MARCH. 
41 
NEW LOBELIAS. 
WITH AX ILLUSTRATION. 
Some twenty or thirty years ago Lobelia fulgens w r as a plant frequently met 
with in gardens, and had expended upon it a great deal of the sort of skill we 
now see devoted to the production of exhibition flowers. And well it deserved 
this attention, for a well-grown Lobelia is a really fine object. It is the par¬ 
tial disappearance of such flowers as this that one regrets, and that has, more 
than anything else, led to the comparative want of variety which is so much 
complained of in modern gardens. True, we had new varieties from time to 
time—scarlets fluctuating in appearance between fulgens and splendens, and 
purples after the type of the old speciosa, but they were comparatively little 
cared for. We are not without hope that this state of things may be changed. 
A contemporary, not long since, remarked on the same subject: — 
“ The Lobelia is, it seems, undergoing the same kind of improvement which 
is being effected in the case of other flowers, variety of colour as well as size 
being secured. Scarlets and purples we have long been familiar with, but 
other colours have till now been wanting, and, strangely enough, the plants 
themselves have been much less freely cultivated than their beauty has merited. 
Perhaps this has been owing to the absence of variety; but if so, we cannot 
but expect to see the perennial Lobelia rise again in popular favour, for in a 
box of seedlings which has reached us occur several decidedly new colours— 
pink, carmine, and ruby amongst them, with various intermediate shades.” 
The flowers to which allusion is made in these remarks were obtained by 
Mr. Bull, to whom we are indebted for the opportunity of figuring those rejDre- 
sented on the accompanying plate. A selection of twelve varieties will be sent 
out by him in the course of the present spring, and we hope to meet with them 
in general cultivation, for the Lobelia is in truth one of the grand old flowers 
which have been pushed aside by the thirst after novelties which has of late 
years set in ; but we anticipate, now that this flower itself has yielded novelties 
of a very decided character, it may participate once more in public favour, and 
gain a new hold on popular esteem. 
The varieties to be sent out this season are the following, as described by 
Mr. Bull:— 
Annihilator. —Deep rose, shaded with warm violet. Novel and good. 
Distinction. —Bose-cerise, with beautiful pink shade, distinct. A pleasing 
variety. 
Excellent. —Bright magenta, with white eye and broad lobes. A very fine 
variety. 
Garland. —Rosy purple ; flowers large and well formed. Very attractive. 
Glitter. — Bright glowing scarlet; huge flowers, spreading upwards of 
2 inches across. 
Matchless. —Rich purple, with bright rose suffused. 
Mulberry. —Deep mulberry; flowers large. Free compact habit. 
Nonsuch. —Upper segments violet-rose, margined with vermilion; under 
ones intensely bright. Very showy. 
Peach-blossom. —Beautiful peach-colour, with fine, broadly-shaped, stout 
segments. One of the most attractive kinds yet obtained. 
Progress. —Bright violet-magenta ; of good substance. Large and fine. 
Ruby. —Quite new in colour, being a very rich ruby. One of the most 
beautiful of all. 
Theodosia. —Bright carmine; flowers very large. A superb variety. 
The way these plants were grown into fine specimens in former days will 
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