August 16, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
795 
Gladiolus Lemoinei. 
The above name is that given to a strain of garden 
hybrids raised between Gladiolus purpureo-auratus of 
Natal, and the more commonly cultivated G. ganda- 
vensis. There are now many colour varieties in gardens 
differing greatly in the markings, which are usually bold 
in character. A circular bed of mixed kinds may be 
seen on the grass at Kew, between the X range and 
the Palm house. G. purpureo-auratus has curved 
flowers of a light yellow, with bold purple blotches on 
the three lower segments of the perianth, which is 
rather contracted at the mouth compared with G. 
gandavensis. The seedlings are, however, greatly im¬ 
proved in this respect, being not only conspicuous and 
showy, but they show a departure from the ordinary 
run of Gladioli in gardens. Some of the flowers 
already expanded are splashed with pale purple on a 
white ground. The two lower and lateral segments are 
furnished with a large obovate crimson blotch, while 
the tip is yellow. The throat of the perianth is almost 
black. Other varieties have smaller crimson blotches. 
The stems are very vigorous and 3 ft. to 4 ft. long. 
The Woolly Foxglove. 
There is something stately about the rushy brown- 
flowered Digitalis ferruginea ; but the Woolly Foxglove 
(D. lanata) has a charm of its own of a different kind. 
The stems vary from 2 ft. to 4 ft. in height in good 
soil, and below the flowering part of the main stem 
numerous branches are given off, terminating in dense, 
many-flowered racemes of bloom. It is true the flowers 
are small compared with those of our native D. pur¬ 
purea ; but the quantity of them serves to give the 
plant a striking appearance. The lamina of the-flower 
is short and sub-globular just above the short tube, 
and is grey externally, more or less suffused with purple 
and reticulated with brown. Internally the ground¬ 
colour is cream, and closely reticulated with yellow or 
brownish yellow, while the longish undivided lip is 
white. The whole flower is downy. The stems are 
very leafy in the lower part, the lower ones being 
oblong-lanceolate, deep green, and many-nerved, while 
the upper leaves are much smaller, and, together with 
the bracts, woolly, giving the plant a hoary appearance, 
hence the name. We noted it recently in the nursery 
of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading. 
Lilium speciosum album. 
Many are the names often given to good garden plants 
just where we should expect uniformity to prevail. 
The commonest name in gardens for L. speciosum is 
L. laneifolium, which more properly belongs to L. 
elegans, of which it is a synonym ; so that L. lanci- 
folium has been erroneously applied to different plants, 
both by botanists and by gardeners. Another garden 
name for L. speciosum album is L. Kratzeri album. 
Furthermore, the latter specific name is variously spelt, 
one rendering of it being Krutcheri. As the saying 
goes, a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet, 
and so it is in this case. The pure white form of 
L. speciosum is a very handsome Lily. We noted a 
quantity of it in Peacock’s Nursery, Hammersmith, 
under the care of Mr. E. Cornish. The bulbs were 
grown singly in 32-sized pots, and having made good 
growth, flowered well. The curious outgrowths from 
the base of the segments of the perianth add much to 
the beauty of the flowers. 
the blotches of two contiguous segments appear to form 
one continuous blotch in the shape of a heart. Nor is 
this the most remarkable feature of the plant, for 
although the blotches are of the intensity described, 
they ultimately disappear, leaving the corolla of a clear 
yellow. Another curiosity of the species consists of a 
short horn-like elevation at the base of the sinus between 
each two segments of the flower, giving rise to the 
specific name cornuta. It is rather singular that 
blotches of a similar vanishing character should prevail 
in other members of the genus. A batch of plants 
grown in pots may be seen in the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, at Chiswick. 
Gilia androsacea. 
This Californian annual belongs to the section Lepto- 
siphon of the genus, and is generally spoken of under 
the name of L. androsaceus. It varies from 10 ins. to 
12 ins. in height, according to circumstances, and is 
therefore much taller than the majority of species in 
cultivation generally classed under Leptosiphon. The 
flowers are large and pale mauve-purple, but vary to 
lilac, pink and nearly white. As in other cases, the 
tube is long and slender, with a widely-spreading 
lamina, and flowers are produced in great profusion 
towards the tops of the branches. The plant produces 
a fine display during July and August. We noted 
some of it recently in the trial grounds of Messrs, 
Sutton & Sons, of Reading. 
■ ^ 
Linaria reticulata aurea purpurea. 
The flowers of this annual are of a dark velvety 
crimson, with a prominent golden yellow palate form¬ 
ing a conspicuous blotch in the centre of the bloom. 
When produced in profusion, as seldom fails to be the 
case, the effect is very charming. Sometimes the 
palate is orange-red or coppery red, as seen in the 
Calceolaria named Bijou. In the typical form of the 
species the flowers are dark purple and netted, while 
the palate is copper-coloured or yellow, and netted 
with purple. 
A Large Lettuce. 
On a former occasion we made reference to a large 
Cabbage Lettuce, named New York, attaining huge 
proportions, and weighing from 4 lbs. to 6 lbs. Sutton’s 
Mammoth is a Cos Lettuce, and may not probably 
attain the above given dimensions, but when seen in 
good condition it resembles a good-sized cabbage. The 
leaves of the Cos varieties are generally more crisp and 
tender than those of Cabbage Lettuces. The variety 
under notice remains for some time in good condition 
before throwing up its flower stems and so becoming 
useless. The outer leaves are very broad compared 
with Cos Lettuces. We noted a patch of this 
vigorous sort in the trial grounds of Messrs. Sutton & 
Sons of Reading. 
Lupinus Menziesii. 
The stems of this bold and showy annual grow to a 
height of 2 ft., each branch terminating in a raceme of 
golden yellow flowers, the racemes being 4 ins. to 8 ins. 
long. It seems to flower much more freely than yellow 
kinds generally do, at all events in rich soil. The 
gravelly nature of the soil at Reading seems to suit it, 
as it has been flowering freely for some time past in the 
trial grounds of Messrs. Sutton & Sons. 
Kaphis humilis. 
One is so accustomed to see this Palm as a dwarf 
subject about 2 ft. or 3 ft. high, that the natural 
conclusion is that the plant never gets any taller. A 
specimen may be seen 10 ft. high in the nursery of 
Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Holloway. It is 
grown in a pot or moderate-sized tub, and has thirteen 
stems of various sizes, of which four are of the above 
height. The lamina of the leaf is larger, lighter green, 
and with longer segments than those of the more 
common R. flabelliformis. The slender segments also 
droop gracefully, giving the Palm an altogether lighter 
and more elegant appearance than R. flabelliformis. 
Young plants are very choice and desirable for deco¬ 
rative purposes. 
Arnebia cornuta. 
The stems of this species are taller and more upright 
than those of A. echioides, but only of annual duration. 
The leaves are linear, hispid, and somewhat hoary, like 
many others of the Borage family, to which it belongs. 
The flowers are of a bright yellow, with a large, velvety, 
dark crimson blotch on the side of each segment, and 
Poppy, The Mikado. 
Of the many garden strains of Papaver somniferum in 
gardens, there is one known as P. Murselli, charac¬ 
terised by the long fringes into which the petals are 
cut. The flowers are double. One of the varieties of 
this strain is known as The Mikado. The flowers are 
very double, deeply cut, white on the lower part of the 
petals, and shading off into pink, and deep rose on the 
fringes. Like all other varieties of the Opium Poppy 
this will thrive in any good garden soil ; but if of a 
rich nature, and the plants are allowed plenty of space 
to develop, larger flowers and more of them will be 
produced, and the flowering period will extend over a 
much greater length of time. We noted this Poppy 
recently in Peacock’s Nursery, Hammersmith, now 
carried on by Mr. E. Cornish. 
Thunbergia alata. 
Some beautiful varieties of this old-fashioned South 
African climber may be seen in one of the greenhouses 
at Chiswick in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural 
Society. The type has bright yellow flowers ; those of 
T. alata aurantiaca are orange-yellow, fading with age 
to pale yellow, with a purplish black throat. The 
variety T. a. alba is pure white, or the throat is of a 
pale tint of yellow, at least in the young stages of the 
bloom. With a few sticks placed in the pots to climb 
up, a mass of foliage is soon produced, studded all over 
with orange, yellow or white flowers, as the case may 
be. The species is annual, and seeds may be sown in 
March or April in heat, and potted off singly as soon 
as they attain a pair of rough leaves. The plant also 
succeeds admirably when planted out and. trained 
against a pillar or other support. 
Papaver somniferum, The Bride. 
A fine display of the above variety of the Opium 
Poppy might have been seen for many weeks past in 
Peacock s Nursery, Hammersmith, formerly occupied by 
the late Mr. J. T. Peacock’s noted collection of Orchids, 
but now used as a market nursery by Mr. E. Cornish. 
The variety in question is a pure white form, a selection 
from a Poppy that has been in cultivation for many 
years in this country, and of which there are several 
very distinct strains, both single and double. The 
flowers are of large size, and the petals nearly entire at 
the margin, not fringed. There are sixteen beds of it 
in the nursery, each 20 ft. long and 6 ft. wide. When 
in full bloom the effect was very striking, and at a 
little distance resembled a field covered with snow. 
The plants are now swelling up and maturing their 
seed pods in great quantity, and this notwithstanding 
the quantities of flowers that were cut for market. 
They are cut as soon as expanded, put in water for a 
few hours and then taken to market, and handsome 
big flowers they are. 
Saxifraga sarmentosa tricolor superba. 
Hitherto the practice with this conspicuously varie¬ 
gated old favourite has been to grow it in a high tem¬ 
perature. The variegation, no doubt, assists in making 
it tender, as the ordinary form is all but bardy in the 
open air if planted on a rockery where the roots will be 
moderately dry during the winter. Having found its 
way into the nursery of Messrs. Charlesworth & Shuttle- 
worth, at Park Road, Clapham, where it is grown in a 
cool house, associated with the Odontoglossums, it 
grows much more freely than in a stove temperature, 
and increases rapidly by means of runners, after the 
fashion of the Strawberry. The colour even here is 
well brought out. The centre of each leaf is green, and 
the broad margin is creamy white, more or less suffused 
with bright red. The young leaves are generally the 
most highly coloured, some of them being a bright 
carmine ; but old leaves retain a considerable amount 
of red, as well as the creamy white border. It ought 
to thrive in the atmosphere of a greenhouse, considering 
the hardiness of the parent type. 
The Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. 
May 1 be allowed to say, in reply to Mr. Wright 
(p. 775), that as historians do not rely upon solitary 
sources of information when dealing with subjects that 
are or have been of wide public interest, he need be 
under no misapprehension about anyone being left in 
ignorance because my note appeared in your columns 
and not in the Journal of Horticulture. If at some 
future time anyone should feel sufficiently interested in 
the subject to write a veracious history of the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund and its origin, I am quite certain that 
inspiration will not be sought for solely from the 
columns of your respected contemporary, and therefore 
I am under no obligation, of necessity or otherwise, to 
adopt the course which Mr. Wright considers incumbent 
upon me. I readily admit all that Mr. Wright claims 
directly, but not that which the statement I called 
attention to indirectly infers. As to what may have 
been said at Mr. Barron’s house, I accept Mr. Wright’s 
statement as correct, for I know nothing about it. 
What I do know is that there was much consultation 
with Mr. and Mrs. Barron previous to the first public 
meeting being called (though I have never considered 
myself at liberty to state publicly what was said at 
those meetings), and that for the conduct of the meeting 
in question a programme was roughly drawn up to set the 
scheme in motion. I may say further that Mr. Wright 
was asked to move the particular resolution in question, 
as other gentlemen were invited to move the resolutions 
which followed the one adopting the title previously 
and publicly formulated by Mr. A. Dean. Such 
arrangements as these are perfectly well understood by 
all who take an active part in public business, but are 
not usually published to the world.— Fact, l 
