70 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



January 27, 1912. 



of flowering, it- often happens that a cer- 

 - ain number of seeds are matured. Thcs^> 

 should be looked for about August, for if 

 not gathered as soon as ripe, the frj^its 

 burst, and the black seeds disappear. Tlie 

 foPowing species, one from North America 

 and the others from China and Japan, may 



be obtained. 



H. arborea is a Japanese species, which 

 was introduced by Messrs. J. Veitch and 

 Sons many years jvgo. In Japan it is 

 said to sometimes attain a height of 30 



found in American :Medicinal Barks," by 

 Alice Henkel. So far as flowers are con- 

 cerned it is less ornamental than the 



Asiatic kinds. 

 Kew. 



W. Dallimore. 



or 40 feet. Here it is doubtful whether 

 those dimensions will be attained, though 

 it will grow 20 feet high under favourable 

 conditions. The leaves are more or less 

 ovate in shape, and up to 3^ inches in 

 length. The flowers are borne in Januaa-y 

 from short growths of the previous year's 

 MOod and each one has four narrow golden 

 twisted petals, and an equal number of 

 sepals which are brown on the outer side 



and red inside. 



H. japonica is so like tlie last-namied in 

 most respects that the former is often made 

 a variety of it. It is usually less tree-like 

 in habit, has weaker growth, and the 

 sepals and petals are less highly coloured. 

 Sargent, in the ^'Forest P'lora. of Japan," 

 p. 42, speaks of it as a common forest shrub 

 and says that its leaves turn yellow in 

 autumn, whilst those of another kind (H. 

 arborea) turn deep vinous red. The variety 

 Zuccariniana is distinguislied by its 

 lemon-coloured petals. 



H. mollis is the best of all the species, 

 so far as decorative value goes, and it 

 is still the rarest. Curiously enough, it 

 had been in cultivation in this country 

 for 20 years before its true value became 

 known. It was discovered by Charles 

 Maries in the Kiu-kiang district of China, 

 and was sent by him to 'Messrs. J. Veit<'h 

 aaul Sons about 1879. The first descrip- 

 tion of the shrub, however, was prepared 

 from one of Dr. Henry's specimens co'- 

 kK'ted in Hupeh, This appeared m 

 Hooker \s Icones Plantarum," No. 17,42, 

 in the volume for the years 1887-1888. It 

 trrows naturally into a large bush or small 

 tree, sometimes 30 feet high. The rounded 

 or ovate leaves are 4 to 5 inches long 



and 3 inches or more wide, and they 

 covered on the under surface by a dense 

 mass of stellate hairs. The golden, prim- 

 rose-scentcnl flowers are very showy, and 

 differ from those of other species by their 

 flat petals, with hooked ends. They ap- 

 pear during December and January. It 

 grows freely, and flowers well even when 



quite small. i tt i 



H virginica is the common \V itch Hazel 

 of Eastern North America. In its native 

 countrv it is usually mot with as a busn 

 8 to 15 feet in height, but where specially 

 wrli placed, it may attain a height of 2o 

 feet. In our guldens are familiar with 

 it as a wi(h»-s])r(V!diiig hush 6 to 8 feet 

 hi<rh. Tho <ival leaves are 3 to 5 inches 

 long, with undu'atrfl margins. The flowers 

 often appear in Si^ptt^mht r about the time 

 the leaves begin to assume their golden 

 colour previous to falling. In America, the 

 flowering time is said to a coup'e ot 

 months later. A great deal depends, how- 

 ever, on the place whore the plant is grow-- 

 ing. The bark of the \yitch Hazel is col- 

 lected in America, and used in the prepara- 

 tion of ointments, lotions, etc., for applving 

 to wounds and for other purposes. I he 

 name of Witch Hazel is said to have been 

 given partly on account of its resemblancp 

 to the hazel and partly by reason of forked 

 branches being used as divining rods, with 

 tln' holicf that tlu-y were endowed with the 

 ]m\\i'V of in<li<'alin<i the position of hidden 

 treasure, wr.ter, etc. Au a<i-ount of the 

 American Witch Hazel and its uses is to be 



SOME WINTER^FLOWERING 



IRISES* 



The fragrant blossoms of the beautiful 

 winter-flowering Iris stylosa.. are highly ap- 

 preciated, opening as they do in mid-win- 

 ter when outside flowers are so scarce. The 

 plant is perfectly hardy, but the flowers 

 are very delioate in texture, so that it is 

 advisable to afford some .protection to pre- 

 vent the frosts or rains from spoiling them. 

 If planted by themselves in a narrow shel- 

 tered border, where a frame can be placed 

 over the plants, an abundance of loveay 

 blossoms can be obtained. In the event t 

 the necessary protection being inconvenient 

 or impossible, the flowers should be cut in 

 the bud state, when they will freely open 

 in water, if placed in a greenhouse. The 

 colour is a lov<dy shade of blue, with yellow 

 blotches. A warm sheltered position should 

 be afforded the plauts, a;nd any well- 

 drained, fairly light soil is suitable for 

 their cultivation. There are several forms, 

 having varying shades of blue, and one 



white variety. 



Iris reticulata is an early-flowermg bul- 

 bous species, with daU'k riolet flowers, which 

 are marked with bright yellow. These 

 usually open in February. The stems reach 

 the height of about six or eight inches, 

 and are produce^l before the foliage has 

 much advanced. It is a beautiful little 

 flower for decorative purposes, especially 

 when used in small glaisses. A warm shel- 

 tered sunny position will be found suitable 

 if a lighty sandy soil is provided. If planted 

 ill wet spots the bulbs will frequently de- 

 cay during the summer, the light soil being 

 more conducive to thorough ripening which 

 is quite essential for the production ot 

 blossom the following season. I. reticulata 

 Krelagei is not so handsome, being rather 

 dull in colour, and not quite so large, yet 

 at the same time it has one advantage over 

 I reticulata, that is, in flowering a little 

 earlier. These two are very effective when 

 planted in colonies in sunny sheltered spots 

 in the rock garden, with dwarf mossy saxa- 



f rages for a carpet. 



I. tuberosa— the Snake's Head— although 



an interesting species, cannot be called 

 beautiful, yet where a corner can be found 

 for a clump it is worth growing. It 

 has grass-like foliage, and flower stems 

 about twelve or fifteen inches high, which 

 bear brownish-green blossoms with dark 



purple blotches. 



The flowers of I. ahita are a delicate 

 blue, blot<'hed with ye'hnv, and are pro- 

 duced in mid-winter. It i> a sp(unes com- 

 narativrlv easy of cultivation, and if given 

 -an<lv sn'il and a warm sheltered nook m 

 the rnc k gai-den, it will be found to thrive 

 oxc(Mdin<Jv well. To keep the flowers u^ 

 (rood condition an overhead <-<)vei iug should 



reticulata, with a little white in the 

 blotches and an orange crest. This usually 

 flowers before I. reticulata, nvhich makes 

 it very acceptable^ as the blossoms fre- 

 quently open ill January. 



1. fimbriata is one of the most beautiful 

 of all the irises, but unfortunately it is 

 not sufficiently hardy to allow it to be sue- 

 cessfuTy cultivated outdoors. It might 

 thrive in some favoured spot in the south- 

 west, but it is undoubtedly seen at its best 

 when treated as a pot plant for a cold 

 greenhouse. Numerous spikes are produced 

 from a well-established plant, Avhich carry 

 an abundance of flowers, usually opening 

 singly, but as one fades a-nother opens. It 

 is a plant which when once established 

 should not be disturbed for some time, for 

 apparently the more pot-bound it is, the 

 better it flowers. A small quantity of peat 

 Ishoi^ld be given occasionally as a top- 

 dressing when the growth is being made. 

 When a plant is so tightly fixed in a. pot 

 that the rhizomes creep over the sides, 

 flower spikes are produced in abundance. 

 I. fimbriata usually commences to flower 

 about January, and, as the buds are so 

 numerous and open slowly^ the beautiful 

 hlossoms are to be seen for some consider- 

 able period. Cultivation is by no means 

 difficult. A fair amount of water As re- 

 quired when the plant is making its growth 

 and during the summer months it is quite 

 happy if stood outdoors. Regarding soil, 

 peat suits it very well. It has graceful 

 shining foliage, and the flowers rival those 

 of many orchids in beauty ; they are pale 

 blue, veined with white, and deli- 

 cately fringed. E. C. Pooley. 

 Gnaton Gardens. 



be afforded the clump, to pri-vrnt tlic rams 

 from bruising them. Owing to the hu-t 

 that they are so delicate in co'our and 

 texture, rain and wind soon spoil them if 

 they are unprotected. 



f Vartaini. a beautiful species trom 

 Palestine, resembles I. reticulata, btit has 

 flowers of a pale blue coloiu- which 

 open in February. The plants should be 

 treated in the same manner as i. aiata. 1. 

 ^ina-pers is ai hybrid between I. smajarensis 

 and 1 persica : it has lovely Wue Anwers 

 sli.d.tiv friuu(Ml, and marked with Uhu-k 

 and yellow. This also flowe rs in February. 

 I ^histrioides is apparently a form ot i. 



THE BALSAM POPLAR* 



Although the poplars have been exten- 

 sively employed throughout the country for 

 landscape effects, screens, and, commer- 

 cially, the production of timber, yet we 

 rarely meet with Populus balsamifera, 

 which is undoubtedly the most ornamental 

 of the genus. Is this because it is not 

 known, or through a lack of knowledge of 

 its requirements P Some of the varieties of 

 poplar like their roots in well-drained soil, 

 and others theirs in water. The balsani 

 poplar is among the latter, and if planted 

 in rather heavy loam on the banks of a 

 brook, river, or lake, or in boggy ground, 

 its growth will be clean and rapid. The 

 black Italian is also admirably suited for 

 positions of this kind, and, if the object is 

 simply to secure a screen, nothing is better, 

 but if the aim is to have something more 

 interesting and m.ore beautiful then bal- 

 samifera is the s))ecies to plant. 



It is one of the earliest of the trees 

 coming into leaf in spring; its buds are 

 covered with a resinous substance, which 

 is strongly scented, and agreeable to the 

 olfactory organs, and the leaves are of a 

 yellowisli-green hue. Even although the 

 h'aves take on a dai ker green colour as the 

 vcar advames, still they retain their strik- 

 ing effect, in contrast with other foliage, all 

 through the summer. Populus balsamifera 

 would he a good companion to willows, 

 alders, and other moisture-loving trees, and 

 its conical habit of growth, foliage decideclly 

 its own, early leafage, and fragrant buds, 

 would enhance the landscai)e in early 

 spring, gratify the sense of smell, and con- 

 tribute to the diversity of tree growth m 

 its neighbourhood. Possessing so many 

 good points as it does, a few trees slioukl 



find a home in the vicinity of every man- 

 sion when the essential moisture for itsroa.s 



is avaihible. 



Pfdestkiax. 



■ 



