fOLT »3» 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE 



TH 



ALPI 



Auricula 



p not go 



Into the history of the auricula, nor speculate from what 



. . • u„~A, r rro^on ^Aurpr tins snruner : as the 



xE KD noi go in harming har d y garden flower has sprung ; as the 

 fnnVinal oarent was cultivated in our gardens three hundred 

 wands to reason that the variation from so many genera- 

 1* X^ltags must be very great, but it is also true that the Alpine 

 0005 V !n railed for they are all Alpine) never was taken up by the 

 mc t the edeed auricula has been. When the silk weavers were 



from the low countries and settled in Spitalfields, they brought 

 ^ J , nncula but not the Alpine. The hand-loom weavers about 



Sr could not find room for it in their gardens, nor have I ever months for an offset to bV^^ t W^th W ° l ° ^ 



^^i^rs^ssr two famous cultivators ' Mr - Ben =.s£ar ^a^^^^^ ar 



^hls a matter of taste, or it may be a matter of convenience ; my own 

 «J on is that the Alpine auricula is a lovely flower, charming in its rich 

 Id varied colours, in the delicate perfume of the blooms, and its easy 



plant is easier to cultivate ; place the plants in an ordinary earden fram* 



gaps aaasttf a? s'tCrSl 



usT ?h' e a, li 0 m ne ° f H leaf ' m0uld ; H ^ the latto - »o\ «seK 



c j aDd .S anure m 'y> with no other addition, and with 



unqualified success. The flower pots used vary in size according the 



dSer aid' ,^" tS 'f« eSt . used are rour-and-a-ha^f inlhes in 

 D aSf the nfft, a Kt 'J 1 ^ J nches inside measure for flowering 

 ±„ ns "'S: "\ P '™' d » : '?™ b .Ro<s, and it takes two to .href 



on as they require it, using rather finer loam, 

 established, they require plenty of air. 



2d varied colours, in the delicate perfume of the blooms, ana its easy 

 ulture Plant a group of, say, a dozen Alpine auriculas, all one variety ; 

 • Afferent varieties in the group, it does not matter. I put out a dozen 

 hnts of a choice variety 



ux different varieties in the group, it does not matter.^ I put out a doz 

 ■huts of a choice variety, Gorton's Diadem, and the" second season _ 

 fainted one hundred trusses of beautiful blooms, n *and£they~ grew well 

 md flowered well without 

 removal for ten years. Seed- 



fags are also cnarmin^ uui 



ol doors. Hear what a cele- 

 brated florist says in a letter 

 to me : "I have one of the 

 grandest shows of auricula 

 seedlings I have ever seen. 

 They constitute three beds, 

 nised from seed, and are 

 masses of gorgeous bloom. 

 .... The luxuriance of 

 growth, the delicious scent 

 which fills the air, and 

 the bizarre combination of 

 colours is perfectly entran- 

 cing. And what colours they 

 are ! Every shade and com- 

 bination of the older im- 

 perial colours of purple and 

 jold, down to the softest 

 violet and primrose, and 

 some yellow. Just now they 

 cowtitute the glory of the 

 prden, and I am delighted 

 »ith them." This is surely 

 a very favourable testimonial 

 for the culture of this charm- 

 j* alpine in the open air in 

 England. Give it good, deep 

 and plenty of decayed 

 ■inure: but see that the 

 ijjnure is placed six inches 

 Wow the surface, so as not 

 to come into immediate 

 contact with the roots. 



It is easy to raise a good 

 «ock of auriculas from seed. 

 |he seed should be sown in 

 Wt as soon as it can be 

 5™i as auricula seed 

 ;-oes not keep well. Cover 

 ^ seed very lightly, and 

 J«* » a garden frame, in 



0use ' or hothouse. 



'Pat my auricula seed-pans 



SL? n or intc ™e- 



- e orchid house this year. 



St ° f 60 Agrees, 

 25 t0 «« them ad- 



ex cJn^L Z h fi ble to . ^ attacked by insect pests or fungoid disea.es, 



SPff t W °? y , af l hlS { T mma which clusters around the 



roots at the neck of the plants, as well as below ground, for even the 



SH C H?X a T^' maSS ° f White flu « The does not 



seem to do much harm, at least, the plants do not show that they suffer 



in any way One amateur made the remark that the woolly aphis lodged 

 but did not board on the Auricula roots. Green fly is sometimes trouble- 



some with plants grown 

 under glass ; fumigate, if the 

 frames can be made close, 

 or dust with tobacco powder. 

 I think I have now given all 

 needful instruction to ama- 

 teurs wishing to take up 

 the culture of this choice 

 favourite of our gardens. 



The variety, Apollo, of 

 which an illustration is given 

 herewith, is one of the 

 novelties I had the pleasure 

 of exhibiting at Westminster 

 during the past spring ; it 

 has already been described 

 in these columns. 



J. Douglas. 



. Edensidc, Great Bookham 



w arm atmos- 



New Strawber- 

 ries. 



By the invitation of Messrs. 

 Laxton Brothers, I had an 

 opportunity a short time 

 since of inspecting their ex- 

 tensive collection of seed- 

 ling and other strawberries 

 in the vicinity of Bedford. 

 In addition to the large 

 number of sorts already in 

 commerce, I found upwards 

 of two thousand lots of seed 

 lings, many of which are of 

 great promise, and bid well 

 to supersede those already 



known to the horticultural 

 world. 



The early sorts only were 

 sufficiently advanced to en- 

 able me to give a decided 

 opinion about them. These 

 were then in full fruit, and 

 the tasting was quite a task 

 with so many ; the whole set 

 occupying no less than four- 

 acres of ground. I 

 " Monarch * and 



NEW ALPINE AURICULA APOLLO (DOUGLAS) 



teen 

 found 



" Leader " in 



grand form, 

 both of which are in com- 



a 



^ about two weeks. 



They 

 well. 



have 



I 



now 

 advise 



seed " nan, P ?« ° r boxes > and *™ doing 



. r ">es * B'Jfe Cfr, ° r b0xes > ™ d P^k the plants 



: ** ^l£Jfa2 T lai ' 8 f enm - h < *hen they are 



- ' £fe tbem ? hc " th ey are . to flower. The 



^nspl, 



and divid 



good time 



cow- 

 some 



It 



**ed has 



; it does ur*>ii ~ " W1 imes eood, deep, 



Jiff* nat urali; W o"°S "J ch ^ ^ -here primroses and 

 S2l loa n«. and wh en tn L 1 \ San f y t 011 11 is better t0 add 

 ES: b are stems sh on I H K lpt ^ plants be set d ^P »to 

 Kat ^ a tei ^n cy ? 0 1 C ? Vered W,th Soi1 ' for auri ^ ulas 

 A> a cfe dy ^en pS th^ tT T - 00tS a ^ the base of th « leaves. 



*• iSS ' Plam f ^ growin? in 6 SFS* aUnCula can be recommended. 

 - « r *% ^emed.^^S " P° ts . th.s sweetly-scented favourite is 



J 10 ! h ose who haw 5 • huS 1 ! t ,S an endless source of pure 

 3 aur «culas are easl P 1 dlCd ,tS c L hara «eristics. F 

 2^ afc 1 ' « row more freVlv man , a ^? n than so-called show section, 



jSfcS^^ mon hs S W ' U ^° me , into bloom sooner : hut 

 ^-llK men - ™« a srnan S? w , a planl s eed into a full sized 



" PUnts. a.: . r 5ma » Onset will take verv nearlv as Inner. 



merce at the present time. 

 Amongst the unnamed seedlings several varieties seemed certain to 

 suroass those already introduced for size, earhness, colour, and quality. 



P T1 e Messrs. Laxton Brothers seem determined not to introduce any 

 „nl P s S thev are really good in these respects, and as their Royal Sovereign 

 ha si ivS such great satisfaction, and is now being grown by nearly all 

 law f Sro»4«, besides being in nearly all large gardens, it appears as if 

 LXSSce may be placed in their future introductions. ^ 



every confidence may be placea in tneir imure imruuuuuu^. ™ 

 a e not yet named, I can only refer to them by their parentage, 

 have noS tile tally numbers for future reference, and hope ■ ill 



As these 

 Hut 1 



nspection 



r any sub 



ect opinions of their good 



I have omitted 



dualities wh : ch I hope to report upon another season 1 have omittea 

 qualities, wn.cn p excellent variety, the fruit being wonderfully 

 to men ion one which s a y, named u Mentmore „ and is 



the^incmaf n^elty in Messrs. Laxton Brothers' new list of strawberries, 

 the principal noveuy_ ^ ^ whjch have been secured> with fine hand . 



tesse Hericart de Tliury ana James v. 



British Queen and Royal Sovereign 

 If rm«in<? Latest of All and Royal Sc 



Queen, t 



result of crossing Latest 



Noble. 



A ykstone, Leicester. 



overeign, Latest of All and 



John Harrison, F.R.H.S. 



