538 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 25, 1891. 
and Cotton likewise show well. "Woodruff is planting 
Sanseviera Hemp now. He has been away after Coffee 
and Cocoa plants and seeds, going to Cagos, Fernando 
Po, &c. I travel by water per canoe, but occasionally 
ride. ” Then come the inevitable references to the African 
fever. He has recovered, but the attack has left him 
“ very weak.” Only two days later the medical officer 
writes with the mournful news of Bartlett’s death from 
the terrible “ Blackwater fever.” Similar letters, full 
of energy, and breathing hope and resolution, bear 
"Woodruff’s signature, but on the 2nd of January last, 
the poor fellow, having made a will, directing his little 
property and balance of wages should be divided 
equally between his sister and his fiancte, sank and 
died. 
-- 
SPRING-FLOWERING 
ANEMONES. 
By the employment of a number of different species of 
the Wind Flowers a great amount of diversity, both as 
to habit and colour, can be introduced to the garden. 
The spring-flowering species are naturally all dwarf, 
because no time is allowed for any amount of growth 
being made before blooming. Amongst them we find 
all ranges of colour, from pure white through blush, 
pink, rose, red, yellow, purple, blue, scarlet, and 
crimson. Of some of the species which have been 
improved by cultivation, by seed-sowing and selection 
there are numerous beautiful shades of colour, as in 
A. coronaria and A. Hepatica. Others are still being 
improved, including A. fulgens, which we mentioned 
at p. 509. Most of them can be grown successfully in 
any good garden soil, but the majority prefer soils of a 
moist and tolerably retentive nature. Propagation is 
easily effected in spring by the careful division of the 
fibrous rootstock or that of the fleshy, underground 
rhizomes. Rapid increase may also be obtained by 
sowing seeds when procurable. As a rule, however, 
propagation may be effected easily enough by division, 
when the plants receive good cultural treatment. 
Tiie Hepatica ( Anemone Hepatica ).—The various 
forms of this species, both single and double, are 
amongst our earliest and brightest of spring flowers, 
coming as they do in February and March, according 
to the nature of the season. Most of the varieties are 
of ancient origin, and as much valued as when they 
first appeared. The species is a native of Europe, and 
one form comes from America. A moist and rather 
retentive soil is most suitable to their well-being, and 
in the drier and more sunny south a shady position 
should be selected for them. 
The Angled Hepatica ( A. angulosa). —The flowers 
of this species are similar to those of the last, but twice 
as large, and of a bright blue.’ The leaves are five 
instead of three-lobed. It is a native of Eastern 
Europe, and requires the same cultural treatment as 
A. Hepatica. 
The Apennine Anemone (A. apennina). —The close 
mass of finely divided leaves and the bright blue 
flowers of this species will ahvays secure admirers and 
cultivators of it. Those who delight in spring gardening 
never fail to discover its merits when tried under fairly 
suitable conditions. The conditions under which it 
grows in its native habitats must accord pretty nearly 
with what can be given it here, judging from the fact 
that it has become naturalised here and there in 
England, a fact which has been recognised and recorded 
in British floras for many years. It is a native of the 
Apennines and other parts of South Europe, and flowers 
with us during March and April. A position some¬ 
what shaded by trees should be selected for it. A. 
blanda is a large-flowered form of darker colour, and is 
very choice in its way. Both are admirably adapted 
for rockwork, mounds and similar places in partly 
shaded positions. There is also a white-flowered variety. 
The Shining Anemone {A. fulgens).— The flowering 
period of this plant ranges from February to May, 
according to the mildness of the season or the contrary. 
The type has brilliant scarlet flowers, and numerous 
narrow, pointed sepals ; but there are forms with 
broad sepals rounded at the end, and some are furnished 
with a silvery or white ring at the base. The latter 
constitute a new race under the name of the Aldboro’ 
Anemones. The type is a native of South Europe, but 
the broad-sepalled forms are said to come from Greece. 
All may be grown in pots or the open ground, according 
to convenience or requirements. As far as colour is 
concerned, they are amongst the most brilliant of all 
the Anemones. 
The Garden Anemone {A. hortensis).—' This is 
allied to A. coronaria, indeed the improved forms of 
the two are difficult to separate. A. fulgens and A. 
stellata are even considered as varieties of it. The 
flowers are of various colours, and the segments starry. 
The leaves are more coriaceous with broader segments 
than those of A. coronaria. It is a native of Italy, and 
has been cultivated for hundreds of years. 
The Starry Anemone (A. stellata).—The flowers 
of this form vary from purple to white, and have ten or 
twelve linear-oblong sepals. The three-parted leaves 
have cuneate segments. The rootstock is tuberous, as 
in many of the above mentioned; and the plant may 
readily be propagated by that means. It flourishes 
with the same treatment as A. fulgens, and flowers at 
the same time. There is a double form in cultivation. 
The type was introduced from the south of Europe in 
1599. 
The Poppy Anemone (A. coronaria ).—In many an 
old cottage garden this used to be quite familiar, as 
well as in that of the squire. The single form, then, 
as it is now, was the commonest and prettiest in old- 
fashioned gardens. The breadth of the sepals, their 
varied colouring, and the different-coloured ring at the 
base, combine to render this species a great favourite. 
The single forms are constitutionally the hardiest, the 
most easily grown, and from the fact that they can 
readily be increased by means of seeds, and therefore 
improved, they are rapidly rising in favour, compared 
with the named doubles. The species was introduced 
from South Europe in 1596. Seedlings often flower in 
autumn as well as spring. 
The Ranunculus-like Anemone (A. ranun- 
culoides). —The flowers ot this species, as seen in 
British gardens, are yellow, resembling a Buttercup ; 
but a variety found in the Pyrenees has purple flowers. 
The habit is similar to that of A. apennina, and, like 
that, it is being naturalised in a few places in English 
woods. The leaves are three to five, parted with 
wedge-shaped, more or less incised segments. It 
commences flowering in March, and is well adapted for 
naturalising in woods that are not too densely shady. 
The Pasque Flower [A. Pulsatilla ).—A sunny, 
open exposure is the most suitable position for this 
species, which may be grown in a drier and more 
chalky soil than any of the above mentioned. The 
unopened flowers are of a satiny grey, owing to the 
dense covering of silky hairs ; but their inner surface is 
purple. The pinnate, much-divided leaves lie closely 
on the ground. This species flowers in April, and is a 
native of England and other European countries, 
as well as Asia. There are several varieties iu 
cultivation. 
The ^Meadow Anemone ( A. pratensis).—ln habit 
and general appearance this closely resembles the last, 
but the flowers are smaller, with narrower, erect sepals 
that recurve at the apex. They are of a dark purple, 
and are pendent from the top of the scapes. It is a 
native of the north of Europe, from whence it was 
introduced in 1731, and requires similar cultural 
treatment. 
The Vernal Anemone (A. vernalis).— The habit 
of this plant is also comparable to that of the last two. 
The flowers are violet externally, and covered with 
silky, grey hairs, while the interior is whitish. The 
leaves are pinnate, with slightly cut, wedge-shaped 
segments. It succeeds in a compost of peat and loam, 
well drained, and may be grown in pots plunged in the 
open or in a cool place. It is a native of Europe, and 
was introduced in 1816. 
The Alpine Anemone (H. alpiva).—This likes a 
deep soil in a moist position, and cannot bear to be 
placed on exposed and dry rockeries. The flowers 
expand in May, and in different individual plants 
exhibit diverse colours. The inner surface of the sepals 
is white or yellow, and the back purple or bluish. The 
leaves are generally of large size, and twice divided in 
a ternate manner, with the ultimate divisions again 
serrated. It is an old garden plant, and was introduced 
from Central Europe in 1653, but is comparatively 
seldom seen in cultivation. The sulphur-yellow variety 
(A. a. sulphurea) is perhaps more frequently met with 
in old gardens, especially in the north, where the cool, 
moist atmosphere enables it to be grown in the her¬ 
baceous border. 
The Palmate Anemone (A. pahnata ).—The flowers 
here are of large size, and of a bright golden yellow, 
but there is an albino in which the exterior of the sepals 
is bronzy yellow, and the interior white. The radical 
leaves are roundly heart shaped, and slightly three to 
five lobed, as the specific name is intended to convey. 
The involucral leaves are more deeply divided, with 
narrower segments, but do not rise much above the soil. 
The Palmate Anemone delights in a deep rich soil, 
rather moist than otherwise, if full success is desired. 
Introduced from South-west Europe in 1597. 
The "V'ood Anemone {A. nemorosa ).—This is with¬ 
out doubt the most widely distributed of British 
Anemones, whether in a wild or cultivated state. 
The flowers have six to seven sepals, and are 
generally white, but are often tinted with pink, 
lilac, or purple, even in a wild state. There are 
numerous choice cultivated varieties, including A. n. 
ccerulea, blue, from the north-west of America ; 
A. n. Robinsonia, bright blue, and closely allied to the 
last; also A. n. rosea, A, n. bracteata flore pleno, both 
with rose-coloured flowers, but the latter double, and 
furnished with curious bract-like organs at the base of 
the flower. The double form, A. n. flore pleno, is un¬ 
questionably one of the finest, the flowers being pure 
white, very full, and lasting a long time in perfection. 
Any good moist garden soil will meet its requirements. 
-- 
THE LARGE-FLOWERED OR 
SHOW PELARGONIUM. 
Lovers of the large-flowered Pelargonium will soon he 
anticipating a sight of the fine decorative specimens 
which put in an appearance at the Crystal Palace Show, 
and those of the Royal Botanic Society and the Royal 
Horticultural Society in the Temple Gardens. Like 
other things, they are, consequent upon the backward¬ 
ness of the season, making slow progress ; the sun hy 
day incites to development, and the cold by night 
paralyses the influence which makes for development. 
Extremes of heat and cold are bad for Pelargoniums as 
for many other things, and while shade is needed by 
day, by night, a covering is required, if not a little 
artificial warmth. 
May, June, and July are the months for blooming 
the large-flowered Pelargoniums. The particular 
month in which they bloom depends upon the amount 
of stopping to which the plants have been subjected. 
The specimens to flower early in May should have 
their flowers expanding on trusses well above the 
foliage. Like almost everything else, Pelargoniums are 
progressing slowly, but no attempt should be made to 
push on the laggards by the employment of artificial heat. 
Should a late frost of unusual intensity for the time of 
year unfortunately be imminent—and no one need 
be surprised at any kind of weather we may experience 
in such an erratic season—a little fire-heat would 
perhaps have to be employed, but in the form of a 
judicious application only. 
Pelargoniums need abundant air, but while cold 
winds prevail they should not be allowed to blow 
directly upon the plants. I have known currents of 
cold air to so act upon the plants as to cause the leaves 
to curl and become yellow, a state of things by no 
means desirable. The Pelargonium, like the Calceo¬ 
laria and Cineraria, soon becomes infested with green¬ 
fly, and it is wise to give a good fumigation with 
tobacco smoke before the first flowers open. The day 
after give a syringing with soft rain water. 
"Water is a matter of supreme importance ; too much 
or too little will be certain to have an injurious effect 
upon the plants. Given a good porous soil and efficient 
drainage, and the Pelargonium will take a good deal of 
water in open, drying weather ; but let the soil be 
soddened and ill-drained, or the plants allowed to suffer 
from lack of water, and the result will be sickness and 
failure. 
Our leading Pelargonium growers for exhibition 
apply manure-water to give size and lustre to the 
blossoms. One cultivator uses liquid manure once a 
week. He informs me he has a tank which holds about 
100 gallons of water, and a division full of small holes 
separates about one-third of the space, and into this he 
puts about three pecks of sheep manure, one of cow- 
manure, one of horse droppings, and about 1 lb. of 
unslaked lime. It is then filled with rain-water, and 
is used about a fortnight after. He remarks that he 
does not say these quantities are absolutely necessary ; 
but he uses them with great advantage. In the hands 
of the inexperienced, liquid manure should be used 
with caution, or it may prove harmful. 
Those who employ the Pelargonium for decorative 
purposes—and it is one of the most free and showy of 
early summer-flowering subjects—should give their 
plants as much room as possible, turning them round 
occasionally, so that all sides be exposed to the light. 
In order to preserve the beauty of the flowers, bees 
should be excluded from the house, for if they visit the 
flowers the latter very soon fall. The humble or 
bumble bee is a depredator of the worst type, for not 
being satisfied to wait the opening of the flowers, it 
will tear the opening bud in order to reach the nectary. 
To keep bees outside, a light netting should cover the 
open doors, windows and ventilators. 
