August 7, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
777 
Hardy Flowers. —Enquirer : If the schedule reads 
‘‘twelve bunches of hardy flowers," and does not 
further state that they are to be “ herbaceous ” you 
would certainly be within your rights in showing 
Spiraea ariaefolia, or any other shrubby subject for 
that matter. It is quite possible, as you suggest, 
that “ hardy herbaceous " flowers were really meant 
when the schedule was drawn up, and if so it only 
goes to show how necessary it is for the satisfaction 
of both judges and exhibitors that the schedule 
should not be ambiguously worded. If the latter 
does not specify " herbaceous " plants no judge could 
disqualify you for showing shrubby and herbaceous 
subjects mixed, as long as they are hardy, as that 
satisfies the specified conditions. 
Growing of Mushrooms —Ton Jones : We can let 
you have too copies of “ Mushroom Culture for 
Amateurs ’’ for 80s. The book is by W J. May, and 
is sold at is. each, or by post is. 2d. 
Madresfield Court Grape Cracking.— A. Munro : 
This variety of Grape proves troublesome with many 
growers, but others experience no difficulty in this 
respect. A very good authority and a successful 
grower of the variety says that watering must be 
done regularly and carefully, so that the roots are 
never allowed to become dry. He believes that if 
through stress of work or any other cause, the Vines 
are allowed to become too dry at the roots, and then 
the latter suddenly deluged with water, cracking will 
very soon make its appearance. The Vines being 
young, the border should still be good and well 
drained : it would therefore be worth your while to 
water carefully and regularly another year, so as to 
prevent the roots getting too dry before the next 
supply is given. 
-—I—- 
RAPHIOLEPIS OVATA. 
There are only four species of Raphiolepis known 
to science and that under notice is the hardiest. One 
or two of the others are in cultivation, but only as 
greenhouse plants. On the whole, however, that 
under notice is the best known, and by far the most 
widely disseminated in gardens. Being evergreen it 
requires the shelter of a wall in midland and 
northern counties. It should find a place in every 
garden where choice and uncommon shrubs are cul¬ 
tivated. Being evergreen it gives the place a fur¬ 
nished appearance, summer and winter. 
The accompanying illustration was prepared from 
a photograph furnished us by Messrs. R. Veitch & 
Son, Exeter, and represents a plant growing and 
flowering on one of the rockeries in the Royal 
Nursery, New North Road, Exeter. Many beautiful 
and rare or uncommon subjects are grown by the 
Messrs. Veitch both in this and other of their 
nurseries in the neighbourhood of Exeter. The 
favourable nature of the climate of Devon enables 
them to grow various things to greater perfection 
than could be done where the winters are more 
severe. We had the pleasure of noting these things 
not long ago during the winter season. 
When grown fully expo:ed on all sides RaphioEpis 
ovata forms a dwarf, spreading, bushy and well fur- 
nished plant as may be seen by reference to the 
photograph. There are taller trees and shrubs in 
the background, behind which the roof of one of the 
glasshouses may be noticed. The leaves cf the 
plant under notice are elliptic or obovate, dark green 
and very leathery. The white trusses of flowers 
thickly strewed all over the bush are well displayed 
against the dark foliage. NestliDg amongst the 
stones in front of the bush several other rock plants 
may be seen. Alpine plants are grown upon 
another rockery close by Very choice and rare 
things are also grown in frames. 
- ——— 
A Mushroom measuring 36 in. in circumference has 
been gathered at Market Deeping. 
John Ruskin and Floriculture—In the eyes of sage 
John Ruskin railways, coal mines, iron works, etc , 
were an abomination, and he turned himself from 
these with abhorrence to contemplate the rippling 
brook, and the glowing flowers, and feast upon nature 
undefiled. To behold Nature and Nature’s works in 
any form, in any guise, gave to him feelings o 
unalloyed pleasure such as he could not find else 
where. 
CARNATIONS AT EDENSIDE. 
Although the attention of the floricultural world is 
not so exclusively directed towards the Carnation 
during the month of July and the early part of 
August as it is towards the Chrysanthemum in the 
month of November, yet the increasingly keen com¬ 
petition at shows throughout the country bespeaks 
the fact that the ranks of its zealous admirers and 
cultivators are year by year being augmented. The 
development and improvement of the coble flower 
goes on apace, thanks to the untiring energy and skill 
of florists like Mr. James Douglas and Mr. Martin 
Smith, whose names will ever be inseparably 
connected with the flower they love and grow so 
well. 
’Tis but a few years ago since Mr. Douglas 
founded his establishment at Edenside, Great Book- 
ham, Surrey, and yet these few years have sufficed 
to send the name and fame of the establishment 
throughout the Continent and the English-speaking 
parts of the world. The site of the nursery is far 
enough removed from the whirr and bustle of the 
city to insure pure air, and the maximum amount of 
sunlight. Much of the ground in this part of fair 
Surrey is common land, and thus the encroachments 
of the building fiend are not to be greatly feared, 
despite >he fact that Great Bookbam is but twenty 
miles distant from the L. & S. W. Railway’s terminus 
at Waterloo, and the nursery about three miles 
distant from Leatherhead. 
We recently paid Mr. Douglas a visit and were 
charmed with his Carnations. Of course we 
expected to see something good, and were thus not 
at all surprised to find that the quality of the flowers 
all round was first class, not a few novelties being in 
evidence. Large batches of seedlings are raised 
each year, and as soon as these begin to flower the 
weeding out process begins. Each variety is 
thoroughly tested both outdoors and in before it is 
sent out, and the public can thus rely upon the 
assurance that a variety is not recommended simply 
because it is new, but because it is both good and 
new. The proverbial man in the street has no idea 
whatever of the amount of time it takes, and the 
amount of trouble and pains it costs before one of 
Mr. Douglas’s novelties is sent out into general culti¬ 
vation. This year there are numbers of very 
promising varieties some of which will find a place 
in next year’s catalogue. We are prevented from 
alluding to these in detail by reason of the fact that 
they have not yet been presented with distinctive 
names. 
It is hardly necessary to say that the collection is 
a large and most comprehensive one. It includes 
all the finest varieties reared by other growers, mere 
particularly those raised by Martin R. Smith, Esq., 
in his garden at Hayes, Kent. These constitute a host 
in themselves, and when we add to them the numerous 
grand sorts which have first seen the light under the 
care of Mr. Douglas at Edenside the collection is all 
the more complete. Yellow ground Carnations and 
Picotees are avowedly Mr. Douglas's favourites, and 
the visitor can scarcely fail to remark how strong the 
Edenside collection is in this respect. Self-coloured 
varieties are well looked after also, and reach a very 
high standard. Flakes and bizarres are grown, but 
their places are being gradually taken in the popular 
favour by the seifs and yellow grounds. 
The plants, for the most part, are grown in pots, 
and flowered under glass, three or four roomy and 
well built houses being devoted to them. A stroll 
through these with Mr. Douglas as guide was a most 
enjoyable experience. The plants themselves were 
all in robust health, and the vigour and health of 
the “grass" bespoke plenty of strong well-rooted 
layers presently. Layering was even then in 
progress, for time will wait for no man, not even the 
Carnation gro wer. “We do not disbud our plants at 
all," said Mr. Douglas, “for we find that people 
like to come and see the profusion of bloom that we 
are thus enabled to show them. We find, moreover, 
continued he, that they are disappointed if they 
come and see plants that have been severely dis¬ 
budded. They like to see good blooms and plenty 
of them.’’ That they can do this at Edenside our 
eyes assured us, for without exception all of the 
plants were as full of flower as they could well be. 
The large terminal flowers were over, but the side 
blooms were making a grand show, and as these were 
of good size and capital form they left nothing to be 
desired. " Fertilisation goes on daily ” continued 
our guide. “ We do not cut the blooms, they are 
too valuable for that, as we want the seed." No 
shading is given, and thus the bright sun soon takes 
the colour out of the flowers, but what matters, as 
long as they fulfil the end for which Nature intended 
Raphiolepis Ovata. 
