April ii, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
245 
R Hybrid Cape Cowslip. 
LACHENALIA 
National Dahlia Society. 
In 1904 the National Dahlia Society 
issued their “Official Catalogue and Cul¬ 
tural Guide,” in which much useful in¬ 
formation was given concerning the 
method of growing Dahlias as practised 
by members of this popular society. 
Since then three supplements to the 
Official Catalogue have been issued. 
That for 1908 gives a long list of new 
varieties of Cactus Dahlias, followed by 
a revised selection of twenty-four of the 
best varieties for exhibition. The supple¬ 
ment also gives a revised selection of the 
best twenty that are especially suitable 
for making a display in the garden on ac¬ 
count of the stiff, upright habit of the 
flower stems and the number produced. 
Smaller numbers of new varieties are also 
listed in the other sections, and revised 
selections for each of them for particular 
purposes are brought up-to-date. 
-- 
MEMEROCSLLIS. 
(DAY LILIES.) 
Hemerocallis, or Day Lilies, as they 
are sometimes named, are pretty peren¬ 
nials, and being hardy are suitable to 
grow in any part of the British Isles. The 
plants are very ornamental, while the 
flowers are very showy in borders or 
shrubbery. They are excellent subjects to 
grow by the side of a lake or stream, while 
some of the varieties are quite at home 
in wild gardens or naturalised in a grass 
plot. All the flowers are highly prized 
for cutting, as they keep well and back¬ 
ward buds will open if placed in water. 
H. flava is a pure yellow, trumpet-shaped, 
sweet-scented bloom; H. flava major is 
a large, handsome, free-flowering variety, 
a beautiful clear yellow, and very sweetly 
perfumed; H. fulva is a rich orange- 
coloured flower, and beautifully shaded 
with crimson; H. aurantiaca major is a 
beautiful Japanese variety with rich apri¬ 
cot-coloured flowers, very often 6 in. in 
diameter. 
Those mentioned below are dwarf grow- 
ing, and will suit favourably in the 
rockery. Some excellent varieties are H. 
Dumortieri, a beautiful orange-coloured 
flower, in bloom May and June, growing 
about 1 ft. high; H. Gold Dust, rich,’ 
bright golden-yellow, large flowers, about 
13 ft. hieh, and flowers in June; H. 
Orange Man, in floiver June and July, 
1 ft. in height, and H. Thunbergii is an¬ 
other beautiful, sweet-scented variety. 
The best time for planting Hemero¬ 
callis is in the autumn or early in spring. 
To propagate by seed needs a little 
patience, as they* are generally slow to 
germinate. They may be sown almost 
any time, either in the frame or a warm 
border, and watered accordingly. 
They can be grown in any ordinary 
soil, and given an occasional mulch of 
well-decayed stable manure, well forked 
in amongst the plants. An application of 
liquid manure when buds are forming 
"’ill benefit the plants and produce a 
wealth of bloom from May till late 
August. 
Joseph Floyd. 
*V esthoughton. 
Of the numerous species of bulbous 
plants named Lachenalia introduced from 
the Cape, a few of them enjoy a greater 
or less amount of popularity in gardens. 
At one time or other a large number of 
them had been cultivated, but chiefly in 
botanic gardens. A few of the more 
popular continue to be cultivated in gar¬ 
dens for their intrinsic beauty from year 
to year. The subject of the accompany¬ 
ing illustration is a garden hybrid be¬ 
tween L. aurea and L. tricolor. The two 
species, but especially 7 the last named, 
are rather extensively 7 cultivated, but the 
hyffirid we consider an improvement upon 
L. aurea, which is not now 7 often seen in 
private collections. The hybrid is rather 
more vigorous and the flowers are very 
handsome indeed. They are tubular, 
drooping, produced on scapes from 
amongst the leaves in the same way a? a 
Hyacinth. While the flowers are still 
voung they 7 are more or less tinted with 
a reddish’hue, but this gradually dis¬ 
appears until we get a uniform deep yel¬ 
low, -which is very handsome for green¬ 
house decoration. 
The-mistake that gardeners .sometimes 
make is to keep the bulbs in too high a 
temperature, thinking that they require 
plenty of heat. If the plants are potted 
NELSONI. 
up in autumn, they should be stood in a 
place where frost is just kept out or where 
something like 45 degs. is maintained. 
This will be sufficient for the Lachenalia, 
but no attempt should be made at forcing. 
If kept too close and warm the leaves get 
unduly elongated and insects trouble 
them, but in a nice airy atmosphere the 
leaves remain short and the flowers attain 
their handsome appearance in due time. 
Those who have a slightly heated house 
could put them on a shelf near the roof 
where they 7 would be out of the way 7 , get 
plenty of light and also enjoy the buoyant 
atmosphere introduced by ventilation. 
-- 
Mr. P. Murray Thomson, S.S.C. 
For ten y r ears past Mr. P. Murray 
Thomson has held the position of Secre¬ 
tary 7 to the Royal Caledonian Horticul¬ 
tural Society. Since his resigna¬ 
tion recently an article giving his 
horticultural history is given in "The 
Scottish Gardener and Northern Fores¬ 
ter,” in which a portrait of Mr. Thomson 
appears. To exhibitors and others who 
are familiar with Mr. Thomson and his 
courtesy to strangers as well as local 
people, his resignation will be a matter 
for regret. 
Lact-.cnaiia Nelson!. 
Maclaren and Sons. 
