January 22, 1898. 



GA RDENERS' MA GAZI NE. 



51 



KE 



G 



Perths 



One of the most interesting and enjoyable days I have ever spent in a 

 garden was during last autumn, and the place was Keir. Mr. Lunt, 

 is well known in Scotland as one of the best of gardeners, and also as one 

 of the most successful exhibitors of garden produce at Edinburgh, 

 Glasgow, and Stirling shows. He is a most enthusiastic and broad- 

 minded horticulturist, and is happy in serving a gentleman who is devoted 

 to his garden. 



The Keir mansion and surroundings command some of the most 

 lovely scenery of Perthshire. From the terrace fine views are obtained 

 of Stirling Castle, and the scene of the battle of Bannockburn ; in the 

 distance one has a glimpse of the Firth of Forth and the Wallace Monu- 

 ment. Beautiful moorland slopes clothed with heather, and varied in out- 

 line, lead down to the immediate foreground of the valley through which 

 runs the river Teith, winding in a charming manner and joining the 

 Forth near Stirling. These views all combine to form some of the 

 most picturesque Scotch scenery. From another point, views of the 

 mountains around Callander, the Trossachs, and Ben Lomond, are very 

 fine ; in fact, fresh peeps and charming landscapes are continually being 

 presented in a walk round the extensive and well-kept grounds. Fine 

 specimens of various coniferrc abound, and one of the finest to be 

 found in the country is a European larch. The tree is supposed to be 

 one of the first planted in Britain, early in the seventeenth century. 

 Some fine Douglas firs were conspicuous, and very noticeable were 

 many trees of Pinus Laricio, evidently one of the most profitable pines 

 to plant for timber, as these were almost double the size of Scotch 

 firs planted at the same time, and had clean upright boles. Abies grandis 

 has been largely planted, and many fine specimens occur. Two extra 

 large trees were Pinus insignis and Abies Smithiana. 



In the grounds the only objectionable feature is the survival of a 

 very large number of clipped trees and hedges, many of the latter 

 apparently serving no useful purpose, except to show the extreme folly 

 of a phase of garden work which was popular in a bygone age, and which 

 we may hope will never be revived. In every possible nook and suitable 

 place, bulbs of all kinds are planted year by year, in the grass and by the 

 sides of a pretty streamlet which wanders through a portion of the 

 grounds to join the river Teith. Hardy, strong-growing herbaceous 

 plants, in association with flowering shrubs, are naturalised in bold 

 groups on banks and in rough grassy places. These constitute in their 

 seasons most interesting features, and the idea is being gradually 

 developed and the planting extended. Herbaceous flowers are being 

 cultivated with much zest, and a fine collection of species and vaiieties 

 are grouped in a large border near the mansion. Early border chrysan- 

 themums are much appreciated, and so are the numerous kinds of 



Michaelmas daisies. 



The kitchen garden and glass department occupy a southern slope, 

 and are of considerable extent. The past season had not been very 

 favourable, owing to the cold and wet months of June and August. It 

 may be interesting to show the comparison of the rainfall at Keir and 

 New Barnet for the first nine months of 1897 : At Keir — January, 1.68 ; 

 February, 2.87 ; March, 4.92 ; April, 2.08 ; May, 2.60 ; June, 5 99 ; 

 July, 1.75 ; August, 6.25 ; and September, 2.83 inches. New Barnet — 

 January, 2.68; February, 2.61 ; March, 3.95; April, 1.74; May, 1.64 ; 

 June, 3.19 ; July, 1.25 ; August, 3.1 1 ; and September, 3.15 inches. This 

 will show how much better our season round London was for many things 

 than that of the east of Scotland. Mr. Lunt is full of enthusiasm for 

 chrysanthemums, and grows a large number. Though these are always 

 a fine lot of plants the blooms are not so satisfactory as is desirable for 

 the keen competition encountered in Edinburgh cup classes. This, how- 

 ever, will certainly be remedied in future seasons if skill and attention can 

 avail against a somewhat ungenerous climate. The records of the past 

 two years' exhibiting show good results, but Mr. Lunt is ambitious, and 

 threatens to win still more and higher honours. 



In the fruit houses, where in their season the chrysanthemums are 

 arranged, first-rate examples of vine culture were to be seen. Young 

 rods of Muscat of Alexandria, bearing splendid bunches of highly-finished 

 fruit, and Black Alicante, Alnwick Seedling, Lady Dcwnes, and Mrs. 

 Pince were also in fine condition. The pride of the Scottish gardener 

 is his grapes, and in this case there was ample justification for the 

 pride. The temporary vines grown in boxes were really marvels of high 

 cultivation, and were carrying about ten or twelve pounds of first-rate 

 fruit. The boxes were only about two feet by one and a half by one 

 foot, and had stood on open staging, so that no rooting outside was 

 possible. ^ It would be extremely interesting if Mr. Lunt would give us 

 the details of his treatment of these vines in an early issue of the 



Gardeners' Magazine. In another house containing old vines some 



most interesting examples of the influence of the stock over the scion 

 were pointed out. For instance, the flavour of Madresfield Court had 

 been spoiled through its being inarched on Foster's Seedling. Lady 

 Downes grafted on Black Alicante produced berries quite oval in shape, 

 and of a distinctly Alicante flavour. Lady Downes on White Chasselas 

 was much improved in flavour, and had a thinner skin than when grown 

 on its own roots. On an old rod of Mrs. Pince there was hanging a 

 bunch with very much larger berries than in the type, and which 

 appeared to be a sport Should such prove the case and the variety 

 be propagated, it will be sure to take high rank amongst the late-keeping 

 black grapes. The peaches were perfect examples of good training, and as 

 evidence of the excellent crops they have borne, I may state that many 

 mnts of Royal George have exceeded nine ounces in weight, and of Sea 

 Eagle thirteen-ounce fruits were gathered. 



In the plant houses numerous large specimens of various palms and 

 fine foliage plants are grown. One house devoted to crotons contained 

 grand plants, highly coloured and well furnished with foliage. Large 



examples of anthuriums, alocasias, marantas, and many good things were 

 strong testimony of the care bestowed in their cultivation. Hard-wooded 

 plants- are much prized, and young specimens of all the best species 

 occupy a cool house with large azaleas and Himalayan rhododendrons. 

 Cyclamen are a feature, too, and grown to perfection at Keir. 



The foregoing remarks are but a suggestion of the many instructive 

 and well-managed departments of a good garden, the inspection of 

 which will afford the utmost gratification to those who may have the 

 opportunity of visiting it. 



Trent Park Gardens. W. H. LEES. 



Blue in Flowers. 



When Mr. H. Knight, in his interesting paper, " The Blue Chrysanthe- 

 mum," published on page 19, refers to the changeable colours of the 

 Cheiranthus chiumaelus, does he mean the species better known in 

 gardens as C. mutabilis ? He also refers to the changeableness of hue 

 found in a forget-me-not (Myosotis versicolor), but similar changes, only 

 in the reverse order, are often seen in M. dissitiflora, as I have found 

 scores of times floral branches that had red flowers, so varied from blue. 

 I have tried saving seed from such and perpetuating this rich colour; 

 alas ! in vain. Usually such changes, I think, have come from some 

 slight bruising or injury to the stems. One of the most interesting changes 

 produced solely by root drought is that seen in the pretty mossy Sedum 

 lydium, which is normally bright green, but which in hot dry weather 

 turns to a rich red. What an effectual hardy carpet plant would this be 

 could it be so normally coloured. All variations in colour without doubt 

 are due to changes in the body of colour, or reflective granules, found in 

 the flower petals. We see this change produced in a remarkable way in 

 the garden hydrangea, when plants normally carrying pink flowers get 

 transferred to soil that contains iron or other minerals in considerable 

 quantity, when the flowers come of a rich blue colour. 



It is rather surprising that with a knowledge of this fact no one has, 

 so far as I am aware, attempted to chemically convert pink chrysanthe- 

 mums to blue ones. I do not say that such change is practicable, but 

 has anyone experimented ? That is an assertion open to much question, 

 which Mr. Knight makes on the authority of eminent botanists and 

 scientists, that blue flowers represent the most highly developed lines of 

 descent which have, or whose ancestors have, passed successfully through 

 all the intermediate stages, which are yellow, red, and purple to blue. 

 If that be so it would seem as if we ought to find blue a colour develop- 

 ment in a very marked degree in cultivated flowers, and especially in 

 those much intercrossed and of long descent. Putting aside the chry- 

 santhemum — which is in Europe a comparatively youthful plant, although 

 very old in China and Japan— we find the blue rose, or blue dahlia, carna- 

 tion, hollyhock, and some other popular flowers of long existence to be 

 as far off as ever. All those have got into purple pretty well, but the 

 dense blue tint seems to be as far off as ever. On the other hand, how 

 very few cultivated plants are there that have, even over a long series of 

 years, developed blue, except those which do so seem to inherit that 

 colour from their original species. 



The intense blue of the gentian, or Salvia patens, or of Scilla 



siberica, or of Vanda carulea, or of the forget-me-not, are all derived 

 from progenitive species, or are pure species remaining unchanged. The 

 well-known Centaurea cyanus, one of the most marked of the wild 

 flowers, is less robust and more imperfectly developed than are garden 

 members of the centaurea family. How beautiful is the blue of Yeroni 



chamaxlrys of our fields, or the much richer blue of Phacelia campanu- 

 laria of another clime ; indeed they are blues which no evolved plant seems 

 to have produced. The question after all in relation to these popular 

 florists' flowers, roses, dahlias, carnations, chrysanthemums, and othe s 

 is, Can we ever hope to evolve blue colour from them by any inter 

 crossings ? Even the Japanese blue chrysanthemum, with that nation 

 doubtless the effort of centuries, seems to have existed only in the 

 imagination of an artist. Unless change to blue can be effected by the 

 application to the soil of certain chemical compounds, then does other 

 effort seem useless. A. D. 



[The wallflower Mr. Knight referred to is, correctly speaking, Chei- 

 ranthus scoparius var. chamaelo, a native of Tenerifife. C. mutabilis 

 also is changeable, as its name implies. — Ed.] 



Hardy Peach Culture.— On page seven of the Gardeners' Magazine 



for January 1 there is an excellent article upon peach growing, but being very 

 much interested in this work, I should like to make a few remarks upon it. 

 " Kentish Gardener " says : " for outside walls a coping is necessary to bring about 

 good results." So far, so good. But I believe in no coping beyond the ordinary 

 four-inch stone coping, which is just enough to keep the wall dry and the trees 

 from drip. A glass coping is sometimes a little advantage in helping to ripen any 

 late varieties during October, because at that period the mghts are damp, and the 

 trees do not require much assistance beyond that of gathering the fruit. I have 

 seen most wretched specimens of peach trees that have been coddled up under 

 glass copings, and when the latter are fixtures, they are worse than ever, for they 

 help aphis, thrip, and red spider to multiply at an alarming rate. This may have 

 been largely the fault of the grower in not attending to the syringing, watering, 

 &C, required daily by such trees. Being fixed close to the wall, drip was kept 

 away, and the foliage at the top on a hot summer's day is nearly baked. Many 

 people think that a coping is necessary for outdoor peach growing, but I strongly 

 advise anyone to try for themselves, and not let the expense of providing a glass 

 coping stop them from peach growing on an open wall. We manage to obtain a 

 good supply from July till October from outdoor trees without the aid of a glass 



rous and 

 portant 



grow outside ; Waterloo, the earliest of all ; and that good all-round peach, 

 Dymond, which I consider second to none, being handsome, prolific, and fine 

 flavoured.— W. A. Cook. Compton Basset. 



