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January 20, 1912. 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



53 



have it true to nature. A quaint old 

 took gives this : The snowdrop is a -.special 

 lavourite of all who are acquainted with 

 the English language, and who have heard 

 of its appearance amid the snows of win- 

 ter. Still more is it to be prized by those 

 whose eyes are cheered by the first arrival 

 in gardens, groves, and shrubberies when 

 yet partially covered with a white mantle 

 of Xatui'e's own weaving. '^''1^^ ^inrxMi^Ai-r^r^ 



is the earnest of 



The snowdrop 

 it is the fore- 



spring, 



runner of that glorious train of flowers in 

 which follow on in rapid succession the 

 various beauties which Flora itself brings 

 before our enchanted gaze month by 

 ii^onth. Who C5\n look upon the snowdrop 

 without feeling a thrill of renewed plea- 

 sure and joy? Who can see its drooping 

 pearly head without his own heart rising 

 in grateful joy at its assurance of return- 

 ing spring? Hence we have a sympathy 

 with the snowdrop apart from a!l other 

 flowers Avhich claim our love and care later 

 on in the year." 



And now for its other names, for Galan- 

 thus nivalis, the common snowdrop^ has 

 been called the early bulbous violet,' and 

 Fair Maids of February (natural order. 

 Amaryllidacee), one of the most charming 

 members of the British Flora, a native of 

 our fields, woods, and orchards, so beauti- 

 ful to be beyond description, and fortu^ 

 nately m common as to need none. It be 

 longs to a noble order of bulbous plants, 

 the genera of which are numerous, as are 

 ihv >pecies, too, in perhaps an increased 

 ])roi)f}rtion, comparatively few are hardy in 

 our climate, and very few indeed are na- 

 tives of this country, so that in this respect 

 the snowdrop, if not a rare flower ' 



IS a 



ra r( 



representative in our Flora of the 

 order Amaryllidacpe. It may be useful to 

 give a few of the better known senera to 

 which galanthus 



IS so nearly 

 ^^niaryllLs, crinum, vallota 

 Jdstromeria, and 



related, 



pancratium, 

 The last- 



narc:ssus. . 



named is more nearly allied than any of 

 tlie other genera mentioned. Not only 

 tloes the narcissus resemble the snowdrop 

 in style, early period of bloom, and habit 

 01 becoming double, but also in the general 

 nar< iness of its species, a feature not usual 

 to their order. The literal meaning of the 



The title, 



by 



e r . 



\\' a s 



gn^en 



t" its 



sweetness, 



Ji<:"onc 11 a mo is "milk floM 

 "itli a pleasing reference, 

 i^nnmxs. The specific name, meaning 



^ r fi^^^^J, reasons seem iinneees- 



'iry : first because milk is white (or should 

 ■ ami because no other than white- 



•KHUTPd species are known. AH the three 

 ^niDKm names are happy ones; snowdrop 



. ' Pan- Mauls of Fehruary are apprc!- 



l'""->- b,dlu,)is violet, plelisantlv alludes 



vorv ^1 r r"' ^"^i thev liave a 



< Hua e and exquisite perfuuu^ which 



if f I 1 ^' i""."'^ spring-all are poetical 

 «n Vff had the s; 



who'fi^T^^ (inchuling Lin: 



flo^^^r *'!?/^"<'^r^^»0P was that of " C4illo. 

 natural hi f P ''^"'^"'' ^'-^t^^'- «f 



ago. " thousand one humlred years 



The 



, 7 ' ' t)e planted by thou- 



a n \ 



same etfer-t 



'^iilbs should 



Sf N (r, 



'^aiKls wlier. 



'^■'"1 <^f '^oi? ''IIIP,^''-'^ in almost a.,v 



^ -»I t .e d.niand for their blossom^ 

 '•'^ w. : ^'id suowdorps 



the ,,: r'l.^T'' ^'nd in 



P'n>.. and ' A \ 



Tl 



^"'uilvfnis 



'"^^ IS the 



hotli of iov 

 flower 



and the 



>-orro\v. 



'^'^^-^^ of t]„ uiyy trembles to the 



H. C. Philbrick. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



MRS. BULLIVANT. 



We were much interested in the hand- 

 some single-flowered chrysanthemum that 

 Mr. Cresswell, of the Holmwood Gardens, 

 Eden Park, Beckenham, contributed to the 

 second of the two meetings held by the 

 Royal Horticultural Society in Decemlier 

 last. Tlie distinctive merits of the variety 

 fully justify it receiving a full share of 

 attention^ but it was of special interest to 

 us as representing a type of flower that we 

 believe has a promising future. All the 

 single varieties that have blooms of good 

 form are more or less attractive, but in 



many cases the beauty of the blooms is curity. One can hardly realise in these 



THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW 



YEAR. 



With the opening of the Xew Year the 

 work of the garden enters upon a phase of 

 activity, which will increase as rapidly as 

 the days lengthen. Mental as well as 

 ma.nual activity is the requirement of the 

 moment. Much has to be ai-ranged for the 

 coming spring and summer, and any delay 

 or hesitation now will be felt tenfold later 



on. 



procrastination 



garden work, and happy is lie who is alert 

 to the requirements of the times. 



At the moment of \vriting the mildness of 

 the season lulls one into a.' feeling of se- 



discounted by a somewhat prominent disk 

 of a green-yellow hue. In this case the 



mild days that we are in January ; it rather 

 seems like early autumn, so un-wintrv are 



CHRYSANTHEMUM MRS. BULLIVAXT. 



\ distinct single variety, raised by Mr. Cresswell, with anemone centre, and of a 



pleavsr-iig lilac-rose hue. 



ordinary yelloAv disk has disappeared, and 

 is replaced by a central cluster of florets 

 that, like those forming the outer fringe, 

 are of a bright lihic-rose hue, and, in com- 

 bination with them, produce a pleasing 

 effect. To those who appreciate the ele- 

 gance of the single chrysanthemums, but 

 have ail object'on to the yellow disks, this 

 varietv, which is known as Mrs. Bulbvant. 

 Avill l)e es])ec:ally weh'ome. and in their in- 

 terest, and indeed of clu vsanthemum-lovers 

 gtMiei'ally, we hope to have the o])p()it unity 

 of record ng tlu^ in t rod u:- 1 ion ot" otlier 

 \arieties of a sinu'lar character. 



CHIIVSANTHKMrM-.- Ki.r full instnirtion- on thr 

 Culture nf K;ir! v-fli>n\M"iiiL'' ( lirv.- )nth< uiuius iu hi'A- 



tlic Scomtl Ivditiini <f rinfvsAXTMFMr>ts fou fiAiuux 

 VXD GitEKNHorsE, bv 1). B. Vrtxnw fM. nt-t: 



or l)y i>ost 3^s. ICd., friini W. H. :md T.. Coliingridyt', 

 148 and 149, Ahler^g-jite- stret^t. London. 



the conditions. The rovk garden reveals 

 the rapidity of ni-ovenient Jind the need for 

 pushing work forward, A mass of Litho- 

 spermum prostratum is in fuU flr,wer, giv- 

 ing its exquisite touch of blue at a very 

 early date. Potenti'Ia alba is also fully out, 

 the tiny cups of white being very accept- 

 able. GtMinis. ( >pr :*ially nii;nt:i nuni and 

 giganteuni, are lifiiiig iht^i' golden flowers 

 nliove tlio grtMMi leafag(\ and Aubrietia Dr. 

 Mu'i's is bt^iiinnin':: to cover itself with 



beautv. 



Rock gar<len subjects are all very much 



on the niovt*. and point to a fine s])ring dis- 

 ]il:;y. This t oniiiiu spring will undnuhttxlly 

 a further exteuNion of the cultivation 

 of r(;;'k plants. Su:h a widt^spread interest 

 is now taken in tlie-(^ iriMii> of the mountain 

 and the wild, that \\ v are in <langer of being 

 overwhelmed bv an over-sufiicieney of varie- 



