April‘4, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
497 
scarcely worth while to pot up tubers of over four 
years of age as the flowers they produce are 
comparatively small and worthless. 
Ferns for a north aspect house —1 have a little glass 
structure in which I propose to make a small rockery, 
planting this with Ferns. The house faces due 
north and is fitted with a flow and return of 3-in. 
piping. What Ferns would be suitable for planting 
out in such a position.— G. Lacey. 
There are many crested forms of Scolopendrium 
vulgare that would suit you. Of these, we might 
mention S. v. cambricum, S. v. cristatum, S. v. 
crispum, S. v. laceratum, and S. v. multifidum. 
There are also numbers of varieties of the common 
British Lomaria (Blechnum) Spicant that are very 
pretty, and the type itself is by no means unattrac¬ 
tive. Nephrodium canum, N. molle, N. molle 
corymbiferum, Lastrea aristata, and L. a. variegata, 
Doodia caudata, D. media, Asplenium praemorsum, 
A. bulbiferum, A. b. densum, A. b. minus, A. divari- 
catum, A. foeniculaceum, and Adiantum Capillus- 
Veneris will all do well in a house from which the 
frost is excluded by a few degrees in the winter time. 
You do not ask about Selaginellas. There are some 
of these, however, that would come in admirably for 
filling up the spaces between the plants, notably S. 
kraussiana, and its golden variety, S. k aurea, 
S. Martensii and S. M. variegata. The selection 
here given should afford a considerable variety and 
their use would enable you to make your house look 
very pretty. 
---e—- 
THE PASQUE-FLOWER. 
Amongst the many hardy spring flowers of exotic 
origin, it is seldom that a 
na ti ve plan t is brough t int 0 
great "prominence, if it 
gets noticed at all. The 
Pasque-flower (Anemone 
Pulsatilla) is Very notice¬ 
able j ust now in the chalky 
pastures of England 
where it occurs. It is 
rather thinly and locally 
distributed from Yorkshire 
to Berks,and from that 
county eastwards through 
Oxford to Suffolk. Many 
a rockwork is also made 
more interesting by the 
tuftsofthisplantin spring. 
The outer surface of the 
sepals is densely covered 
with silky hairs, giving 
the unopened flower-buds 
a very shaggy appearance, 
The inner face is purple, and if less curious, is quite 
as ornamental. The foliage is finely divided and also 
beautiful. Long roots are given off from the densely 
tufted plant, so that when once established it should 
not be often disturbed. The silky tails of the fruit 
attain a length of ij in. and remain conspicuous long 
after the flowers have been, forgotten. Those who 
desire this plant for the rockery should have no 
difficulty in obtaining it from the hardy plant 
nurseries, without rooting up the wild plant. 
-- 
HARDY FLOWERS AT TOTTENHAM. 
Within the confines of Mr. T. S. Ware’s establish¬ 
ment at Hale Farm, Tottenham, N. hardy flowers 
find a great deal of loving care and attention lavished 
upon them ; and the Nurseries have been in the past 
the birthplace and cradle of many of our most 
valuable garden plants. Not only is the highest 
cultural skill exerted in their behalf, but there is also 
a manifest appreciation of the requirements of the 
plants in other ways, and visitors can scarcely fail 
to be charmed with the pretty little rockery upon 
the mounds, and in the nooks and corners of which 
floral gems innumerable display their charms with a 
freedom that only comes when they are thoroughly 
at home, and, as it were, contented with their lot. 
Even before the melting snows of winter have well 
disappeared, and hardier and bolder subjects such as 
the Snowdrop, the Winter Aconite and the Christmas 
Roses make their appearance, and by the time their 
all-too-brief tenure has lapsed there are hosts of 
others ready to take their place. And this goes on 
until well into the following winter, Ever changing, 
but ever beautiful, the display is kept up without a 
break right through the months of summer and autumn. 
This year we have been specially favoured with an 
extraordinarily mild winter, and the results are 
apparent in the great precocity of many subjects, 
a precocity that will in some cases not go un¬ 
punished, for, at the time of our visit many of the 
frail blossoms were shivering neath withering sheets 
of sweeping hail and rain that the weather depart¬ 
ment has lately favoured us with, possibly by way of 
change. 
One part of the rockery is a perfect p'cture with the 
brilliant blossoms of Primula acaulis caerulea. But a 
few years ago it was considered impossible to pro¬ 
duce a blue Primula, and yet here we have something 
which, if not exactly a true blue, is dangerously near 
it. P. cashmeriana is one of the earliest members 
of the genus, and one of the prettiest. The leaves 
are large, somewhat leathery in consistency, and 
covered on their lower surfaces with golden farina. 
The flowers vary somewhat in colour, according to 
the circumstances in which the plants are placed. 
Those which came before our notice were of a rich 
rosy-purple hue, although all shades between this and 
pale lilac are forthcoming. They are produced in 
large spreading umbeis upon long scapes. Saxifraga 
sancta has evidently gained but little by putting in 
an appearance thus early, for the flowers exhibit a 
rather washed-out shade of yellow, Megasea 
Stracheyi was rather past its best, but S. ciliata was 
in fine condition. The leaves are large and profusely 
ciliated, the flowers white and produced close to the 
ground which they apparently dislike to leave. This 
needs a warm corner to do well, indeed it succeeds 
best in a cool house. Dentaria digitata is a very pretty 
plant, but it does not bear lifting well, and is rare in 
cultivation. The flowers are rich purple in hue, and 
the leaves palmate in shape the segments being 
oblong-lanceolate in shape and the margins coarsely 
serrated. It evidently needs a sheltered nook to 
grow properly. Of the Aubretias, Campbelli 
Improved is one of the earliest, and one, that, judging 
from appearances, should prove invalvable for spring 
bedding. It is of dwarf yet vigorous habit, and the 
violet purple flowers are produced in large quantities. 
Draba aizoides and D, Aizoon were both commencing 
to expand their flowers. We found Androsace 
carnea forming dense cushions of light green, with 
the rosy pink flowers besprinkled all over in great 
profusion. It would be hard indeed to make a list 
of the best Alpine plants without including this 
vastly pretty plant. 
In open beds in other parts of the garden the 
Erythroniums, or Dog’s-tooth Violets, as they are 
popularly called, were having a fine time of it. Said 
our guide, “ we take no extra trouble with them, and 
yet as you see, they grow and bloom away as fast as 
you like ; it is curious that there are not more of them 
grown in gentlemen's gardens ”—a statement that 
we fully endorse. E. Dens-Canis purpureum, and 
E.D.-C. roseum, tell their own tale with regard to 
colour. They are both of exceeding dwarfness, being 
barely a couple of inches in height. E. grandiflorum, 
on the other hand, is a large growing form with large 
pale lilac flowers raised well above the handsomely 
mottled foliage. E, Smithii resembles the latter in 
habit, but the flowers are pure white, a remarkably 
pretty and distinct plant, this. A considerable 
number of Fritillaries was in bloom. A large bed of 
the well-known F.imperialis was indeed a picture,with 
the whorls of large bronzy pendant flowers beneath 
the plume-ltke tuft of foliage crowning them. Side 
by side with it was a grand batch of F. i. foliis aureis 
variegatis. The name is sufficiently descriptive of 
the foliage of the plant. The flowers are rather 
smaller than those of the type, but closely resemble 
them in colour. F. Meleagris, our only British 
representative, was in fine form, as was also its 
white variety F. M. alba. The latter appears to be 
rather more straggling in habit than the type, but it 
is a splendid plant nevertheless. The flowers of F. 
aurea are large in proportion to the size of the plant, 
which is only two or three inches in height. The 
old gold hue they exhibit is very distinct and 
charming. Rather more curious than pretty would 
be the verdict passed by most people upon F 
tulipifolia. The' flowers it bears are small and 
funnel-shaped, with short, acute segments. In 
colour they are rusty brown, purple within, 
and dark glaucous blue outside, slightly streaked 
with purple. Trilium grandiflorum is too well 
known a plant to need further description 
here. The showy crimson-scarlet flowers of Anemone 
fulgens were also much in evidence. Anemone 
Pulsatilla, commonly known as the Pasque-flower, is 
a superb species for growing on a rockwork. It is a 
British plant and is usually found in localities where 
the soil is chalky. It is therefore perfectly hardy, 
and of robust constitution. Decidely a novelty is A. 
P. pratensis alba. It is fully as hardy as the type 
from which it originated, but the flowers, as the 
name implies, are white. The leaves are very 
finely cut, and together with the flowers themselves 
are thickly clothed with soft downy hairs. This was 
enclosed for the time being in a glass case as seed 
saving was in view. 
Other plants which were accommodated in frames 
were Iris stylosa and I. s. 
Elizabethea. The flowers 
of the species, which is 
one of the earliest of the 
Irids to bloom, are of 
medium size, and light 
blue in colour, blotched 
with yellow. The variety 
mentioned has rather 
larger flowers, which also 
exhibit a deeper caerulean 
tint. They are also 
netted prettily with white. 
Primula farinosa was very 
corspicuous with the 
rosettes of green foliage 
silvered over on their lower 
surfaces with the mealy 
farina, and bearing large 
umbels of the lilac flowers. 
P. floribunda was past its 
best at the time of our 
visit. The leaves are long, light green, and pubescent, 
the flower scapes and leaf petioles tinted dull red, 
and the flowers rather small in size and bright 
yellow in colour. This is a superb greenhouse 
subject, and is moreover very easy of cultivation. P. 
mollis is very distinct from the usual run of Primulas. 
The leaves are large, nearly orbicular in shape, and 
closely resemble in appearance those of a Holly¬ 
hock. The flowers are rather small and bright rose 
in colour, and the scapes are hairy. The pretty 
little hardy Orchid, Calypso borealis must not by 
any means be forgotten. It is stated that it was 
once common in Great Britain, but if so it is 
probably now extinct as a wilding. The leaves are 
cordate in shape, and the flowers vary from purple to 
pink and yellow. For growing in pots this plant is 
very suitable. With mention of Cyclamen Coum we 
must bring to a close a list that is exceedingly 
comprehensive, and one that contains much 
material whereby our hardy flowe( gardens may be 
made beautiful, even at this still early part of the 
year. 
-- 
MAXWELL’S SPRUCE. 
PlNUS EXCELSA MaXWELLII. 
A very neat dwarf-growiog form of the common 
Spruce has been sent out under the above name 
Unlike several of our well-known pigmy varieties, 
the shrub in question remains at all times as hemi¬ 
spherical as if it had been trimmed by the shears, 
and never juts into irregular growths as do many of 
the dwarf forms that are at present widely culti¬ 
vated. It only grows 2 ft. high, but is full and 
rounded, and fully a yard in spread. I was told that 
it originated in a New York nursery f but how far 
The Pasque-flower (Anemone Pulsatilla). 
