August 10, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
127 
The flowers are of a bright rose-purple with a darker zone speckled 
with white round the throat. The leaves are lanceolate and glaucous, 
like those of D. cassius. 
The plant forms dense tufts and flowers very freely. As it possesses 
a robust constitution, is quite hardy, and will thrive in almost any 
situation, it will no doubt soon become a common garden plant. It 
strikes freely from cuttings. It is certainly the finest alpine Pink at 
present in cultivation. The engraving (fig. 19) was prepared from a 
sketch of a plant growing in the Royal Gardens, Kew.—A. B. 
HARDY FLOWERS IN MASSES. 
Although an extensive collection of hardy flowering plants pro¬ 
duces a bright and continuous display in the herbaceous border, yet 
when we see large masses of individual kinds by themselves we think 
down the names of a few of the [many interesting plants there to be 
found. Mr. Ladhams makes a point of adding to his collection all new 
or improved types of recently introduced kinds, which renders a visit 
all the more interesting. 
Amongst the Campanula family the newer Platycodon grandiflora 
pumila Mariesi is superior to most other forms. This Japanese variety 
grows barely 2 feet high, and bears very large pure white blossoms,'and 
is quite self-supporting. The pale blue and rich purple forms make a bold 
display in large masses. C. persicifolium album grandiflora has flowers 
fully twice the size of the old variety, and is therefore a decided improve¬ 
ment. C. latifolia macrantha has rich purple flowers, quite the best of 
the type. That pretty, dwarf, free-flowering, double Sweet William— 
Dianthus barbatus magnificus—with its intensely deep crimson flower 
heads, deserves more attention than it receives at present. The yellow 
Foxglove, Digitalis aurea, is represented by one named grandiflora, and 
is receiving some attention, as Foxgloves of this colour with reasonable 
sized blooms are none too common. The older D. ferruginea has blooms 
Fig. 19.—dianthus CALLIZONUS. 
they are even then more effective than when isolated perhaps in the 
mixed border. It is not, however, in private gardens that we must look 
for extra large clumps of any one particular kind, such as, for instance, 
a patch of Heuchera sanguinea 30 feet long and 3 feet wide, a mass of 
its gorgeous colour ; space does not admit of this form of arrangement, 
even if the means did. Although half a dozen plants of this gem make 
a bold display in a favourable nook in the rockery or in the ordinary 
border, one cannot compare the effect with that of the larger mass. 
A hasty look through the herbaceous department of the nursery of 
Mr. B. Ladhams, Shirley, near Southampton, who has devoted much 
time and space to this section of flower growing to meet the great 
demand caused by the increasing love for hardy flowering plants, gives 
one much insight into the many varieties and kinds now so largely 
cultivated as seen growing side by side. The beds are arranged 
parallel to each other in varying lengths, all 3 feet wide, for the sake 
of convenience in planting and attention. Much of the ground 
occupied for this purpose was once a huge gravel pit, and to see the 
shingle-like soil it is surprising how well the different plants thrive. 
In spite of the remarkably dry season a bright display has been 
maintained, showing well the holding character of the soil, which 
is kept well stirred, and thus prevents the evaporation of moisture 
to a great extent. For the benefit of readers of the Journal I jotted 
far too small and rusty looking to be attractive, Agrostemma coeli- 
rosea is particularly bright and showy. The rose-coloured form of 
Veronica spicata is bright in a mass, growing from 1 to 2 feet high, and 
entirely self-supporting. 
The Statice family receives a good deal of attention. The flowers are 
found so useful in a dry state for winter decoration, for if cut when 
fully developed they retain their natural colour for a couple of years. 
S. incana nana is the best of the type, the large spreading heads of 
flower give such a variety in colour. Some especially deep in tint were 
being preserved for future use in hybridising. In the same way the 
Eryngiums are employed, amethystinum and giganteum varieties were 
being cut in masses. A grand patch of Erigeron aurantiacum was just 
over, another of E. philadelphicus was a sight to behold, growing only 
1 foot high, and freely flowered ; this is quite one of the best of the 
family. Dracocephalumvirginianum album,sometimes called Physostegia, 
is worthy of a place in any collection large or small ; its pure white 
flowers deserve to be appreciated. Gaillardias occupy much space ; the 
grandiflora type is the more showy either when growing or in a cut 
state, but a stock of the pale yellow double-flowered Vivian Grey 
demands more than a passing notice. Plants of Achillea The Pearl are 
to be seen advancing to the flowering stage. Anthericum liliastrum, 
with its tiny blossoms of pure white, contrasts well with its more showy 
