422 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 28, 189U 
to R. W. Mitchell, Esq., Fairfield, Bickley Park, Kent, plants 
for dinner table decoration. 
Messrs. James Carter & Co., extensive exhibits of Gloxinias, 
Calceolarias, Cacti, Mimulus, and Petunias. Messrs. Dobbie & Co., 
Rothesay, collection of Pansies and Violas. Mr. W. Chambers, 
Isleworth, wreaths; and Mr. J, Lakin, Temple Cowley, Oxford, 
300 blooms of Tulips. Mr. Jennings, Ascott Gardens, Leighton 
Buzzard, group of Souvenir de U Malmaison Carnations. Messrs. 
James & Son, Farnham Royal, group of Calceolarias. Messrs. 
Balchin & Son, Sussex, group of Leschenaultia biloba ; and Messrs. 
Barr & Son, King Street, Covent Garden, group of hardy fiowers. 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, groups of hardy plants. Gloxinias, and 
Streptocarpus, cut flowers, and sixty dishes of fruit. Mr. C. Turner, 
Slough, Roses and Pelargoniums. Mr. Wiggins, Manager to Mr. 
D. Baldwin, Hillingdon Heath, twelve specimen Pelargoniums. 
Mr. G. Wythes, Syon Gardens, Brentford, Figs, Strawberries, and 
Melons. Mr. G. Phippen, Reading, Violas, bouquets, and floral 
designs. Mr. F. Hooper, Bath, collections of cut Roses, Pansies, 
and Tulips. Messrs. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, collection of Apples 
and Pears, cut flowers, and “ Tom Thumb ” Dahlias in pots. 
Messrs. T. Rivers & Son, a collection of fruit trees in pots. 
Mr. J. W. Reed, gardener to E. Pettit, Esq., Weybridge, collection 
of fruit. Mr. J. Hollingworth, gardener to J. F. Campbell, Esq., 
Woodseat, Uttoxeter, Black Hamburgh and Foster’s Seedling 
Grapes. Mr. T. S. Ware, group of hardy herbaceous flowers. 
Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, group of foliage and 
flowering plants ; and Messrs. J. Peed & Sons, Roupell Park 
Nurseries, S.E,, collection of Anthuriums. 
The Show will be formally opened at 3 p.m. to-day (Thursday), 
by H R.H. the Princess Christian, but visitors will be admitted 
from 1 P.M. to 8 p.m. On Friday the time of admission will be 
from 10 A M. to 6.30 p.m., and the price a shilling. All that is 
required is fine weather for both days, and a large attendance 
of visitors may be safely anticipated to render the gathering as 
successful financially as it is horticulturaUy. We shall publish a 
full report next week. 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES. 
All too swiftly speed the days of May, and we are loth to 
exchange the freshness and brightness of our early flowers for the 
gay and flaunting colours of those of our later months. Not that 
our spring flowers are not gay also, but they seem to appeal to us in 
a different way, and, unlike the autumn plants, hold out to us the 
promise of summer with its sunshine and warmth. It is in May, 
too, that the rock garden is at its brightest, and as I look around 
I am weU nigh bewildered at the choice of flowers presenting them¬ 
selves for notice. The Arabis is past its best, but fine masses of 
Alyssum saxatile shine like gold on mound and border. In truth the 
name “ Gold Dust ” has been well applied to this brilliant flower. 
We are told that the name Alyssum is derived from the Greek a, not, 
and lyssa, rage, in reference to a fable that the plant allayed anger. 
Hence, I suppose, the old popular name “ Madwort.” I cannot 
recollect having met with the fable in question at any time, and 
have searched for it in vain. A charm is added to the possession 
of a flower when to it is attached some historical or fabulous 
association, and we should by no means neglect this branch of the 
gentle art. I am of opinion that in too many cases this Alyssum 
is not treated as it should be. It does not lend itself readily to 
spring bedding, as it suffers sadly from removal, and for a year or 
so produces its blooms far too sparsely. Place it on a dry bank, 
and let_ it remain for a few years, and the wealth of golden bloom 
will delight all who see it. 
The Aubrietias, too, are extremely fine, presenting beautiful 
sheets of colour from pale lavender and deep purple to the brilliant 
colour of A. rosea and A. Leichtlini. Some good shades are to be 
found among some seedlings of the latter. It will be found 
advantageous to clip in the Aubrietias after flowering. By this 
means they are prevented from becoming untidy, and the quantity 
of flowers produced the next season will be much increased. 
Associating well with the Alyssum and Aubrietia is Hutchinsia 
alpina, a pretty little Crucifer, almost pure white, which has been 
in flower with me for a considerable time, and will remain in bloom 
for a long time still. It has dark green finely divided leaves, and 
rises only to about 3 inches in height. It appears to do well in a 
dry position, and is much neater in habit and purer in colour than 
the Arabis, but does not seem to be a popular flower with the bees. 
I have observed a stray one alight momentarily on the plant, but 
its stay was short, and its search evidently unsuccessful. 
Several of the Fritillarias have been well in flower, but F, 
acneopetala has taken a tantalising time to open. It is a new 
plant to me, and therefore its flowering is awaited with great 
interest. F. pallidiflora has been very fine, and is one of the most 
pleasing of the family. It grows to about a foot in height, has a 
stout stem clothed with a number of oval broadish leaves of a 
glaucous colour, and produces from two to six flowers on the top 
of the stem. These flowers are pale yellow outside, of a good 
shape, and the yellow inside is profusely speckled with chestnut 
brown. Several others which I added to my collection last 
autumn have failed to flower. I have, however, been somewhat 
struck with the variation which seems to occur among what is 
sold as meleagris alba. What I have as F. m. alba seems am 
inferior form to what I saw in another garden the other day, mine 
being broader in the flower and more tinged with green. Agaii>„ 
a white Fritillaria I received as F. alba (praecox) is, I am con.- 
fident, only a form of F. m. alba, from which it differs by having 
smaller flowers and narrower foliage, and in being dwarfer in habit. 
There is much that is graceful in these “ Snake’s-head Lilies,” 
which at one time received much attention, but have gradually 
been relegated to obscurity. What is, I suppose, one of the earliest 
of our Scottish gardening books (“ The Scot’s Gardener,” by John 
Reid Gardner, second edition, 1721) says of the Fritillarias:— 
“ Fritillarys, whereof are some varieties of colours, have a small 
round root, and white, made of two pieces as if joined together,, 
whence springs a stalk a foot high, with some green leaves, at the 
top thereof cometh the flower out amongst five or six leaves,, 
hinging (atiglice, hanging) his head downwards.” It is to be 
hoped that more attention will be devoted to these most interesting 
flowers. 
Many of the Saxifrages are now in flower. The beautiful little^ 
S. muscoides atropurpurea, which seems to be synonymous with 
S. purpurea, is covered with its charming little red flowers. It is of 
a colour which is too rare among the Saxifrages, and is so easily 
grown as to be worthy of cultivation in every garden. Finer still 
is S. globosa, which I mentioned last year, but which I had not 
then seen in full flower. This is also very dwarf in habit of 
foliage, but the flowers rise higher, and are of a beautiful pink, 
becoming lighter with age. It was with great satisfaction that I 
added a small plant of this to my collection this season. Both of 
these belong to the mossy section. Another very pretty little 
Saxifrage is S. marginata, with pure white flowers. There are 
now so many species and varieties in cultivation that the task of 
selection is by no means an easy one. 
The Daffodi's are still with us, and I am inclined to think that 
Herrick’s acquaintance with them was very limited when he wrote 
his ode “ To Daffadills — 
“ Faire Daffadills, we weep to see 
You haste away so soone : 
As yet the early-rising sun 
Has not attained his noone. 
* * * * 
We have short time to stay, as you. 
We have as short a spring ; 
As quick a growth to meet decay 
As you or any thing.” 
5 ^ * ♦ * 
However true this may be of any single variety there are now 
so many species and varieties in cultivation that the flowering 
period is prolonged over several months. I had recently the 
pleasure of looking over a good collection which includes some not 
in my possession, and which illustrated how much individuality— 
if we may so call it—is possessed by various varieties .r N. 
cernuus, which grows quite well with me, will not thrive in the' 
heavier soil. N. Bishop Mann seems to fare but indifferently, 
while N. albicans, which a high authority seems to consider a very 
delicate species, grows and increases well. One of the finest of the 
white Narcissi in flower was N. Ajax Mrs. J. B. M. Camm, which 
appears to have an excellent constitution, and produces large well- 
formed flowers with white perianth and sulphur coloured trumpet. 
Inferior in size but paler in the trumpet was F. W. Burbidge, but 
this does not seem to possess the same constitution as the former. 
N. pallidus praecox will not do in the same garden, while with me 
it grows well and seeds quite freely. 
The wider one’s acquaintance with flowers and gardens becomes 
the more caution will be exercised in dogmatising as to the soil and 
position required by particular plants. That Primula rosea is a 
bog plant one can hardly deny, yet I saw it flowering perfectly on 
a very dry rockery the other day ; and I have never seen P. cash- 
meriana and P. denticulata produce healthier or finer foliage than 
on a dry sunny position in my own garden. I was greatly struck 
