394 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 19,1898, 
grow it as a good one. We passed into house after 
house until we had been in eight, all filled to their 
utmost capacity with innumerable varieties arranged 
in large batches of a colour. Giant Royal White 
heads the list for size and purity. A watch, with a 
diameter within a fraction of two inches in diameter 
when placed against the flowers of this variety, left a 
wide margin exposed on all sides. The bright car¬ 
mine-crimson of Giant Crimson seems to scintillate in 
a clear light as the eye is gazing upon it. Giant 
Scarlet is quite exceptional in size for so intense a 
colour, dark varieties being almost always char¬ 
acterised by having small flowers. The variety is 
early and of the same type as Reading Scarlet, well 
known for its rich colour. A handsome light variety 
is that named Giant Silver Gray, a term which well 
expresses the colour. The flowers are of enormous 
size, and recall the soft silvery colours met with in 
the garden varieties of Clematis lanuginosa. It is 
practically a new variety of which sufficient stock 
has not yet been obtained to sell otherwise than in 
the mixed packets. 
Large and bright are the flowers of Giant Terra 
Cotta, well-named, for the flowers are of a rich 
salmon-rose and easily recognisable amongst other 
sorts even at a distance. Another handsome flower 
amongst light kinds is furnished by Giant Pink, 
which may be described as silvery-pink overlying 
white. The light green foliage and leaf-stalks con- 
conform to or harmonise with the soft hue of the 
flowers. A similar agreement of parts may be met 
with in Giant White, the large flowers of which are 
pure white. Those who like a companion to it will 
find such in Giant White, Fern-leaved, whose 
flowers are white when they first expand, but blush 
with age in a strong light. All of the above may be 
had in mixture. The flowers of the giant strain are 
quite equal in size and substance, if indeed, they do 
not excel in those particulars, to those we have seen 
when the plants were in their prime, and before the 
fertilising brush has been at work. 
The ordinary type of Chinese Primulas is most 
profusely varied in shades of colour in conjunction 
with good habit and free-flowering character. The 
intensity of colour in Fern-leaved Crimson is cer¬ 
tainly remarkable in the species, and indicates care¬ 
ful and constant selection through a long series of 
generations. It is matched, however, by the Plain¬ 
leaved Crimson, whose flowers rise in a pyramidal 
mass well above a ring of good foliage. The flowers 
are of an intense glowing crimson, yet brilliant 
withal, and surely sufficient to satisfy the most 
fastidious in the matter of contrast with lighter 
hues. These two varieties are the darkest we have 
seen amongst Chinese Primulas, and we prefer the 
plain-leaved sort on account of its more graceful 
habit. From this to Snowdrift is a great leap in the 
opposite direction, the profusion of flowers being 
pure white, and the whole plant light in hue. It is 
the earliest and most durable variety in the collec¬ 
tion, as the flowers wither on the plant, and generally 
remain there till pulled off. Pearl is a very choice 
variety, producing a profusion of pure white flowers, 
accompanied by light green foliage. It has been 
constant to character since 1879, and still enjoys 
great popularity. A striking novelty has just been 
raised from Black Prince crossed with Reading 
Pink, but cannot yet be put into commerce. The 
flowers are silvery-white, with a purple centre of 
that hue seen in a Bougainvillea. 
Very choice and handsome is Purity, Fern-leaved, 
which throws its large, pure white flowers well above 
the foliage. A few years ago this would have been 
big enough to be put in the giant strain. Sutton’s 
Blue, Fern-leaved, is a month earlier than the plain¬ 
leaved type of the same colour, and throws up huge, 
pyramidal trusses of brightly coloured flowers. 
Royal White is the counterpart of Giant Royal 
White, except in size of bloom. The soft rosy-pink 
of Reading Pink makes a pleasing light shade of 
colour. The plain-leaved Double Blue is rather 
early for a double, and develops massive trusses and 
flowers of great durability. The rosy-pink flowers 
of RosyQueen are almost sufficiently large to take rank 
with the giant strain. The Fern-leaved foliage is of a 
pleasing light green, and makes a pleasing setting for 
the tall flower stems. The bronzy, metallic-looking 
foliage of Gipsy Queen is in strange contrast with 
the speckled white flowers, and ought to be more 
extensively grown for conservatory decoration, the 
foliage alone being of decorative value. 
The moss curled varieties continue to enjoy popu¬ 
lar favour, which does not at all surprise us for they 
are very unique in appearance. The foliage of 
the Double Moss Curled White resembles Parsley or 
something similar at a short distance away, and being 
incurved, crisped and curled at the margins, displays 
two or more shades of light green. The foliage of 
Double Lilac is much darker and bronzy, and the 
rosy-lilac flowers are produced with great freedom. 
A considerable amount of table space is devoted to 
them, and flowers of several other shades of colour 
besides those mentioned have appeared in the 
strain. 
The plain-leaved Single Blue is a choice and use¬ 
ful sort on account of the pyramidal masses of bright 
blue flowers it produces. In the same house were 
numerous double varieties, including Double White, 
a very early, pure white and floriferous sort. Double 
Crimson is also early and of compact habit. A 
clean, soft pink colour is exhibited by Double Pink, 
the flowers of which are produced in the greatest 
profusion. The flowers of Double Carnation Flake 
are pure white when they first expand, but after¬ 
wards become flaked. 
The house devoted to a trial of varieties is a most 
interesting sight at the present time. The seed is 
sown a month later than the rest, and the plants 
receive no more shifting after they are placed singly 
in thumb pots, in which they are now flowering. 
Each plant is a perfect specimen in miniature, bear¬ 
ing a single truss of flowers as large as those in 48- 
size pots. The giant strain in these small pots is 
well worthy of inspection. A vast number of 
varieties is grown, twelve plants of each, and twenty- 
four when in mixture. Many a gardener would be 
glad of these small plants for various decorative 
purposes. All are wonderfully true to name. The 
trial must be very expensive, and is annually con¬ 
ducted merely to prove the seeds true to name. On 
one of the shelves of this house is a collection of 
species of Primula, mostly in bloom, including P. 
vulgaris, P. Sieboldi, P. floribucda, P. rosea, 
P. obconica, P. sinensis, and P. japonica f 
with which experiments are being conducted, in the 
art of hybridising. In another house a whole 
shelf is occupied with two-year-old plants of P. 
floribunda, most profusely bloomed; P. obconica, in 
many beautiful varieties is also flo wering profusely 
and very attractive. 
Last, but not least, comes P. stellata or Sutton’s 
Star Primula, to improve which would be to spoil it, 
notwithstanding all opinions to the contrary. The 
starry flowers must remain so, and the slender, 
graceful, elegant, airy, and lightsome habit of the 
plant likewise. White and Pink varieties are the 
most noticeable,and the latter shade gets tinted with a 
beautiful coppery hue later on as the days get longer, 
the heat stronger and plenty of ventilation is 
given. Some of the white varieties show a purple 
flake. The display of bloom shows what can be 
done by growing this delightful variety for conserv¬ 
atory decoration. 
- 
ORCHIDS AT EASTWOOD PARK, NEAR 
GLASGOW. 
The Eastwood Park collection is very well known 
to the Orchid “cult.” During a period extending 
over a quarter of a century the enthusiastic owner, 
D. Tod, Esq., has been constantly adding choice 
things and weeding out poor forms that do not come 
up to his standard of excellence. Consequently a 
visit to this home of good sorts is an education in 
itself. It has almost become a necessity for one to 
see the best forms of the different genera, and at 
Eastwood this can be accomplished. 
The following are some of the choice ones that are 
in flower at the present time:—Odontoglossum 
prionopetalon with a spike of fourteen blooms ; and 
a very choice form of O. Coradinei has three spikes 
of twenty flowers each. The rare O. wilckeanum has 
a spike that carries twenty-four blooms. O. jennings- 
ianum is very fine, resembling O. andersonianum, 
only broader in the limbs. O. sanderianum carries 
nine spikes. 
O. crispum was well represented by what is called 
the " Pacho ” type. A very striking one, though 
slightly starry, had large chestnut-red blotches on 
the sepals and petals, making a magnificent plant. 
O. Pescatorei was not so plentiful, but one splendid 
variety was in flower, of large size, with the sepals 
and petals finely shaded with yellow; and the 
labellum was finely spotted with lilac, not unlike the 
markings on O. Cervantesii. O. pulchellum majus 
was showing well for flower, the grand plants being 
in g-in. pots. 
The varieties of O. Hallii have always been a 
notable feature here, and at present two immense 
specimens are just coming into bloom. There are 
nine spikes on a plant, each about 4 to 5 ft. long. 
O. Hallii leucoglossum was conspicuous. A huge 
specimen of O. Edwardii carried hundreds of its 
pretty violet blooms of a larger size than we are 
accustomed to see. 
Coelogynes are finely grown, C. cristata lemoniana 
largely taking the place of C. cristata. C. cristata 
alba, 3 ft. across, will soon be a marvel of beauty. 
The spikes of Oncidium macranthum and O. 
serratum are trained under the ridge, and run nearly 
the length of the house. Suspended from the roof 
are numerous pans of Pleione humilis ; and among 
other things a fine batch of Sophronites grandiflora. 
Mr. Hutchinson, the gardener, has already won 
his reputation as an Orchid grower, and, judging 
from the excellent condition of the plants under his 
charge, he is evidently determined to maintain it.— 
Visitor. 
-- 
EARLY SPRING FLOWERS. 
Whether Nature has been really kind to her 
children in imparting such an abnormal mildness to 
the opening month of 1898 is extremely problematic¬ 
al, and will remain so until we have passed through 
the next two or three months. At the present time 
we can only remark upon the effects of these con¬ 
tinued high temperatures, and hope for the best for 
the future. The honours of the situation have not 
for long this season remained with the Snowdrop 
and the Winter Aconite, for other subjects have put 
in a precocious appearance ; for instance, Roman 
Hyacinths, both white and blue, flowering in the 
open at the beginning of February, as they are in 
Messrs. Barr & Sons’ nursery, at Long Ditton, seem 
to indicate a curious topsy turvydom of the months, 
and thus it seems no wonder that other subjects 
besides the Hyacinths, appear to have lost their 
reckoning. 
Long Ditton is not an unusually early locality, for 
the country is pretty open hereabouts and low-lying, 
and if there is any cold weather about it is felt here 
in the biting winds. Still, despite it all, Scilla 
bifolia is in places showing its brilliant blue, and here 
and there one may note a stray Narcissus minimus 
or N. cyclamineus with expanded flowers. On a 
hedge-bank, facing the west, the large blue Vinca 
is blooming as freely by the side of the common yellow 
Gorse as if it were a couple of months later. 
Crocuses, as may well be supposed, have been 
having a fine time of it, although the sharp 
frost experienced on the the morning of the 5th inst. 
put their equanimity to a severe test, but of these 
more anon. 
At Long Ditton a number of beds have been 
enclosed with light wood trellises between 6 ft. and 
7 ft. in height, which serve' admirably to rob rough 
or biting winds of their sting, while they do not ex¬ 
clude the light. In these protected areas several 
early plants are flowering, including Iris reticulata, 
I.r. Krelagei, andl.r.histrioides. Fritillaria oranensis, 
a native of Algeria, is the earliest of the Fritillarias. 
The flowers are of medium size and nearly globose 
in shape. The segments are ovate-elliptic in shape,- 
and have a broad maroon stripe down the centre of 
each upon a bright green ground. The leaves are 
very glaucous, of great substance, linear-lanceolate 
in shape, and about in. in length. The plant 
attains a height of from 6 in. to S in. Here, too, 
we observed Galanthus Ikariae, a fine new species 
which was fully described in the issue of The 
Gardening World for February 5th. In this case 
the leaves were exceedingly broad and strong, almost 
as large, in fact, as those of G. Imperati. 
In another corner of these protected grounds there 
were several beds of Anemone Hepatica in red, 
white, and blue, all the plants being full of flower. 
Passing to the open we came across one of the 
most beautiful, and, when we take into consideration 
its earliness, one of the most valuable of the 
Hyacinths, Hyacinthus azureus, better known, per¬ 
haps, in gardens as Muscari azureum. The compact 
little spikes are about an Inch in length, and are sup¬ 
ported on scapes of 3 in. to 4 in. in length. The 
colour of the flowers is a light blue—Cambridge 
