May 12, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
853 
It is found growing very pl'^ntifuUy in the Highlands of Scotland, and 
•although not exactly an alpine, is found growing within the .Arctic 
Circle. 
Heracleum sphondylium is not mentioned so much for its own sake 
as for affording the occasion of making a few remarks upon the natural 
order to which it belongs. Possioly there is no other British natural 
order which has so many genera with different properties as Umbelli- 
feresa. As a rule the same properties run more or less through the 
whole genera of a natural order. For instance, every p'ant belonging 
to Cruciferae is a blood purifier and fit for food. Every plant belonging 
to PapaveracesB is more or less narcotic; nearly the whole of the 
CompoflitsB are of a tonic nature. With Umbellifereae, however, it is 
quite different, for some species are very poisonous, others narcotic, 
nutritive, or tonic. Three poisonous genera are Conium (the Hemlock), 
Oicuta, and CBnanthe. Four esculents are Angelica, Samphire, Celery, 
and Parsley. Three nutritive plants are the Carrot, Parsnip, and 
Pignut. From two exotic species, Asafcetida and Galbanum, a gum-resin 
is obtained, and Anise, Dill, Caraway, Coriander, and Cummin all yield an 
essential oil. Umbellifereae is one of the very worst orders for a you g 
beginner to work out, as the distinguishing lines between different 
genera are so minute that a great deal of patience and skill are required 
to identify one genus from another. 
Matricaria inodora is a very interesting plant, having produced a 
double sport, M. inodora fl.-pl., used very extensively in some places for 
table and other decoration. The fact that such a u>eful plant has been 
obtained from a wild state shows what capabilities for improvement 
there are in our native plants, and further pom s out the possibi ity of a 
great future before many of the plants now stigmatised as weeds. 
Onicus heterophyllus, belonging to the same natural order as the last— 
Compositas—is one of the must distinct of all the Thistles. It gr^ws 
very plentifully beside streams and on damp, rocky ground, where its 
large drooping heads of bright purplish flowers and pale foliage make it 
a very attractive object. Campanula rotundifuJia, the “Harebell” or 
“ Blue Ball of Scotland,” is one of the prettiest of native flowers, but it 
must be seen growing in profusion to be fully appreciated. The 
peculiarity of the Campanula is that its stamens ripen before the flower 
opens and discharge their pollen grains on the ring of hairs underneath 
the stigma. 
Calluna vulgaris, the Ling or Scotch Heather, is found growing 
very plentifully on the heaths and moors over the whole of the British 
Isles. The pleasures of the Highlands during the autumn months are 
greatly augmented by the rich beauty of ihe Heather, wh'ch covers 
miles of hills and moors, giving to them some of the most pleasing tints 
that the eye can rest on. It is the calyx, and not the corolla of the 
Calluna which is the attractive portion of the flower. The corolla is 
completely covered up, and is quite insignificant. Trientalis europtea, 
belonging to Primulac as, is the only alpine plant which I have included 
in my nresent list. It is confined to the noitbern portion of this island, 
being found no further south than York. Echium vu'gare, commonly 
called the “Viper’s Bugloss,” be ongs to the Forget-me-not family, 
although it deviates considerably from the type. While being shown 
through the private department at Kew ashort time ago I savva poiof seed¬ 
ling Bchiums in one of the forcing houses. In response to my inquiry as to 
what they were doing there, I was informed that they were flowered in 
pots and used in the greenhouse, where they formed one of the prettiest 
group* in the house, and gave rise to a great deal of speculation among 
garleners and other visitors as to what they really were. I think it 
a capital idea to make use of native plants in this way, and I should 
like ro see others treated similarly. 
Rumex acetoseHa, the Sheep’s Sorrel, is a very troublesome weed to 
the gardener. Notwithstanding this it is a very interesting little plant, 
and produces a panicle of flowers which when examined closely will be 
seen to possess some beauty. My reason for mentioning this plant is 
that it illustrates one section of flowering plants which I have not yet 
mentioneri—viz., those in which the male organs are developed on one 
plant and the female organs on another, or, as they are termed, 
dlcBcious plants. Briza media, the last on my list, is introduced as 
affording an opportunity for making a few remarks on the most useful 
of all the natural orders in the vegetable kingdom. Briza media is well 
known as being closely allied to the Quaking Grass found growing in 
the bordem of most flower gardens and used in vases as Everlasting 
Grass. Gramineae, to which order this plant belongs, is one of the most 
useful of all natural orders, as it includes all of our cereals, most of our 
fodder and greensward plants, the Sugar Cane, Bamboo, and other 
valuable plants too numerous to mention. The flowers of the Grasses 
are rather different from those of most other flowering plan's, as they 
have no calyx or corolla, but are protected instead by bracts called 
“glumes.” Altb«ugh the fruit (grain) of Grasses is usually wholesome, 
one of the British species, Lolium temulentum, bears very poisonous fruit. 
This brings my notes to a close, and I trust that they may result in 
arousing a feeling of deeper interest in some of our native plants 
hitherto looked upon aa only fit for the dutch hoe. 
ADON MOUNT, DULWICH. 
I TOLD last year of some of the summer glories of this beautiful 
Surrey garden, surely one of the most delightful that the mind could 
conceive, and in its spring garb it is also of exceptional charm. Its 
beauty lies in its winding borders, its shady slopes, .and its informal 
banka and nooks. Where Roses, Poppies, Liliums, Phloxes, and countless 
other flowers flourish in the summer, there are now thousands of 
Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Scillas, and Primroses making the earth 
aglow. It is not the materials alone that give such beautilul effec's as 
Mr. James Henderson has provided for the adornment of his garden, but 
the manner in which thoughtful care and faultless taste have disposed 
them. It wmuld be unkind to quarrel with those who arrange their 
flowers in masses of geometrical accuracy, and edge them in the con¬ 
ventional way, for the result is by no means without beauty, but it is 
impossible to deny that the establishment of irregular groups and 
colonies, in which due regard has been paid to the harmon'ous blending 
of colour, is far more effective. A student can draw irreproachable 
circles with the aid of a pair of compasses, but it requires an artist to 
paint a beautilul picture. It m'ght be thought too much to speak of 
art in the flower garden, but while such places as Belvi ir Caotle on a 
large scale, and Adon Mount on a smaller one, exist as examples, there 
is no cause for despair. 
In a shady border overhung by trees Mr. Henderson formed a copse 
full of Daffodils and Primroses, and in winding through its leafy glades 
FIG. Cl.— L^LIA LATONA. (See 350.) 
is found one of the great delights of his garden in spring. Both bulbs 
and plants luxuriate, blossoming with a richness and freedom that they 
do not display in sunny exposed beds. The Daffodil most largely 
rep'esented is the graceful, tremulous Tenby (Narcissus obvallaiis) a 
charming kind for naturalising. The flowers present a broad sheet of 
colour, amidst which sbines the pale hue of the Primroses. These would 
be classed as the common yellow if the exceptional size of the flowers 
were overlooked, but are evidently a selected form. Some would be 
tempted to add warmth of colour by introducing Anemones, Scillas, and 
other bright flowers amongst the others, but as the tender and delicate 
blending of the Daffodils and Primroses grows into the mind it is felt 
that wisdom has been exercised in excluding them. Could a few' clumps 
of Violets be iutroduced into quiet corners here and there, from whica 
unperceived they could diffuse their rich odour as though from a 
neighbouring hedgerow, a grateful sweetness would be imparted not 
out of kcepincr with the surroundings. In the garden proper the fin^t 
of the Narcissi, Hyacinths, and Tulips flower brilliantly, and as the 
generous provision that is made for future occupants of banks ]u.G 
formed is noted the secret of their success is apparent. An ample dep_ h 
of good soil is provided, and it is kept so fiuely pulverised as to be 
readily accessible to the wholesome influences of the air, and while 
stones' and burrs are abundantly used they, and not the soil, aic 
subservient. . , ■ e 
In the labour of love to which Mr. Henderson devotes the evening (t 
a long and arduous life of work, the share of others can only be one of 
sympathetic appreciation, but its lessons will bear fruit, it may be 
imped, in the gardens of the future, when the taste and know'ledge arc 
developed of which we now herald the dawn.—W. P. W. 
