June 22, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
493 
T he Rose has this season come earlier than usual to delight us 
with its beauty and fragrance, and it may seem that writing in 
praise of its followers is rank disloyalty. I would, however, 
disavow all thought of treason to this “ Queen of Flowers,” but 
would leave other pens to speak of its beauty. The proverb 
ne sutor ultra crepidam is a true one, and the many able rosarians 
who write in the columns of the Journal are more qualified to 
descant upon the beauty of their favourite flower than he who 
pens these notes. We have to devote ourselves to the humbler plants, 
though some of us, perhaps, in our day dreams may picture a 
Rose garden filled with Roses of all kinds ; the old fashioned ones 
that have made their mark on the pages of history and which are 
certain to be again sought after ; those that have been the origin 
of some quaint and beautiful legends ; the rare species for which 
we are indebted to the indefatigable search of explorers ; or, last 
but not least, the productions of the florist that possess a beauty 
which seems too perfect for the vicissitudes of this rude climate of 
ours in ordinary years. If, however, this garden only exists for us 
in our day dreams, and we are not qualified to discuss the merits 
and demerits of the various forms in which the Rose displays 
its charms, we may at least ofEer our respectful and admiring 
obeisance. 
Amid the profusion of beauty which this June has adorned the 
garden, it is a mark of the exceeding value of the estimation in 
which the Rose is held that no rival can in the public mind displace 
it, and the many forms of floral beauty of the month have only 
shown its pre-eminent value. The Lily, an ancient rival, has given 
us the noble L. Szovitzianum; the bright and showy L. davuricum ; 
the neat and pretty dwarf L. elegans, varying much in height and 
in shade of colour ; the old L. Martagon ; and in some gardens the 
chastest of all—the Madonna Lily—has delighted the observer with 
flowers of highest purity. Vastly inferior, yet with some merit, 
is the small flowered L. pyrenaicum, whose flowers exhale so 
powerful a perfume. Then could aught exceed the elegance and 
beauty of the many Irises or “ Rainbow Flowers ” which have 
come to give pleasure to our hearts ? Bearded and beardless Flag 
Irises, of tall or of dwarf habit, with massive and broad or grassy 
leaves ; Spanish pr English bulbous forms, with flowers of exquisite 
shape, and others of a similar habit of growth, such as I. Boissieri, 
have brightened the borders and lured us to stand awhile and 
study the wondrous colouring which, in shades of purple, blue, 
yellow, white, brown, and others too numerous to detail, defies 
description, and laughs to scorn the attempts of the artist to 
transfer it to his canvas or to paper, and, in greater degree, eludes 
the struggle to pourtray its tints with the pen. Alas ! that one 
should up to the present have to admit defeat with the Oncocyclus 
section, and that we should anew have to attempt to solve their 
culture—a solution only to be found apparently by trial in each 
garden. 
If the Rose has its delightful fragrance, so, too, has the Pink, 
which in various forms has been one of the flowers of J une, and 
the season has suited it perfectly, leading one to think that a few 
more years like this would lead to the beauty of this flower being 
recognised anew. Very charming have been some of these mounds 
of foliage covered with massive flowers of exquisite perfume, such 
as Mrs. Sinkins, of which an old plant with some fifty fully open 
No. 678.—VoL. XXVI., Third Sbries. 
flowers has been most delightful ; or others with single flowers, 
such as “ Maiden Pinks of odour faint,” or some of the rarer 
alpine species which have formed such pretty objects on the 
rockeries. How dear these old Pinks have been in days gone by 
may be gathered from Spenser’s reference in “ Amoretti ”—“ Her 
lovely eyes like Pincks but newly spred.” 
The Tulip has long gone to rest, but the Poppy has fallen heir 
to at least its brilliancy, and in many kinds has endeavoured in 
some degree at least, to fill its place. It is curious to see in what 
little estimation the Poppy is held by many, and how little its aid 
is sought for garden purposes. In my garden it has become fairly 
naturalised, and Oriental Poppies, Shirley Poppies, Iceland Poppies, 
Alpine Poppies, and several others come up in superabundant 
plenty in unexpected places. May I commend to the notice of 
some a word or two from Ruskin ? He says :—“ We usually think 
of the Poppy as a coarse flower, but it is the most transparent and 
delicate of all the blossoms of the field.” I know my taste in 
preferring single fiowers among Poppies will not be universally 
approved, but I submit that the single, or even the semi-double 
flowers are immeasurably more graceful than are those of the 
double varieties. 
If the procession of the flowers of June has had its monarch it 
has also had its guardsmen, and I fancy this honour will by 
universal acclamation be conceded to the stately Delphiniums, 
which have been fitly called “ princes among summer flowers.” 
Gallant and brave they seem with their noble spikes of deep blue, 
light blue, or purple of varied shades, some with “dove’s neck” 
lustre and with much variety of central eye. It is true they lack 
fragrance, but we do not expect our warriors to be odorous of 
perfume, even when on grand parade. As it is these flowers brook 
no rivals in their own particular sphere, even the noblest of the 
Monkshoods showing its inferiority in the presence of these princely 
Larkspurs. 
A commanding place in the garden of hardy flowers must always 
be taken by the Campanulas, which in many forms and shades 
ornament the borders or form on the rockeries masses of exquisite 
grace. Peach-leaved, Broad-leaved, and Nettle-leaved Bellflowers 
in various shapes and shades seek to vie with each other in repre¬ 
senting worthily the claims of the taller forms. C. glomerata in 
purple and in white ; C. Yan Houttei, C. punctata, and several 
others exhibit the beauty of what may be called the intermediate 
forms ; while on the rockery C. Portenschlagiana, C. garganica, 
C. G. F. Wilson, and others in shades of purple, blue, or white 
testify to the incontestable right of the Bellflower to a place in the 
garden. 
The Mulleins have also been ready to display their grace (if I 
may be allowed to apply this word to the beauty of the Yerbascum), 
and their handsome spikes of flowers have been much admired. In 
my garden Y. phoeniceum is represented in various shades and 
colours, perhaps the prettiest being a white one ; but pretty as is 
this I prefer the white variety of Y. nigrum, which is extremely 
handsome with its long spikes of white flowers with purple centre. 
A strange contradiction this of terms—yet not uncommon in garden 
names—of “ White Black Mullein,” which must I suppose be the 
literal translation of Y. nigrum var. album—the botanical term ? 
The only popular name I know for this Yerbascum is the “ Dark 
MuUein,” and the name “ White Dark Mullein ” is far from satis¬ 
factory. Y. Thapsus might well spare one of its popular names to 
this species. Other fine Yerbascums are worthy of note, but 
many other plants must have at least passing notice. 
Great Sea-Thrifts have been crowded with heads of flower ; 
Stonecrops, with thick and fleshy leaves, have covered themselves 
with yellow flowers of brilliant hue ; the old Moly (Allium) has lit 
up a border with its golden blooms ; the pretty pink A. falcatum 
has shown its pleasing flowers, which, alas! are of unpleasant 
odour ; Sun Roses and Rock Roses have displayed their fleeting 
charms ; tall and dwarf Linarias or Toad Flaxes have covered the 
No. 2334.—Von. LXXXVII]., Old Series. 
