554 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 3, 1890. 
HEPATIOAS. 
These having gone out of bloom, I am going through 
my stock plants in pots, dividing and re-potting such 
as need it. In this way one can increase their stock 
of any particular variety. I may say that I always 
make a point of growing three or four large specimens 
in 5-in. pots, and these are divided as soon as they 
have filled the pots with roots, and made dense tufts. 
In going through them I always find a few self-sown 
seedlings on the surface, and these are carefully placed 
round the sides of small pots to grow on into size. 
The divided pieces are put into small pots, if well 
rooted, one in a pot; if they are small, four are placed 
round the sides of a 4-in. pot, and a year hence they 
are potted off singly. 
During the summer the pots are plunged up to their 
rims in a bed of cocoa fibre, and they are thus carried 
safely through the summer. I have strong clumps of 
each variety planted out in the open, under a west wall 
—a very hot position in summer, but they do remark¬ 
ably well. As soon as the plants have gone out of 
flower a top-dressing of fine soil is given, and any seeds 
that ripen are shed on to it, and take root. But I get 
more seedlings from plants in pots than from those in 
the open.— E. D. 
-- 
FANCY POLYANTHUSES. 
Possibly there are some appreciators of these very 
charming spring flowers who, like myself, wonder why 
florists should still foster so dwindling and inconspicuous 
a strain of Polyanthuses as are the gold-laced section, 
whilst the fine and many-coloured fancy forms are let 
severely alone. It is true there is a class for fancies at 
the National Auricula Society’s show, hut then it is 
put in rather that something gay and attractive might 
be placed on the exhibition tables than that the 
flowers should be regarded as worthy of the florist’s 
attention. As evidence of this, it is enough to point 
to the fact that whilst 20s. stand as a first prize for six 
gold-laced, only 1 os. are offered for twelve fancies, and 
yet a lot such as a first-prize dozen of the latter in¬ 
variably gives ten times the attractive material found 
in the gold-laced flowers. At the Royal Aquarium 
something better is done, as the prizes there are 
reversed; but then Mr. Holmes is not a florist, in its 
narrowest acceptation, and recognises that not only 
do the fancies give far more of beauty, but also that 
the public appreciate them. 
There is this merit attached to fancy Polyanthuses, 
that they not only seed freely, but will reproduce all 
the best characters of the parent flowers through seed, 
and will also, where there is careful selection, bring 
some undoubted improvements. The gold-laced Poly¬ 
anthus, on the other hand, is rather a shy seeder ; 
at least choice sorts are. Still farther, it is doubtful 
whether any other hardy plant gives such a large 
proportion of rubbish in seedlings from the very best 
sorts as the gold-laced section does. We have our 
Exile and our Cheshire Favourite. Beyond these, in 
quality and refinement of markings, it seems impossible 
to pass, therefore raising seedlings is ill-paid labour ; 
it is, indeed, productive of disappointment. Then these 
gold-laced plants are difficult to grow—so difficult, 
indeed, that they will not exist in the south under 
ordinary outdoor culture, but must be grown in frames 
and pots, and need no end of care and attention. 
Of course, such care is not irksome to the florist who 
loves his flowers, but it very much discounts the 
pleasure in culture which must result to the general 
grower who cannot afford too much time and labour, 
and looks for some reward in the shape of beautiful 
flowers. Now the fancy Polyanthus is very hardy, 
very robust, and thrives well in almost auy soil. Of 
course there are plenty of varieties produced which are 
only fitted for ordinary border decoration, but the 
strain opens a wide field to the enterprising florist, in 
which he may work for years, even for a long life, with 
satisfaction and profit. One of the first efforts of the 
florist in relation to fancy Polyanthuses should be 
applied in the direction of securing clearly defined self 
colours. There are now many distinct and beautiful, 
but the deeper-hued flowers need much improve¬ 
ment in that respect, as so many have variegated 
markings. 
We have white, sulphur, yellow in diverse shades, 
and some dark hues, all very pure. The more the 
better. It is in reds, crimsons, mauves, purples, &c., 
that careful selection is needed, and that selection, 
with consequent careful breeding, can only be conducted 
by those who have ample time to devote to the work. 
Added to colour should be clearness of eye ; with these, 
as with gold-laced Polyanthuses, a thrum eye is an 
absolutely essential element of beauty. The centres 
should not be of a deep buff hue nor clouded with dull 
colour, hut be of a pure yellow shade, and clearly 
defined. Some centres are now almost perfect, the 
ground of the flowers being rigidly outlined. It is 
such good marked flowers as these which need further 
selection and careful breeding. Attention should also 
he given to form of truss, to stoutness of stem, and to 
substance of the individual pips. 
In all these directions there is ample room for work, 
and certainly it would be difficult to find any flower 
which would with comparative ease give such abundant 
beauty. Those who would embark in this range of 
labour should obtain seed of a good strain and start at 
once. A few plants of good selected sorts would be 
helpful also, and then in a few years literally wonders 
with these Polyanthuses may be accomplished.— A. D. 
-- 
RHODODENDRON CAMPYLO- 
OARPUM. 
To my mind the most lovely of all the Himalayan 
Rhododendrons is R. campylocarpum. It has waxy 
and uncommonly thick petals of a delicate primrose 
hue, with a slight flush of rose deep down in the throat. 
The flowers are large, showy, numerous on the truss, 
and have a peculiar and rather pleasant odour, though 
it is very faint. Its purity of colour, and transparency 
so to speak, distinguishes it from any other species. 
As a greenhouse plant it is charming, and from no 
collection worthy of the name should it be absent. 
But while it is mostly recommended as for greenhouse 
cultivation, it is not by any means tender, for this last 
spring it has, at "Whiteway, in South Devon, come 
through 12° of frost unharmed. As its native habitat 
in Sikkim is about 11,000 ft. above the sea level, it 
ought to be hardy in the more southern counties of 
England, iu Devon and Cornwall, and in co. Kerry 
and co. Cork in Ireland, where at all sheltered. I 
send you a truss herewith that you may see what can 
be done with it in the open in this favoured county of 
Devon.— Devoniensis. [A handsome species, allied 
to R. Thomsoni, but botanically distinct.— Ed.] 
-- 
THE FILBERT. 
The Filbert is a fine variety of Corylus avellana, the 
common Hazel of our hedgerows and woods. One old 
writer suggests that the origin of the word Filbert is to 
be sought in the metamorphosis of the Thracian 
Princess Phyllis into a Nut tree, or more precisely 
into the Almond ; and this explanation of the word 
now appears to be strengthened by the fact that the 
old English name for both tree and nut was Filberd 
or Fylbirde, said by some to have been so called after 
a kind of Phillibert. In olden times the distinction 
drawn between nuts of a good and those of the best 
quality, was by terming the former the short-bearded, 
and the latter the long-bearded or full-bearded ; whence, 
according to a popular belief, by corruption, Filbert. 
The Filbert, then, is but a fine variety of our common 
nut. 
The Hazel-nut is diffused, as a wild and indigenous 
plant, all over Europe and Central and Russian Asia, 
growing spontaneously in woods and tree-clad ravines. 
Able to become a small tree, still it is seldom anything 
more than a great bush, many long and flexible stems 
arising from the base. None of our native fruit trees 
are more interesting in regard to their flowers, these 
being momeeious, and developed long before the leaves. 
The stamens are contained in catkins, put forth as far 
back as September, while the nuts of the current 
year are scarcely ripe. By Christmas they become 
conspicuous, in February they attain their full 
length, 2 ins. or 3 ins., and then hang from the bare, 
brown branches. On a fine sunny afternoon a Hazel¬ 
nut in a youthful wood presents one of the loveliest 
spectacles then offered by awakening nature. Every 
catkin is ready with its pollen, and a slight shake 
brings down a mist of glittering particles. The female 
flowers, contained in minute lateral buds, are indicated 
by their tufts of protruding crimson stigmas. Shortly 
after fertilization there is a very curious change. The 
bud grows out into a shoot carrying the rudiments of 
the nut at the apex. The nuts are thus projected to a 
distance of several inches from the point where they were 
generated. While they are forming, the minute scales 
which enclose the pistils enlarge, and at length we 
have the husk of the nut. Another curious fact in the 
history of the development of the nut is that it seems 
to come impromptu. The infants never show them, 
selves. 
The Filbert, which is botanically Corylus avellana 
tubulosa, is distinguished by the elongation of the nut, 
and corresponding enlargement of the husk. In one of 
the sub-varieties, known as the Red Filbert, the cover 
of the kernel is crimson-red ; in another, called the 
Cosford, the shell is remarkably thin, and ■ elegantly 
striated. The next best—ihe Cob Nut, C. avellana, 
var. grandis, is marked by a short and ovid figure, and 
very thick shell. 
The county of Kent has long been famous for Filberts, 
and some people wonder why it is that it is almost the 
only district in England where they are grown so fine. 
Kent is well named the Garden of England ever since 
this island was discovered, and in no country are finer 
fruits produced. The climate has, no doubt, much to 
do with it, as well as the declivity of hill and warm 
valleys and varied soils. There is an enterprise about 
the Kentish character which, perhaps, has something 
to do with it. One great cause of making Filbert 
bushes to bear is to keep the roots as near the surface 
as possible, and never to use the spade, but a spud or 
broad-tined fork to loosen the surface, as well as in the 
manuring process. To get good crop’s of Filberts the 
trees must by no means be left to themselves. An 
excellent mode of culture is to rear the plant from a 
sucker, as by sowing the nuts there is no certainty 
that the particular variety will be produced. The 
plant grows without restraint for some three years, and 
then it is cut down to within a few inches of the 
ground. 
New and vigorous shoots are produced ; these 
are shortened to about a third of their length, and a 
hoop is placed inside, to which the shoots are made 
fast, the result being the formation of a tree the shape 
of a goblet, seldom more than 6 ft. high, of the sime 
diameter, and very fruitful. But it is found that 
cultivated varieties are apt to he deficient in catkins ; 
hence it is that when the bushes are in bloom it is 
useful to cut branches loaded with catkins from the 
wild Hazel, and to suspend them in such a way that 
the pollen may fall upon the awaiting stigmas. 
Filberts regularly pruned are like a well-trained 
currant bush ; the stem of the tree is usually kept 
clear for at least a foot above the roots, and no sucke'rs 
are allowed to grow except for the purpose of forming a 
new plantation. Filberts appear to succeed best on a 
stone or rocky soil, provided it be a good loam ; but in 
some parts of Scotland, fine Filberts have been produced 
on barren sandy steep banks, facing the south, in 
Perthshire. One of the best manures for Filberts is old 
rags, and the trees are manured once a year; the 
usual practice is to open the soil round the stem in 
October, it remains so until November, then the 
manure is placed thickly round, and the earth thrown 
over it. 
A plantation, if well managed, will bear in about 
three years from the time' of planting, and the trees 
bear in proportion to their size and well being, and it 
is said if the soil is suitable, a plantation will go on 
bearing for one hundred years. The nuts are picked as 
soon as they turn brown, and they are sent to market, 
and realise prices according to the demand for them— 
HEUCHERA SANGrUINEA. 
This elegant species is certainly the finest of all the 
Heucheras for garden culture. H. micrantha has very 
small flowers, hut when well grown bears graceful 
panicles of bloom ; and H. hispida, better known 
under the name of H. Richardsoni, is sometimes grown 
for the sake of its beautiful bronzy foliage. The subject 
under notice is perfectly hardy, and therefore suitable 
either for border or rockery culture. But it is also 
amenable to pot work, and may be had in bloom in a 
greenhouse long before it comes into flower out of doors. 
Its hardiness and adaptability to different methods of 
treatment is all the more remarkable, seeing that it 
comes from Northern Mexico. Other evidence in its 
favour is that although imported to this country as 
recently as 1832, it has already found its way into 
many gardens throughout the length and breadth of 
the land, thus showing that it may, at no distant date, 
become everybody’s plant, and be grown in the garden 
of the cottager, as well as in that of the peer. "We 
have recently been favoured with a panicle of bloom 
from Mr. Davidson, The Gardens, Iwerne Minster, 
Blandford, who holds it in high estimation for its 
brilliancy of colour, the long time the flowers last, and 
the ease with which it can be grown. 
