404 
February 25, 1893. 
TH 
FLORICULTURE. 
The Auricula in February. 
The mild weather of February, with occasional 
warm, sunny days, is telling upon the Auricula, 
which is now moving forward joyously to meet the 
blooming time. What growers have to fear is a 
rapid and severe change of temperature, which may 
come at any time, for the end of February often 
brings surprises in the way of weather, and I have 
known the opening days of March to be accom¬ 
panied by hard frost and snow. I generally find 
that when a burst of warm, sunny weather comes 
in February, we generally have to pay for it by 
experiencing almost Arctic cold some time in March 
and April, which has a paralysing effect upon plants 
close to their blooming time. It is this consideration, 
perhaps, which prompted one of our leading 
Southern growers of the Auricula, when writing 
to a contemporary recently on the Auricula, to say 
that he had housed his plants in a greenhouse, and 
that it would be unwise to allow the temperature 
to fall below 40° between now and up to blooming 
time. This is all very well in the case of those 
who have an Auricula house or frame heated with 
hot water or a flue, but what of those who have not? 
They find it very difficult indeed to keep the tem¬ 
perature from falling below 40° ; all the covering up 
of a cold house or frame will fail to secure this 
when there are from 5 " to io Q of frost outside, and 
it is not unusual in the experience of such to have 
frosted blossoms in consequence of the plants being 
submitted to such a trial. How can flowers so 
grown compete with those having the advantage of 
an equable temperature regulated by heat ? It is 
impossible they can, though they have to do so at 
the exhibition held in London in April ; and though 
some have asked for classes for plants grown with¬ 
out artificial heat, they are not forthcoming, which 
is perhaps not to be wondered at. 
Young stock may now be re-potted with great 
advantage. If they are given fresh, sweet, sandy 
soil the roots soon begin to work in it, and the 
small plants rapidly increase in size. It is not wise 
to allow quite small plants to bloom, as it imposes a 
check upon them ; it is best to pinch out the flower- 
stems, so that the plants can grow into size and 
increase in strength for blooming another season. 
Young stock may be re-potted at any time up to 
May, and it is pretty much a matter of convenience; 
but if the soil about the roots has become sour and 
soddened, then the sooner a change is given the 
better. The starting of young stock into growth 
after potting is greatly helped by placing an ordi¬ 
nary handlight in the house, and placing the young 
plants in it for a time. A suitable compost can be 
made up of fine fresh yellow loam, some finely- 
sifted leaf-soil, and enough silver sand to keep it 
well open. Not a single young plant §hould be 
over-potted. They want just a shift, and it is a 
great deal better to shift two or three times, if need 
be, than to place a small plant in the middle of a 
pot of soil much too large for it; the roots seem 
to lose themselves in a wilderness of soil, and 
are a long time finding their way to the outskirts 
of it. 
Seedlings want close attention just now'. Seed 
sown last spring produced a crop of plants in the 
autumn, the largest of which were pricked off round 
the sides of pots of fresh soil, and they are growing 
nicely into size. Soon another batch can be pricked 
off that is, the plants left in the seed boxes last 
autumn as not being large enough to be handled 
without danger. Ihose who have had experience 
of raising seedling Auriculas know that the earliest 
and strongest seedlings are generally the coarsest 
and least valuable, while the late seedlings are 
almost invariably the best. I have a box of seed¬ 
lings, the seed of which was sown in August, 1891, 
from which I have taken five lots of small plants, 
and still others are coming through the soil, and 
may be expected to do so for some months to come. 
We therefore see that one should not be in a hurry 
to throw away seed boxes at the end of a year or 
eighteen months, as some seeds lie in the soil for a 
considerable time before they germinate. I have 
heard the Rev. F. D. Horner say that he keeps his 
seed boxes three years before he throws away the 
soil. 
Cleanliness about the pots is a matter of prime 
importance. During the winter the pots will be 
E GARDENING WORLD. 
sure to gather a certain amount of green slime on 
the outsides, some more so than others, according 
to the character of the clay from which they are 
made, and they should be made quite clean. Top¬ 
dressing is not so much followed as it deserves to 
be, but any soil that has become green on the sur¬ 
face is best removed and replaced by something 
fresh. In removing the old soil care should be 
taken not to disturb the roots ; the soil can be taken 
away down to them, and replaced by something 
fresh and rich, and this will be found of great 
advantage. 
With mild, close weather comes green fly. This 
troublesome pest can be kept down by occasional 
fumigations with tobacco smoke. The plants should 
be well cleansed of this pest before they come into 
bloom, as the smoke may injure the expanding pips. 
Ample ventilation is also essential, giving air in 
cold weather on the side of the house or frame opposite 
to that from which the wind blows, so that cold 
currents may not play upon the plants.— R. D. 
-* 4 *- 
CROCUSES IN FEBRUARY. 
The exact date at which the winter and spring¬ 
flowering species of Crocus will make their appear¬ 
ance in any given year, depends upon the state of 
the weather as to mildness or otherwise. If our 
winters were as genial generally as it is in their 
native homes, we should have a succession of 
Crocuses more or less continuously from September 
to April, finishing up curiously enough with C. 
vernus, the spring-flowering species. As it is the 
various species make their appearance by fits and 
starts, according as the weather is mild or frosty, 
and should severe or stormy weather set in while 
some of them are in bloom, the flowers get destroyed 
accordingly. Rarely do the flowers of any one 
species, however, come above ground all at one 
time, so that upon the return of mild weather a 
second batch of bloom makes its appearance. All 
this is an argument why cultivators should*.plant the 
various species of Crocus more frequently than they 
do even if it is only on the grassy turf where the 
leaves can be allowed to ripen before being cut and 
swept away. Modern cultivators do not appear half 
so enterprising as they used to be in olden times when 
amateurs and even cottagers planted bold clumps of 
them upon the grass, where they reappeared every 
spring in all their inimitable beauty—we say in¬ 
imitable because many of them are so in themselves, 
and no other class of flowers compete with them at 
the period of the year when they appear. A large 
proportion of the sixty-seven known species of 
Crocus are perfectly hardy in this country, the 
flowers only getting destroyed at unfavourable times, 
just as those of Jasminum nudiflorum and Petasites 
fragrans do, and yet get planted extensively. Even 
in the far north the severity of the winter has the 
effect of retarding the flowering period till more 
favourable times. 
In the South of England C. Imperati appears in 
mid-winter should the weather be sufficiently mild. 
The severe frost that set in about Christmas last, 
and continued through great part of January, had 
the effect of retarding the growth of the flowers, so 
that they still continue to bloom. The flowers are 
lilac feathered with purple, and.the three outer seg¬ 
ments are grey externally with three heavy purple 
veins. Curiously enough an autumn-flowering 
species, namely, C. Salzmanni, must be mentioned 
here, as it is still flowering. The flowers vary from 
vinous purple to lilac with deeper veins, and the 
three outer segments are grey externally feathered 
with purple veins at the base. Another pretty 
species in the same natural group is C. suaveolens, 
similar in colour to a pale form of the last, but 
variable in the veins of the outer segments, being 
confined to the base or running to the top or almost 
absent in different individuals. 
Another group is represented by the early-flowering 
C. Sieberi, frequently appearing in January, but 
regularly so in February. The flowers are blue and 
veiny, with orange anthers. Alongside of it C. 
gargaricus, with its uniformly orange-yellow flowers, 
makes a beautiful contrast. Still more handsome 
and meritorious in every respect is C. susianus, the 
Cloth of Gold Crocus, a native of the Crimea and 
the Caucasus, and perfectly hardy in all parts of 
this country. It used to be freely planted by 
cottagers even in the far north. Although one of 
the earliest to flower in spring, its date of appearance 
is regulated by the nature of the weather and by 
latitude, so that when it does bloom, it seldom fails 
to make a fine display even in the north of Scotland. 
The flowers are of a deep orange, with a broad 
bronzy-brown or almost mahogany coloured band 
as if varnished, and more or less feathered. This 
band is undoubtably most effective in bud, while 
the latter is ready to expand, and should the 
weather be cloudy, the full beauty of the plant 
continues for some time. When the flowers have 
been fully expanded by sunshine the three outer 
segments become reflexed and never close up again 
as other species do on the approach of night or at 
sunset. 
The Cloth of Silver Crocus, another well-known 
Crocus in Scotland, is a variety of C. biflorus. The 
latter is a highly variable species in a wild state, 
many of the forms having received distinctive names. 
Though pretty and interesting, none of the small 
ones are so generally useful for horticultural 
purposes, as the larger and striped ones. The 
reason for its variability is no doubt owmg to its 
extensive distribution, as it covers a wider area than 
any other species. The flowers of C. biflorus varyfrom 
the palest lavender or blush to white, and creamy- 
yellow within. The three outer segments are 
ornamented externally with three heavy, purple 
feathered veins. The flowers of C. aerius are 
suffused with blue on a white ground, and bronzy at 
the base. 
C. aureus represents another natural group, and 
the type is of a bright golden-yellow without any 
markings whatever, but it is now made to include 
the Dutch Yellow of gardens, the old C. luteus, 
which has large flowers with bronzy or dusky 
markings at the base. In the same group comes 
C. Oltveri, a pretty golden-yellow species, but 
notably small. On the other hand C. Korolkowd is 
larger and yellow feathered with brownish-purple 
externally. 
A number of species are centred around C. vernus, 
which may be looked upon as the most popular 
species since the improved garden forms of it are 
universally cultivated either in the open border or in 
pots for forcing in conjunction with the Dutch Yellow. 
The improved forms are usually planted in 
November and flower comparatively late in spring, 
as do the permanently planted corms, whether im¬ 
proved or otherwise. Some of the wild types, how¬ 
ever, are already flowering at Kew, where all of 
the species here mentioned were flowering in the 
third week of February. Allied to C. vernus is 
C. Thommasinianus, having the three inner segments 
of a blue purple, the outer ones paler, and externally 
almost lavender. The flowers of C. corsicus are 
lilac and grey externally, feathered with purple 
veins. Somewhat similar to the last is C. etruscus, 
and lined with purple on the back of the outer seg¬ 
ments. It is very probable that some of the so- 
called improved varieties of C. vernus owe their 
parentage to hybridisation with allied species, such 
as C. banaticus, having blue purple flowers and a 
large violet blotch externally near the tip of the 
outer segments. Something very similar is met with 
amongst Crocuses now being forced into bloom for 
indoor decorative purposes. 
-—i*- 
ASTER NOVI-BELGII 
L^VIGATUS. 
In our last issue we gave an illustration of Aster 
Amellus, showing its suitability for decorative pur¬ 
poses in pots As we are now in a position to 
illustrate another of the most suitable forms for the 
purpose, we therefore take this opportunity of con¬ 
tinuing the subject. The figure in question was like¬ 
wise prepared from a specimen in the collection of 
Mr. Norman Davis, at Camberwell. The above is 
the name accepted by botanists, but for some years 
past it has been grown and distributed by nursery¬ 
men and others under the name of A. longifolius for- 
mosus, but for what reason it is difficult to say. 
The plant is naturally dwarf, usually attaining a 
height only of 18 in. to 2 J ft. By striking cuttings 
late in spring and potting them on singly, bushy 
little plants Sin. to 10in. high can be obtained in 
48-size pots, and furnished with a mass of bloom as 
shown in the accompanying illustration. The 
blooms measure about 1 in. to i^in. individually, 
and are of a deep rose, contrasting beautifully with 
the bright blue of A. N.-B. densus, or the lilac-purple 
of A. Amellus. 
