June 25, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
521 
Round the Nurseries. 
Hardy Plants at Ditton Hill. 
While inspecting the Tulips during their season in the Ditton 
Hill Nurseries of Messrs. Barr and Sons, King Street, Co'vent 
Garden, we made notes of a. few of the hardy herbaceous plant® 
with which these nurseries are replete, but space forbade us 
at the time to make any use of our notes. Some of the plants 
will, therefore, be past their best, but others will continue, it 
may be, for weeks to> come. 
The Geums are instances of plants which continue to bloom 
during the greater part of the summer, so that the several 
hybrids which have been raised recently are becoming more 
and more popular for bedding purposes. One of the finest is 
G. Heldreichi superbum, the flowers of which are of a rich 
orange, and produced in succession. Trolliusi Orange Globe 
is 1 one of the finest of the Globe flowers-, and has fairly open 
deep yellow flowers of large- size. The double Arabis albida 
fl. pi. continues to maintain its reputation, and also continues 
flowering, providing the summer is fairly moist-. The pretty 
Euphorbia epithymoides grows) about a foot high and bear? 
terminal clusters of bright yellow bracts. For some years 
past this has been, grown in gardens under the name of E. pilosa 
major, an old friend which was introduced from Austria in 
1805. 
The speciesi of Vesiicariai are not held in. very high repute, 
but V. utriculata has bright yellow flowers in elongated 
racemes; somewhat similar to those of Cheiranthus alpinus, 
and very effective on- the rockery. A strange Snapdragon:, 
with creeping stems!, is Antirrhinum Asarina. with large pale 
sulphur-yellow flowers, very suitable for planting in. drv situa¬ 
tions on the rockery, where it will flower more or less through¬ 
out the summer. The double Alys-sum saxatile fl. pi. is really 
a handsome subject on account* of its perfectly double bright 
yellow flowers produced in great abundance. A. gemonense 
sulphureum is a dwarf variety with sulphur-yellow flowers, and 
not unlike a form of the previously-named species, and very 
suitable for rockeries. 
The Arctic Bramble (Rubus arcticus) is a tiny herbaceous 
species only 3 in. or 4 in. high, with de'ep rose flowers. Other 
handsome subjects at this time were Saxifraga Rhei superba, 
Anemone narcissiflora, Trillium grandiflorum, Narcissus trian- 
drus* oalathinus, Muscari coni cum or Heavenly Blue, the Snake,’s 
Head Fritillary, Iberis sempervirens garrexiana, I. linifolia 
Phlox subulate G. F. Wilson,, Veronica repens, Primula farinosa 
and Cardamine pratense fl. pi. 
Some of the Shooting Stars were just in perfection, including 
Dodecatheon lancifolium, with red-purple flowers*; and D. ellip- 
tieum, with purple flowers and a crimson-orange and white 
blotch at the base. It is of a dwarf habit, and not* unlike a 
Cyclamen to a casual observer. A very useful composite for 
covering dry situations is Chrysanthemum (Pyrethrunri 
Tchibatohewi. It is like a dwarf Marguerite, with dark green-, 
much divided leaves, closely covering the surface of the ground. 
A fine dwarf Aubrietia is Lilac Queen, having large lilac 
flowers. A very pretty dwarf Bellflower is Wahlenbergia 
serpyllifolia, with small linear leaves and a, solitary terminal 
large purple flower. A dwarf-growing Heron,’® Bill for the 
rockery is Erodium chamaedryoides, bearing solitary pure 
white flowers. It is one of the neatest species o*f its kind. 
The white flowers of Androsace villosa has a yellow eye, chang¬ 
ing to red, and not unlike a Bird’s Eye Primrose. The trailing 
species, A. sarmentosa,, has* dull grey leaves* and pink flowers, 
with a carmine* eye. A changeable flower is Aubrietia tauricola 
alba, which opens white, and goes off to* blue. An. interesting 
plant is Cornus canadensis, with a whorl of bracts* succeeded 
later by berries. It should be planted in a peaty bed on the 
rockery. The double yellow Auricula is finding favour in 
gardens on account of its hardiness and long-lasting flowers. 
A new Paeony (Paeon,a obovata) has six obovate white petals, 
and will make an interesting subject for those who are fond 
of this class of plants. Being new, it is not yet to be found 
in many garden lists. In the reserve grounds we also found 
Fritillaria Guiccardi, with beautiful bell-shaped flowers, much 
overlaid with, rosy-purple, and having a green band along the 
middle of the outer segments. It is, of course, regarded as a 
variety of F. graeoa*. A new 7 variety of Duck Foot is Podo¬ 
phyllum Emodi elatius, notable for the height of the stems 
and the large red fruits it produces*. When in. bloom, the 
stems were 18 in,, high, but we believe it grows much taller. 
The large leaves are tinted with bronze. Handsome Tulips are 
Tulipa kaufmanniana. coccinea, with scarlet flowers 1 and a black 
blotch at the base; T. kolpakowskyana,, golden-yellow and red 
on. the back ; T. galatica*, usually described as a dwarf species, 
with soft yellow flowers and dark green, blotch at the base of 
the segments. Here, however, the bulbs have made wonderful 
growth this year, and the flowers are much larger than we have 
ever seen them before ; T. Hageri was* also in wonderfully fine 
form in May. 
We came across several other Fritillaries ini the sheltered 
res-erve garden here, some of them common and some of them 
very uncommon. A very strange black-flowered species is that 
named Fritillaria* Tuntasia*, having a few bell-shaped flowers 
of a rich black hue in, a leafy raceme, the height of the stems 
being from 15 in. to 18 in. An old garden, plant is F. 
pyrenaica, more neglected in recent years* than, it ought to be. 
Its hardiness is such that every border should possess some 
of its quaint brown and yellow checkered flowers*. F. recurva 
has bright scarlet flowers, slightly checkered with yellow in 
the best forms*, and is regarded as one of the most handsome* 
Fritillaries in* cultivation. F. verticillata has done* remarkably 
well at Ditton, Hill this year, the stems carrying four to six 
flowers. The flowers are creamy-white*, more* or less* checkered 
with purple inside, and the, uppermost leaves are remarkable* 
for their semi-climbing tendencies, being more or less twisted 
like the tendrils of a Pea, or they might be very well com¬ 
pared to* those* of Glorio'sa*. The flowers* of F. pontica* are of a 
quiet shade of green, tinted with red-brown, at the edges, but* 
all the same they are* quaint and pretty. Here we came upon 
another of the Shooting Stars—namely, Dodecatheon Hender- 
soni, with very short leaves and dark purple flowers with crim¬ 
son-orange and white zone at the base. 
Out in* the open grounds* the Paeomiesi were in handsome 
form, and’ we were particularly interested in* some of the 
species with single) flowers. Paeonia. tenuifolia, rosea wa*s ex¬ 
tremely charming with its rosy flowers and finely-cut foliage. 
P. t. hybrida has* deep rose flowers* and much broader divisions 
to* the leaves. A rare and pretty variety is* P. wittmanniania 
rosea,, a, new variety, with large* soft rose flowers of a* pleasing 
colour. It was raised from seed. 
Amongst a collection of very choice things we noted that 
Ramondia Nathaliae wa,s* flowering very profusely with one to 
two flowers on a* stem. The brilliant blue of Gen ti ana vein a 
was flowering in. some quantity. A veiy distinct Windflower 
is Anemone* trifoliate, having three* ovate leaflets* and a, solitary 
flower, thus making a very distinct species. We seldom meet 
Helonlasi bullata in, gardens, but it deserves* a much wider 
recognition than it enjoys. It is a Lilywort, with an ovate 
head of pink flowers and black anthers). The leaves are pro¬ 
duced in, a, dense tuft close* to* the ground. It* should be planted 
in neat in a, cool moist situation of the rockery. 
An American Saxifrage is that named Saxifraga inert,en- 
siana, with orbicular leaves*, mostly springing from the root, 
and bearing small pure white flowers on stems about 6 in. high. 
The golden Heather fCalhma vulgaris* anneal was* just, making 
its young foliage, and was* conseouemtlv in its* best- and most 
distinct form, although we may here sav that towards winter 
the haves assume a bronzy cast, and it is then quite distinct 
and noticeable. 
Strawberries to be 2d. a Pound.— Covent Garden dealers 
predict a glut of Strawberries this season. Hundreds of thou¬ 
sands of tons are waiting to be placed. Next week they say 
should see London eating the luscious fruit at 6d. a pound a 
fortnight, and they should b*° 2d. _ Both* -Cornwall and Kent 
report the crops in splendid condition. 
