July 10, 1897. 
713 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Coleuses losing their LeaYes.— Y.: The plants 
are potbouDd, and have not sufficient nourishment. 
Added to this they have probably been allowed to 
suffer for lack of water. This has caused the loss of 
the lower leaves of which you complain. It will be 
very little use trying to restore to the plants their 
pristine splendour. Your plan is to grow on ethers 
to take their places. 
Ficus repens requires a warm house to enable it 
to do really well, Enquirer, and is usually regarded 
as a stove plant. 
gjgWeed Killer .—Tenderfoot '. For a reliable weed 
killer consult our advertisement columns. 
■-- 
CARPENTERIA CALIFORNIA. 
Thisjs a member of the Saxifrage family and must 
not be confused with Carpentaria a monotypic genus 
Ireland ; but there is still room for it in many 
gardens where it is yet overlooked, and waits recogni¬ 
tion at the hands of gardeners having a love for 
highly ornamental and yet rare subjects. Under 
favourable conditions it grows to a height of io ft. 
when its large, pure white flowers and central mass 
of yellow stamens would be difficult to surpass in 
beauty. 
-- 
SWEET PEAS AT READING. 
Sweet Peas are now in their glory, and a magnifi¬ 
cent spectacle the modern race produces, where 
grown in quantity and variety. Where the soil is 
deep and rich the recent rains had the effect of send¬ 
ing the plants into rampant growth ; but the soil at 
Reading is light and gravelly so that the Sweet Peas 
are practically earlier and now in full bloom. At 
the end of last week we had the pleasure of inspect¬ 
ing the extensive collection grown in the trial grounds 
growing sort with a standard if in. across, and as 
decidedly yellow as yet exists in Sweet Peas. 
Sutton’s Giant White is pure white and the standard 
toes the line for size and shape. Giant Delicate 
Rose is a pale salmon-rose of great beauty. Giant 
Pink is a rich and beautiful variety, the colour being 
indicated by the name. Very free is the bicoloured 
Giant Carmine and White, the first name referring 
to the standard, and the wings are nearly white, 
large, and well expanded, lending much to the 
effect of the flowers at some distance away. Giant 
Crimson and White is somewhat similar, but 
some shades lighter in colour. The darkest of the 
rich, bright, and telling colours in the field is 
Giant Brilliant Scarlet, which is well named. 
The flowers are very durable and keep up a 
succession for a long time. Giant Sky Blue is 
larger and darker than the beautiful Countess of 
Radnor. Giant Dark Blue has the standard shaded 
with purple, the rest being bright blue Giant Rich 
' C/*,r* 
Carpenteria californica. 
of Palms native to Australia. The Carpenteria is 
also the sole representative of its genus, and a very 
handsome subject to plant in sheltered positions, not 
necessarily in out of the way corners of the garden, 
but where it will frequently come under the eye. 
Its dark green and persistent foliage serves to clothe 
a wall at all seasons of the year, and when furnished 
with large white flowers it is very showy indeed. 
The latter closely resemble a single white Rose, but 
of greater substance than any wild or cultivated 
single Rose. The woody stems grow slowly, and for 
that reason the plant is a suitable subject for well- 
dressed quarters of the private demesne. 
It was known to science as long ago as 1854, when 
it was figured by the American botanist, Torrey, in 
Smithson's Contributions VI. 12, t. 7 ; yet it only found 
its way to this country in 1880 from the Sierra 
Nevada, California. In establishments where rare 
and beautiful shrubs get that attention which they 
deserve, the Carpenteria is cared for. It has proved 
perfectly hardy in various parts of England and 
of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading. The Sweet 
Peas are grown in two long blocks, with a pathway 
down the centre, and covering a considerable area of 
ground. Altogether there are 349 rows, and one or 
two lines of each variety are grown ; but there are 
163 distinct varieties and selections. The leading 
varieties both of this country and the Continent have 
been got together as well as the novelties and more 
recent varieties from America. Sweet Peas are 
generally so beautiful in themselves that gardeners 
are often content to go on growing the old sorts. 
Those who are fortunate enough to see a good 
collection of the modern race of giant-flowered sorts 
get an eye opener ; for a real improvement has been 
effected quite independently of the selection of new 
varieties. The flowers are greatly enlarged, the 
broadening of the base and the rounding of the apex 
being very conspicuous in the new race. The old 
varieties with small flowers, however beautiful, have 
no chance against the new comers. 
Very fine is Giant Primrose Yellow, a vigorous 
Purple is something in the way of Boreatton, but is 
darker and a self with bronzy-purple flowers. The 
lines devoted to a mixture of all the above and other 
varieties of the giant strain we have not mentioned 
are very charming and effective, the numerous 
colours showing one another off by contrast. 
Double White is a vigorous growing variety 
bearing two, three, and four standards in place of 
one. Emily Henderson still maintains its reputation 
for the production of large, pure white flowers. 
Here it is dwarfer than Blanche Burpee, though the 
reverse is the case in some other soils. Mrs. Sankey 
has white flowers at first with red pedicels, but 
eventually they become tinted with blush, and are 
distinct in that respect. It is a profuse bloomer. 
Demon Queen has distinctly lemon buds and a blush 
standard ; both that and Primrose Queen are very 
floriferous varieties. The large creamy flowers of 
Queen Victoria are very choice indeed. Delight is a 
charming light variety with a blush standard crested 
with a darker colour near the apex, and having white 
