August 26, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
679 
can be cut any length desired for use in 
vases by themselves, or for mixing with 
various other flowers in order to lighten and 
brighten the same. 
The plant is of the easiest cultivation in 
any good, well-tilled garden soil. Propaga¬ 
tion may readily be carried out by the division 
of the plants any time after the middle of 
September ; each crown with a few roots will 
make a plant. The flowers from which our 
picture was prepared were supplied us by 
Messrs. R. Wallace and Co., Kilnfield 
Gardens, Colchester. 
A Hardy Yucca or Adam’s Needle (Yucca 
recurvlfolia) 
In villa gardens the Yucca that is most 
often grown and flowered in the open air is 
Y. filamentosa, a herbaceous species that 
only throws up a flowering stem. The species 
under notice in the course of a number of 
years makes a stout, upright stem, which 
presently branches, forming a greater 
number of crowns in each succeeding 
year, especially after the plant has once com¬ 
menced flowering. 
Our illustration represents a plant of many 
feet in width, with numerous crowns and 
four or five large panicles of blossoms. 
These flowers are not unlike white Lilies at 
a short distance away, but closer inspection 
will reveal a structure different from that 
of a Lily, although the plant really belongs 
to the same family. The wliite, waxy flowers 
hang with their heads downwards, and render 
the plant ornamental for weeks together. 
Owners of villa gardens would find it a 
very bold and handsome plant to establish, 
one on either side of the gateway to the 
house, placing them sufficiently far back 
from the path not to-interfere with visitors. 
The plants are known as Adam’s Needle, a 
term which has been given them on account 
of the hard and sharp points to each of the 
leaves. Single-stemmed plants are perhaps 
the most graceful where space is limited, 
because the leaves from the crown arch over 
gracefully, and when the plants reach the 
flowering stage they are very handsome 
indeed. 
Provided the soil is well drained and 
moderately light and porous, the plant will 
occasion no difficulty to the cultivator what¬ 
ever ; indeed, it is one of those plants which 
continue to grow in beauty from year to year 
with a minimum of care and attention. 
Young plants are usually procured as off¬ 
sets from the base of the plant, and if these 
are not readily thrown up, the owner may 
carefully dig down to the roots and search 
for some of those thickened roots or tubers 
which give rise to young plants. Each may 
be taken off and potted up separately until 
the roots and leaves are produced, when the 
plants may be transferred to the rockery or 
some other suitable situation if so desired. 
Two Fine Spiraeas. 
(See Supplement.) 
Our supplementary picture on this occasion 
bears the representations of two varieties of 
Spiraea from Japan very much reduced in size. 
The plant represented on the right is Spiraea 
astilboides, a plant about 18in. high, half of 
which is occupied by the flowers and the rest 
by the leaves. The leaves are not unlike those 
of the border species, Goat’s Beard (S. Aruncus), 
but they are of course smaller in all their parts. 
The flowers are exceedingly small individually, 
but produced in dense spikes on a branching 
inflorescence. 
The other plant on the left is S. a. floribunda, 
and is of greater importance and beauty, inas¬ 
much as the flowers are more numerous and 
the spikes more densely arranged. They are 
also pure white, but more especially if brought 
into bloom under glass. If flowered in the 
open in full exposure to wet and sunshine the 
flowers may be more or less of a creamy tint. 
Owing to the dwarf stature of these plants 
and the peculiar beauty of the flowers in the 
aggregate they are very much utilised for flower¬ 
ing in pots and even for forcing purposes under 
glass in the spring months. They are perfectly 
distinct from the better known Astilbe japonica 
so extensively used for the same kind of work 
by decorators on both sides of the Atlantic. 
Owing to their dwarf habit, they are well 
adapted for conservatory work, and are worthy 
of the little extra cost to procure them. 
Besides their greater height, the flowers are 
much more densely arranged and altogether 
Although the season is advancing, there is 
still time for this article to be of current 
interest to many readers of The Gardening 
World, more specially to those who practice 
the art, be it for gain, fame, or amusement. 
There is a great deal of misunderstanding 
generally between fertilisation and hybridisa¬ 
tion. The first is simply applying the pollen 
of the anther to the stigma of the same flower 
or species, but in the latter it means striking 
progeny between two different species. Most 
gardeners understand the first named, but the 
expert hybridist must have a knowledge of 
botany, at least the natural orders, and also 
the lineal classes ; in fact, the elementary, 
nutritive, and reproductive functions must 
be considered. It does not follow that all 
plants of the same order will cross with each 
other. For instance, the Apple will not cross 
with the Pear, nor the Raspberry with the 
Strawberry. The cross must be between 
different species of the same genus, thus, 
Rosa spinosissima, as an example of the 
genus Rosa, and spinosissima the species. 
Hybridising generally falls to the lot of 
the specialist who makes a hobby of one 
particular pet, one the Potato, another the 
Auricula, and others the Carnation, Pansy, 
Pelargonium, Dahlia, etc. 
I will give a few useful hints to beginners, 
and take the Carnation as being likely to 
find general favour at the present time. 
Tlte first step is to select a strong, vigorous 
plant as the seed-bearer, stature and robust¬ 
ness can be transmitted by either parent, but 
the colour most resembles the male, and the 
form, of the petals the female. The semi¬ 
double are better than single ones, as being 
most likely to yield double flowers ; the per¬ 
fectly double flowers are useless, because the 
reproductive organs are transformed into 
petals, and never bear seed. A bright day 
must be chosen for the work, and midday is 
The Button Snake-Root. 
(Liatris spicata.) 
Several species have been introduced to 
this country from North America at different 
times, and fine names are attached to some 
of them, but none of them have proved so 
permanent occupants of the garden borders; 
as Liatris spicata. It is as hardy as a peren¬ 
nial Sunflower, and blooms during July and 
August. It has, however, another recom¬ 
mendation in that its height seldom exceeds 
18 in., whereas many of the other species 
may be 3 ft. to 5 ft. high. The general 
different in habit, and very telling in appearance 
when well grown and flowered. 
At the same time these plants are perfectly 
hardy and may be grown in any good garden 
soil, either in the ordinary border or upon the 
rockery. The larger pockets of the rockery 
may be utilised to advantage with one or other 
of the plants which we figure. 
Those who desire to force their plants must 
break them up in moderate - sized pieces, 
establish them in nursery lines in good soil, and 
attend to them in the matter of watering and 
keeping the ground clean, in order to ensure 
good crowns before the close of the growing 
season. Usually, however, the lover of hardy 
plants is contented to grow them in the open 
air for decorative purposes, and with that in 
view the herbaceous border or the rockery is 
the most suitable situation. 
the best time for the Carnation. The pistil 
is ready to receive the pollen if the styles are 
curled, which is the natural tendency of the 
organs to fertilise themselves with the 
anthers of the same flower, which are lower 
than the styles. These anthers must be re¬ 
moved with sharp-pointed scissors, care being 
taken not to injure the styles, and the sooner 
this is done the better, because the pistil 
remains vigorous much longer. 
The quantity of pollen required for impreg¬ 
nation varies in plants. One single perfect 
anther is quite sufficient, for the Carnation, 
and must be applied to the tips of the styles 
with the point of a camel’s-hair brush. If 
the plants are in pots under glass care must 
be taken that no tobacco fumigation or sul¬ 
phur is near - , as it dries up the moisture of 
the styles and renders them useless. 
If the impregnation has taken properly the 
bloom will show by beginning to fade, and as 
soon as the petals are dry and will draw out 
easily they should be removed so as to admit 
air. The calyx also must be split, if the 
season is wet, about the end of August or 
September to allow the seed-pod to ripen. 
After fertilisation it is customary to cover 
the bloom with a piece of fine muslin to pre¬ 
vent insects carrying the pollen from neigh¬ 
bouring flowers. 
One more hint to the beginner and I have 
done. Although hybrids will perform the 
same functions as the original species, they 
will not jierpetuate from seed, but will breed 
back to the form of their parents. The 
pollen of some flowers retains the power of 
effecting fertilisation longer than others, 
more especially if it is not removed from the 
anther. The pollen of the Date Palm has 
been preserved for eighteen years, the 
Tobacco plant only forty-eight hours, Lobelia 
eight or nine days, and the Carnation three 
days. J. Hughes, Gardenei\ 
Hartford House, Oldham. 
aspect of L. spicata is a plant with rather 
grassy leaves, from which arise stems 
about the height stated, and occupied for 
half their length or nearly with small com¬ 
pactly arranged heads of rich purple flowers. 
When increase is desired all that is neces¬ 
sary is to lift the crowns in September or 
preferably in March, just when commencing 
to grow, and carefully separate the crowns 
by means of an old knife. A fairly moist and 
holding soil is highly beneficial, but manures 
are scarcely necessary, because the neater 
and dwarfer the plant the more graceful and 
pretty, whereas highly fed plants would tend 
to be'coarser and less interesting. 
Hybridising 
HINTS for - - - 
BEGINNERS. 
