698 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 2, 1898. 
whole being arranged like show houses, with mixed 
groups only, of course, in their respective sections, 
that is, cool and warm. 
Fruit under glass, including Pines,is a strong point 
here, Peaches and Nectarines being quite a speci¬ 
ality. At the time of my visit, the season with these 
was nearly over; still, they had some left, and those 
were of the highest order of merit. Turning to the 
kitchen garden, in size it was quite in proportion to 
the other parts of the establishment, and was a model 
of what a kitchen garden should be, both in cleanli¬ 
ness and cultivation. Here it is that one can see the 
French system of fruit tree training to perfection. 
Devices worked out with Apple and Pear trees were 
numerous, and it seemed almost incredible that the 
branches could be manipulated to such an extent ; 
even the proprietor’s name was growing from an 
Apple tree and flourishing so amazingly, that even 
the Apple shoots seemed to vie with each other, as 
to which should do the most in converting the name 
into the vegetable world. Peaches on the outside 
walls were very fine and highly coloured. The 
flower garden and pleasure grounds are very 
extensive and of the highest order. The indispen¬ 
sable Begonia and Canna were in the first rank in the 
bedding. Before I close I will mention one more 
plant,the Carnation. Here it is legion as a pot plant 
and for decorative purposes; and like the Apple tree 
previously mentioned, seems to have an affinity for 
the name. M. Schwart, the head gardener, appeared 
to have a good grip of the whole establishment, and 
is to be congratulated on his efficiency in keeping the 
gardens up to such a standard of perfection.— 
D. Cooper. 
-- 
HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 
Tradescantia virginica rubra.-The handsome 
Tradescantia virginica, the common Spider-wort, also 
known as Flower-of-a-day, has given rise to progeny 
even more handsome than itself, and in the case of 
the variety under notice we have one of the largest 
flowered forms of all. The individual blooms are 
fully ij in. in diameter under favourable circum¬ 
stances, and exhibit a rich shade of carmine-purple. 
The height varies from 15 in. to 20 in. I was most 
favourably impressed with the merits of this variety 
when I saw some fine specimens the other day. 
T. Yirginica alba.—This is probably the most 
popular of all the forms of T. virginica, and there 
can be no doubt that the popularity is well deserved, 
for it is a handsome plant for the herbaceous border. 
The flowers are not so large as those of T. v. rubra, 
but they are produced with exceptional freedom. 
Now and again the plant shows a tendency to revert, 
and in at least three cases this year, all in different 
localities, I have noticed the one plant bearing both 
blue and double flowers. In the case of my own 
plants, one that threw some white and some blue 
flowers last year, has changed again this, and is 
producing all white flowers this, whilst another that 
bore all white flowers last season has thrown up 
several stems that are carrying all blue flowers, 
there being little or no difference between these and 
those of the type, T. virginica. Truly, Nature’s 
vagaries are occasionally very puzzling. 
There are other good forms that are well worthy 
of cultivation, and there is a great uniformity of 
height and similarity of habit amongst them all. 
T. v. delicata has soft blush pink flowars, and T. v. 
flore pleno has fine double blue flowers. T. v. azurea, 
as the varietal name would signify, has bright blue 
flowers, and whilst those of its double form are of 
exactly the same hue. 
All these plants are of the easiest culture. They 
will grow and flower freely in almost any soil, and 
although the blooms are ephemeral,yet they are showy 
and their numbers make up for the lack of ‘‘last.” 
Planted in clumps in the herbaceous border or in 
nooks on the rockery they look exceedingly pretty, 
and excellent results may be obtained by filling beds 
entirely with them, as has been done at Kew from 
time to time. 
Propagation is best conducted by division of the 
roots in Spring, just before growth commences. The 
divisions may either be consigned to the ground 
straight away, or they may be potted up, grown on 
in frames, and planted out subsequently. The latter 
method is to be preferred when the divisions are 
small, as it gives them a better chance to make 
plants at an early date. 
Polygonum sachalinense—Attention has been 
drawn at various times to the value of this subject 
as a fodder plant, but it is not of its economic uses 
I wish now to speak. It is of noble presence, and, 
growing as it does, to the height of 8, 10 and even 
12 ft., with its large, cordate lower leaves and trun¬ 
cate upper ones, it is a capital thing for the wild 
garden. It loves a moist root-run, and hence should 
be planted by the side of streams or ponds, where it 
soon establishes itself. There is a fine clump of it 
in such a position in the Long Ditton nurseries, and 
it forms a pleasing feature of the place. P. sachali¬ 
nense was introduced from the Sachalin Islands in 
1869. 
Iris Pseud&corus Yariegata. —Everybody knows, 
or at least ought to know, our native yellow Iris or 
Water Flag, with its long sword-shaped leaves, and 
large bright yellow flowers. In the variety under 
notice we have a golden and green form of it, whose 
foliage is distinctly handsome. The flowers do not 
differ in any material way from those of the type, 
and so call for no special comment. As a subject for 
planting in the mud by the borders of streams or 
ponds, where its roots can enjoy the ooze that they 
so much love, there is nothing finer than this plant, 
I was pleasantly reminded of this by the sight of a 
number of plants flourishing by the side of the stream 
that runs through Messrs. Barr & Sons' rockery at 
Long Ditton. 
Melissa officinalis Yariegata. —Of late years 
there seems to have been almost a craze for varie¬ 
gated forms of common hardy plants, and it seems 
rather curious that the variegated form of the 
common Balm should have been forgotten in the 
persistent pushing of variegated things, but very few 
nurserymen catalogue it. I lately saw a clump of 
this old-time favourite in one of those old-fashioned 
gardens that are now all too scarce in the country. 
How it got there the owner of the garden could not 
tell me. It had always been there so far as he could 
remember, he said. At one time it appears the plant 
was a favourite as an edging subject, a purpose for 
which its dwarf, stocky habit, and abundant leafage 
render it eminently suitable. The fragrance is fully 
as strong, and the medicinal value fully as great in 
the variegated form as in the type, but the habit is 
neater and more compact. Those who like sweet¬ 
smelling things about the house might well employ 
it, for it makes a capital window-box plant. A stock 
of plants may soon be worked up by division in 
spring just before growth commences for the season. 
—Plant Lover. 
» c » ■ ■ 
HARDY BAMBOOS. 
(Continued from p. 682.J 
As a guide to intending planters of Bamboos the 
species and varieties established in the Bamboo 
garden at Kew may be taken as representative, both 
on account of its comprehensiveness, and as being 
situated neither in the warmest nor the coldest dis¬ 
trict of Britain, in which a collection of Bamboos 
may be planted with reasonable hope of success. 
Paradoxical as it may seem there are species which 
may be grown in the Midlands with equal, if not 
greater success than in Cornwall, for the simple rea¬ 
son that the greater summer heat in the counties of 
the former is more conducive to the ripening or 
hardening of the stems, than the moister and more 
equable climate of Cornwall, the heat of which is 
tempered by proximity to the Atlantic and the 
English Channel. No description need be given of 
the species which have been tried, and have failed at 
Kew, as they do not come into the category of hardy 
in the broader sense of the term, though cultivators 
in the more favoured spots may reap a fair amount 
of success with them. Japan is the metropolis of the 
hardy Bamboos as far as Britain is concerned. A 
smaller number come from China, and one each from 
the Himalayas and North America. 
Propagation is effected by division of the root- 
stock, and pieces will grow so long as they are 
provided with a piece of the underground stem or 
rhizome with its attached roots. Small pieces may 
be established the more quickly by potting them up 
and placing them in heat, which accelerates growth, 
as those know who grow them in pots or tubs for in¬ 
door decoration, either by themselves or in associa¬ 
tion with Palms. May and June is the best time for 
dividing the clumps in the open air, as growth is 
just commencing and soon repairs any damage that 
may be done to the roots. 
For some years past the nomenclature of Bamboos 
has been in a very tangled condition in gardens, which 
is quite natural and customary where cultivators have 
been working independently amongst a class of 
plants which is practically new to cultivation in 
Britain. It is true that they are well known to the 
Japanese, who make use of them for an infinite 
variety of purposes, both as food, decorative work in 
the living state and for use or ornament, in the case 
of the wood which is manufactured into all sorts of 
articles for which the Japanese are famous. The 
Japanese names do not, however, greatly assist the 
systematic botanist. Order out of disorder has now 
been effected in the Kew collection by the aid of 
various workers, of whom A. 13. Freeman-Mitford, 
Esq., has been particularly active, judging by the 
frequency with which he is quoted as the authority 
for the specific name of the species under notice. 
Synonyms are pretty numerous in many cases, but 
only the more important may be noted here. The 
Hand-list of trees and shrubs grown at Kew may be 
consulted by those desiring an exhaustive synonymy. 
The Japanese names quoted may assist those who 
have plants obtained directly from the Far East. 
Many,if not all, of the best are now obtainable in this 
country. The alphabetical arrangement of the 
genera and species given hereunder is adopted for 
facility of reference, rather than for the natural 
affinity of species. 
Arundinaria. 
The number of distinct species, computed by the 
Genera Plantarum, as belonging to this genus is 241 
but, independently of synonyms, 41 have been 
described by botanists, and recorded in the Index 
Kewensis. Even these figures may undergo con¬ 
siderable alteration as a more complete knowledge of 
the species is attained as a result of original observa¬ 
tion by botanists and cultivators, because these 
woody grasses seldom flower, and are difficult to 
define. The branches arising from the main stem 
are sometimes fascicled in a semi-whorled manner, 
giving them a characteristic appearance, though this, 
unfortunately for cultivators, is not a constant 
feature. Thj leaves are jointed with a sheath that 
is persistent, and form a noticeable feature of the 
species, especially when the nodes of the stem are 
long, bringing the dried and dead sheaths into 
prominence. The transverse veinlets of the leaves 
are obscure, or occasionally conspicuous and in¬ 
teresting. Flowers are seldom produced in Europe, 
and may be disregarded. The distribution of the 
species is tropical Asia and America, some extend¬ 
ing into ultra-tropical regions of America, the 
Himalayas and Japan, the latter concerning the 
British cultivator most. 
A. anceps. —The origin of this Bamboo is un¬ 
known. The stems attain a height of 6 ft. to 8 ft., 
and vary from olive to brown and purple tints ; they 
are erect, and give off tufts of very slender twigs at 
the nodes. The linear leaves vary from 2 in. to 4 in. 
in length, and are light green with purple sheaths, 
bearded at the apex, that is, the sheath has a fringe 
or collar of bristly hairs at the top. The habit of 
the plant is graceful, and the general effect of the 
foliage attractive. 
A. auricoma. —In gardens this is well known 
under the name of Bambusa Fortunei aurea, having 
been grown as a golden variegated companion to B. 
F. variegata, which is even more common. Arun¬ 
dinaria Fortunei aurea is less often applied to it. In 
the open air it reaches a height of 4 ft., forming a 
dense, erect bush, with greenish-yellow and golden- 
yellow leaves, thinly striped with green. The foliage 
is handsome till winter cripples the leaves, causing 
many of them to drop. Pot plants seldom attain a 
greater height than :8 in. During July, August and 
September it is at its best. It comes from 
Japan. 
A. chrysantha. —The reed like stems attain a 
height of 3 ft. to 4 ft., forming a dense bush, clothed 
with grassy, finger-like leaves of a dark green. The 
leaves are generally of a soft yellow, with a few 
green lines, and are 4 in. to 8 in. in length. The 
species is a native of Japan. It is hardly so 
ornamental as A. auricoma, the variegation not 
being so conspicuous or attractive. 
A. Falconeri. —Amongst the Himalayan species 
of the Bamboo hitherto tried,this is the only one that 
has proved at all hardy at Kew. It loses its leaves 
in winter and occasionally its main stems, but comes 
up again from the root. Last winter the stems 
survived and commenced sprouting again about the 
beginning of June. The stems arise from the ground 
