May 8, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
578 
APRIL FLOWERING TULIPS. 
As a spring bedding plant the praises of the Tulip 
have been sung times without number, and our 
public parks and gardens bear witness to the fact 
that when properly utilised the earlier Tulips have 
no compeers in their season for brilliant and effective 
colour. First of all come in the Due Van Thol 
varieties. These in themselves .present a consider¬ 
able range of hue in scarlet, rose, crimson, white, and 
yellow. As pot plants for forcing these are also held 
in high favour, and they are used to some extent for 
bedding purposes, although in this case their dwarf¬ 
ness tells against their value, inasmuch as a shower 
is sure to splash and sully them with mud. In point 
of time Keizer’s Kroon closely follows the Due Van 
Thol section. It is certainly the best of the taller, 
and larger forms, and its brilliant scarlet and gold 
must be familiar to most if not all of our readers. 
Before the lustre of Keizer’s Kroon has begun to 
fade it is joined by a number of other grand forms, 
which carry on the succession, and join hands with 
the May flowering varieties. The wealth in point of 
number, beauty, and value of thisssctionfullyreveal 
themselves to a visitor to the Long Ditton Nurseries, 
where the historic bulb is given a high position in 
the favour of the management. It is all very nice to 
argue about the aesthetic inelegance of large masses 
of Tulips, but there is no gainsaying their effective¬ 
ness as colour scenes ; and, moreover, this is the 
method to test the value of varieties for the massing 
on a smaller scale in more diminutive beds that is 
carried on in private as well as public establishments. 
The undermentioned have been in fine condition with 
the Messrs. Barr. 
To speak of the single-flowered forms first, for 
they certainly constitute the better part of the dis¬ 
play, the double Tulip being a rather heavy and 
somewhat inelegant production ; we were enchanted 
with a large break of Couleur Cardinal, the bright 
crimson-scarlet of which glittered bravely 'neaththe 
coquettish influence of an April sun. White Swan, 
a pure white with a huge cup, has a great length of 
stem, and is one of the very best whites. Duchesse 
de Parma is after Keizer’s Kroon, but is later, 
dwarfer, and a more compact flower. Ophir d’Or 
is credited with being the largest and handsomest 
yellow Tulip, but, as we saw the two varieties, Aegle 
d'Or runs it very close for both size and brilliancy of 
colour. Cottage Maid is appropriately enough a 
modest flower, the white covered o’er with rosy 
blushes, but the ** Maid,” although dwarf, is not. 
afraid to look at visitors. Rose Grisaldine is much 
like Cottage Maid, but the rose hue is slightly deeper 
Koh-i-Noor is the darkest of all, being of a deep, 
nearly black, crimson, except when the sun is shin¬ 
ing. Prince of Austria is a very handsome and 
showy oraoge-re.i form that is simply gorgeous when 
looked at in the mass. It is to be preferred to 
Thomas Moore, which is after the same colour but 
duller, and closely approaching terra-cotta. Silver 
Standard, scarlet, feathered and striped pure white, 
is at once handsome and distinct, while Artus is the 
best of the scarlets. 
Lac Doree is comparatively rare. When first it 
opens the flower is a dark cerise with a broad 
snow-white margin. These colours change in the 
later stages to bright gold and scarlet. Princess Ida 
is very distinct. The colour is white, shaded creamy- 
yellow, and striped deeper yellow. 
Amongst the double varieties Imperator Rubro- 
rum is very conspicuous. This is a large crimson- 
scarlet flower. La Citadelle is rich scarlet margined 
with gold. The scarlet Tournesol is a close 
approach to Keizer’s Kroon, as it exhibits the same 
colours and form of flower. 
There were one or two species and supposed 
hybrids also in flower that deserve special mention. 
Tulipa acuminata is unmistakable with its long, very 
narrow, yellow and red-streaked segments which 
give it a rather grotesque appearance. Its native 
country is unknown. T. retroflexa is often classed 
with the May-flowering Tulips, but although the 
flowers last into that month in warmer localities 
they are expanded in April. The perianth is bright 
yellow, and the charming way in which the acutely- 
pointed segments commence to reflex from half their 
length renders the flower very attractive. T. retro¬ 
flexa is a garden form, and may possibly be a hybrid 
between T. acuminata and T. gesneriana. T. fulgens 
is a very fine early form of T. gesneriana. It has 
great length of flower stem, and the flowers are of a 
very deep, rich crimson. T. elegans, which has 
large dark crimson flowers with reflexing segments, 
is probably a hybrid between T. acuminata and T. 
suaveolens. T. elegans variegata is a large and 
handsome flower striped with gold on a deep crim¬ 
son ground. 
-- 
WINTER AND SPRING BEDDING. 
A full meeting was forthcoming on the occasion of 
the delivery of Mr. Alexander Dean’s lecture on 
“ Winter and Spring Bedding ” at the Drill Hall on 
April 27th. The Rev. G. H. Engleheart presided. 
In his opening remarks, the lecturer commented 
upon the improvements in bedding that had taken 
place of late years, although even now garish and 
vulgar effects might be seen. He was particularly 
severe upon the massing of Tulips in the public pirks, 
and in a sweeping condemnation classed those who 
preferred the gay pictures on hoardings to the 
pictures to be found in the National Gallery. At 
one time, continued Mr. Dean, beds in the flower 
garden used to be bare for fully half the year. Mr. 
J. Fleming, of Cliveden, and Mr. W. Wildsmith, of 
Heckfield, were the pioneers of the spring-bedding 
movement. Mr. Fleming was the first to use 
Pansies, Forget-me-Nots, double Daisies, etc., for 
this purpose. In the palmy days of Heckfield 
carpet and edging plants were retained through the 
winter, the places of the tender plants being taken 
by small Conifers. A small nursery was made to 
accommodate the plants that were required. In 
1890 the Rev. W. Wilks, in a paper given by him 
before the Royal Horticultural Society, recom¬ 
mended such plants to be grown in pots, as they did 
not stand the half-year'y transplanting ; to quote the 
reverend gentleman’s words, they looked like 
"broken down beggars.” With this he did not 
agree, for half-yearly transplanting did not yield such 
appalling results. The nursery should face to the 
north, and the soil must be deep and well worked. 
Plenty of water should also be given the plants after 
their spring shift. Many Conifers,showed their dis¬ 
tinctive hues better under such a system than they did 
when permanantly planted. The range of varia’ion 
covered by Conifers alone was very great, and he 
had drawn up a list of those suitable for the purpose. 
This list was not read. 
Other suitable subjects were such foliage plants as 
Mahonias, Ivies, Aucubas, and Euonymus ; berried 
subjects like Skimmiasand Pernettyas ; and flowering 
plants like the Forsythias, Daphne Merzereum, and 
Currants. Vincas, both green and silvery, may be 
used to advantage to enclose Narcissi, Hyacinths, 
etc. Conifers should be planted in small groups 
rather than singly, and the aim should be to produce 
an illusion as to permanency. 
The mixed style of bedding may now be made to 
lock very gay, for there is a much greater amount of 
material forthcoming with which to work at the pre¬ 
sent time than there was 60 years ago. Mr, Dean 
then ran through a list of some of the most suitable 
and useful subjects. It included Golden Valerian, 
variegated Comfrey, variegated Cress, Ribbon Grass, 
Arabis alL'ida variegata, A. mollis variegata, Ajuga, 
Sedum glaucum, and S acre aureum. The lecturer 
exhibited a boxful of this golden tipped Sedum, with 
a view to demonstrate its beauty. Myosotis dissiti- 
flora might be had in flower in spring from seed 
sown in August. Aubretias might be propagated 
readily by seed or cuttings. Polyanthuses should be 
sown in spring, and the plants dibbled out. These 
pretty flowers were of the'utmost value, and the 
lecturer assured his audience that the grounds of 
Hampton Court, where about 6,000 were bedded out 
were well worth a visit Of Violas, Bullion, Lemon 
Queen, and Archie Grant were good ; and the smaller 
forms like Blue Cloud and True Blue, were also valu¬ 
able ; while Pansies like Blue King, Archie Grant, and 
Tory were very useful. For early work Sutton’s 
strain of Giant White Pansy was very valuable. In 
addition, Anemone fulgens, A. nemorosa, N.apennina, 
A. blanda, Wallflowers of sorts, Trolliuses, Candy¬ 
tuft, and Alyssums were likewise worthy of being 
included in spring bedding arrangements. Reverting 
again to planting to obtain huge masses of colour 
the lecturer averred that this exposed all the trumps 
in the gardener’s hand, and should be avoided on 
that account. 
At the conclusion of the lecture the chairman made 
a few remarks, during the course of which he ex¬ 
pressed his disagreement with Mr. Dean’s remarks 
anent massing. If we avoided this, he said, we 
should be disregarding one of the object lessons set 
us by Nature, who oftentimes planted in great masses, 
as proof of which he instanced the huge stretches of 
wild Hyacinths in parts of Hampshire. He also 
commented upon the fine effect produced in early 
spring by masses of the amethyst-blue of Crocus 
Imperati. The Rev. W. Wilks also had something 
to say with regard to the " transplanting ” question. 
He was unconvinced by Mr. Dean's remarks, and 
adhered to his statements of 1890. He adduced the 
case of " tree Ivies.” “ Tree Ivy ” was the form 
taken by creeping Ivy when it reached the top of the 
wall, where it assumed a dwarf shrub-like form. If 
these tops were taken off and rooted the tree form 
would still be maintained, and these plants were of 
the greatest service for winter and spring bedding. 
It would be found, however, that " tree Ivies ” were 
strongly averse to disturbance at the roots. 
QHGSCI0D3 ADD ADSOJeRS 
*,* Will our friends who send us newspapers be so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see. 
We shall be greatly obliged by their so doing. 
[Correspondents, please note that we cannot undertake to 
name florists' flowers such as Carnations, Pelargoniums, 
Chrysanthemums, Roses, nor such as are mere garden 
varieties, differing only in the colour of the flower. 
Florists' flowers, as a rule, can only be named by those who 
grow collections of them.] 
Physalis Franchetti — Constant Reader : Sow the 
seeds in a box or seed pan, and stand the same in a 
moderately warm place, such as a greenhouse, 
vinery, or Peach house. Being a hardy plant from 
Japan, it does not require a high temperature to 
raise the seeds, the only difference being that in a low 
temperature the seeds will take longer to germinate. 
As soon as the seedlings are up, put them in a ccol 
place. It is a herbaceous plant growing about 15 in. 
10 18 in. high or more according to vigour. We 
cannot say whether it will prove quite hardy in your 
district, though we think it would. When you get 
the plants large enough you should put some of them 
in the herbaceous border, or in a bed to try their 
hardiness. You might keep some of the plants as a 
reserve in pots to be protected in a cold frame during 
winter, till you learn whether the others will live 
out-of-doors. Beds, &c , of it are planted out in the 
southern couoties where it succeeds admirably. 
The flowers are small, white, and of no value. The 
large orange calyx (like a Chinese fairy lantern as 
you say) enclosing a berry is the showy part. 
Rosemary.— Sigma : The proper name of this is 
Rosmarinus officinalis, which belongs to the natural 
order Labiatae (Lamiaceae is not used by any good 
modern authority). Paxton must have followed some 
very old and incorrect authority when he referred 
Rosemary to Athamanta Libanotis. If ever the 
name was so applied it must have been very locally. 
The correct name of Athamanta Libanotis is Seseli 
Libanotis. The old genus had many species referred 
to it which did not belong to Athamanta. Cochrys 
Libanotis must be another recorded mistake for it 
does not occur in the Index kewensis. Athamanta 
belongs to the Umbelliferae, as you say, and cannot 
have any reference to Rosema r y. The specimen you 
sent was Lamium maculatuman old fashioned border 
plant, sometimes yet to be found in cottage gardens. 
It is not a native, though sometimes found as an 
escape, or perhaps occasionally planted. The golden 
form is known as golden Archangel, and is often used 
as a bedding plant. 
The Yew Tree Poisonous.— F. W. Ager : Fre¬ 
quent reports are made of horses and cattle, 
especially the former being killed by eating the 
leaves of Yew. It is said to be most dangerous 
when the branches have been cut for some days so 
that the leaves are beginning to get dried up and 
shrivelled. People frequently eat the pulp of the 
berries, and though we never heard of any harm 
from that, the stones are regarded as poisonous, or 
at least suspicious. It would surely be a very un¬ 
usual circumstance for people to eat the leaves of the 
Yew, though under the conditions you name it might 
probably occur. If the leaves and shoots are 
poisonous to horses and cattle, we should think they 
would be equally so for human beiogs, and should 
take every precaution to prevent such an occurrence. 
Preparing Trees for Transplanting — Omega : 
This can be done at any time during autumn, winter 
or early spring. We should not attempt it now, as 
growth is too far advanced, and the foliage might be 
greatly injured during the coming summer, particu¬ 
larly if it is a dry one. The best time would be 
during the latter half of October and the first fort¬ 
night of November. Nevertheless, it is frequently 
done at any time in winter provided the weather is 
open. After being prepared, say next autumn, the 
trees should not be transplanted till the autumn of 
1898, that is, a twelvemonth after the trimming of 
the roots. We suppose the trees are large, other¬ 
wise you would not require to prepare them in this 
way. You ought, however, to have stated the 
height of the trees or the bulk or weight of the head, 
for it all depends upon those circumstances as to 
