August 8th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
775 
for their seeds, for Roses, hardy herbaceous plants, and 
some other important necessaries of every garden, of 
which we can only say now, more anon. Taking 
the seed crops first, we may note that the largest 
quantity of ground is this season devoted to Peas, 
indeed we suppese it is usually so, for the Pea crop 
plays an important part in the economy of the 
garden, and if we did not know better, it might 
easily be imagined from the quantity grown and the 
interest taken in the raising and issuing of new 
varieties, that Peas and not Turnips contributed 
most to the payment of the interest on the National 
debt. But we are digressing : first of the Peas grown 
in bulk is the new one, Prodigy, which has received 
a First-Class Certificate at Chiswick this season. It 
is one of Mr. Culverwell’s seedlings, a first-rate mid¬ 
season variety, gi-owing about 5 ft. high, with long 
straight pods averaging nine Peas in each, of a good 
green colour, and with a good deal of the Ne Plus 
Ultra character about it. Another good break is 
devoted to a sort called Sturdy, which may be de¬ 
scribed as a dwarf form of Ne Plus Ultra, growing only 
some 2i ft. high, with the exact Ne Plus Ultra pod 
and free-cropping, characteristics—a good late-season 
variety. 
Dr. Maclean is here in quantity, undergoing, like some 
others, the process of careful “rogueing,” to keep the 
stock true to character. It still remains the best of its 
class, and is well worth any trouble that may be taken to 
keep the stock up to the mark. The American Dwarf 
proves to be the best of the early dwarf varieties, 
growing to scarcely a foot in height, and yielding 
most freely its short, straight, well-filled pods. The 
true old Auvergne comes under notice next, and, as 
our guide remarks, it is still not to be despised as a 
second early. This is followed by a good breadth of 
an interesting, and what, we venture to think, will 
prove a valuable selection from William I., insomuch 
that it is of the true William I. character, but the 
Peas are wrinkled. It is a great cropper, the pods 
hanging in pairs, and the Peas are of good colour. 
A good cropping wrinkled Pea, as early and as produc¬ 
tive as William I., should be worth growing. Auto¬ 
crat, also certificated at Chiswick, is another novelty 
of the Ne Plus Ultra type—a good late Pea, growing 
about 3 ft. high. The late Peas are not in a condition 
for proving their merits, the black fly having taken 
complete possession of the crop owing to the long 
absence of rain, and returns will be light accordingly, 
not only on this farm, but also in Essex, where on 
many farms we hear there will be no yield at all. 
On various parts of the farm the visitor will come 
across large quarters of special sorts of vegetables 
with which the name of the firm is closely identified. 
Here, for instance, in review order, as it were, is a large 
break of a good strain of Parsnip, a straight root of 
good size and well filled up in the centre. Next 
comes a grand quarter of Ellam’s Early Dwarf 
Cabbage, a very true sample of a variety strongly 
recommended for sowing about the end of the first 
week in July. It comes in early, stands well, and 
is not in too great a hurry to run to seed. The 
strain of Curled Parsley most favoured by the 
firm, a neat, compact-growing, and deep green- 
coloured plant, has also a good breadth devoted 
to it; as also has a pure strain of that very ex¬ 
cellent Celery, Major Clarke’s Solid Red. Beck’s 
Green Gem Bean is another good old sort of which 
the stock has been kept true. Being very dwarf, 
growing only to the height of some 12 ins., it is just 
the variety that every one should grow whose garden 
is limited in extent. Veitch’s Black Beet, a large root¬ 
ing variety, almost black in colour, has the merit 
of being a very quick grower, so that it can be sown 
with advantage either early or late. 
Eoses are being grown here in large quantities, and 
well they do on the stiff loam, growing and flowering 
freely, but as everywhere else, owing to the want of 
rain, the season was a short one. Here also are grown 
the splendid varieties of Iris Kfempferi, that have now 
and again bewitched visitors to the South Kensington 
shows, but which this year have also felt the want of 
moisture, and consequently have not flowered so well 
as usual. These Japan Irises revel in a moist season, 
and especially in a moist month of June. Of German 
Irises a large collection is being got together ; Japan 
Anemones and Pteonies are being looked after in the 
same way. A bed of Polygonatums (Solomon’s Seal) 
reveals the fact that none of them come up to P. multi- 
florum for general usefulness; and a plant near by, 
Calla hastata, which has yellow spathes, proves, when 
done well, that it is a good thing. Dahlias, Phloxes, 
and many other autumn-flowering plants will claim 
more notice later on, at present the gorgeous breadths 
of annuals claim the greatest notice. 
Looking these over we noted as specially worthy of 
mention the varieties of Chrysanthemum Burridge- 
anum, and especially the fine crimson-coloured form 
called Sultan; Petunia compacta, a very dwarf strain, 
the plants growing only some 4 ins. or 6 ins. high, and 
covering a space of ground from 18 ins. to 24 ins. in 
circumference; the flowers of the true type should 
be striped, but the plant now exhibits a tendency to 
break into seifs. A strain of fringed Petunias also 
claims commendation, singularly varied and beautiful 
being the flowers produced. The yellow-striped dwarf 
African Marigold produces flowers of fine size ; and a 
miniature yellow Marigold, compact in habit, and about 
6 ins. high, proves a good and true stock. The 
Carnation-flowered Poppies are especially fine, large, 
full, brilliant, and well varied in colour. These are 
indeed among the most showy things that can be 
grown. The Eschscholtzias are dry-weather plants, if 
anything can claim that distinction, and both E. 
Californica and that lovely variety Mandarin . are 
flowering with wondrous freedom. Is it generally 
known that these plants are quite hardy, and that 
they always flower best and come deeper in colour 
the second year ? We do not think so, and mention 
the fact here for the benefit of those who may care 
to give them a trial. There are some plants here 
three years old, and an enormous size they have 
grown to. 
Phlox Drummondi grandiflora splendens is one of 
the best types of this very pleasing and showy annual, 
of a rich crimson colour and neat habit. Of Migno¬ 
nette, several varieties came under notice, including 
Miles’ hybrid spiral, Golden Queen, and Queen 
Victoria, the flowers of the latter being almost red, 
and the plant dwarf and compact in habit. A strain 
of the old white Socket Candytuft, a selection from 
Dobbie’s, is of very fine quality; and the small 
amount of “ rogueing ” that has had to be resorted to 
in the case of large patches of such things as Nastur¬ 
tium, King of Tom Thumbs, Rhodanthes, Viscaria 
cardinalis, Clarkias, Bartonia aurea, Calendula 
Meteor, &c., proves the quality of those samples. 
The white Godetia Duchess of Albany, is a distinct 
and good thing, and so also is G. Lady Albemarle, 
but the tendency of this sort to break away from the 
type is so great, that it can only be kept true by hard 
rogueing. 
We have not space to note half of the things 
which are grown on the Middle Green Farm, but 
we must not conclude without a brief allusion to a 
most interesting series of small plots of Grass and 
Clover, samples of the stocks sold at Chelsea, and 
which, besides supplying the firm with a useful sort 
of record of their dealings in these specialities, 
prove how much the stocks of these important 
farm products have been improved during the last 
few years. 
— g— .• — o —- 
SELECT HARDY PERENNIALS. 
(Continued fromjo. 759.) 
Gentians. —In close proximity to the showy genus 
Gaillardia we have the important one of Gentiana, so 
universally admired on account of the intensity of the 
various shades of blue, the prevailing colour among 
these plants. This valuable group affords us flowers 
from the months of April to October, for in the former 
we find the inimitable G. verna unfolding its flowers 
in the morning sun, so lovely and yet so rarely seen 
in good condition, and in October we have G. Andrewsi, 
or “ The Closed Gentian,” while in the intervening 
months we have various species in flower all more or 
less beautiful and interesting, and some extremely 
rare. Of the rarer kinds I will not now speak, for they 
need experienced hands to manage them, and their 
requirements are by no means too well understood. 
Gentiana acaulis.— The best known of all the 
Gentians is G. acaulis, or the garden Gentianella, 
which forms, close upon the ground, compact tufts 
of shining leaves, from which rise numbers of erect 
bell-shaped flowers of an intense shade of blue. It is 
one of the most effective of spring-flowering plants, 
and one of the most attractive of this group, easily 
managed and readily increased by division. It is 
undoubtedly one of the best edging plants that can be 
used, and, planted in this way, is highly attractive 
when in flower. It is not fastidious as to soil, for one 
occasionally meets with it fringing a bed of American 
shrubs, planted in peat, and in other cases in loam. 
It has been asserted by some that, to succeed well 
with it, broken limestone should be mixed with the 
soil. I do not, however, attach much importance 
to this, since the finest display of flowers I have seen 
was from plants which were planted in light loamy 
soils. Firm planting is of great importance in the 
cultivation of all the dwarf Gentians, and, when once 
planted, allow them to remain undisturbed for two or 
three years, for it is only when well established and 
in good-sized tufts that one can form anything like 
an adequate idea of their beauty. 
Gentiana Andrewsii.— The Closed Gentian grows 
about 1 ft. or 1 ft. 6 ins. high, and, singularly enough, 
the flowers of this species never expand, but remain, 
as it were, in the bud state. The flowers, which are 
borne in terminal and axillary clusters, are of deep 
rich purple-blue. It delights in deep, rich loam. 
Gentiana asclepiadea grows about 2 ft. high, and 
must be placed among the midsummer occupants of 
the herbaceous border. It is a good and showy plant, 
and strictly herbaceous in character, that is to say, it 
produces annual flowering stems from a perennial 
root-stock. I am pleased to note that attention has 
been directed of late to the precise meaning of the 
term herbaceous. As a rule, all hardy plants are 
considered herbaceous, but this is not so, since the 
term may be applied to even greenhouse or stove 
plants possessing this characteristic. The flowers of 
G. asclepiadea are purplish-blue and borne in long 
terminal clusters. There is also a good white variety 
of this plant, which in all other respects is identical, 
and which was well shown by Mr. Ware in his collec¬ 
tion of hardy flowers at the last meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society; so also was the charming 
Siberian species, G. gelida. A still uncommon plant, it 
grows when well established about 1 ft. high, rather 
of a procumbent habit of growth in the earlier stages, 
and terminating with several bright blue flowers ; this 
grows well in all good loamy soils, and makes a first- 
class rockery or front row border plant. 
Gentiana verna.— This is not only one of the 
handsomest of this genus, but it claims especial 
notice on account of its being one of the gems among our 
native plants, though by no means abundant as such. 
It carpets the ground in a wild state in the mountain 
pastures of the Alps of southern and central Europe, 
and when in flower is the essence of all that is beauti¬ 
ful. It is the delight of all who meet with it in flower, 
and in those places where it grows and flowers freely 
it will vie with most plants during the vernal months 
of the year. It delights in a moist loamy soil of good 
depth and well drained, and,. as I have previously 
stated, firm planting is essential to its success. In dry 
seasons a few small stones scattered over the surface 
will stay evaporation. 
Geraniums, or Crane’s-bills.— Before briefly allud¬ 
ing to these showy border perennials, I may remark 
that these are the Geraniums proper, and not those 
which are generally accepted as such, and which 
strictly speaking are varieties of the Zonal Pelar¬ 
gonium. The term Geranium has, however, become 
so well established in connection with these latter, 
that it will require a great effort to remove it. One of 
the finest of this group is G. armenium, a fine 
perennial 2 ft. 6 ins. high, forming a neat symme¬ 
trical bush and producing in great profusion large, 
deep purplish-crimson flowers. It is perfectly hardy, 
of robust habit, and one of the best of summer¬ 
flowering perennials. 
Geranium cinereum is a dwarf species, growing 
from 6 ins. to 9 ins. high, a native of the Pyrenees ; 
leaves slightly pubescent, from -which issue pleasing 
pinkish flowers veined with red. It delights in moist 
sandy loam, and is adapted for a good position on the 
rockwork or a front row plant in the border. 
Geranium Endresii.— This is one of the brightest 
and most effective of this genus ; it grows about 
15 ins. high, and for many weeks in succession is 
smothered with blossoms of a bright rose colour; it 
is a good perennial, and its cultural requirements 
are of the simplest character,— J. 
