630 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 4, 1892. 
Gardening Uiscellany. 
GLASS CRACKING. 
I am much interested in your answer to “ Omega,” 
p. 6oi, regarding “ Glass Cracking.” This is a 
matter I have been forced to study in many ways, 
and the result of my investigation into the causes of 
breakages are as follows :—ist. 15 oz. glass is much 
more liable to go than the thicker kin Is, and this, 
when the laps are large, lets in the moisture, and so 
when frost comes, the expansion makes it fly at once. 
A J lap is as safe as any. 2nd. Weak timber is a 
fruitful cause of breakage ; by the astragals sinking, 
it twists the whole roof, so that every square of glass 
suffers a twist and something must go. 3rd. Where 
sashes are movable, and gardeners are careless in 
not laying them down level, that damages both wood¬ 
work and glass in a short time. 4th. Heat and cold 
will break glass, but in this case the fracture is pecu- 
liir. I have a house of Orchids in which not a 
s )uare has yet been broken for years. It is 21 oz. 
sheet and l rolled plate.— J. H. 
BELLIS SYLVESTRIS 
There seems to be numerous forms of this Daisy 
for we have seen several under that name, some of 
which are relatively of large size and coarse. It is 
always single or semidouble, but we are inclined to 
think that some of the forms of it are intermediate 
between the type and Beilis perennis. At all events 
there are forms of both with ligulate and quilled 
florets. Several forms having quilled florets are now 
in British gardens, and some of them have different 
names. Hitherto we have not seen a double form of 
B. sylvestris, although the quilled forms are generally 
in a condition to be described as semidouble, for the 
ray florets are in several series and vary in colour 
from pink to a deep red. It may be remembered 
that the quilled forms of B. perennis have dark red 
florets, at least in a beautiful old-fashioned red form 
» 
which is perfectly double, and which used to be very 
common in old fashioned cottage gardens far from 
the leading centres of distribution in this country, 
and which bespeaks an existence dating back for 
many years, perhaps for centuries, when simple 
flowers were more esteemed than at the present day. 
VERONICA APHYLLA. 
Notwithstanding the number of Veronicas which 
have been introduced to cultivation from time to 
time, we still lacked a beautiful species in V. aphylla, 
The specific name means without leaves, and this 
refers to the flower stem which bears no proper 
leaves. The flower stem is only one to two inches 
high, bearing relatively large, pale blue flowers, with 
darker veins and a small white eye. The leaves are 
oval, small, and produced in a dense, radical rosette, 
so that num-rous rosettes of this kind form a carpet 
covering the ground. The most suitable place for it 
is a shelving ledge on the rockery, where it will be 
raised above the general ground level and more under 
the eye. It is a European species, entirely herbaceous, 
and reminds us of V. serpyllifolia, or V. repens, but 
is infinitely superior to both as far as the flowers are 
concerned. It would be a pity if it should not get 
disseminated and take its place amongst other species 
in British gardens. We noted it on the rockery at 
Kew. 
RICHARDIA ELL'OTTiANA 
The yellow Richardia has not yet found its way into 
cultivation, no doubt because the owner wants a very 
high price for the stock. When once it find its way 
into other hands, we may expect it to get dissemi¬ 
nated rapidly all over the country, both because it is 
beautiful and novel in itself and will form a suitable 
companion for the well-known and almost universally 
grown R. africana with white spathes. Some plants 
of R. Elliottiana turned up at the Temple Show on 
the 25th and 26th ult. It is dwarfer than well-grown 
plants of the better known species, and has leaves of 
similar shape, sagittate, and of a rich dark green, 
blotched all over with white markings. The spathe 
is of a clear yellowy uniform in hue internally but 
more or less suffused with green externally, especially 
in the younger stages. The spadix is golden yellow, 
and otherwdse similar to that of R. africana. The 
exhibitor was Air. G. M. Knight, gardener to Capt. 
Elliott, Farnborough Park, Hants. It is undoubtedly 
an acquisition to horticulture, and the sooner it gets 
disseminated the better. 
Genista pilosa. 
This species might with equal propriety have been 
named G. procumbens, because the stems are pros¬ 
trate upon the ground. It is a native of Europe, in¬ 
cluding Britain, and flowers from spring for a con¬ 
siderable time into summer. The stems are 12 in. to 
14 in. long, crowded together in a mass, bearing the 
golden-yellow flowers singly or in small clusters 
in the axils of the leaves. The oblanceolate leaves 
are slightly silky beneath. The plant is long-lived, 
and although growth is comparatively slow, it flowers 
regularly every’ year from May onwards. The best 
position for it is undoubtedly on the rockery or on 
some elevated bank, where it will be kept moderately 
dry at least during the winter months. It also ap¬ 
pears to best advantage under these conditions as the 
procumbent stems are brought more under the eye, 
and the dwarf, compact habit is highly suitable for 
that method of treatment. 
MUSCARI CONICUM 
One of the most ornamentalof the species of Muscari 
is that named M conicum, which flowers in March 
or April according to the season. The flowers are of 
a bright violet blue and are produced in long oblong- 
conical racemes well thrown above the foliage, and 
are much larger and more conspicuous than those of 
M. armeniacum, because of a brighter blue. The 
mouth or rim of the perianth is white at first but 
gradually changes to purple as it gets older. The 
linear channelled leaves are produced very early and 
mostly spread upon the ground as in other cases 
where the leaves get long. The species is a native 
of Campagna and was recently collected in 
Trepazana by H. J. Elwes, Esq. We noted a large 
bed of it in full bloom in April in the nursery of 
Messrs. Barr & Son, LongDitton, Surrey, audit was 
very effective when compared with several ..other 
species then flowering. 
NEW § wm E PIiHNTS. 
The undermentioned new species and varieties of 
plants, as well as fruits, were exhibited at the 
Temple Show, held in the Inner Temple Gardens, on 
the 25th and 26th ult., by the Royal Horticultural 
Society, when certificates were granted according 
to merit. 
Labisia sm aragdin a . — The habit of this plant is 
very dwarf, with the leaves lying cn the surface of 
the pot or pan in which it is grown. They are 
oblanceolat'e-oblong of a deep velvety, olive green, 
darker along the centre, but much lighter coloured 
when young, and 4 in. to 6 in. long. First-class 
Certificate. 
Dichorisandra musaica gigantea. —The leaves 
of this species are elliptic-oblong, of ample size and 
width, slightly oblique at the base, arranged in two 
ranks, with numerous longitudinal deep green veins, 
and very numerous short ones connecting them on a 
grey ground. The under-surface is of a uniform 
deep purple. The flowers are pale lilac and borne 
in a terminal thyrse. Altogether it is a noble¬ 
looking plant. First-class Certificate. 
Tradescantia Regin.e. — A plant of this shown 
consisted of twelve to fourteen stems, bearing stalk¬ 
less leaves in two ranks, and which are lanceolate, 
acuminate, and bin. to 8in. long. The intricate 
arrangement of colours makes it a pleasing and 
attractive subject. There is a deep olive green band 
along the centre, shaded with purple when young, 
and a grey band on each side of this, and an olive 
green narrower margin Both the latter and the 
centre are variously marked with short transverse 
grey lines, which are often shaded with purple when 
young. The under-surface is dark purple. First- 
class Certificate. 
Stenandrium Lindeni. — The leaves 01 this 
Acanthad are much smaller than any of the fore¬ 
going, opposite, oblong-elliptic, deep olive-green, 
with a lighter greenish-yellow band along the centre, 
and incurved lateral nerves and some branches of 
the same hue. The yellow flowers are borne in 
spikes, but are of little consequence compared with 
the foliage. First-class Certificate. 
Tradescantia supei>ba. — The leaves of this 
plant bear a considerable superficial resemblance to 
those of T Regime, but they are broader and pro¬ 
duced in two ranks on dwarf, slightly arching stems. 
They are of a deep olive-green above, along the 
centre on each side of which is a slightly interrupted 
silvery-grev band, and a narrow, green edge. The 
under-surface is dark purple. First-class Certificate. 
Smilax argvfe.a. — The stems of this species are 
slender and spiny, bearing alternate, lanceolate 
leaves about bin. or Sin. long. The latter are 
strongly three-nerved and heavily blotched with 
deep olive green on a grey ground, and of a paler but 
uniform green beneath. First-class Certificate. 
Cyrtosperma ferox. —The leaves of this Aroid 
are sagillate, with very long auricles, leathery, and of 
a uniform deep green. The petioles are deep olive 
brown, blotched with grey, and prickly all over. The 
spathe is greenish white, and rolled up, while the 
spadix is stout and shortly cylindrical. . he leaves, 
but especially their petioles, are the most ornamental 
feature of the plant Botanical Certificate. 
[The seven plants above described are all orna¬ 
mental-leaved stove subjects, and were exhibited by 
MM. J. & Lucien Linden (L'Horticulture Inter 
nationale), Leopold Park, Brussels, Belgium/ 
Gloxinia Clio. —The flowers of this variety are 
funnel-shaped, very large, seven-lobed. heavily- 
spotted with purple on a white ground in the throat. 
The segments are marbled and spotted with purple 
and red, with a broad white margin. Award of Merit. 
Gloxinia Cicely. —Here again the throat is white 
and finely dotted with purple. The lamina is six- 
lobed, rich purple shaded with crimson, this being 
surrounded with a purple band, and that again with 
a white margin. Award of Merit. 
Gloxinia Claribel.— The flowers of this variety- 
are of great size, funnel-shaped, and seven-lobed, 
like so many others of the leading varieties. The 
throat is finely dotted with purple and very faintly so 
on the base of the segments. Award of Merit. 
[The three Gloxinias here mentioned show that im¬ 
provements in this showy class of flowers are still being 
carried on, and that substance as well as size is being 
gained. They were exhibited by Messrs. J. Yeitch 
& Sons, Chelsea, j 
SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE DIGITATUM MAJUS.— 
The frond is oblong in the lower portion, undulated, 
and undivided. They’ have three main divisions at 
the apex, and those again are lobed, each ultimate 
division bearing a small crest, and all the segments 
are strongly divergent. First-class Certificate. 
S. v. crispum fimeriatl'm. —The fronds of this 
beautiful variety are of the usual strap-shaped form, 
but the undulations or folds are carried to such an 
extreme that they are imbricated over one another, 
and they’ are also toothed at the edges, a fact which 
explains the name fimbriatum. First-class Certifi¬ 
cate. 
[Both these bold and striking Ferns were exhi¬ 
bited by Messrs. W. & J. Birkenhead, Sale, near 
Manchester.] 
Begonia Laing’s Triumph. —The flowers of this 
variety- are double, of great size, rosy’ salmon, with 
broad, slightly undulated and loosely arranged 
sepals. Award of Merit. 
Begonia Picotee. —This is also a tuberous 
Begonia with deep green, half cordate leaves of 
moderate size. The flowers are large and double, 
with the sepals arranged round several centres. The 
outer or true sepals are much larger and broader than 
those filling up the flower, forming a guard as it were. 
All are flesh coloured, with a well defined rosy- 
salmon edge. Award of Merit. 
Begonia Duchess of Westminster Laing's vak 
-—The leaves of this Begonia are very broad, half 
cordate, somewhat lobed, and deep olive green. The 
flowers are also large but single, and bright scarlet, 
with a white blotch, slightly shaded w ith pink at the 
base of each of the four sepals. Award of Merit. 
Drac.lna Barteti.— The leaves of this variety- 
are of moderate width, oblong-elliptic, stalked, and 
deep bronzy-purple w ith red edges. Occasionally- the 
young leaves are wholly red. Award of Merit. 
Croton Reidi. — The broad and short oblong 
leaves of this Croton are somewhat undulated in the 
centre, deep olive-green, and heavily’reticulated w ith 
soft salmon-red along all the principal nerves. The 
oldest ones are the most highly coloured. Award of 
Merit. 
’The above three Begonias, the Dracaena, and 
Croton were shown by Messrs. J. Laing & Sons. 
Begonia Duchess of Westminster. —The use of 
the same popular name by’ two or more parties is no 
doubt unavoidable, and the plants are generally 
widely distinct. In this case the flowers of bo h 
varieties are single, but quite different in colour. 
The variety’ under notice has large, orbicular, clear 
salmon flow’ers with a darker centre. The plant is 
dw’arf with very broad, obliquely cordate leaves and 
overlapping auricles. Award of Merit. 
