152 



THE GARDENERS 



MAGAZINE. 



March 



Flowers for Easter. 



singles in their respective colours for forcing, and with rh 

 ported plants, specially prepared, there is no difficulty in I annu % 

 supply of this much-appreciated flower. It is a sond 7- avin * * £ 



ii 



Kvekv season has its special ^^^W^ ^l^^^^^ s ^ Q&gR U?| 



at no other season of the year do they enter more^eneraii> mto q y allowed tQ remain>for . tne> can be p| anled » 



national life and rehg.ous mes than at £as ter , and certainly at n ^ ^ s, so nd lf ahui etro * 



tim T^° ^fe^^^^SSd a £SS addiUnTo "e demand for second and third year from forang which will give T^ft* * 



The last ttv\ years nave viw» •» » fl rt , v #»r ahont Easter time, and amolv renav fnr tv.«, *.*.JT^ - 1 S "PD v * 



flower about Easter time, and amply repay for the attention 

 are several promising things among the newer doubl 



cut flowers and plants for this festival in town and country alike ; for now 



2 [ ri v cathedral or parish church is found without its plants and are several h'™s 



resources is at this time somewhat severe, and coming as it does at a 

 time when other work of all kinds is most pressing, the tax is all the 

 .nme felt . but thanks to the gradual introduction of coloured flowers for 

 this festival, the demand is not so difficult to meet as it otherwise would be 

 One cannot help being struck with the variety as well as the quantity of 

 flowers now used, as compared with former years, for this festival, for 

 whereas white and red were the only colours thought desirable to use 

 at one time, we now see various colours introduced in combination, and 

 with striking effect. And this same change, by the way, is gradually 



SUpp| v 



given. TU, 



e varie »es of 4* 



Closely resembling these, and very useful about this time k vi 

 plicatum ; not so useful, however, for cut flowers as for corridn * 

 house furnishing, but withal very acceptable. Staphylea rolriv gre * 

 also be named as a useful shrub for forcing about thi« . 

 cate white flowers can be utilised in a 

 gradually being crowded out of 



for furnishing 



profitable 

 disappeared. 



plants 



One must at times 



variety of w^y d * 

 cultivation by 



: m some places they have Jjf 



taking place in regard to wreaths and floral tributes of all kinds for 

 funerals, for here, too, up to a short time ago, white only was thought 

 admissible, and but very seldom was anything else seen ; but now it is no 

 exaggeration to say all colours and shades are used, with pleasing results 

 to the eye, and certainly with an enhanced general effect. Still, the 

 demand for white flowers continues to be great for all festive occasions, 

 and with but little prospect of their becoming less so for Easter as time 

 goes on. 



Foremost and favourite of all Easter flowers comes Lihum longi- 

 folium Harrisi,and the undisputed sway this has held for the past twelve 

 or fourteen years seems likely to continue, for the ease with which it can 

 be brought into flower for Easter by procuring early imported bulbs, and 

 the readiness with which it lends itself for all manner of decoration, has 

 caused it to become a general favourite. 



The practice here has been to procure bulbs immediately they are 

 in) ported and pot at once, then placing them in cold frames with a slight 

 covering of leafmoukl or ashes, and as soon as the growths begin to show 

 about an inch in length we remove the covering, and gradually bring on 

 in a greenhouse temperature. Their greatest enemy is greenfly, and if 

 this is allowed to secure a lodgment on the young growths but for a 

 short lime only irreparable damage is done, and deformed flowers, with 

 yellow, sickly growth, will be the result. To prevent this slight fumiga- 

 tions of an approved insecticide should be given about every ten days, 

 and for all decorative purposes the pollen should be carefully removed as 

 soon as the blooms are sufficiently expanded to permit this ; and if the 

 blooms are too early for any purpose they are required for, they may be 

 considerably retarded by cutting the spike on the first bloom expanding, 

 and placing in a d irk, dry cellar or room ; and pot plants may be 

 similarly treated, and will thus keep much longer than if left in the heat 

 and sunshine to expand, and still retain their waxen freshness. 



Next to Lilium llarrissifor Easter decorations comes the old favourite 

 Richardia arthiopica, and for general usefulness will hold its place for 

 some time to come ; notwithstanding the more recent introduction of the 

 two beautiful yellows, Elliottiana and Tentlandi, used in a cut state, as 

 we sometimes see, the spathes have an air of stiffness, but when used 

 with a little of their own green bold foliage, the leaves form a perfect 

 setoff to these striking spathes. The Madonna lily, or Lilium 

 < uHltdum, is not so extensively grown for Easter as at one time. Still, it 

 deserves a place where room can be spared, and its sweet delicate 

 fragrance will always make it acceptable ; but it will not, however, stand 

 the amount of forcing that L. Harrissi will, and those requiring it for 

 Easter will need to procure very early bulbs and bring them on from the 

 first very steadily— doubtless this drawback accounts for its not being 

 grown in such large quantities as it used to be. 



Among a/aleas there are many that may be named, but Deutsch Perle 



express a lingering regard fa w 

 bygone favourites, and hope room will still be kept for a few ?? 



varieties *™rmcrwliirh mav he nampH Ch**%A\!*A A i , . w _ °* the 



H 



i among which may be named Chandleri elegans IWU> • 

 Lady Hume's Blush, Alba plena, and Reticulata, the last-nampT^ 

 excellent subject for the back wall of a cool house, and a few of \ 

 handsome blooms would act as a pleasant reminder of the changes wfciA 

 come over men and things. * mc * 



Acacias are another class of plants gradually losing ground as n* 



plants, but which for this time of the year are most useful. A. l)nV 



mondi and A. armata may be named as useful for pot culture whik 

 A. dealbata and A. Riceana are two excellent species for planting om- 

 the latter makes one of the most graceful plants it is possible to conceit* 

 when allowed to spread under and depend from a lofty roof. 



The foregoing are but a few of the most useful things for Easter 

 decorations. Space does not permit to mention in detail the roses ad 

 lilies of the valley, the hyacinths, and tulips, and daffodils that will be 

 fortcoming in great profusion and endless variety. 



Eaton Hall Gardens. F. N. Barnes. 



Leicester. 



Coniferous Trees at Holkham. 



In the recently-published transactions of the English Arbor icultural Society, the 

 following particulars are given of the fine collection of coniferous trees to tit 

 Fulmodestone Wood on the Holkham estate, the property of the Earl rf 



The visit was made by the members of the society on a wet day, * 

 the writer says, i*ith reference to the inspection of the wood in question \ Th« 

 we saw what is probably the most magnificent collection of conifer* in Englani 

 Rain was then falling heavily, and the long grass was completely saturated, hv 

 the sight of such a succession of noble trees, perfect in shape and form, and sooe 

 of them throwing out boughs of such length as to make an approach to the mini 

 a somewhat difficult operation, led us to forget any temporary discomfort resultaj 

 from the disagreeable weather. The planting of these trees was undertako 

 merely from love of arboriculture, and not with any idea of reaping profit. TW 

 wood is two hundred and eleven acres in extent, and is well drained, and the 

 conifers are protected by a pre-existing crop of larch and other timber trees 

 which have been felled from time to time to promote their growth witta* 

 reducing their protection. Planting has been going on gradually ever since it 

 when the earliest of the coniferae were placed here. Some that were plawec 

 not more than twenty-two years ago have reached a good height already, : 

 almost every instance the growth has been very rapid. A blown silver fir, whid 

 we saw on entering the wood, was measured, and was computed to contain fo« 

 hundred and sixty-two cubic feet of timber. But that is only by way of DtK* 



thesis. Pursuing our way through the wood, we came up to two specimens of Pica 

 Webbiana, planted in 1851, and one of which has a quarter girth of 18 inches: r. 



high ; Wellingtonea gigantea, planted in !5ft 



50 feet high ; do., ijl 



nobilis, 21 inches, over 70 feet 



2f> l /z inches, over 100 feet high ; Thuja Lobbi, 9 inches. _ 

 inches ; do., 15 inches, 70 feet high ; Picea amabilis, 22 % inches, top broken* 

 by wind ; Abies canadensis (Hemlock Spruce), 9 inches ; A. Douglasi (AjJ^JJ 

 Red Fir), ib# inches, about 80 feet high ; do., 20 inches ; do., 20% incte (* 



is the most useful of all the whites, and one that will the most readily planted in 1852); A. Albertiana (Californian Hemlock Spruce), 14 j^i 

 r espond to gentle forcing, and where a quantity of white flowers are in ^ h ; d( ? > x 4# inches > 90 feet high (both planted in the early fifties, ^ ana 



respond to gentle forcing, and where a quantity of white flowers are in 

 demand this must be regarded as being indispensable. And among the 

 Arm una type there are several varieties well worthy of growing for their 

 usefulness for all decorative puroses, and for the pleasing bits of colour 

 they afford when arranged with other subjects, and when allowed to grow 

 without any attempt at keeping them to a particular shape they have an 

 easy grace about them we miss in the other varieties. A useful addition 

 to this class is one named obtusa, the flowers are of a darker crimson 

 than any 0 f the others known to me of this class. Spirseas japonica and 

 astilboides do not meet with the same amount of favour in private places 

 they at one time did, especially is this so with the former species. The 

 strong disagreeable smell the flowers have very largely detracts from their 

 value, but where there is a large demand for groups they will always be 

 tounu useful for forming a groundwork for other subjects. Spinea 

 contusa, on the other hand, is much sought after : and either for forcing or 

 a™r 1 1 c ° rat,v * work > °r for the front of the shrubbery borders* its 



chlhit \ s of P ure whit * lowers have made it a valuable addition 



to our spnng-flowenng plants. 



beinrT^ an excellent plant for decorations, and 



shou dd secu?^ S 5 Y f hablt i ° f , ***** with * reat freedom 01 flowering, 



SbfertforSL a jSS eaHy f0rdng - PrunuS tri,oba is another <**fc 

 subject for pot culture ; it is a much stronger grower than the above, and 



or early, but its soft rosy-pink 

 association, have a very pleasing effect. 



fine specimens). There is a group of these majestic trees which we ™md 

 " Albert groups A fine avenue of Picea nobilis claims brief attenuon, and » 

 an avenue of Abies Douglasi ( Rocky Mountain type), planted twenty-two ycaBip 

 but all the larger trees of this species were planted in 1S52, as already sugg«» 

 A close belt of coniferse on an exposed side of the wood has created some 

 culty for Mr. Munro. Formerly it was a sort of copse, which had to watt 



. u is a much stro 

 perhaps not qu.te so free in rlowerine 

 lowers, either by_themselves or in associ 



^^kn^'JSK? Valuab,e addition to this clks ' s ^ PlaV and 



shrubber.es The ad L^S If^X^ ^ *»* f ° r 



under -lass eirlv in *2 Y °f l . h,s han dsome cherry for flowering 

 t^ffSttJZlSUS* ,s ^mirably shown in the excellent illus S 



periodically, and when that was done it left the main part of { ^ e J 

 injury. So the hazel was cleared out, and Picea nobilis, Abies 

 Cupressus Lawsoniana, and others were planted in pretty closely wito ^ 

 of giving permanent shelter. Now, however, they have grown so well i» ^ 

 Munro does not wish to part with any of them, and does not kno* » ^ 

 sacrifice. Some of the Picea nobilis were bought in pots at *5. a P lc ~ , I(A 

 planted in i8qi or 1852. One of these has at present a quarter £ rti 1 • 

 inches, and is 95 feet high. As regards the Abies Douglasi, one of tnem ^ 

 to have grown up 6 feet 2 inches in two years. The only s P e . clI V e j t ** 

 Lambertiana, the tallest of pines, has a quarter girth of io# in ^; ifa | a* 

 planted in 185 1. This species does not thrive here. Two very 

 standing together, and both planted in 186 1, engrossed attention for .oro ^ . $ 

 The one is Picea lisiocarpa or Lowi, and the other P. grandis. 1 

 17^ inches quarter girth, and 90 feet high ; and the former l*lfc !" c t JjoobI 

 girh, and 80 feet high. Probably the largest nobilis— at least, the iarg ^ 



irth , and is ^ ^ 



each. A Y**!** 



Only oJMlJ. 



5 



on our tour through the wood — is 26 inches quarter 

 high. This was one of the plants bought in pots at 

 measured 1 1 inches quarter girth, and has a height ot 42 feet, 

 men of Libocedrus decurrens (sometimes called Thuja gigantea) 

 its quarter girth is 14 inches. Amongst the other s-— 



was 



Pedmens note^JJ 



num- 



tration of the Wint-r hJa -«»»*auijr 9uuwu in me excellent 



bwofth, SflSsStfSte 5 Frogmore given in the Christmas 



nit* me lenth and \ irgmahs are the two best 



high ; Thujopsis borealis, a very fine specimen, very grac eiuian « 

 and Cryptomeria japonica, also very fine. All the underwooa j ^t* 1 

 felled about ten years ago, and the younger conifene were plan 

 suitable spot was found. 



