March 25, 1905. 
THE GARDEN ING WORLD. 
241 
A purple and rose variety was 
more shades of bronzy-red. 
also very handsome. . . . ' ,. 
Iris stylosa and some’ of its varieties have been flowering 
Diffusely all the winter. In addition to the handsome colours 
,,f the flowers, they are sweetly scented. I. s. alba has white 
flowers with a yellow band on the falls. A light blue seedling 
has been picked up here and named I. s. coelestina. I. s 
Elizabethae has dark blue flowers variegated with white and 
b lu e l Hues on the falls, and is also notable for its very dwarf 
habit. Somewhat similar to this is I. s. angustifolia, which is 
somewhat taller than that previously named and notable for 
its narrow leaves. The finest of all the varieties is I. s. speciosa, 
with large, dark purple-blue flowers, a white claw to the falls 
and red claws to the standards. The correct name of this Iris 
would be I. unguicularis. The blue Poppy (Meconopsis Wal- 
licliii) has stood the whiter well in pots. 
Miscellaneous. 
Several greenhouse subjects are cultivated in one of the 
warmer houses, including Sarracenia flava major, with very 
lame, rich yellow flowers of peculiar form. Falla Little Gem 
is flowering in 60-sized pots. In another part of the house we 
noted quite a collection of insectivorous plants, including Sar¬ 
racenia Drummondi, S. rubra, S. purpurea, Darlingtonia cali- 
fornica, and Venus’ Fly-trap (Dionaea muscipula). Very hand¬ 
some at present is Iris japonica, with lavender-blue flowers, 
fringed crests, and smelling like Primroses. V illarsia par- 
nassifolia has yellow flowers, curiously bearded in the throat 
and fringed at the edges. . 
Some houses were tilled with Dahlias, chiefly Cactus vane- 
ties, now being rooted from cuttings in immense numbers. 
Tuberous Begonias are also being started in boxes in great 
quantity. Bedding Pelargoniums occupy some houses. _ A 
fine batch of Canarina campanula is now rapidly advancing 
to the flowering stage, but curiously enough one plant in the 
batch has been flowering for a month past. An interesting 
and pretty terrestrial Orchid from Japan is Bletia hyacinthina, 
with deep purple flowers. The new evergreen Jasminum primu- 
linum seems to resolve itself into a Jasmine with semi-double 
flowers. A great number of garden varieties of Clematis 
occupy one or more of the houses, making good stock plants. 
The Cornelian Cherry. 
If it flowered in May, Cornus Mas, or giving it its common 
name, the Cornelian Cherry, would not be considered of much 
account, but blossoming as it does during February and early 
March, a time when, if anything, there are less shrubs in 
bloom than there are in January, it is not to be despised, the 
tiny yellow blossoms being borne in small clusters in such pro¬ 
fusion as to clothe the bush with a golden mantle. Lulike 
many of the species of Cornus, this one cannot boast of bar ing 
ornamental bark, the branches being greenish-brown. It is 
a European and Asiatic species, growing when mature to a 
height of 15 ft. or 18 ft., forming at the same time a dense 
bush. Flowers are borne on comparatively young plants, but 
as a rule they are not fertile, fruits only T being borne on aged 
specimens. These fruits are very ornamental, being bright 
red in colour, and similar in shape but larger than those of 
the common Aucuba. From it a number of well-marked 
varieties have developed, the most useful of them being C. M. 
aurea elegantissima and C. M. variegata. The former of these 
forms a dense bush of thin, twiggy branches clothed with small 
golden variegated leaves ; the latter is a stiffen and stronger 
grower, with silver variegated leaves. The variety fructu 
violaceo bears violehcoloured fruits, and nana is a low-growing 
form. For the back of a shrubbery or for grouping in parks 
or plantations, C. Mas is an excellent subject, as after once 
planted it gives little further .trouble. W. Dallimore. 
Readers’ Competition. —Particulars of weekly prizes, see 
centre page. 
Hardy Annuals. 
(Continued from, page 181.) 
What method of sowing should be pursued? It i- under¬ 
stood that there are systems innumerable respecting the 
annual cultuie. lake for one the Sweet Pea, which is grown 
in various districts; every gardener and amateur has his own 
special culture, and all have good returns. This docs not apply 
to annuals alone, but plants in general. So it is wisdom not 
to criticise too severely methods that look erratic in our eye-. 
We may adhere hard and fast to some idea of culture, and, 
possibly enough, condemn it next season. Well, Sweet 
Peas are second to none in the hardy list of annuals, and have 
been ably discoursed on in these pages from the seed to the ex- 
Nephrolepis. exaltata Piersoni elegantissima : The 
Tarrytown Fern. (See p. 239.) 
hibition stand, and all that appertains to successful treatment. 
However, as our Gardening World is purposely printed and 
sold for the exchange of opinions, and to impart all the know¬ 
ledge of horticulture obtainable, I am positive that we would be 
more intelligent if we abscind the too often acrimonious re¬ 
marks that predominate in our debates. 
I will ventilate my modus operandi for Sweet Peas. Take 
out‘a. trench the width of the spade and 18 in. deep. Fill in 
the bottom of the trench, 6 in. at least, with cow manure, 
return the soil, and firm it by treading. This work may be 
performed in winter or a few weeks prior to sowing, so that 
the soil may consolidate. Sow the seed at the end of March, if 
sowing conditions prevail. Take a spade and remove the soil 
the full width of the trench, to 3 in. or 4 in. Apply a dressing 
of soot and some turfy loam. Sow thinly and cover with soil. 
Add dwarf stakes or other shelter previous to the ordinary 
