768 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 1, 1891. 
even more when grown in a suitable situation. It is 
the Spiraea kamtchatikaof the botanist, and is a native 
of Kamtchatka and Behring's Island. One would 
have expected to find the larger species of Spiraea in 
more southern latitudes, but such is not the case if 
we exclude the shrubby species. It is a notorious 
fact that several of the tall-growing herbaceous kinds 
come from cold countries, but that under notice is 
facile prhiceps the queen amongst them as far as size 
is concerned. The flowers are white, fragrant, and 
produced in large irregularly panicled cymes ter¬ 
minating the stems as in our native species. The 
leaves are also interruptedly pinnate, with a large 
five to seven lobed, dark-green, and wrinkled terminal 
lobe, and several smaller ovate lateral ones. A well- 
grown plant, instead of being suggestive of cold north¬ 
ern regions, has a subtropical appearance, and for 
planting in selected and prominent positions on the 
banks of streams and ponds has nothing to match it of 
its kind. 
CARTER’S NEW DOUBLE CLARKIA, 
MORNING GLORY. 
There are now several double varieties of Clarkia 
pulchella in gardens, but the subject of this note is 
dwarf and remarkably uniform in habit. There is a 
multiplication of the parts of the flower, but they 
are never so numerous as to give them a lumpy and 
crowded appearance. The petals are three-lobed as 
in the type, the basal part being purple, and the lobes 
white. The flowers, as a whole, have therefore a 
variegated appearance, adding much to the beauty of 
the plant. The slender branching stems are 9 ins. to 
12 ins. high, and assume a gracefully arching habit 
when in bloom. C. pulchella and its varieties are 
very often sown in connection with C. elegans, but 
this is a mistake, as the latter is too tall and over¬ 
powers the former, thus preventing it from being seen 
to best advantage. Morning Glory should make a 
pretty bed by itself, or an attractive edging to some¬ 
thing else. It may be seen in the gardens of the 
Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick. 
LINARIA RETICULATA AUREA-PURPUREA. 
The showiness of this beautiful Toadflax should be 
sufficient to compensate for the length and unwieldi¬ 
ness of the name. The typical form of the species 
has dark-purple flowers, reticulated with purple on a 
copper-coloured or yellow palate. The variety is 
not very constant, as the corolla may be dark 
purple or maroon-crimson on different plants 
with a conspicuous deep yellow or orange palate, 
reticulated or not. In either case it is remarkably 
floriferous and handsome, and being an annual can 
be put to various purposes in beds, borders and 
on rockeries. A massive line of it edging a bed 
in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at 
Chiswick, is now a conspicuous object. 
ASTER SIBIRICUS 
Several of the perennial Asters or Michaelmas 
Daisies are already in flower, but the dwarf ones of 
the summer-flowering kinds are certainly the best. 
Amongst the collection now upon trial in the gardens 
of the Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick the 
species under notice has been in full bloom for some 
time. The stems are only 12 ins. high, closely 
furnished with dark-green leaves, and bearing an 
umbellate corymb of heads, having long, lilac rays. 
The species would be much more highly valued than 
it is if it flowered in November instead of July. The 
fact of its having numerous competitors in other 
natural orders prevents it from getting that recogni¬ 
tion which less ornamental species get later on. 
GLOXINIAS. 
Those interested in Gloxinias will find a magnificent 
collection now in bloom at the Portland Nurseries of 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, at Reading. The collection 
is very extensive — indeed, there are several houses 
in various stages of development — and thus a suc¬ 
cession is obtained extending over a considerable 
time. Two characteristics in this collection cannot 
fail to strike the visitor. One is the remarkable 
size of the blooms borne on quite small plants ; the 
other is the immense variety seen in the collection. 
One sees rich colouring joined to superb shape and 
substance, the latter being .one of the leading 
qualities in the collection. There is an amount of 
flimsiness about some collections of Gloxinias, other¬ 
wise fine, which we have seen about the country, and 
we have felt that the cultivators bred for marking, 
making substance a secondary consideration. Suck( 
flowers travel badly to exhibitions, and the Gloxinia 
is now a leading and most effective exhibition plant. 
Novelty of colour and marking is another prime 
feature of the Reading collection. Some varieties, 
with white blotches on mauve-coloured grounds, 
show extraordinary distinctiveness. The collection 
will be on bloom up to the middle of September.— 
Visitor. 
- 
~ ♦ ■ 
PEAS AT CHISWICK. 
The trial of Peas in the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society at Chiswick is rather extensive 
this year, and the amount of rain which has fallen 
at different times has favoured a good amount of 
growth relative to the kind, and enabled a fair com¬ 
parison to be made as to their respective productive¬ 
ness. We made a cursory examination of the mid¬ 
season and late kinds, and the undermentioned, both 
for cropping capabilities and quality of produce, are 
certainly deserving of cultivation. The variation in 
height, in season, and the size of the pod ought to 
please the most fastidious, either for exhibition pur¬ 
poses or for table use. The difficulty with many 
growers is to make a proper selection. The surest 
way to do this is to make a trial of a few every year 
of those that are known to be meritorious kinds, in 
order to test their capabilities in different soils. 
The variety Alderman has light-green foliage 
speckled with grey, and grows to a height of 6 ft. 
bearing pods 3 ins. to 5 ins. long, and containing 
eight to nine large peas of excellent quality. It is 
still in full vigour. Dux is taller with deeper green 
foliage, and narrower, slightly shorter pods of a deep 
glaucous hue. Marquis is another giant with curved 
pods containing eight to ten peas of excellent quality. 
Compared with the above Extra Dwarf Daisy is a 
pigmy about 12 ins. to 18 ins. high, bearing pods 
3 ins. to 4 ins. long with six to nine peas each. It is 
also early and good. Sequel is a dark-foliaged kind 
about 3 ft. or 4 ft. high, bearing a fair crop of large 
pods of a glaucous hue containing eight to ten seeds. 
Another dark kind, about 3 ft. high, is Oracle, with 
pods 3 ins. to 5 ins. long and wonderfully prolific. 
Ashton Gem is dwarfer, being only 2J ft. to 3 ft. high, 
of a rich dark-green, very fruitful, with large pods 
and seeds of good quality. Ambassador grows 6 ft. 
to 8 ft. high, is rather dark in hue, and the pods, 
which are 3 ins. long, are well filled. It bears well, 
but is rather gross. Sutton's Maincrop Wrinkled is a 
dark kind about 3 ft. high. The pods are somewhat 
inflated, and not always full, but the large peas are 
of excellent quality. Chelsonian is uniformly rather 
dark in hue, 5 ft. high, and the seeds are of large size 
and good quality. 
A considerable number of kinds resemble Duke of 
Albany and Telephone in being about the same 
general height of 4 ft. to 5 ft., with light green foliage 
and peas of excellent quality. The pods are often 
inflated, and the crop as a rule heavy. They vary 
in several minor particulars, and considerably in 
point of earliness. The above were still in full 
growth during the last week of July. Hercules, on 
the other hand, was turning yellow preparatory to 
ripening. The stems are4 ft. high, and the pods3ins. 
to 4 ins. long. A fruitful kind is Superabundance, 
with broad, rather compressed pods and large, sweet 
peas. The stems were 6 ft. to 8 ft. high and ripen¬ 
ing. Equally early but dwarfer is Salopian, with 
pods 3 ins. to 4 ins. long, containing large but richly- 
flavoured peas, but generally only six to eight in 
number. Magna Charta was also ripening and bore 
six to nine peas in the long, straight pods. Colossus 
is a giant 6 ft. to 8 ft. high, with round, straight pods, 
3 ins. to 4 ins. long, and well packed with peas of 
good quality. It would scarcely be suitable for 
localities wit h a heavy rainfall, as the stems would 
be apt to get beyond all stakes and to fall over, thus 
preventing the proper development of the crop. 
The pods of Epicure are much broader than those of 
the last and somewhat inflated, otherwise the two 
are similar in general appearance. The stems of 
Hurst’s Monarch grow to the height of 6 ft. to 8 ft., 
but the pods are only 2J ins. to 3 ins. long, and well 
packed with seeds. The crop was a very fair one. 
A large number of kinds are of dwarf habit, with 
rich dark green foliage of the same type as Veitch’s 
Perfection, and as a rule may be considered main 
crop or late varieties. The Echo takes a leading 
place amongst this type, and has straight, slightly 
compressed pods of a dark glaucous hue, containing 
a moderate ‘number pf richly-flavoured peas. It 
grows about 1$ ins. or 2 ft. high, glightly dwarfer i§ 
Juno, but equally fruitful. Renown is similar, but 
has broader and slightly more compressed pods. A 
good sort is Sutton's Early Marrowfat, about 12 ins. 
to 18 ins. high, with broad, light glaucous green pods, 
3 ins. to 4 ins long, and containing 6 to 8 large, tender, 
and sweetly-flavoured peas. The stems of Middlesex 
Rival are 2 ft. high, and the broad pods about 3 ins. 
to 3j ins. long. They are filled to the very tips with 
peas of good quality. Heroine stands about 18 ins. 
high, bearing light green pods, 3 ins. to 4 ins. long, 
and often curved. The seeds are large and of good 
flavour. Another variety, which might almost be 
described in the same words, is Perseverance, for it 
has long, slightly curved pods with seeds of 
high quality. A fruitful variety is Sensation, about 
2 ft. high, with slightly inflated or more often flattened 
pods of a deep glaucous hue, containing six to eight 
very large peas of good flavour. One of the latest 
varieties in the collection, sown under the same 
conditions as the above-named dark kinds, is Con¬ 
quest. The stems are about 2 ft. high, and bear a 
wonderful crop of dark green pods, quite full, with six 
to seven peas of large size and good flavour. Somewhat 
similar is Dr. McLean, but the pods are more or less 
curved and produced in great abundance. 
It is difficult to judge of the respective merits of all 
the above dwarf, dark green, and late kinds without 
making repeated inspections during the course of the 
season. Early and late sowings of all the kinds would 
also be a means of testing their capabilities at differ¬ 
ent seasons of the year. One thing of which the grower 
may be certain is that they would never get very tall, 
even in districts subject to a heavy rainfall. Their 
naturally late character also makes them suitable for 
prolonging the season in the warmer southern coun¬ 
ties, where the main crops often ripen off during July 
and August, especially in unusually dry seasons. 
Amongst the tall kinds we noticed a curious sort 
named Asparagus, about 6 ft. to 8 ft. high, with a 
foliage of a light green colour, and much flattened, 
slightly crumpled pods of a light green, 3 ins. to 4 ins. 
long, and iin. to ijin. broad. The seeds were still 
very small, and it would appear that the pods were 
meant for consumption as a substitute for Asparagus. 
Otherwise the variety can only be looked upon as a 
curiosity. 
WILD FLOWERS. 
London counties, so they say, 
'Plain their wild flowers torn away. 
Scarce a primrose or bluebell 
In the spots they loved so well. 
Every flower and every fern 
In a pot must serve a turn, 
Just to dash with something sweet 
The languor of the stately street; 
Just to catch the jaded eye 
With its rustic mimicry. 
Thus with woodland births of spring, 
Nature, costermongering, 
Brings a flavour quaintly wry 
To Mayfair from Arcady. 
A far daintier sight, I wis, 
Ye may see than such as this. 
Lo ! untouched by fashion’s rage, 
Wild flowers still make pilgrimage 
On a mission soft and kind 
They have had, time out of mind, 
When the small town-children stray 
On a summer holiday. 
Serious some, some wild with glee, 
Make of every flower free, 
Wonderstruck each little heir 
At a heritage so fair. 
Then the flowers right cheerfully 
Leave their native haunts to die. 
Hotly pressed in little hands, 
Hyacinths in azure bands 
Are content to flag and sicken 
That these little hearts may quicken 
With the breath of Nature’s heart, 
That the irksome prison smart 
Of town-durance, for a day, 
May be wholly smoothed away, 
And children free from legal rod 
May strip the garden made by God. 
White and yellow, blue and red, 
Vie to crown each girlish head, 
To fill each squalid court and lane 
With joy that overflows again. 
Break daffodils their golden rank. 
The modest primrose leaves her bank, 
The lily by the river’s brim, 
Meet burden for a poet's hymn, 
is fain to quit her gelid root 
For a strange land of dust’and soot, 
Content if she may win thereby 
An answering ray from childhood’s eye, 
And haply one day in the year 
Make life more sweet and heaven more near. 
. I. R.‘, in 1 ThrSfec}«tor_ 
