October 1, *891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
281 
Malines, and with good dishes of either of these on the table few 
employers will be disposed to grumble at the largest fruit of other 
varieties being sold.—W. Iggulden. 
HYACINTHS. 
The most useful of all Hyacinths is the Early White Roman, 
for with care and a little forethought a succession of its pure 
white fragrant flowers may be had over a period of nearly six 
months. They are seldom needed before the middle of October, 
and there is no difficulty in having them at that date. It may be 
thought that after the Dutch Hyacinths commence to flower they 
take the place of the Early Roman, and that is no longer required. 
The larger spikes, bolder bells, and attractive colour of the Dutch 
varieties are certainly superior for many forms of decoration ; but 
for cutting they are not useful, as they are too heavy, and only in 
a limited number of arrangements can they be employed with 
effect, while the Roman is admirably adapted for such purposes. 
The small spikes that appear by the side of the larger ones in the 
case of the Dutch varieties, which the exhibitor is careful to 
remove as soon as they can be discerned, are far more useful to 
those who have flowers of various colours to supply in a cut state 
than such spikes as adorn our exhibition tables. 
The Early Roman Hyacinth cannot well be dispensed with 
for cutting until it yields flowers outside under almost natural 
conditions. The culture is so simple that I need not go into 
details. It will suffice to say that successional pottings should be 
made at intervals of three weeks or a month from August until 
the end of October. The cultivator, however, must be guided by 
the condition of the bulbs ; sometimes potting cannot be delayed 
so long as at others. Directly the bulbs show signs of gumming 
they should not be kept out of the soil, but potted or planted at 
once. At the time of the last potting plant a good number of 
bulbs close together in a sunny place outside, and others in a 
northern position. Those in the former should be planted so that 
handlights can be placed over them at different times to secure a 
succession to those grown in pots. The bulbs placed on a north 
border should only have protection from the time they commence 
showing the colour of their flowers. If allowed to expand without 
the protection of glass they might all be spoiled by rough stormy 
weather. If severe weather sets in after they appear well above 
ground it is advisable to afford them light protection by covering 
them with a little dry fern or mats, because I have known frost 
destroy the flowers, except one or two that had not advanced so 
quickly. If this plan is carried out flowers of the White Roman 
may be had until the end of March. 
Market growers usually place them thickly together in boxes, 
and force them in large quantities, but the Roman Hyacinth is 
not forced in such numbers for the markets as was the case at 
one time. What home grower can purchase roots and compete 
with those sent from France, and sold early in our markets at 
Is. a dozen bunches ? Growing Roman Hyacinths for the market 
is little better than turning over capital, and to be certain that there 
is not a balance on the wrong side the bulbs must be bought 
cheaply and all forced by Christmas or the new year. 
The single blue Roman Hyacinth was strongly recommended a 
few years ago as aD early flowering variety, but many were dis¬ 
appointed, and this variety was condemned. It is said to be shy 
and not very effective. In colour it is pale blue, which is as good 
as that of many other Hyacinths that are placed in a foremost 
position. It is not effective as a pot plant from a decorative point 
of view, because it is too much like Scilla nutans in its habit of 
growth, and its straggling foliage hangs in a confused manner over 
the sides of the pots. If it is to be arranged with other well- 
grown plants of Tulips, Narcissus, and Dutch Hyacinths, its 
foliage needs trimming with the knife or shears before it is staged. 
The flower stems are rather too long, they need supporting after 
they have been out a few days or they fall about like the foliage. 
It certainly has many faults, but that of shy flowering cannot be 
added to them, for flowers are produced freely ; two, three, and 
often more spikes appear from each bulb, and where blue flowers 
are appreciated in a cut state this variety will be found weil worth 
growing, as the spikes are of a suitable size for cutting. Like the 
Bluebell or Wood Hyacinth, its foliage is produced before the 
flowers are scarcely visible. I have had it in flower directly after 
Christmas ; but this does not give the plant a fair chance. It will 
not bear forcing, but should be allowed to come forward gently. 
Even under these conditions there is no difficulty in having it in 
flower by the end of January. 
French Rose is another variety that was also said to be early. 
It may be described as having semi-double white flowers shaded 
faintly with rose, possessing, though in a less degree, the faults of 
the blue Roman Hyacinth. The plants should not be hard forced, 
and may be had in creditable condition for the conservatory wten 
the White Roman no longer adorns that structure. It is also 
useful for cutting, in fact for the latter purpose I principally 
recommend it. 
The extreme beauty and usefulness of the Dutch varieties for 
exhibition, home decoration, including flower beds and borders in 
spring, scarcely call tor comment. I shall, however, just glance at 
two varieties that I have singled out for special remark—one is 
Homerus, single red, and the other La Tour d’Auvergne, double 
white. They are not selected because they possess any striking 
features, either in colour, size of spike or bell that are not possessed 
by others; in fact the first fades from the bright taking colour 
that it opens with to one of a dirty hue quicker than any other 
Hyacinth that I know. Homerus is the earliest of red varieties to 
flower, and where coloured Hyacinths have to be in flower as early 
as possible in the season it cannot be ignored until a better flower 
and one as early or earlier can be found. La Tour d’Auvergne is 
the earliest of all Dutch Hyacinths. Its flowers when wired are 
invaluable in a cut state, and it precedes Homerus by a few days. 
When early forcing is practised the flower spike invariably com¬ 
mences to open at the top, and the result is miserable flowers. 
This is the cultivator’s fault entirely. The mischief is due to 
exciting the plant too rapidly in its early stages, and the effect is 
only visible at the stage to which I have referred. In most in¬ 
stances the bulbs are placed in too high a temperature when they 
are first introduced into the forcing house. Nothing is gained by 
such a course, but, on the contrary, the spike3 are ruined. After 
the growth of the bulbs has become green in a cold frame, place 
them in a vinery or Peach house just started, and although they 
appear to move slowly, they are starting gently, as they should do, 
and when once they are fairly moving, and growth is visible, they 
will bear the warmest structure that can be found for them if they 
are wanted quickly, but the structure must not be a dry one. In¬ 
stead of losing time by starting them gently time is gained, and 
the bulbs flower sooner than if placed direct into strong heat. 
—W. Bardney. 
HEDGES OF ANNUALS. 
I have been a garden wanderer for many years, and as I love 
the art of gardening I generally keep my ejes open for any 
beautiful and natural patch that may chance to come in my vision. 
Many a time in my day dreams has an ideal garden floated before 
my eyes — a garden where climbing Roses, Clematis, Virginian 
Creeper, Canariense, Columbine, Convolvulus, and Ivies of 
different shape and hue vie with each other in rank luxuriance, 
and where beds of the good, old-fashioned Hollyhock, Spircea, 
Anemone, Delphinium, and other herbaceous plants spread about 
in their wild beauty. 
In the course of my wanderings this year I visited Grimston 
Park, Tadcaster, the gardens of which are somewhat famed for 
their excellence and neatness. There it was I saw the hedge 
about which I wish to draw the attention of your readers— 
amateur more especially than professional. A large flat of 
vegetable land was the view from the cottage windows early in 
the spring, and this not quite agreeing with the tastes of the 
inmates of the house a packet of Sweet Peas was sown across the 
end and down one of the sides, the total length being about 
30 yards. Soon after a few seeds of Tropteolum peregrinum and 
tall mixed were scattered along tho row ; and later still here and 
there were planted a tuber of some choice single Dahlia, together 
with a few Sunflowers ; Pea rods were added, and the foundation 
was completed of what this autumn has proved to be one of the 
loveliest pictures it is possible to behold. There is the white, the 
blue, the pink, the brown, and the purple of the Sweet Pea ; the 
golden yellow of the “ Canariense ; ’’ the deep red, the rich brown, 
the bright cerise, and the marked red and white of the Dahlias con¬ 
trasting strangely and richly together, and helping each other to show 
off its own peculiar charms, with the different hued green foliage of 
the three as a background. Dead indeed is the soul of the person 
who can pass by this mass of brilliant beauty without pausing to 
drink in some of its loveliness. Why, even the Sunflowers grace 
fully bend their heads and look down upon this sight with 
seeming wonder and admiration. 
The reader perhaps sajs, i; That the hedge is beautiful I must 
admit, but is it useful ? ” To this I answer, “ Yes, it is.” What 
a quantity of Sweet Pea blossom you can cut for your vases ! and 
what Dahlias for your glass ! And that “ Canariense” ! If it were 
only a guinea an ounce instead of a penny how it would be prized ! 
Then again, what amateur is there who has not some spot in his 
garden—either adjacent to his neglectful neighbours or near some 
rubbish or manure heap—where an offensive view could not be 
changed into a beautiful and natural one by the expenditure of a 
shilling or two on the seed of the Sweet Peas and the Tropaeolum. 
