806 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 5, 1893 
HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 
I AM afraid that all growers of these will find at the end of the 
season that they will have a heavy death-roll to enumerate, especi¬ 
ally in those parts of the country where water has been scarce. 
They may not at present have altogether perished, but I imagine 
that many of them will be in so weakly a condition that they will 
hardly be able to contend with the attacks of frost should we have 
anything like a severe winter. In the observations which I now 
venture to offer I do not lay claim to any special advantage or 
success, and the plants about which I have to speak are not of those 
difficult and trying kinds whose habits and wants seem to perplex 
us, and yet afford to some persons the opportunities they seek for 
in combating difficulties and triumphing over many obstacles. It 
is no doubt a delightful thing to be able to point to some plant 
which has baffled cultivators, and with laudable pride to be able to 
say, “ I have mastered it.” 
Bearing in mind the controversy that arose some time ago with 
regard to the definition of these plants I venture to include Lilies 
amongst them ; they are ever to me and to many others one of the 
most interesting classes of plants that we grow, and perhaps the 
season through which we have passed has been one of the most 
trying that we have experienced of late years. To some of them such 
as L. superbum (the Swamp Lily as it is called) the weather has been 
especially trying. My plants have grown about 18 inches or 2 feet, 
and have not flowered at all; while others such as Hansoni and 
Humbolti have thrown up stems and then withered away without 
the slightest attempt to flower ; others it is true, such as Browni 
and dalmaticum, have done fairly well. 
While mentioning this beautiful class of plants I may draw 
attention to some blooms which were sent me the other day by 
Messrs. Wallace & Co., amongst them was a bloom of that very 
beautiful novelty Lilium Henryi, which has been frequently ex¬ 
hibited lately and attracted considerable attention, but will it retain 
that position ? It is said that it may be fitly described as an orange 
speciosum, but it bears so close a resemblance to some of the forms 
of the Turk’s Cap that it looks more as if it were related to them ; 
however, as its price will leave it for some time in only a few 
hands I must be contented to admire it at a distance, and should 
I say anything disparagingly it might be set down to the old 
adage “ that Grapes are sour.” At the same time they sent me 
some blooms of fine forms of Lilium speciosum, all of which with 
one exception I have grown, this was Album novum, a fine form of 
the white speciosum. It, however, bears a very strong resemblance 
to one which I received from Holland under the name of Vestal ; 
another was Melpomene which I have grown for some years but 
which now seems to be becoming more plentiful. It was, I believe, 
raised by the late Mr. Hovey of Boston, U.S., and is certainly the 
richest in colour of all varieties of speciosum. 
It is remarkable how little has been done in the way of 
hybridising these Lilies. Some years ago a very fine variety called 
Parkmanni was figured in the “ Florist and Pomologist.” It was 
said to have been raised in America, and the stock came into the pos¬ 
session of Mr. Anthony Waterer; but like one of its parents, auratum, 
it seems to be a difficult bulb to grow, and although many years 
have passed he appears to have been unable to get up a stock of it. 
His want of success in hybridising seems to be the more strange if, 
as is stated by some botanists, auratum itself is a natural hybrid 
between speciosum and longiflorum, and is catalogued by some bulb 
growers as speciosum imperialis. The others were cruentum and 
macranthum, the former a rich colour variety approaching Melpo¬ 
mene. Amongst other Lilies, Browni succeeded well with me, but 
have not been able to do anything with Krameri either in pots or 
the open ground. I have tried it in various ways, even in pure 
cow manure and sand as recommended by Max Leitchlin, but in all 
cases I have failed, 
Verbascum olympicum. —I draw attention to this grand herba¬ 
ceous plant for two reasons. I do not think that it is grown as 
much as it ought to be, for it is a noble-looking plant, its 
large leaves 3 feet long, and its grand branching flowering 
stem from 8 to 10 feet high, with its bright yellow flowers 
produced in great profusion, make it a conspicuous object and 
peculiarly adapting it for large places ; besides when the centre 
stem is cut down from eighteen to twenty smaller branches are 
filled with flowers though not quite so large as those produced on 
the main stalk. The other reason I have for mentioning it is that 
although considered as a biennial it is not always so. Out of the 
three or four plants that I had there is one which flowered last 
year, and has thrown up a large shoot from the root with fine 
vigorous leaves, which will form a good flowering plant for next 
year. 
ScABiosA OCHROLEUCA. —A plant which I have received under 
this name is said not to be a Scabious at all, but a Cephalaria ; how¬ 
ever that may be it is very Scabious like in appearance, and is an 
effective plant ; the flowering stems are 3 feet high, and the colour 
of the flowers a soft shade of primrose. Of so well known a flower 
as Scabiosa caucasica it is hardly necessary to say a favourable 
word, but its long flowering habit, continuing as it does in bloom 
for three months, and its pleasing shade of colour, ought to secure 
it a place everywhere. 
COLCHICUM SPECIOSUM. — Among the various varieties of 
Colchicum (or as they are called in Kent Naked Boys), there is none 
that I have seen equals this for the size and substance of its petals. 
I received my bulb a couple of years ago from my friend, Mr. 
Ewbank, and it has now established itself, and is doing well. 
CEnothera marginata. —This, to my mind, the most beautiful 
of the dwarf varieties of Evening Primroses, has made itself most 
thoroughly at home with me, though I have heard of persons who 
have found it difficult to manage. The worst point about it is its 
rambling habit. I planted it on one side of the walk, and under 
which said walk it has found its way and has come up on the other 
side, having left its original location, and now forms a compact 
mass about 4 feet square. Oenothera taraxacifolia is I believe 
very similar to this, but keeps more at home. 
Eremuri. —I mention these, not because I have had any success 
with them, for my attempts have proved failures. Twice I tried 
E. robustus, and I have altogether lost it; and once I received 
a root from Holland under the name of Olgac, which flourished, 
but turned out to be a worthless Asphodel. I grieved for these 
failures, especially when last year 1 saw a grand spike exhibited by 
my friend Mr. Page Roberts at Chester. There are four species 
under cultivation, but they are somewhat difficult to procure, for 
though they seed freely it requires five or six years to bring them 
to the condition of flowering plants. Eremurus robustus is a 
magnificent stately plant, in colour soft rosy pink with yellow 
centre, a spike being about 2 feet in length. I have heard the 
foliage described as handsome, but I cannot say as far as my 
experience goes that I consider it so. The leaves are long but very 
brittle, and were constantly broken by high winds. A grand spike 
of this was exhibited by Mr. Pritchard of Christchurch, Hants, at 
the Temple Show. E. himalaicus was exhibited in good form last 
year by Mr. Smith of Newry, spikes of pure white flowers, which 
is said to be not difficult to grow. E. Olgse is the latest flowering. 
I have seen it once exhibited by Mr. Ware at the Aquarium in 
September, and was much struck by its singular beauty. 
E. Bungei, another beautiful species not quite so tall. There is, 
of course, a difficulty about exhibiting, an amateur hardly likes to 
deprive his garden of so grand an ornament for the sake of the 
exhibition table. 
Gypsophiea paniculata. —I have before now spoken of this as so 
valuable for cutting for bouquets, and my object is mentioning it 
now is that my plant is finer this year than I have ever had it 
before. Supposing, from its name, that it was a lime-loving plant, 
I put a considerable quantity of chalk among the roots, but whether 
its vigour is to be attributed to this or to the hot dry season I 
cannot tell. 
Arnebia echioides. —Whether it is to be attributed to the dry 
season or not I do not know, but this plant has flowered well with 
me a second time, and its bright yellow flowers with brown spots 
render it a pretty object either in the rockery or border. 
Eryngium amethystinum. —There are few more striking 
objects in a border than this Sea Holly with its beautiful metallic 
blue lustre on leaves, stems and flowers ; but one must be very care¬ 
ful in handling it, for the Noli me tangere is much more applicable 
to it than to the Thistle which Scotland has taken as her emblem. 
There seems to be some confusion about plants of this genus. Are 
they biennial or perennial ? I have a plant under the name of 
giganteum which, however, is not nearly so tall as amethystinum and 
has whitish flowers, but on turning to Messrs. Paul & Son’s catalogue 
I find that variety described as blue. This, however, seems to me 
at any rate, to be a biennial ; then there is alpinum, which I have not 
grown, but which is said to be very pretty. It is difficult to arrive 
at the names of plants by the colour of their flowers, for botanists 
seem to have a contempt for this portion of the description, and I 
have seen plants very accurately described so that they were easily 
recognisable, but, alas ! when the colour was spoken of it was entirely 
different. 
Aster bessarabicgs. —I give this name with some hesitation to 
a very beautiful variety of Michaelmas Daisy, which has been in 
flower in my garden for some time. I say with hesitation, because it 
seems almost impossible to arrive at a correct nomenclature. The 
variety which I have under this name grows to a height of 2 feet 
to 2j feet; the flowers are large, and very freely produced, of a 
bright purplish blue, with a yellow centre. There are many others 
of the family now coming in, but I think it hardly necessary to 
note them, for it might happen that the names by which I have 
received them may not be correct ; but most of them are 
desirable plants at this time of the year. 
