46 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 21, 1895. 
Moreover, the bright crimson-purple flower and 
dark green, glossy foliage, thickly bestrewn with 
rusty spots beneath, proclaimed it to be R. ferru- 
gineum. The Greek derivation of the generic name, 
however, is somewhat contradictory, inasmuch as 
the English equivalent is nothing more or less than 
“Rose-tree” ( rhodos , a Rose, and dendron, a tree). 
But still the absence of technical knowledge did not 
seem to detract from my friend’s enjoyment of the 
Alps, for his colour sense, at any rate, knew no 
bounds. Alpine valleys, Alpine heights, Alpine 
chalets, and Alpine flowers were honoured with the 
utmost enthusiasm. But while he waxed warm I 
necessarily became more taciturn, and, when I found 
it possible to interject a word, I admitted my ignor¬ 
ance of the Alpine flora in situ, but quietly suggested 
that the next best thing to the reality itself was a 
visit to Kew (which was less dangerous and 
expensive), where a large bed of the Alpine Rose 
might be seen in good condition near the Palm 
Stove, without the attendant risks of mountaineer¬ 
ing .—Le Vert. 
-- 4 *-- 
A BORDER OF ZINNIAS. 
Although the numerous single and double-flowered 
forms of Zinnia elegans are exceeding showy sub¬ 
jects, their showiness is not utilised nearly so fre¬ 
quently nor to such an extent as it might be. In 
the gardens at Gunnersbury Park this year a special 
feature is a long border filled entirely with them, 
and forming a very suitable finish to a row ot 
pyramidally-trained Pear trees. The plants have 
evidently been treated liberally, for they are ex¬ 
ceptionally strong and vigorous, and a veritable 
profusion of flower. That they looked so fresh and 
bright was all the more astonishing from the fact 
that the night previous to the day on which we saw 
them a heavy thunderstorm had occurred, accom¬ 
panied by a copious downpour of rain that had 
beaten many other apparently stronger-made plants 
to the ground. Not so with the Zinnias, however, 
for they, to use a common phrase, came up smiling 
all over, and apparently unhurt by the thunder 
shower. In planting Zinnias in this way Mr. 
Reynolds has set an example that might with advan¬ 
tage be followed by other gardeners anxious to get 
something just a little bit out of the common to 
break what is often the monotony of seeing the same 
plants in very nearly the same places year after 
year. Besides, a breadth or two of Zinnias, such as 
this affords, is invaluable material for cutting from, a 
not unimportant consideration where cut flowers in 
quantity must be forthcoming. 
-■+■- 
BEGONIAS AT EAST FINCHLEY. 
There seems no end to the uses to which tuberous 
Begonias may be put. Mr. Thomas Bevan, Super¬ 
intendent at the St. Marylebone Cemetery, East 
Finchley, uses them largely in the piece of new 
ground that has been laid out there. At the entrance 
to the cemetery are two large beds, consisting of 
some 8oo plants, which are now in perfection. Both 
single and double varieties are employed, and the 
flowers in some cases measure 4 in. to 5 in. across—• 
a size that is by no means bad for open-air culture. 
Mr. Bevan is pitting the Begonias against Pelar¬ 
goniums, and, having pursued this trial for the past 
three years, he is now pretty well convinced that 
they will hold their own against Pelargoniums any 
year. The latter get their flowers ruined very 
quickly when a heavy downpour of rain occurs, 
while the Begonias remain unhurt and are as bright 
as ever next day. Their duration is also longer in 
an average of seasons. 
The large beds in question are somewhat elevated 
above the general level of the ground, and the edges, 
which are rather steeply sloped, are planted with 
Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum, the 
light yellow colour of which forms a fine contrast to 
the dark leaves and flowers of the Begonias. Crimson 
varieties are planted in the centre, and pink ones 
form a pleasing band of lighter hue around them. 
Single and double varieties are used and give equally 
satisfactory results. As an instance of their vigour it 
may be stated that many of the plants are 2 ft. high. 
Mr. Bevan attributes this vigorous growth to the 
fact that the natural soil is removed and peat moss 
litter is largely used instead. In such a compost 
they take any amount of water and the roots revel in 
the loose material. To this the great success is 
attributed, whereas in the heavy natural soil they do 
not succeed at all. Mr. Bevan already grows several 
white varieties, but they all become tinted with pink 
externally when thus exposed to the full sunshine. 
He intends to try others till he gets one that will 
retain its purity. 
- 
FAIRY FOUNTAIN IN SEFTON PARK. 
One Sunday afternoon recently, a crowd of gazers 
might have been seen on a’grassy bank which ends a 
glade with trees on either hand, and looks upon one 
of the recently erected fountains. They were looking 
at something new and remarkable. Not only were 
they watching the graceful leaps and curves of water 
from its nozzles, but they were admiring the lovely 
prismatic colours, which, as the breeze rose and fell, 
were seen in the spray, varying, however, in their 
brilliancy. There was, in fact, a succession 
of small rainbows, and it was amusing to 
hear the remarks of some puzzled observers who had 
been educated before even board school scholars 
“ passed ” in popular science, and in that of light, 
learned that white, as it is, is a compound of seven 
colours, which are seen in the bow in the clouds, the 
prism, and the waterfall. This beautiful phenomenon 
can be exhibited in this and other public fountains, 
to a greater extent and certainty, by a very slight 
alteration. The plan can be seen, with an engraving, 
in the Scientific American for the 13th July last, a copy 
of which can be seen in the Picton Library, and 
which is an American discovery. It has been found 
that if the standpipe of a water jet ends with a cup 
or socket, and if a light ball is placed therein, very 
nearly the diameter of the cup, the water does not 
drive the light ball like a ball from a cannon, as 
might be expected, but it remains a little way off, 
and scatters the water in a sheet, like the curves of 
an umbrella, if it is vertical. But the discovery has 
a useful, as well as ornamental side, as in the distri¬ 
bution of water when wanted for irrigation or the 
extinguishing of fires .—Liverpool Post. 
- •*— - 
GUNNERSBURY HOUSE. 
Mr. J. Hudson is so well-known to the horticul¬ 
tural world as an enthusiast in all that pertains to 
the domain of gardening that a visit to the gardens 
at Gunnersbury House is usually fraught with a 
deal of interest and instruction. The flower garden, 
particularly, is just now at its best, for not only are 
beds and borders gay with flowers, but the neatness 
and good order that everywhere prevail throws its 
charm over all. On the terrace immediately 
in front of the mansion stands the collection of 
scarlet-leaved Pelargoniums which are not only 
remarkable as a collection, rich in number of 
species and varieties, but which provoke admiration 
from the cultivator's point of view as well-grown 
and imposing specimens. Two huge fan-shaped 
bushes have only taken four years to develop from 
cuttings into their present colossal proportions, a 
fact that speaks sufficiently strongly of the care 
lavished upon them. Although some of the larger 
plants recently appeared at the late Shrewsbury 
Show they appear to be but little the worse for 
their travelling experiences. Not less remarkable 
than the Pelargoniums are some grand specimens of 
the powerfully-scented Eucalyptus citriodora, also 
in pots and in the pink of health, whilst several 
shapely plants of Myrtles are shedding the 
fragrance emitted from their profusion of flowers all 
around. 
Dahlias, it is scarcely necessary to say, are the 
flowers at Gunnersbury House just now. They are 
grown in considerable quantities, all sections being 
represented, although pompon and Cactus varieties 
appear to enjoy the greatest amount of favour. One 
special feature, and one well worthy of being copied, 
is an iron fence not far from the mansion, which, 
instead of being allowed to remain unclothed and 
an offence to the artistic eye, has been charmingly 
decorated by planting a row of Dahlias in the border 
running close to it, and to which, indeed, it forms 
an outer boundary, and training them so as to cover 
the fence. The plants have not made too rampant 
growth, and are at the time of writing a mass 
of flower, and a picture that could scarcely 
be passed unnoticed by any. In a corner, 
shaded so closely by elms that even grass will not 
grow, we get a charming little nook. As may well 
be supposed a considerable amount of thought was 
necessary before plants that would stand the shade 
of the elms were found. Ivy is utilised as an edging 
to the walks, and the flower beds are furnished by 
Fuchsias, which seem to do exceedingly well con¬ 
sidering, the taller plants consisting of specimens of 
Dracaena congesta and Grevillea robusta elegantis- 
sima. Passing from the terrace downwards towards 
the lake we find on our way several pieces of rock- 
work, in the midst of which tiny fountains are 
playing. Here Ferns have been used to impart 
the necessary greenery, our old friend Asplenium 
bulbiferum seeming to like its outdoor surround¬ 
ings immensely, so brilliantly green are its fronds. 
Some strong clumps of the beautifully mottled leaves 
of Pulmonaria officinalis also excited onr admira¬ 
tion growing by the side of the walk shaded from 
the morning and mid-day sun, but open to its rays 
during the afternoon. 
One of the prettiest pieces of bedding is un¬ 
doubtedly that to be seen in a corner not far from 
Mr. Hudson's house and close to the boundary wall 
of the garden. Standing upon the terrace that 
immediately overlooks it, it has almost the appear¬ 
ance of a sub-tropical garden, and, indeed, tender 
subjects are utilised pretty freely. A number of 
grand healthy plants of Dracaena australis in pots 
are dotted here and there, either as centre-pieces to 
the beds or as dot plants in the turf. On the 
approach of frost these plants can be easily lifted out 
and placed in shelter, their places being taken by 
small Conifers, also in pots, so that with compara¬ 
tively little trouble achangeis effected. One feature 
of this pretty corner is a large bed in which a 
number of tree stumps, some ten or twelve feet in 
length, have been placed in such a way that their 
ends, meeting in the middle, form a sort of rustic 
pyramid, the stems themselves forming an angle of 
about 45 0 with the ground. Here climbing Roses in 
variety are planted, which, once they get well estab¬ 
lished, will afford a very pleasing effect, the more 
noticeable,.perhaps, because it is decidedly out of the 
common. Some plants of Turner’s Crimson 
Rambler Rose are throwing up some remarkably 
strong growths, and to judge from the extraordinary 
rate at which they have been growing, it will not be 
long before they make a show. Two wonderfully 
pretty beds are filled with Begonia Corbeille deFeu, 
a marvellously free-flowering subject. The flowers 
themselves are bright rosy-pink in colour, and pro¬ 
duced in long many-flowered trusses, whilst the 
foliage is a rich green. A great uniformity in the 
size of the plants is another noticeable point con¬ 
cerning them, for they run about eighteen inches in 
height right through. Anyway, with the edging of 
Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum they 
looked exceedingly bright and gay. 
One of the most attractive parts of the flower 
garden is, without doubt, the lake and its surround¬ 
ings. T wo or three clumps of hardy Bamboos planted in 
close proximity to the water’s edge look decidedly 
happy and contented; whilst in the water itself 
Nymphaeas abound. A few plants of the rarer kinds, 
which may be expected to prosje hardy in this 
country, have recently been put in. Amongst them 
are N. flava, the lovely yellow Water Lily of the 
southern United States, N. Ladykeri, and some 
varieties of N. Marliacea. Experiments in this 
direction can scarcely fail to be of great value, as it is 
only by experiment that the hardiness of many fine 
aquatic plants can be discovered and their beauties 
thus made the fullest use of. 
---**- 
THE SEA ASTER AT CROSSNESS. 
The native Aster (A. Tripolium) that adorns the 
muddy flats and brackish marshes of our sea coasts, 
and the vicinity of the same, looks best, perhaps, in 
its own native wilds. At all events it is seldom seen 
in gardens. Nowhere have I seen it in greater quan¬ 
tity than in the Plumstead marshes at Crossness, 
Kent. It may be that the stagnant water about 
there is of a brackish nature, so much of the land 
being below the level of the high water mark of the 
tidal Thames. A piece of ground by the Crossness 
pumping station, and on which a great deal of liquid 
sludge is now and again emptied, was last year about 
this time covered with Asters, as closely as if it had 
been a field of Wheat, 4 ft. to 6 ft. high. The area 
covered by them would run to 75 or 100 acres, and 
was indeed a glorious sight to the lovers of flowers, 
whether wild or otherwise. The drought during the 
past summer was very severe, and the Asters went 
