1671. J 
SALVIA PATENS. 
67 
Judy (Keynes).—Yellow, thickly striped and spotted with bright maroon ; a good useful 
Fancy of undoubted quality. 
Model (Eckford).—Pale buff ground, with stripes of clear maroon; good form, florets, and 
substance, and likely to prove very useful. 
Lord Dalkeith (Keynes).—A light ground flower, the florets edged with purple and dashed 
with crimson; a flower of but middling quality as seen this season. 
A much shorter list of new flowers went out last season from the Slough 
establishment. I estimate these as follows :— 
Alice Gair (Turner).—A charming edged flower, each floret being handsomely laced with 
purple on a white ground. 
Head Master (Turner).—A good deep rose-coloured self, of undoubted fine qualities, and 
likely to prove very useful to exhibitors. 
Mrs. Coleman (Turner).—White ground, with regular edge of crimson, fine form, and a 
beautiful flower when caught in good condition. 
Oxonian (Turner).—A good self flower of a purple hue, dashed with blue ; good substance 
and quality. 
Provost (Turner).—A large but very useful shaded orange flower; quite constant, and of 
fair quality. 
Sunshine (Turner).—Bright yellow, tipped with red ; showy and good. 
Toison d'Or (Turner).—Probably the best yellow self in cultivation; of good size, fine 
florets and substance, and very constant. 
Singular to state, Mr. Turner’s list did not contain a single Fancy variety. 
Such is my estimate. The experience of others may differ widely from my 
own. Be it so. I have simply endeavoured to set down some account of the 
Dahlias of 1869 as I saw them in 1870.—Quo. 
SALVIA PATENS—A FINE OLD PLANT. 
NE of the most striking displays of blue in a flower garden I ever saw 
was that made by a large bed of Salvia patens at Dunrobin ; and mark, 
<jg( 3 ) the plants which were used had been raised from seed in the same 
year! I was advised to try this plan of treating the Salvia patens by the 
late Lady Willoughby D’Eresby, who was one of the most tasteful, sympathetic, 
and friendly patrons of gardening I have ever met with. Those who used to visit 
Drummond Castle in the time of the late Lady Willoughby D’Eresby will not 
question the above statement. Where have ever such masses of true blue been 
seen as under the terrace on the long border at Drummond Castle ? The other 
day I was reminded of this, in getting up a bed of Salvia patens that continued 
flowering into the dead of winter. Seeds afford the best means of raising this plant 
for flower-garden purposes, but they should be started in a cool temperature, for 
raised in a high temperature this beautiful plant, whether from seed or from 
cuttings, is comparatively but a weed. 
Salvia patens was introduced into this country about 1837. I think Nee, 
the Spanish botanist, discovered the plant; but it was Mr. Parkinson, British 
Consul at Mexico, who introduced it. Some research is necessary to make out 
the proper name of the plant. Nee called it A grandijlora, but this name being 
preoccupied, Cavanilles gave it that of S. patens , while Kunth describing Hum¬ 
boldt and Bonpland’s specimens, unaware of Cavanilles’ figure and description, 
called it S. spectabilis. 
