September if l8< ? 8 ' 



GARDENERS' 



MAGAZINE. 



605 



CHRYSANTH 



AT THE BR 



Fawkham 



The Ho 



of the m0 st enthusiastic and painstaking amateur 

 h -anthemums whom it has been my good fortune to meet is Mr. Percy 

 Tterer. The prominent part taken by this gentleman in the affairs of 

 . xtt q of which body he acts as vice-chairman of the Executive 

 Committee, has made most chrysanthemum growers familiar with his 

 e and the excellent exhibits which he has staged from time to time 

 ^the best competitions in the open classes, have reflected great credit 

 0 his skill as a grower. One of his triumphs was the winning of the 

 American gold medal in 1896 at the Royal Aquarium for a vase of large 

 blooms with their own foliage, and the fact of his exhibit taking fourth 

 ze in the great class of sixty blooms at Edinburgh last November speaks 

 more for his pluck and success than anything yet achieved, because this 

 competition was amongst the best of professional gardeners from various 

 parts of the country. So much for the prowess of the busy city amateur 

 as showing what may be done when one is in earnest. 



Recently I had the pleasure of a visit to The Briars, and amongst 

 several things which are well cared for in the pretty garden we found the 

 chrysanthemums. Of these there are some three to four hundred plants, 

 grown for production of specimen blooms, and very promising they 



growers of I like the common name of Honesty as applied to Lunaria biennis. It 



has other common names as well, such as Lunary and Moonwort, no 

 doubt from the disk-like form of its great flat seed vessels, or their 

 silvery and transparent brightness. It is this peculiarity, no doubt, which 

 accounts for its nicknames— White Satin flower, Monkey flower, and 

 Silver plate— all very appropriate. Dr. Prior thinks the name— Honesty 

 —was given to it on account of the transparency of its dissepiments, that 

 is, a term applied to the partitions formed in ovaries by the united sides 

 of cohering carpels, which separate the inside into cells. 



For spring blooming the Honesty is invaluable, the plants form dense 

 bushes of blossom when fully in flower, and as side spikes succeed to the 

 central one the duration of bloom is considerable. Then there is diffused 

 from the flowers a pleasant fragrance, which adds to its decorative value 

 in the garden in the spring. The plants do best when they can be 

 raised from seeds sown where the plants are to blossom. Transplanting 

 may certainly be done with safety when the plants are young, but as soon 

 as they grow into size they form a thick fleshy root like a long white 

 radish attached to the base of the plant by a kind of thin cord. This 

 root strikes down deep into the soil, and it is this fact which makes trans- 

 planting a difficult and risky process. It is therefore best to dibble in the 



ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM, VAR. MISS ANNA GUDEkS. 



m f °r the nmni?*? ^ securely staked in long rows, with ample 

 ""fined mainlv L 1 r° pment of sut >sequent growth. The collection 

 **nt int -odurlirJ, i a L pa P ese sect,on > and includes most of the best 

 ** ed *o be a vr~t e late Propagation of several varieties is here 

 J* ?nd more* £1 S J^?« nd l he better timing of flower buds of 



anc 

 m Similar 



*^ treat 



i^tfie plants inTL COlle< ? 0ns surely can be so Pestered with earwigs 



the devices of « U u S ?l So much so ' that hundred, are caught, 

 ' wh 'ch is flJtii P ot ?, and a channel of water run round the 

 JJjy*ve to be resort T' P PtrnIeum when the plants are taken 



on 

 and 



exped 



*«* fr om which ^ ■ crum P l ed pieces o 

 ? r Caterer fii mSects ma ? be cau S ht - 



paper 



placed 



5 th of h 



■ • ' " ^e BMW til ' md , th ' S ' as 1 have before «rged on young 



SaS, 41 F ^kharn and w t - t0 SUCCeSS ' ° ne other hinl which 1 

 ^ JJJXe ovsw.i. ,.' and wa ich is certainlv eood . iri , , ,^ ;, n.. 



Z" nen watering ftVnU :' ae L aown wards OI » the surface of the soil, 



sw, »ing the son frl .V he hqmd maybe P oured on to this and 



uc so 'l from the roots somewhat. W H Lffs 



seeds in drills, and to form a bed, and then thin out as desired, so 

 soon as the plants are large enough to handle ; or •if clumps are required, 

 f j-uKi. in K fe w seeds in the form of a circle, and thin out if desired. 

 t0 tt in a good deep and rather stiff loam that the Honesty flourishes 

 rootingverydeeply; but as it is somewhat of an exhausting plant the : ground 

 2 iJ Kp Lnd It likes to be in an open and sunny position, though I 

 W grown" i? well in pots somewhat shaded. 1 have seen it doing well - 



chalk banks, where its roots can travel along the openings April : 

 chat* oanks, wi Rnd then strong lants are formed 



May are the mon hs in * men a^ ^ fol , ow5 



to flower the tf™***^ manV) if they y ' are not killed outright. 

 d Tf vaS the'; % a dwarfer g'rowing'deep-coloured formfknown as 



r -It«n Hnnestv which I have sometimes met with growing m a 

 the Crimson Honesty. fa an ^ farmhouse den in Kent Seed 



semi-wild sta e, as I aia blossomS} are darker in tint than the old 

 grains and foliage, as wh varje alsQ ^ % vari ted _ 



^fiSSKS ^ged wrth white. 



ThM the seed pods, when the seed grains are fully ripe and removed 

 r i ♦ iaa« fVip transparent sheaths, are found valuable for winter de- 

 from between * c wit h in many country houses. They mix 



coration, an erasses and palm leaves, furnishing corners of sitting 

 well with a -j*ie ^ addg c h ee rfulness t0 t ^ e home when with- 



rTh«e n fsdu!»e"s a and y gl oo m . 



