JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 431 
Mr. Lynch also exhibited a specimen of Allium Ostrowlcianum from 
Turkestan, with crimscn flowers, and Houstonia serpyllifolia, with 
blue flowers, from North America. 
Malformed Tulip. —Mr. Smith showed a Tulip received from Mr. 
Smee, having petals distributed down the peduncles—a not uncommon 
occurrence. Mr. Henslow remarked on the fact that when such a 
petal Was half green and half coloured, the tendency of the lattter 
was to check the growth and elongation of the peduncle. This causes 
the peduncle to bend over towards the side on which the petal is 
attached, and often so much so that it cracks on the opposite side, 
and may even decapitate itself. 
Monstrous Rhododendron .—The Rev. G. Henslow showed a flower in 
which the corolla was doubled, the stamens partially petaloid, while 
the pistil had its ovary open, bearing stamens in the place of ovules. 
He showed a drawing of a similar case made in 1875, in which the 
style had become strap-shaped, partially coloured, and bore anther 
cells on the margins, the pollen of which was evidently abortive. 
GENTIANELLA S. 
What are the conditions under which Gentianella (Gentiana 
acaulis) may be successfully grown in English gardens'? Every¬ 
one would wish to have plenty of it, and yet if we were to take 
at random a hundred good flower gardens from all parts of 
England there would not be twenty of them in which Gentianella 
flourished well and without special cultivation. The plant has its 
particular requirements and antipathies, probably depending upon 
atmospheric conditions as much as upon soil, so that everything 
we can do for it may end in failure ; but we can at least observe 
the soils and situations in which it thrives best, and endeavour to 
imitate them. The position in which it increases faster and 
flowers better than any other place I have ever seen is a nursery 
garden in Darley Dale near Matlock. I have there seen hundreds 
of square jmrds of it covered with flowers, and growing in the 
natural soil of the garden without any artificial cultivation except 
digging and keeping clear of weeds. The geological formation is 
millstone grit or hard sandstone, the soil friable peaty loam, the 
ground flat, and the situation open, not more than 200 or 300 feet 
above the sea level. Another garden in which Gentianella does 
nearly as well is at Bowness, on the banks of Windermere. This 
garden, too, is flat and not much above the sea level. The soil is 
marly loam mixed up with bits of rock. 
I have never seen the plant thriving in soils which either burn 
up or dry into a hard cake in summer ; and though it may some¬ 
times flower well in gravel walks it depends more upon the under¬ 
ground composition of the walk than upon the gravel surface ; 
and I have no doubt that on clay soils where a few inches of 
broken stone are laid upon the clay, with an inch or two of gravel 
over them, some of the most important conditions are supplied. 
An open sunny situation, a cool but well-drained subsoil, and a 
rich and tolerably open soil on the surface, will generally ensure 
success ; but I have lately taken to planting my Gentianella on 
slightly raised mounds, with plenty of broken brick or sandstone 
a few iuches beneath the surface, and the plants seem to like this. 
Where Gentianella does not seem to like the natural soil of the 
garden it is worth while to have soil made for it. This is more 
easily done where the natural soil is stiff, provided that drainage 
is given, than where it is too light. Care must always be taken 
in making the soil of any part of a bed lighter or heavier than 
the rest. In the former case, if means are not used to drain it, it 
becomes a puddle : in the latter it becomes in dry weather a 
resort for all the worms, slugs, and other underground vermin in 
the bed. 
If anyone who has hitherto failed with Gentianella wishes to 
try again, and to make a line of it along one of his borders, he 
will probably succeed by the following plan. The situation must 
be open and sunny, and the soil quite free from the roots of trees. 
A trench about 18 inches deep should be dug, and in this a foot of 
brick or stone, broken to the size usual in road-mending, should 
be put. The soil should be two-thirds of the best stiff loam that 
can be obtained and one-third leaf mould, or, still better, peat well 
broken up. With this the remaining Cinches of the trench should 
be more than filled, and the soil worked and pressed amongst the 
stones (some of which may be raised to let it down) until they are 
within 3 inches of the surface. The mixture must be tightly and 
closely pressed together, and the roots of the Gentianella when 
planted must be firmly pressed into the soil. A little coarse grit 
or fine gravel scattered on the surface keeps the soil open and 
healthy, and is a great help to most plants of this kind. Frequent 
waterings in dry weather will do good, and the labour of them 
repaid in the next year’s flowering. My garden is one of those in 
which formerly Gentianella failed entirely, but by careful culti¬ 
vation I have overcome the difficulty, and at present have a very 
good display of this beautiful flower. 
In some of the borders in my garden I have an edging of blue 
earthenware tiles, the soil on the inside being 2 or 3 inches higher 
than the walk. Gentianella grows and flowers well just inside the 
tiles, spreading its roots against the rough surface. In other parts 
of the borders where I wish to have a clump of this flower I place 
two cr three pieces of sandstone about the size of bricks so as to 
form an enclosure, and put a mound of made soil inside and over 
them in these places ; if the situation is open the plant never fails. 
On the rockery it does better in the hollow pockets than on the 
slopes, and better on the lower than the upper parts, as it gets more 
moisture there, which is necessary for its welfare.—C. W. Dod. 
GARDENERS’ RAMBLES. 
MESSRS. JAS. VEITCH & SONS’ NURSERIES, CHELSEA. 
It is a great pleasure to a gardener like myself to occasionally 
have the privilege of visiting such a grand establishment as this ; 
but unless he takes notes there is danger that in seeing so much 
that is new, interesting, and good, his memory will be overtaxed, 
and he will forget what was of most importance. I subjoin a few 
such made on a recent visit. 
In a house containing a large number of trained plants, includ¬ 
ing all the best varieties of Clematis finely grown, the two most 
Fig. 87.—Nepenthes Lowii. (See page 422.) 
strikingly beautiful were Lord Nevill, deep blue, a very large 
flower with broad sepals, the edges of which have a somewhat 
fringed appearance ; and Princess of Wales, similar to the above 
but lighter in colour. Amongst a fine lot of Azalea indica in 
bloom, Helen Carmichael, a fine large white occasionally flaked 
with carmine red, is very striking as one of the best varieties of 
recent introduction ; also ltoi Leopold alba promises to be a valu¬ 
able variety on account of its vigorous and bushy habit and its 
smooth flowers. A fine sulphur yellow Tree Carnation, Andalusia, 
was very beautiful amongst a large number of other varieties. In 
the Orchid houses, especially noticeable were a number of plants 
of the beautiful Cattleya citrina flowering freely, also a fine plant 
of Bletia hyacinthina. In a house filled with Caladiums finely 
grown and coloured the most noticeable were C. Laingi, very 
brightly coloured, and C. Alicibiades, a variety with enormously 
large leaves and finely coloured. The Camellias, which have nearly 
completed their season’s growth, appear to have lately received 
liberal supplies of guano water, and show the value of it in their 
large dark-coloured and stout foliage and generally vigorous 
growth. 
