May 16, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
591 
Carnation, Souvenir de la Malmaison. 
It is gratifying to note that this beautiful class of 
Carnations is becoming more cultivated in private 
gardens than formerly. Their magnificent flowers are 
highly prized for cut bloom. They are often met with 
in an unsatisfactory condition, and careless watering is 
often the cause of unhealthy plants. The leaves get 
covered with small spots, which are not easily got rid 
of when once they occur. A good healthy plant goes a 
long way towards success, as it is just a waste of time 
battling with puny, sickly plants. Supposing the 
plants are in 3-in. pots, as soon as the roots touch the 
sides, move them into 6-in. pots. The compost should 
be good yellow loam, leaf-soil, and a fair amount of 
white sand. Pot moderately firm and place the plants 
in a nice airy house. The cultivator will have to be 
careful with the watering can. as an overdose means 
destruction to the roots. Place a stake to support the 
plant, and tie the flower spikes as they progress. Dust 
with tobacco-powder whenever green-fly makes its 
appearance. They will be benefited by a slight 
dressing of chemical manure once a week, this will also 
encourage a stronger growth of shoots, which will be in 
a fit state for layering by the time the flowers are past. 
A good plan is to plunge the pots in a cold frame, 
spreading some sandy soil around them, and carefully 
layer all available shoots into the same. A valuable 
addition to Lady Middleton, blush, and the deep pink 
variety, is Madame A. Warocque, a sturdy grower and 
extremely free bloomer. — W. Angus, Dumfriesshire. 
Primula involucrata. 
Many of the Himalayan Primulas are of great orna¬ 
mental value, as they mostly flower early in spring, or 
even in autumn some of the same kinds will throw up 
their flower buds if the weather be mild and open. 
This, however, is a disadvantage rather than otherwise, 
because it weakens the plants for spring flowering, 
even if they do not get killed. This does not apply to 
P. involucrata, as it goes to rest at the proper time and 
moves again in spring, when the beauty of its white 
flowers is much appreciated. The habit of the plant 
is similar to that of P. rosea, and the flowers have the 
same neat and compact form. The foliage is also 
compact, and the plant therefore proves suitable for 
pot culture. It is, however, more hardy even than 
P. denticulata and its forms. 
Corydalis bracteata. 
The Fumitories .have mostly a very strong family 
resemblance in the foliage, and that under notice is no 
exception. The flowers, however, are large, and of 
rather peculiar structure, reminding one of a species of 
Linaria. The outer petals are developed at the apex 
into two wide, emarginate lobes resembling a two-lipped 
flower, and the illusion is still further strengthened by 
the long stout spur. The colour is nearly of an uniform 
sulphur-yellow. The species is a Siberian plant 
introduced in 1823, and is hardy, but notwithstanding 
this it has not made the same head-way in gardens as 
the European C. solida, which has become naturalised 
in many places in Britain. It would seem also to be 
an easy matter to establish C. cava in woods and 
similar places, for when it once gets planted, the 
tuberous but hollow roots maintain their ground for a 
great number of years. 
Hartland’s April Queen Broccoli. 
Locally this-has been very fine this year. Heads have 
been grown in the south of Ireland averaging from 
7 lbs. to 24 lbs. weight per head. It is self protected 
with leaves ; resembles Seakale when cooked ; and is 
white as snow, and the flavour of Cauliflower of the 
highest type.— H. B. W., Cork. 
Daphne rupestria 
The habit of this plant is comparable to that of 
D. Blagayana—that is, dwarf, and of slow, stiffish 
growth. The leaves are leathery, but narrow, linear 
and keeled. The flowers are rose coloured, and pro¬ 
duced in terminal umbels during the spring months. 
A flowering specimen may now be seen in the hardy 
plant house at Kew. 
Primula mollis. 
Compared even with its nearest allies, P. japonica, 
P. imperialis and P. cortusoides, this cannot be de¬ 
scribed as a showy species, although it possesses a quiet 
beauty of its own. The softly hairy and cordate leaves 
are produced in great abundance, and from amongst 
these the flower scapes rise to a height of 12 ins. or 
16 ins., bearing flowers in successive tiers one above the 
other. The tube of the corolla is red, and the lamina 
rose, with darker markings round the eye. A great 
peculiarity of the flowers from a botanical point of view 
is that they show a strong tendency to become irregular 
and two lipped. The lower segments are longer than 
the upper, and the whole flower assumes the same 
oblique position as seen in an Achimenes. This char¬ 
acter is probably unique in the genus, as the flowers in 
the whole family are noted, if anything, for their 
regularity. 
Narcissus triandrus concolor. 
There is a wonderful amount of variation in this little 
species, which has been described as Angels’ Tears by 
some fanciful observers. The differences of the various 
forms consist chiefly in the varying length of the corona 
relatively to the segments, its width and the colour of the 
parts. That under notice, as the name implies, has 
both segments and corona of an uniform, pale softyellow. 
These distinctions are apparently very trifling, but 
some of the older botanists seemed to consider them as 
of specific value ; for instance, Haworth named the 
variety Ganymedes concolor. The corona of the variety 
is relatively small and cup-shaped. H. triandrus and 
its varieties are hardy, but rather particular as to soil. 
They are, however, of easy cultivation in pots, and 
never appear to better advantage than when so treated, 
and stood about in groups in a cold frame or hardy 
plant house where they will be directly under the eye. 
A White Buttercup. 
There are several species of Ranunculus with white 
flowers, but R. amplexicaulis is a beautiful, old- 
fashioned subject that requires only to be established 
in the herbaceous border and left alone, where it will 
flower regularly during April, May, and sometimes 
into June. The smooth, glaucous leaves vary from 
oval to lanceolate, and clasp the stem at the base, as 
implied by the specific name. The stems vary in 
height, but in good and tolerably moist soil they will 
generally be about 12 ins. high, and terminate in a few 
large pure white flowers. Propagation can be effected 
by seeds when they ripen, and by division of the root- 
stock. Ho protection of any kind is necessary, as the 
plant is a native of the Pyrenees and the western Alps, 
and is perfectly hardy even in the northern part of 
Britain. 
Fritillaria meleagris alba. 
The flowers of our native Fritillary are very variable 
in colour in a wild state, and this, no doubt, arises from 
self-sown seeds. The drooping perianth is chequered 
with a light and dark shade of purple, sometimes, 
however, of two very dark hues, and at other times 
verging towards white. Yarious shades of the latter 
may be picked up in the meadows near Oxford, some 
being of a pure white, and very choice for association 
with the normal and dark-coloured kinds in gardens. 
Friable, well-drained soil, inclined to be sandy, meets 
the requirements of the plant admirably, and no 
difficulty is occasioned in its culture under such 
conditions. 
Sweet Briar, Lady Penzance. 
The flowers of this hybrid are of a coppery red, yellow 
at the very base of the petals, single, and of average 
size. The leaves are glandular, strongly fragrant, and 
consist of 5 to 7 ovate, serrated leaflets. The stems are 
furnished with strong, but irregularly arranged, 
straight prickles. A flower of the common Sweet 
Briar, grafted on the Manetti, was crossed with the 
pollen of the Copper Austrian Briar in 1886 ; the seed¬ 
lings germinated in 1887, and the present one flowered 
in 1889 for the first time. A plant was exhibited at 
the Drill Hall, Westminster, on the 12th inst., by Mr. 
Baskett, gardener to Lord Penzance, Eashing Park, 
and was accorded an Award of Merit. 
Anthurium Laingi. 
When this plant acquires a large size under good 
cultural conditions, it may then be seen in its true 
character, as it was shown at the Drill Hall on the 12th 
inst. by Mr. Bain, gardener to Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart.,M.P., Burford Lodge, Dorking. The heart-shaped 
leaf was over 18 ins. long, 15 ins. wide, and of a 
leathery character. The broadly oblong, cuspidate, 
white spathe was larger than we have ever seen it 
before. The stout, cylindrical, slightly curved spadix 
was of a soft flesh colour. A First Class Certificate 
was awarded it. 
Nodding White Daffodils. 
Your correspondent, “Ignoramus” (p. 575), asks some 
queries respecting the Daffodil, Mrs. J. B. M. Camm. 
According to Mr. Baker, in his hand-book of the 
Amaryllide®, lorifolius is a transitional form connecting 
H. major with H. bicolor, and has the broad leaves of 
the latter. How Mrs. .7. B. M. Camm has the broad 
leaves of H. bicolor and also the broad, ovate, imbri¬ 
cating and white segments characteristic of that form. 
The flowers are more nearly horizontal than nodding ; 
and the crown is much paler than in that type. All 
these characters certainly point to H. bicolor, notwith¬ 
standing the pale hue of the corona. The Swan’s 
Heck Daffodils, on the contrary, have narrow leaves, 
nodding flowers of thin texture, with comparatively 
narrow, oblong or elliptic, not ovate segments ; and 
notwithstanding the pale lemon corona of Mrs. J. B. 
M. Camm, it seems strange that anyone should class it 
under H. moschatus. The sport described by your 
correspondent is, no doubt, the Rev. J. B. M. Camm, 
which only differs from Mrs. J. B. M. Camm by 
having at first a faintly pale lemon corona, ultimately 
becoming white. If colour alone is to be the guide, 
then the H. bicolor and H. moschatus types should be 
fused into one ; but I should certainly not do that.— 
Observer. 
Anthurium burfordiense. 
The leaf of this hybrid variety is ovate, with a cordate 
base, elongated, leathery, and deep green. The roundly 
cordate spathe is slightly united at the basal sinus, 
slightly corrugated all over, showing some affinity with 
A. Andreanum, and of an intense, shining, vermilion- 
scarlet. The spadix is curved, stout, yellow at first, 
but soon becoming creamy white. A First Class 
Certificate was awarded it when exhibited at the Drill 
Hall on the 12th inst. by Mr. Bain, gardener to Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Myosotis, Bexley Gem. 
The plants of this shown at the Drill Hall on the 12 th 
inst. by \V. Marshall, Esq., Auchinraith, Bexley 
Heath, were of dwarf but upright habit, and not 
exceeding 3 ins. or 4 ins. in height. The flowers were 
of average size, and light blue with a yellow eye. The 
terminal ones were crowded together, and several of 
them were often, evidently, fused into one. It is very 
pretty and an Award of Merit was accorded it. 
Pteris cretica crispata. 
A basket of plants of this variety, shown at the 
Drill Hall last Tuesday by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, 
Chelsea, were mostly furnished with barren fronds only, 
having from three to five pinnre, but mostly the smaller 
number. 'When they attain a larger size they will no 
doubt produce fertile fronds of a different character from 
those now seen on the plant. The lanceolate pinnre are 
broad, acuminate, serrate at the margin, and of a clear 
bright green. A large number of them are much more 
decidedly undulated or crisped than the others, darker 
green, and more deeply cut at the margin. There is a 
broad white stripe down the centre of each, and a mass 
of fronds presents a bright and attractive appearance. 
A First Class Certificate was awarded the variety. 
Lilac, Leon Simon. 
The flowers of this garden variety are moderate in size, 
pale bluish lilac fading to lilac, double, and produced 
in dense thyrsoid panicles. An Award of Merit was 
granted for some cut flowers exhibited by Messrs. Paul 
& Son, at the last meeting in the Drill Hall. 
Magnolia stellata. 
A SEVERE winter has had no injurious effects either 
upon the flower buds or the wood of this Japanese 
shrub, for it has expanded the wealth of blooms which 
it set during the favourable ripening time last autumn. 
The habit of the plant may be compared to that of 
M. conspicua, but the flowers, although white, are 
somewhat different in form and general appearance. 
In the first place they are smaller, and the more 
numerous petals are linear, and spread widely when 
fully expanded. Ho leaves are developed till the 
flowers are disappearing, but the number of the latter, 
their purity, and fragrance are sufficient to recommend 
the plant for general cultivation in beds and on the 
margins of shrubberies, where it can hardly fail to be 
appreciated. It is the more adapted for this purpose 
on account of its dwarfness, for it will grow and flower 
for years without exceeding 18 ins. or 2 ft. in height, 
and may even be dwarfer than that. Ho particular 
kind of soil or treatment is necessary to ensure success, 
