290 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ April is, 1893 . 
.1 • 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES. 
The brilliant sunshine of the past few weeks has hastened our 
spring flowers so rapidly that it is impossible that the publication 
of these notes can keep pace with the rapidity with which these 
beauties of the garden have come to delight us, and have as quickly 
passed away, for spring flowers, as a rule, cannot endure for long 
the bright weather we have experienced. Thus it is that we are 
compelled perforce to speak of flowers which ere this appears will 
have doffed their gala costume of purple or blue or golden yellow, 
and will have assumed their work-a-day dress of sober green. 
The earlier Daffodils have come and gone, to be succeeded by 
those of later bloom, and they have left behind them memories of 
their trumpets of brilliant gold, of softest canary hue, or of well 
nigh purest white, drooping with pensive mien, and now we can 
echo the words of Wordsworth, and say that still 
. . My heart with pleasure fills, 
And dances with the Daffodils.” 
The earlier Primulas, too, have passed away, but others, with 
the Primrose and the Polyanthus, some of quaint form, still delight 
us, while the Alpine Auriculas havemot failed to give their tribute 
of beauty. Fritillarias, with their drooping chequered flowers ; 
blue Forget-me-nots ; Anemones, from the deep blue of the better 
coloured varieties of A. blanda to the forms of A. nemorosa, Shelley’s 
“fair and frail Anemone.” These, and many more, have crossed 
the stage of the season, and have given more than passing pleasure, 
for throughout the year we can never forget these flowers of the 
early spring, which never pall upon us, and which are the heralds 
of the long days of summer with their more gaily coloured blooms. 
Looking back then for a little, no flowers have given us more 
pleasure than the Chionodoxas, which have this season been 
unusually beautiful. Unlike many other treasures of the garden, 
the Glory of the Snow pines not away in our British gardens, but 
seems to increase in vigour and beauty from year to year. Perhaps 
the least attractive of all the several species cr varieties is 
C. cretensis or cretica, which is so inferior to the others as hardly 
to deserve a place. This, however, cannot be said of 0. nana, also 
a native of Crete, and which I have seen for the first time this 
year. This is a beautiful little plant, with small white and lilac 
flowers, and growing about 4 inches in height. This is very rare in 
gardens, and I prize my bulbs very highly. So well known now is 
C. Lucilias that a detailed notice of it at present is quite unnecessary. 
As it is, however, now so cheap, and is so easily increased by means 
of seed, one can only plead for its more extended cultivation For 
some time a pure white variety has been in cultivation, but has 
been extremely scarce. It is hardly to be expected that it will long 
continue so, as the Chionodoxa is now so frequently raised from 
seed that white varieties are being found in several gardens. So 
far I have not found any among my seedlings. Beautiful as is the 
typical C. Luciiiae, with its Nemophila-like flowers, it must yield 
place to the more lately introduced and more brilliantly coloured 
C. Smolusii, which is perhaps not distinct enough to obtain specific 
rank, but is in any case a distinct and superior variety, having its 
colours brighter and more distinct. A little clump of this at the 
base of a rockery facing west, but well sheltered from the western 
gales, afforded me much pleasure when in full bloom. Of a 
different colour and very distinct has been C. sardensis, with bright 
self-coloured blue flowers, which are very fine in their way. This 
does not seem to vary as much as C. Lucilise, and a large number 
of seedlings, flowering for the first time, have presented little 
if any vaiiation from the type. Distinct also, and one of the 
most beautiful of all, is 0. grandiflora, known more frequently as 
C. gigantea, but the former name is more appropriate, as the plant 
is of neat and good habit. This has large and exquisitely coloured 
lavender and white flowers. The latest recruit to the ranks of the 
Glory of the Snow (0. Alleni) has flowered for the first time in 
Britain this year, but it is as yet impossible to compare it properly 
with the others. It is said by its introducer, Mr. E. Whittall of 
Smyrna, to be finer than C, grandiflora, which it appears to 
resemble. Another year will, however, enable us to judge of its 
comparative merits. So far as one can see at present, it is taller 
than C. grandiflora ; but I am doubtful if its flowers will be so well 
formed. 
With all the beauty of the Chionodoxas we cannot, however, 
dispense with the early Squills, which give so much interest to the 
gardet), and which have been so fine this year. Scilla bifolia is 
now presenting so much variety that it will hold its own in popular 
favour. Now that we have dark blue, light blue, white, pale pink, 
and deep pink flowers we cannot complain of want of variety in 
this species. In addition we have the superior S. bifolia taurica, 
and I have seen specimens of a variety of bifolia which is by com¬ 
petent judges considered a good and distinct form, and which we 
hope to see introduced this season. St ilia sibirica is one of the 
“ standard” flowers which grows in favour from year to year, and 
the introduction of a white variety has been hailed with delight by 
many. This is still at a high price for a Scilla, and I have not as 
yet seen it; but good critics of wide experience speak in the 
highest terms of its value and beauty. It received an award of 
merit at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on 
March 28th. It is of Dutch introduction, but a white seedling has 
also appeared in a Scottish garden this year. 
So frequently is Scilla bifolia found growing along with the 
Chionodoxas that it appears surprising that natural hybrids have 
not been detected. So far, however, as I am aware, this is the case ; 
but what has not been discovered among plants growing wild has 
been found in this country, for a hybrid between S. bifolia and, 
apparently, C. Lucilise has been found in the garden of Mr. James 
Allen of Shepton Mallet. This has been named Chionscilla, and 
through the kindness of the raiser I have been gratified by receiving 
a plant of this interesting hybrid, which appears to be exactly 
intermediate between its supposed parents, the colour being blue, 
grained with white, and the tufted arrangement of the centre 
showing the character of the Chionodoxas. There is every pro¬ 
spect of other Chionscillas being obtained, and Mr. Allen’s success 
should stimulate others in seeking to raise new flowers. 
Beautiful as they are the bulbous flowers do not constitute the 
sole attraction of the garden, and other plants call for at least 
scanty notice ; and as being of great beauty and at the same time 
of troublesome reputation the Androsaces may be deemed worthy 
of a little space. They are among the choicest gems of the rock 
garden, and are well worthy of repeated attempts in cultivation 
should success not be at first attained. For some time I have been 
gradually adding to the species in my garden, and severe as has 
been the past winter all have survived and are in perfect condition. 
This is due to what is a necessary precaution in this climate, i e., 
covering them with a sheet of glass or a slate, slightly elevated 
above the plant, but so that a free circulation of air may be secured. 
Cold seems to have no terrors for the Androsaces, and this protec¬ 
tion from damp is put over them in October and remains until 
March. Upon the whole I prefer a slate to glass, and remove this 
on fine dry winter days. The glass seems to forward the blooms 
too rapidly. The soil used is sandy peat with an abundance of 
grit. A. carnea, which seems to.dislike lime, has nodules of granite 
mixed with the soil, and is surfaced with fine granite gravel. I 
grow all my plants on terraced rockeries facing west or south-west, 
and several have been very beautiful, among the most attractive 
being A. chammjasme, with pretty flowers, which on opening are 
white with a yellow eye, this eye becoming crimson and the petals 
passing off to rose. A. sarmentosa, A. lanuginosa, and some others 
are also well worthy of notice. 
Very pretty, too, and forming a close carpet of green, sur¬ 
mounted by spikes of light blue flowers, has been Veronica 
nummularifolia, for which I have been indebted to Rev. C. 
Wolley Dod on the occasion of a well-remembered visit to his 
del'ghtful garden. I know nothing of this plant, of which I have 
seen no record, but it is one I highly appreciate, coming into 
flower as it does here in the end of March and growing in ordinary 
soil on the terrace of a rockery, and covering itself with its fine 
and attractive flowers.—S. Aknott. 
PRACTICAL HINTS ON MELON CULTURE. 
Continuing my remarks on this subject from page 268 I may say 
that before planting I aWays take especial care to have the top of 
each mound slightly above the inner wall of the bed, so that when 
the final earthing is given the collar of each plant is still a little 
above the surrounding soil. By taking this precaution there is 
much less likelihood of canker giving trouble than when the 
surface of the bed is quite flat by the time earthing is completed. 
The soil forming the mounds should be rammed moderately firm, 
and somewhat flat on the top ; if made quite conical in shape 
great difficulty is experienced in watering thoroughly when once 
dry. 
Before turning out the plants see that the balls are thoroughly 
moist, otherwise the fresh soil will become too wet in the endeavour 
to effectively moisten the balls after planting. Take care not to 
bury the stem when planting ; press the soil firmly around the 
balls, and just cover the surface with a little fresh soil. A stick 
should be placed to each plant, and be tied to the bottom wire 
of the trellis ; it is then an easy matter to loosely secure the growth 
to it as it advances, and thus avoid the annoyance of having 
promising young shoots broken. 
The process of earthing up should be carried out more gradu¬ 
ally with early Melons than wiih later ones, as the roots are then 
very susceptible to a check of any kind, and when a thick layer of 
soil is placed over them they make less progress, through not 
