July 9, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
15 
T HE protracted period of dry weather through which we hav e 
been passing has happily come to a close, and the flowers are now 
experiencing the cool and moist atmospheric conditions so favour¬ 
able to hardy plants. A few days ago we were almost in dismay at 
the prospect of a season even more disastrous on this light soil than 
that of 1887. Now, although the rain has only penetrated a short 
-distance, all looks favourable, although traces of suffering are still 
apparent in withered leaves and wholesale loss of lower stem leaves. 
But as Longfellow says, “Let the dead past bury its dead,” 
and let us rejoice in the brightness of the present and the hopes 
of the future, and enjoy the feast of beauty so amply spread before 
us. Stately Delphiniums, among the noblest of our hardy flowers ; 
Pyrethrums, triumphs of the florist’s art; glowing Eastern Poppies 
lighting up the garden with their splendid flowers. Well may Eliza 
Cook sing :— 
“ The Poppy with its flaming breast, 
Outshines the crimson of the west.” 
Tall Lupins with fine spikes of white or blue or blue and white ; 
golden Day Lilies, fragrant Pinks, and many others welcome the 
opening days of July. Roses, too, and stately Lilies come forward 
like very sirens to lead their respective claims to the proud title of 
■“ Queen of Flowers ; ” a title which for long years has, by universal 
acclamation, been awarded to one or other. I am by no means 
certain that the popular opinion of the day is not decisive in favour 
of the claims of one of the aspirants ; but there are, I should say, 
many who agree with Cowper in his lines in which Flora is made 
to say :— 
“ Yours is, she said, the nobler hue, 
And yours the statelier mien, 
And till a third surpasses you 
Let each be deemed a queen.” 
(The Lily and the Rose , v. 6'.) 
If the rosarians will forgive the suggestion, Cowper seems to 
bave had a partiality for the Lily, as one of the stanzas of the same 
poem attributes to the Rose conduct hardly compatible with the 
calm dignity generally associated with the regal authority. There 
are, however, so many things to note, not only in my own garden, 
but in several others I visited last week, that the enticing byways 
of flower lore must not be entered upon at length. 
At this season the Dianthuses present many beauties to notice, 
and they are well represented in this district. Ido not think anything 
can be finer than a good plant of D. alpinus, some good specimens I 
saw being particularly fine, the foliage extremely healthy, and the 
deep rosy flowers, only about 2 inches high, being very large and fine. 
Rather inferior, but still well worth growing, is D. neglectus, of 
somewhat similar appearance, but with smaller flowers. A notable 
instance of that horror of the purchaser of plants was to be seen along¬ 
side of the fine plant of D. neglectus. This was a plant purchased 
under the same name, but which was evidently incorrect, the flower 
being opening, white, and the foliage quite distinct. This sending 
out plants not true to name is a great disappointment to growers, 
and is in the end a source of loss to the vendor. I have many 
times experienced it, and unless one is thoroughly well acquainted 
with the flower it sometimes leads to its being passed on from one 
to another. Some of my friends are at present greatly exercised 
over Campanulas G-. F. Wilson and Raineri. There are in commerce 
No. 576.— Yol. XXIII., Thibd Sebies. 
two under the name of G. F. Wilson, and two under the name of 
Raineri vera. One of my friends contends that what is sometimes 
sold as G. F. Wilson is Raineri vera, while another is equally 
confident that he possesses both plants true. I hope in the course 
of the season to be able to get the dispute authoritatively settled. 
Bearing upon this question of plants being sent out with wrong 
names, I have had Silene Schafta sent from two different nursery¬ 
men as Lychnis Lagascse, and I understand this is by no means an 
uncommon practice. This season I had Gypsophila prostrata sent 
me for G. cerastioides, and from another quarter Alyssum saxatile 
for A. montanum. I would urge upon nurserymen the necessity 
and, from a business point of view, the wisdom, of verifying tho 
names of their plants. To return, however, to the Dianthuses. 
One species with which I was particularly pleased was D. nitidus, 
or at least what was grown under this name. This is a neat plant 
with grassy leaves and pretty pink flowers with a darker centre. 
The flowers are finely fringed. If this is the plant named in the 
“ Cottage Gardeners’ Dictionary,” which is, however, described as 
“red,” it is a native of Carpathia, and was introduced in 1822. 
The popular name of the Shiniug Fink is quite applicable to 
D. nitidus, from the glistening appearance of the petals. Near this 
in the same garden was D. cruentus, the Blood-scarlet Pink, with 
smooth, acute, linear-lanceolate leaves, and slender stems growing 
about a foot in height, and fine blood scarlet flowers, a considerable 
number of these being arranged in somewhat globular heads. The 
native country of this species is said to be unknown. Several 
other Pinks are now in bloom or about to flower, but those I have 
named are among the best at present, and lead one to appreciate 
the name given by Linnaeus of Dianthus (Divine Flower) from 
Dios, divine, and anthos a flower. A beautiful little Alpine, which 
I had long wished to see in flower, was beautifully in bloom. This 
was Stachys Corsica, which was familiar to me from the illustration 
and description given by Wooster. I am bound to say, however, 
that the illustration does but scant justice to the flower if it always 
grows as well as where I saw it. The plant figured in Wooster’s 
“Alpine Plants ” was the variety with pinkish white flowers, and 
was drawn from a plant sent by the late Mr. Niven of Hull. The 
one I saw recently was the variety with creamy coloured flowers, 
and was almost entirely covered with its pretty little labiate flowers 
just rising above the foliage. The plant only grows to about 
6 inches in height, and is a very desirable one for the rock garden 
or the front of the border. As one would imply from the specific 
name, S. Corsica is a native of Corsica, whence it was introduced 
in 1823. 
Whether in or out of flower the Sempervivums are always in¬ 
teresting. The exquisite rosettes of S. arachnoideum or S. Laggeri 
with their beautiful cobweb-like covering of tomentum are always 
attractive, and some of the dark coloured varieties such as S. triste 
are very fine also. Perhaps the finest is S. violaceum, which grows 
to a large size and possesses tints difficult to describe. The specific 
name violaceum gives no idea of the rich hues not unlike some of 
those shown by some of the Coleuses. Red-brown, purple-brown, 
and green are so beautifully spread over the sharp-pointed succulent 
leaves that it forms a most beautiful plant for many purposes. 
Among other well-grown plants were some good specimens of 
Ramondia pyrenaica just passing out of flower, but showing by 
the few remaining blooms how well it was doing. Close to these 
was a good plant of Haberlea rhodopensis which had not flowered 
but which seemed in perfect health. Several dwarf Campanulas 
are now well in bloom, but I was especially delighted with a 
grand plant of C. abietina, which was doing particularly well 
in a good piece of fresh gritty loam. This seems a plant 
which is greatly benefited by a change of soil. The splendid 
violet-purple erect flowers formed a perfect mass of bloom. 
Another pretty little Campanula not too often met with is 
C. Allioni, a dwarf alpine Harebell with pale blue flowers, which 
are very large for the size of the plant. 
No. 2232 .—Vol. LXXXV., Old Sebies. 
