394 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



Mat 18, 1912. 



EXOCHORDA ALBERT!, 



VAR* MACRANTHA. 



This is by far the best of the several 

 kinds of Exochorda which may be grown 

 in the shrubberies of the British Isles, for, 

 in addition to being more floriferons than 

 others, the individual blossoms are larger. 

 Whether it is strictly a variety of E. Al- 

 berti, a species from Turkestan, is very 

 doubtful; and it is more than likely that 

 it is the hybrid which was raised by M. 

 Lemoine, of Nancy, between E. Alberti and 

 the Chinese E. grandiflora, and name<l E. 

 macrantha by Francisque Morel. A re- 

 ference to this plant is made in Fruti- 

 cetum Vilniorinianum," p. 76. 



Of vigorous habit, its foliage more closely 

 resembles that of E. Alberti than the Ch:- 

 nevse species, but there are characters about 

 the flower which are suggestive of the in- 

 fluence of both species. In each case the 

 stamens are arranged in bundles of five ; 

 but, whereas in E. grandiflora three sta- 

 mens only are found in each bundle, in E. 

 Alberti each bundle consists of five 

 stamens. In the plant under notice some 

 bundles are made up of five, some of three, 

 whilst occasionally four may be noted. 



Of vigorous habit, it will doubtless attain 

 a similar height to the other kinds — 8 to 

 12ft. — while it spreads over a wide area. 

 The white flowers appear in racemes, 4 to 

 o:n. long, each flower being upwards of 

 an inch .across. Propagated from cuttings 

 of semi-ripe sh(K)ts in July and August, it 

 may be expected to form serviceable plants 

 in two years' time. Similar treatment to 

 that afforded shrubby spir{eas is quite suit- 

 able. W. D. 



CYTISUS PURPUREUS. 



When seen at its best, this is one of the 

 most striking of the many dwarf kinds of 

 broom, for it flowers very freely, and its 

 flowers are distinct in colour from those of 

 other kinds. A native of Eastern Euroi^e, 

 it has long been in cultivation, although 

 it cannot l>e said to be common. Growing 

 12 to 18in. high, it forms long, slender, 

 semi-pendant branches bearing the usual 

 three-parted leaves peculiar to the genus. 

 The purple or rose-purple flowers are borne 

 from the leaf-axils along the greater part 

 of the previous year's shoots, the flowering 

 time being early May. It differs from 

 most other kinds of broom insomuch that 

 the best results are obtained by cutting 

 away the old-flowering wood as soon as 

 the flowers are over, and relying on an- 

 nual shoots each year for blossoming. These 

 young branches are produced freely from 

 the bases of old shoots, from the root-stock, 

 and also from underground stems. 



A rather stronger plant than the 

 type^ also with purplish flowers, is 

 foimd in C. versicolor, a hybrid between C. 

 purpureus and C. hirsutus. *ts habit is 

 similar, and it is quite as floriferous. Both 



plants are sometimes grafted on stems to 

 form weeping standards, but is a rule they 

 provo most satisfactory when grown on 

 thei* own roots. C. pur"pureus may be jn- 

 crease<l most expe<litiously from set^^Ls, 

 whilst the hybrid may be rooted from cut- 

 tings. The pruning previously n entioned 



is applicable to both plants. 



L. P. 



Leptospermum scopariurriL 



This member of the myrtle family cannot be 

 reg'arded as showy, yet it is a very neat 

 growing shriib, the little white flowers heing 

 borne in great profusion on the slender 

 shoots. Being almost, if not quite, hardy in 

 some parts of England, it is well suited for 

 glass structures, where the heating accom- 

 modation is limited. In Australia, its native 

 country, it is exceedinelv nlentiful. — K. 



NOTES FROM KEW* 



Cereus flagelliformis. 



This, known as the Rats Tail Cactus, 

 used at one time to be a favourite win- 

 dow plant with cottagers in the West 

 Country. It appears to be less grown now 

 than formerly, though it is an exceedingly 

 pretty member of the cactus family, and 

 a flowering specimen suspended from the 

 roof in the cool portion of the T range 

 has gained many admirers. The long pen- 

 dulous shoots hang down for a consider- 

 able distance, and the flowers are of a 

 delightful shade of deep pink. It must 

 be one of the oldest of its race, as the 



Dictionary of Gardening" gives it as a 

 native of Peru, and the date of its in- 

 trmluction as 1690. 



Himalayan Rhododendrons. 



While the various Himalayan rhododen- 

 drons and their hybrids will flourish out 

 of doors in the extreme west of these 

 islands, and in other favoured spots, most 

 of them are at Kew seen at their best 

 under glass. In the northern portion of 

 the Temperate Hoiise numerous species 

 and varieties are planted out in the beds 

 there. Among the species may be men- 

 tioned the somewhat straggling growing 

 R. Nuttalli, whose young leaves are 

 ceedingly pretty. The flowers, which are 

 but few in number, disposed in a loose clus- 

 ter, are large, somewhat bell-shaped, and 

 pale yellow in colour. Rhododendron 

 Falconeri eximeum is a form of R. 

 Falconeri, with rounder leaves and more 

 tomentum on their imdersides. The 

 flowers, which are borne in closely-packed 

 roundish heads, are smaller than those of 

 many others, their colour being a pale 

 whitish-vellow, with a dark stain at the 

 base of the interior. Rhododendron 

 neilgherricum, apparently a form of R. 

 arboreum, with rose-coloured blossoms ; 

 Rhododendron campylocarpum, with loose 

 clusters of pleasing yellow flowers; and R. 

 formosum, or Gibsoni, a pretty white- 

 flowered species . 



Hybrid Rhododendrons. 



A particularly striking form is R. Gill's 

 Triumph, raised at Tremongh, near Fal- 

 mouth. The parents were R. Griffithia- 

 niim and R. Thomsoni, and the result a 

 large flower much resembling R. Griffithia- 

 num, but of a rich carmine colour. An- 

 other from the same source is R. Glory 

 of Penjerrick, with flowers paler than those 

 of the preceding. There is also a good 

 example of one of the earliest Griffithia- 

 num hybrids, namely R. Manglesi, raised 

 by the Messrs. Veitch, between the just- 

 named species and a garden variety, album 

 elegans. When expanded, the flowers of 

 R. Manglesi are white, with reddish dots 

 on the upper segments. R. Beauty of Lit- 

 tleworth is another charming flower, white, 

 with a few very distinct dots in the in- 

 terior. Some Griffithianum crosses raised 

 at Kew are also very attractive, particu- 

 larly tw(» in which the parents were R. 

 Graiul Arab and R. Ascot Brilliant respec- 

 tively. R. Pink Pearl, of course, is also 

 represented. A beautiful pure white flower 

 is R. Kew Pearl, while a variety remark- 

 able for its deep crimvson colour is R. 

 Nero, whose parentage is not recorded, but 

 it would appear to have obtained some of 

 its colour from R. Thomsoni. Other hy- 

 brids are the white-flowered R. Dennisoni, 

 and R. Forsterianum, a cross between R. 

 Edgeworthi and R. Veitchianum, one of 

 the finest of it-s class, the flowers being 

 very large, white, except a yellowish stain 

 on the upper segment, and very sweetly 

 scented. Another a good deal in the same 



way, but not quite so large, is the popular 

 R. Lady Alice Fitzwilliam. Beside these 

 are some small-growing azaleas, which are 



classed as rhododendrons 



now 

 botanist, 

 varieties. 



as 



Some of 



these 



by the 

 are Japanesfv 



K. 



NEWLY^PLANTED TREES 



AND SHRUBS. 



Trees and shrubs planted in .?utumn aiul 

 winter require careful attention until they 

 become thoroughly estabhshed. During 

 recent years we have experienced very dry 

 weather during the late spring and early 

 summer months ; but this year we were 

 favoure<l with heavy rains during the 

 month of March. This may not be an un- 

 mixed blessing if there is any truth in the 

 old adage, ^'A peck of March dust is worth 

 a king's ransom.'' With the exception of 

 a few local showers April was a dry and 

 cold month, and never before do I remem- 

 ber having seen the grass assume a brown 

 and parched appearance so early in the 

 year. 



Many trees and shrubs either perish or 

 are rendered useless through neglect and 

 inattention to mulching and watering, for 

 it must be remembered that in many in- 

 stances the young roots have made but little 

 progress, and in consequence are incapable 

 of searching very far afield for sustenance, 

 as is the case with established specimens. 

 It is true that work presses on every hand 

 at this season, but it is equally true that 

 it is idle to plant these subjects if time 

 cannot be found to give the necessary at- 

 tention subsequently, in order that they 

 may have a fair chance to succeed. li 

 the soil is loosened to a depth of six inches, 

 and a thick mulch of manure is applied 

 immediately afterwards, it will effectually 

 prevent the ground becoming caked"; 

 and, further, the labour entailed in water- 

 ing will be reduced to a minimum. 



Large numbers of ex^ergreens are planted 

 during- April and May, and in this case 

 root-watering should be supplemented by 

 overhead moisture, applied preferably 

 with a hose. Speaking generally, profes- 

 sional gardeners recognise the imi>ortanc€ 

 of staking trees and shrubs that require 

 it at the time of planting, but this does 

 not apply to amateurs. One often sefs 

 specimens in small gardens quite innocent 

 of any support, being blown hither and 

 thither by the wind. This treatment spells 

 disaster. It is equally important that when 

 staked the trees should be examined from 



time to time, and afforded room for ex- 



pansion at the point where they are at- 

 tached to the stakes. 



Walter H. Aggett. 



Sing^le-flowered Camellias. — 



Evidences that the taste for single flowers is 

 on the increase may be seen in the case oi 

 the camellia, for the varieties with singi^ 

 or semi-double blossoms are appreciat^ '^J 

 many, lliey have been extensively shown 

 during the present year, and the " 

 fashioned flowers of a hard and formal ^ 

 line are now, in the majority of cases, V^f^ 

 over in their favour. At one time tlie^e 

 single flowers were regarded as only nt 

 stocks on which to graft the double kmos, 

 but now all this is altered. Apart from tn 

 more light and elegent nature of the ^mg 



blooms their central tuft of stamens 



Several cultiva- 



Paul 



the^ 



Many 



varieties have been raised by them, j 

 lections therefrom have been freely ^^hibue 

 at the Horticultural iriall during the pre^J^ 

 season. — S. W, 



a very noticeable feature, 

 tors, but especially "Messrs. William 

 and Sons, of Waltham Cross, have taken ttie^ 



single-flowered camellias in hand. 



