July 19, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
729 
ail urgent necessity. All strong shoots should have 
early attention, and where they are inclined to produce 
lateral growths, should be pinched close back, while 
weaker shoots will he encouraged by the cutting back 
or entire removal of the stronger ones where they can 
be dispensed with. 
Pinching strong shoots of Peach trees at intervals all 
the growing season is one way, and a very sure way 
too, of fairly balancing the growth, by diverting the 
sap into another channel. We do not rest satisfied, 
however, by simply pinching the shoots to arrest gross 
growth and to induce fruiting, but we practise pinching 
the foliage too, which has a very apparent effect. If 
this fails, we do not hesitate to pinch the roots by 
lifting, cutting all strong roots hard back, and 
No ; there is no surer way of courting defeat than this 
method of hap-hazard pinching. — /. Proctor, Glen- 
finart. _ 
BLUE-FLOWERED HARDY 
ANNUALS. 
Travellers by the Great Western Railway, when a 
mile or so east of Reading, have their attention 
attracted by the bold and striking patches of hardy 
annuals now in bloom in the spacious seed trial 
grounds. They see very large patches of colour of 
many of the leading hardy annuals, and it is when 
massed in this way that one sees them in the greatest 
perfection. There are patches of blue of various shades, 
also shades of crimson to rose, orange, yellow, white, 
Phaius Humblotii. 
shortening others, replacing in fresh soil and beating 
hard. It is quite sound practice to pinch laterals on 
any plant at intervals ; but never much at a time. 
Where indiscriminate pinching is practised, good 
results are impossible, either in growing the most 
ordinary pot plant or the choicest exotic. All the 
strongest laterals or points should be pinched first to 
strengthen the weaker, and it frequently occurs that 
the laterals produced after this operation require to be 
pinched again and again, indeed, sometimes entirely 
removed, to produce the desired effect. It will be 
observed that in most plants the growth is strongest at 
the higher extremity, hence any contemplated pinching 
must be directed there in the first instance, thus 
correcting the more robust growth. It is useless to 
pinch all shoots, leaders, and laterals simultaneously, 
with the object of quickly making a plant; or, in the 
case of fruit, with the object of sustaining the fruit. 
and parti-coloured ; and by reason of the rapid whirl of 
the train, the eye does not rest long enough upon any 
one patch to take in what the subject really is, unless 
the traveller is well acquainted with the flowers. But 
the patches of blue strike the eye, and for one reason, 
that they are by no means general ; and when one 
comes to think of it, there are but very few really good 
blue hardy annuals. There is the large blue 
Anagallis grandijlora, with its bright blue blossoms, 
very attractive, and a good free-blooming plant for 
summer borders ; it is also dwarf, growing to a height 
of about 6 ins. 
Anchusa arvalis has dark blue flowers of a good hue, 
but it is tall and irregular in appearance, and does 
not at any time present to view a good head of bloom ; 
it is at least 18 ins. in height. 
Browallia elata alba is more properly a greenhouse 
annual, and when grown in pots will bloom during the 
winter under glass ; but I have seen it do well in the 
open sown in light sandy soil in a warm position, 
though it is not one to be recommended for general 
sowing. 
Collinsia grandijlora, though hardly a true blue, is 
yet so showy and produces such fine whorls of dark 
purple flowers as to admit of being classed among the 
blue-flowered hardy annuals. The old deep blue 
Convolvulus minor is one of the most striking and 
showy among the annuals, and especially that known 
as Monstrosus, which, when seen in a large bed, is 
truly superb. A variety termed Crimson Violet might 
come into this list, for it is very showy as well as novel. 
Eutoca viscida is a hardy annual of an intense blue 
colour, growing to about 1 ft. in height, and well 
worthy of a place in the garden. 
Gilia laciniata is a very pretty annual also, fairly 
dwarf in growth, and profusely bearing heads of 
lavender-blue flowers ; an annual that is not grown so 
much as it deserves to be. The dwarf blue 
Jacobcea is also a pretty blue, and is a plant well 
worthy of being grown. Then there is the pretty 
Lupinus nanus, a charming blue annual, very 
pleasing indeed, and remarkably free ; but there is no 
really blue annual that, to my mind, can touch the 
charming blue 
Nemophila insignis, it being such a charming shade, 
so dwarf and so free of bloom. It was in 1883 that 
this interesting stranger was first introduced from 
California, and I can just remember, when about seven 
or eight years old, being sent by my father with a few 
plants to a lady who was greatly interested in her 
garden, and who was seeing the Nemophila for the 
first time. Another fine blue is 
Nemophila atomaria atro-ccerulea, a very dwarf, 
compact, and free-blooming type, having dark ultra- 
marine flowers, with a white centre surrounded by a 
purple zone. 
Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist), and H. 
hispanica (Devil-in-a-Bush), a blue, and not a black 
devil, certainly are both capital annuals, pleasing all 
who grow them. The only equal to the Nemophila is 
Phacelia campanularia, the newest blue, with rich 
dark blue flowers not unlike those of the Nemophila. 
I saw some superb patches of this in Messrs. Sutton & 
Sons’ seed trial grounds the other day, in the full 
maturity of its superb beauty. Lastly comes 
Whitlavia gloxinioides, the tube of the flower white, 
but handsomely marked with blue. — E. D. 
-- >X - o - 
PHAIUS HUMBLOTII. 
The number of flowering specimens of this remarkable 
Phaius recently exhibited at various shows has amply 
testified that its cultivation is much easier than that 
of its equally beautiful and singularly constructed 
congener, P. tuberculosus, whose cultural requirements 
have always been a source of disappointment and 
trouble to the cultivator. Through the kindness of 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, we are enabled to 
-give an illustration of this singular and strikingly 
beautiful species. It was discovered about ten years 
ago in the interior of Madagascar by M. Leon 
Humblot, a French naturalist, who was also in¬ 
strumental in adding P. tuberculosus to our collections. 
The flower scapes rise to a height of 15 ins. to 20 ins., 
and bear a raceme of seven to ten blooms of large size. 
The sepals and petals are roundly ovate or elliptic, 
overlapping, and rosy purple suffused with white. 
The lip is three-lobed and fiddle-shaped, concave at 
the base, with the side lobes reddish brown shaded with 
crimson. The front lobe is rosy purple fading to 
white at the base ; and at the junction of the terminal 
with the lower part of the lip is a large, bi-lobed bright 
yellow crest with its lobes directed backwards. 
--> 2 <-- 
SPIRiEA PALMATA. 
The culture of this plant is so easy that it ought to 
find a place in every garden. Its effectiveness is even 
a stronger recommendation. The flowers are borne in 
cymes, similar to those of the common Meadow Sweet, 
but, instead of being white, they are of a brilliant rosy 
red hue, and of singular grace and elegance. The 
leaves are constructed similarly to those of the Meadow 
Sweet, but give rise to the palmate appearance and the 
specific name, owing to the great size of the terminal 
lobe. The plant generally grows to the height of 
18 ins. or 2 ft. in the open air, and looks uncommonly 
well on the margin of a stream or pond, and is particu¬ 
larly well adapted for such a method of culture. In a 
bo<* garden it is quite at home ; but notwithstanding 
its liking for moisture, it presents no difficulty what¬ 
ever to the cultivator who wishes to grotv it in the 
herbaceous border or elsewhere. 
