October 27, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
381 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES. 
Even now the darkness of the night swiftly encroaches upon the bright¬ 
ness of the day the garden withholds not its reward from the wooer of 
its favours—from him who, through sunshine and storm, cherishes his 
flowers, courting their favour by all the little arts his knowledge of 
which has made him master. The gay Sunflowers, the bright Eudbeckia 
speciosa with its deep yellow flowers relieved by their jetty central 
cones, and the Heleniums are in vivid contrast to the more sober hues 
of the Michaelmas Daisies, which range from white to deepest purple. 
The massive Tritomas, pride of the autumn garden, withhold not their 
lively colour from the view, while humbler but not less beautiful plants 
attract the many who seek a lowlier type of beauty. There are few 
things more delightful to the lover of the modest beauty of our alpine 
plants than the Saxifrages, which are now of the brightest or deepest 
green or of the finest grey, as their nature may be. 
Calceolaria pinnata. 
Very bright also, and attracting much attention from the many who 
have never seen it before, has been that pretty Calceolaria pinnata, the 
Pinnate or Wing-leaved Slipperwort, a native of Peru, and introduced in 
1773. Although only an annual it is a perfectly hardy one, and sows 
itself freely ; indeed, once fairly introduced no garden need ever be 
without it. I picked up a plant some years ago in a garden where it 
had been for a considerable time and as it was late in the season, potted it 
and placed it in my greenhouse. Here it seeded freely, and its progeny 
with their descendants have never left the greenhouse without a con¬ 
siderable number of representatives of the race. In spring some young 
plants were hardened off and planted out, and now there is stock 
enough outside. It is growing best in a half-shaded position in peaty 
soil. 
Although the normal height of C. pinnata is only said to be about 
inches I have it from 12 up to 26 inches in height, the bright yellow 
small and pretty flowers ranging from about half-inch to five-eighths 
inch in diameter. The foliage is deep green, thickish and pinnate in 
character. Is there not here a plant for the energies of the florist, who 
might by its means supplant the bedding Calceolaria of the day by a 
hardy annual ? 
Sweet Peas. 
We, who admire our perennial flowers, must beware lest we should 
despise the annuals which, in many cases, are of the utmost value in the 
hardy flower garden. What, for instance, could we do without the 
Sweet Peas, although we have a considerable number of perennial Lathy- 
ruses in cultivation ? These Sweet Peas, which as Keats says are— 
“ ... on tiptoe for a flight: 
With wings of gentle flush o’er delicate white, 
And taper fingers catching at all things, 
To bind them all about with tiny rings.” 
may be over for the season, but they have done yeoman service when cut 
flowers are required, sparing often those needed to brighten the borders. 
Of the new varieties raised by Mr. Eckford, Mr. Laxton, and others, 
it is impossible to speak too highly, and the lover of flowers cannot but 
feel deeply how much we are indebted to those florists for so enriching 
our gardens. 
The annual Cornflowers, too, how useful they are ! and I am sorry I 
cannot congratulate the raisers of the new double varieties upon the 
results of their labour. A greater variety of colours and markings has 
undoubtedly been secured, but this has been achieved at the expense of 
the grace and lightness of form of the older Cornflowers. None of these 
newer sorts can compare in value with the old blue or with one or two 
of the whites. There are some plants among the perennial Centaureas 
well worthy of notice, and I had intended noticing some of these, but, 
like the autumn Crocuses, this notice must be withheld for a time.— 
■S. Arnott. 
ANOMATHECA CRUENTA. 
This plant is widely known and of easy culture. It is quite 
hardy in the south of England, and it will even survive ordinary 
winters some distance north if a sheltered position be chosen or pro¬ 
tection be afforded when necessary. The plant is not very particular 
as to the kind of soil, though it should be preferably light, and in all 
cases well drained. 
Some practise lifting and storing the bulbs in late autumn, and if 
the situation is very wet this is judicious and prevents some losses ; 
otherwise, especially in warm localities, it is unnecessary. Still, some 
should be grown in pots, as very attractive and useful specimens for 
a cool house can be obtained with little trouble. Light turfy loam and 
peat, with a good proportion of sand, will suit them well under such 
conditions ; and as growth is advancing an occasional supply of weak 
liquid manure will be advantageous, improving the flowers both in size 
and colour. 
One bulb in a small pot, or several in a large one, according to the 
size, will be needed ; and as the plants are rather tall in growth, 
reaching and even sometimes exceeding 2 feet in height, a light stake 
may be employed to keep the stems in position. This, too, is 
generally needed in the open border, as they are very liable to be 
broken by wind or beaten down by rain if some similar precaution is 
not taken. In planting it is well to avoid placing the bulbs too deep, 
as that is likely to result in weak and imperfect growth. Three or 
four inches beneath the surface of the soil will be quite sufficient. 
The plant is of slender and graceful habit; the leaves are about 
half an inch broad, tapering somewhat like Ixias and other similar 
plants. The flowers have each a long tube and six elliptical divisions, 
bright red in colour, with a tinge of scarlet ; the three lower divisions 
are broader than the others, and have a dark blotch at the base. Though 
individually they do not last loDg, the scapes are produced in constant 
succession during the greater part of summer, and even as late as 
September. 
The accompanying woodcut (fig. 52) is a representation of this pretty 
bulbous plant. 
IMPROVING SANDY SOILS. 
Good loams are without doubt the best for all purposes, being inter¬ 
mediate between clays and sand. Soils that contain 30 to 50 per cent, 
of clay and 50 to 70 per cent, of sand should, if well drained, be mode¬ 
rately dry and warm, fairly easy to work, productive, and maintain 
under good culture their fertility. The position and locality being 
suitable, very often the soil is blamed for failures when the position of 
the land and the locality in which it is situated are unfavourable to the 
growth of particular plants or crops. We are not, however, dealing with 
the geological or geographical distribution of soils, but their improve¬ 
ment. When we have soils that contain 10 to 20 per cent, of clay and 
80 to 90 per cent, of sand, considerable care in management is needed if 
fairly good crops are to result. This can only be accomplished by a 
thorough improvement of the soil, so that its fertility is increased, and 
this in many cases is not the work of a solitary season, often taking 
years to accomplish. Whether rapid improvements can be made at a 
trifling cost depends largely upon the materials necessary, whether they 
are close to hand for the purpose or the reverse. The absorbing power 
of the soil must first be increased, for it should be remembered that sand 
