814 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



October 26, 1912. 



strong gro^\er, and when onoe well estab- 

 lislied requires only an occasional top-dress- 

 ing. We have plants 10ft. across, and 

 these produce thousands of small crimson 

 flowers from April till the end of June^ 

 in fact, some are blooming on October 7. 

 There are some fine forms of this species. 

 One of the best is A, Hexe, with larger 

 flowers of a dark crimson shade ; splen- 

 dens, Carminata splendens, Flambeau, and 

 Obtusa alba are all good. 



Azalea ledifolia is perfectly hardy, and 

 evergreen, and flowers grow uncommonly 

 well in the front rows of rhododendron 

 beds, or among the deciduous kinds. It 

 gives masses of bloom, and one wonders how 

 tile flowers are produced in such quantities, 

 as the beds look as though a white linen 

 sheet liad been thrown over them at 

 flowering-time. Azalea rosseflora is a gem 

 for the alpine garden. Azalea occidentalis 

 flowers Avhen nearly all the other types are 

 over; it is white and very fragraiit^ Azalea 

 Vaseyi is a fine species that floAvers verv 

 freely, but it is deciduous, and the flowers 

 are produced before the foliage. 



In addition to iho'w usefulness in the 



phases of natural gardening where water 

 enters into the scheme. Tliere is no need 

 for me to enumerate numbers of successful 

 plantings ; it rather concerns me to further 

 popularise the group in the minds of Eng- 

 lish garden-lovei-s. We are surely, however^ 



Although so much has been done by the 

 Japanese, I hold the belief that there is 

 still room for a few more novelties in the 

 irises, and a series of good English-raised 

 forms will be as welcome as those of Japan 

 In closing, let me urge the use of irises i* 



under a great debt of gratitude to the those schemes of garden adornment where 



Japanese specialists, who, by generations flagged pathways, stone-cased pools, or 



of steady, peaceful work, have developed basins, and other semi-formal arrangeraents 



the varieties of Iris K^mpferi to so high are in vogue. P. S. Hayward. 

 a degree of perfection ^ and if there is any 

 ambition in the heart of the iris-lover, it 



must assuredly be to vicAV the blossoming 

 vales at iris time in such favoured spots as 

 Hori Kiri, Kamata, and other centres. 

 Although there are a very great number of 

 truly splendid varieties, there is a danger 

 of purchasers duplicating them, simply 

 through the practice of changing the names 

 of these plants from their Japanese ren- 

 derings to a more sober-sided, commonplace 

 English series of names. It is thus possible 

 for one to buy, say, the same variety under 

 four or five different names. I would ad- 

 vise intending purchasers to select from 

 varieties in blossom, and where this is not 



garden, these azaleas are extremelv useful Possible, then fall back upon the splendid 



|<)r cutting in the spring and early summer. 

 The flowers are fine for table decoration, 

 being light and graceful, and they can be 

 used in a great variety of ways. 



Azaleas are also, for the most part, won- 

 derful subjects for forcing, and last a num- 

 ber of years; if hardened off, planted out 

 on a gf)od piece of ground, and rested 

 during alternate vears. Thev can be pur- 

 ch^«ed cheaply and in quantity. 



Hardv azaleas can be raised from seeds, 

 carefully saved, and sown in boxes in Feb- 

 ruary and AIai"ch, in a temperature of r>0 

 to ()o dourees. Cho<)s<^ finely-sifted, peatv 

 soil, Avith plenty of sand for a seed-bed, 

 and place a sheet of glass over the ser.ls. 

 Keep tliem shaded and in a iMoist atnu)- 

 sphere. Pi i-k off the seodlin^is as soon as 

 large enough into other liox* s. oi- into a 

 frame, and ]>iovide a gentle bottom he-it. 

 Subsequently harden off the ))lants, aiid 

 place them in well-pre])ared beds outside, in 

 a nartiallv-shaded site. 



Leonardslep Gardens. 



W. A. Cook 



JAPANESE IRIS. 



The mere mention of Japanese iris will 

 recall to the garden-lover many pleasing 

 scenes in which these glorious flowers have 

 played a very prominent part. I do not 

 doubt that each reader may liave in mind 

 an '"idealised picture," in which the Irises 

 of Japan have created a vista of garden 

 beauty unsurpassed by the majority of 

 favourite plants common to English "^gar- 

 <i('n. Look where you will, you wall find 

 nothing more superlatively beautiful in 

 July than these irises of the Ka?mpferi 

 group, and I may safely say that no other 

 group of flowering plants embraces such a 

 range of indefinable tints, suffusions^ and 

 shadings of colour, as are found in these 

 most useful sul)jects. For use in a garden 

 where water plays its part in the making 

 of a pleasnig landscape, the Japanese Irises 

 bring into the picture such a supreme por- 

 trayal of beauty in repose, such a wealth 

 of glorious yet restful colourings that one 

 is always impelled to acknowledge that for 

 sheer depth of beauty there is nothing to 

 surpass them. 



The sword-like foliage blending in a per- 

 fectly natural manner with the reeds, 

 grasses, and usual waterside snbjct ts. and 

 the great flapping blossoms refl<H-tintr their 

 wondrous hues in the mirrored wator of 



the pools, c()m])in(^s to make up a plant tliat 

 IS at home m almost anv phase of warden 

 d^^sign, ami which ' ' k<^i<ien 



i^s truly ideal for all 



representations of the Japanese artists on buds upoa the trusses, 

 rice-paper, which give a really good con- 

 ception of the varieties as they really are. 



Without taking up too much spate with 

 detail, I will mention a dozen really fine 

 forms as a little help to selectors. They are 

 as follows : Gekka-no-Nami, heavy white 

 with yellow blotches; Oyodo, an immense 

 violet-hlue ; Momiji-no-taki, crimson-purple, 

 suffused and feathered with white; Osho- 

 kun, intense, rich blue; Iso-no-nami, sky- 

 l)lue oti a lilac-grey ground ; Lama-no-mori, 

 large white, gently shaded with softest 

 blue; Kyodaisan, purple, overlaid with rich 

 'due; Bandai-no-nami, a splendid white 

 with large yellow blotches; Kasugano, a 

 pretty reddish-lilar\ daintily marked; 

 Shira-taki, a tiiagiiificent Avhite known to 

 Japanesf. eyes as the White Waterfall • 

 Dntedngu. a rich claret-red of great merit; 

 and Choseiden, a first-rate ridiy-crimsnn. 



With reference to cultivation, Japanese 

 growers make a point of manuring the irises 

 regularly from. Xovember to March, at in- 

 tervals of about a month. The reason for 

 this is obvious, for, though the crowns are 

 practically at rest during this periotl, the 

 roots are gathering nutriment to build up 

 the foundation of those glorious blossoms 

 which are to come with suminertide My 

 own experience is greatly in favour of this 

 plan, and I would urge the free use of 

 cow manure for this purpose, if possible, as 

 for plantmg. I believe in planting up 

 stocks rsp..,.ially if division is to take place 

 as early as possible after flowering. Pro- 

 vided the soil is in good condition, and the 

 work capably done, I have found the irises 

 more ready to respond to demand of cld- 

 turist at this season than at any other and 

 one can establish his stock before the winter 

 season sets in. As I have intimated in a 

 previous issue, choice forms can be split un 

 into single crowns, and put into 48-sized 

 pots in a good compost, and be quite ready 

 for planting out m early autumn ; or if de 

 sired, kept in pots until spring ' 



Moisture is a great necessitv of the 



more nT. '"t ^,"""iS g'-°"''"S '^a^-n, 

 more particularly when the foliage is in ful 



growth, and the flower spikes rising Hence 



It IS necessary to group them by the water! 



sule, or else grow them in deep, well-worked 



Oamy sod. Good cultivation is esIeS 



ficnnT'l' ^' <sometimeTdif- 

 ficult to bestow full attention upon every- 



n this direction. The value of our sub! 



scheme of water-scenery should be worked 

 through without their aid 



MORE YELLOW BEDDING 



ROSES. 



In the issue for October 5^ page 751, *'E." 

 has some interesting* notes about yellow roses 

 for outdoor culture. I fully endorise every 

 word he writes^ but as there are several other 

 really good yellow bedding varieties I would 

 like to mention them before the plantin-^ 

 sea-son has passed away. "E." praises Duehesl 

 of Wellington highly; buc it deserves lev^n 

 more praise than he accords it. In spite of 

 thiee sharp frosts on consecutive mornings 

 my plants were still very showy, and would 

 have carried heaps more blooms if this set- 

 1 ack had not interfered with the numerous 



Other yellows that make a good show and 

 have been well tried here are Le Progres^ a 

 Ceep nankeen-yel'ow tlmt is very free botJi 

 m bloom and growth. Madame Ravary gives 

 us another that is quite distinct in its golden- 

 3'e.!low and orange-shaded flowers ; having 

 beautiful bronzy foliage, and is an ex- 

 ceptionally free grower here, although I note 

 a few well-known growers class it as only 

 moderate in growth. A yellow bedder that 

 has been extra good with me is Mrs. Peter 

 Blair, a deep lemon with a golden-yellow 

 •entre ; and, like Madame Eavary^ very 

 SAVcetly scented. Then we have two deep 

 leijion-yeilows producing large upright 

 trusses of flowers a iittle more than semi- 

 double^ which ma'ke a thoroughly good dis- 

 play all through the season. The darkest and 

 svseetest-scented is Madame Pol Varin-Ber- 

 nier, and the other Madame Per net Ducher. 

 Both grow^ to a good uniiorm height and 

 spread their trusses well. 



Lena and Miss Eva are a couple of closer 

 growers witli saffron-yellow buds. When 

 planted thickly these are very effective. 

 So, too. are the dwari-growing China named 

 Chm-ctiin, and the dwarf polyantha Eugenie 

 Lamesch, both of wliicli retain their colour 

 better than most yellows, which so often fade 

 ofie to almost white as the flowers expand. 



It i.s son:ewJ]at strange thot ''E." should 

 omit Miss Alice de Eolhschild, a really good 

 yellow of Marechal Niel colouring. Tlie 

 flowers are large, carried boldly upright, 

 iiold their colour remarkably v/eil, and are 

 very sweet scented. It is a o-ood grower and 

 very free bloomer, and has" thrived out of 

 doons during the last two widely different 

 'Seasons. 



Harry Kirk is a 'beautiful yellow among 

 the te:\-scented class. A deep sulphur with 

 r;itli,'r Iiolttcr edge's, and good in all re- 



JaiiU'^ ( 'ot'V aiid Senaleur Mascuraud 

 so very di't'p velh)ws tliat open w.4I, 

 althongh the tlow-rs arc m olnhular iorni. 



E." mentions the old tavotnitc Marie Van 

 Houtte, and few can heat it. l)ut it is 

 prone to hang its blossoms. We have a much 

 ^rger and more double form of this rose in 

 Mrs. Dudley Cross, a variety given us by 

 Messrs. W. Paul and Son in 1907. 



A very sho vy Indian-yellow and saft'ron- 

 ^lange is found in Mr^. Aaron Ward. The 

 flowers are always carried boldly upright and 

 otten m large trusses. The habit of this 

 rose^ makes it a perfect bedder, and it is 

 good hoth early and late. It is, however, 

 rather uncertain as to colour, a good number 

 crmiing without much of the Indian-yellow 



which IS so striking in this hardy and useful 

 variety. 



In Melody we have a newer rose from New- 

 tcwnards, with deep saffron-vollow centre 

 and primrose-yellow cdgin<>>. Tin,, vari.-ty 

 is lull of promise, and carries It^vli' ^^ell tor 

 ^ ^^^der K>osAuiAN. 



Spt'Cl 



are a/ 



