248 
THE QaRDEHINQ WORLD 
March 21, 1903. 
Round the Nurseries. 
Long Ditton Nurseries. 
One day, about the beginning of the month, we paid a visit 
of inspection to the Long Litton Nurseries of Messrs. Barr & 
Sons, King’s Street, Covent Garden, where we have spent many 
a pleasant afternoon inspecting their extensive collections of 
hardy, herbaceous, alpine, and outdoor flowers of all classes. 
As it happened the day was wet, yet the hardy flowers appeared 
quite happy. Some of those we noted were in cold frames, as 
is the custom of keeping stock in hardy plant nurseries, but 
others, even of the same kind, were flowering freely in the open. 
SAXIFRAGAS. 
A new form of Saxifraga, named S. rudolphiana, had rose 
flowers, with pointed petals of good size, and closely-arranged 
leaves, similar to that or S. eppositifolia, but more spreading. 
Several forms of the last-named species were in bloom, and 
particularly fine were S. o. alLa, with white flowers, S. o. 
splendens, with brilliant purple-red flowers, and S. o. major. 
Needless to say, S. bursenana was in bloom, along with several 
other varieties of it, including S. b. magnifica and S. b. grandi- 
flora, having a darker yellow centre than S. b. magnifica. 
Amongst yellow-flowered forms we should mention S. sancta 
and S. apiculata, the last-named being a. very free^flowering 
hybrid of garden origin. S. rocheliana has small rosettes of 
leaves and trusses of large white flowers rising only a few 
inches above the foliage. S. ciliata, with red calyx and white 
petals, is very pretty at present, and belongs to the Megasea, 
section. S. pedemontana cervicomis, with leaves like a stag’s 
horn, is now flowering on the rockery,. In the open ground 
masses of S. ligulata. were already out of bloom on the occasion 
of our visit. S. ligulata speciosa, with larger and more richly- 
coloured flowers, and S. crassifolia were rapidly pushing into 
bloom, forming a. succession to the early type just mentioned. 
VARIOUS ROCKERY PLANTS. 
On the banks of the stream running through the nursery are 
some tme uatenes or N. cyciammeus, inducting a nne batch of 
r\. c. major, nowermg splendidly. A new white Lanodil is N. 
galatea,, winch ultimately becomes nearly white, and is sweet 
scented, Sodanelia alpma recalls a Beiitiower, with deeply- 
fringed purple flowers, and very choice. Arams aumietioides 
is pint, and at a distance looks not unlike a tuft of Aubrietia. 
'f'he d»uble-floweied Arab is albida has been flowering for some 
weeks past, and is undoubtedly one of the most valuable of 
recently-introduced rockery plants. The large spines of double 
white nowers bear- some resemblance to a Stock. The ever¬ 
green Candytuft, Iberis setupervirens superba, is one of the 
uest of its type, and although not particularly early as a rule, 
has already commenced to bloom. An early species is Dorom- 
cum caucasicum, which lias been in bloom for some time on 
the rockery, and the same may be said of Pulwonaria, also 
flowering rather before its usual time. 
The Ghionodcxas have been flowering splendidly for some 
time, including C. Luciliae, C. L. sardensis, C. L. alba, C. L. 
gigantea, and other forms of this favourite flower. Scilla 
bifolia has been upholding its own as an early-flowering species. 
The Anemones are well represented by A. blanda, which is very 
variable in colour, the outside and inside of the flowers being 
often of different colours, though the more typical form is deep 
blue. Barbarea vulgaris variegata at the present time takes 
rank as a fine foliage plant. The same may be said of the little- 
known Thalictrum glaucum foL aureis, the leaves of which are 
golden and tinted with purple at the present time. The hardy 
Heaths on the rockery are represented by Erica carnea and E. 
c. alba, in fine form. Amongst the species of Draba, the yellow 
D. aizoides and I), sachalinensis are now in fine condition, the 
latter being a white-flowered species, with pale green foliage. 
The hardy Cyclamens are well represented by flowering 
plants in various narts of the nursery, those in places sheltered 
from the winds being the happiest and flowering the most freely. 
C. Courn has rosy-purple flowers ; C. C. roseuin, rose flowers; C. 
C. album, white; and C. C. lilacinum has lilac flowers. The 
closely allied G. ibericum rubrurn has deep purple-red flowers; 
and m i. lilacinum with much longer ptcais tuan usual. C. 
Atiiinsoni lias large white flowers with a purple base, and is 
one of the best of the hybrids between the two previous species. 
The Hepaticas have been fine lor weeks past, including 
Anemone Hepatica rubra, A. H. rubra plena, and others, both 
single and double. Cheiranthus alpinus helveticus resembles 
a bushy small yellow Wallflower, but is very pretty in the early 
stages, on account of the dark brownish-red calyx in the bud 
state. The early-flowering Irises in the open ground were fast 
passing out of bloom, though I. reticulata and I. r. caerulea 
still carried some beautiful flowers. The flowers of Erythromuin 
Hartwegi are white, with a yellow centre, and not very common. 
Anemone Pulsatilla was in bloom in the open, which is early 
for this species. Conandron ramondioides is closely allied to 
the Ramondia, and is yet a scarce plant in this country. 
PRIMULAS. 
In various parts of the nurseiy the species of Primula, as 
well as the garden varieties popularly known as Primroses and 
Polyanthuses, are plentifully represented in many fine forms. 
Amongst the choicer species of Primula] we must not omit men¬ 
tion of P. denticulata, P. d. alba, P. d. major, and P. rosea, 
which should be plentifully cultivated in every garden. 
The varieties of P. Sieboldi are represented by a large 
number of the best varieties in cultivation. The flowers of P. 
S. Daphnis are rose, striated with white; P. S. gaiete has light 
blue flowers ; P. S. General Gordon, deep rose ; P. S. Ligue, 
with very large rose flowers; P. S. lilacina marginata, with 
lilac-blue or lavender-coloured flowers; P. S. Queen of Whites, 
pure white; P. S. Regina, faintly tinted with lilac, but other¬ 
wise white ; P. S. alba magnifica, white and deeply fimbriated; 
and P. S. Bruce Findlay,, with rich blue flowers, and veiy hand¬ 
some. 
The Primroses are represented by the late Mr. G. F. Wilson's 
blue varieties. Numerous varieties are grown under name, in¬ 
cluding Cecil Rhodes, with brilliant red flowers; Belvedere, 
with soft lilac flowers ; the giant-flowered variety, named 
Evelyn Arkwright, differing only from the wild one by the great 
size of its flowers; Violet Queen, violet-purple, and Miss 
Massey, with crimson flowers and maroon eye. That named 
sangueiana plena has crimson-red flowers with a white edge. 
Here also. we noted the double sulphur, the double purple, 
the double Marie Crousse, and other choice forms of Primroses 
which everyone with a love for flowers could admire. 
Here also we noted Polyanthus Jaek-in-the-Green, with a 
green, leafy calyx ; Polyanthus Hose and Hose Kathleen, with 
dark purple flowers and yellow edge ; Polyanthus Hose and 
Hose Golden Gem, and the old blue Primula elatior caerulea. 
Polyanthus Lancashire Hero is a. very beautiful dark crimson 
variety. In the open ground in various parts were selections of 
various yellow, white, and mixed Polyanthuses, as well as a 
plantation of the gold-laced Polyanthuses. 
HELLEBORES. 
A large number of named varieties of Lenten Roses are giown 
in the open ah, and represent species, varieties, and hybrids; 
but many of them were passing out of bloom, so- that Lenten 
Roses will be scanty at Lent this year. Some of the best 
varieties we noted were Ellen Terry, white, netted with purple ; 
Gertrude Jekyll, a very good white one; caucasicus lutescens, 
pale greenish yellow ; guttatus subpunctatus, with a few minute 
spots on the inner segments, the rest being white; Harlequin, 
soft rosy pink ; Lord Salisbury, a veiy- fine dark purple variety, 
with large flowers ; olympicus major, with deeply cup-shaped, 
white flowers, and olympicus superbus, a much finer white. 
Spotted varieties are fairly well represented ; Lothair, with 
dark purple flowers, finely spotted, with a darker hue, being 
one of the best: Persimmon is white, with a cluster of purple 
spots at the base. Two dark purple varieties are Pourpre and 
Porphyromalis, the latter being covered with a deep glaucous 
bloom, and very fine. Punctatissimus is very richly spotted 
with purple, on a ground-work of paler hue. Sylvia is rosy- 
