584 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 14,1898, 
INTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Tulipa biflora.—The flowers of the Tulip, whether 
it be of the earlier flowering species and varieties, 
or the more refined and highly bred florists' Tulips 
which flower in May, are, as a rule, borne singly upon 
the flower stalk or scape, but there are very few rules 
without an exception or exceptions, and we have an 
instance of this in Tulipa biflora, a Caucasian 
species, which found its way to this country about 
the year 1806. The specific name, " biflora," would 
denote, of course, that there are two flowers to the 
scape, but however true this may have been of the 
wild plants it is no longer true of the cultivated 
ones ; indeed, " multiflora ” would be a much more 
appropriate name, for the scapes are “ many- 
flowered," the number varying from five to eight or 
nine, seven and eight being very common numbers. 
Tulipa biflora is exceedingly interesting from a 
botanical point of view, seeing that it forms a con¬ 
necting link between the genus Tulipa proper, and the 
sub-genus Orithyia. It is not, however, of its botanical 
affinities that we wish now particularly to speak, for 
the plant has another side, that of horticultural 
value, to which it may be profitable to draw atten¬ 
tion. For a sheltered nook in the rock garden 
lovers of hardy plants will find it a real gem of great 
beauty, and as it is easy of cultivation it is a plant 
that the amateur will do well not to overlook. This 
year it was in full flower by the middle of April, and 
very pretty it looked, in spite of the fact that the 
fore part of April was anything but genial. The 
flowers are rather small as compared with the size 
of other Tulips, but then their number more than 
compensates for this. The colour is a delicate 
cream-yellow, with a slight flushing of green on the 
outer side of the segments. 
Tulipa undulatifolia Boissieri.—Tulips are 
generally cultivated for their flowers, bat in one or 
two instances we have amongst them plants 
possessed of distinctly handsome foliage. One of 
these, T. Greigi, we noticed a week or two ago, and 
in.T. undulatifolia Boissieri we have yet another 
that is almost worth growing for the sake of its 
foliage alone, which, with that of the type T. undu¬ 
latifolia, is distinct from that of any other Tulip. 
The leaves are long, and narrow in proportion to 
their length. The margins of the leaves, as the 
specific name denotes, are much waved and undu¬ 
lated, presenting, in fact, a series of strong curves. 
The colour is deep green. The flowers are very 
showy, and will compare favourably with those of 
any other form for beauty. They are rich crimson 
in colour, with a black centre, surrounded with a 
narrow yellow zone, and stellate in shape, the seg¬ 
ments being rather narrow. The height of the plant 
is only about 6 in., so it should be given a position 
where it will not be overshadowed by taller and 
more vigorous growing subjects. 
Tulipa Leichtlini.—Whilst speaking of beautiful 
species of Tulips we cannot refrain from making 
mention of T. Leichtlini. With the two already 
spoken of it is of great beauty, and a charming 
plant for a nook in the rockery. The flowers are of 
medium size. Tne inside is pale flesh-pink, with a 
bright yellow base, while the outside is a rich coral- 
red. The mixture of colours is thus very handsome 
and effective. The height of the plant is from 5 in. 
to 6 in. The only thing that militates against the 
plant is its price, which, to tell the truth, is some¬ 
what high, but then it is so beautiful. 
Arabia albida is neither a new nor a rare plant, 
but its great value for spring bedding purposes 
compels a note. If hardy, free-flowering, easily 
cultivated subjects such as this were taken up 
and properly utilised our gardens would be much 
gayer during the early part of spring than they are. 
The plant is only from 6 in. to 9 in. in height, and 
hence it can be usefully employed for covering the 
spaces between taller growing subjects; indeed, we 
have noticed that it has been effectively employed in 
this way in association with Tulips at Regent’s 
Park. As an edging for beds or borders it is likewise 
all there, and there are many less showy plants than 
it in the rockery during April and May. The 
flowers are pure white, and are very freely produced 
in terminal racemes over a long period, whilst the 
habit of the plant is close and trailing, and it loves 
to form close tufts of greenery, out of which the 
flower scapes rise with a freedom that not infre¬ 
quently endangers the safety of the plant; indeed, 
the tufts are simply masses of white. Such a sub¬ 
ject as this should be in every amateur’s garden. 
Arabis albida is a native of Tauria and the Caucasus 
regions, having been brought to this country a little 
over a hundred years ago. It is occasionally met 
with in gardens under the name of A. caucasica. 
Under cultivation this species has given rise to at 
least one variety of considerable merit—the silver 
variegated one known by the name of A. a. 
variegata. It is, perhaps, not quite so free-flower¬ 
ing as the type, but the foliage is prettily variegated, 
and is thus showy when the plant is out of bloom, in 
which respect it may be said to score off the plain 
green form. 
A. procnrrens variegata is a variegated form of 
the dwarf, Servian species, A. procurrens, which 
commences to flower earlier than A. albida, although 
the two may be seen in bloom together. This is 
much dwarfer in stature than A. albida, and may be 
roughly considered a miniature of it. 
A. lucidafolils Yariegatis is a long name under 
which another handsome Arabis has to labour. The 
flowers are white, and the foliage a pretty mixture of 
green and gold. This should be grown with the 
silver-variegated varieties of A. albida and A. pro¬ 
currens, if only for the sake of contrast. The plants 
run to about 6 in. in height. 
A. rosea should not be lost sight of. As the 
specific name suggests, the flowers are of a rose 
colour, very soft and delicate. It is a native of 
Calabria, and its height is about that of A. albida. 
These two species make a capital pair. 
As we have previously mentioned, all the Arabises 
or Rock Cresses are very easy of cultivation. They 
will grow almost anywhere if sufficient light be 
given them. On dry, sandy banks, for instance, 
where most other plants would languish and ulti¬ 
mately die, they do well, and flower with surpassing 
freedom. Propagation is fully as easy, and the 
amateur may take his choice between root divisions, 
cuttings, or seed. Perhaps the surest way is to 
divide the roots after flowering has ceased for the 
season. Cuttings put in during the summer also 
root freely enough, and if looked after will make 
good plants by the following spring. Seed should be 
sown as soon as it is ripe, and may be put either in 
the open ground or in pans placed in a cold frame; 
in any case artificial heat should not be given. 
Fritillaria macrophylla.—The changes which are 
ever occurring in the nomenclature of plants are ex¬ 
ceedingly puzzling to the amateur and professional 
gardener alike, and some of us are apt at times to 
think that this changing of names is done out of 
pure spite, or merely a desire for a change. 
This, of course, is not so, as the correct affinities of 
a plant can only be obtained after a vast amount of 
trouble, but the puzzlement that is brought about by 
the changing has still to be reckoned with. Very 
few plants, indeed, have been so hardly treated as 
Fritillaria macrophylla, for in addition to this name 
it has been called both Lilium roseum and L. thom- 
sonianum, whilst the changes have been rung on 
these names in a most provoking manner. First 
the plant is a Fritillaria, then it is a Lilium, and both 
genera are to be found in use in different parts of 
the country. Many of our amateur readers may be 
inclined to ask, and not without good reason, how 
they can possibly be expected to know and use the 
right name of a plant that has so many aliases, and 
over which authorities disagree so much. The Index 
Kewensis has adopted the name of Lilium roseum, 
but we have referred to the plant under the name 
under which it is most frequently met, viz., Fritil¬ 
laria macrophylla. This was the name given to it 
by David Don, who was the first to describe it. 
According to Dr. Wallace, in his “ Notes on 
Lilies," the plant is " a native of the Western Hima¬ 
layas, extending from Afghanistan eastwards by way 
of Massoorie and Nepaul. It has been gathered by 
nearly all the collectors who have visited that region. 
In the eastern part of its range the height which it 
attains above the sea-level appears to be from 5,000 ft. 
to 6,000 ft. . . . It seems to have been first in¬ 
troduced into cultivation by Loddiges, who flowered 
it in 1844. Captain Strachy sent it to Kew in 1853 
from Kumaon." 
To pass from the botanical affinities of the plant, 
no matter whether it be Lilium or Fritillaria, it is a 
distinctly handsome thing, and a gem for pot culture. 
It is about 1 ft. in height, and the flower scape bears 
a number of medium-sized, rose-coloured flowers, 
which are broadly funnel-shaped, and have the tips 
of the segments slightly reflexed. It is totally dis¬ 
tinct from anything else.— Rex. 
—- »!- ■ — 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
“ Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Fern Pots.— P. Ford : You would be able to obtain 
earthernware pots suitable for hanging against a wall 
from any good maker of flower pots. If your order is 
not large enough to send direct to them we should 
imagine you would have no difficulty in getting them 
through your local sundriesman. The kind of Fern 
pocket you mention with one side flat, and a hole in 
the top for suspending it is made, but we do not 
often see them in use. The Ferns do very well in 
them, but our own objection to them is that they 
look rather glaring. We should prefer to have 
wooden receptacles made, and to cover these on 
three sides with sheets of cork. These would come 
quite as cheap as the earthenware pots, and in our 
opinion look far nicer, but tastes differ. 
Pots for Selaginellas. — P. Ford : Selaginellas may 
be grown in the ordinary pots, but we prefer pans 
from 4 in. to 6 in. in depth, and either square or 
round in shape. These pans give the large amount 
of surface room which Selaginellas like, without the 
unnecessary quantity of soil which the use of 
ordinary pots entails. 
Gloxinias. — E. P. : The Gloxinia leaves have been 
scorched by exposure to the sun. You must shade 
them. There are no signs of insect attacks. 
Mealy Bug on Streptocarpuses.— Karl-. Mealy 
bug is very partial to Streptocarpuses, and now that 
you have allowed your plants to become badly in¬ 
fested you will find some difficulty in getting rid of 
the pest. We have found that dipping the plants in 
a fairly strong mixture of Lemon Oil insecticide to 
be the best method of cleaning them speedily and 
safely. Lay the plants on their sides after they 
have been dipped, so as to prevent the insecticide 
from getting amongst the roots. 
Thinning Grapes.— E. P. : It is almost impossible 
to give you full instructions on paper as to the way 
to thin Grapes. A practical demonstration is 
necessary, and would teach you more in two 
minutes than we could with pen and ink in a week. 
As your Grapes are Black Hamburghs the operation 
is easy enough, seeing that the berries generally set 
in threes. The middle berry of each three is 
generally the largest, and must, therefore, be left, 
cutting away the one on either side of it. In thin¬ 
ning you should first of all remove all the inside 
berries, that is, those that are borne towards the 
centre of the bunch. The smallest ones in the out¬ 
side ranks should follow next, and finally, if it is re¬ 
quired, a few of the large ones may be taken out, 
but this is rarely necessary at the first attempt. If 
you can get a practical man to show you, do so, if 
not, proceed cautiously on the lines we have in¬ 
dicated. 
Shrubby Calceolarias.— D. James: You will do 
well to plant the Calceolarias out now if the bed is 
ready for them, but if frost comes they will require 
protection. It is better, however, to do this than 
run the risk of spoiling them by leaving them in 
their present crowded condition for another fort¬ 
night. 
Chrysanthemum Golden Queen of England — 
Mum. : In a lately issued list of too much alike 
Chrysanthemums which will not in future be 
accepted upon the same stand by the National 
Chrysanthemum Society, Golden Queen of 
England, John Lambert, Emily Dale, and Emily 
Dale improved are all bracketed together. This 
means that the four varieties that you mention as 
being so much alike are recognised as being so by 
the committee appointed by the N. C. S. to inquire 
into the matter. 
