Kovember 23, 1889. 
THE GAKDENING WORLD. 
185 
a group of the popular flower, nor does it give 
prominence to it as a rule. 
Prizes should be offered for groups of untrained 
specimens arranged for effect ; and these groups should 
he judged by the quality and profusion of bloom, as 
well as the general appearance of the plants themselves. 
The latter should be dwarf or moderately so, bushy and 
regular, as well-grown specimens ought to be, and as 
well furnished with as healthy foliage as possible. It is 
quite true that many of the large Japanese kinds, and 
the incurved varieties particularly, would not prove 
amenable to this kind of work ; but the same holds 
good with regard to trained specimens, which are not 
much grown in most districts, probably on account of 
the labour attached to them. The results of the prizes 
offered might not be great the first season, but this style 
of exhibiting, like everything else, requires time to 
develop. As competition increased, so would the 
quality of the exhibits, and an example would be set 
which could well be followed by amateurs possessed of 
a greenhouse or a small amount of glass. 
The varieties best adapted to the method of culture 
above defined consist of a certain class of Japanese, a 
large number of Japanese reflexed, a smaller number of 
reflexed kinds, and still fewer incurved forms. The 
question of fitness or otherwise depends largely upon 
the habit of the plants them¬ 
selves, as well as the size 
and form of the flower, 
becauso if the blooms on 
those sorts grown for decora¬ 
tive purposes do not assume 
somewhat of their char¬ 
acteristic shapes their value 
would be much depreciated. 
The variously formed and 
easy gracefulness of many 
Japanese varieties have much 
to recommend them to the 
attention of the public, and, 
as a rule, do not lose much 
in general effect by being 
small. In the first rank 
may be placed Source d’Or, 
Roi des Preeoces, Alexander 
Dufour, L’lle des Plaisirs, 
Bertier Rendatler, Glori- 
osum, Madame de Sevin, 
Bouquet Fait, Mons. Tarin, 
Mons. Bernard, Fair Maid 
of Guernsey, Joseph Mahood, 
Shasta, Comet, Hiver Fleuri, 
0. J. Quintus, Sunflower, 
and Mdlle. Lacroix. So 
popular has Source d’Or 
become in the public esti¬ 
mation, when grown as 
dwarf plants in small pots, 
that market growers have 
responded so freely to the 
desire as literally to flood 
the market with that kind 
alone. White flowers are 
also highly appreciated at 
all seasons of the year. 
Bertier Rendatler, when 
grown for large flowers, has a tendency to develop 
a number of small heads round the base of the 
central one, after the manner of the Hen-and- 
Chickens Daisy, and the primary one fades before 
the rest, spoiling the general effect. This fault is, 
however, corrected by growing the plant as a bushy 
specimen or as a trained one. 
Amongst Japanese reSexed varieties very suitable for 
the purpose are Elsie, Amy Furze, Maiden’s Blush, 
Margot, Elaine, Roseum superbum, Yal d’Andorre, La 
Triomphante, Mons. Astorg, and others. Reflexed 
kinds are supplied by Annie Salter, Dr. Sharpe, 
Cullingfordi, The Peach, Golden and Pink Christine, 
as well as the White Christine, sometimes grown under 
the name of Mrs. Forsyth. Incurved varieties that 
might be added to this list are Mrs. Geo. Rundle, 
George Glenny, and the Golden George Glenny, some¬ 
times shown under the name of Mrs. Dixon. To this 
list might well be added a large number of Pompon 
varieties, and some of the finer single kinds, such as 
Miss Rose, Lady Churchill, Jane, Mary Anderson, 
Snowflake, Gus Harris, and others, according to taste 
or fancy. No doubt many growers have in their ex¬ 
perience found many others, and some even more 
suitable for growing as bushy plants, with a profusion 
of bloom of an appreciable size, and beauty or elegance 
to recommend them. 
A GOOD PERN FOR WINDOW 
CULTURE. 
Frequent attempts are made to grow Adiantums in 
dwelling rooms and windows, and notwithstanding 
that one of the hardiest of them, namely, A. cuneatum, 
is most frequently used, the foliage withers away under 
the arid influences of the atmosphere, and nothing will 
induce it to make such fine foliage again, unless 
covered by a bell-glass or grown in a Wardian case. 
Amongst exotic Ferns there are none, perhaps, that 
will endure the atmosphere of a room better than 
Pteris serrulata, or some of its finer and more compact 
crested forms, such as P. s. cristata compacta, the habit 
of which is well represented by our illustration. The 
most luxuriant growth is of course made when the 
plant is grown in a house with a warm, moist 
atmosphere ; but it will, nevertheless, make clean 
and fresh fronds even if grown continuously in the 
window of a dwelling room. As the temperature rises 
in spring, so the young fronds commence to spring up, 
and continue to do so till very late in autumn, when it 
appears in best form. By thus growing it in a window 
year after year the fronds acquire that firmness which 
enables them to pass the winter there. Although a 
fire is kept burning all the evening, yet the fresh 
greenness of the plant does not suffer. The heavy 
A good Window Fern : Pteris serrulata compacta. 
crests, as seen in the illustration, take a considerable 
time to develop after the other parts of the frond have 
acquired their full size. The variety is admirably 
suited to the requirements of amateurs, and should be 
kept tolerably moist all the year round. 
-- 
VERONICAS FOR WINTER 
WORK. 
Several of the shrubby Veronicas make useful flower¬ 
ing subjects for borders and rockwork in summer, but 
they are equally if not more suitable for winter work 
on account of the pleasing deep shining green hue of 
the foliage, and the neat habit of all parts of the plant. 
Nothing more suitable for maintaining a warm and 
fresh appearance could be used around the entrance of 
villas and along the sides of the approach thereto. 
Their value is also enhanced by their suitability for 
town culture, as the smoothness of the foliage prevents 
the lodgment of soot and other filth but too plentiful 
in the atmosphere at this season. The value of 
Veronicas is already well recognised and appreciated 
around the sea-board of this country, but especially 
along the southern coast, and in the Isle of Wight, 
where they flower splendidly in the autumn. 
V. Traversii may be placed in the first rank for 
inland and town culture, where it thrives admirably 
even as far north as Midlothian, where it forms large 
bushes 3 ft. or 4 fc. in diameter, and flowers profusely 
during the late summer and autumn months. The 
flowers are white, and produced in axillary spike-like 
racemes, while the leaves are neatly arranged in four 
rows on ascending and sub-erect branches. It grows 
slowly, and, consequently, always appears neat and 
quite distinct from the ordinary evergreen subjects, 
including Euonymus, that are generally used for such 
purposes. Except in very severe winters it remains 
quite uninjured, although not protected from frost in 
any way. 
The sea-green or glaucous hue of the foliage of "\ . 
pinquifolia entitles it to recognition for the same 
purposes as the last; and although not difficult to 
grow, nor very delicate in constitution, yet it is longer 
lived if planted in more sandy or drier positions than 
V. Traversii. It will, therefore, thrive all the better 
if planted on slightly elevated rockwork, where the 
roots will be thoroughly well drained in winter. It 
will also flower all the more freely in summer when so 
treated, and the short racemes of white flowers nestling 
amongst the glaucous foliage render the plant quite 
interesting. V. parviflora, with its variety V. p. 
angustifolia, although less pretty or neat than either 
of the foregoing, is, nevertheless, frequently grown 
on account of its hardiness. 
The leaves are long and 
linear, w'hile the slender 
racemes of flowers are white 
or pinkish. It generally 
grows about 3 ft. high. 
The narrowly oblong leaves 
of V. ligustrifolia are of a 
paler shade of green than 
V. Traversii, and as dis¬ 
tinctly arranged in four 
rows as those of that species. 
The shrubby stems are, 
however, dwarf and slow 
growing, seldom, perhaps, 
rising above 15 ins. or 18 
ins. It flowers with toler¬ 
able freedom. 
V. epacridea, as the name 
implies, bears considerable 
resemblance to an Epacris, 
owing to the smallness and 
close arrangement of its 
dark, shining green leaves, 
with a distinctly four- 
ranked arrangement. The 
branching stems and shoots 
are ascending or sub-erect, 
and owing to their compact¬ 
ness and slowness of growth, 
the plant is elegant and 
pretty. It is somewhat more 
tender, however, but will 
outlive ordinarily severe 
winters, and deserves a 
place in select collections, on 
account of its pretty habit 
and distinct character. V. 
formosa has dark green 
foliage, and the foliage may 
be Compared to that of the Box for size, but the shape 
is somewhat different, while the colour is equally so. 
The flowers are most abundantly produced, especially 
if the plant is grown against a wall, and are of a bright 
blue. V. salicornoides differs from any of the above, 
and has minute leaves hugging the cord-like stems, 
which branch profusely, forming a twiggy shrub of a 
yellowish hue, resembling to some extent a dense bush 
of the Common Ling (Calluna vulgaris), and generally 
does not exceed 6 ins. or 8 ins. high. It rarely flowers 
in this country, but forms a neat and interesting bush 
for rockwork. 
Amongst the taller and stronger-growing kinds, V. 
salicifolia, better known, perhaps, under the name of 
V. Lindleyana, takes a high rank. The pale-coloured 
flowers are produced in great abundance during summer, 
and not only is it perfectly hardy in the south, but it 
ripens seeds freely, and scatters them about so that 
seedlings frequently appear if the ground about the 
mother plant is left undisturbed. The leaves are light 
green, long and willow-like, hence the specific name. 
It grows 3 ft. or 4 ft. high. V. Andersoni grows 
equally strong and has broader leaves, but it is less 
hardy. Around the south coast, and in the Isle of 
Wight, however, hedges of it are planted, and flower 
most profusely. The flowers, produced on long axillary 
racemes, are of varying shades of blue and lilac, accord* 
