94 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
February 4. 1905. 
Potentilla hopwoodiana. 
The beauty and value of Potentillas seem to me to be under¬ 
estimated : at any rate, the demand for them is but small in 
comparison with many other subjects grown in hardy plant nui- 
series, and I have seen many a private establishment where to 
all appearances Potentillas are forbidden admission. Per¬ 
sonally, I am veiy fond of them, and I remember when a 
“ wee ” lad at home a plant of P. le Yesuve was a much-prized 
occupant of my own little garden patch. From then till now 
1 have constantly endeavoured to obtain all new varieties of 
any repute, but never has one single or double appeared so 
beautiful to my eyes as that named at the head of this note. 
P. hopwoodiana is a single, the flowers being somewhat larger 
than a shilling, produced on tall, rather stout, and branching 
stems, furnished with leafy bracts at every joint. 
The colour is pale flesh, beautifully flushed with rose-pink 
that recalls to one’s mind the bloom of health that lights up a 
child’s face. The leaflets of its palmate foliage are narrow in 
comparison with their length, deeply veined, and of very dark 
green, in striking contrast to the delicate tints of the floweis, 
but nicely toned down by the chestnut hue of the stems on 
which the latter are borne. The constitution of the plant is 
remarkable, and I think the flowers are even more charming- 
in a cut state than when seen in the garden. Being single, 
they are, of course, but short lived, but some compensation 
even here is afforded in that buds will open in water after 
cutting. It is all in all a plant that should be more widely 
known and largely grown, and, indeed, in my opinion should 
be afforded a place "of honour in any collect ion of herbaceous 
Heather Bell. 
Mignonette. 
Mignonette has a peculiar charm of its own, although not a 
showy flower. It forms a pleasing relief to the more showy 
flowers, and the lovely fragrance of the blossoms renders it a 
favourite- with all. In private establishments Mignonette does 
not often meet with the attention it deserves—that is, as a 
pot plant. For pot culture it is very important to secure a 
good strain of seed. There are several good and somewhat 
distinct varieties. The variety known as pyramidalis graudi- 
flora finds most favour with market growers, a dwarf-growing 
kind, with rather short but very thick spikes of bloom. 
Matchet appears to be an improved selection from this. 
Miles’ Spiral is a good variety with long, thick spikes of bloom. 
The plant is of dwarf habit and vigorous growth. Mignonette 
is usually sown in the pots that it is intended to- flower in; 
therefore the soil is the first- consideration. Any ordinary 
compost may be used, provided it- is fairly rich, free from 
worms, and sufficiently porous that water can pass through 
freelv. In preparing the compost, it is a good plan to mix a 
little soot with the manure before adding it to the other soil. 
A good sprinkling of old lime rubbish is a valuable addition 
to the compost. For-ordinary purposes pots 8 in. or 10 in. 
will be large enough. The pots should be filled firmly and not 
too full, as the seed should have a- good covering and sufficient 
room left- for watering. The first spring sowing may be made 
any time after the middle of February, and successional sow¬ 
ings throughout the season, the latest being in September. 
This will come into flower early in the year before the first 
spring-sown batch. 
The best position for growing Mignonette in is in pits or 
frames with a southern aspect. The pots may be plunged in 
some light material, and brought up as near to the glass as 
possible. As soon as large enough to handle, they may be 
thinned out, leaving about six plants in a pot : or a few more 
and go over them a second time, as sometimes a few will damp 
off. Ventilation should be given freely from the time the seed 
begins to germinate, and later on, as the weather gets warmer, 
the lights may be removed altogether on favourable occasions, 
but the plants should not be exposed to heavy rains or rough 
weather. It is very essential that watering should be carei- 
fullv attended to ; -in fact, this is the most important point in 
connection with the successful culture of Mignonette. If the 
plants have had a good watering after the seed is sown, they 
will only require a slight sprinkling from time to time until 
the plants are large enough for thinning out, after which suffi¬ 
cient water should be given to soak through the soil as the 
pots appear dry. 
Manure water may be used as soon as the plants have got 
a, good start-, using it weak at first. By flowering-time they 
will take manure water as strong as most soft-wooded subjects. 
During the hot weather a- good sprinkling overhead once or 
twice a day will be beneficial, especially as the plants are 
coming into bloom, as at- this period they will require a con¬ 
siderable quantity of water, and the slightest neglect will 
result in loss of foliage. Ventilation must be regularly 
attended to. No artificial heat must be given at any time, 
except to keep out frost-, and if short, sturdy plants are desired 
they should be grown fully exposed to the sun, as the slightest 
shading will induce them to run up tall and thin. During the 
summer-time a sharp look-out must be kept for caterpillars, 
which are sometimes very troublesome, and will soon make 
sad havoc if not kept in check. With the exception of the 
above, Mignonette is not much troubled with insect pests. 
J. W. J. 
Street Trees. 
At this time, when so much i-s being said and written about 
tree planting and the formation of garden cities, perhaps a 
few notes will not be out of place regarding a, few trees suitable 
for planting in streets of towns where smoke and dust prevent 
trees and shrubs with hairy or downy foliage from thriving. 
The common Sycamore (Acer Pseudoplatanus) is well known, 
yet it- is often confounded with the Plane tree, which is quite 
a different plant. The Sycamore is a native' of Central Europe 
and West Asia, Ailanthus glandulosa, commonly known as 
the Tree of Heaven, is a native of Northern China, where it 
grows to a height of 60 ft. ; The leaves are from 1 ft. to 3 ft. 
long, and are composed of a number of deeply toothed 
leaflets. The flowers appear in clusters about- the month of 
August-; these are followed by the fruits which give the plants 
a, very ornamental appearance in autumn. The tree flourishes 
in the milder parts of Britain. It thrives in a rich and well- 
drained soil. 
The' Almond (Amygdalus) is one of the first trees to expand 
its flowers in the early part of the year. It flourishes in any 
goo-d garden soil. It is found at its best in an open situation 
with plenty of air and light, and in such situations requires 
little attention beyond an annual mulching of well-rotted 
manure or leaf-mould in winter. No pruning is needed beyond 
cutting out of any old or dead wood. If this is carried out 
during the' winter, care should be taken not to cut away the 
young shoots of only one season’s growth. After flowering, the 
branches should be shortened back to one or two buds for the 
production of stronger shoots for next year’s flowering. The 
common Almond (A. communis) is a handsome tree, growing 
from 10 ft. to 30 ft. high, with long lance-shaped leaves. It 
is a native of Barbary, but is hardy enough to thrive in the 
open in most parts of the British Isles. 
The Lime Trees (Tilia) are well-known, handsome trees, re¬ 
markable for their great height and ornamental foliage. The 
best results are got from trees that have been transplanted a 
few times. , 
The Western Plane (Platanus occidentalis) is a native of 
North America, and grows to a height of about 70 ft. to 80 ft. 
The London Plane (P. acerifolia) is a native of Asia Minor, and 
is an excellent plant for large towns, having hard, glossy leaves 
to which very little dust will cling. It resembles the Syca¬ 
more. The latter, however, lias leaves much -softer in texture. 
There is also a distinction in the fruits. In the Sycamore 
they are winged and easily blown about by the wind in autumn. 
But the Plane-tree fruits are prickly and globular in shape, 
and hang from the trees for several months. 
The Maidenhair Tree (Salisburia adiantifolia) is so called 
because its leathery, two-lobed leaves resemble those of the 
Maidenhair Fern. It grows to a height of 50 ft, to 60 ft., and 
is deciduous. This is a splendid tree for planting: in smoky 
towns. D. D. W. 
