778 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 4, 1900. 
Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, and B. G. deSceaux, and 
half a dozen of that interesting plant, Acalypha 
Sanderi, 3 ft. high, well feathered to the pot with 
foliage and bright scarlet racemes over 2 ft. long, 
which delighted the eye of many of the gardening 
fraternity. There was also a quantity of deciduous 
Calanthes in this range full of vigour. The show 
house was gay with Fuchsias, Coleus, Lilium longi- 
florum, Cannas in variety. Celosias, Gloxinias, &c., 
quite a bright display. Thence on to the huge 
Palm house, Fern house, and plant stove, where 
Crotons, Dracaenas, Pancratiums, Gloxinias, 
Allamandas, Clerodendrons, &c., all added to the 
brightness of the house. 
The flower garden was in good train. All the 
plants had filled their allotted space, and did 
not appear to be suffering from the drought this end 
of Devonshire is just now passing through; but 
there, Mr. Mayne has such a beautiful supply of 
water at Bicton, and he evidently makes the best use 
of it. Water Lilies in the large square pond were in 
full bloom. 
From there we wended our way to the large 
Orangery where we found all the occupants thriving 
and in the best of health. Next we found ourselves in 
the well kept walled in kitchen garden, where fruits 
of all kinds had been and still were plentiful, except 
Strawberries. The Peach wall outdoors was a 
model of perfection, the long range of unheated 
glass there containing Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, and 
Tomatos, which were in abundance, and the outdoor 
crops appeared well cared for. 
Leaving this fine estate a move was made for 
Budleigh Salterton, where a substantial lunch was 
provided at the 11 Feathers Hotel,” which one and 
all did ample justice to. We left Salterton about 
6 o’clock for Exeter, driving over Woodbury 
Common, all ablaze with purple heather just now, 
reaching the •' faithful city ” soon after 8; from 
thence home to Torquay by rail, which was reached 
soon after eleven o'clock. Thus ended the long day, 
which proved one of the best outings our society has 
had.— Observer. 
ARDENING ||lSCELLANY. 
LIME AS A FERTILISER. 
One of the great disadvantages of lime as a manure 
is that it is somewhat slow in its action, and as such 
does not become immediately available for the use 
of the crop to whith it is applied. In addition to 
this, it labours under the disadvantage that it has a 
tendency to sink into the soil and is there liable to 
pass away beyond the reach of the plant roots within 
a certain time after application. Unless lime is 
applied in the autumn or early winter of the year 
before it is intended to act, it will not prove of much 
service to the crop which it is meant to benefit. 
CARNATIONS AT CHELSEA. 
Not until 1578, in Lyte's translation of Dodoen's 
“ Herbal,” did this universally popular flowering 
plant receive the name we now use, viz., Carnation. 
The plant was known to Chaucer, the earliest of 
English literateurs, but at his time it was known 
under various pretty names, as Gillyflower. 
The above suffices to show that the Carnation is 
no new favourite, no pet of the present time fashion 
and favour, but that it has been a conspicuous gar¬ 
den subject for five-and-a-half centuries. Of course, 
in the early times it was possibly little better than 
the wild Carnation (Dianthus Caryophyllus) from 
which our splendid garden Carnations of the present 
have come. 
But what it was then need not trouble us now. It 
is a flower worthy of all the care gardeners can 
bestow upon it. What may be done for its further 
development only those with expert knowledge can 
forecast or guess at, yet it is certain that Carnation 
raising is merely in its primary stages. Every 
year brings forth better varieties than have been 
known before, and every enthusiast, we hope, will 
continue to work for the greater refinement and 
betterment of this remarkably handsome genus. 
Though Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Ltd., The 
Royal Exotic Nurseries, Chelsea, S.W., do not in 
the meantime specialise the culture of Carnations, 
they grow all the newer and advanced varieties 
which Carnation growers raise. At their Chelsea 
Nursery the border Carnations in their various sec¬ 
tions cover a large area of ground in the open air. 
They are in 4 ft. beds, having paths between, the 
surface of the beds being covered with Cocoa-nut 
fibre which is kept damp. The wisdom of this, in a 
place with such heated surroundings, is evident to 
all. It is a wrinkle worthy of imitation. 
The plants and the quality of the blooms are 
better this year than we remember to have seen 
them. The great heat of the present time, however, 
is beginning to have its effect on the flowers, and 
some are just a trifle scorched by the sun’s rays. 
In all cases fine ” grass ” has been made, so that, 
given favourable weather in August and September, 
this year’s stock should excel that of any recent 
year. 
Border Selfs and Fancies. 
Of the new Carnation seifs and fancies for 1899 and 
1900 the following are worthy of consideration:— 
Midas, a distinct orange-buff variety with a suffusion 
of scarlet. The flowers are large and handsome. 
The same may be said in favour of Goldylock, a 
fancy variety of a yellow colour splashed with 
scarlet. One of the best scarlet varieties having a 
free-flowering habit, and one which received the 
R.H.S. Award of Merit, is Banner. Benbow, a 
good buff, and Comet, a smooth petalled maroon- 
crimson flower, are exceedingly fine. 
A very strong grower is the variety named Dudley 
Smith, a bright scarlet self, with splendid smooth 
petals and good build. Cecilia is a nice clear yellow 
sort, with large flowers. It also has had an Award 
of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. 
Agnes Sorrel, a deep maroon crimson, follows 
wonderfully close on the well-known and much- 
prized Uriah Pike. Galileo is clearly one of the best 
yellow ground varieties. It is very heavily edged 
with purple. Altogether it is an attractive and very 
handsoipe flower. 
For a free blooming, shapely, white flowered 
variety we might well recommend Much the Miller, 
rather a curious name, find certainly the whiteness 
is pure enough. Queen Bess, a beautiful apricot- 
yellow, heavily marked and flaked with rose-red; 
and Rizzio, a yellow self of capital form and habit, 
conclude the list of the finer and newer sorts. 
Yellow Ground Picotees. 
Under this head we only mean to name three 
new varieties; the better known yellow ground 
Picotees may also be summarised to half a dozen 
sorts. Of the new ones Heather Bell takes our 
fancy most. It bears large full flowers, these having 
a bright rose-pink edge. It is a lovely variety. 
Lady Bristol is flaked with scarlet on a deep yellow 
ground; and Duke of Alva is a large and distinct 
purple edged variety. 
Varieties of recent introduction under this section 
are :—Mohican, which has a deep yellow ground and 
a bright red-rose margin. Mr. Nigel has a heavy 
crimson edge, and has had a F.C.C. But the best of 
all is Mrs. Tremayne, a deep yellow, heavily edged 
with scarlet; it is free in flower, and has a fine stout 
calyx. Eldorado, with its rose edge, and Xerxes 
(F.C.C.), margined with deep rose, will provide quite 
a lovely collection. 
Recent Introductions among border seifs and 
fancies, some of which have been out for a number 
of years but are catalogued as recent, simply to give 
them prominence, include Pelegia, a deep pink and 
lavender flaked fancy variety, large, full and well 
formed; Queen of Scots, a handsome rose-pink 
Carnation of splendid form ; and Brodick, a yellow 
ground fancy whose smooth petals are nicely flaked 
and marked with rose-red. Sweet Brier is a good 
sort, the colour being light scarlet. It does well and 
produces a fine lot of offsets. Few seifs beat 
Isinglass, which received an Award of Merit two 
years ago. In all respects it is a meritorious variety 
of a brilliant scarlet colour. Queen of Sheba, a 
buff yellow, and George Maquay, of purest white, 
taller than Much the Miller, free flowering, good in 
every respect, and very hardy, a splendid variety, 
indeed, for anyone who does a deal of flower cutting. 
Czarina is a handsome fancy, heavily edged with 
bright scarlet A variety with bold full flowers on 
tall, stout footstalks is Francis Wellesley. Their 
colour is a deep carmine-rose. Helmsman (A.M., 
R.H.S.) is a good pure white with shell-like petals. 
And there are now more distinct varieties than 
Bendigo, which we appreciate very highly. The 
colour is violet-purple or bluish-violet, rather un¬ 
common among flowers. The variety under question 
is remarkably free flowering. 
Older Varieties. 
The best of the older varieties, such as Admiral 
Curzon, scarlet bizarre, Crombie's Pink, Mephisto, 
and others, being now well known, are liberally 
grown and offered at moderate prices for massing in 
beds or large planting of any sort. Joe Willet, a 
splendid scarlet self, does not become scorched as do 
many others, in fact, the sun heat increases its 
brilliancy. It is a capital bedding variety. Mrs. F. 
Watts is unique among dwarf whites; it is very 
floriferous Sybil is a good rose-flake, James 
Douglas and Queen Victoria are purple flakes, 
Edith Ladenham, a white self, is exceedingly fine, 
George Cruickshank and W. M. Thompson are 
effective fancy Carnations, while the older Picotees 
comprise Norman Carr, Little Phil, Grosteen, J. B. 
Bryant, Mrs. Gorton, Amelia, Muriel, and Badmin¬ 
ton. Probably the flaked varieties are the least 
commendable as they “ run out ” almost certainly 
within a year or two. 
- «l » 
WATER LILIES AT EDENSIDE. 
Water Lilies, owing to the fillip that has been given 
them by M, Marliac, in hybridising several species 
thus procuring new and beautiful colours, are taking 
a strong hold upon growers and owners of gardens in 
this country ; and their stay to all appearance will 
be permanent. Mr. James Douglas, Edenside, Great 
Bookham, Surrey, in spite of his great love for Car¬ 
nations, Auriculas, Polyanthuses, Pinks and other 
flowers, has become enamoured of them, and built 
first one tank and then another, the latter beiDg prac¬ 
tically an extension of the former, the two extending 
in line almost from the office to the dwelling house. 
Both are filled, and the plants have taken full pos¬ 
session of the space at command. Some of them have 
Deen flowering more or less continually since May 
last. All the best of Marliac's varieties are repre¬ 
sented as well as other popular species of a hardy 
character. 
The orbicular leaves of N. gladstoniana are a foot 
in diameter, of great thickness and supported by very 
stout stalks. The flowers are of great size with broad, 
elliptic, white petals, the variety being indeed the 
purest of all the white Water Lilies. The outer 
petaloid stamens are also of remarkable breadth, and 
all are yellow. A First-class Certificate was accorded 
the variety at Boston, U.S.A., in 1898. It is an 
acquisition and we hope to see it in every collection 
presently. N. Leydekeri fulgens is notable for its 
intense purple petals deepening in colour towards the 
centre of the bloom. The stamens are orange-red, 
making this a distinct and handsome form. N. 
flammea is rosy-purple, intensifying in the centre and 
the stamens are orange, dying to orange-red. It is 
practically a pale form of N. Leydekeri fulgens, but 
distinct. A very pretty form is N. Aurora, which 
has soft rosy tints overlying a creamy-white ground. 
The orange-yellow stamens are of great length. 
In collections of any completeness, small-flowered 
Water Lilies are much admired for the contrast they 
make with their giant brethren. The small flowers 
of N. pygmaeahave short and broad white petals. 
The smaller N.p. helveola is even prettier by reason 
of its neatness. N. marliacea carnea is one of the 
giant forms. The large white flowers are pushed 
well out of the water,and have long,white petals tinted 
with a charming flesh hue at the base. N.m. albida is 
considered the largest and best of the white Water 
Lilies. When the long white petals are fully expanded 
they make a magnificent flower. The stamens form 
a light yellow centre. The variety is of vigorous 
constitution, and there are already many plants in the 
more recently constructed tank. 
The flowers of N. Leydekeri purpurea are rosy- 
purple, intensifying to crimson-purple in the centre 
as they die. 
Another dark form which enjoys considerable re¬ 
putation is N. ellisiana, with handsome, crimson-red 
flowers, and generally considered the darkest Water 
Lily in cultivation. N. robinsoniana is a large, purple- 
red flower, at one time the darkest, but now excelled 
in this respect by N. ellisiana. The rosy-purple 
flowers of N. gloriosa attain a great size on fully de¬ 
veloped plants. This form commenced flowering in 
May, at Edenside, even on small young plants. 
Early flowering is a great recommendation for a 
hardy Water Lily. Another dark flower is N. san- 
guinea, with deep, rose-purple flowers. The delicacy 
