer here,, 

 as in Great Britain, was excessively hot and dry. 

 The flower beds are situated on ground that 

 slopes to the south, and we had very little rain 

 all through the summer, with the exception of a 

 heavy thunderstorm, which did more harm than 

 good, as the hail spoiled the tuberous Begonias 

 planted in six large beds. Dahlias were not a. 

 success until the middle of September. The few 

 flowers that did appear earlier were burnt before- 

 they had opened properly : those that developed 

 later were splendid. Antirrhinums were amongst 

 the most successful of bedding plants. The first 

 mass of flowers was superb, the following varie- 

 ties being especially good : — Orange King, Apri- 

 cot, and Bright Crimson, in the intermediate sec- 

 tion, while for supplying cut blooms Tall Crimson 

 and Tall Pink were both useful. After the first 

 flowers were over, the seed pods were removed, 

 but later for several weeks in August the blooms 

 were scorched up almost as soon as they opened, 

 notwithstanding that the plants were watered 

 frequently. Towards the end of September the 

 plants commenced to recover, and on October 23 

 the borders were a matt of flowers, Orange King 

 and Bright Crimson having larger and more in- 

 tensely-coloured flowers than J had ever seen. 



Gladioli were only of fair quality, the flowers- 

 being smaller than usual and passing all too- 



passing 



quickly. Lilium auratum was only partially suc- 

 cessful, the foliage being eaten by a small black 

 insect that both quassia extract and nicotine 

 tailed to destroy. Begonias of the fibrous-rooted 

 section were very good, Sutton's Crimson Gem 

 being the best coloured ; Vilmorin's Vernon was 

 also very fine. This variety is a stronger grower 

 than Crimson Gem, but the foliage is not so good. 

 Gracilis rouge also made a good show. 



Messrs. Sutton & Son's large flowered varieties 

 of crimson-purple and golden-yellow Salpiglossis 

 were much admired, especially a batch planted 

 on a raised bed. 



My experience with Asters was not satisfactory, 

 although two rows of Aster Sinensis, each 100 

 yards long, were very useful for furnishing a 

 supply of cut blooms. The season seemed an 

 almost ideal one for Marigolds, for they flowered 

 brilliantly all the summer and autumn. Sweet 

 Peas planted in full sunshine were very quickly 

 over, notwithstanding frequent picking of the 

 seed-pods and copious supplies of water. The 

 variety Helen Lewis, however, planted in a place 

 that was shaded from the sun's rays after 10 a.m., 

 was very successful, and so also was a large clump 



of Dodwell F. Browne. W. L. L., Sarthe,. 

 France. 



they will succeed permanently, as they were only 



MOR/EA SINENSIS. 



This brilliant Irid flowered with fine effect last 

 summer at Hythe, Kent, aided, doubtless, by the 

 favourable conditions of the season. Two small 



safely 

 under a wall in a south-west border, in rich soil. 



present position. It will be given one more plants received from France wintered 

 planted last April. The pretty little Cerato- year to see if the exceptionally hot and dry sum- 

 stigma Polhillii, referred to in my last article, mer of 1911 induces it to flower next season, and, 

 continued to produce its small, deep-blue flowers if it does not, it will be discarded. The excep- 



Ca-ssia 



tional drought of last summer has led to many 



Two flowering stems, about 15 inches high, were 

 thrown up, and in August came to maturity. As 

 is usual with the Moraeas, each flower lasted for 



is set with golden blossom, while Manettia bi- losses, chiefly in flowering shrubs. Amongst those 24 hours. The exceeding richness of the colour- 

 color is holding a few blooms and Correa car- that died w T ere Embothrium coccineum, since re- ing compensated in some measure for the com- 



dinalis has already commenced its display, a 

 dozen or more scarlet flowers being already ex- 

 panded. Olearia ramulosa is a very pretty 

 autumn-flowering shrub, and in the middle of 

 December was covered with its delicate 



parative smallness of the flower, which did not 

 exceed an inch and a quarter in breadth. The 



placed ; Leptospermum bullatum, now replaced 



by L. scoparium ; Gevuina avellana ; Romneya 



Coulteri, since replaced • Hamamelis arborea and prevailing hue was golden yellow, spotted and 



Daphne indica alba, both of which have now 



been renewed. Eerberidopsis oorallina, which 



streaked with vivid scarlet and orange. Seed was 

 abundant and ripened readily. T. Arnold Hyde, 





' 



little white flowers, that stud the branches so had abundant supplies of water all through the Ringinlowe Vicarage, Kent. 



