THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION.— August 12, 1806. ;U5 
Here I have another of them, a French one, called 
i Triomphe de Mont Rouge, which, in addition to the 
creamy salmon, has a light border on the top of the 
petals. All these, and such as these, ought to be kept 
till they are as old as Noah was. Before they are three 
years old they are not fit to be seen, compared to what 
: they will continue to increase in being for every year 
till we are all dead and gone ; but they must have legs, 
one a piece, if ever so short, and some to be standards, 
; and all to be trained into perfect specimens, like my 
j Lady Caroline and two Lady Middletons; my Osman, 
j a standard, named after my faithy little dog; my Re- 
\ fulgent, another standard; and my Shot-silk, a. dvvarf- 
I made plant, but of strong growth. Yes, those who have 
I not turned their thoughts in this direction will soon 
find they are out of the fashion. Every shade from white 
to dark crimson, and such as can be made out of dif¬ 
ferent shades blended together, we must have, and that 
soon; also, every shape of (lower which God in His 
infinite wisdom has given us to enjoy, as well as the one- 
shape flowers of some amongst ourselves. We shall 
please and prosper together. You can almost order a 
plant to be made to any size, or colour, or shape. A 
vast capital is afloat in the nursery trade on these very 
subjects. You and I may exclaim against this or that 
fashion ; but depend upon it the best way is, to be 
contented and honest, and go with the stream. Both of 
us may make a crooked bend less crooked and more 
easy for the tide, and that is all that wo are driving at 
just now; but we must have every conservatory in the 
country full of all conceivable coloured Geraniums, of 
all ages, shapes, and sizes, to fill up the places of Pelar¬ 
goniums and other summer flowers; and if my ex¬ 
periments with the Lady Middleton Geraniums do 
succeed (and, as yet, I see no reason to falter), we shall 
have them, the Scarlet races, in bloom till bloom 
“ comes again.” 
Among the best kinds of Scarlets for this kind of 
work I noticed the following in the Nursery under 
review, not under report. I abominate all bare reports 
of Shows, nurseries, and private gardens. 
The best pot Scarlets that I saw here were Lady 
Smythe, a shaded flower between scarlet-rose and pink. 
The shades will improve as the plant gets old. All 
young plants of all the kinds, owing to so much having 
to go for bone and muscle, fail in giving the shades 
distinctly. Defiance, a large scarlet; indeed, the largest 
individual flower of all the Scarlets. Orijlamme (pro¬ 
nounce it O-re-flamm), a fine scarlet; but the leaf not 
good enough for a bed. In the dark days of autumn 
it is one of the brightest in-doors. Rubens, another 
shaded scarlet and pink, that must have age, strong, rich 
loam, and scant of water, and longer nights than days 
to bring out the shades properly. It is not a bad bedder 
also. The different varieties of Shrubland Scarlet, as 
Amazon and Andry, are too succulent for pot specimens 
in-doors. For beds and borders, Glowworm is an improve¬ 
ment on 1'om Thumb, and is only strong enough to 
make an edging to it; but they should never he used 
together, as then you could not know the difference. 
Indispensable is the next turn to Lilliputian in size, a 
plain leaf, and there seems no end to its flowering. 
J Lady Downes, Emperor Napoleon, and Highland Chief - 
! tain were the newest to me, all dwarfish and good ; but 
' having to learn all about the Scarlets from the Experi- 
j mental, and from it only, I did not run after the real 
^good scarlet beddors here. The. Diadeviatunis, Quercifoils, 
and Uniques took up more of my attention, aud in the 
show-ground L found a most lovely seedling of my own 
raising as a bed aud as an edging plant. The name is 
Bridal Ring, aud whoever named it, or sold it to Messrs. 
Henderson, might have had the good taste to let the 
name of the raiser go with it. I challenge Europe to 
, produco another “ Bridal Ring ” in three years from 
It cannot be done, and no one knows why 
l iter himself. Bridal Ring is the most “ last- 
this date. 
but the writer himself. Bridal Ring 
ing" plant of all the race at a certain age, and, like the 
Golden Chain, it is as pretty without the flowers as when 
in full bloom ; the habit and hoary-like cast of the leaves 
being the chief beauty. It is the only one of all the 
Geraniums that will bear clipping into a hedge like 
growth, and when the country gets full of it, as with the 
Golden Chain, that will he the best way to use it in 
terrace gardens. When very young it looks most deli¬ 
cate ; but it is as easy to keep in winter as July. I had 
them both on the same shelf before any man or woman 
in London was aware of such a beautiful thing being 
in existence. They only charge 7s. Od. for it, which is 
the severest “ cut ” of all to the raiser. It is really worth 
more than any Pelargonium; but 1 suppose thousands 
buy such plants for the tens who buy Pelargoniums, till 
they are down to one shilling apiece. 
All the country nurserymen tell me that Pelargoniums 
are a dead letter as compared with the French “ floppies '’ 
and bedding kinds, and I am most glad to bear it, be¬ 
cause I know that it is madness alone, and not money, 
that would attempt to monopolise public taste in the 
form of a flower, the cut of a dress, or the shape of a 
bonnet, and of all things which we have all of us in 
common. 
Calceolarias. —One of the long beds is planted with 
all the best kinds of shrubby Calceolarias in five rows, 
the centre row being the Wellington Hero, a large 
golden-yellow flower, and one of the best for showiness. 
On one side of it is a row of the Golden Chain Cal¬ 
ceolaria, and the outside row is of Compactum ; on the 
other side of the centre, Sulphurea splendent, a very 
good yellow bedder, and said to be hardy in the south of 
England, being a cross from Kellermani, a hardy border 
kind. The outside row is of a new dwarf yellow, called 
Ethel Newcome, a very showy kind- I also noted the 
following in beds :—Kentish Hero and Shankleyana. 
These ought to be planted together in one bed, as the 
one helps the other, and both are of a peculiar cast. 
Ajax and Admiration ditto. I have an improvement 
on Admiration in the seedlings from near Birmingham ; 
it is a brown-crimson front, and a yellow edge all round. 
Magnificent, brownish-crimson front, and a yellow hood. 
Some people cull the top part of a Calceolaria a crown, 
or a cap, but hood is the proper botanical term for it; 
and two most curious crosses from the Rugosa section, 
after which they take in leaf and habit, but with marked 
flowers, as in the large, shrubby sorts. The uames are 
TAttle Dorrit and Shirley. Poor Little Dorrit has a 
yellow hood, and a purplish-crimson front, shaded off 
into yellow on the edge—a very pretty little thing; and 
Shirley is a buff-orange, with a clear yellow hood. 
General Canrobert, purplish-crimson, and Beauty of 
Montreal, ditto, might also be put together in one bed, 
the latter to be outside the General. These were the 
best of all the new and old ones then in bloom. 
Vekisenas. —One of my chief reasons for this aud 
similar calls in the autumn is, to see with my own eyes 
which Verbenas would suit me best in the Experimental 
Garden ; for to think of selecting them from cut flowers 
at a Show, you might just as well do what I shall not 
say, and what I hope I shall never do myself; but, as 
tastes differ, I shall not tie you down to my actual 
choice. The first I noted is the Hon. Mrs. Lamb, a 
plum colour and good habit; the colour is deeper thau 
in Helen, my old favourite. Madame Adolphe Weiek, a 
shot-silk Verbena at last, purple aud crimson Madame 
is a nurseryman’s wife, who wears the what do-you-call- 
thein, and takes the best seedling to commemorate the 
fact. Rose Ricant, a bedder, with the colour of a Scarlet 
Geranium and a light eye, looked as if it would make a 
telling bed. Ariosto was then the best purple, hut 
Andre kept much longer in bloom last year at Ivew. 
