644 
June 9, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
FliORlCtlliTOt^E. 
The Florists’ Tulip. 
Is there any reasonable probability that there will be 
a revival of Tulip culture in the South of England? 
After a long interval, a competitive Exhibition of 
Florists’Tulips was recently held in London. One 
looked in vain for London-grown flowers, for, with 
the exception of a few from Messrs. Barr & Son, 
grown at Surbiton, most of the blooms came from 
distant parts, mainly from Llandudno and Cardiff. 
And yet time was—forty and fifty years ago—when 
the London district possessed not a few beds of 
gaudy Tulips. Such experienced growers as Groom, 
Goldham, Edwards, Williams, Norman, Lawrence, 
and others grew and exhibited ; and further afield 
were Turner, Sanders, Hunt, Betteridge, Headly, 
and many more. In 1864 , when I was living at 
Walworth, and cam.e to London daily by rail to 
Blackfriars, I could during the month of May look 
down from the railway carriage on to many a tiny 
bed of Tulips;—carefully shaded from the sun, a 
mine of rare golden pleasure to their growers. All 
the metropolitan growers who used to hold fine 
exhibitions at the Crystal Palace and elsewhere 
have passed away ; gone also are the bulbs they 
grew, never perhaps to come back to us again. The 
areas of Tulip growing arc now confined to Stock- 
port, Oldham, and the regions of Manchester, in 
the county of Lancashire; and in and around 
Wakefield and Sheffield in Yorkshire. 
The conjecture is that it has been led up from 
Gesner’s 'Tulip—Tulipa Gesneriana. This, as the 
Rev. F. D. Horner has remarked, “ in habit of growth 
and time of flowering, corresponds with the Florists' 
Tulip, but the latter exhibits a wonderful variance 
from it in every property of form or marking that a 
Tulip can possess. In T. Gesneriana we see the 
inky base which clouds the eye like an eclipse ; and 
there are the stained filaments which, when pure, 
add so much to the distinctness of the bold black 
anthers.” 
It is said that the progenitor of the Florists’ Tulip 
was introduced from Constantinople to Western 
Europe about the middle of the sixteenth century. 
Conrad Gesner stated that he first saw it in the year 
1559 in a garden at Ausberg, belonging to the learned 
Councillor Herwart, a man very famous in his day 
for his collection of exotics. The bulbs were, it 
was said, sent to this person by a friend at Constan¬ 
tinople where the flower had long been a favourite. 
It is stated in ” Martin’s Edition of Miller ” 
that a merchant of Antwerp had a cargo of 
Tulip roots as early as 1562 , and taking them for a 
sort of onion, ordered some to be roasted under the 
embers and ate them with oil and vinegar like 
common onions ; the remainder he planted in the 
kitchen garden amongst the cabbages, where most of 
them perished, except a few that George Rye, a 
merchant of Mechlin, took under his care, which 
produced a variety of beautiful flowers. It is 
thought to have been first introduced to England 
about 1600 —during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. 
The period of the Tulipomania in Holland is so 
much a matter of history that no further reference 
to it is necessary in this relation. But it is somewhat 
remarkable that a flower that could not lay claim 
either to the variety found in the Rose, or its delight¬ 
ful perfume, should have obtained so much favour in 
the eyes of so prudent a people as the Dutch. 
The richness found in the flower has attracted the 
attention of poets, and they have voiced their 
admiration in verse. Cowley is loud in its praise, 
for he says :— 
” The Tulip next appeared, all over gay. 
But wanton, full of pride and full of play: 
The world can't show a dye but here has place. 
Nay, by new mixtures she can change her face ; 
Purple and gold are both beneath her care. 
The richest needlework she loves to wear ; 
Her only study is to please the eye. 
And to outshine the rest in finery.” 
At the exhibition above mentioned the repre¬ 
sentatives of the four classes into which the florist 
divides his Tulips were seen—the breeder or seedling 
form ; and the bizarres, the Roses and byblcemens. 
The breeder stage is represented by a self, or shaded 
self-coloured form, and it is " only those which are 
pure in the base and have unstained filaments which 
are selected for culture. These two points are de- 
ided as soon as the young seedlings bloom but 
whether perfect marking also will be gained when 
the flower ‘breaks’ or ‘rectifies’ is a question of 
further and indeed indefinite time. Those who raise 
seedlings take seed from what are termed broken 
feathered or flamed flowers ; the seedlings, with very 
rare exception indeed, are found to be self-coloured. 
Patience is indeed needed, and a lasting enthusiasm 
also, on the part of those who engage in the work of 
raising Tulips.’’ The seedlings do not flower until 
they are five or six years-old, and then comes a time 
of waiting—sometimes of very weary waiting—be¬ 
fore the self flower breaks from its transient to its 
permanent character. When it will do this no one 
, knows. An old grower of Tulips informed me the 
other day that he had some breeder Tulips which he 
raised from seeds thirty years ago, and though he 
had grown them carefully year by year, they still re¬ 
mained unbroken. Many of the breeder or self¬ 
flowers are very beautiful, and so it is a custom to 
have classes for breeders at our Tulip exhibitions ; 
some are almost black, some violet and purple, 
others—in the case of the bizarres—deep brown, 
orange-brown, &c.; and in the case of the Rose 
breeders they are scarlet, or brilliant crimson, rose, 
and silvery-pink ; it not infrequently happens that 
many of the most attractive among them, when they 
break, become poor and inferior things, and as such 
have no value for exhibition purposes. On the other 
hand, an ugly breeder, provided it has a pure base 
and good form, will break into a flower of startling 
beauty—pure, • definite, and rich in its markings. 
The flower puts off the undress coat of self-colour 
and practically throws it aside, and assumes the 
utterly differegt and more exalted character of the 
feathered or flamed estate. Form is unaltered, but 
stature is diminished. Wonderful change! The 
why and wherefore no man knoweth : it is hidden in 
the silent mystery of the plant’s life. 
When a Tulip passes from the self or breeder 
stage to the rectified character, it is termed broken. 
To be in perfect character it must be either 
" feathered ” or ” flamed,” as the two distinct styles 
of marking are termed. A ‘‘feathered” Tulip is 
one in which the colouring is laid on in various 
styles of feathering or pencilling round the edge only 
of each petal. To be a perfect flower the feather 
should not break off, or ” skip,” anywhere round the 
petal edge before it naturally ceases near the base of 
the flower. In lightly-feathered flowers it is apt to 
be a trial for the pencilling to get safely round the 
petal-top, and a slight beam of colour, descending a 
little down the petal centre from the top, is both 
allowable and helpful, as a kind of keystone to the 
arch of colour, strengthening it at the most critical 
point. Any stray dash of colour upon the main 
body of the petal is a fault according to its size or 
frequency ; but a perfectly feathered flower, with a 
little colour in the wrong place, would rank higher 
than one with a spotless petal, but with a ” skip ” in 
the feather. A ” flamed ” is a flower of much 
bolder and figured type. There must be the 
feathered edge, but in addition to this there are 
strong beams or flames and flashes of colour spring¬ 
ing from near the base, and striking btjidly up the 
centre and towards the edge of each petal. Both 
flame and feather should allow room for sufficient 
of the ground colour to be left pure and clear 
between them, otherwise the flower is heavy, with 
an overloaded look about it. 
The number of petals is a point of some impor¬ 
tance in estimating the value of a Tulip as an 
exhibition flower. It must possess neither less nor 
more than six petals. Four petals make a square 
flower which lacks the full rounded finish that the 
florist loves ; five or seven form a lopsided bloom ; 
eight incline to the octagonal form. The normal 
form of the Tulip cup being round, the presence of 
more or less than six petals is undesirable, as 
detracting from the symmetry of the flower. 
I am indebted for much of the foregoing to the 
Rev. F. D. Horner’s paper on the Florists’ Tulip 
given in a recent number of the journal of the 
Royal Horticultural Society. If on that occasion 
some diagrams could have been employed to 
illustrate the different types of the flower, the vary¬ 
ing characteristics of the Tulip would have been 
much better understood and appreciated. Other¬ 
wise, to speak to the people about the Tulip without 
blooms to illustrate points or the use of coloured 
diagrams is of very little value, because the present- 
day knowledge of this interesting flower is so very 
slight.— R. D. 
Pansy Exhibition at Tamworth. 
Notwithstanding its early date. May 23 rd, and the 
prevalence of heavy storms about the country, frosts, 
and cold east winds, there was a very creditable dis¬ 
play, but had it not been for the very unfavourable 
weather there would have been an unusually great 
muster of growers and flowers. The principal 
class, that for forty-eight blooms open to the dis¬ 
trict, trade growers brought out four good exhibits. 
First, Mr. John Smellie, Busby, Glasgow ; second, 
Mr. M. Campbell, Blantyre, N.B. ; third, Mr. A. 
Irvine, Tighnabruaich, N.B. For twenty-four 
Fancy Pansies, dissimilar : First, Mr. A. Bailey, 
Sunderland ; second, Mr. J. Smellie ; third, Mr. 
Campbell. For twelve fancy Pansies, distinct : 
First, Mr. Smellie ; second, Mr. Campbell ; third, 
Mr. Irvine. For twelve -seedlings, distinct : First, 
Mr. Smellie; second, Mr. Irvine. 
In the local trade classes there were two exhibitors. 
Messrs. Pope & Sons, Birmingham, who were first 
for forty-eight,first for twenty-four, second for twelve, 
first for six, and first for twelve seedlings ; and Mr. 
Wm. Sydenham, Tamworth, who was second for 
forty-eight, second for twenty-four, first for twelve 
blooms, and he also staged a large collection not for 
competition, but his blooms had evidently been in¬ 
sufficiently protected during the bad weather. 
In the classes for amateurs residing within twelve 
miles of Tamworth, Mr. Robert Hannah, Atherstone, 
was first for twelve blooms, second for six, first for 
four blooms of one sort, and second for six seedlings. 
Mr. W. B. Fowler, Tamworth, second for twelve, 
first for six, and Mr. Pemberton, Tamworth, took the 
third prize, and the Rev. H. S. Watson, Water Ort on, 
was first for six seedlings. Mr. Johnston, Hints 
Hall Gardens, Tamworth, was a successful exhibitor 
of Violas in two classes, and Mr. W. H. Gabb, 
Small Heath, Birmingham, was first with a grand 
lot of twelve sprays. 
Classes were provided for local Carnation growers 
residing in seven home counties. For twenty-four 
blooms of fancy Pansies, distinct : First, Mr. 
Thomas Nadin, Alveston, Derby; second, Mr. W. 
Whitehead, Leicester; third, Mr. W. Parson, 
Newport, Salop. For twelve fancies, distinct: First, 
Mr. J. Egginton, Wolverhampton; second, Mr. T. 
Nadin ; third, Mr. J. Haime, Longton, Staffordshire. 
For six fancies, distinct : First, Mr. Whitehead ; 
second, Mr. Nadin ; third, Mr. A. C. Christies, Shifnal, 
Salop. Other classes were open to all amateurs, and 
for twenty-four fancies, distinct : F'irst, Mr. A. C. 
Christie, Shifnal ; second, Mr. J. Egginton, 
Wolverhampton. For twelve fancy Pansies, dis¬ 
tinct (prizes given by Mr. J. Irvine,Tighnabruaich) : 
First, Mr. Fredk. Steele, Hanley, Staffordshire; 
second, Mr. Egginton ; third, Mr. Christie. For six 
fancies, distinct : First, Mr. Egginton ; second, Mr. 
Christie. 
In class twenty-one, for six sprays of Violas, 
Mr. A. J. Rowberry, South Woodford, Essex, 
was a strong first, and a silver medal was also 
awarded to him for twenty-two sprays of fine quality 
admirably set up. 
Handsome prizes in jewellery were given for 
wreaths, bouquets, baskets, and sprays of Viola or 
Pansy blooms with Fern or other foliage. Messrs. 
Perkins & Sons took the lead, and Messrs. Pope & 
Sons, Perkins of Leamington, Thewks of Birming¬ 
ham, Johnston, and others exhibited, and this class 
of work was much admired. 
First-class Certificates were awarded to the 
following seedling fancy Pansies :—Constance Steel, 
Mrs. John Smellie, and Wm. Crosbie, exhibited by 
Mr. J. Smellie, Glasgow ; David Douglas, exhibited 
by Mr. Campbell, Blantyre ; Miss Morton and Miss 
Witney, by Mr. A. Irvine, Tighnabruaich ; to 
Queen of Beauties, from Mr. John Bradley, 
Belfast, and to a lovely new Viola, George Lord, 
exhibited by Mr. Smellie, and which also won the 
special prize given by Mr. Samuel McKee, Belfast, 
for the finest new Viola (three blooms) in the 
exhibition. 
--- 
Veronica saxatilis. —Although this will grow in 
any ordinary border it is a typical plant for rock- 
work, growing about 3 in. to 6 in. high. Numerous 
barren procumbent shoots cover the ground, and 
from amongst these many others grow-upright and 
bear the relatively large flowers which are of a deep 
purplish-blue with a deeper purple zone round the 
eye. 
