October 1, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
71 
in the case of the white ground Picotee; but the 
great majority are more or less flaked with various 
colours, and are thus included under the head of 
yellow grounds. It is a section of Carnations which 
has grown enormously of late, and now comprises a 
very large number of varieties. But only a few of 
them are fragrant, and we do, as a rule, attach a 
greater value to flowers that possess fragrance than 
to those that do not. And probably, after all, it is a 
wise arrangement that limits fragrance to certain 
flowers, giving it to them in a large degree in some 
instances ; in others only to a small extent, but deny¬ 
ing this quality to the great majority; else, per¬ 
chance, it would become common, and so charming a 
feature be less valued than it is. 
A Blue Carnation. 
The question is sometimes asked—is there a blue 
Carnation ? No, it cannot be said there is ; but 
some varieties recently raised in Germany show tints 
of slate and slaty-blue that may in course of time 
develop to a real blue Carnation. We have several 
purple self Carnations, such as Purple Emperor and 
Neptune, among others ; but I do not think they are 
so likely to develop a blue tint as the German flowers. 
Two of the latter are worthy of special mention ; 
one is Theodore, which may be described as of a 
slaty-blue tint, large, full, with finely-formed petals, 
and delightfully fragrant—one of the sweetest 
scented Carnations we have. It is a grower, not too 
tall; the flowers are thrown up well above the 
foliage, and the blooms are not disfigured by the 
splitting of the calyx or the pod, as it is termed. 
This beautiful Carnation is very scarce at present, 
and I am afraid it is not so robust in constitution as 
one can desire, but it will be largely grown for its 
rare and distinctive beauty. The other is Van Dyck, 
and a more striking and attractive flower I do not 
know. The ground colour is slate shaded with 
mauve, and along the petals are flakes of bright rosy 
carmine. As I have not yet seen it growing, I am 
unable to give its height or the degree of its robust¬ 
ness, neither am I sure if it is fragrant, but as to 
its marvellous distinctness there can be no doubt. 
The Propagation of the Carnation and Picotee 
This is very largely done by means of layers dur¬ 
ing the month- of August. The Carnation throws up 
certain shoots which, following the flower stems, do 
not bloom until the following year. The shoots, 
when the wood is sufficiently hardened, are cut half 
way through at about the fourth or fifth joint from 
the point, the cut being made in a downward 
direction, so as to leave a little tongue. The shoot 
is then fastened down into some light sandy soil by 
means of a peg, and, in the course of a month or so, 
rooted plants are formed. Carnations are under 
such better control for layering when they are grown 
in pots, that all who cultivate for exhibition so grow 
their plants Layers should be put down by the 
end of August at the latest, or they will not root so 
early as can be desired.— R. D. 
- -- 1 - - 
INJURIOUS INSECTS IN 1892. 
In a condensed report of some of the main points of 
the work this year up to date, regarding British 
insect infestation, Miss Eleanor A. Ormerod says in 
The Mark Lane Express that " Amongst bush fruits, 
the Currants, Raspberries, and Gooseberries suffered 
from caterpillars, of various kinds of moths, and saw- 
flies, gall mites, scale, red spider, and also from 
beetles, and their maggots, all duly attended to in 
reply to inquiries, but too numerous to enter on here. 
Only in the case of Strawberries there was some 
unusual mischief. In this case I had notes of a 
weevil affecting the blossom, of a small beetle, the 
Galeruca tenella, which reduced the leaves almost to 
lacework, and of continuance of presence in one 
locality over many acres of injury from attack of an 
eel worm (an Aphelenchus), causing such a peculiar 
distortion of what should have been the flower 
shoot that the infestation has thence been named the 
•cauliflower disease.’ Less was reported than usual 
regarding winter moth presence, and in the case of 
the Apple sawfly (a very wasteful attack) we are now 
from the observations of a fruit grower in possession 
of all the details of its history, which we need to 
keep it in check. 
“ In forestry infestations there was the customary 
amount of inquiry as usual. Pine weevils and saw- 
flies required attention, and Larch bug and Spruce 
chermes-gall were also reported, also much injury 
from Oak caterpillars. 
“ In this department the most interesting inquiry 
was regarding great injury caused in an alder plan¬ 
tation by the infestation of the caterpillars of the 
Trochilium or 'Clear Wing Moth,’ which especially 
infests Alder and Birch, but is so rare with us that 
(as far as I am aware) no observation has been pre¬ 
viously made of the details of this attack in this 
country. The mischief is caused by the caterpillar 
boring up the young Alder stems near the ground 
and thus destroying them. In the present case, by 
the prompt measures taken by the proprietor, it 
may be certainly hoped that the infestation was 
stamped out, though at the sacrifice of his planta¬ 
tion.” 
--*■- 
Gardening Miscellany. 
C jL) 
CALANDRINIA GLAUCA GRANDIFLORA. 
There are several species of Calandrinia with 
spathulate fleshy leaves and large richly coloured 
flowers, and that under notice is one of them. The 
leaves are smooth, fleshy, and glaucous as the name 
would imply; and from amongst these the flower 
stems rise to a height of 12 in. to 18 in., bearing a 
raceme of large flowers that are purple, intensified 
about the middle and white towards the base. By 
way of contrast the anthers are orange. The best 
way to grow it is to sow seeds in small pots in mode¬ 
rate heat in the spring time, and transfer to the open 
ground as the weather gets warm about the end ot 
May. The seedlings soon come into bloom and keep 
on till frost destroys them. Seeds ripen in favour¬ 
able seasons, more particularly if the plants have been 
started in good time ; they, of course, take longer to 
ripen than the smaller flowered and less fleshy 
species. 
LIL1UM HENRYI. 
When this gets into commerce it is almost sure to 
become popular, for while it possesses the habit 
characteristic of L. speciosum the colour is strik¬ 
ingly different. The latter is, however, liable to fade 
considerably, and the orange-apricot hue of the 
newly-expanded flower gives place to a much paler 
shade as if it was liable to burning under the influ¬ 
ence of sunshine. When one is in possession of a 
quantity of bulbs, a succession of bloom is kept up 
for many weeks together. Three to four feet is the 
usual height of the plant, but strong bulbs may yet 
show greater possibilities. At all events it is quite 
tall enough for planting in beds amongst Rhododen¬ 
drons with charming effect during the late summer 
and autumn months as in the beds at Kew. 
VERONICA PIMELIOIDES. 
The leaves of this species are elliptic, about a quar¬ 
ter of an inch long, and neatly arranged in four 
ranks similar to those of a Pimelea, as the name im¬ 
plies. The plant forms a neat bush, flowering when 
only 3 in. to 6 in. high, and possesses a decidedly 
glaucous hue. The flowers are violet purple, fading 
to a clear lilac, and are pretty although not larger 
than those of V. pinquifolia, V. carnosa, and other 
dwarf, bushy species of the same type. It is to be 
hoped that V. pimelioides will prove as hardy as 
those two, for it would then be a suitable subject for 
rockeries of moderate size. Like a considerable 
number of the New Zealand Veronicas it would 
doubtless prove hardy around the south and west 
coasts of England, where the shrubby Veronicas are 
well adapted for resisting the sea breeze, and not 
only so but flower profusely for many weeks or 
months together. That here noted may be seen out¬ 
side of the hardy plant house at Kew. 
CARNATION KEIR PRINCE. 
This new Carnation is considered by those who 
know it to be suitable either for border or for pot 
work. In the latter case the early layers are potted 
on, and by being kept in a greenhouse or conserva¬ 
tory continue their growth, flowering in winter and 
early spring. The flowers are of medium size, 
glowing scarlet, neat in form without dressing, and 
never burst the calyx. Of these facts we are 
assured, having examined a boxful of cut flowers, 
which at this late period of the year are quite 
acceptable, more particularly when one knows that 
they can be obtained from the open ground. It was 
raised by Mr. T. Lunt, Keir Gardens, Dunblane, 
and it is to be sent out in October by Messrs. R. B. 
Laird & Sons, Edinburgh. Besides the brightness 
of colour and the neatness of the flower, the plant 
has a very vigorous constitution to recommend it, 
producing plenty of grass, and an abundance of 
bloom from July to October. It is the constitution 
of the plant that will enable it to be rapidly propa¬ 
gated, distributed and perpetuated, and by which it 
will hold its own amongst the numerous varieties 
now in cultivation. 
PRIMULA POISSONI. 
A fine batch of this planted out on the rockery at 
Kew has made wonderful growth, and many of the 
plants are flowering strongly. It would be better 
perhaps to go perfectly to rest at this time of the 
year in order that it may be the better able to pass 
the winter in safety. At all events there are many 
of the plants not in a flowering condition, so that taken 
altogether the batch will form a pretty fair test as to 
the hardiness of this fine species. It belongs to the 
same type as P. japonica, and produces its flowers 
tier above tier in the same way, but the leaves are of 
a rich dark green, smooth and altogether different. 
They vary from oblong to obovate-spathulate, forming 
rosettes from amongst which the flower scapes rise 
to a height of 12 in. to 18 in. The flowers are large, 
and rich purple with a golden yellow, five angled ring 
forming the eye. It is to be hoped that the species 
will prove as hardy as P. japonica. 
WITSENIA OORYMBOSA. 
Many years ago this was rather a common plant in 
greenhouses throughout the country, there being few 
establishments of any note that did not possess a 
few plants. The foliage is always pretty, being pro¬ 
duced in short two ranked tufts corresponding to the 
branches. The leaves are evergreen, but of a soft 
glaucous hue, and resemble those of an Iris in 
miniature. The plant flowers freely, apparently at 
various times of the year according to the stage of 
growth, bearing corymbs of small, bright blue 
flowers. The plant is shrubby, a very unusual 
character for an Iridaceous plant, and pretty at all 
seasons. It is now flowering in one of the houses at 
Falkland Park, South Norwood Hill, the residence 
of T. McMeekin, Esq. 
DIEFFENBACHIA MELEAGRIS. 
The leaves of this new species are ovate-lanceolate, 
long pointed, of a rich dark green, and variegated on 
both surfaces with a few scattered white spots. The 
specific name refers more to the petioles than the 
leaves themselves, as they are blackish green and 
closely marbled with ivory white spots which have 
been compared to those of the flowers of Fritillaria 
Meleagris the common Fritillary which is nativs to 
this country. The stem is erect, cylindrical, 
ultimately attaining a height of two feet, with long 
slender petioles. The plant is altogether more 
slender and graceful than most others of the species 
of Dieffenbachia in cultivation, and the long petioles 
show themselves off with wonderfully fine effect, 
judging from the coloured illustration of L'lllustration 
Horticole, pi. 159. It was discovered last year in the 
equatorial regions of South America by one of the 
collectors sent out by Messrs. Linden, of L'Horticul¬ 
ture Internationale, Brussels, and made its appearance 
at the Temple Show in May last. 
LABISIA SMARAGDINA. 
This dwarf and ornamental foliaged plant comes 
from Borneo and is closely allied to the Ardisias, 
many of which are now cultivated for the sake of 
their ornamental character when laden with red, 
crimson, or black berries according to the species. 
The plant is almost stemless, and forms a dense 
rosette of leaves lying upon the surface of the soil 
in which it is grown. The leaves are obovate- 
lanceolate, narrowed to the base, leathery in charac¬ 
ter, 6 in. to 7 in. long, and 2 in. to 2 J in. wide. They 
are of a dark green variegated along the middle and 
extending along the lateral nerves in dark olive 
green patches or lobes. The flowers are small and 
rosy-purple, but freely produced in branching 
racemes or panicles just rising above the foliage. It 
was exhibited in the Temple Gardens in May last 
by Messrs. Linden, Leopold Park, Brussels, and 
there is a coloured figure of it in L'lllustration 
Horticole, pi. 160. 
