June 15, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



451 



CAMPANULA GARGANICA 



HIRSUTA. 



Of all the jolants of the class to which 

 it belongs, best known by the typical Cam- 

 panula garganica, the variety hirsuta and 

 its forms IS the best for ordinary rock gar- 

 dening. Nominally, C. garganiea itself 

 ought to be more amenable to cultivation, 

 especially in districts where there is much 

 winter wet. Really, how^ever, this is not 

 the case, although the glossy leaves of the 



Bellflower would induce us to 

 inuiK Lui^. Even in districts with a heavy 

 winter rainfall, accompanied by intervals 

 of severe frost ' ^ * 



grown in any light sod, but it seems to 

 prefer one of loam, sand, and peat, or with 

 leaf-soil in lieu of the peat. There should 

 ]ye plenty of grit in fhe compost, and a 

 sunny place in the rock garden may be 

 selected if desired. It flowers well in par- 

 tial shade also, and is a most delightful 

 thing when trailing over a low^ stone or 

 ledge. It can be raised from seeds, or pro- 

 pagated by division, S. Arnott. 



Gargano 

 think this. 



oi :st^v^i- x.^.v perhaps the most tryuig of 

 all the troubles which await the cultivator 

 of alpine flowers— tbe variety hirsuta is 

 vastly superior, seemingly indifferent to the 

 vicissitudes of our climate, and giving, in 



RHODODENDRON 



BROUGHTONL 



r 



Tbe rlKHlodcndron of whicb a reuiaik- 

 ably fine specimen is berewitli illustrateil, 

 is of special interest to tliose who appre- 

 ciate and plant hai ily shrul>s distinguished 

 by the beauty of tbeii- llowers. It is one 



leafage, and "thereby set up a standard 

 which it is satisfactory to know has been 

 followed by raisers of later date. It may 

 l>e that not evei^^ one of the descendants of 

 Rhododendron catawibiense and some of the 

 other species that have been utilised in the 

 creation of the raceof hardy rhododen<lrons, 

 now in general cultivation is nbt all that 

 <'Ould l>e desired in the matter of habit. 

 But, regarded as a whole, they are emi- 

 nently satisfactory in this respect, and 

 ]>rove to demonstration that not only w^as 

 the habit and foliage given full considera- 

 tion by the raisers wlien making select ons 

 for distribution, but thnt they must have 

 made many sa<*rifi<'es to nnuntain the high 

 .standard which, judging from 1 he results 

 they had constantly in view. Lar^c. well- 

 iormi'd flower truss<^s an* (>s<'nlial. !)ut it 

 is not less important the sin uhs sh<Mild have 

 a fret^-branching liabit, and handsome 



EHODODENDEON 



GHTQNI 



due season, an abundance of its light blue, 

 wliite-eyed flowers, which constitute a de- 

 lightful feature on any rockery. 



It is of rather trailing habit, though not 

 obtrusively so, in the way that it is not 

 a rampant plant, and is not likely to give 

 much trouble in the vsense of ()verla])ping 

 other things. It lias a plentiful su])ply of 

 in etty leaves, grey cr silvery, f r(un the 

 hairs which cover it. and the sprays of 

 foliage bear an ahwiulance of the charming 

 flowers wliicli attract evervbodv when thev 

 are open. These are borne for a long time 

 in summer and late autumn, and ofttimes 

 fiost comes before it has finislied its pro- 

 longed flow^eriug period. It is a very beau- 

 tiful and most useful rock garden plant. 



Not a bit less beautiful, but a scarcer 

 plant, is the white variety, C garganiea 

 hirsuta alba, although it is not quite so 

 vigorous, and is a trifle more tender. This 

 lovely bellflower, or harebell, is easily 



uitiful hybrid in the Rhododendron Dell at I 



of the most notable of the varieties now in 

 commerre, although it takes us hack to 

 the first half of the last <'entury when the 

 raising of hybrxl rhododendions was l)eing 

 carried on with much success at Highclere, 

 Hanipsliire sc:)t of the Earl of ( arnar- 

 an:l the hite Mr. Antlionv Walcrer 



th 



von , . . 



was conimeiu'ing his work in the improve- 

 ment of these shrnl)s, which made the 

 Knap Hill Nurseries famous. An exidana- 

 tion of the high degree of popularity it has 

 enioved for about three-quarters of a cen- 

 turv is to l>e found in the fact that it com- 

 l>i!ies in a marked degree finely-formed and 

 attractively-coloured flowers with splendid 

 foliao;e and a good habit. 



It^is interesting to have the evidence, 

 which this hvhrid and a few others that 

 are still in cultivation afford, that raisers 

 in those earlv davs of the hybr disation ot 

 rhododendroiis appre( iate<l the unportance 

 of a free-branching habit, and handsome 



w. The flowers are l)rio:lit rose-red. 



leaves, for. wliile the flowers of any particu- 

 lar l>hmt pass through tlieir various stages 

 within a few weeks, the hvtvc.s necessarily 

 remain throughout the year. 



We have persistently advin atcd the s*dec- 

 ti()!i <d' rhododendrons in whicii hotli fol age 

 and ilowers contribute to their l)eauty, but 

 at no time have we l)een ahle ti) illustrate 

 a finer specimen in sup]K>it thereof. The 

 s)HH'imen illustrated occui):es a ])osition 

 in the rhododendron dell in the Uoyal 

 (hardens, Kew, and has a height of 

 eighteen' or twentv feet, and a sprea<l of 

 ahoni thirty feet. 'The freeilom with which 

 it usuallv hhmms :s admirably shown, and 

 when it is reitHMidxMed that the flowers are 

 bright rose ltd. theie is no difficulty in 

 reatising the fact that such a s])ec'men is 

 wnndrouslv beautiful in its season of 



IJoominij;. 



1{. Hnmghtoni i.s rattier early 



in Howering, but it is not so early that the 



^ injured by spring frosts. 



