September 15, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
37 
CHINA ASTERS AT 
READING. 
The Asters had a bad time of it last year on account 
of the long continued drought, and the difficulty of 
keeping them alive even by artificial watering. The 
season now drawing to a close has been marked by 
an excess of rain which has favoured growth 
generally, but is detrimental to the fully expanded 
flowers, which are often laden with moisture all day 
long. Notwithstanding this fact, the collection of 
China Asters in the Portland Road Nursery of 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, make a more 
effective display than last year, and have better 
foliage. The number of types is now very extensive, 
and of each type all the leading colours have been 
obtained as a rule. All the sections may be divided 
into dwarf and tall kinds, which it is necessary to 
observe by those about to plant any given bed or 
piece of ground, particularly if several kinds are to 
be mixed together, or even planted alternately with 
one another. 
Dwarf kinds. 
The Dwarf Bouquet Asters commence to bloom 
much earlier than most 
other kinds, but are still in 
perfection .They vary from 
6 in. to 12 in. in height 
and run into numerous 
colours, such as white, 
carmine, carmine with a 
white edge to the head, 
blue and white and dark 
blue. They are very flori- 
ferous and choice for bed¬ 
ding. The Miniature Aster 
varies in a similar manner, 
but a blue and white 
variety was the evenest 
and most floriferous of the 
strain. All are slightly 
inclined to be quilled, and 
are notable even amongst 
dwarf kinds, inasmuch as 
they only grow 3 in. to 6 
in. high with clustered 
flowerheads. With excep¬ 
tion of Harbinger, the 
D warfGerman strain is the 
earliest of all the kinds. 
Light blue, dark blue, and 
bright crimson sorts are 
all floriferous, while the 
last-named is particularly 
so, and only 3 in. or 4 in. 
high. Sutton’s Fire King 
whose fiery crimson-red 
flowers are conspicuous 
all over the trial grounds, 
can readily be singled out 
by the eye at a consider¬ 
able distance. Probably 
no nearer approach to a 
true scarlet amongst 
Asters will be obtained. 
At all events we have 
still to look for it. An¬ 
other strain named Little 
Gem grows about 6 in. or 8 in. high, and bears its 
large blooms of white, peach blossom, and other 
shades in flat-topped corymbs. 
Of those useful either for bedding or exhibition 
purposes. Snowball takes a leading position. The 
blooms consist of a semi-globular mass of pure 
white imbricating florets and cover over the top of 
the foliage. Sutton’s superb bedding Asters consist 
of a carefully selected strain, admirably adapted for 
bedding pnrposes, on account of the mass of bloom 
they produce and the uniformly dwarf stature of the 
plants. Wonderful effects can be produced by the 
use of seeds of assorted colours, for they come very 
true to name and require no roguing when they come 
into bloom. The white, delicate rose, bright rose, 
scarlet, blue and lilac shades are certainly very tell¬ 
ing at present. The Queen strain also runs into a 
great number of shades, and the imbricate, reflexing 
florets have a sort of dimple at the tips. The whole 
bloom measures 3 in. to 4 in. across and is, therefore, 
large enough for any purpose. The dwarf Chrysan¬ 
themum Asters constitute an old and well-known 
strain, but the number of shades into which they run 
in Messrs. Sutton's nursery is something remarkable, 
and debars us from entering into an enumeration of 
them. The plants vary from 6in. to 9m. high and the 
bloom is both massive and imposing. The plants 
of the dwarf Victoria strain are similar in height to 
the last named. They are equally numerous in their 
shades of colour and the large blooms are very hand¬ 
some, particularly the dark blue, li'ac-rose, scarlet 
and brilliant crimson kinds. The dwarf Paeony- 
flowered is also a very useful race, and when seen in 
perfection the blooms are models of neatness and 
very characteristic in form. The outer row of 
florets spread horizontally, forming a ray or guard, 
while all the rest are neatly incurved like those of 
an incurved Chrysanthemum. The shades of colours 
are numerous and the plants floriferous. An in¬ 
terestingly beautiful strain is that named the 
Dwarf Crown-flowered or Cockade. The principal 
varieties are rose, crimson, light blue and violet ; 
in each case there is a circular white pa’ch in the 
centre of the blooms, giving them a very 
characteristic appearance ; hence the application of 
the names Crown-flowered or Cockade. The 
Dwarf Diamond strain consists of varieties with 
semi-quilled or fluted florets either violet, carmine 
Pyramidal Aster Harlequin. 
or crimson. The last of the dwarf sections we shall 
note is that named Sutton's Reading Beauty, of 
which there are several varieties all characterised 
by their neat, pyramidal habit, and small but very 
neat quilled blossoms. This strain is useful as a 
succession to other kinds, for less than half of the 
blooms were expanded the other week ; it is also 
highly suitable for pot culture on account of the 
neat, and compact habit of the plants. 
Tall kinds. 
The earliest of all to flower is Harbinger, which was 
past its best on the occasion of our visit. There are 
several varieties of it. Sutton’s Poinpone is 
excellent for cutting, for the small heads of fluted 
florets are borne on long stalks. There are several 
beautiful shades of colour in the race, and the plants 
grow 12 in. to 18 in. high. Mont Blanc is similarly 
tall, and is notable for its large, semi-globular heads, 
which are very full in the centre. The Bride is a 
choice selection from it, and is notable for the full, 
compact, and neat form of its blossoms. Amongst 
the more recent strains that have come into notice 
the Comet Aster has already secured a great amount 
of popularity over a wide area in this country. The 
florets are long, linear, revolute at the tip, and 
almost remind one of a Lady Selborne Chrysanthe¬ 
mum ; they have also a glossy sheen upon them, 
best seen when the sun is shining on them. There 
are white, rose, light blue, rose with a white edge, 
and lilac varieties with a white edge, all of which 
are very choice from the size and beauty of their 
flowers. The strain named Jewel grows 12 in. to 
18 in. high, and have bright rose and apple-blossom 
flowers so compact and evenly incurved that they 
resemble incurved Japanese Chrysanthemums. The 
Crimson Globe strain is similarly tall, and much 
branched with globular neads of fluted florets of 
different shades. Sutton’s Quilled Victoria or 
Hedgehog consists of varieties of different colours, 
with beautifully neat, globular heads of quilled 
flowers. Sutton's tall Victoria has very large heads, 
and differs from the dwarf strain chiefly in height. 
It is a very useful strain, and exhibits some fine 
shades of colour, such as rose and white, rosy 
carmine, fiery scarlet, vermilion, light and dark 
blue, and others. The Giant French type grows 
about 2 ft. high, is much branched, erect, rather late 
in coming into bloom, and exhibits many well de¬ 
fined colours. Here also 
Trufaut's French Paeony- 
flowered Asters, which 
have long enjoyed a con¬ 
siderable reputation in this 
country. The plants are 
much branched and grow 
18 in. to 2 ft. high. 
The Washington Asters 
consist of a giant strain 
of the Victoria, about 2 ft. 
high, and having a stiff 
habit. The large blooms 
are white, carmine, silvery 
gray, and light blue, the 
latter being very fine. All 
are highly suitable for ex¬ 
hibition. The Tall Crown- 
flowered orCockade differs 
from the dwarf strain 
merely in being taller. The 
Exhibition Globe type is 
a very beautiful, quilled 
strain, with large globular 
heads of various colours 
on branching stems. The 
Harlequin is beautiful to 
those who like various 
colours, mixed, mottled 
and striped in a fantastic 
way, all in the same head. 
The German Globe strain 
is useful for cut flower 
purposes but not for bed¬ 
ding, because the long- 
stalked flowers diverge 
and hang about in a loose 
way,although individually 
the blooms are sufficiently 
handsome. Bettridge’s 
Quilled Asters must not be 
overlooked, particularly a 
soft, and clear distinctly 
yellow variety, with a 
white ray. Hitherto, yellow Asters have not been 
prominent, but we do not see why a race of decidedly 
yellow varieties should not be developed by crossing 
and selection. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
At the Royal Aquarium on the 4th inst. First- 
class Certificates were accorded to the undermen¬ 
tioned subjects. 
Dahlia Mrs. Francis Fell. —The flowers of 
this large, Cactus variety are creamy but within a 
shade of being pure white. The florets are long 
and narrowly pointed as in the true Cactus type. The 
bloom is somewhat smaller than that of Mahala 
Sherriff and less pure, but neater in form. These 
two with Mrs. A. Peart, certificated last year, now 
constitute a trio of white Cactus Dahlias, all of 
which were raised from the same batch of seed by Mr. 
T. S. Ware, Hale Farm Nursery, Tottenham, who 
was the exhibitor. 
Dahlia Katie Parniiam.— The blooms of this 
pompon variety are of average size, very neat and 
