JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 27, 1891. 
174 
large can easily be disposed of, the younger ones taking up less 
space in the border. 
No plant in our rather large collection has given more pleasure 
than the old crimson Clove has this year. With us it succeeds well 
the first year from layers. In some gardens I have seen quite old 
plants produce abundance of blooms, but here it will not last more 
than a couple of years ; indeed the second year it does not do nearly 
so wtll as the first. Why I know not, unless it be that the soil is 
too cold and wet during the winter. I notice every spring that the 
plants show signs of decay and eventually die in patches. We 
grow a bed of it about 12 feet square, half of which are young 
plants, the remainder a year old. Directly the flowers are past we 
layer the oldest, replant that part, and allow the other half to 
remain. 
Besides their value as pot plants, Campanula pyramidalis and 
its variety alba are well worthy of a conspicuous position in the 
herbaceous border. At the present time these Chimney Bell¬ 
flowers are making a great show at the back of the border, 
especially where they are in contrast with large double scarlet 
Poppies. The plants will last a number of years, but it is not 
wise to allow them to do so, because they are so easily raised 
from seed sown out of doors in May. Some will flower the following 
year, all the second ; if left more than three years the flower stems 
appear at some distance from each other, which renders neat 
staking more difficult. Pieces of the root will throw up strong 
growths and make stocky plants in a short time, treating them 
•similarly to Seakale. No border is complete without a few roots 
of this type of a large family. If the trouble is taken to remove 
the first crop of seed pods other flowers will push forth later. 
Herbaceous Phloxes are great favourites with most persons, 
and rightly 7 so where a continuance of flowers is required and an 
extended variety of colour. One of the showiest of these now in 
flower is Max Kolb, which may not be one of the best sorts from a 
florist’s point of view, but a3 a decorative plant of extremely taking 
colour this variety deserves cultivating. The growth is strong, 
the flower heads large, and no doubt with attention in confining 
the spikes to a limited number much larger bloom heads might be 
secured, but that is not my object. I grow it merely from a 
decorative point of view. The colour is deep rose in the centre, 
the outer part of the petals a pleasing shade of salmon. 
I nave noticed a curious circumstance in connection with many 
plants of Ceanothus divaricatus which were badly injured by the 
frost of the late winter, so much so that all the small branches 
were killed back to the main stem, on south walls as well as upon 
northern aspects. These small branches were cut off in April early. 
Hundreds of vigorous shoots pushed from the main stem, giving 
promise of a free summer’s growth ; but now most of them have 
turned quite yellow, and seem to be dying, which will be a lament¬ 
able occurrence where they cover large spaces, as in my case. Can 
.anyone account for this ? 
Perennial Sunflowers are desirable hardy plants to grow—in 
fac 1- , are indispensable where a representative collection is required. 
All grow erect—a point in their favour, as they are much more easily 
kept tidy than those which have a tendency to spread. One stout 
stake at the back of the plant, to which the stems should be loosely 
secured, is all the support needed. In my opinion Helianthus 
maximus is the best of the group. The well-formed single flowers 
are very showy and stately, in a growing state especially. This 
variety under good cultivation will grow 8 feet high. H. communis 
fi.-pl. is the oldest of the type ; a full flower of a pleasing shade of 
yellow, height 5 feet. H. communis Soleil d’Or is pale orange 
yellow, very full and double, not quite so tall as the parent type. 
Clematis Jackmanni is one of the most useful summer flower¬ 
ing climbers we have. Not only does it flourish admirably on a 
■southern aspect, but it will give a greater abundance of flowers 
-when growing at the base and covering a north wall than any other 
plant a,t this time of the year. Many persons have a difficulty in 
procuring plants that will succeed on a northern aspect other than 
those which are valuable for their foliage only. Many fail to grow 
it well by neglecting to prune it hard down in the spring ; February 
is the best time for this, leaving but one or two eyes from the 
base. In this way the after growth is strong, and cannot fail to 
flower freely ; it is only when the growth is weak that few flowers 
are produced. No plant that I know pays a better return for good 
treatment in the way of supplying it liberally with water and liquid 
manure than does this climber. Growing at the base of a south 
wall, for instance, during a spell of dry weather, the wall naturally 
absorbs much of the moisture from the soil to the detriment of the 
Clematis ; it is then that artificial waterings are a boon. If this 
Clematis is allowed to entwine its growth with something else on 
the same wall the trouble of constantly nailing or tying it to the 
wall is dispensed with, and a prettier effect is secured when the 
Long trailing shoots covered with the deep purple blossoms are 
ahowed to hang downwards. We have it growing along with a 
Crataegus Pyracantha and an Aristolochia Sipho, and right well 
does it succeed in the company of these two plants. For verandahs, 
porches, or pillars by garden entrances it is unequalled for giving 
a fine display of richly coloured blossoms.—E. M. 
Dendrobium leucolophotum. 
The English edition of the “ Lindenia ” for August (part vii.) 
contains excellent illustrations of Mormodes Rolfeanum, Laelia 
grandis var. tenebrosa, Cattleya bicolor, and the white flowered 
Dendrobium named above. Concerning this the following history 
is given by Mr. R. A. Rolfe :—“Dendrobium leucolophotum was 
originally described by Reichenbach, in 1882, from specimens sent 
by Curtis from some part of the Malayan Archipelago to Messrs. 
James Yeitch & Sons of Chelsea during the previous year. The 
precise locality is said to be unknown. Prof. Reichenbach speaks 
of it as follows :—‘ Very near D. barbatulum, Lindl., but with a 
much stronger pseudo-bulb, a lax inflorescence exceeding a foot in 
length and much larger flowers of a fine white colour, apparently 
with yellowish buds. The acute chin is small, and the sepals 
ligulate acute, and far larger than the sepals. Lip trifid as in 
D. cuspidatum, Wall,, with triangular side lacinise rounded outside, 
and a linear ligulate acute long anterior lacinia. All the nerves of 
the superior half are covered with minute lobed lamellae, just as in 
D. barbatulum, whose conspicuous middle callus is absolutely 
unrepresented.’ 
“ The species appears to be extremely rare, but there i3 a 
raceme in the Kew Herbarium, received from Signor Com- 
mendatore H. J. Ross of Florence, Italy. And now it has been 
re-introduced, a raceme and the complete drawing of the plant 
having been forwarded by Messrs. Linden, L’Horticulture Interna¬ 
tionale, Parc Leopold, Brussels, with the information that it came 
from Northern Queensland. It is quite identical with the plant 
mentioned above. As the precise locality of the original plant is 
unknown it seems quite possible that it may have come from the 
far east, and if so, the two localities are not so far apart as they 
may at first appear to be. It should also be remembered that 
D. Phalsenopsis occurs in Queensland, New Guinea, and Timor-laut, 
and D. leucolophotum may occur over an equally wide area. We 
know so little of the distribution of Orchids in this interesting 
region. 
“Although the plant has been very well compared with 
D. barbatulum, there are some decided affinities with D. Phalgenopsis. 
The long scapes and the gibbous projection underneath the spur, 
as well as the general shape of the flowers, are all characteristic of 
this group. 
“ The application of the specific name is somewhat difficult to 
understand, and its author does not explain it. From his description 
it would appear to be in allusion to the minute white hairs upon 
the disc of the lip, which may be called the crest. It has been 
suggested as derived from leucos, white, and lophos , c a tuft of long 
hairs, ‘ as the mane of a horse,’ and ‘ evidently intended to refer to 
the long one-sided racemes of white flowers,’ but I am inclined to 
think that lophos here means a 1 crest.’ In any case, the name is a 
somewhat fanciful one. As regards cultivation it will be found to 
succeed under the same treatment as is given to D. Phalaenopsis, 
D. bigibbum, and D. superbiens, with or near some of which I 
suspect it grows in its native habitat.” 
SOME SELECT ALPINES. 
Lychnis Lagasoe. 
I should unhesitatingly place this charming 3pecies in any and 
every selection of choice alpines, for I know none to surpass it in 
the beauty and profusion of its flowers, and few that are more easily 
cultivated or more readily increased. To the amateur or beginner 
in the cultivation of alpines I would always recommend this one, 
for with even ordinary care success is all but certain, and when a 
full measure of it is attained its brilliant rose-coloured blossoms 
are sure to tempt the cultivator to try what he can do with 
others. Of really easily grown and free flowering alpines, such 
indeed as we may justly pronounce decorative, there are numbers, 
and it is these that I would recommend the majority to make a 
* More correctly from the adjective lophotos, “ tufted ” or “ orested.”—[Ed.] 
