434 



JOURNAL OF HOSTICCLTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



[ December 6, 1S77 





count ten to five of the Geraniums, Calceolarias, and Vtr- 

 benas. The latter grew well — too well, as they exceeded all 

 proportional bounds, and after a week's sunshine they did 

 make a pretty good display; but one hour's rain completely 

 demolished it, and this occurring repeatedly brought the 

 minority of our plants into prominence and favour. These 

 consisted of Violas as flowering plants and some rich-foliaged 

 plants. 



Viola blooms are the very best flowers in existence for with- 

 standing rain, and the length of time they remain in bloom 

 and the quantity of flower they produce throughout the season 

 is surprising. They begin blooming early in May and con- 

 tinue a perfect masB until the end of October, let the weather 

 be either excessively cold, warm, or rainy. They always main- 

 tain a low compact habit of growth, and for " rliow," Gera- 

 niums, Calceolarias, and Verbenas at their vory best cannot 

 " put them in the shade." These remarks do not apply to or 

 reflect the opinion of one season nor one district, but to a 

 good many years now and many localities north and far south. 

 Apart from all this Violas have another strong, very strong, 

 recommendation — they are easily propagated, and the most 

 simple of all plants to cultivate. They will root and grow in 

 any ordinary soil, and in winter they must either have the 

 protection of a cold frame or the shelter of a wall, but what 

 they must never have is expensive artificial heat. Cuttings 

 may be inserted during any of the autumn months, and those 

 who cannot incur the trouble of doing this may leave the old 

 plants undisturbed in autumn and divide them and plant 

 afresh in April, about which time they may all be planted in 

 the positions they have to embellish during the summer and 

 autumn. 



The following are the names of those which I have found of 

 superior merit. They are classified according to their leading 

 colours : — White — Climax, Snowdrop, Pearl, Purity, Pilrig Park, 

 Snowflake, and Stricta alba. Purple — Vanguard, The Tory, 

 Prince of Wales, The Favourite, King of Bedders, Dickson's 

 King, Alpha, Acme, and Emperor. Yellow — Brilliant, Canary, 

 Dickson's Golden Gem, Grievi, Sovereign, and Stricta aurea. 

 Lilac — Lilacina and Multiflora amabilia. Violet — Koyal Visit, 

 and Amosna magnifica. 



Other "rain-proof" bedding plants capable of making an 

 attractive display are the different sorts of Iresinee, Mesem- 

 bryanthemum cordifolium variegatum, and the yellow Pyreth- 

 rum. One of the fineBt beds in our flower garden this season 

 was one in the form of a scroll and about 2 feet wide. The 

 centre of this was filled with Iresine Lindeni edged with 

 the Mesembryanthemum. Two other effective beds were 

 centred with Iresine Herbstii and edged with Pyrethrum. All 

 these plants make excellent combinations with the Violas. 

 These fine-foliaged plants were attractive from the day Ihey 

 were put out in May, and although much rain has fallen lately 

 they were just about as showy on the 24th of November as 

 they were in August. The Pyrethrum is easily raised from 

 seed, which may be sown now in a little heat to furnish plants 

 for planting out in April. Iresines are so easily propagated 

 that a plant may be raised from every joint. The Meeembry- 

 anthemum is a plant that may be raised true from seed, and 

 hundreds of cuttings may be had from a few old plants lifted 

 in autumn and kept in a temperate place until spring. Per- 

 haps there are other foliaged plants which might be added to 

 these, but those who employ the plants named will not have 

 cause to complain of the rain spoiling their flower garden. — 

 A Flower Gardener. 



EOSE SHOWS. 



I sincerely hope that the National and every other metro- 

 politan show committee will carry out the suggestion made by 

 " A Lover oe Eose Shows," and provide classes for nurserymen 

 and amateurs living within a short distance of the City. 



There is one other point in the arrangement of Eose show 

 schedules which has always somewhat surprised me — that is, 

 that, unlike almost all dog, poultry, and other shows, the 

 names of the judges are never printed thereon. I think if 

 they were it would be a guide to intending exhibitors. In this 

 way " Wild Savage " wrote in the Journal a short time ago — 

 " Mr. Turner has several times spoiled his stand by putting in 

 a treble of Paul Neyron," or words to that effect. Judging 

 from this I should suppose that Mr. Turner likes this Eose, 

 and that " Wyld Savage " very much dislikes it; therefore, if 

 I saw from the schedule of a show at which I intended to 

 compete that " Wtld Savage " was to be the principal judge 



I should not put in a Paul Neyron if I could possibly get 

 another Eose, while, on the other hand, if I saw Mr. Turner's 

 name as leading judge, if I had at all a decent bloom of this 

 variety I should insert it. There are many other cases in 

 which the knowledge of the names of the judges would be of 

 assistance to competitors. — Exhibitor. 



THE CLEMATIS. 



Clematises are all beautiful, and are becoming so numerous 

 that the time has arrived to make selections instead of form- 

 ing exhaustive collections, at any rate for gardens of ordinary 

 extent. 



Who is there that does not admire our own native wilding 

 C. vitalba, better known in some localities by its familiar 

 title of Traveller's Joy ? I have seen old lodgeB over which it 

 has crept completely enveloped in a cloud of its long silvery 

 bearded seed clusters, and it is even more ornamental when 

 hanging, as it sometimes does, in wreaths and festoons among 

 the branches of trees. It sometimes rambles so far and forms 

 such a dense tangled growth, that in some parts of Kent where 

 it is thus found growing among the underwood the woodcutters 

 term it " Poor Man's Hindrance." Not only for woodland 

 walks should it be employed, but any suitable position, however 

 prominent. I saw nothing more beautiful at Pentillie Castle 

 in Cornwall than a huge cluster of it that had climbed over 

 an old tree in the midst of the dresEed grounds. 



Equally beautiful in its way — much more so in the eyes of 

 many, but with a beauty that is more fleeting — is the Hima- 

 layan species, C. montana. Its white flowers open in spring 

 in such dense clusters that they may be compared to a snow 

 wreath, and, unfortunately, in unfavourable weather the com- 

 parison holds good as to their duration. Such was the case in 

 the spring of the present year, but usually they continue in 

 full beauty for some weeks. It grows with singular rapidity, 

 and its stout pliant branches possess the important merit of 

 retaining the abundant foliage in its green state throughout 

 winter. Another familiar old specieE — very old, but worthy to 

 rank with our choicest hybrids, is C. flammula, brought over 

 from France ages ago. Its so-called white flowers have a 

 decided yellow tinge, cluster quite as thickly as the Indian 

 species, are in full beauty in August, and, best of all, have a 

 delicious and delicate perfume. 



Few genera have a wider distribution, almost every country 

 having one national species, some many. North America has 

 its Traveller's Joy; Japan, among numerous other floral 

 treasures, gives us C. fiorida and C. patens, from both of which 

 we have numerous garden hybrids, and a Btill greater number 

 from the Chinese species C. lanuginosa. 



Coming back to Europe again we have the Spanish speoies 

 C. viticella, which with its four .varieties casrulea, plena, pur- 

 purea, and tenuifolia has long been known in this country, and 

 from these, too, we have some few fine garden hybrids. I am 

 not, however, writing a history of the Clematis, and need not 

 therefore enumerate species that are more curious than orna- 

 mental, or which have become insignificant beside the varie- 

 ties raised during the last eight or ten years, and of which I 

 may now usefully select a few worthy fo associate with Jack- 

 manni. Of such I will take Miss Bateman, a spring-flowerirjg 

 variety of the patens type, with white flowers having a central 

 stripe of pale yellow along each petal. Velutina purpurea, of 

 the Jackmanni type, very dark in colour, which may be described 

 as a rich dark crimson. Lord Londesborough, with rich 

 mauve-coloured maroon-striped flowers. Mrs. S. C. Baker, a 

 charming kind with pretty delicate pink flowers. The Queen, 

 another of the patens type, with pale lavender flowers. 

 Thomas Moore, a distinct and novel variety with flowers of a 

 peculiar and pleasing shade of violet, and with white stamens. 

 Fair Eosamond, a sweet-scented variety with pretty white 

 flowers tinged and striped with red. Vesta, creamy white, 

 with conspicuous dark Btarnens. Lucie Lemoine, with fine 

 white double rosette-like flowers ; and the still finer double 

 lavender-blue variety Countess of Lovelace. There are some 

 dozens of others ranging through a wide gradation of colour 

 which cannot be noticed here, and I will add no more to the 

 few choice kinds I have named, for if I were to begin wading 

 among the many shades of crimson, lavender, purple, and 

 white it would only serve to confound those whom I wish to 

 assist. 



A very general and ardent wish to understand and master 

 its propagation is a natural outcome of the popularity which 

 the Clematis now enjoys ; and among the several methods that 



