76S 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 30, 1905. 
Notes on . . . 
Our Illustrations. 
ON CENTRE SHEET (pages 766 and 767). 
Darwin Tulips. 
If we were asked to define what Darwin 
Tulips are, we should reply that they are 
seedlings raised from the well-known Tulipa 
gesneriana, and bear the same relationship to 
the florist’s tulip as border Carnations do to 
the florist’s race of Carnations. They have 
not been subjected to close inbreeding when 
raising them with the object of retaining the 
fine markings of the florist’s flower, conse¬ 
quently they are of njuch more vigorous con¬ 
stitution and easier of cultivation by the com¬ 
munity at large, professional or amateur. For 
this reason they should presently enjoy a 
great run of popularity for planting under a 
variety of conditions, provided always the sur¬ 
face of the ground is clear of vegetation and 
cultivated. They could be planted upon the 
grass like other Tulips, but there is always the 
liability for the flowers to get smaller from 
year to year. The finest flowers are un¬ 
doubtedly obtained from well-cultivated land, 
and where the bulbs are lifted and replanted 
every year after assorting the bulbs into sizes. 
The accompanying illustration has been lent 
us by Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, Limited, 
King’s Road, Chelsea, London, who grow a 
fine collection of them in their Feltham 
Nursery. It would be impossible in the space 
at present at our command to give an idea of 
the range of colours pervading this vigorous 
strain of Tulips, but we may say that it ranges 
from almost pure white to blush, pink, mauve, 
rose, purple, violet, maroon, and almost black. 
Indeed, one of the varieties is named the 
Black Tulip, but there are several of them 
varying in shades of this intense colour. 
It will be observed that the flower is always 
cup-shaped, either narrower or broader, but 
always having blunt segments, as in the 
various garden races raised from T. gesneriana. 
Another feature of the strain is the vigour of 
the foliage and the stems, which vary from 
lift. to 3ft. in height according to variety and 
the cultivation given. They are essentially 
late or May flowering Tulips, like the florist’s 
strain. ' We may take this opportunity of 
pointing out that the early-flowering Tulips 
are merely selections of precocious individuals 
which have their uses for forcing purposes and 
for enabling the gardener to make the garden 
gay throughout the month of April. These 
Darwin Tulips therefore make a splendid and 
natural succession to the early-flowering varie¬ 
ties, so that the two strains do not in any way 
compete with one another. 
May-flowering Single Tulips. 
The group named May-flowering Tulips 
represents a number of different types which 
have one common property of flowering in 
May, and therefore are usually termed late 
or May-flowering Tulips, as they serve to 
keep the garden gay from the time the early 
Tulips pass out of bloom until it is necessary 
to empty the beds for the summer flower 
bedding. 
No. 1 in the illustration represents the 
modern race of Darwin Tulips, which are 
notable for their vigour, beauty, and variety 
of colours. Rather earlier in its period of 
flowering is Bouton d’Or, repx-esented by 
No. 2, and, as the name indicates, consists 
of a flower of a rich golden yellow. No. 3 is 
variously known as Picotee or Maiden’s Blush, 
and is a very popular Tulip of a pure winte 
with a charming pink edge to the segments. 
Fig. 4 represents a Bybloemen, one of the 
florist’s flowers, characterised by its purple- 
lilac or maroon markings on a white ground. 
Fig. 5 shows a flamed bizarre which may be 
striped with some shade of crimson, red, or 
chocolate on a yellow ground, all the lighter 
portions representing yellow. 
Fig. 6 is one of the wild species, T. macro- 
speila, and characterised by having crimson- 
scarlet. flowers with a black blotch at the 
base of each segment, surrounded by a yellow 
band. Fig. 7 is Golden Crown, a golden- 
yellow Tulip edged with crimson and* 
having more or less pointed segments. 
This latter feature is carried to a much 
greater extent in Fig. 8, representing 
Tulipa retroflexa, a most charming flower of 
a clear light yellow and having long pointed 
segments, the outer ones being beautifully re- 
flexed. This is sometimes spoken of as a cot¬ 
tage Tulip. The stems of this are long and 
slender, so that the blossoms hang very grace¬ 
fully at the end of long stems clear above the 
foliage, making this Tulip remarkably hand¬ 
some for bedding purposes. 
The illustration represents eight different 
types of late-flowering Tulips which at 
the present day enjoy a considerable run of 
popularity, but might with advantage be still 
more extensively grown for the brightening 
of the garden during May, when all of the 
other Tulips and most of the Daffodils have 
passed out of bloom. The illustration was 
lent to us by Messrs. Dickson, Brown and 
Tart, 43 and 45, Corporation Street, Man¬ 
chester. 
Narcissus incomparabilis cristata. 
The above is a fine and very distinct variety 
of the medium crown Daffodil, N. incompara¬ 
bilis. The segments of the perianth are rela¬ 
tively broad and rounded at the ends and 
sulphur-coloured, while the cup or chalice is 
yellow. The distinguishing feature of the 
variety, however, is that the chalice is widely 
spread out, deeply cut, plaited, and present¬ 
ing more or less a crested appearance, owing 
to the folds of the cup not being able to 
spread out flat. The flower is also of large 
size even by comparison with other fine varie¬ 
ties of this type. 
It is needless to comment upon the uses to 
which this fine variety may be put, as it is 
suitable for all the purposes to which the 
medium crown Daffodils can be put. They 
may be grown in pots for forcing to get them 
early in bloom for the purpose of decorating 
the greenhouse or conservatory. They may 
also be planted in the borders in clumps or 
otherwise, and if the gardener so desires it he 
may have patches of it upon the grass, planted 
with discretion and taste, so as to appear as 
natural as possible. Finally, the flowers may 
be cut and used in a great variety of ways for 
decorative purposes. The colours are of that 
harmonious kind that may be used without 
producing a violent contrast or offending the 
eye of the most aesthetic. The variety is not 
a common one, and the illustration was kindly 
placed at our disposal by Messrs. "Webb and 
Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge. 
The Summer Snowflake (Leucojum 
aestivum). 
The Summer Snowflake is a bulbous plant 
very closely allied to the Snowdrop. Indeed, 
the chief difference lies in the fact that all the 
segments are of uniform length instead of 
being in two sets of different sizes. Anotiier 
point is that the species more frequently than 
otherwise bears a number of flowers in an 
umbel instead of a solitary bloom. 
The Summer Snowflake is one of two which 
bear the greatest number of flowers, and we 
fully believe that it is the most popular of 
all the Snowflakes in gardens if we were to 
take a census of gardens throughout the 
United Kingdom to ascertain the number of 
times or the number of gardens in which it is 
cultivated. The flowers are pure white, with 
the exception of a small green spot just below 
the apex and outside of each segment. The 
leaves are of rich dark green, not unlike those 
of a Daffodil, and the flowers are freely pro¬ 
duced in April and May in different parts of 
the country. 
It flowers as freely in the garden of the 
cottager as that of the king, and, being of the 
easiest cultivation, is admirably adapted for 
the herbaceous border, where we usually find 
it. It is a native of Britain, and at one time 
was found on the banks of the Thames at 
various points between Greenwich and Read¬ 
ing. It still grows in considerable quantity 
on the upper reaches of the river, where it 
has not been exterminated by the people. The 
illustration of it was placed at our service by 
Messrs. Alexander Cross and Sons, Limited, 
19, Hope Street, Glasgow. 
Narcissus Mrs. Langtry. 
Mrs. Langtry is one of the most delicately 
coloured and beautiful of all the N. Leedsii 
section. The plant blooms most profusely, 
often sending up several flower stalks from 
one bulb. The segments are relatively broad 
for this section, more or less overlapping at 
the base, and pure white. The chalice is bell¬ 
shaped and relatively long and broad at the 
mouth, beautifully plaited, and of a bright 
canary-yellow when it first expands. As the 
flower develops this colour gradually disap¬ 
pears until tin- greater portion is almost white, 
while the edge retains the yellow colour, thus 
making the variety a picotee-edged Daffodil 
of great delicacy and beauty. Those who 
like flowers of the Leedsii section should not 
omit Mrs. Langtry, on account of the beauty 
of the flower, delicacy of colour, and the pro¬ 
fusion of blossom. The illustration of it was 
placed at our disposal by Messrs. William 
Cutbush and Son, Highgate, London. 
-•- 
Freehold Homesteads in New South 
Wales. —The Agent-General for New South 
Wales sends us a note to say that 
several visitors during the other week 
visited the New South Wales Exhibi¬ 
tion at the Guildhall, inspecting the 
nuggets of gold, merino wool, grain, 
minerals, and other exhibits. He also states 
that the Premier has now set aside 50 farms, 
varying from 200 to 300 acres in the best dis¬ 
tricts of New South Wales, which will be 
allotted to the first British applicants. These 
are improved freehold farms ready for the 
plough at a cost of from 2s. to 3s. per acre 
per annum, to be paid over a series of years. 
Particulars may be obtained at the New 
South Wales Government Office, 33, East- 
cheap, London, E.C. 
