6 3 6 



GA RDENERS* MA GA ZINE. 



October 



i 



1898. 



Two New Strawberries. 



F 



Begon 



j 



year by Messrs 



The introduction of the fibrous rooted section ofh(>wni« 

 the embellishment of the flower garden was indeed a h™ *? SU f jects for 

 are compelled to keep the bed! *av over 1*°°" t0 , tho . se who 



With 



•~ m mm * v-r 1 1 j £^ 



that the dark 



are compelled 

 weather is favourable or not. 



5 gay over a long season, whether the 

 ^eriainiy in the driest of ear.W 



fibrous-rooted begonias have presented a wealth of hW«™ £ , thc 

 subjects were all but exhausted by the extreme" h^anTd^ott 

 last two months. When we consider, too, how easily from sef d a h tl 

 stock of Plants can be raised that will give entire satisfact on the fi?s 

 season, an additional gam has to be recorded. In fact, the plants sitnolv 

 require treating as half-hardy annuals, and this is simplicity itself P X 

 present there are half-a-dozen or more varieties, all emanating from B 

 semperflorens The colour ranges from deep crimson to white the 

 growth is all that could be desired, being sturdy, yet compact while he 

 continuity of the flowering period is one of the characteristics of the rare 

 To the Messrs. Sutton, I believe, we are indebted for several of the be t 

 varieties. Fairy Queen may safely be classed as the gem of the section 

 and there is a grace in the semi-drooping, branching stems, combined 

 with the intense freedom of flower production of this form that is not 

 equalled by any other. The colour is * ' ' ' 



telling in a mass. 



1 w k» r a bright ros y carn »ne, most 

 In height it grows from ten to fifteen inches 



Strawberry Exquisite. 



crimson variety, named Exquisite, takes pre-eminence, for in richness it flnfifernn^^nd't^i 



Crimson Gem is distinctly a gain to the flower garden. Not only are 

 the rich red blossoms so telling in a mass, but the crimson-bronze colour 

 of the leaves enhances its appearance considerably, rendering it doubly 

 an object of interest ; it grows from ten to eighteen inches high. Duchess of 

 York is an elegant growing, carmine flowered variety, and the green foliage 

 forms an admirable setting to the delicately tinted blossoms. Duchess 

 of Edinburgh has white flowers suffused with pink, which grow much 

 larger than those of the typical B. semperflorens. Miniature Bedding 



forms quite a new departure in begonias, as in habit of growth '. „ 



resembles a well-grown lobelia, and as an edging to beds it should prove 



even surpasses British Queen, a variety that has always been set up as 

 the highest standard of excellence in this respect. It has somewhat 

 conical, wedge-shaped fruits of a very dark colour, while the flesh is also 

 very dark, indicating the probable use of Waterloo as a pollen parent, 

 Lord Suffield being the seed parent. In the matter of cropping it is not 

 behind many popular sorts ; but it is on the score of delicious and rich 

 flavour, and its usefulness purely as a dessert fruit at home, that it is to 

 be recommended. The second variety differs from the former both in 

 shape and colour, as a glance at the illustrations will prove. This is 

 Veitch's Prolific, a most profuse cropper, bearing fair-sized scarlet fruits, 

 that are wedge-shaped, but inclining to the cockscomb formation. These 

 fruits are highly flavoured, luscious, and white fleshed, firm and solid. 



Strawberry Veitch's Prolific 



The variety is one of the most prolific we have seen, and, as such, will 

 recommend itself to those who have to provide quantities of good straw- 

 berries. Veitch's Prolific is the result of crossing Empress of India with 



i.ritish Queen, and it was awarded a first-class certificate by the R.H.S. 

 on July 12 last 



. . it grows at the most six inches, is 



flonferous, and the bright red flowers harmonise with many subjects. Its 

 foliage, too, is suffused with purple. Princess Beatrice is still one of the 

 most useful of this section ; the pale pink blossoms are most freely pro- 

 duced, and the expanding buds are white, which enhances its appearance 

 and gives variety. Not only in a mass by itself is this variety imposing 

 in the garden, but as a carpet for tall-growing subjects like Lobelia 

 cardinahs, for instance, or even purple fuchsias, it is valuable. Coral Gem 

 is an exceedingly free-flowering, compact-growing variety. As its name 

 implies, the colour of its blossoms is coral, and a pleasing tint it is. Snow 

 flake, as its name suggests, has pure white flowers, which are produced 

 in abundance on stout stems. All of the above mentioned varieties, with 

 the exception of the latter, are easily produced from seed, the bulk of 

 them coming wonderfully true to name. 



In raising a stock of Princess Beatrice it is best to divide the tufts, as 

 every particle with a root attached will grow into a sturdy plant if given 

 suitable treatment, viz., cool conditions in the spring, with just sufficient 

 warmth to incite a free growth during the month of March, when dividing 

 is best done. By cuttings is not a fruitful source of increasing the 

 stock, as although they strike readily, the plants afterwards do not throw 

 up sucker-like growths, and instead of being of a shrubby character they 

 are merely straight stems. To obtain a stock of the other varieties, sow 

 seed in pans of sandy soil the first week in February in a warm, moist 

 atmosphere. By carefully shading from bright sun, and maintaining 

 moisture in the soil, the seed quicklv germinates. Directly the plants 

 are large enough to.handle, they should be pricked off into other pans of 

 sandy soil and given a place near the glass to induce a stocky growth, 

 gradually innuring them to cooler quarters as growth proceeds. It is m 

 this last detail that so many persons fail in having a good outdoor dis- 

 play of not only fibrous but tuberous begonias. Too often we see them 

 growing in heat much too strong, in the hope of inducing the plants to 

 grow large, so that they will at once give a wealth of bloom when put out 

 in the beds. The soft, sappy growth resulting from this treatment 

 renders them unfit to withstand either cold wind or hot sun. 



E. MOI.YNEUX. 



H 



Man 



Spring-flowering Bulbs.— The bulb catalogues are now arriving, and no 

 time should be lost in ordering those that are to be bought for autumn planting 



ni T^f-i .u Ur l>e de3Ired ' b* 1 * may be filled with one kind of hyacinth, tulip, 

 or <'a» 0<1 ;!' as the case may be, examples of which are prominent in spring in the 

 ixmuon t arks. Where, however, a more continuous display is aimed at, bulbs 

 may M associated with a groundwork of other subjects, aspansies, violas, myosotis, 



£ni. f P t DtS J , a u nd , planted thinl y am °ng ^em, the latter will carry on the 

 \ lS Z n L bu b flowers are P^ 1 the summer bedding out. Among 



Ornnfer nths C>rles Dickens, (Irand Maitre, Lord Derby, Cor Peter, 



v , ?r Cral " avelcck ar *good single bedders ; of white, Mont Blanc, 

 of red v l" ,kr T T^'r M ' na ' Grande ^ a Merveille, and La Grandesse ; shades 

 and Gi™ ^nV^ M T U t Y ' V° bt - Stei B e '. General Pelissier, Von Schiller, 

 bSht 8 ™S; ™ , how y d( , )ub,C l " h * s the lowing are good : Vellow Tournesol 

 Muri 1I„ B St "'rot f S OI r S ° ,is ' lar S e reddkh-brown with golden edge 

 £S&jd inVSSi Wn Cr ° Wn ' P^Pl'sh-crimson ; La Candeur, white. Of 



^^^uS^?v^isr! :canary P Bird ' eariy r°5 : „ Ye,,ow 



Duchesse de Parrm r«l l~» * 0 ™* l > crimson; Prosperme, fine dark rose; 

 Couronne I-ourore Trk rrL £ ,Iow * B€ » e Alliance, dwarf early scarlet; 



»nd white ; PriSce o? Vu"rh uL C ° n,te d < Mirabeau » white ' 



with yellow marcin • ™,i v. 0,an Se-red ; Keiter Kroon, crimsonscailet 

 Kmperor, KmpreJs, iwL r ! !° n e Brillia nt scarlet Daffodils, Sir Watkin, 

 useful for massine in K^' ° olden Vr, and Single Incomparabilis are also 

 Dropmore Carditis, M^&J™**** 1 * other subjects.-C. Herrin, 



■ ••»«.<-» wwwg turn easily grown piani ior greeiuiuuat u» v.„..--- . 



decoration at the close of summer, few can surpass this beautitui 

 Hibiscus. It is not a new plant, though last year an award of merit was 

 granted by the Royal Horticultural Society to specimens shown at a 

 meeting in September. The date of introduction from the Last Indie* 

 is given by Paxton as 1712, hence it seems curious that the plant s merits 

 have been so long overlooked. /Uctrihuted last spring, ana 



pecimens 



from two to three feet, and are very free-flowering ; the largest woonj 

 measure six inches in diameter. Though flowers only last one day, eacn 



m Amino now . rlicnl.iv. wnicn '» 



morning new ones open, thus keeping up a continuous display 

 likely to continue for some weeks longer yet. The colour of t 



cb 



perfect 



lebiK 



>. Our 



>e used 



r , ' v wccu 8 r own in ordinary potting son, suv." , • "^,11 oots 

 for pelargoniums, and since thev were well established «n small po« 



plant of shapely growth, h 1S much appreciated here, and may JJIJJJ 

 by anyone possessing a greenhouse who cares for plants of this cnarac 

 tor late summer and autumn blooming. 



borders 



year they have not been a success ; perhaps the cool wea the r « J«»^ ^ 

 July prevented them making a proper start. An excellent .1 us rat. ^ 

 Hibiscus Manihot was jriven in the issue of the Gardners' MaGAZH* 



ber 18, 1897, p cR-, t«cr*ther with historical notes. 



Gardens, 



LEt 



