TO 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 27, 1876. 



well-ripened Muscat of Alexandria. I can therefore safely pre- 

 dict from what I saw of it that it will prove to be a valuable 

 white companion to Lady Downe's or Alicante. 



The Vine appears to be a vigorous grower, judging from the 

 wood it had made the preceding season. As but little artificial 

 heat was used, the berries had not assumed that deep yellow 

 colour characteristic of Golden Queen; bat that will easily be 

 remedied by subjecting it to a warmer temperature. Even 

 •when grown under the coolest treatment possible the flavour 

 was very rich and satisfying. — A. W., Lincoln. 



VERBENAS AS CUT FLOWERS. 

 Nearly everything that was exhibited at South Kensington 

 was alluded to in your report of the Show, yet there was one 

 omission — the cut flowers of Verbenas exhibited by Mr. Turner. 

 The Rose3 at the Show were — well, they were regal ; the Car- 

 nations and Picotees were splendid, and the trusses of zonal 

 Geraniums were brilliant or gaudy, according to taste; but the 

 Verbenas were charming, or as a lady visitor observed, " sweetly 

 beautiful." Here we had a greater range of colour than any 

 ether collection of flowers afforded — bold, yet chastely formed, 

 and delicately perfumed. White, pink, cerise, scarlet, crimson, 

 maroon, lilac, blue, mauve, and purple were all represented in 

 this attractive collection of Verbenas. 



In some places Verbenas do not succeed when planted in the 

 garden. This is especially so in light soils and dry districts, 

 and even where they do flourish some varieties can never be 

 seen to advantage unless they have the protection of glass — 

 protection of which they are eminently worthy ; for what does 



■it amount to ? — simply a cold frame, so many of which remain 



idle during the summer months. I know from much expe- 

 rience how well a few spare lights can be occupied in protecting 



' Verbenas which are grown for producing flowers for cutting. 

 I know how tho3e flowers are valued by those who possess 

 them, and admired and even coveted with a pardonable if 

 not commendable sort of covetousness by others who inspect 

 them. For many years I have grown cut flowers for ladies of 

 taste ; and next to Roses, and standing, I think, higher than 

 Pinks and Carnations, Verbenas are the most prized. These 



'■Verbenas are grown mostly under glass — grown in pots in spare 

 frames. Most easy is the cultivation of VerbenaB in this way, 

 most certain are they in producing a profusion of flowers, and 

 most welcome are they for the ladies' boudoir and drawing-room. 

 liiven stout healthy plants in spring, they only require pot- 

 ting in sound soil in 5 or 6-inch pots, to be kept free from 

 insects, and be duly supplied with water. Insects are easily 

 killed, or, what is better, prevented by fumigation and occa- 

 sionally syringing with soft-soap water. The plants should be 

 placed on or partially plunged in ashes in a frame facing north, 

 and from which the lights should be removed for some hours 

 every evening, drawing them off when the plants are watered, 

 and leaving them off even all night in fine weather. The 

 quantity of flowers that can be cut from about twenty plants 

 is something surprising — that is, if the plants are well sup- 

 ported. A few plants when not cut from will if neatly trained 

 make beautiful decorative objects. But it is for affording flowers 

 for room decoration that Verbenas in pots are so valuable and 

 recommendable. All who have a demand for cut flowers in 

 summer should grow Verbenas in this certain and easy manner. 

 The flowers, however, are not good travellers, but when cut 

 and placed in water immediately they last quite long enough. 



A frame full of healthy plants cannot fail to be found most 

 tiseful; but if the plants are neglected and insects are allowed 

 to feed on them, or if water is not given freely and the growth 

 becomes hard, then are Verbenas unsightly and disappointing. 



'Grow them well and Verbenas in pots will give a reward. The 

 following excellent varieties I noted as being exhibited at 

 South Kensington : — Annie, Apollo, B. A. Hallam, Black Prince, 

 Celestial Blue, Christine, Crystal Palace, Edwin Day, Fire- 

 fly, Fairy, Florence, Geant des Batailles, King of Lilacs, Lord 

 Raglan, Magniflcens, Nemesis, Prince of Wales, Queen of 

 Whites, Rev. C. P. Peach, Rbv. P. M. Smith, Apology, Duke 

 of Edinburgh, The King, Claudiana, Lady of Lome, and Lady 

 Ann Spiers. — A Visiiob. 



STRINGING. 



Referring to this subject, I may state that while going 



through the houses at Drumlanrig the other day the young 



man in charge of the plant stove there was closing this place in 



the afternoon and giving the plants a thorough drenching over- 



head with a strong garden engine, and Mr. Thomson remarked 

 to us that that was the best of all the insecticides. As to the 

 condition and appearance of the plants, I have seen specimen 

 plants at the London shows and elsewhere, and new and rare 

 kinds in many localities, but I have never seen such healthy 

 well-grown plants as the stock at Drumlanrig at the present 

 time. I need not mention one kind of plant in particular ; 

 from the smallest to the largest, and from the newest to the 

 oldest, without a single exception, every one of them is a first- 

 rate example of high culture. Many of the Palms and Crotons 

 are very large in size, and large quantities of small and middle- 

 Bized plants are grown for room decoration in the Castle. — 

 A Midland-Counties Reader. 



WACHENDORFIA THYRSIFLORA. 

 Wachendorfias are bulbous-rooted plants from the Cape of 

 Good Hope, but they are not commonly found in cultivation, 



Fig. 7.— "Wachendorfia thjr6iflora. 



possibly because bulbs from Holland are so plentiful and varied 

 and withal so easily cultivated that others more or less ob- 

 scure are not much sought for. Wachendorfias are, however, 

 both distinct and attractive, and are worthy of being included 

 in the collections of those who appreciate plants of this nature. 

 In general character they are not very dissimilar to some of 

 the Scillas, but in colour they are totally different. In the 

 Scillas the prevailing colour is blue, in the Wachendorfias it is 

 yellow. There are a few exceptions — for instance, W. hirsuta 

 is violet, and W. brevifolia is purple, but nearly all the species 

 are yellow, inoluding the one now figured, W. thyrsiflora. 

 This is a very old species, having been introduced more than a 

 century ago. 

 The plants are of easy culture, the bulbs only requiring to be 



