August 3, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
773 
The art of effectively arranging either plants or 
flowers lies in placing each individual plant or blossom 
where it will show all of its own grace and beauty, and 
at the same time assist in the general result without 
detracting from the effectiveness of any other individual 
plant or flower through the creation of inharmonious 
contrasts in either form or colour. 
In the arrangement of Palms and like decorative 
plants, harmonious contrast in form is the main 
requisite. But how often do we see really handsome 
specimens crowded together in such a way as to form 
merely an even hedge of foliage without contrast, the 
grace of each individual almost entirely lost to the 
observer through being buried among a lot of others. 
Use your plants of 
doubtful quality 
for a background, 
but bring your 
specimens up 
where they may be 
seen and admired, 
and where they 
will form an har¬ 
monious contrast 
in form and foliage 
with others. By 
the exercise of 
taste and skill in 
arrangement a 
small number of 
plants can be 
made more effec¬ 
tive and satis¬ 
factory to the 
customer than a 
larger number 
massed together 
without them, and 
this means good 
returns for a 
smaller cash out¬ 
lay. 
A mistake made 
by many florists is 
to rent out their 
decorative plants 
by the wagon¬ 
load. Palms and 
similar decorative 
plants should be 
rented by the pair 
or single speci¬ 
men ; and one- 
fifth of the value 
of the plants 
should be received 
for their use at a 
decoration ; this 
ensures a fair 
profit after the 
cost of getting the 
plants into condi¬ 
tion again is de¬ 
ducted. And the 
customer will not 
be so apt to find 
fault with the bill 
if it is made for the 
“ rent of — pairs 
specimen plants,” 
rather than for 
“one wagon-load” 
or more. Of course 
for small flower¬ 
ing and foliage 
plants rental by the wagon-load may be advisable, but 
specimens should be rented by the pair or single 
specimen only .—American Florist. 
-- 
WASPS’ NESTS. 
Though it may be inferred from a note in your issue 
for July 20th that a wasps’ nest in a Gooseberry bush 
is somewhat of an unusual occurrence—and it may 
be in certain localities—yet it is quite common in 
my experience here, as scarcely a season passes with¬ 
out my meeting with a case of the same kind. No 
longer ago than the morning of the previous day 
(Thursday, 18th) I removed one from a similar position 
to that recorded in The Gardening World, which I 
had killed on the day before, and, strange to say, it 
had not been noticed sooner, although passed and re¬ 
passed within a few feet several times every day. The 
nest was quite a good size—perhaps 9 ins. or so in 
diameter—and would contain about a half a pint of 
wasps. It had three combs of which the cells were 
full, while the fourth and smallest was about one-third 
filled, so that in a short time it would have been quite 
lively. I had destroyed one on a wall Pear tree about 
10 yards distant some six weeks ago shortly after 
commencing to be built, besides one in a holo at the 
back of the same wall the day before, so that I begin 
to think that my first surmise was correct—viz., that 
it would turn out a plentiful wasp season, as I never 
saw queens more abundant than they were this last 
spring. I have seen very few nests, however ; but now 
that we have had a week of rather wet weather, causing 
Yarieties of Pentstemon. (See text.) 
a great loss to the Strawberry crop, which in a decay¬ 
ing state are proving a great attraction, they are 
showing themselves in great numbers. 
The plan I adopt in killing these hanging nests is 
very simple and safe. A stick the height of the 
entrance to the nest, with a small cleft on the top to 
hold a piece of tin in position, on which and over the 
nest are scattered a few drops of Davis’s Wasp Killer, 
is put down, and does its work effectually and quietly, 
so that it can safely be removed by the hand next 
morning, every wasp being dead, or at least in a state 
of torpor. The ground nests are done with a piece 
of wadding dipped in the same liquid, or with the old 
remedy of a sulphur and gunpowder cartridge ; but I 
think the former the safest and least troublesome plan, 
because it can be laid down at the time the nest is 
found, and kills effectually, which the other does not, 
unless the nest is at once dug out and broken up, the 
wasps mostly recovering after a time if this is not done, 
as I have found it only stupifies in most cases, and 
does not kill them outright. By the way, the strangest 
nest I ever came across was during a hunt two years 
ago in a plantation at the back of the garden. The 
nest was quite open, and formed on the surface of the 
ground, being only partially covered from view at a few 
yards distance by the rank grass, and might never have 
been noticed by a casual glance.— It. Stevens, Paston, 
Northumberland. 
-- 
CHOICE PENTSTEMONS. 
The accompanying illustration represents nine very 
fine varieties of Pentstemon, as they are regarded at the 
present day. They 
are chiefly charac¬ 
terised by size, 
wide open throat, 
well-defined 
colours, or at least 
bold,striking, and 
novel or telling 
ones. The first in 
the upper left- 
hand corner is 
Olivier Pain, a 
bold flower, with 
rounded violet 
lobes, and a wide 
white throat pen¬ 
cilled with violet. 
The fourth, named 
John Cowe, re¬ 
sembles the first 
in the distribution 
of colours, but 
the darker one is 
a bright crimson- 
red. No. 5 is 
George Fisher, a 
beautiful rose- 
coloured flower 
with a large white 
throat; it grows 
vigorously, pro¬ 
ducing strong ra¬ 
cemes of large 
blooms. Dr. Tuke 
(No. 3) has bright 
red flowers veined 
with crimson in 
the throat, and 
the latter is 
divided from the 
richly - coloured 
lamina by a white 
line. II. Cannell 
(No. 8) recalls 
George Fisher in 
the bright rose 
colour of its 
lamina ; but the 
throat is heavily 
lined with crim¬ 
son-maroon, pro¬ 
ducing a fine 
effect by the con¬ 
trast of the two 
colours. The va¬ 
riety may be 
regarded as inter¬ 
mediate between 
those that belong 
to the dark 
and to the pale 
types. A very handsome Pentstemon is The Favourite 
(No. 2), which has large flowers with a rich carmine- 
rose lamina, and a white throat heavily pencilled or 
striped with a dark red colour. The variety is a strong 
grower, producing a large-sized inflorescence, and flowers 
of equal proportions. Emile Paladilhe is another strong¬ 
growing variety, producing large blooms of a deep 
amaranth colour and white throat, but the latter is 
greatly obscured by the rich pencilling. As may be 
seen by Fig. 9, General Nansouty is one of the largest 
and most richly-coloured flowers in the group. The 
segments are broad, well-rounded, and of a rich 
crimson shaded with maroon ; the ground-colour of the 
throat is white, but that again is obscured by the 
maroon pencillings that closely line it. The palest 
flower of the lot, and likewise one of the most distinct, 
is Miss F. Hope (No. 6). The blooms are pure white, 
or more or less tinted with rosy pink. It should 
certainly find a place in a selection. The Messrs. 
Cannell have a good collection at Swanley, and to 
them we are indebted for the illustration. 
