Decembej^ 28, 1912. 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



995 



ASTILBES IN POTS. 



Under the generic name of astilbe is now 



the 



included 



plant 



so 



long 



popular in 



gardens and known, generally as spiraea or 

 Hoteiii japonica. Well within the memory 

 of many of us it stood out practically alone 

 in its class, but now, thanks to mere recent 

 introductions, and the use that has been 

 made of some of them by the hybridist, we 

 have now la great many varieties, diflfei'ing 

 in ihabit, colour of the flower, and other 

 particulars from each other. 



The first great advance was the introduc- 

 tion of 'Spiraea astilboides, which was distri- 

 buted iby the late Mr. William Bull, of 

 Chelsea, in 1884. 

 and a bolder 



It is altogether a Larger 



than A. 



growing 



while the 



plant 

 infioiescence 



is 



of 



a 



japonica 

 This hybrid 



japonica, 



creamy-white, and less feathery than in the 

 older kind. This was followed in 1891 by 

 Spirsea astillboides floribunda, announced 

 by the Belgian nurseryman by wliom it was 

 distributed as having accidentally appeared 

 as a seedling from S. astilboides, and appa- 

 rently the result of the flower having been 

 fertilised with the pollen of S. 

 growing in close proximity, 

 theory is probably the correct one^ as S. 

 astilboides floribunda is about midway be- 

 tween the two. It quickly became popular 

 for pot culture and forcing purposes, and 

 large numbers are still sent annnally from 

 Holland and Belgium, 



This was after a time followed by others, 

 of which astilboides longifolia. Lord Salis- 

 bury, and Gladstone are perhaps the best. 



New forms are^ however continually 

 being brought forward, one of the latest 

 examples of which is that here figured^ — 

 Avalanche, which was given, an Awaixl of 

 ^lerit at the last Holland Park iShow. It 

 is a bold-growling variety, with stout, 

 reddish stems, dark green, much ser- 

 rated leaves, and white flowers. This was 

 said to be the result of a cross between 

 Astilbe chinensis and Spir{ea compacta mul- 

 tiflora. At the mention of this last name, 

 one may be pardoned a slight digression, for 

 there was a very old variety of S. japonica 

 with golden-veined leaves, which was gi^^en 

 a First Class Certificate by the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society as long ago as 1869. This 

 variety had the inflorescence arranged in a 

 close, compact manner, exactly as in com- 

 pacta multiflora, hence there is no doubt 

 that this last-named resulted from the 

 golden-veined form reverting to the normal 

 greeii-Ieaved type. At all events, compacta 

 multiflora was brought forward in the latter 

 part of the eighties. 

 Two 



Queen 

 created 



of 



pink-flowered varieties, 

 A 1 ex a nd r a a nd Pe ac h B I o sso m , 

 quite a furore because of the coloiu 

 their blossoms 'when they Avore first 

 hiibited a few years ago. As the raisers were 

 quickly able to offer them in quantity these 

 pretty varieties were soon widely distri- 

 buted, and are now almost as cheap as the 

 older kinds. These have a good deal of 

 the habit of Astilbe japonica, ibut now, with 

 the introduction of the taller-growing A. 

 chinensis, A. Davidi, A. grandis, and others, 

 there is a larger race of these hybrid as- 

 tilbes, usually of some shade of pink or mse, 

 with, in a few cases, a lilac suffusion. They 



pretty, hut are not so 

 amenable to forcing as Queen Alexandra 

 and Peach Blossom ; in fact, they are more 

 suited tor 'planting out in a moist spot tha?i 

 tor growing in pots. 



Without these there is a wide choice 

 available for pot culture, and of the best 

 immense numbers are sent to this countrv 

 every autumn from Holland, 

 which tlu^v 



are exceedin^-h 



The price at 

 sometimes disposed of 

 makes one wonder what th<^ profit of tlie 

 original growers <-;ni l)o 



ma 



ihe cultural requirements of these as- 

 tilbes, Or spiraeas as they are so generally 

 called, are so simple that little need be 

 said on the matter. The clumps should, on 

 receipt, be potted, and plunge<l out of doors 

 till they are ready to be taken under cover, 

 the time of which will depend upon when 

 the flowers are r<^quired. In potting them 

 it must he iborne in mind that, as the leaves 

 and flowers develop, they are very thirsty 

 subjects, so that ample space must be left 



for a good supply of water. Owing to their very gradually at first. 



way It is possible to 

 have flowers all the year round. Flowering 

 examples of the ordinary japonica in the 

 autumn months would at one time have 

 been looked \\\yon as a nine days' wonder, 

 now they may at that season he often seen 

 on the costermongers' barro'ws in the 

 streets of London. No particular cultural 

 requirements are necessary in the case of 

 these retarded clumps, except to pot them 

 when thawed, and allow them to <'ome on 



W. T. 



ASTILBE AVALANCHE 



cheapness, some obtain a fresJi supply every 

 year, but where they are kept over, two 

 batches should he grown, so that they are 

 forced only in alternate years. 



They all stand hard forcing if it is re- 

 quired, or they may be brought on gradu- 



Rhus cotinoides. 



siunachs 



a re remarkable 



Many of the 

 for the rich 



autumnal tints of their foliage, in which re- 

 spect this .species is second to none. The 

 leaves are simple, as in the better-known 



Burning Bush, Wig Plant, Smoke Tree, or 

 Venetian Sumach (Rhuti cotinus), but R. 

 cotinoides is 



altogether of larger 



growth. 



ally. The pink kinds are of a far better 

 colour when allowe<l to come on slowly and 

 have plenty of light and air. 



8om(^ of the more popular astiLbes and has been known to botanists for a lono^ 



It is a native of the Southern United States, 



(spiricas) aie retarded in quite a wholesale time. 



K. 



