822 



THE GARDlj;NERS' MAGAZINE. 



October 26, 1912. 



and choose young growths that will be found 

 breaking from the axils. Keep very close, 

 and shade from bright sun, and giv-3 a tho- 

 rough soaking of water with a rose-can 

 after insertion. These will soon callus 

 over, but do not often root readily, there- 

 fore potting off singly should notbetoohur- 



Another method of 



__edly earned out. 

 increasing tliem is by division of the roots, 

 for, as can often be seen when transplant- 

 ing, the small portions left in the ground 

 readily form young plants. 



The variation in colour comprise shades 

 of rose from pale to dark, lavender, pale 

 blue, purple, etc., each and all the shadi's 

 being very beautiful. A distinct variation 

 is also shown in the shapeof the spikes, some 

 being particularly long and narrow, while 

 others form quite a pyramid of bloom. 



Among the best of our varieties aie li. 

 variabilis rosea, quite one of the best and 

 most distinct; B. v. lilacina, an attiactive 

 flower of a pleasing and uncommon hi vender 

 hue; B. v. gigantea, an imposing variety, 

 with immen.se growths aiul spikes of flower ; 

 B. V. superba, a fine variety, tbe flowers 

 rich blue and borne in handsome spikes ; 1?. 

 V. Delight, B. v. Distinction, and B. v. por- 

 fecta. As so well known, B. v. magnifica 

 and B. v. Veitchiana are highly attractive. 



Edwin Beckett. 



Aldenham House Gardens. 



VARIETIES OF HARDY 



CLEMATIS. 



A large number of the clematises now in 

 cultivation are capable of investing gardens 

 with a degree of beauty that is not readily 

 excelled by any other group of climbing 

 shrubs; indeed, their only formidable rival 

 is the rose, and happily each genus is par- 

 ticularly rich in those cH>Iours that are but 

 sparingly represented in the other. It is not 

 unusual to find capacity of these two classes 

 for decorative effect reaching its highest 

 expression when employed in combination. 

 On pergolas and arches and for clothing 

 unsightly trees or clambering over rustic 

 work, the unrestrained growth of clematis 

 has freest expression, and even if the space 

 is limited, they may still be employed, 



ngle pole, or in the 

 form of free pyramids, formed by three 

 poles erected in the form of a tripod. The 

 hybrid forms are mostly moderate growers, 

 and, if allowed to ramble over another 

 shrub, such as an old bush of laurestinus, 

 they disclose their beauty in a pleasing 

 manner, and rarely injure their living sup- 

 port- 



Clem ati 



succt»c<l 



which fihould be prepared by being broken 

 up to a depth of at least two feet, some 

 time in advance of j)lnntiTig. They are par- 

 tial to limestone, and should therefore have 

 a quantity of old jnortar or chalk added 

 to the soil where ^uch is naturally absent. 



The trade usually supplies gaixlen varie- 

 ties of clematis grafted upon a. wild species, 

 and in planting it is advisaWe to keep the 

 union well under the surface of the ground 

 with the view of inducing the scion to form 

 roots on its own account. It is common 

 knowl^lge that the clematis frequently 

 fails when grafted from some unexplained 

 reason, often dying down to the ground, 

 but tliere is always the possibility of it 

 breaking again from a dormant bud, and 

 when on its own roots the resulting f^rowth 



will be of the variety desired. 



Clematises bloom at different pericxls of 

 the year, some flowering upon worxl of the 

 previous year. Tliese form the earliest sec- 

 tion, and include the well-known montana 

 and its variety ruhens, the latter differing 

 from the type in having purple leaf-stalks 

 and dark foliago and rose-coloured flow 



The forms of C. patens bloom in succession, 

 the flowers being much larger and the 

 colours varied. A selection includes: Lord 

 Derby, pale mauve, with purple anthers; 

 Margaret Dunbar, pale blue; xNelly Koster, 

 white; Sir Garnet Wolseley, blue with dis- 

 tinct bar of plum colour ; The Queen, laven- 

 der ; Fair Kosamund, blush-white. 



Forms of C. florida bloom about mid- 

 summer, producing flowers of the largest 

 size; representative varieties are: Countess 

 of Lovelace, double losettes of bluish lilac; 

 Duchess of Edinburgh, pure, double white ; 

 J. G. Veitch, lavender -"blue ; Elaine, double 



azure blue. 



The varieties of lanuginosa bloom on the 

 current wood, and flower throughout sum- 

 mer and autumn in many soft^ delicate 

 shades and large flowers. Typical varieties 

 of great excellence include: Elsa Spath, 

 deep violet-puiTple ; Fairy Queen, flesh- 

 white, with la bar of pink ; King Ixlward 

 VII., lilac-mauve, deeper centre; Henryi, 

 creamy-white ; Lady Caroline Neville, helio- 

 trope, with mauve bars on petals; Marcel 

 Moser, mauve-violet^ with a distinct bar of 

 red; Mr. Gladstone, azure blue; Queen 

 Alexandra, pale lavender, lilac-purple base. 



The varieties of C. Jackmani bloom in 

 autumn from wood of the same year; the 

 flow 



are large and the colours exceed- 

 ingly rich. These include Gypsy Queen, 

 velvet purple ; Jackmani, in distinct 

 •colours, white, red, and violet-purple, the 

 form superba being the richest of the la&t- 

 named shades ; Mdme. Edouard Andre, i^el- 

 vety red ; Perle d'Azure, sky iblue ; Snow- 

 white Jackmani, large white ; Velutina 

 purpurea, dark purple-violet ; Ville de 

 Lyon, reddish-crimson. 



Hybrids of coocinea bloom in autumn , 

 having small, bell-shaped flowers of great 

 beauty ; Admiration, deep salmon, edged 

 violet, and shaded with violet heliotrope ; 

 Ck)untess of Onslow, bright violet-purple, 

 with a broad band of scarlet down the cen- 

 tre of each petal ; Duchess of Albany, bright 

 pink shading to soft lilac-pink ; Duchess of 

 York, blush-pink, tinted deeper along the 

 centre of each petal ; Grace Darling, rosy- 

 carmine, gtar-shaped flowers. 



Thomas Smith. 



Rhododendron 



icatum 



introducti< 



This, one of Wilson s many 

 from China, is a pretty little alpine species, 

 and remarkable from the fact that it will 

 often give a second crop of flowers during 

 the autumn months. It is as yet decidedly 

 uncommon, and was first shown at the meet- 

 ing of the Royal Horticultural Society on 

 April 2. 19l>7, when a first-class certiticate 

 was awarded it under the name of Rhododen- 

 dron nigro-punctatuni. The general appear- 

 ance of the plant, either in or out of flower, 

 suggests a daphne, rather than a rhododen- 

 dron, as it forms a neat, compact little bush 

 clothed with small elliptic leaves, while the 

 flowers, l>orne in little terminal clusters, are 

 hlac in colour, and less than half an inch in 

 in diameter. T 



US igneus.— The flowers of this 

 meml)er of the Ginger Wort family are, as 

 a rule, borne during the last three months 

 of the year, and during the didl weather 

 we so often exi)erience at that time the 

 intense deep orange tint of the blossom? 

 causes them to stand out in a marked manner 

 from their associates. Like many of itf- 

 allies, it forms a thickened root-stock, from 

 whence are pushed up leafy stems, that 

 reach a height of eighteen inches, or a little 

 more. The flowers, which are borne in a 

 cono-likc head, are from two to three inche? 

 in duimeter. and thin in texture. Indi- 

 vidually they do not la^t long, but a suc- 

 cession is kept up from one head for a con- 

 siderable time. It is a native of Bahia, and 

 potted in light compost, with a lil>eral 

 amount of water when growing, it will thrive 

 under stove treatment. — W 



FLOWERING SHRUBS AND 

 TREES FOR SMALL GARDENS. 



From among the many ornamental trees 

 and shrubs available for garden decoration 

 it is sometimes difficult tor the owner of a 

 small garden to make a selection^ especially 

 when he is unacquainted with the v.rtuej 

 of each particular plant, and has to rely 

 on the advice of someone else. Moreover 

 it is an extremely difficult problem for one 

 who has more than a passing knowledge ol 

 trees and shrubs to select a certain num- 

 ber, and say definitely that those are the 

 very best of the many hundreds which are 

 available. No selection of the best shrubs 

 would be complete for certain parts of the 

 country without one or more members of 

 Ericacese were included; but for other 

 parts of the country, where lime is pre- 

 valent in the soil to any great extent, it 

 would be quite useless to suggest these 

 plants. Then there are excellent plants 

 like the various kinds of brooms, which 

 grow easily and flower w^ell, which have 

 to be excluded on account of their com- 

 paratively short life ; for the best results 

 are only obtained from young or mode- 

 rately young plants. Therefore in the 

 following selection care has been taken to 

 chooso twelve kirids which are fi;enerallv 

 useful, give comparatively little trouble, 

 and last for a considerable number of years 

 in good condition, although in some cases 

 they may fall short of certain omitted 

 plants in the matter of beauty, but which 

 are more fastidious in their requirements. 



Spiraea arg:uta. 



This is one of the first to suggest itself. 

 Of hybrid origin, it is one of the best of 

 a very large family of shrubs. Although 

 it may sometimes be found between 4 and 

 oft. in height, it does not grow rapidly 

 after it has attained a height of 3ft., and 

 may be kept dwarf by pruning after the 

 flowers are over. Growing into a shapely 

 bush, the main bi;anches are well furnished 

 with thin, wiry branchlets, and small, 

 dainty leaves. In April white flowers are 

 borne in great profusion from axillary 

 buds, and the plant never misses flowerino; 

 freely. Propagation by cuttings is diffi- 

 cult, but layered branches put down in 

 spring root during summer. 



Forsythia suspensa. 



Objection might be taken to this Chinese 

 shrub on account of its vigorous habit, hut 

 it is so amenable to different methods of 

 culture, stands pruning w^ell, and thrives 

 under all sorts of conditions, that it is 

 everybody's plant. Planted to grow over 

 another shrub or over a trellis, its long 

 pendant branchevS clothed from end to end 

 with bell-shaped yellow flowers, it is niost 

 effective. Against a wall it has also a 

 beautiful appearance; while when grown 

 as a specimen bush, and cut hard back each 

 year, it sends up strong, vigorous, upriglit 

 sboots, which blossom profusely. Pruning 

 should take place about the end of April? 

 when the flowers fade. 



Weig:eia Eva Rathke. 



This is one of tlio best of the many kinds 

 of diervilla, (»r weigela. Of hybrid origin, 

 it forms a bush 3 to 4ft. high, and blos- 

 soms freely from May to July. Tbe tubu- 

 lar flowers are of a rich rinl colour, and 

 are most freely produced on young wood; 

 therefore it is a good i>lan 'to thin some 

 of the older wood out now nnd tben. ^ 

 good time, to do this is <lurin^^ sumiruu-. T'^ 

 inducfx tlio plant to give the best possible 

 results^ rich loamy soil must be given, with 

 an ofMT'asional surface dressing of well- 

 rotted manure. Cuttings of soft shoots 

 root quickly in a heated frame during 

 early summer. 



