74 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 22, 1880. 
Ia another and lower portion of the garden a marshy position 
is turned to good account as a home for the various beautiful and 
interesting plants that frequent such localities, and their healthy 
condition testifies to the accuracy with which their requirements 
have been studied. On the slopes overshadowed by trees are 
Ferns in abundance thriving admirably, much as they are seen 
growing wild in a shady and woodland nook. Thus Mr. Brock- 
bank imitates Nature as far as practicable in his gardening, and 
how successfully can only be adequately judged by those who 
have had the pleasure of visiting his beautiful little establishment. 
To enumerate all the plants of interest contained in this col¬ 
lection would far exceed the space at my disposal, consequently I 
must confine my remarks to the most noteworthy. Spring flower¬ 
ing plants are largely grown, for not only are they very beautiful, 
but the soil at Brockhurst being of a sandy nature, renders it un¬ 
suited to summer-flowering plants, as during the hot season it 
becomes excessively dry in exposed positions. Spring flowers, 
however, succeed capitally, Narcissi being particularly luxuriant. 
Of these there is a fine collection, including many species and 
varieties, among which the beautiful Leedsi forms are well re¬ 
presented. Narcissus Horsfieldi is grown in numbers, and pro¬ 
duces a fine display when at its best. Primulas, however, receive 
considerable attention, and constitute what Mr. Brockbank terms 
his speciality, although, judging by the fine condition of the 
plants generally, that would equally apply to all. Primroses of 
all kinds are grown in the greenhouses, frames on the rockery, 
and in the borders. The majestic P. japonica, the charming little 
P. rosea, and scores of others contribute their attractions ; such 
fine forms as P. cortusoides, P. integrifolia, P. viscosa, P. denti- 
culata, P. farinosa, P. scotica, P. Munroi, P. cashmeriana, and 
P. sikkimensis being well represented. A great number of forms 
of P. acaulis are also grown, and some are extremely beautiful, 
the shades of colour varying from white to rich crimson, the 
blooms being of great size and good form. Auriculas and Poly¬ 
anthuses are cultivated in quantity, the collection of varieties 
being especially fine. Among the latter are two rare forms that 
are greatly valued by florists—namely, Cox’s Prince Regent and 
Maud’s Beauty of England, which Mr. Brockbank prides himself 
upon possessing perfectly true. Many other plants are grown in 
the borders, bulbs, particularly Lilies, being very abundant. 
On the rockery are hosts of charming plants, and some ex¬ 
tremely rare. Very noticeable at the time of my visit were 
clumps of the beautiful Saxifraga Wallacei, which was flower¬ 
ing most profusely. Several other handsome species of the same 
genus were also remarkably fine, particularly S. pyramidalis, 
S. nepalensis, and S. lantoscana. Globeflowers made an attrac¬ 
tive display, including all the best forms in cultivation, and the 
rare dwarf variety of T. europreus called pumilus. One especially 
interesting plant was the Edelweiss, Gnaphalium Leontopodium, 
which has flowered this season and attracted much attention 
when exhibited at the Manchester Show. Aquilegias were strongly 
represented, no less than twenty-two varieties being grown. Mr. 
Brockbank’s mode of treating these handsome plants is worth 
noting, for it appears eminently successful. They are all raised 
from seed, large numbers of young plants being thus obtained to 
keep up the succession. The seed from the old plants is also 
allowed to fall on the soil, and the plants thus produced are 
pricked off wherever required, generally in moderately rich soil. 
The value of Doronicums for flowering in spring has been recently 
referred to in the Journal, and at Brockhurst their qualities were 
admirably exemplified. 
The lower portion of the garden or the “woodery” has already 
been briefly noted, and I have only to add that terrestrial Orchids 
thrive there luxuriantly. Cypripedium spectabile, C. parviflorum, 
and C. Calceolus I have rarely seen in such fine condition. They 
were flowering profusely, apparently quite uninjured by the 
severity of the past winter, which had affected surrounding 
shrubs and trees very seriously. 
In addition to rockery, woodery, lawns, flower border^ &c., 
what may be termed the glass portion of the establishment is also 
well worth notice. Several houses are devoted to plants of various 
kinds, Roses in pots receiving considerable attention. Vines are 
well grown, and were at the time I saw them giving promise of an 
excellent crop. One house has been converted into a “natural ” 
fernery, where Ferns, Selaginellas, and other shade and moisture- 
loving plants grow vigorously, much taste having been displayed 
in the construction and arrangement. The houses, although not 
large, are fitted up with all the latest improvements in the way of 
heating and ventilation, and prove highly satisfactory to the 
owner, and creditable to Messrs. Richardson & Co. of Darlington, 
by whom the majority were erected. 
Such is a brief and inadequate description of Brockhurst, which 
for its size could scarcely be surpassed in beauty and interest; and 
in conclusion I may remark that not only does Mr. Brockbank 
grow his plants well, but he also exhibits them well, as was indi¬ 
cated at the Manchester Spring Show, when he took high positions 
both with hardy plants and Roses in pots. Although he personally 
superintends his garden to a great extent, yet he is ably assisted 
by his head gardener, Mr. Morris, who enters fully into his 
master’s love of plants. 
Since the above was written I have received a description of the 
garden from Mr. Rogers, the Secretary of the Manchester Botanists’ 
Association, whose visit to Brockhurst was recently recorded in 
the Journal. Mr. Rogers very ably indicates the principal attrac¬ 
tions of the garden, and furthermore states that the excursion 
proved very enjoyable, owing to the cordiality of the worthy 
proprietor.—L. Castle. 
COWSLIP, PRIMROSE, AND OXLIP. 
Many years since the late Professor Henslow raised all the 
above forms from the same plant. Amongst a lot of seedling 
Polyanthuses I this year had a common Primrose. Coloured 
Cowslips not unfrequently occur in the marlstone coombes of this 
parish. I have lately stated that in one of the coombes a large 
patch of coloured Cowslips, some coloured like common Oxlips, 
occurred in the spring, and amongst them a decided crimson 
Primrose. The fine forms of Primrose raised by Colonel Clarke 
produce seed naturally here, and retain their original character. 
—SlBBERTOFT. 
LECTURE ON THE PELARGONIUM. 
Br Shirley Hibberd. 
(Continued from, page 14.) 
The Zonal race acquired importance subsequently to the large- 
flowering section. Those we collectively term “ Zonals ” were grouped 
by Sweet under the generic designation Ciconium, and the most im¬ 
portant of this genus are Ciconium zonale, introduced in 1710, and 
Ciconium inqninans, introduced in 1714. These are the two parents 
of the race, no doubt, but their differences do not account for the 
fact that in the garden varieties we have every imaginable variation 
of leafage and of bloom. It is likely that Ciconium reticulatum of 
Sweet (143), a very distinct hybrid, gave the first touch to the varie¬ 
gation of the leaves, which has in recent years attained to such 
extraordinary development. In any case, this hybrid marks a dis¬ 
tinct departure and appears well suited to be the founder of a race. 
The “ Nosegay ” section is the oldest of the Zonals. The founder 
of this section is Ciconium Fothergilli, the figure of which by Sweet 
(226) would nearly serve to represent a good Nosegay of the present 
day, and it may therefore be concluded that the Nosegays have been 
less modified than the Zonals that represent zonale and inquinans. 
Another early section is that with green leaves and pink flowers, 
of which we may consider Christine the modern type. This section 
is foreshadowed in Ciconium cerinum, w r hich is admirably figured by 
Sweet (176). Here we have pubescent leaves and flowers of a soft 
rosy pink colour, the petals of which are beautifully rounded and 
nearly equal in size. Cultivators who remember Lucia rosea will 
have no difficulty in connecting the dwarf bedding Pelargoniums of 
the Christine class with this beautiful wax-flowered Pelargonium, 
which Sweet regarded as a true species. 
The most famous of the Zonal section is the green-leaved scarlet 
bedder known as General Tom Thumb, a descendant of Frogmore 
Scarlet, and a competitor of Huntsman, Cooper’s Scarlet, and many 
more that the General quickly vanquished from the field. This famous 
variety w r as raised by Mr. Willson, gardener to W. Pigott, Esq., of 
Dullingham House, Newmarket, about the year 1842. It is said that 
as a seedling it was condemned and handed over to some children to 
be tormented, and very soon found its way to a dust-bin. But by 
some accident it was dragged from the dust-bin and planted, and as 
the summer advanced it manifested its character, and secured its 
fame and many more admirers than Barnum’s But many 
persons have some kind of claim to the honour of raising Tom 
Thumb, for there prevailed during some fifteen years—say from 1840 
to 1855—a mania for raising scarlet Pelargoniums adapted for bed¬ 
ding ; for those wmre the days of the horticultural scarlet fever, and 
many varieties nearly alike came forth from various quarters. Many 
of these passed for genuine Tom Thumbs, and many perhaps were 
quite as good. However, the original and true variety differed from 
most of the others in this respect, that it rarely ripened a seed unless 
it was artificially fertilised, when it was as prolific as any. This fact 
separates it far from Christine, which is an inveterate seeder. The 
leafage also puts them far asunder, for Tom has a smooth papery 
leaf of a yellowish green, and Christine has a thick soft leaf of a 
bluish green—one takes us back to inquinans, the other to cerifera, 
and Nature ordered the characters ages ago in the solitudes that 
stretch away drearily to the west of Cape Town. 
The pink-flowered Christine was raised by Mr. F. R. Kinghorn of 
Richmond in the year 1852. The parents were Ingram’s Princess 
Royal and an old pink Nosegay, which was formerly much used for 
training on v T alls and pillars. The peculiar softness and blue tone of 
