loo 
May, 1889. 
ORCHARD 
GARDE N 
Floral Notes. 
It does not seem to be generally known 
that C annas are now grown by many not 
alone for their splendid tropical foliage, but 
also for the sake of their beautiful flowers. 
Very striking improvements have recently 
been made in the size and color of the flow- 
ers. some of which will compare favorably 
with the Gladiolus. It is not always that 
imposing foliage and beautiful flowers are 
combined in the same plant. The kinds 
most noted for their handsome flowers are 
Ehemanni. Noutoni, Gladioliflora, and 
Emile LeClerc. and there are doubtless oth- 
ers nearly as good; 
but these are striking- 
ly so. They bloom all 
summer, and if care- 
fully lifted and pot- 
ted, will continue to 
bloom all winter in a 
warm green-house. 
The roots, however, 
are easily kept in sand 
over winter in a cellar 
free from frost. The 
accompanying i 1 lu s- 
tration (Fig. 641) con- 
veys a very good idea 
of the flowers of C. Eh- 
emanni, which, how- 
ever, are about double 
the size on a well- 
grown plant. It should 
be known that Ehe- 
manni will not keep 
in a dried condition 
during the winter as 
well as most others; at 
least, this is our ex- 
perience. 
The new Hybrid 
Remontant or Hybrid 
Perpetual Rose, Mrs. 
John Laing, promises to be a valuable ad- 
dition to the list of hardy Roses. It is not 
only hardy, hut a profuse and almost con- 
stant bloomer. The flowers are large, full, 
and cup-shaped, and the color a soft, deli- 
cate pink. It possesses a delightful fra- 
grance, without which no Rose is perfect. 
In addition, we find that it blooms very 
kindly in winter. It may be added that 
this fine rose was raised by Mr. Bennett, the 
well-known English rosarian. 
Another excellent Rose of the Hybrid Re- 
montant class is the Dinsmore, sent out by 
Mr. Peter Henderson. This, too, will be a 
welcome addition to the list of hardy Roses; 
and by hardy we mean a Rose that feels 
comfortable with the thermometer fifteen 
or twenty degrees below zero. The Dins- 
more blooms freely during the whole sea- 1 
son. If this thing continues we shall soon 
be able to use the term “Hybrid Perpetual ” 
with some regard to truth. The flower 
is large, full, and cup-shaped, and the 
color a rich scarlet crimson. Like a per- 
fect Rose, it is delightfully fragrant. 
With its habit of blooming, it should he a 
good Rose for winter forcing. There is still 
room for more Roses of the Hybrid Remon- 
tant class like Dinsmore and Mrs. John 
Laing, hardy, constant, and sweet. 
The Gladiolus may be planted at inter- 
vals during May. This will prolong the 
season of bloom, which many will consider 
desirable. Mixed or unnamed varieties can 
now be bought at prices that will suit any 
man's purse. No outdoor bulb is more 
worthy of universal cultivation. The beauty 
of the flowers, the profusion of bloom, the 
Canna Ehemanni. Fig. 641. 
great variety of color, and the ease with 
which the bulb can be grown in any ordi- 
nary garden soil, should give the Gladiolus 
a conspicuous place wherever flowers are 
grown. Besides, the flowers last a longtime, 
even when cut off and placed in water. If 
you happen to be one of those unfortunates 
who have to “move” occasionally, there is no 
garden flower that you can carry with you 
with so little trouble. It is, in an especial 
manner, the flower of the “itinerant.” It 
would need a column to tell of all its good 
points. Fig. 1231 is a very good portrait 
of the Gladiolus. The bulbs should be 
planted about two inches deep. 
The Tigridia, or Tiger Flower (not Tiger 
Lily), is another excellent summer-flower- 
ing bulb for planting in May. The singu- 
lar but beautiful flowers excite about as 
much wonder as admiration. They are of- 
ten called Shell Flowers. There are only 
two species and two varieties grown. The 
species are Tigridia conchiflora, with yellow 
flowers, and T. pavonia, with dark orange- 
red flowers. The varieties are T. p. grandi- 
Jlora, with larger flowers than the species, 
and T. p grandiflora alba, with large flow- 
ers of creamy white. The flowers are all 
singularly spotted, which suggested the 
generic name. There is no other flower like 
them. Though the flowers last only a day, 
they are daily succeeded by others for sev- 
eral weeks. They should be planted a cou- 
ple of inches deep in clumps of three to five 
bulbs, and preferably in a moist spot, or 
watered in very dry weather. The bulbs 
should be lifted as soon as the foliage lias 
been killed by frost, and packed in sand or 
put in paper bags. Having once grown 
these singularly beautiful flowers, you will 
never be willing to tie 
without them. 
The recently intro- 
duced Zonal Pelargon- 
ium Bruant is a plant 
of large proportions in 
all respects. The plant 
is large, the foliage is 
large, the flowers are 
large, and the truss is 
large. The plant evi- 
dently belongs to the 
Nosegay class. The 
flower is semi-double, 
and somewhat loosely 
formed ; a defect 
scarcely noticeable in such a mass of bloom. 
The color is a bright vermilion red. It 
blooms profusely, and promises to make 
good its claims as a bedding plant, its prop- 
er place being the center of a bed, where 
a great mass of bright color is most ef- 
fective. 
Another Zonal which promises to be a 
good bedder is Sam Sloan, one of Hallock 
& Son’s new seedlings. The plant is of ro- 
bust growth, and bears large trusses of 
soft crimson flowers. We have only tried it 
indoors, but its branching habit and free- 
dom of bloom suggest excellent bedding 
qualities. 
Chionodoxa Lucilioe, or Glory of the Snow, 
came into flower outdoors the latter part of 
March, while the Siberian S cilia was at its 
best. This is a recent introduction from 
the mountains of Asia Minor, and bears 
beautiful sky blue flowers with a large 
white center. The plant grows a little 
higher than the Siberian Scilla, and the 
flower is a trifle larger. It is a very pretty 
companion for the charming Scilla, and a 
decidedly beautiful flower. It isquite hardy. 
We cannot have too many of these pretty 
flowers that bloom in the snow. 
Three bulbs of Narcissus bulbocodium in a 
four-inch pot, and showing twenty-five of 
its bright golden blossoms fully open, is a 
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