20 



THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



garden can hope to parallel ; and it is to be earnestly 

 hoped that it will continue to enjoy under the care of 

 the present Director the high position it held for 

 so many years under his illustrious father; and we 

 trust that the well nigh universal testimony as to the 

 necessity of such maintenance may prevent any further 

 interference with a management which is so evidently 

 calculated to promote the continued efficiency of our 

 national botanic gardens. 



A FEW HINTS ON SPRING GARDENING. 



The fact that owing to the extension of the bedding-out 

 system the flower borders were for so many months 

 empty, led to the attempt of making them gay in the 

 spring months with other plants. Some have tried it 

 with bulbs, and those who live in the metropolis have an 

 opportunity of seeing how effective this is in Hyde Park ; 

 others have used a few common-flowering plants, and Mr. 

 Quilters, of Aston Park, Birmingham, is the best 

 example we know of what can be done, both in extent 

 and variety, by a few simple plants, as he only uses 

 varieties of the double daisy, pansies, and golden feather 

 pyrethrum, and one or two other small things. But 

 these plans both involve a good deal of trouble, and, in 

 small gardens, would take up too much space ; we there- 

 fore would advise a combination of the two, having 

 some beds of bulbs — bearing in mind that we cannot have 

 the crocus, hyacinth, and tulip in bloom together — and 

 some beds of flowering plants; some annuals, such as 

 Nemophila insignis, and Silene pendula, come in ad- 

 mirably for the purpose; while those who have mixed 

 borders will always have in the spring months a number 

 of interesting plants in bloom. In planting bulbs it is 

 desirable to place them thickly in the beds ; they have not 

 a great deal of foliage, and if they are planted thinly they 

 look poor and mean; it is, then, better to have smaller beds 

 or groups well filled, than larger beds where the bulbs 

 are sparse. It should be remembered too that we must 

 not sacrifice the summer garden for the spring display — 

 we mean, not to leave the plants or bulbs used for it so 

 long in the ground as to interfere with the planting out 

 of the geraniums, &c, intended to make the garden gay 

 through the summer months. In growing bulbs let not 

 the charming little Scilla be forgotten : its lovely blue 

 colour and dwarf habit make it a delightful thing for 

 the edges of beds; nor must we banish the old-fashioned 

 snowdrop, which charms us, not merely by the purity 

 of its colour, but also as the harbinger of brighter days. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



A Retail List of Tuberous-rooted Plants, offered by 

 Wm. Bull, King's-road, Chelsea. — A very excellent 

 catalogue, containing many things not to be found in 

 any other lists. Mr. Bull has also a wonderful collec- 

 tion of Primula Japonica, in various sorts, a plant which 

 ought to be in every one's collection. 



Catalogue of Elower Roots for 187*2, imported and 

 sold by Waite, Bernell, Huggins and Co., Southwark 

 Street, London. — A select list printed in large type, in 

 fact which might be called a Catalogue de luxe. The 

 selections seem to be good. 



Spring Flowers, being a choice collection of Hardy 

 Bulbs and Early Flowering Plants; Thomas S. Ware, 

 Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham. — Any one who has 

 seen the beautiful collections exhibited by Mr. Ware at 

 the Spring shows in London, will readily believe that 

 he is a faithful guide, and in the revived taste for 

 herbaceous plants his catalogue will, we doubt not, be 

 often consulted as to the best method of making gardens 

 gay in Spring. 



Autumn Catalogue of Dutch Bulbs, &c., &c. ; Dick 

 Radclyffe, and Co., 129, High Holborn. — Characterized 

 by the usual neatness of Mr. RadclyftVs catalogues, it 

 contains also a number of illustrations of fern cases and 

 other requisites for indoor gardening, for which this firm 

 especially lays itself out. 



Hooper and Co.'s Gardening Guide, &c, for 1872. — 

 This ample catalogue is arranged on a new plan, being 

 divided into two sections, one embracing those bulbs to 

 be had in a dormant state; the other, bulbs which can 

 only be had in pots. There are also lists of plants suit- 

 able for various purposes. 



Barr and Sugden^s Autumnal Descriptive Catalogue, 

 &c. — Very copious and admirably arranged. A great 

 deal of pains has been taken to make correct divisions of 

 Lilies, Narcissus, &c, in which great confusion at present 

 exists. 



Snstoevg to CatresponoEnts. 



C. S. — A. few good Hyacintha for exhibition are Argua, General 

 Havelock, Prince Albert, Mimosa, Grand Lilas, Charles Dickena, blue. 

 — Garibaldi, Howard, Lord Macaulay, Solfaterra, Von Schiller, General 

 Cavaignac, Noble par Merite, Sultan's Favourite, Koh-i-noor — red. 

 Alba Maxima, Grande Vedette, Madame Van der Hoop, Mont Blanc, 

 Snowball, Grandeur a Merveille — white ; and Ida, Alida Jacoba, and 

 Anna Carolina — yellow. 



W. F. — A bicolor geranium is the same as a gold and bronze, and 

 most have a yellow margin to the leaves. 



