343 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Mabch 8, 1859. 
knew how to manage it, or to bring it round, so as to be 
depended upon. Therefore, no plant can or could be less 
promising than the Golden Chain was at that period; 
but now it is known all over the world as the veriest gem, 
and not more difficult to keep and propagate than 
Countess, or any other delicate-growing kind. While 
the need and the spring are before us, is the right time 
to put on the steam, and search out the riches of the 
four kingdoms for the spring ornaments — that is, the 
riches of spring flowers in the vegetable kingdom, and 
in the kingdoms, or rather queendoms, of England, 
Ireland, and Scotland. Let us bring them all up for 
proof, for registration, and for replenishing the beds and 
borders, at this the most delightful season for enjoying 
flow r ers of all the periods in the twelve months. 
Anyone, therefore, who will take the trouble, and be 
kind enough to send us the names and particulars about 
every out-of-thc-common plant he may see or hear of 
this spring, will be doing a really good work. 
To show what I mean in another light, I shall begin 
the tune myself with the highest note that I can sing. 
Who ha3 got the largest number on sale of the Double- 
white hepatica? I could find 500 ready-money cus¬ 
tomers for it, and some of them would be for taking 
more than one plant; but they must be comfortable- 
sized plants, in full bloom, and not over 2s. Gd. each, 
—nothing being so injudicious as to charge enormous 
prices for any one thing, and for any spring flower in 
particular. 
The next note is nearly as high. How many gardeners 
are alive now who have seen a Single-white hepatica, 
the next in excellence after the double-white ? Without 
telling all that I mean, I may say, with a clear conscience, 
that I never saw a Double-white Hepatica, or a Single¬ 
white Hepatica, till this spring ; but, the other day, a 
good supply of one of them was received, carriage free to 
London, at the Experimental Garden, from the country, 
and from a friend whom none of us know personally. 
From Guernsey, we had the loveliest of all the Lache- 
nalias for winter and spring flowers—the Lachenalia 
quadricolor, blooming there all the winter in the open 
air. It is most like to tricolor, but considerably larger 
in all the parts, and more like aurea in the growth of the 
leaves. A cut flower of it, which was broken by accident, 
kept in bloom, in water, in a warm room, just twenty 
days. The plant ought to get into the London trade. 
Scilla autumnalis, another rare British pink flower, 
came with it; also, Trichonema Columnce, one of the 
smallest of spring flowers. Eut, without going to a 
botanical nicety, there are divers old spring ilowers 
which arc as much lost to the public in general, as if they 
never had existence; because they are only in some old 
and out-of-the-way gardens. 
There was a double crimson-and-white Auricula, and a 
double purple-and-yellow Auricula. The colours werp 
striped, and Peter Egerton, Esq., of Erougliton, near 
Chester, once possessed them both—“ the two choicest 
rarities in Flora’s cabinet.” And “ Mr. Jacob Bobarts, 
who kept the Physick Garden at Oxford,” raised clear 
scarlet Auriculas, with “ snow' white ” eyes. Where are 
these to be had now ? or who can supply a bright scarlet 
Primrose, “ the most estimable ” of them all to come in 
before the yellow bedding Pansy, which was sent to the 
Experimental from Mr. Sim, of the Foot’s Cray Nursery, 
Kent, and is by far the best yellow, for beds and stripes, 
that I have seen ? Even the hottest part of last summer 
never stopped it one day from flowering the whole season; 
but the best bloom was from the old plants, which were 
divided into small bits at the end of March. The plants 
from cuttings had no chance with these in the tremendous 
hot weather. 
What a beginning to a ribbon border, to have the clear 
scarlet Primrose in front of this yellow Pansy, last 
April; and next,'after the yellow, the Trentham Blue 
bedding Pansy. Then the Golden Chain, or what you 
please ; and after the Golden Chain the Imperial Crimson, 
which was lost 150 years since, but which, by great 
industry, the writer has revived, and sent into the wide 
world again, with as good a character as the Golden Chain ; 
and, in future, the Golden Chain and Imperial Critnson 
must go together in ribbon gardening: and for a front to 
them I know nought so good as the yellow and blue 
Pansies afoi’esaid ; only I do not know the blue personally. 
Mr. Salter first told me about the Trentham Blue Pansy. 
But I have been running away from the best part 
of my subject — the old fashion, instead of the new¬ 
fangled names and notions. I was going to say “ how” 
they do the Hepaticas at the Experimental Garden to 
pay better than in most places. They take large lumps 
of them, and pot them into broad, shallow seed-pans, in 
which they grow and bloom the Achimenes. Just as they 
are beginning to open their flowers out of doors, put 
them into the conservatory, where they bloom to far 
greater advantage than out of doors. You could hardly 
believe how gay this house has been all through February 
with spring flowers, Heaths, Epacrises, and Camellias ; but 
the Crocuses, the Hepaticas, the Cyclamens, the Nar¬ 
cissuses, Dielytras, Aubretias, and China Primroses, all 
in large patches, look as gay and cheerful, and much 
better than if it had to be supplied from forcing stoves. 
Most of the spring flowers, in large specimens, look just 
as well, and are every wffiit as good as the best Orchids 
and stove plants, only in little pots ; for little pot-plants 
are now less suffered for decoration than they used to be. 
Every year brings on more of the bedding system with 
spring flowers, and better specimens of pot plants for the 
conservatory. The stupid system of growing free, bushy 
plants to such an enormous size, as that no ordinary 
house or strength of men could hold or move them 
about, is fast giving way ; and the ridiculous notion about 
the.'greater number of kinds of plants making the richest 
collection is now, happily, all but given up ; and instead 
of 50 or 500 species in little pots, or in small patches here 
and there, about the borders, we see 500 of one kind in 
one row, from end to end, every one of which may be 
removed to make room for the next crop. 
The Hepaticas just named seem the most conservative 
of the whole race of spring flowers. Who would think of 
changing Hepaticas to make room for bedders P Eut get 
into the right way of dividing them ; show large speci¬ 
mens of them in flat pots to the ladies in the drawing¬ 
room, in full bloom ; and the thing is done without your 
knowing how. As soon as the flowers begin to fade, you 
must remove them out of doors, or out of sight somewhere. 
They are of no more use this season ; and to neglect them 
now is just the way to make them more scarce another 
year. Therefore, unless you have a better plan of your 
own, do them as they are done at the Experimental. 
The moment you seethe flower in the bud, cut off every 
one of the old leaves—they are, like the old leaves of 
Strawberries, of no more use. Take up every one of 
them at once, with as much earth as they will carry— 
and they carry a great deal of it for such little plants. 
Put some of the best kinds in pots, to bloom in-doors: 
they would do so in the back kitchen as well as in the 
front drawing-room. Plant all the rest round the beds, 
nearest to the windows, just as you would Crocuses—one 
colour in a row, or round one bed; or mix all the colours 
in one row, according to your fancy. There are a very 
double deep-blue one, and a half-double light-blue, and a 
single-blue; another, very double-rose or peach colour, 
and a half-double of a lighter pink, and a single-pink 
one ; also a single-white, and perhaps a double-white, 
but I never saw it. Those that you bloom in-doors will 
be over the soonest; and that is the right moment to 
divide them for increasing your stock : for I am all but 
certain, without seeing yours, that you have not yet one 
quarter of the number that you will need, and must have, 
in a y ear or two, if this rage for spring flowers goes on as 
it began—and the chances are that it will go much faster. 
