532 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 1, 1905. 
A 
|sj |30 N Plants which Thrive 
BACK in a 
GARDEN. Smoky Atmosphere. 
There are several parts of London in which 
hardening is mere difficult of successful ac¬ 
complishment than in the neighbourhood of 
Regent’s Park, nevertheless we are bound to 
remember that the park is only a small spot, 
a mere oasis in the heart of a great city, and 
surrounded on all sides by dwelling-houses 
and workshops, from the chimneys of which 
smoke is emanating practically at all hours of 
the day and more or less at night. These 
facts are most evident in the winter time, when 
leaden skies prevail and the atmosphere isi 
laden with moisture at a low temperature, for 
then the smoke and impurities issuing from 
the chimneys are prevented from rising, and, 
if not actually raining, these are continually 
depositing their modicum of filth upon every¬ 
thing not actually covered with glass. 
Those who are accustomed to 1 these sights 
while living in London are liable to forget the 
disadvantages to- the plants in winter, when in 
spring the trees, bushes, and plants of all 
kinds burst into leaf with their multiplicity 
of shades of green and the various hues of the 
flowers. We must not forget, however, that 
plants have difficulties as well as man, and 
only those which are able to survive the filthi¬ 
ness of the atmosphere of the metropolis are 
able to-put forth fx-esh growth in spring. 
Quite recently we had a look through the 
garden of the superintendent of Regent’s Park 
when vegetation of all kinds- was in the 
freshest and brightest hue. Rain had pre¬ 
viously fallen in abundance ; nevertheless the 
plants that served to make the garden, the 
hedges, and walls of the lodge resplendent with 
spring greenery and beauty were those that 
had stood out the winter. As we are not 
making a catalogue of the plants in the gai’den, 
we can only mention a few by name of those 
we noticed. 
The bearded Irises succeed admirably, in¬ 
cluding the common or German Iris and Iris 
pallida dalmatica, a very choice and delicately 
coloured variety. Several of the Roses’ also- 
succeed admii-ably, including Grass an Tep- 
litz. Other shrubs notable for their excellent 
behaviour wei'e the Smoke Plant (Rhus 
Ootinus), golden Ivies, Amp-elopsis Veitchi, 
the purple-leaved Vine (Yitis vinifera- atropur- 
purea), Gaultheria Shallon, and the golden¬ 
leaved Weigela Looymansii aurea, which was 
in itself a wealth of light yellow-green, but 
which will deepen later on. When we wit¬ 
nessed it, it was simply a picture of health and 
beauty. Dwarf Polyantha Roses also 1 flowered 
freely. 
Numerous plants usually associated with 
rock gardens also find a suitable- home there, 
and indeed many of them, are planted on rock- 
work which, though neither very high nor 
-very elaborate, is nevertheless rock-work 
adapted for a villa garden. A vexy choice suR 
ject with yellow flowers is Arnebia- echioides. 
A very distinct and singular-looking Bind¬ 
weed named Convolvulus althaeoides/ also 
thrives wondexffully, and interests the- owner 
on account of its curiously-divided leaves. 
The finest of all the hardy Cypripediums, 
namely, C. spectabile, thrives and flowers 
under the conditions here afforded it. 
The woolly form of the Cafs-ear (Antennaria 
dioica tomentosa) was breaking into fi-esh 
growth and developing rosettes of silvery-gi’ey 
leaves. Though widely different from the 
bearded Irises, the Siberian Iris (I. sibirica) 
gives every satisfaction grown as a border 
plant. The double-flowered form of the maid- 
time Catch-fly (Silene- maritima flore pleno) 
was producing large white flowers out of all 
proportion to- the strength of the stalks carry¬ 
ing them ; consequently this is well adapted 
for rock-work, so that the flowers can hang 
over the ledges. Another plant perfectly at 
home on walls on reeky places was Erinns 
alpinus, also in full bloom. The Foam Flower 
(Tiarella cordifolia), though not yet in flower, 
was making a beautiful display of its mottled 
leaves. 
Mr. A. D. Webster sometimes spends his 
holidays in the Highlands, and being an 
ardent plants-man with a penchant for native 
flowers, cannot resist the temptation of bring¬ 
ing some of the native mountain plants to 
London. Amongst several of such that we 
noted, we should mention Loiseleuria prociim- 
bens, very closely allied to the Rhododendron 
and usually styled the British Azalea. In its 
native home it may often be found carpeting 
the ground on the bare mountain tops, ex¬ 
posed to wind from every quai*ter, yet it had 
taken kindly to its new home amidst the 
smoke of London. Another interesting native 
was the filmy Fern (Hymenophyllirm Wilsoni), 
which has outlived the winter in a recess 
behind the dripping well, which serves to keep 
it hr health, notwithstanding its situation in 
this London back garden. 
THE “ G. W. 
. . Enquire Within. 
— Supplementary Replies 
By our Readers. — 
Heliotropes. 
J. R. Ward’s e-nquiiy respecting large 
Heliotropes prompts me to- put in a word. I 
would speak of large Heliotropes, too, but the 
greatness of size is- in the flower trusses. 
Exactly why more has not been made of 
Lemoine’s Giant Hybrids is more than I can 
fathom, for it is six or seven years since 
they appeared. The Americans got hold of 
them, and it was from them that I first learned 
of their superiority. 
Cannells have a giant variety, which pos¬ 
sibly came from Lemoine’s, but whereas the 
former has shown only one shade, to- my know¬ 
ledge the true Lemoine’s varieties embrace 
white, reddish violet, and various shades- of 
pui'ple. 
When I tested them several years ago, I 
found the seed difficult to- germinate freely, a 
difficulty I and many others have always ex¬ 
perienced with Heliotropes. The plants I 
secured, however, were a marvellous advance 
over the old type, and I believe the strain has 
since been improved upon. 
The plants are vigorous and produce enor¬ 
mous trasses, which, under good culture, 
measure from 12 in. to 15 in. across. The in¬ 
dividual pips are of the usual dimensions, the 
trusses alone being so remaikable for size. I 
never ventui'ed to count them, but I should 
imagine that a well-grown truss bears thou¬ 
sands of pips. The fragrance is equal to- the 
old type. The late Mr. Lemoine introduced 
some very fine things, and his hybrid Helio¬ 
tropes were among them. Cal. 
Dublin’s Unequalled Lungs.— Says the 
“ Irish Independent,” “ No city in the land can 
boast of such superb breathing spaces or lungs 
as Dublin does. The Phoenix Park, Stephen’s 
Gi-een Park, the Botanic Gardens form a trio 
of bewitching splendour, the equal of which 
any other capital of the.world cannot furnish.” 
TREE CARNATIONS. 
To those who require cut flowers all the 
year round for decorative purposes, the tree 
Carnations, or perpetual blooming Carnations, 
come as a real boon, with their rich lasting 
blossoms and in many oases sweet fragrance. 
They are the most easily cultivated of all 
Carnations, as they will grow and flourish in 
any conservatory or greenhouse where a tem- 
pei'ature of 45 degrees to 50 degrees in winter 
can be maintained, together with a somewhat 
diy atmosphere and ample ventilation. The 
flowers are borne on long wiry stalks, and, in¬ 
termixed with Maidenhair Fern, Asparagus 
plumosus, and Asparagus Sprengei’i, form a 
most gi’aceful and refined decoration for the 
table of cottage or palace. Cuttings should 
be propagated in the early part of the year, 
a mixture of three parts loam to two of silver 
sand being used. The cuttings must be kept 
shaded in a temperature of 55 degrees to 60 
degrees ; as soon as they are well rooted they 
should be potted off, and about the middle of 
May transferred to a cold frame. They will 
make strong sturdy plants by the beginning of 
July, until which time all buds, except the 
crown bud, should be nipped out, in order to 
get well-formed plants. 
With careful treatment they will give plenty 
of blossoms all through the ensuing autumn 
and winter, at a time when the flowers will 
prove exceptionally acceptable. 
The American varieties of the tree Carna¬ 
tion are rapidly becoming most popular in 
this country, though at first there was a preju¬ 
dice against them on account of the fringed 
petals. I may mention the following as a 
selection o-f the best varieties : — 
Fair Maid, a light rose pink, flowers on long 
stiff stalks, sometimes over 2 ft. in length; 
Floriana-, a delicate pink of good size ; Mrs. 
Tiros. W. Lawson, the most famous of all 
American tree Carnations, colour pink, and 
of fine form, delicate perfume ; Enchantress, 
flesh pink, with flowers of large size ; Alpine 
Glow, deep salmon pink, very prolific 
bloomer ; Flamingo, finely formed scarlet 
blossoms ; Mrs. M. A. Patten, a pure white 
ground marked with deep pink, delicately per¬ 
fumed ; Norway, sweet-scented white of robust 
habit; Lady Bountiful, large white flowers on 
stiff stems ; Lillian Pond, pure white with 
fringed petals, of good blooming habit and 
delicious fragrance ; Governor Roosevelt, an 
excellent ci’imson ; Madam Melba-, a light- 
pink ; G. II. Cinne, a continuous blooming 
scarlet; Gloriana, delicate pink ; and Harry 
Fenn, fine crimson, free-blooming, and of rich 
fragrance. 
Of the older and English varieties, the fol¬ 
lowing are worthy of note:—Winter Cheer, 
bright free-blooming -scarlet; Uriah Pike, 
crimson maroon, Clove-scented ; Pride of the 
Market, a- beautiful pale pink ; Countess of 
Warwick, rich crimson ; Sweet Primrose, prim¬ 
rose yellow; Wm. Robinson, scarlet, free 
blooming ; and H. A. Lyttleton (new), a splen¬ 
did salmon. 
All the before-mentioned, I believe, without 
exception, do not split the calyx—an excellent 
point in their favour. In many cases the 
blooms are as" large a-s those of the Malmaison, 
with the advantage that each plant bears a 
good number of blossoms. In two or three 
years they form lai'ge bushy plants over 5 ft, 
high, and need a 12-in., or even lai’ger, pot, 
though the largest and finest bloo-ms are ob¬ 
tained from the young plants. I recommend 
all who have the facilities for growing these- 
delightful plants who have not tried them 
to ge-nd to a nurseryman who makes a speci¬ 
ality of them for a collection of, say, a dozen 
varieties, and I am sure they will be delighted 
with the result. E. J. 
