June 20th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
661 
years ago. I did not through illness see my bloom 
last year, but it is now stained all down the anthers. 
This flower, raised by David Jackson, of Middleton, 
has never been in the breeder state ; its first bloom 
was a grand black feathered one, so pure, so wonder¬ 
ful in colour, and so fascinating, that the late William 
Lea and I gave £10 for the stock, viz., one blooming 
bulb, and three small offsets, or about five times the 
weight of the bulbs in gold ! ” 
And Mr. Barlow adds:—“In judging my exhibit 
of Tulips, these things should be duly considered, 
and allowance made for them. Should there be any 
spark of the old Tulip love of yore lingering among 
my Southern brother florists, I shall be glad to assist 
in kindling it into flame by helping them to form a 
collection which in quality shall far exceed the flowers 
which gave so much delight to growers in the palmy 
days of Groom, Goldliam, Lawrence, Dr. Sanders, and 
other renowned Tulip fanciers.” 
The leading flowers in Mr. Barlow’s stand were— 
Flamed Bizarres : Masterpiece, Nonpariel, Lord 
Stanley, Dr. Hardy, Prince of Wales, Ajax, and Orion. 
Feathered Bizarres: General Grant, Masterpiece, 
William Wilson, Albert, Sir J. Paxton, and Seedling 
(Parker). Flamed Roses: Sarah Headly, Mrs. 
Bright, Mabel, and Agleria. Feathered Roses: Modesty, 
Lady Wilton, and Channel - . Flamed Bybloemens: 
Samuel Barlow, William Parkinson, Friar Tuck, 
Duchess of Sutherland, and Talisman. Feathered 
Bybloemens: Bessie, William Bentley, Mrs. Jackson, 
Maid of Orleans, and Violet Amiable. Of Breeder 
Tulips there were the following :—Excelsior, Horatio, 
and Sir J. Paxton. Rose Breeders: Lueretia, Lady 
Grosvenor, Annie McGregor, Mrs. Barlow, and Mabel. 
Bybloemen Breeders: Alice Grey, Nimbus, Glory of 
Stakehill, Adonis, Samuel Barlow, and Delicata. 
First-Class Certificates were awarded to Flamed 
Bizarres, Prince of Wales and Orion; Feathered 
Bizarre, William Wilson ; Flamed Rose, Mrs. Bright ; 
Feathered Rose, Modesty ; and Flamed Bybloemen, 
Samuel Barlow. 
A Silver Medal was awarded to this interesting 
collection. 
- 0—■ - Tc -<>- r i - — 9 — 
LAVATERIA ARBOREA 
VARIEGATA. 
Those who have not seen this plant grown in a 
fairly satisfactory manner, and pass through a winter 
unharmed, cannot be in a position to judge of its 
merits. Plants of it raised from seed last year, and 
planted out in good soil in a sheltered corner, are now, 
and have been for the past two months, very attrac¬ 
tive. They are nearly 6 ft. in height, and all the 
young leaves are so irregularly marked with green, 
grey, and white, that they have a remarkable appear¬ 
ance. The beauty of our plants is doubtless enhanced 
by the fact that they stand close to a green Box hedge 
—an admirable background for it. The great merit 
of this Mallow is the fact that the variegation is 
constant all over the plant, and instead of reverting 
to the normal colour, as many variegated plants 
do when raised from seed, the variegation in this case 
increases ; as the plants get older many of the young 
leaves are quite white when they first unfold, and 
what is equally noteworthy, the variegation does not 
bum under a hot sun. 
As it has not been thoroughly tested as to its ability 
to endure hard frost, it would be premature to re¬ 
commend it for extensive planting, because it may 
eventually prove incapable of standing in the open 
through a severe winter. But as it is clear that the 
variegation is better the second year than the first, 
some means of keeping the plant through the winter 
without running the risk of losing it altogether- 
might be adopted. It has been recommended that it 
should be lifted in autumn and kept under glass all 
winter. But seeing that when the seed is sown early 
in spring, and the plants put out in good soil early 
in the summer, it gets too large for many of us to find 
room for it, it seems to me that the better plan will 
be either to grow a few plants of it in pots, which 
would be the means of curtailing their over-luxuriance, 
and thus enable us to afford them space under glass 
the first year, or else not to sow the seed until mid¬ 
summer, and thereby make a greater certainty of 
securing plants of a suitable size to keep under glass. 
Of course, the larger the plants kept over the winter 
the more effective they would be.— J. C. C., in The 
Field. 
DODECATHEON SPLENDIDUM. 
At a late meeting of the Floral Committee, Mr. T. 
S. Ware received a First-Class Certificate for this 
exceedingly fine form of the American Cowslip, and 
which, when better known, should become an even 
greater favourite in our borders than the well-known 
and deservedly popular D. Meadia. The flowers of 
D. splendidum are of a deep crimson colour, with a 
ring of yellow at the orifice of the corolla, and so 
bright in colour altogether that they have been likened 
to shooting stars. The flower stems rise to the height 
of about 6 ins., and, like the whole genus, the plant is 
perfectly hardy and easily grown in any ordinary good 
garden soil. It is a truly beautiful little plant, and 
well deserved recognition at the hands of the Floral 
Committee. 
While commenting on this plant it may be 
interesting to note that there seems to be some 
doubt as to the reason why Linnaeus named these 
plants Dodecatheon—Dodeka, twelve, and theos, 
divinity. The name has been called absurd and 
meaningless, but we take it that it means a galaxy 
DODECATHEON SPLEXDIDTTH. 
of twelve gods or an assemblage of twelve extremely 
brilliant objects. No doubt Linnaeus had in view the 
umbel of twelve superb flowers; the number is 
twelve on the average, and each bloom, from its 
splendid form and rich colour, may have been com¬ 
pared with one of the minor gods. The umbel was a 
group or galaxy of little deities. 
—e=^s<>cr- ^) — 
GARDENS ROUND ECCLES. 
The village of Eceles is regarded as classic ground 
among florists and horticulturists, and has a history 
of its own well worthy of being better known. Its 
venerable church dates from the remote past, and is, 
perhaps, one of the first which was built in Lancashire, 
at a date when all that part between the Mersey and 
Ribble was part of “ Cheshereshire.” Scholars are 
divided in opinion as to the origin of the name of the 
village. Some hold that it comes from Ecclesia, or 
the church village, and there appears to be some 
ground for such a conclusion. Amongst others, I 
may mention Baines, the Lancashire historian, as 
holding this idea. Others, however, gomg back to a 
remoter age, claim the name as Celtic, and consider 
that the village existed long anterior to the Conquest. 
Its boundaries, at one time contained five other 
parishes or townships, and in extent was from south¬ 
west ten miles in length and five miles in breadth, and 
including 16,514 statute acres. 
Here originated the famous village wakes, of which 
I need not now give particulars; suffice it to say that 
nowhere in England were the wakes kept up with such 
spirit as at Eccles. I have before me a copy of a 
programme which includes such items as “ Bear 
Baiting in its primitive excellence,” “Donkey Racing,” 
“ Bull Baiting by ‘ Bull Fury,’ ” a “ Smock Race by 
Ladies,” “ Cock-fight for twenty guineas,” and “ a 
fiddling match by all fiddlers that attend, for a piece 
of silver.” It was here cock-fighting originated, and 
the Whitsuntide ale juntings. From here also was 
sent the famous petition to the pious King James on 
his way from Scotland, praying to be allowed to have 
their lawful games on Sundays, and the effects of 
which are felt to this day. In this village and town¬ 
ship, too, was first cherished and developed that love 
for flowers, gardens, and trees which ultimately 
spread so much among the weavers and other work¬ 
ing men. While Manchester had the credit for the 
shows, the headquarters of the growers was here. 
Close by where I write was old George Hall’s garden, 
famous in its day for its gorgeous Tulips, and 
under my window is a Flamed Tulip of the race in 
cultivation at that period. Near by also was another 
garden famous for its bees, and which is still called 
Beehive Cottage. 
Auriculas have always been famous in Eccles ; one 
called Jingling Johnny, raised here nearly half-a- 
century ago, is, or was not long since, still in 
existence in a well-known grower’s collection. Pico- 
tees and Carnations were also famous flowers in this 
locality, and some are still grown. Here resides Mr. 
Bailey, of Middleton fame, hale, hearty, and as active 
as of old. Mr. Richard Gorton has a grand collection 
of Auriculas, Carnations, Ac. Although for some 
time pessimist views in horticulture obtained, it is 
pleasant to see that they have given place to better 
ideas; and round this village is to be found an 
immense wealth of plants and flowers, as the reader 
will learn ere our notes are finished. Even the trade 
has wakened into renewed activity, and the florists 
are beginning to grow for their patrons, instead of 
buying to sell again. We found, during a recent 
ramble, that a range of glass, some 100 yards in 
length, had been erected within the last two years 
in Cavendish Road, Ellesmere Park, Eccles. It 
belongs to Mr. W. Grange, who has a shop on Eccles 
Bridge, and who was formerly gardener to a well- 
known gentleman in the district, now deceased. Here 
we found also a stove, containing some few Orchids 
and stove plants, and that seldom seen plant—at 
least, in nurseries—Strelitzia reginae. Why is not 
this splendid plant more grown? Adjoining the 
stove is a show house, containing a general collection 
of flowering plants, including the old White Lily, 
grown in pots for church decoration. Here also we 
saw a pair of fine Pelargoniums, suitable for hall or 
vestibule decoration, and which, though several years 
old, were very pleasing. We next entered the Rose 
house, which was rather thin of bloom, and no wonder, 
for we were informed that they had been cutting 
since February last, and that day some 300 flowers 
had been cut for an order. Tomatos and Cucumbers 
we noted as growing very strong, and are in large 
demand. A large collection of Dahlias and other 
bedding plants also came under review, and we were 
particularly pleased to see the nucleus of what we 
hope may become an extensive collection of Pent- 
stemons, Pyrethrums, and other hardy and half- 
hardy plants. As this is the first attempt at nursery 
culture for many years round here, we wish Mr. 
Grange every success, for there is ample room for 
anyone possessing skill and energy to lead the 
amateurs and residents of this ancient village “ to 
fairer fields ; ” but time is progressing, and we wish 
to visit a famous garden near by, in which are some 
things worthy of note, and which will be recorded in 
another number. I will also send you copies of one 
or two quaint advertisements of flowers from this 
district, which were published in the days of old.— 
N. J. D. 
