10 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND vOTTAGE GARDENER 
[ Julj T, 188T. 
suitable for growing into large specimens ; Candeur, flowers very 
double, pure white, vigorous habit, and very free ; Congo, of fine 
form and substance, light lilac, shot deeper, centre rose, edges 
silvery white ; Hanoi, reddish salmon, of a pleasing colour, fine pips 
and trusses ; and La Florifere, soft rose pink, a most suitable 
variety for baskets and vases.—H. W. Ward, Longford Castle. 
LILACS. 
In shrubberies Lilacs are invaluable, while few plants are so common 
or so generally appreciated in suburban gardens as the ordinary forms 
of Syringa vulgaris and S. persica. Quite a large trade has also sprung 
up in forced flowers early in the year, and small plants in pots are also 
much valued for decorative purposes, grouping either in the conserva. 
tory, rooms or corridors. Small standards are most useful for such 
purposes, and the variety Charles X. is especially adapted for them, 
with clear stems 1 to 2 feet high, and neat bushy heads. The variety 
named is compact in growth, flowers freely and early, and therefore 
forces well. For culture in pots several varieties have been introduced 
of recent years, mainly from the continent, but for general planting out 
of doors few have paid much attention to any but the ordinary old 
forms that have been grown for so many years. One handsome variety 
of recent introduction was brought to our notice a few weeks since by 
Messrs. Wm. Paul it Son, Cheshunt—namely, Marie Lequay, of which 
two trusses are shown of their natural size in fig. 2. The flowers are 
pure white, of great size and substance, the lobes long and oval in form, 
the panicles dense compact conical trusses, and the fragrance powerful. 
It is one of the S. vulgaris varieties, and would make a grand addition to 
any shrubbery. 
A selection of the best from a continental collection of sixty varieties 
was given some time ago in these pages and comprised the following :— 
Dr. Lindlgy, massive trusses of purplish lilac flowers ; Alba grandiflora, 
splendid spikes of pure waxy blooms ; Gloire de Moulins, very free, 
dark, and effective; Goliath, immense trusses of dark lilac flowers ; Due 
d’Orleans, soft rose colour, late, distinct, and attractive ; Schweelavina, 
silvery blush ; Yerschaffelti, pale lilac, bold trusses ; Rubra insignis. 
dark lilac, massive heads ; Gloire de Coureelles, very large, medium 
colour, late ; Madame Briot, lilac deepening to violet, the darkest of all ; 
Hyacinthiflora, a distinct and beautiful variety with fine spikes and 
symmetrical double flowers ; and azurea plena, double, free and effective- 
CHOICE HARDY PLANTS IN FLOWER. 
At this season of the year choice hardy flowering perennials are 
somewhat numerous, and as it is a good time for making selections for 
future planting, I will briefly note some of the most useful from a large 
and representative collection. 
SPANISH IRISES. 
For the middle of June to the middle of July it would be difficult to 
conceive a group more lovely and so extremely varied as the Spanish 
Irises. Though somewhat late this season, they are not devoid of any of 
the charms which always attend their flowering. So characteristic of 
Orchid beauty are they in general aspect, that they would command far 
greater attention were they the inhabitants of some tropical clime. 
Quite recently in conversation with an Orchid fancier I pointed to the 
beauty and purity of that unequalled English Iris, Mont Blanc, as white 
as driven snow, and as he looked upon it with admiration he wondered 
whether “he was more fond of Orchids than the genus Iris.” If the 
Spanish Irises were more generally known who could fail to admire them ? 
and I am sure a far greater number would grow them than now. It is 
not strange that many Orchid growers are much in love with this family, 
f_>r in them they see much of that extreme beauty and grace which 
marks the flowers of their choice, and but for these Irises would hold a 
unique position in the floricultural world. These Irises are extremely 
hardy, are easily established, and increase with remarkable freedom. 
They are at home in the herbaceous or rockery border, and prefer a dry 
and rather sunny position. A moderately rich soil will suit them well, 
and once planted they will annually increase in beauty, and may be left 
at least five or six years undisturbed. September and October are the 
best months for planting them, and not more than 4 inches below the 
surface, using plenty of sharp sandy grit about the bulbs. In point of 
colour they are very much varied, and in a good collection pure whites, 
creams, and shades of sulphur, lemon, canary, and rich golden anil 
orange yellows, celestial and lavender blues, together with golden and 
bronzy hues interspersed, will all be found, as well as many intermediate 
and varying shades of each. For cutting they are simply unique, and 
will vie with the choicest floral gems of the day, while not the least 
important particular respecting them is their lovely and welcome fra¬ 
grance. Such, then, is a brief, though very inadequate, idea of one of 
the most useful groups among hardy bulbs. 
LILIUMS. 
The season of Liliums has now commenced, and many fine species and 
forms are in full beauty. First on the list comes L. pyrenaicum, a 
yellow Turk's-cap, very hardy and free flowering. It is freely spotted 
with black ; it attains 3 feet high when established, and increases readily 
without assistance. L. pyrenaicum rubrum grows somewhat taller, and 
has flowers of a bright orange red ; it is a most pleasing and effective 
Lily. It is sometimes erroneously sold as pomponium, from which it is 
distinct. The true L. pomponium is also splendidly in flower ; it is quite 
distinct in foliage from the preceding, and besides has fiery scarlet 
flowers. A noble Lily at this period, and one which cannot be too ex¬ 
tensively employed. It grows 3 feet high or more, and succeeds well in 
ordinary well enriched soil. It is a native of southern Europe, and 
always admired when seen in flower. When fully established it forms 
one of the most striking objects in the whole of this extensive and ex¬ 
ceedingly rich genus of plants. But by far the most noble and princely 
among early Liliums is that known as L. monadelphum Szovitzianum, 
for it stands without a rival. It is a Lily of great beauty, possessing 
much of the grandeur so characteristic of its race, while its fragrant 
handsome flowers tell their own tale. The cultural requirements are 
very simple, a rich loamy and rather sandy soil being all that it needs. 
In this, if left undisturbed, it will thrive for years, all that is requisite 
being occasional waterings with weak liquid manure during hot weather. 
No plant more noble or imposing can possibly adorn the higher portions 
of the rock garden in a partially shaded position in a deep rich soil than 
this ; in fact, it improves by being lifted up slightly on account of its 
lovely pendent blossoms. These, it may be remarked, are more or less 
spotted with black, and vary in colour from pale primrose to deep golden, 
scarcely any two bulbs producing flowers of a similar shade. The 
flowers arc recurved in a remarkable manner, and are borne on stout 
stems about 4 feet high. It is not unusual for large well established 
clumps of this magnificent Lily to produce spikes of eighteen to twenty 
of its lovely flowers. 
Another Lily which has become a rarity of late years, is L. Martagon 
album ; it is still somewhat scarce, and is only another instance of the 
riches of this genus. It is a very distinct plant, producing quite a 
pyramid of its pure white wax-like flowers. It is perfectly at home in 
sandy loam, a soil which by the way suits so many Lilies, and even those- 
which are reputedly peat lovers will, with care and discretion, succeed 
in it. I find cow manure on our light soils suit the majority of this 
genus, for even pardalinum and superbum, both recognised peat and 
moisture-loving plants, quite surpassed my expectations both as regards 
the height they attained and also the progress they had made below: 
when lifted last season ; in fact, I regarded it as highly successful, con¬ 
sidering our very dry summer, and the fact that the plants were fully 
exposed to the sun. The other Lilies in the month of June are the forms 
of L. Davuricum, among which L. D. erectum is conspicuous. But I 
must not omit the lovely little L. tenuifolium, with its fiery scarlet 
flowers ; these are very similar to pomponium in point of colour, of 
which it may also be regarded as a miniature. It grows a foot to 
18 inches high, and delights in moist sandy peat. Its general aspect is 
fragile, and it should be regarded as one of the most slender gems af 
this valuable group of plants. 
THE DOUBLE SCARLET GEUM. 
Geum coccineum fl.-pl.—This is one of the most profuse of early 
summer flowering perennials, the colour vivid scarlet on spikes nearly 
2 feet high ; it is a most serviceable border plant. 
POPPIES. 
Papaver orientale and varieties. — For producing a dazzling dis¬ 
play of brilliant crimson, scarlet, and orange flowers nothing can equal 
these Eastern Poppies. Perfect giants in their way, having gorgeously 
coloured flowers nearly equal in size to an ordinary dinner plate, and 
which in the case of many have a huge black blotch at the base of each 
petal, these plants are suited for large gardens when they may be 
viewed at a little distance, for it is not too much to say of them that 
they are overwhelming when seen in quantity and close to the eye. Some 
of the varieties grow to 4 feet in height, while there are others which 
only attain to about half that height. Very distinct indeed from them 
are the forms of Papaver nudicaule in their simple beauty and only a 
foot high, with their varying colours of white, orange, and yellow. 
Perfect gems for the rockwork are these, where they flower in great 
profusion for a considerable time.—J. H. E. 
PROPAGATING DRACAENAS. 
Such useful and effective varieties as D. gracilis, D. Goldieana, 
D. Lindeni,and others of similar habit that have become too tall for ordin¬ 
ary decorative purposes, may have their tops taken off and rooted. This can 
be accomplished without the loss of a single leaf, provided they are cut 
where the wood is not too hard. When cut through where the wood is 
moderately firm only they root quickly and retain the whole of their 
foliage, which is not the case when the base of the cutting is hard. 
Each head if large should be inserted in a 5-inch pot, properly drained, and 
filled with a compost of loam and peat in equal proportions, with a 
liberal dash of sand added. Place a good pinch of sand in the centre: 
for the base of the head to rest upon. Give a good watering, and plunge.- 
the pots in cocoa-nut fibre or other material, covering the rim of the pot 
and surface of the soil, and then keep them close under large bell- 
glasses or handlights. Shade from the sun. Other varieties, such as. 
