50 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
.January 21. 1905. 
On the Editor’s Table. 
Hardy Flowers from Forde Abbey. 
Within the latitude of London, with all its drawbacks in the 
matter of fog, with occasional visitations of frost and snow, 
we can still manage to have a few flowers during the first few 
days of the year. Judging by a. consignment which has just 
reached us from Mr. John Crook, gardener to Miss Evans, 
Forde Abbey, Chard, Somerset, hardy flowers are relatively 
plentiful, fresh and bright in the open air. It would be 
difficult to say which of them would most appeal to the lover 
of hardy plants, but probably he would select them all. 
Almost every week since October last we have heard of 
stray flowers of Primroses, Violets and other things of that 
character, but Mr. Crook sends us a bunch of Primroses, in¬ 
cluding at least seven different varieties. He also sends a 
bunch of Polyanthus, or bunch Primroses, according to some 
writers, numbering six distinct colour varieties, ranging from 
white, through yellow to rose, purple, and deep crimson. These 
flowers were not puny, starved-looking, weather-beaten speci¬ 
mens, but perfectly fresh, and in some instances nearly as 
large as they would be in March or April. Some of our readers 
will remember that Mr. Crook received an Award of Merit for 
his strain of these flowers at a meeting of the R.H.S. last year. 
None of the flowers of these two bunches might be considered 
poor specimens, but good representative varieties of the several 
distinct colours of what is certainly a beautiful and superior 
strain. 
The bunch of the winter-flowering Jasminum nudiflorum 
was laden with blossoms of a very bright yellow, though lack¬ 
ing in the delightful scent characteristic of the Primroses. 
That want does not apply to Chimonanthus fragrans grandi- 
florus, which was deliciously and powerfully scented even after 
its long journey. The petals are straw-coloured, but inside of 
them is another series of organs of a dark crimson-purple 
sometimes more or less striped. We are not informed how 
this shrub was grown, but we may state that for cold and 
windy districts the flowers are larger and always finer when 
the shrub is grown against a wall as a climber than when 
planted as a bush in the open. 
A bunch of the Christmas Rose was also sent, showing one 
or two large flowers on a stalk, and of great purity. No 
leaves were sent, but it would seem that this was the variety 
known as St. Brigid, with pure white flowers and pale green 
styles. Very closely allied to this was Helleborus colchicus, 
the plum-purple Lenten Rose, the first flowers of which are 
already open, with a profusion of buds to keep up a succession 
for- some time. The flowers being in their early stages, some 
were fully expanded, but had not yet acquired the glaucous 
bloom so characteristic of this type of flower later on. 
Two species of Snowdrops accompanied the above—namely, 
Galanthus nivalis and G. Elwesii’, fully expanded but not yet of 
full size. East Lothian Stocks were represented by white, 
purple and crimson double-flowered varieties, already to some 
extent sweetly scented, though not so powerfully so as they 
will be later on when the temperature rises. All of them were 
perfectly fresh. 
Besides the winter Jasmine, other flowering shrubs included 
handsome sprays of the male form of Garrya elliptica, with 
necklace-like spikes 6 in. to 9 in. long, the individual blooms 
being in most cases fully expanded. Another sweetly scented 
shrub that must not be omitted was Lonicera fragrantissima, 
with creamy-white flowers developed in pairs from the axils 
of the leaves on young shoots now growing away freely. Last 
year’s shoots still carried their veiny leaves in good condition. 
The Laurustinus was also in full bloom, the pure white blos¬ 
soms contrasting with those buds still unexpanded, and with 
the red stalks and young shoots. These flowers might also be 
described as scented, though the odour is somewhat peculiar 
and not so likely to take the fancy as in the case of the other 
scented things we mentioned. Amongst all the above the 
most powerfully scented were Chimonanthus, Primroses, Poly¬ 
anthuses and the Lonicera. 
Amongst foliage plants the crimson-red leaves of Berberis 
Aquifolium were highly conspicuous and more to be desired 
than the artificially dyed foliage of this plant which we occa¬ 
sionally see in November. The red colour is the natural 
winter hue, which is always the most highly developed in ex¬ 
posed situations. Fronds of- the prickly Shield Fern (Poly- 
stichum angulare) were also in perfect form, showing that the 
neighbourhood of Forde Abbey cannot be infested with smoke 
in the same way as London. 
The Coming Season. 
Now that Christmas is over and the new year ushered in, 
thoughts will be gradually turning towards the events of chief 
interest during thei coming season, the prospects of which 
seem to be generally acknowledged as of an encouraging 
nature. The event, of the year, horticulturally, is undoubtedly 
that of the International Show at Edinburgh in September 
next, and already a great interest is being manifested in many 
of the principal classes contained in the preliminary schedule. 
I have not had the pleasure of a look at the amended list, but 
these will soon be distributed, and we may be assured that it 
will contain many classes of undoubted interest, and prize 
money of an exceptional character. The winning of the 
King’s prize for the finest exhibit of fruit in the show will 
undoubtedly be the chief event of interest, and here we may 
expect to see a severe tussle as to the ultimate destiny of this 
prize. One could have wished to have seien such an honoured 
and coveted Royal prize awarded to the exhibit in the whole 
show showing the highest cultural skill, instead of being con¬ 
fined to one section alone. 
Splendid prizes are offered for plants and cut flowers, and 
the humble vegetable is splendidly recognised, and should be 
the means of a terrific struggle for honours in the leading 
classes. Here Scotland must look to her laurels, as the lead¬ 
ing prize at the last International came south, and was won 
bv Mr. Pope, Highclere Castle, Newbury, an exhibitor of no 
ordinary merit and a most respected gardener. 
Altogether, the exhibition promises to be of exceptional in¬ 
terest and should be the means of attracting many southern 
exhibitors and visitors. 
One regrets,the absence of the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
Show from Holland House, West Kensington, this year—at 
least, there is no notice of it in the society's arrangements for 
1905. There is a talk of the R.H.S. holding a vegetable show 
in the autumn (October 24th), which should revive the great, 
interest that was taken in the late show at Chiswick. 
With Shrewsbury as strong as ever, and other pros¬ 
perous' societies, the season of 1905 promises to be of excep¬ 
tional interest to all those who have the interest of horticulture 
at heart. James Gibson. 
Rhododendron Dauricum. 
In May, when our gardens are gorgeous with scores of fine 
garden varieties of Rhododendron, this species would 
pass with little notice, but blossoming as it does 
in January and February, well in advance of any' 
other, it attracts considerable attention. It is found 
in some of the Alpine regions of Asia, being met 
with in Dauria, Manchuria, and other places. In height it 
is from 2 ft. to 5 ft., forming a somewhat straggling bush with 
a stunted appearance. The leaves are small and deciduous, or 
sometimes evergreen. The flowers are about 1 in. across, and 
reddish-purple in colour. A variety called atrovirens is 
grown. The leaves of this are usually evergreen, and it is 
of a somewhat sturdier habit. Both plants should have a 
peaty soil, and be accommodated witli a cosy, sheltered corner. 
If given these conditions they will not fail to make a bright 
display annually. 
R. dauricum has been used by the hybridist, one of the 
most popular of its children being R. praecox, which claims 
R. ciliatum as its other parent, W. D. 
