dkipie]] ^ Flofkl 0iiicle. 
A KEKTISH FLORIDA. 
From the “ECHO,” June 29th, 1894. 
Fifteen miles away from town, in a fold of the Kentish liills, weil .sheltered from the winds, is 
the " Horae of Flowers” — well named, for there the flowers are not merely displayed, but bred and 
nursed. At divers exhibitions we had admired the marvellous productions that hail from Swanley, 
and had often wished to see their birthplace ; so, in the glorious sunshine of Monday we sped 
thither, and spent a couple of delightful hours, as the hospitable proprietor made us free of the 
place, and his son inducted us into its wonders. The explanations which young Mr. Canncll so 
good-naturedly gave fell on unlearned ears, and we will not attempt to unveil the mysteries of 
cross-breeding and propagation by which such remarkable results are achieved, nor to describe the 
varieties of choiee, yet unnamed, seedlings which we saw. Me.ssrs. Cannell & Sons' catalogue will 
supply details to those who are curious. Let it suffice to say that, like everything else which is 
worth doing, the breeding of new varieties of plants must be done w'ell. and implies much trouble, 
care, and judgment, and not a few disappointments. Out of 11,700 seedlings, if there are six showing 
improvement the breeder is thankful. It is hard to know where to begin to convey an impression 
of that raany-hued vision we saw at Swanley. Perhaps the Begonias are most in evidence just 
now. There are 200,000 of them in boxes, tliumb pots, and cuttings, and regiments of matured 
plants in bloom, of nearly every hue and shade save blue. The principal aims in Begonia-rearing 
at Swanley are directness and 'free-blooming, directness being the overcoming of the tendency to 
droop. Tiie expert knows which is rarest, but it would be hard to say which is fairest amid such 
varied beauty. If one inclines to give the palm to the rich crimson of Leopold Rothschild, the 
superb yellow of Miss Falconer catches the eye, and hesitation is born of the exquisite blending of 
the pink and orange of Mary Cornell; whilst the sweetness of the pure white Octucie appeals 
against the sulphur splendours of the Rev. Lascelles, and a moment later we say, “ Can anything be 
finer than those rich bronze-yellows, more magnifieent than the rose-like flowers of Rosebud'” Here 
are the Fuchsias, and among them one of the most remarkable sights that Swanley has to show to 
horticulturists— namely, a “sport” thrown off by a Fuchsia. The variety named Phenomenal, 
produced some years ago by Messrs. Cannell, has a purple corolla. One of the ]>lants, not at 
Swanley, bore 'flowers with red and then with white corolla. The plant was re-purchased, 
and is being propagated. We believe that the throwing off a ‘'sport” by a Fuchsia is 
almost unprecedented. Very lovely are the Ivy-leaf Geraniums — there are 10 varieties — 
and we noted unwonted colours among the Pelargoniums, purple, pinks, white centres with crimson 
edges, and the still stranger Bluebeard, but the most brilliant mass of colour just now at Swanley is 
vielded by the Cannas the orange and scarlet spikes of Kiinigin Charlotte flame in contrast to the 
'more subdued tones of the Duchess of York, powdered with minute crimson spots. Hard by are the 
Gloxinias with their deep bells of velvet texture. One rich erimsou variety, the Beacon, had subtle 
tones and reflections, and an intensity which gave it a peculiar charm. Outside Kew, the Cacti at 
Swanlev have no rivals. Every corner of the globe has been ransacked for specimens of the 
grotesque vegetable forms through which nature seems to have indulged in a quiet humour as 
a relief to her labours. There are the Old Man Cactus, with his grey poll, the Caudle Tree, Aloes, 
Agaves Prickly Pears, and last but not le.ast the crowns of the Kesurrection Plant, which rolls itself 
up into’a tuft ball and is blown and rolled from one side of the vast desert to the other, waiting for 
the rainy season ; it immediately then becomes green, roots into the sand, and remains a verdant 
green until the hot season sets in again and hundreds of species of which we know not the names, 
smooth, thorny, stiff, or trailing, some tiny ones, cushion-shaped and reticulated with exquisite 
pattern’s as if the fairies had been making 'pillow lace ; and among them are the mysterious night 
Sowers, that nloom for a few hours in the darkness once only— weird, uncanny members of the 
floral kingdom, shunning the society of their kind. One opened its great sun-like petals recently, 
but it requires careful watching not to miss them, for they bloom sometimes earlier than appearances 
indicate. Through the rockery, with its Saxifragas and Alpine growths, we come to the aquatic 
garden, a series of three tanks connected with each other, and devoted to the cultivation of the rarer 
water plants like Nymphmi rosea. Why are water gardens not more general among ns ? The want 
of water may be the cause in some cases, but not in most. Uhey have a charm which is certainly 
not exceeded by lawn, parterre, or shrubbery. We had intended to say something about the yellow 
Arum Lillies— there will be pink ones soon at Swanley— and the general aspect of the gardens, with 
their tall hedges of copper Beech— nipped like much else, including, alas ! the Strawberries, by the 
May frost But we must renounce the task. We have lifted the corner of the veil. Perhaps the 
glimpse afforded will serve to convey some idea of the floral wealth hidden in the hollow below 
Swanley Junction. 
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