8 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September^!, 1888. 
s^ofjiduxws^. 
The Florists’ Laced Pinks. 
By James Thrust an. 
It is highly gratifying to me, as an old Pink grower, 
and I am sure it will he to many others who still exist, 
and may have the opportunity of reading your issue of 
August 11th, to notice the article upon the Florists’ 
Laced Pinks, by that popular and much respected 
florist, Samuel Barlow, Esq., J.P., of Stakehill House, 
Castleton, near Manchester. I had the pleasure of 
knowing the late Samuel Cooper, of Timperly, and 
have heard him state with his own lips what Mr. 
Barlow speaks of. 
Mr. Barlow faithfully represents the Florists’ Laced 
Pink when he designates it as “deliciously sweet and 
fascinating,” and it has long been a mystery to me 
why such a lovely florists’ flower, perfectly hardy, and 
easy of cultivation, should for so many years have been 
allowed to lie dormant, or in other words, to have been 
apparently despised. 
Oh, what changes time produces ! If any person 
who may possess a volume of one of the old florists’ 
works of forty years ago— e.g., the Midland Ilorist, of 
1847, and will read the several articles and discussions 
which appear upon the Pink, surely he will wonder 
why this delightful variety of florists’ flower should 
have passed almost into oblivion. ,> 
I recollect going over forty miles one day, about 
thirty years ago, to see a Pink show at Middleton, 
three miles from where Mr. Barlow resides, and which 
was held in a large club-room of a public-house, and 
never shall I forget the great number of Pink blooms 
that were staged there in ginger-beer or “pop” bottles 
on tables all round the room ; every flower had its 
label attached, showing the name of the variety. Old 
Jones’ Huntsman, Lee’s Joseph Sturge, Beauty of 
Blackburn, &c., were there in dozens ! The latter was 
a beautiful “black and white ” Pink, so called in those 
days because there was no lacing round the petals, only 
the dark centre. At this date such a Pink would be 
looked upon as imperfect, and be disqualified as an 
exhibition flower. It was the custom in those days for 
Pink growers to hold special exhibitions at large 
public-houses, and in the volume of the Midland 
Florist above referred to there appear reports of Pink 
shows held June 30th, 1847, at the “Crown” Inn, 
Nottingham ; on July 3rd, at the “ Red Lion ” Inn, 
Newcastle-under-Lyme ; on July 11th, at the “"Lamb 
and Flag ” of the same town ; on July 12th, at the 
“Horse and Trumpet,” Bradford; on July 19th, at 
the “Green Man, ” Vindereliffe, near Bradford ; and 
scores of other similar Pink exhibitions were doubtless 
held in different parts of the country. 
In an article on the Pink, which appeared in The. 
Gardeners' Magazine of February 9th, 1884, by that 
well-known florist, Mr. James Douglas, F.R.H.S., 
Ilford, Essex, and author of Hardy Florists' Fowers, 
their Cultivation and Management (a very useful and 
instructive little work), he says, “ It is surprising the 
Pink is not more grown in gardens than it is, for there 
is no sweeter flower. The Rev. George Jeans said, a 
quarter of a century ago, ‘Although the palm of 
excellence is generally assigned to the Carnation, 
and ladies prefer the Picotee, there are not a few 
humourists —and I am not ashamed to call myself one of 
them — who after all hold to the Pink as their 
favourite.’ ” 
Mr. Douglas, in another article on the Pink, which 
appeared in the same journal for March 15th, 1884, 
says, “ I remember being in the company of the late 
Mr. John Keynes, of Salisbury, a few years before he 
died, and on that occasion he stated that they had as 
many as five Pink shows at Salisbury in one year, I 
think the old veteran said the Pink was the first flower 
he cultivated, and I fancy he pawned his watch to 
purchase his first collection. ” 
The late John Edwards, of Holloway, wrote an 
article on the Pink in the Birmingham and Midland 
Gardeners' Magazine , in 1852, and that renowned 
florist must have perceived the Pink declining at that 
time, for he says, “Are we to allow the glories of the 
Pink to decline ? "Will such long, true patrons as 
Messrs. Smith, Maclean, Young, Looker, Hale, Creed, 
White, &c., quietly rest with matters as they are ? ” 
Will it not at once strike the reader of these 
quotations that there must be something remarkably 
attractive and fascinating in the cultivation of the 
Pink to have produced such enthusiasm in the hearts 
and minds of such men as the late Samuel Cooper, 
the Rev. George Jeans, John Keynes, John Edwards, 
and to which might be added the late John Harris, 
raiser of Black Diamond Carnation (Tipton), Robert 
Hallam, Thomas Coudry, and Samuel Brown, of Bir¬ 
mingham, who were all lovers and large cultivators of 
the Pink ? Many hours of happiness have I personally 
experienced, at various times, in company with several 
of these old veterans, in listening to the enthusiastic 
reminiscences with regard to the Pinks they had 
grown, raised, and exhibited, &c. 
The late Doctor Hardy, whose favourite flower was 
doubtless the Tulip, cultivated the florists’ Pink; and 
several times, whilst looking over my beds of Pinks 
in full bloom, he remarked, “Is it not astonishing why 
Pinks possessing such refinement in their lacing, com¬ 
bined with their delicious perfume, should not be more 
thoroughly appreciated and extensively grown ?” 
Such flattering remarks of florists of the past, whose 
standing and reputation were of the very highest 
degree, is strong evidence that any amateur will meet 
with satisfaction and gratification, if he will only 
venture to make a start at Pink growing ; but as an 
old cultivator of this lovely, charming flower, let me 
advise such amateur to commence with the best show 
varieties he can possibly obtain, and not to start with 
second-class kinds. I have grown Pinks and most 
other florists’ flowers for over thirty years, and if any 
reader of this article could only imagine with what 
delight I have cultivated Pinks, and what pleasure 
they have, year after year, afforded me, his garden 
would not, another season, remain without its attrac¬ 
tiveness being enhanced by a bed or border of 
exquisitely-laced florists’ Pinks. 
Withthe Editor’s permission, I shall have pleasure, 
in a subsequent issue, to state my views as to the 
properties constituting a really good exhibition Pink. 
[Please do.—E d.]— Finsbury House, Richmond Road, 
Cardiff. 
New Dahlias Certificated. 
There was a pretty display of new and old Single and 
Cactus Dahlias at the meeting of the Floral Committee 
of the R. H. S. on Tuesday, and the three following 
varieties were certificated : Victoria. —Flower-heads 
of good average size, with broad, rounded, flat florets, 
the ground colour of which is white, but often faintly 
suffused with a pale straw-yellow colour. A broad 
and very distinct crimson border runs round each 
floret, giving the heads an attractive appearance. 
Duchess of Albany. —Florets broad, rounded, and 
emarginate at the apex, with a curious pale brown 
border, often of irregular width, and sometimes with a 
central line of the same colour on a groundwork of pale 
lilac. It is both distinct, curious, and interesting, and 
will, no doubt, be liked by many for its novel com¬ 
bination of colours. Both the above were exhibited by 
Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley. Beauty of 
Brentwood. —A Cactus Dahlia of good form, being a 
bright rosy magenta seedling from Juarezi, with much 
larger and fuller flower-heads than that well-known 
variety. Being fuller, they do not present the loose or 
ragged appearance of that sort, but are sufficiently so 
to be valued as a decorative Dahlia of considerable 
merit. Exhibited by Mr. J. T. West, gardener to 
W. Keith, Esq., Brentwood. 
Carnation, J. Harrison. 
We learn from Mr. W. M. Hewitt, of Chesterfield, that 
this fine pink and purple bizarre, for which Mr. T. 
Lord, of Todmorden, was awarded a Certificate at the 
late Manchester show, and which was also distinguished 
by a similar award made at Oxford on the 14th ult., 
was raised by him, and not by Mr. Lord, as the report 
given in our last would infer. Mr. Hewitt writes :— 
Mr. E. 8. Dodwell, my old and much-esteemed friend 
and brother florist for thirty-five years, has grown the 
variety the last two years, and given a very favourable 
opinion of it—and with my permission he sent Mr. 
Lord some plants for trial last autumn.” 
New Gladioli. 
At the meeting of the Floral Committee on Tuesday, 
Messrs. Kelway & Sons were awarded Certificates for 
the following new varieties : Bullion. — Flowers straw 
yellow, suffused with blush, and splashed with red. 
The lower segment is narrower and clear yellow. Eleven 
flowers were fully open on the spike. Mago.— Intense 
scarlet, with the lower and narrower segment white at 
the base, and suffused with rose at the junction of the 
white and the scarlet upper portion. Nicon. _Most 
noticeable for the size and delicacy of colour of the 
flower, the general body of which is -white, suffused 
with blush, and irregularly striped with rose. The 
three inner segments differ in being of a pale yellow. 
Accia. — Brilliant scarlet, while the lower, inner seg¬ 
ment is rose-coloured, and purple towards the base. 
Magas. —The throat of this variety is red, while the 
lower segment bears a central rose-coloured blotch. All 
the rest of the flower, which is large, is white and 
faintly suffused with blush. Cebes. —Blooms only of 
medium or average size, deep rose, shaded with scarlet 
at the margin. 
Scarlet Bizarre Carnation Robert Houlgrave. 
This variety was raised from seed, sent to me by 
Mr. Dodwell. It first bloomed in 1885, and although 
the bloom was little more than semi-double, it was very 
striking from the depth and brilliancy of its colours, 
and was much admired. In 1886 it was in my stand 
which won the first prize for six Carnations at the 
Northern National Meeting ; only two other blooms 
were exhibited, and they won the third and the fifth 
prizes in the S. B. class, a First Class Certificate being 
also given to it. In 1887, at Oxford, in my stand of 
six and in the Scarlet Bizarre class, it won the first, 
second and fourth prizes. Also at Middleton it won 
the first and second prizes in the class and in the stand. 
First Class Certificates were given to it at Oxford and 
Middleton. 
This year it won at Oxford in the stand, and the 
whole of the five prizes in the class for single blooms. 
Further, it was awarded the premier prize for the best 
Carnation in the exhibition. Only six blooms were 
staged. At the Northern National Meeting at Man¬ 
chester, and at Middleton, it also won all the firsts 
and many other prizes. 
Robert Houlgrave is a very distinct variety, with 
very glaucous green foliage, and of sturdy dwarf habit, 
scarcely requiring any tying. The scarlet and the 
maroon colours in the flower are of greater depth and 
richness than they are in any other Scarlet Bizarre, 
while the petals are large and well formed, and show 
the bold bizarre fiakings to great advantage.— S. Bar- 
low, Stakehill House, Castleton, Manchester. 
Carnations and Picotees at Middleton. 
At the eleventh annual exhibition of the Middleton 
Floral and Horticultural Society, held last week, the 
Carnations and Picotees, as usual, made an attractive 
display on their own account in the cut-flower depart¬ 
ment. Unfortunately but few of the flowers were 
named, so that we are unable to give much information 
as to the sorts exhibited. Mr. Barlow was first and 
third for six Picotees ; Mr. G. Thornley coming in 
second ; but in the corresponding class for Carnations, 
the last-named was first, Mr. Barlow taking second 
and third awards. For three Picotees, the leading 
award also went to Stakehill, as did the second and 
third prizes for three Carnations. In the single classes, 
Mr. Barlow, Mr. G. Thornley, and Mr. T. Oldham 
pretty evenly shared the awards between them. In 
the scarlet bizarre class, Mr. S. Raynor won with 
Robert Houlgrave. 
--> 2 <-=—- 
THE WARREN, SOUTHPORT. 
This is the residence of Mrs. Burton, at Birkdale, and 
is one of the most extensive of the many suburban 
gardens around Southport. Even here the extent is 
limited, for reasons given in my remarks on a neigh¬ 
bouring place, at p. 820 of your last volume. The 
chief part of the space set apart for vegetable culture at 
the Warren is sunk by excavating the sand to the sea 
level, with the view of securing plenty of moisture, 
and some of the sand is replaced with soil brought 
from a distance. Crops that usually occupy the ground 
in winter are not grown on this breadth, as the 
moisture would be too much for them, and such plants 
as have to be kept over the winter for spring planting 
are grown on another piece 20 ft. to 30 ft. higher, as is 
also the Asparagus, which was the best I have seen in 
Lancashire. If this remark meets the eye of anyone 
who has seen better, I should like to see it reported in 
your columns. I am interested in the matter, because 
this vegetable causes some of my acquaintances in this 
part considerable anxiety, and all attempts at its 
culture have been given up in more than one instance. 
I had made frequent inquiries as to how the 
Asparagus thrived near the sea, but the replies were 
not encouraging, The reasons assigned I will not here 
stay to relate. In laying out these Southport gardens 
the main point in view is to make one object protect 
another from the gales, rather than follow any par¬ 
ticular style and system of arrangement. As for 
instance, the piece of ground on which the Asparagus 
and other things are growing is protected on the west 
and north by three or four out of the fourteen glass 
houses on the place, and then a little to the south 
there is a bank thrown up to give additional protection 
to the sunken part of the vegetable garden, as well as 
