APRIL. 
65 
GLADIOLUS OUR LITTLE LUCY. 
WITH AN ILLUSTRATION. 
This is one of the beautiful varieties of Gladiolus which have been raised 
by Mr. Standish, of Ascot. It is due to the successful efforts of Mr. Standish 
to state that he has contributed very largely to the improvement manifested 
among these showy popular flowers. He has, indeed, as respects the status of 
English-raised varieties, placed them quite on an equality with those of con¬ 
tinental origin, and what M. Souchet’s Gladioli are amongst those raised in 
France, Mr. IStandish’s novelties are amongst those of English parentage. 
Indeed, we question if some of his flowers—that named John Standish, for ex¬ 
ample, now unfortunately lost to cultivators — have ever been equalled in those 
characteristics which mark high quality in the flowers. 
The variety we now figure, by a process which scarcely does it justice, has 
already won a position for itself in the ranks of floriculture. It was shown at 
a meeting of the Floral Committee on the 27th of September, 1864, and on 
that occasion won a first-class certificate. In the report of the meeting re¬ 
ferred to, it is spoken of in the following terms :—“ A very fine and novel 
variety, of a rosy magenta colour, striped and splashed with white; the lip seg¬ 
ments feathered with purple. It will be quite an acquisition among these 
showy autumn flowers.” This brief description we endorse. 
So much has lately been written respecting the diseases and culture of 
Gladioli, both in our own pages and those of our contemporaries, that we need 
not enlarge on these points. We would, however, refer inquiring readers to 
several communications relating to the choice of varieties, which have recently 
appeared in the pages of the Gardeners’ Chronicle , and we quite concur in the 
remark made by one of the writers referred to—himself a well-known grower 
and exhibitor—namely, that a great and manifest advance has of late years 
been made in the varieties submitted to the approval of the public. 
M. 
THE CHINESE PRIMULA. 
I may supplement to what I stated last month under this heading, that at 
the meeting of the Floral Committee at South Kensington on the 20th ult., a 
group of flowers was produced by Messrs. Windebank k Kingsbury, of South¬ 
ampton. One thing was very apparent—that’with depth of colour in the double 
flowers, there was also combined great strength of constitution, judging from 
the robustness and vigour of the plants. I note this fact, because in the pre¬ 
vious paper I hazarded a doubt as to whether such was the case. 
I find, also, that Messrs. Windebank & Kingsbury have not as yet succeeded 
in producing double flowers from the Fern-leaved varieties. When preparing 
the previous paper, I laboured under the impression that they had done so. 
That they are on the high road to this desired end there can be no doubt, as 
they have already semi-double flowers that are highly promising. At this 
meeting, however, there was produced from the garden of W. S. Roots, Esq., 
of Kingston-on-Thames, a double variety of P. filicifolia, the flowers of which 
were a light pinkish rose, quite double, but the petals were edged with white, 
which detracted from its effectiveness. However, it denotes that double varie¬ 
ties of the Fern-leaved plants are to be obtained. Not only is it true of the 
plants of P. filicifolia, that the colour of the leafstalks affords no clue to the 
colour of the flowers, but it is also characteristic of the strain of the older 
kind in the hands of Messrs. Windebank k Kingsbury. 
YOL. Y. 
E 
