Jane 6, H89. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
453 
iti£ of fresh littery manure from the stables is a capital conserver 
of moisture. Close manure should be avoided. Some gardeners 
plaster cow manure over inside borders, but I fancy the roots that 
are doing the work are away in the outside border. I remember 
seeing the trees in two Peach houses completely ruined by plastering 
the border with fresh cow manure. We place a layer of littery 
manure over Vine borders about ten days or so after the berries 
have been thinned, and the ammonia arising has a very beneficial 
cttect on the Vines. Borders which are not mulched often have 
the appearance of being dry when such is really not the case. 
V ines take more water during the colouring and second swelling 
process than at any other time. Borders that are fairly moist in 
October will not require water until the Vines are ready for start¬ 
ing into growth. Some people, again, empty manure tanks on 
Vine borders during the winter months, just as if that does any 
good. The roots of a pot Vine if over-watered during the winter 
avill decay.— A. Young. 
HARDY PLANTS WITH VARIEGATED LEAVES. 
Some of these are really beautiful and well worth growing. 
Indeed it may not be too much to say that among hardy flowers are 
some of the most beautiful of variegated plants. Yucca filamentosa 
variegata may be noted as an example, but this plant really requires 
an intermediate temperature under glass to bring out its best effect ; 
so we pass this over. Of quite hardy plants, Iris Pteud-acorus 
variegata, which during the summer months exhibits a soft yellow 
appearance, is a marked feature of the herbaceous border, and ought 
to be in the most limited collection of hardy plants. It merely 
requires to be let alone, and it comes up year after year increasing 
in size and beauty. It is increased by division. The variegated 
Meadow Sweet, Spiraea Ulmaria aurea variegata, is not so markedly 
effective as the above, though the yellow is of a much deeper shade. 
It is well worth growing, and ought to have the flowering growths 
pinched out in order to keep the colour in the foliage as long as 
possible. 
Of white variegated forms nothing I am acquainted with can 
approach the old-fashioned Grass known popularly as “ Gardeners’ 
Garters” (Phalaris arundinaria variegata). In order to make it 
at once effective a dozen good-sized pieces ought to be planted 
together, leaving a space of 6 inches betwixt them. This Grass 
makes a fairly good bedding plant when massed, and it may be left 
in the same bed for years. In order to have it at its best when so 
grown the tops of the plants should be mown lightly with a scythe 
when they have reached a height of 12 inches or so. There is a 
variety of the common Cocksfoot which forms a really valuable 
bedding plant. Dactylis glomerata elegantissima is the name it is 
known by. I find it reverts to the habit of the type, and in replant¬ 
ing it is necessary to destroy all pieces which show a disposi¬ 
tion to dispose the leafage horizontally. It is suitable for 
edgings, for bands, and for dotting among Violas of a lilac or purple 
shade, and Ageratums of dwarf habit. The yellowish variety, 
called longissima aurea, I do not recommend. The variegated 
Scrophularia, though coarse, is fairly effective. Two species of 
Day Lilies have effective foliage ; these are Hemerocallis fulva 
variegata and II. disticha variegata. The Japanese species known 
as Funkia include some beautifully variegated plants, the best of 
which are Funkia ovata fol. aurea var., and argentea fol. var. 
Achillea aegyptiaca, though not strictly variegated, has beautiful 
feathery foliage of a whitish tint, and is a fine hardy flower. 
Birbarea praecox variegata, a biennial which reproduces itself, is 
very pretty. A beautiful ornamental-leaved plant is Pulmonaria 
sibirica ; the foliage is covered with silvery spots, and splashed, 
arad is a very handsome habited plant. The same remark applies to 
the variegated form of Symphytum officinale, a plant with bold 
foliage, though not of so refined a character as the above. In damp 
places Rumex sanguineum makes a stately dark-foliaged plant. 
One of the neatest hardy plants with variegated leaves is the 
edged form of Jacob’s Ladder, Polemonium coeruleum variegatum. 
Both the above and its white form are to be had with variegated 
foliage alike in every respect. The general appearance of the 
plant is Fern-like ; the middle portion of the leaflets is green with 
a well defined edge of creamy shade. About a quarter of a century 
ago this very beautiful plant was much esteemed as a bedding 
plant. Its cultivation presents no difficulty, merely necessitating 
the annual division of the plants into single crowns when wanted 
for bedding purposes. Planted alternately with Wave of Blue 
Lobelia, one of the most charming combinations is secured. Those 
who do not know this plant will be certain to be pleased should 
they securea stock of it. Another very pretty dwarf plant is to be 
found in Arabis lucida variegata, the bright shining green of the 
leaves being marked with bright yellow. The other variegated 
Arabises are much inferior to this. In some soils a very effective 
plant is Ajuga reptans purpurea, which at its best assumes a datk 
shade in the foliage. The variety with yellow variegation is not so 
good. Stellaria graminea aurea is to be had with foliage of a very 
soft yellow shade, and where attention is paid to keeping the 
plant clipped it makes a useful edging plant. 
The best of all yellow foliaged plants is doubtless Pyrethrum 
selagiaoides. It is infinitely superior to the best strains of the 
common Golden Feather, and those of us who are still sufficiently 
barbarous not to dislike yellow will find in this a flower worth paying 
attention to. The simplest method of growing it when it is not 
wanted to be at its best early in summer is to sow the seeds where 
the plants are wanted. The middle of March to the end of that 
month is a good time to sow. A very charming plant is also the 
yellow-leaved Creeping Jenny. This plant likes a shady damp 
situation. I have seen it used with very good effect as an edging 
to a vase, the shoots drooping far down over its edges. A rather 
neat dwarf plant which reproduces itself from seed is Oxalis 
tropaeoloides (0. corniculata rubra). The foliage is pretty, coffee 
coloured, and generally effective. Aubrietia variegata is a really 
beautiful plant when grown on poor soil and allowed to hang over 
a stone in the rockery. But about the prettiest of all rock plants 
is Antennaria tomentosa, which when grown in poor soil glistens 
like a bit of silver. One of the few things I remember at Mr. 
Cannell’s old nursery at Woolwich was some pots of this, and the 
mound near the lake in Battersea Park covered with this plant is 
one of the things which linger in one’s memory. Another good 
white-leaved hardy plant is Achillea umbellata. Less white is 
Cerastium tomentosum, which is, however, a capital edging plant if 
care is taken to clip the shoots regularly. Several kinds of varie¬ 
gated Thyme are worth growing, and the same remark applies to 
the forms of Sedum acre with variegated foliage. There are two 
kinds of Daisy with marbled foliage, the one with red and the other 
with white flowers. Either or both may be grown, and they are 
best pulled in pieces once every year and replanted in good 
soil. Besides these I have had very many hardy variegated plants, 
most of which have been merely curiosities. Indeed, very 
many of our wayside and field plants are to be had with foliage 
variegated in one or more forms.—N. B. 
NAMING 0RCHID3. 
The Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, is willing to assist 
cultivators of Orchids in naming their plants in cases where diffi¬ 
culty arises in their correct nomenclature. For this purpose speci¬ 
mens should be sent in boxes sufficiently strong to protect them in 
passing through the post. They may be addressed either to the 
Director or to the Keeper of the Herbarium, and should be marked 
with the word “ Orchids ” outside. It is particularly requested 
that specimens should not be addressed to individual members of 
the staff. The specimens should be as complete as possible, and 
should always comprise as much of the inflorescence as can be 
spared conveniently, as well as a leaf. They may be packed with 
damp paper, but cotton wool should not be used. 
CYPRIPEDIUM CAITDATUM. 
We lately had a plant of this Orchid bearing flowers with sepals 
37 inches in length. I should like to know if longer have been 
observed. The plants are very healthy, with deep green leaves to 
the points.— A. Young. 
CATTLEYA F0RBE3I. 
In answer to ‘‘K. C ,” respecting the above Cattleya (page 422), 
I find it does well in company with Cattleyas generally. We have 
a mass of it on a block 3 feet long, as imported. It is suspended 
from the roof of the Cattleya house, just under the ventilators. 
It is afforded plenty of water while growing, and is not too much 
shaded. Under the above treatment it both grows and blooms 
freely. We had over twenty spikes of flowers on it last year, and 
this season there are about thirty-two leads ; fourteen of them are 
showing flower now, the rest not being quite so forward, but they 
will bloom later on.—T. S. 
THE ORCHIDS AT BLENHEIM PALACE. 
On the two days of the visit of the Oxfordshire Agricultural 
