June 30, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
699 
When the weather becomes too cold for it in autumn, 
or on the approach of frost, all that is necessary is to 
lift the rootstocks, which are tuberous, and place 
them under the stages of some cool house where they 
will be free from drip and frost. Then in spring the 
pieces may be divided and propagated to any extent 
required by putting them in heat. The stock may be 
potted up and hardened off before planting out early 
in June. 
Begonia Haageana. 
At first sight this species bears considerable resemblance 
to B. metallica, and the likeness would be greater when 
the plant is out of flower, excepting that the leaves are 
much broader and the plant more robust. The flowers 
are produced in dense clusters or cymes on long stalks, 
and have not only a singularly effective appearance, 
but a curious one. They are much larger than those 
of B. metallica, and pure white ; but the two outer 
sepals—which are, by far, the largest—are covered 
externally with coarse, bristly, red hairs, which add 
materially to the beauty and distinctness of the plant 
for decorative purposes. They also attain a large size 
for some time previous to expansion, so that the red- 
haired sepals are forcibly impressed upon the eye of the 
beholder. Those who grow B. metallica, and like it, 
will even find this one a beautiful companion, or it 
might be grown alone. A fine plant may be seen in 
the Begonia house at Kew, which was received from 
the Continent, and was there introduced from Brazil. 
Mimulus, Beauty of Sutton. 
This is a hose-in-hose variety of the common garden 
Mimulus, or Monkey Flower, and is very suitable for 
pot culture on account of its dwarf habit. Hose-in¬ 
hose varieties are not new, yet they continue to be 
improved in various ways, but chiefly with regard to 
the perfectly petaloid condition of the calyx and its 
markings. In this case both calyx and corolla are 
golden yellow, with large crimson blotches on the upper 
part of the segments as well as a few smaller markings. 
The brilliancy and contrast of the colours are good, and 
it flowers very freely and lasts well if kept perfectly 
cool in a slightly-shaded but well-lighted position. We 
noticed a large quantity of it in the nursery of Messrs. 
H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent. Another variety, 
named Pencombe Rectory, differed chiefly by the 
ground-colour being pale yellow and the blotches 
larger. 
Hard and Soft Pots. 
It is with some diffidence that I again refer to this 
subject, but not noticing any reply to the query of 
“J. T. A.” (p. 475) concerning the respective qualities 
of hard and soft pots, that must be my excuse. “J. 
T. A.” refers to the previous correspondence, from 
which he would gather that I am no advocate for 
glazed pots, neither do I like those too soft ; and he 
cites the example of an extensive batch of Cyclamen, 
those in hard pots being sickly and the soil soured, 
those in soft pots were in good health, and the 
compost perfectly sweet. That experience bears out 
my previous statement that plants in glazed pots 
require neat handling, as regards watering, for while 
hard pots had such an opposite effect, what would 
glazed pots have produced ? Evaporation goes on at a 
much slower rate with hard than with soft pots, the 
latter requiring a deal of labour at this season in 
watering. Having used the pots of a variety of makers, 
I may be allowed to say that the best I have had 
were those manufactured by Mr. Matthews, of Weston- 
super-Mare. They were neat, well made, of good 
quality, and not so liable to become green as some 
makes I have used.— Geo. Potts, Jun., Northiam. 
Tying Down Vine Laterals. 
This subject was recently under discussion at one of 
our local Paxton societies, the point raised being the 
best time to tie down the shoots so as to avoid their 
snapping off at the union with the spur. This work is 
usually done either in the morning or evening, because 
it is more agreeable to work under glass then than 
when the sun is shining brightly. Some of the 
gardeners present asserted that the shoots cannot bear 
the same strain or be brought down to the same angle 
in the evening as they can in the morning, and others 
remarked that they had noticed the same thing. I 
have myself been mortified to find laterals snapped off 
in the morning that had been tied down overnight. 
What is the correct explanation ? — A Yorkshire 
Gardener. [The young shoots of a Vine should be 
as brittle in the early morning as in the evening, pro¬ 
vided the sun has not shone on them for any length of 
time. The real cause of the difference is that during 
sunshine the foliage is transpiring rapidly, and there¬ 
fore parting with a great amount of moisture, causing 
the tissues of both stems and leaves to become more 
flaccid, because the waste of water is greater than the 
supply from the roots. After the sun goes down at 
night, transpiration ceases, while the roots are still 
active, causing the tissues of the Vine both of the old 
rods and the young growing shoots and leaves to 
become gorged with water, hence their brittle character 
during the evening and night, and indeed till tran¬ 
spiration again becomes active, so as to get rid of the 
excess of moisture. Between the hours of 6 a.m. and 
8 a.m the young shoots may be flaccid enough so as to 
tie down easily without snapping ; but then it must 
be remembered that on bright and clear mornings the 
sun has been shining on the foliage for some hours : 
hence the difference between the conditions of the 
shoots under these circumstances and those during the 
evening, when the shoots again become gorged with 
water, and brittle.—E d.] 
Disandra prostrata. 
As fashion changes we lose many of our old favourites, 
while a few linger on in one establishment or the other 
to crop up again sooner or later. Disandra prostrata 
was introduced from Madeira as long ago as 1771, and 
was at one time a favourite basket subject with many 
on account of its long trailing stems, which hung down 
to a great length when thus grown. They are well 
furnished with reniform crenate leaves, and small yellow 
flowers are produced singly in the axils of the latter. 
We noticed a large piece of it on a rockery in the 
spacious conservatory at Messrs. Hooper & Co.’s Pine 
Apple Nursery, Maida Vale. The plant is nearly 
hardy, and although it grows freely enough during 
summer when planted out on the rockery, yet it 
succumbs during winter if the latter be severe. For 
greenhouse or conservatory work, however, it is pretty 
and interesting. 
Lilium Harrisii. 
I visited several gardens in the spring in which this 
Lily was being forced to get it into flower at Easter. 
When so pushed along the bulbs throw up weak stems, 
and the growth continuing weak to the end causes the 
flowers to be likewise deficient, both in size and 
substance, and seldom are more than three blooms 
produced on a stem, the usual number being two. In 
September last I purchased half-a-dozen bulbs from the 
Messrs. Veitch, and potted them up in 6-in. pots, three 
bulbs in each. They were plunged in ashes out of 
doors, with a covering over them about 6 ins. deep. 
Until the middle of November they showed no signs of 
starting, and at that time I put them into a cold frame, 
keeping them safe from frost. In December I removed 
them to a vinery at rest, and kept them there close up 
to the glass until the Vines commenced to start about 
the middle of March, when they were transferred to a 
cold Azalea house, and then kept growing slowly until 
the end of April, when they were put into a span-roofed 
house kept a little closer to bring on some Fuchsias. 
About three weeks ago they were moved to a verandah 
at the mansion, and on one pot there are thirteen 
blooms, and on the other eleven, each measuring 7 ins. 
to 8 ins. in breadth across the limb, and 8 ins. to 9 ins. 
in length. The plants are about 3 ft. 6 ins. high, and 
show what a grand Lily this is when treated to a 
natural system of cultivation .—Edward Coleman, 
Camilla Lacey Gardens, Dorking. [Our correspondent 
has obligingly sent us a flower, which amply bears out 
his statement as to the dimensions. It is certainly the 
finest example we have seen.— Ed. 
Fuchsia Venus Victrix. 
Not one of your readers has, perhaps, been more 
interested in this subject than I have, the variety 
having been raised and sent out in close proximity to 
my native place. Moreover, when a mere youth I used 
to visit Mr. Cripps’ little nursery garden, which was 
situated at that time in Patty Moon’s "Walk, 
Tunbridge Wells, to see his Pansies, &c. This 
was some few years before the introduction of Venus 
Victrix, of which your Haarlem correspondent, Mr. 
J. H. Krelage, has given such an interesting and 
truthful description. In your columns two years ago 
I mentioned that this variety was raised at Horsmonden, 
not many miles from Tunbridge Wells, and sent out 
by the late Mr. Cripps, whom I knew even before this 
time, or before the flower-loving public dreamed that 
such a charming novelty was in store for them. I may, 
perhaps, be allowed to mention here that at the time 
Venus Victrix was introduced by Mr. Cripps, the 
dearest and best friend of my long life was living in 
Calverly Park, Tunbridge Wells, with a well-known 
lady of title, who took a very prominent part in 
every movement that was likely to be of benefit to the 
poorer classes, being first and foremost on all occasions 
when meetings were held for the encouragement of the 
industrious. In one instance she was instrumental in 
securing a large field to be let out in allotments, at a 
small charge to those cottagers who had no gardens ; 
and although, as Mr. Krelage states, this Fuchsia was 
sent out at 21s. each, this lady—a great lover of 
flowers and gardening, and well known to Mr. Cripps— 
got a plant of Venus Victrix for 10s. 6(7., which was 
considered at that time a special favour. Taking 
retrospective views of this description after the lapse of 
so many years, almost induces one to think that the 
flowery paths of our youthful days are being travelled 
over again, and with pleasurable feelings that are not 
to be described .—George Fry, Lewisham. 
Salvia coccinea. 
In the pleasant garden of Colonel Hanbury Barclay, at 
Cross Oak, Berkampstead, many low bushes of this, 
covered with conspicuous scarlet-crimson flowers, are 
very striking objects. The plants are here wintered in 
a cold house and planted out in late spring ; but in 
some parts it winters outdoors successfully. It is a 
brilliant-flowered plant, and worthy of general culti¬ 
vation. The rockeries and herbaceous plant borders at 
Cross Oak have also many interesting plants in bloom, 
and a still greater quantity for keeping up the show of 
flowers until the frost comes. 
Delphinium triste. 
The specific name may possibly account for the com¬ 
parative rarity of this plant—one fights shy, as a 
rule, of subjects with such a lugubrious name—and, 
although this species was introduced over fifty years 
ago, it is very seldom seen outside botanical gardens. 
The plant is dwarf, with the usual palmately divided 
foliage of the typical Delphinium, but of a darker hue ; 
the flowers are produced in erect terminal racemes, 
and about the same size as any good blue varieties ; the 
colour is, however, very distinct from the usual garden 
species. The whole flower is of a sooty-brown colour, 
and the small centre petals are of a black shade. In 
the younger flowers the spur is of a dark violet colour, 
and, like the other parts of the flower, very pubescent. 
It must be admitted that the colours are not very 
attractive, but they afford such a contrast to the gay 
colours of other perennials at this season of the year, 
and are so singular and interesting that a few plants 
should be in every collection of hardy subjects. This 
plant will flower the second year after sowing, and 
comes quite readily when sown in a cold frame. It 
should be planted in good soil, but not too heavy.— 
J. W. 0 ., Pinner. 
Cones of Cupressus Lawsoniana. 
It is well known amongst all lovers of hardy Conifers 
that Cupressus Lawsoniana has sported into a great 
variety of forms, which have been selected from the 
beds of nurserymen. The cones vary in a similar 
manner, a fact which is frequently overlooked, except 
by those who pay them special attention just as the 
cones attain their full size and long before they become 
ripe and shed their seeds. We have received a collection 
of these variations from Mr. Naylor, nurseryman, 
Harrow, and the variation exhibited by them is truly 
remarkable. The cones of the typical form are broad 
and rather flattened on the top, but some of them in 
this instance are much above the average size, and 
almost globular. Other well-marked forms are conical, 
or have the axis prolonged into a short shoot at tho 
apex, and covered with small scaly leaves as in the 
ordinary branches, and similar to that which habitually 
occurs in the cones of Cryptomeria japonica. Plants 
producing these remarkable-shaped cones correspond 
to the latter in habit, that is, they have a conical 
outline. The colour of the leaves and branches 
are similar, and that of the scales of the cone also 
correspond, but what is even more singular, the broad 
wings of the seeds, which often project from beneath the 
scales of the cone, are also tinted in the same way. 
The wings of the seeds are so prominent in some cases 
as to form the most conspicuous feature of the cone, 
the scales of which are outlined by them in a most 
remarkable manner. Some specimens have the scales 
of a deep blue, almost black colour, while others are 
green, glaucous, or almost silvery white. 
