296 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 281. 



DiSA Veitchii. — This hybrid maintains the high opinion 

 formed of it when it was first shown by its raisers, Messrs. 

 Veitch & Sons. It is easily grown in a cold greenhouse or 

 frame, and it flowers freely in May or June, the tall spikes 

 of large rosy flowers lasting a long time — six weeks at least. 

 Messrs. Backhouse & Sons, of York, exhibited plants of it 

 in flower last week. They have been raised in the York 

 nurseries from seeds obtained by crossing D. racemosa and 

 D. grandiflora. „. .„ ^ 



London. W. WuiSOTl. 



Cultural Department. 



Hardy Bulbous Plants. 



TRILLIUM STYLOSUM is a very interesting species from 

 the southern Alleghany Mountains. In size it is a little 

 smaller than our T. grandifloriun, but with me the flowers are 

 far more durable than those of any other species. In a bed of 

 a thousand bulbs, which had the disadvantage of being set last 

 spring instead of the previous August or September, which 

 would have given them time to have become partially estab- 

 lished, there were flowers for fully six weeks. At first these 

 flowers were white, or slightly tinged with rose color, but with 

 age they turned to a darker rose, and after a little time they 

 were of many shades, varying from nearly white to a deep rich 

 rose. As it turns to a darker shade, T. grandiflorum always 

 acquires an aged look, and the petals become shriveled a little 

 at first turning, but the texture of T. stylosum is much firmer, 

 and the flowers are often fresh in appearance after they become 

 quite dark. The flower is only a little smaller than that of T. 

 grandiflorum, and I am inclined to think the durability of its 

 flowers, with the greater variety of shades, will, when it is bet- 

 ter known, bring it into great favor. It evidently likes shade, 

 or, at least, a place where only a sprinkling of sunlight can 

 reach it. I have never wintered it here, but I have no doubt 

 of its hardiness. It takes so cheerfully to cultivation, and does 

 so much lietter the first season than our Painted Trillium (T. 

 erythrocarpum), that I am greatly pleased with it. 



Zephyranthes stricta, a Mexican species now in flower, is an 

 odd one. Its flowers, which are white above, and slightly 

 tinged with rose beneath, are often three inches wide, and only 

 one or two inches above ground. In fact, some of them rest 

 on the ground, while many are only half an inch or an inch 

 above its surface. The seed-capsules, now forming from the 

 first blooms, are often underground. The leaves, though 

 short, are much above the flowers. It is a free bloomer, and 

 the flowers are more durable than in most species. Z. Lind- 

 leyana and Z. verecunda are taller species, with rose-colored 

 flowers an inch or more wide. In Z. verecunda the flowers are 

 only pale rose, but Z. Lindleyana has flowers of a darker and 

 richer shade. Both are free bloomers in this climate, and do 

 finely. 



Tigridia violacea is the first of many species to flower. It is 

 a charming little plant, the flowers lasting only a short time. 

 In size they vary from one to two inches in width and are of a 

 violet-purple color. A clay loam suits it better than sand. In 

 size I should judge it to be about half-way between T. bacci- 

 fera and T. Van Houtteii. ,^ ,,. ,,. . , 



Charlotte, vt. F- H. Horsford. 



Bulbous Plants for Conservatories. 



A JUDICIOUS selecflon of bulbous plants will help greatly 

 to brighten the conservatory at all seasons, and some of 

 these plants are among the best for cut flowers. The value of 

 the various Dutch bulbs needs no further comment now, but 

 there are many old, but comparatively little-grown, bulbous 

 plants, especially among the Amaryllidaceae, that deserve 

 much more attention than they now receive. Vallota pur- 

 purea is one of these, a showy plant, easy to manage, and re- 

 quiring little heat. It is an evergreen, and, consequently, does 

 not require the complete drying off necessary to ripen many 

 bulbs. It should, therefore, be repotted immediately after the 

 flowering season, which comes in late summer or early 

 autumn. It is not essential to repot A'allotas every season, for 

 after these plants become well established in large pots it is 

 not necessary to disturb them for several years, an occasional 

 renewal of the surface soil being all that they will then require. 

 Drainage of the pots should always be free, and a suitable soil 

 is one of good loam, with some sand and a fair allowance of 

 thoroughly decayed manure. 



There are some showy species of Haemanthus which are 

 useful for conservatory decoration, and though several of 

 them have long been in cultivation, yet they are still some- 



what unusual in general collections. H. sanguineus, tiie 

 Blood-flower, is a handsome plant, a strong grower, with sev- 

 eral large strap-shaped leaves a foot or more in length, and a 

 stout spike that is crowned with an almost circular head of 

 scarlet flowers. These are not large individually, but in the 

 mass are quite showy, the long projecting stamens giving the 

 head of flowers a graceful feathery appearance. H. multiflorus 

 is another good plant of somewhat similar habit to the one 

 just named, but having flowers of a duller hue. These plants 

 require a complete rest after the growth is finished, and 

 flourish in a temperature of about sixty degrees. 



Griffinia hyacinthina is another fine bulbous plant, when well 

 grown. It requires a slighfly higher temperature than the 

 last-named for the best results. It somewhat resembles a 

 Eucharis when not in flower, but its leaves are narrower. It 

 is evergreen and throws up spikes of violet flowers, bell- 

 shaped and of fair size. 



Eucharis grandiflora and E. Candida are well known, though 

 in many places they do not give their fifll quota of flowers, 

 because they do not get rest enough. In the cultivation of 

 Eucharis it is not essential that they should be dried off to 

 siich a degree that they lose all their foliage, but by giving 

 them less water and a lower temperature after the growth has 

 been made for a time, they give a larger crop of flowers, and 

 repeat the crop at least three flmes in a year. The two species 

 noted are decidedly the best of the genus, but in buying E. 

 grandiflora, the best variety ought to be selected. This has 

 much longer foliage and of a darker color than that of the in- 

 ferior sort that is frequently sold as E. grandiflora. E. Can- 

 dida much resembles E. grandiflora in foliage, but the flowers 

 are only about one-half as large, though very beautiful and 

 frequently useful as cut flowers, where the larger species 

 would be unsuitable. 



Some of the Crinums are also good plants for our purpose, 

 though rather large for a small collection. Among the best 

 are C. amabile and C. Moorei, both of which can be grown 

 well in a cool house, and after reaching a proper size they are 

 almost sure to flower every spring or summer. Lachenalia 

 pendula and L. orchidioides are among the old-fashioned 

 plants seldom seen now, but both make very pretty objects 

 when in flower, while the last also has handsome foliage as 

 well. Several of the bulbs should be planted in a pot or small 

 pan, for the plants do not become very large, and thus treated 

 they make a pleasing variety among small flowering plants. 

 Cool treatment is best for the Lachenalias, and after flowering 

 they should be kept cool and dry to ripen the bulbs. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. TapHfl. 



The Water-garden. 



SENECIO JAPONICUS, now in flower, is a perfectly hardy 

 Groundsel, which requires a deep moist soil. It is a first- 

 rate plant in a posiflon near the water-garden, where bold 

 plants with a sub-tropical effect are required. The leaves are 

 broad and deeply divided into five or six lobes, each lobe be- 

 ing finely cut. The stems are about five or six feet tall and 

 surinounted with heads of deep yellow com posite flowers about 

 three inches iri diameter, with orange centres, which are at- 

 tractive. But the plant is more especially useful for its dis- 

 tinctness. Now that much interest is taken in the planting of 

 water-margins, effective plants for such positions are coming 

 into request, and reliably hardy ones, of course, are most suit- 

 able and satisfactory. There are few places on a large estate 

 where the landscape-gardener has an opportunity to make as 

 attractive plantings as those near ornamental water, and there 

 are no others which, when well done, prove so universally 

 pleasing. Unfortunately, there seems to be a tendency here, 

 as elsewhere, in the garden, to produce bizarre effects by high- 

 colored plants and flowers, which are usually overcrowded. 

 Playing to the groundlings is by no means confined to the 

 theatre, apparently. Every piece of ornamental water will re- 

 quire a careful study and special planting to emphasize its 

 beauties, for, of course, there will be sometimes extremes from 

 surroundings of bogs and wet places for Sedges, Grasses and 

 Flags, to dry rocks, where alpines and drought-loving plants 

 would prove an attractive foil to the limpid water. No one who 

 has seen the brilliant Cardinal-flowers in swampy lands would 

 say that high-colored flowers are never effecdve near water, 

 yet the general tone of water-views should be quiet, with vary- 

 ing bits of color during the season, the principal effect be- 

 ing from beauty of form and in the rich coloring of foliage 

 rather than in its variegation. 



Another effective broad-leaved plant is the gigantic Meadow 

 Sweet, Spiraea Kamschatkiana, which carries large panicles 'of 

 white flowers at a height of seven feet. This is rather ragged 



