82 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 7, 1893. 
Asters, Phloxes, Delphiniums, etc., show with fine 
effect. Monthretia crocosmiflora is quite hardy 
here. The beautiful Scabiosa caucasica, the pretty 
Fuchsia-like plant Phygelius capensis, Zauschneria, 
californica, Bocconia cordata, Monarda Didyma, 
and many other good things are here in fine form. 
This border runs along on one side of a noble 
terrace walk towards the Abbey, and leads to a 
pretty sunken flower garden close under the windows 
of the western end that is very charming, and where 
Begonias of the fibrous and tuberous-rooted kinds 
are used with good effect. 
The lawn fronting the house is somewhat bare, 
with the exception of a noble Pinus insigne and a 
few other trees, but on the east side an old gravel 
pit and what was formerly the village graveyard 
have been converted into—the former a rock garden, 
and the latter to a sort of shrubbery garden. Shrubs 
and flowers in beds and borders are blended in great 
beauty. Here the block system of colour is again 
pursued, such beautiful flowers as Lobelia cardinalis 
being used with striking effect; so also are bedding 
and pompon Dahlias, Asters, which, by-the-bye, are 
wonderfully fine and good at this place. White 
Tobaccos, early blooming Chrysanthemums, etc. A 
large portion of the grounds show numerous fine 
grassy glades, and many features of interest and 
beauty. Specially fine are some noble Araucarias, 
and I could but notice on either side of the Abbey 
entrance a fine pair of Araucaria excelsa in huge 
pots that well merit mention, as they are very 
ornamental for such a purpose. 
I cannot now enter more minutely into the merits 
and beauties of this place, but I certainly enjoyed 
the visit so much that I was far too lazy to take 
note of everything. As through the kindness of the 
owner both the grounds and the Abbey are thrown 
open to the public on Thursdays visitors are abun- 
bant, and especially so are Catholics and archaeolo¬ 
gists. Altogether, it is a delightfully quiet, dreamy 
spot, but still it has no drowsy effect upon my very 
estimable host Mr. Crook, who talks of everything 
with an eloquence I can never hope to excel, but 
who is amongst gardeners, and I know many, one of 
the most enthusiastic and worthy of the craft.— 
A. D. 
-• 4 -- 
ALL AMONG THE 
SUNFLOWERS. 
Perennial Sunflowers are just now to be seen in 
fine form in the garden at Shirley Vicarage, where 
special attention has been given to them this season, 
and well have they repaid the labour and painstaking 
care bestowed upon them. Although their require¬ 
ments are very simple and most of them will grow 
anywhere and flower well where many things will 
scarcely grow at all, yet to get them at their best, 
as they are seen here, a little extra care and 
trouble must be taken with them. The difference to 
be seen between those grown under ordinary treat¬ 
ment and those which are well grown is immense. 
True, they are all yellow-flow'ered and so there is a 
great degree of sameness about them, but what a 
rich golden yellow some of them are; and when 
grown singly, forming as they do rich columnar 
bouquets of loosely arranged flowers towering up from 
3 to lo ft. in height, they present one of the richest 
displays of floral gems it has ever been my privilege 
to see. 
These plants at Shirley were all wintered in pots 
and had the protection of a frame during severe 
frost. They were planted out into their summer 
quarters during March and the rapid growth which 
they made is really remarkable, some of them being 
now quite lo ft. in height. They are planted so that 
each one has ample space for its full development, 
and in most cases are flowering from about a foot 
from the ground upwards. What striking objects 
plants of the Rigida type would be planted on grass 
where at a short distance they could be backed up by 
a bank of Evergreens ! But in any attempt of this 
kind, it must he borne in mind that unless they can 
be well done and attended to, the results will he dis¬ 
appointing ; and they had better be kept to the her¬ 
baceous or mixed borders where most of them make 
fine back row plants, and to have them at their best, 
young plants every year are indispensable. The 
following are the varieties grown, and I think a better 
selection cannot be made :— 
Helianthus Maximillianus, flowering upwards from 
the ground from nine to ten feet in height. 
Helianthus decapetallus sulphureus, small pale yellow 
flowers, five to six feet in height and three feet 
through. 
Helianthus rigidus Miss Mellish, height, six feet, a 
grand plant which recently gained a First-class 
Certificate at the R. H. S. Single specimens of this 
may he described as conical bouquets of loosely 
arranged flowers, every one of which stands out 
and is displayed to the hest advantage. 
Helianthus laetiflorus semi plemts, five feet high, 
similar in habit to the last-named, but of slighter 
growth. Many would prefer it to the preceeding 
one on account of the individual flowers being 
partially double. A truly grand plant. 
Helianthus multiflorus maximus, dense habit and 
foliage, flowers five inches in diameter, height, five 
feet, very good. I think the best of the large flowered 
varieties. 
Helianthus rigidus elegans, a variety, six feet high, 
and in every way a better thing than the type. 
Helianthus orgyalis, narrow, lanceolate foliage, 
lilly-like growth, a very distinct plant, but flowers 
not equal to others. 
Helenitm autumnale, three and a half feet high, 
with flowers resembling a Coreopsis. 
Helenium grandifloyum, five feet, flowers almost the 
same as the well known and generally admired H. 
pumilum, which is possibly the better thing of the 
two.— W.B.G. __ 
NEW DAHLIAS. 
The undermentioned Dahlias were exhibited at 
the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on 
the 26th ult.,and were accorded Awards of Merit:— 
Mrs. a. Peart. —This is the best white Cactus 
Dahlia in cultivation. The large blooms may be de¬ 
scribed as creamy white, hut the long, pointed and 
spreading florets show the variety to be of the true 
Cactus type, whereas others spoken of as white Cactus 
Dahlias are merely decorative varieties. 
Florence Woodland. —The blooms of this 
Pompon variety are small, very neat and pale 
yellow with a well-defined crimson-red edge. 
Both of the above were exhibited by Mr. T. S. Ware, 
Tottenham. 
Miranda. —In many respects this is closely 
similar to Florence Woodland, but the edge is 
crimson-purple and therefore distinct, compact and 
pretty. 
Captain Boyton. —The small blooms of this Pom¬ 
pon are very neat and of a rich maroon-crimson. 
Edith Turner. —Here we have a true Cactus 
Dahlia of large size and scarlet, tinted with yellow 
at the base of the florets and with violet at the 
tip. The long, pointed florets are revolute at the 
sides. 
Mrs. Morgan.— The blooms of this show Dahlia 
are of large size, neat in form and soft pink, with two 
purple veins running along each floret. The centre 
of the developing head is white tinted with purple at 
the tips of the floret. 
Norma. —The florets of this exhibition Dahlia are 
rather large and open, but the bloom as a whole is 
rather bold and striking from its deep, golden, buff- 
orange colour. 
OcTAviA.—In this we have an edged show Dahlia 
of a bright yellow edged with purplish-red, but the 
edging almost disappears with age. The above 
varieties, from Miranda to Octavia, were exhibited by 
Mr. C. Turner, Slough. 
Grand Duke Alexis. —The blooms of this 
decorative variety are of huge size, nearly globular 
and pure white. The form of its florets is very un¬ 
usual. They are very broad, incurved and overlapping 
at the sides, so as to form a wide conical tube 
open at the top. It is, probably, unique among 
Dahlias. 
Duchess of York. —This is a show variety of a 
beautiful rosy-purple hue and yellow at the base of 
all the florets. The bloom is of good average size 
and very neat. * 
Sovereign. —In this we have a Pompon of small 
size, bright yellow and very neat. 
Ceres. —Equally interesting and ornamental is 
this Pompon, from its small size, elegant form, and 
pale primrose colour. The above four, from Grand 
Duke Alexis to Ceres, were exhibited by Messrs. 
Keynes, Williams & Co., Salisbury. 
Cherub. —The blooms of this show variety are 
large and regular in form, and of a deep buff- 
yellow or golden buff in the centre. What gives 
the flower a neat and compact appearance is the 
fact that the florets are more or less compressed 
so as to be much wider than deep. It was exhi¬ 
bited by G. P. Pierre Harris, Esq., Scads Hill House, 
Orpington, Kent. 
Beauty of Watford.— The flowers of this 
variety are single, and yellow with a brownish- 
red zone round the disc. It was the only single 
variety that received an award on this occasion. 
The exhibitor was Mr. Darby, Watford Nursery, 
Watford, Herts. 
-- 
NOTES FROM CORNWALL 
This is an extraordinary season. To say that 
second crops of Apples, Raspberries and Currants 
have and are being gathered in certain districts 
would not imply the fact so well as the statement 
that these second crops have become general through¬ 
out the most part of the country. Day by day we 
hear of this or that fruit being garnered in abund¬ 
ance. What effect this will have upon the crops of 
another year remains to be observed. This has 
been a capital season for Tomatos in Cornwall. One 
private grower in Penzance has cut a Tomato of the 
large red variety weighing 20 ozs., which was the 
largest of a fine crop, the average of which weighed 
10 ozs. It is rather a new experience also to find 
Apples so plentiful that farmers who are short of 
cattle food giving them to their cows. Since the 
rain of the last few days Broccoli has come on 
immensely, as well as other green vegetables, and 
the London and Midland markets may now have 
little fear that their supply will be good for some 
time yet to come. There are no signs at present 
that the labourers, either on the farms or in the 
gardens, will accomplish what they so much desire 
—an increase of wages for the winter months. 
Matters, however, are not so had in the west as in 
some other parts of the country, but still it is 
suggested that, in order to add to their income, an 
association should be formed, similar to that in 
Kent, for the keeping of bees and poultry. The 
idea is certainly worth entertaining, and especially 
as, in the case mentioned, considerable profits have 
been found possible to make. Although nothing 
has as yet been heard from the Penzance Chrysan¬ 
themum Society, I learn that the Falmouth com¬ 
mittee will hold their show On the gth November— 
the Mayor's day. There are to be no fewer than 
sixty-one classes open for competition for Chrysan¬ 
themum plants and cut blooms, window plants, 
table decorations, bouquets, fruit, vegetables, dairy 
and farm produce, and that the money prizes will 
amount to £2.1, in addition in special prizes.— X. 
Beetroot. 
Much of the crop of Beet appears this season to be 
of poor quality, and I believe this to be the result of 
too early sowing. I have often had quality of the 
highest order in various counties in England by sow¬ 
ing at the end of May or early in June. In Scotland, 
generally, one may safely sow late in April to have 
medium-sized and well-formed roots. I do not be¬ 
lieve in the practice of some wKo choose ground 
which is very poor (in fact, almost inert) for Beet. 
On such soil the produce is stringy and generally un¬ 
fit for a well-appointed table. I prefer to trench the 
ground which has been previously well cropped and 
judiciously manured, but putting nothing in the 
season in which Beet is to be grown. 
The flavour of Beet is greatly enhanced by trench¬ 
ing the ground. I have often samples of seed sent me 
for trial, but seldom do I get finer quality than is found 
in Nutting’s, or Sang’s, Pragnell's, and Dell’s. The 
latter did not come to proper size in many gardens 
in the north last year ; but when dark colour is con¬ 
sidered a high qualification, Dell’s Crimson holds its 
own. Veitch's is the darkest I have seen for years 
past and, though not strictly a handsome root, it has 
taken more first prizes than any variety which has 
come under my notice. This year the finest Beet 
foliage I have ever seen is Drummond’s selection ; 
and, though the colour of the roots is not so dark as 
Veitch’s, the quality seems to be first-rate. I had a 
packet of seed from Messrs. Drummond to sow 
alongside of several other choice kinds and it is most 
distinct.— Stirling. 
The Carnation, its History, Properties, and Management, 
with a descriptive list of the best varieties in cultivation. By 
E. S. Dodwell. Third edition, with supplementary chapter on 
the Yellow Ground. London; Gardening World Office, i, 
Clement’s Inn, Strand. W.C. is. 6d. post free, is. yd.—Adv.] 
