676 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 15, 1901. 
when they do live their appearance is not very 
creditable to the gardener. In consideration of 
this fact greater praise is due to Mr. Thomson for 
his well-merited action in adding so much beauty to 
the place, and giving so much pleasure to the 
citizens and visitors to the great exhibition.— St. 
Mungo. 
HARDY FLOWERS AT LONG DITTON. 
The variety of flowers in the nursery of Messrs. 
Barr & Sons, at Long Ditton, Surrey, is so great that 
something of interest may be found at any time dur¬ 
ing which hardy plants may be in bloom ; and that 
now covers the greater portion of the year, presum¬ 
ing that the weather is fairly open in the winter 
months. 
Contemporaneous with the Daffodils were theearly 
Windflowers and the Primulas. About that time we 
noted the yellow Anemone ranunculoides, the white 
A trifolia and A. nemerosa fl. pi., and the blue A. n. 
robinsoniana all in good form. Showy and interest¬ 
ing Primulas were P. viscosa nivalis and P. rosea 
grandiflora, Muscari conicum, also known as the 
Heavenly Blue Grape Hyacinth, covered a bank 
with very fine effect. Aubrietia Royal Purple is a 
very good dark purple variety. 
The early flowering species of Tulip were uphold¬ 
ing their merits for spring gardening, including 
Tulipa Greigi, having huge scarlet flowers orna¬ 
mented with a black blotch at the base of each. T. 
triphylla is a smaller type with the outer segments 
coloured yolk of egg, and the inner ones grey-buff, 
while some flowers in a batch may be quite yellow. 
The Irises at the time we speak were heralded by the 
dwarf Iris pumila and its varieties, I. p. caerulea, 
with its sky blue flowers being one of the most attrac¬ 
tive. The ordinary form of Mertensia virginica has 
soft sky blue flowers, some of deeper shades and some 
of the blooms pale red. Some of the North American 
Erythroniums happened to be dug down, in certain 
instances, to the depth of 12 in. and they came up 
more strongly than if planted 3 in. below the sur¬ 
face. 
The rockeries on the banks of the stream afford 
space for a great variety of plants that like water or 
otherwise. The massive patches of the semi-double 
Caltha palustris purpurascens were very effective. 
Great spreading patches of Phlox subulata nivalis 
attracted the attention of all who passed that way. 
Another white variety, namely, P. s. The Bride, was 
characterised by having two small purple spots at 
the base of the segments. Dusty Miller was applied 
to a yellow variety of Auricula. 
Very handsome was the golden foliage of Sambucus 
racemosa plumosa foliis aureis, and the double Gorse 
was doing grandly on the dry top of a mound. Some 
forty to fifty varieties of the Japanese Quince (Pyrus 
japonica) have been got together, many of them being 
quite new. P. j. extus nivalis is notable for the out¬ 
side of some of the petals being white and the inside 
red. P. j. macrocarpa has large red flowers ; P. j. 
cardinalis, bright red, and P. j. aurora, soft salmon- 
red. Several of them kept on flowering till quite 
recently, one notable variety being P. j. Simoni, 
with brilliant or fiery-red flowers, the darkest we 
have seen. 
Other plants still flowering more or less are 
Aubrietia Campbelli Improved, violet; A. Leichtlini, 
rich rose; Phlox subulata Nelsoni, white with violet 
spots; P. s. nivalis, white; Iberis sempervirens 
Little Gem, I. correaefolia, Alyssum saxatile fl. pi., 
and A. gemonense sulphureum. Fyrethrums are 
grown in great quantity and variety, and now make 
a handsome display. German and other Irises, 
Trollius japonicus, and T. Orange Globe, Primula 
Sieboldi, in variety, and the large flowered Fortin’s 
Lily of the Valley make a glorious and very varied 
display. A charming little Tulip is Tulipa undulati- 
folia, with wavy, glaucous leaves, and scarlet 
flowers, having a black blotch edged with gold. 
Primula Auricula Celtic King is a vigorous yellow 
variety suitable for the rockery. Arabis albida flore 
pleno has made splendid growth, and bloomed well 
both on the rockery and in the open ground. 
Androsace sarmentosa is a typical plant for rock- 
work. Other gems for the rockery are Ramondia 
serbica, with smaller leaves and flowers than the 
type, but the flowers darker and more freely pro¬ 
duced ; Gentiana verna, Lychnis alpina, Viola 
pedata, Dcdecatheon Meadia, Phlox divaricata, 
Cheiranthus mutabilis, Aquilegia glandulosa, and 
Cypripedium pubescens. 
It is too late now to see the late flowering Tulips, 
but they certainly were grand. They are now 
classified into three great groups. The “ Cottage 
Tulips " include all those late flowering species or 
forms of Tulip that are intrinsically beautiful, and 
suitable for massing or bedding purposes, and which 
become the glory of the garden when the Daffodils 
and early Tulips have passed away. The Darwin 
Tulips are a new seedling race of Tulipa gesneriana, 
notable for their vigorous growth, usually very large 
flowers and showy self colours. The English 
florists’ Tulips consist of the breeder, Aimed and 
feathered forms of T. gesneriana. 
Cottage Tulips. —The notable feature of these 
Tulips is that they consist of a great variety of forms 
and colours, many of them being distinct species or 
garden forms of them, singled out by reason of their 
peculiar beauty and utility for bedding. Isabella is 
a very long, rose-coloured flower, edged with a 
darker hue. Praecox is a green Tulip, edged yellow, 
and much larger than T. viridiflora. There are few 
rectified Tulips in this group, but one of the best is 
Buenoventura flamed or striped with scarlet and 
bright yellow. La Panachee comes into the same 
category as the last named but differs by having the 
stripes red and white, with a creamy edge to the 
leaves. La Merveille is a very choice and handsome 
Tulip of salmon-flesh colour, with very long and 
sweet scented blooms. Striped Beauty is silvery- 
rose with scarlet and white flakes, and the large 
blooms are very handsome. Scarlet Beauty is a 
bright scarlet flower of prepossessing appearance. 
Tulipa billietiana is a species or distinct form 
having yellow flowers, edged with scarlet below the 
middle. T. Batalini is a small yellow flower more 
or less tinted with salmon and very pretty. Another 
popular late variety usually regarded as a species is 
T. vitellina with soft yellow flowers. T. retroflexa 
differs markedly by the segments of the bright 
yellow flowers being gracefully reflexed at the tips. 
T. macrospeila is scarlet with a violet blotch at the 
base surrounded with a yellow line, and very hand¬ 
some when fully expanded under the influence of 
sunshine. The variety Mrs. Moon is notable for the 
size and great length of its yellow blooms. Leghorn 
Bonnet is yellow, tinted with apricot. Hatfield 
Pink is pink, shaded with salmon. The above are 
only a selection from a very large collection of 
varieties. 
Darwin Tulips.— For bold and handsome effect, 
either in beds or borders, or for cut flowers in vases, 
no section of the Tulip is more suitable than this 
vigorous strain. A large bunch of them cut with 
long stems and placed in a vase is simply gorgeous. 
The varieties are mostly self-colours, disregarding 
the base, of course, which is the principal thing, in 
association with vigour of constitution, which 
separates them from the English florists’ Tulip. A 
huge cerise flower is Bride of Haarlem ; The Bride 
is slivery rose, and equally large; Firebrand, fiery 
scarlet; May Queen, silvery-pink ; Edouard Andre, 
purple, with a silvery edge; Marguerite, flesh and 
deeper internally, mixed with yellow, and handsome ; 
Carminea, carmine, shaded with silver on the back; 
and Petrus Hondius, deep rose. A very shapely 
rose flower is that named Loveliness. Strikingly 
distinct and noticeable is White Queen, the white 
ground being tinted with flesh. Clara Butt is pink 
and shaded with rose internally. Other good 
varieties are Amber, deep maroon ; Je Maintiendrai, 
purple; Susan, flesh and rose internally ; Donders, 
crimson ; Rev. Ewebank, lilac ; Mrs. Krelage, 
light rose and silvery edge ; Minider Poortvleit, 
bright scarlet, and Coquette, darker than Mrs. 
Krelage. 
Florists' Tulips, —To understand the real beauty 
of these flowers, the would-be cultivator must first 
understand their various distinctions, and the 
canons that govern the arrangement of the colours. 
For general decorative purposes late in May, how¬ 
ever, the general public can learn to appreciate 
their beauty. Some of the finest are Dr. Hardy, 
flamed fiery scarlet; Colbert, flamed chocolate; 
George Hayward, feathered crimson ; Goldfinder, 
the scarlet, breeder stage; Sir Joseph Paxton, 
crimson and maroon flame ; and Samuel Barlow, 
flamed crimson and scarlet, a sort of glorified Dr. 
Hardy. All of the above have a yellow base, and 
therefore belong to the bizarre section. 
Carbuncle is flamed purple and maroon; Mrs. 
Jackson, flamed black on white, and one of the most 
strikingly distinct; and Duchess of Sutherland, 
maroon and purple. These three belong to the 
bybloemen section. Annie McGregor, a very fine 
scarlet in the breeder stage and also in the flamed 
form, and the same stages of the soft rose coloured 
Mabel, are Tulips that belong to the rose section, 
characterised by having crimson, scarlet or rose 
flowers, and a white base. 
IS GARDENING A SCIENCE ? 
[Concluded pom p. 660.) 
On the other hand when the flower or fruit is com¬ 
mencing to spring forth the most rapidly, then let 
the nitrogenous manures prevail, for it is principally 
cellular tissue then which is being built up. 
Now we come to another phase in plant growth, 
and that is not to grow it at all, I mean the resting 
of plants. With the majority of plants this is 
scarcely second in importance to the growth. Has 
this anything to do with science ? you ask. Science 
has taught us that if a plant is to be flowered and 
fruited successfully year after year, it must have a 
season of rest; a storing up of the tissue, a thicken¬ 
ing of the cambium layer, can only be brought about 
by a period of rest. Failing this being achieved by 
the plant it flowers and fruits imperfectly, because 
the sap has not had an opportunity of thickening, 
which is so necessary for the production of flowers 
and fruit. 
Now to explain or to understand more fully how 
important this is for the well being of plants let me 
give you one illustration, and that is our Apple trees. 
It has been proved that by taking our Apple trees 
into warmer and evener climates, that they will 
grow into magnificent foliage trees, scarcely pro¬ 
ducing a fruit. Therefore the necessity of a resting 
period for all plants for productiveness of flower and 
fruit. 
In Nature this rest is accomplished in two ways. 
In the temperate regions of the world it is effected 
by the lowering of the temperature, while in the 
tropical parts of the world it is brought about by the 
dry season. Then where is the gardener to look for 
his information to carry on the operation of not 
growing his plants at all, successfully ? 
Is it to art that he has to turn his attention and ' 
inquire what he must do in the resting of this plant 
or that ? No. 
It is Nature he has to inquire of and see what the 
conditions are under which this plant and that rests 
naturally. This he has to imitate to the best of 
his ability, and fulfil every condition that artificial 
means will afford. Wherefore I claim that if 
Nature is the gardener's guide, gardening is a 
science. So much for the season of rest and 
growth ; and this leads us to the diurnal resting of 
plants which is day and night. 
Now in a great many instances cultivated plants 
are kept at too high a temperature at night. In India, 
for instance, which is one of the hottest countries of 
the world, the temperature ranges as much as 78° 
between day and night on an average throughout the 
year. These are some of the temperatures giveD, 
and as far as I can ascertain I think they are pretty 
well correct. In April the highest heat by day is 
iio°, that of night only 65°; in January, 38° by 
night, while the day rises to 76° ; and in the hottest 
months, when the thermometer goes as high as H5 C 
by day, it falls 40° lower by night, which would give 
a night temperature of 76°. 
Turn to the West Indies and what do we find 
there ? In Jamaica we are told that soon after sun¬ 
set the air upon the mountains begins to cool down, 
and owing to its becoming cool and heavy it descends 
the mountains into the valleys which lifts the warm 
air up, and thus a constant change is taking place 
all the night through, and the coolest temperature is 
reached by the morning. Well, you say, what hap¬ 
pens. Just this, that the produce of Jamaica will 
fetch a higher price in the markets than any other 
island belonging to the whole group, only through 
this one fact, the change of temperature between day 
and night. 
Tne fruits are altogether of better quality, and 
this is the only reason that can be given fjr this 
superiar quality in produce on the other islands 
or many of them which are less mountainous Of 
course the temperature dots not change nearly so 
much, consequently there is not that beautiful 
refreshment of night which is so essential to animals 
