600 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 22 , 1886. 
the soil well about them to prevent the wind disturbing 
them, and if the wind should be very powerful a little 
protection will be beneficial for a day or two. The 
great object is to get the plants established in the soil 
quickly without any check, as the beds will then become 
effective in good time. The carpet-bedding plants must 
be kept under cover for a week or two yet,— Scolytus. 
-- 
CONCERNING SINGLE ROSES. 
Is it ? need it be matter for surprise that single Roses 
appear destined to come to the fore ? This is the day of 
single flowers—single Dahlias, single Chrysanthemums, 
and others. Even the Rosarian’s Year Book, that 
literary preserve that we have come to look upon as 
sacred to the exhibition varieties alone, has an article 
by Mr. T. W. Girdlestone on single Roses as decorative 
plants. In addition to doing justice to a valuable 
class of flowers, it is also the one redeeming feature in 
an otherwise dreary annual, Mr. Girdlestone makes 
these points in behalf of the Single Roses, they are 
regarded as of no value for cut-flower purposes or for 
exhibition, and, therefore, their whole service is confined 
to the garden. It is true they do not flower in the 
autumn, neither, for the matter of that, do about half 
of the so-called hybrid perpetuals over which the singles 
have the advantage, that they are as gay in the 
autumn with heps as they were in the summer with 
flowers, some bearing fruits large and deep coloured, 
some small and brilliant, some in bunches as big as 
Rowans. Then, again, how good natured they are, 
making themselves at home in various soils and situations, 
and with a small amount of attention that many Roses 
would die rather than put up with, and at the same 
time scorning the notion of mildew and green fly and 
such-like fashionable complaints. After this, we must 
all agree that there is something to bo said in favour of 
the single Roses. 
I propose to name a few single Roses, giving their 
catalogue rather than then - botanical designations, as 
they will be more readily recognised by the former. 
There is Alba simplex, with large single white flowers 
and evergreen shining foliage ; the flowers are par¬ 
ticularly attractive when fully expanded ; Berberidifolia 
Hardii, the bold single yellow flowers spotted with 
lemon ; Camellia japonica, very large, pure white, with 
large yellow stamens, a charming variety ; the Copper 
Austrian Brier, nankeen yellow, very distinct ; Ma¬ 
cartney simplex, white single, fine open flowers; 
Polyantha, a new species from Japan, flowers small, 
white, produced in clusters very freely, and much ad¬ 
mired ; Eugosa, an attractive species introduced from 
Japan, which deserves a place in every garden ; it forms 
a bush about 3 ft. in height, the foliage is evergreen and 
of a bright colour ; it flowers through the summer, 
producing a profusion of single crimson-carmine flowers, 
ijffjjch are succeeded in the autumn by bunches of large 
berries of a rich coral-red colour, which remain upon 
the plant during the winter ; it is said that the fruit is 
eaten iu Japan, and when ripe has the flavour of a 
Medlar ; Rugosa alba is a pure white variety of the 
above ; the yellow Austrian Brier is known by its pure 
golden yellow flowers. Of more recent introduction are 
Paul’s Single Crimson, with charming bright-eyed 
single blossoms, colour rich vivid crimson, with clear 
yellow stamens that last long in a cut state ; this is a 
seedling from H.P. Duke of Edinburgh, and Paul’s 
SingleWhite Perpetual, pure white with yellow'stamens, 
very distinct and attractive. 
I have not said anything about the common Briar of 
the hedgerows, Rosa canina, and yet how charming it 
will presently be in the fields and by the roadsides, the 
flowers of varying shades of pink followed by its coral 
seed-pods in autumn. Mr. Girdlestone says of this 
Rose that it “may truly be called the slave of the Rose 
family, and, like Cinderella, is only thought of in 
work-a-day garb, and is unquestionably sat upon. It 
is designated by the contemptuous name of dog, and 
then dragged out from the hedgerows to be the standard- 
bearer of Queen Rosa’s army ; it is cut to pieces to 
support the mounted infantry, that they may achieve 
glorious victories and be decorated with medals on the 
tented field ; uniform drills are the rule for its very 
seedlings till they are drafted into the line for active 
service with' the colours ; moreover, it undoubtedly 
helped to originate many garden varieties, while some 
of its own variations are very pretty, and yet hardly 
anyone seems to think it deserving of a place even in 
the wildest of wild gardens. ” 
Is there not something to be said in favour of single 
Roses ? Let anyone make a garden of single varieties, 
planting among them a few of the later-flowering 
Clematis, and as spring-bloomers, plants of such things 
as Berberis stenopliylla, Deutzia gracilis, &c. Such a 
garden would be a delightful change from the merely 
formal arrangements usual in the present day ; it would 
be both novel and unusual, and also highly attractive. 
— R. D. 
-- 
THE FRAGRANT LILAC. 
Suburban gardens are rendered very beautiful and 
fragrant at this time of year by the Lilacs, which are 
probably more numerous in the neighbourhood of 
London than any shrub or small tree, except the Aucuba 
and Laburnum. The flowers are slightly later than 
usual, but that is only what might be expected in such 
a season, and they are extremely welcome whenever 
they come. Syringa vulgaris and its varieties are the 
most common, and they are easily distinguished by the 
broad, bright green, heart-shaped leaves and compact 
trusses of flowers, of a lavender or bluish tint, or pure 
white as in the variety alba, wdiich is earlier than the 
other forms. 
Seedlings have been raised of S. vulgaris, and conse¬ 
quently there are now numerous gradations of cha¬ 
racter, the flowers varying in size and depth of colour 
considerably ; also, in habit, some like Charles X., 
being dwarf compact growers suited for culture in pots 
or grafted on stems of different heights to form standards 
that are very useful in the conservatory. S. persica 
has narrow leaves, darker green, and the flowers have 
more of a rosy tint than the others, such as is usually 
termed lilac colour in ordinary language. In contrast 
with the others planted in shrubberies, it has a good 
effect, and is recognised at a glance. 
A beautiful hybrid between these species, the Rouen 
Lilac or S. rothomagensis, is far too seldom seen in 
gardens, and is almost confined to collections, or where 
shrubs are specially prized. It is quite intermediate 
between S. vulgaris and S. persica, the leaves much 
broader than those of the latter, but less heart-shaped 
than those of the other species, being more tapering 
and lanceolate. The flowers are large, in flue trusses, of 
a bright rosy or reddish lilac hue ; very pretty and 
distinct. The plant is a free grower, and, like many 
hybrids, extremely floriferous. The white-flowered 
Himalayan Lilac S. Emodi, with its curiously warted 
stems, and the bluish S. Josiktea are still more seldom 
seen than the preceding; but from the last named 
some good varieties ought to be obtained.—-.5. 
-- 
THE FLOODS IN WORCESTER¬ 
SHIRE. 
The seventy hours continuous rain with which we 
were favoured last week, has caused the highest flood 
ever known on the Severn, rising higher than the 
memorable one of 1795 by 2 in., which was reached 
early on the Saturday morning ; the country near the 
course of the river is one vast lake with the trees 
dotted through it, hedgerows, in most cases, being 
completely hidden, and thousands of acres of land 
submerged. The damage to crops must be immense, 
more especially to late planted corn, and also to the 
roots, whilst the grass crops, which wore very forward 
for the season, will be rendered quite useless, on account 
of the sediment which will be left on the blades, unless 
good strong showers should follow as the -waters recede, 
and so wash the crop before it becomes baked, as it soon 
will be if warm sunny weather sets in. 
Great damage is also done to the market gardens 
which happen to be near the rivers Severn and Avon, 
and the seed beds of such things as Carrots, Onions, 
and the like, must be greatly damaged if not altogether 
destroyed ; of course, it is quite an impossibility to 
assess the damage, which must, however, reach to 
thousands of pounds. The Church in the village of 
Severn Stoke was flooded to the depth of between 4 ft. 
and 5 ft., and the garden at the Rectory inundated, the 
fires connected with the glass structures extinguished, 
with no possible chance of relief; the occupants, I fear, 
must suffer considerably, more especially the forced 
vineries. "W ith such rapidity did the water rise, that, 
before the occupants of many of the houses could re¬ 
move their furniture up stairs for safetjq they were 
compelled to retire and be extricated from their un¬ 
comfortable position by the aid of boats, and in many 
instances compelled to seek the hospitality of neigh¬ 
bours since Friday last; some of our workmen had 
to go so far as to borrow clothes for sabbath wear. 
The rain was particularly welcome to us ; at the 
same time, it is distressing to witness the loss and in¬ 
convenience it has caused. Many of the tenant-farmers 
are unable to transact any business, their dairies being 
flooded, and so are compelled to rely upon the charity 
of their more favoured neighbours, who are attending 
to their cattle for them. In one instance a good-sized 
manure-heap was lifted by the flood from where it was 
stacked, carried a considerable distance, finally stopping 
and completely blocking up the road leading to a farm¬ 
house. Such are a few of the facts connected with this 
noted flood, and which I venture to send you, hoping 
they may interest some of the readers of The Gar¬ 
dening World. — Walter Child, Croorne Court, J fay 
mh. 
-- 
RED LEAD AND “ CLUBBING.” 
As the time will soon be here to plant the various 
Broccolis, Kales, &c., which in very many gardens are 
frequently rendered worthless from “ clubbing,” I wish 
to draw attention to red lead as a remedy against this 
disease. For ourselves, I can say that we are very little 
troubled with it; having a large space of ground to deal 
with we take care to change our various crops from one 
piece of ground to another, especially the Brassicas, 
and I believe it to be owing to this that we enjoy an 
almost total immunity from it. Had care always been 
taken, when removing the young plants from the seed¬ 
beds, to open the small gall’s or worts on the stems of 
the young plants and destroy the small grubs found 
therein, our gardens would not have been infested to the 
extent that many of them are. In many small confined 
places, a healthy crop of winter stuff is rarely secured 
during dry seasons ; in wet ones, the plants seem better 
able to withstand the ravages of the insect which, in 
its perfect form, lies just beneath the surface of the 
ground, and is restricted in its movements by the 
abounding moisture of wet seasons. The swelling 
known as club, is produced by the maggot feeding on 
the woody part of the stem, till it arrives at a fresh 
stage in its development, when it gnaws its way 
through, and by this time the alburnum is so much 
destroyed that the sap is prevented from rising to the 
leaves in sufficient force to counterbalance the transpir¬ 
ation from them in dry hot weather. 
I have seen various remedies tried, some entailing a 
considerable amount of labour, but none with the same 
apparent success as the red lead, to which my attention 
was first called in 1883, when I was shown a plot of 
Broccolis, the centre portion of which, about one-third of 
the whole, had been provided with red lead at planting 
time. Those so treated were healthy, the other two- 
thirds were miserable failures. I was somewhat 
sceptical at the time, but further observations made 
last year have convinced me as to the real value of the 
remedy ; it being a very inexpensive one, I hope to 
hear of its being extensively tried this season. I may 
add, that care should be taken to remove all grubs 
which may be found on the plants when transplanting, 
and a little clay or stiff soil will be a material help in 
mixing the red lead, which is very dry in powder, and 
can be bought at, from 3d. to 4 d. per pound, and one 
pound will be enough for small places.— W. B. G. 
-->!:<-- 
HYBRID CYPRIPEDIUMS. 
Of all the Sedenian hybrid Cypripediums raised in 
Messrs. eitch s nursery, none are more striking in 
colour—so novel is the combination of tints—than C. 
fenanthum superbum, which is now being put into 
commerce. It was raised by crossing C. Harrisianum 
with C. insigne Maulei, and the large flowers, which 
have a shining varnished surface, are well described by 
the raisers as follows :—The dorsal sepal is deep claret- 
red, with broad lines of blackish purple spots that are 
confluent. It has a very broad white margin, and 
where the spots enter it, they are of a beautiful mauve- 
purple. The lower sepal is greenish, with lines of 
blackish spots on the basal half. The petals are veinous 
red, with deeper veins, except at the base and apex, 
where it is pale green. On the inferior side of the basal 
half are from ten to twelve blackish warts. The lip is 
deep veinous red, shaded with brown ; the staminode 
buft-yellow, tinged with red.” It flowered for the first 
time in 1876, and was Certificated by the Floral Com¬ 
mittee in September, 1879. 
