473 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 10, 1905. 
Notes on . . . 
Our Illustrations. 
The Blue Toothwort (Lathrae?. Clandestina). 
Unlike our English Toothwort (Lathraea 
squomaria), which may be seen in tolerable 
quantity beneath the Beech trees in Lord 
Derby’s Park at Holwood, the present species 
lias a strong claim to be beautiful, the flowers, 
which are of a deep purple or violet, being 
remarkably showy and produced in abun¬ 
dance. Probably the finest patch of this some¬ 
what rare plant to be found in England is 
that in the grounds of the Royal Botanical 
Society, Regent’s Park, where, parasitic on 
the roots of a noble Willow tree, it has in¬ 
creased annually until it now covers a space 
of about 6 ft. bv 5 ft., and flowers profusely 
from early April for fully a couple of months. 
Producing seeds freely, the spread of the 
plant is not difficult by simply sowing these 
on the roots of the Willow, Poplar, or 
Deciduous Cypress, in a shadyish and dampish 
situation. Seen for the first time the patch 
referred to reminds one forcibly in colour of 
flowers at least of a well-grown patch of purple 
Croci. The accompanying illustration is from 
a photograph taken by Mr. W. Warner, 
Swakopmund, German South West Africa, 
and conveys a good idea of the plant when in 
full flower.—A. D. Webster, Regent’s Park, 
May 27th, 1905. 
The White Gentianella (Gentiana acaulis 
alba). 
On page 423 we made reference to the above 
as the most rare albino, but since then we have 
learned the origin of it, and know that if it 
is not widely distributed there are at least a 
considerable number of plants in existence. 
It was raised by Messrs. James Smith and 
Sons, Darley Dale Nurseries, near Matlock, 
Derbyshire, some years ago. It was dis¬ 
covered in bloom amongst a large batch of 
the ordinary blue Gentianella raised by them 
from seed. The flowers are pure white, with 
the exception of five greenish-yellow blotches 
in the throat of the flower, and with this ex¬ 
ception there is no other colour in it. 
The raisers, who have supplied us with 
flowers of this rare albino, consider it a 
valuable acquisition to alpine plants, as it is 
a free bloomer, and their bed of plants was 
in full flower at the time the blooms were 
sent us on May 15th. This bed was a picture 
worth going miles to see. The habit and 
growth of the plant is similar to the ordinary 
Gentianella. 
We frequently hear reference made to the 
blue of the Gentian as something for florists 
to aspire to in the raising of new varieties of 
garden flowers, but we have repeatedly related 
in The Gardening World that there is some¬ 
thing else besides blue even in Gentiana 
acaulis, as we have seen flowers showin° r 
distinct shades of purple, green, and yellow" 
Now we have the evidence of this variety of an 
entire absence of colour, with the exception 
of the faint greenish-yellow blotches in the 
throat. As far as the flowers were concerned, 
they do not differ from the ordinary form 
except in the matter of colour. 
Our illustration of the flowers sent will 
show the general aspect and form of the 
flowers. We think the greatest value of this 
variety will be by growing it in contrast or 
proximity to the ordinary blue form, and if 
the two were grown in alternate patches the 
one would enhance the other. 
Well-grown Cyclamens 
On the lower right-hand corner of our sheet 
of pictures is a view of a group of Cyclamen 
staged in a greenhouse, and sent in by Air. 
James Watt, The Gardens, Seaforth House, 
Arbroath, N.B. The plants are well flowered, 
but particularly so on the three upper tiers 
of the staging, where it will be seen that the 
blooms would number anything up to a 
hundred in full bloom on each plant. The 
method of staging them is more suitable for 
displaying them than getting the plants to 
the light. The specimens on the top shelves 
are in the best position with regard to light, 
but the cultivator lias evidently made the 
most of his plants under the circumstances. 
The photograph was sent in for competition 
for the prize offered for a photograph showing 
the interior of a conservatory, and was 
commended. 
A Bit of Topiary Work. 
The picture at the top left-hand corner of 
the two centre pages shows a design in topiary 
work suitable for the entrance to some part of 
the garden or pleasure grounds. The plant 
used in the closely cut design is the Yew, of 
which there is a hedge behind surmounted by 
two pyramidal figures. The specimen in front 
shows a rounded bush forming the base of the 
tree above which the stem is pruned clear of 
shoots. Then comes a series of four circular 
table-like pieces, each separated by a few 
inches of clean stem. The top of the tree 
then is cut in pyramidal form. 
It requires some ingenuity and thought on 
the part of the pruner to make such a tree as 
this, but it is largely a question of time, each 
part being done successively as the tree~grows, 
pruning it into shape from the base upward 
with each succeeding year. 
In order to keep it perfectly neat, the best 
plan is to prune it twice a year just after the 
tree has made its season’s growth, and again 
in autumn if it has made any fresh growth.® 
A neat specimen of the topiary art in the 
front garden of wayside villas and cottages 
serves to give character and distinctiveness°to 
the weary monotony of the way where every 
house and garden is the exact repetition of 
another in a district, it may be, extending 
over many miles. 
View in a Conservatory. 
This relates to one of the highly commended 
pictures in our photographic competition 
which was open from the 1st to 25th May. It 
is a view in the interior of the conservatory at 
Lathom House, Ormskirk, and was sent us by 
Mr. H. Hall, of the gardens there. To the 
left some bold rock-work may be scon more or 
less hidden in front by fine foliage plants, 
the portion of roof shown is covered by 
climbers, and beneath this is a tree Fern 
There is also an aquatic tank in this struc¬ 
ture, a corner of which is shown in the picture 
The photograph itself was just a little inferior 
m development or finish to the first prize in 
this competition. 
Rhododendron veitchianum. 
The third plant in the top line consists of a 
pot specimen of Rhododendron veitchianum 
which may be described as a greenhouse 
species, although very nearly hardy The 
large pure white flowers are produced in 
clusters of three or four together at the apex 
of each branch, and are very effective during 
the month of April or May, according to the 
amount of heat to which it has been subjected 
It was sent in by Mr. A. Woods, Beamish 
Park, Beamish, R.S.O., Durham, in the com¬ 
petition for the prize offered for a single- 
flowering plant for room or table decoration. 
It was commended. 
A Standard Rhododendron. 
In most cases even the' fine hybrid varieties 
of R. ponticum are planted in large beds, 
groups, or in the shrubbery, where they are 
allowed to grow until they form a dense im¬ 
penetrable mass. 
Grown in standard form, it is more under 
the cultivator’s eye and control, because in 
order to keep it in proper form all straggling 
branches are removed or shortened, and the 
tree generally kept in good shape. The pur¬ 
poses to which a tree of this form may be put 
are numerous ; for instance, it may occupy tile 
centre of a bed of dwarf-growing Rhododen¬ 
drons or Azaleas. Frequently, however, it is 
planted as the centre of a small bed which 
may be of Heaths, Pansies, or Violas. In 
other cases it is planted on the grass in a bed 
just sufficiently large to keep the soil open 
over the surface of the roots, as in the in¬ 
stance shown on the upper right-hand corner 
of our central pages. In this case practically 
it might well be described as a lawn tree, and 
we cannot imagine anything more beautiful 
cuning its season when veil furnished and 
covered with blossom, as in this case. 
A Pot of Marie Louise Violets. 
On the lower left-hand corner of our sheet 
of illustrations is a plant of Violet Marie 
Louise in an ornamental jar. This was sent 
in by Mr. C. Goddard, gardener to F. Shool- 
bred. Esq., Thames Bank, Goring-on-Thames, 
Reading. It just missed taking the first prize 
in our competition for a single-flowering plant 
for room or table decoration. 
Our readers will admit that it is a well- 
flowered specimen, for the plant was one of a 
dozen for which Mr. Goddard was awarded a 
Certificate of Alerit at the Pangbourne 
Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society on 
May 19th last. The plants carried an average 
of 130 blooms each, and the photograph was 
taken on May 20th. A plant of this character 
in cur opinion would be worth several bou¬ 
quets of gathered blooms, as they would be 
kept in a perfectly fresh condition upon the 
plant so long as they were required in the 
house. The photograph was highly com¬ 
mended. 
Perennial Candytuft in the Rock 
Garden at Kew. 
(.Iberis sempervirens garreriana.) 
(See Supplement.) 
One of the chief elements of success in the 
planting of a rockery is to< use subjects that 
will grow and thrivei in the positions selected 
for them. It would clearly be a huge mistake 
to- plant. Lady’s Slippers: on the face of a wall 
of rocks such as is siho-wn in our picture. The 
various species of perennial Candytuft are par¬ 
ticularly well adapted for growing in dry 
situations- on the rockery, as; they naturally 
grow upo.fi rocks in their native country. 
Most owners -if a garden are familiar with 
the two species of annual Candytuft and their 
varieties, and some have managed to plant the 
ordinary form of the perennial Candytuft in 
their gardens. Those who- select a, well- 
lighted position, and allow it plenty of room, 
arc aware of its effectiveness- during May and 
June, according to the district in which they 
may be situated. Not only is a mass of it 
