THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 6, 1909. 
78 
Sweet Pea Novelties for 1909. 
2_By THOMAS DUNCAN. 
Good Sweet Pea seed is again very 
scarce this year, and as a consequence 
many splendiij novelties, which were ex¬ 
pected to be placed on the market, are 
held over till next year, while the quan¬ 
tity of seed of many of those offered is 
very small, and in a good few cases 
already exhausted. Intending' purchasers 
of novelties should therefore place their 
orders at once to prevent disappointment. 
The Floral Committee of the N.S.P.S. 
cannot be accused of being too lavish with 
their awards, when on the 10th of July 
last out of over 300 trials at Reading, 
only five varieties received recognition, 
viz., George Stark, Silver Medal and 
F.C.C. ; Mrs. A. Ireland, F.C.C.; Mrs. 
Henry Bell, F.C.C. ; Constance Oliver, 
A.M. ; and Paradise Ivory, A.M. Of 
these only the first two can be classed as 
novelties, as the last three were sent out 
in 1908. 
Dobbie and Co. 
Messrs. Dobbie and Co. will therefore 
have the honour of placing on the market 
the only novelty that received a First- 
class Certificate from the N.S.P.S. This 
is Mrs. A. Ireland, a lovely variety, per¬ 
fectly fixed, and when I say that it may 
be described as a Spencer Jeannie Gor¬ 
don, no more need be said in its praise. 
It also received a F.C.C. at the Franco- 
British Exhibition. Messrs. Dobbie and 
Co. are sending out two othey novelties, 
The King and Mid-Blue, the former of 
the waved, and the latter of the old type. 
In my opinion The King is the best of 
Messrs. Dobbies’ novelties, and has been 
much admired wherever exhibited, and 
received an A.M. from the R.H.S. in 
1908. This variety will be indispensable 
for competition, but is recommended to 
be grown in partial shade, as it is liable 
to scorch in hot weather. It is an im¬ 
mense King Edward Spencer, and well 
deserves the honoured name it bears. 
Dobbies’ Mid-Blue is a splendid grower, 
very free flowering, of a bright shade of 
blue, and was awarded a F.C.C. at the 
Franco-British Exhibition, and also an 
A. M. from the R.H.S. These three 
novelties are the best the firm have sent 
out in one year, and are beautifully illus¬ 
trated on the back of their catalogue. 
Henry Eckford. 
Mr. Eckford has three novelties also, 
and like Messrs. Dobbies’, these are beau¬ 
tifully illustrated on their catalogue, and 
they can be thoroughly recommended as 
growers invariably find all seeds from 
headquarters absolutely true. Dodwell 
F. Browne is a lovely waved variety that 
received a Gold Medal at Dublin in 1907. 
It is a large-flowered brilliant King Ed¬ 
ward Spencer, and will probably be found 
to be almost synonymous with The King, 
and like it will be much in demand for 
exhibition, but must also be grown in 
partial shade. Mr. Eckford’s other two 
novelties are of the grandiflora type, and 
by lovers of that class of flower, of which 
fortunately there are still a great num¬ 
ber, will be much sought after. Annie 
B. Gilroy may best-be described as a very 
much improved Coccmea, a stronger 
grower, a lovely flower, that will be much 
in demand for decorative purposes. Mrs. 
Charles Masters is a bold striking flower 
with a bright rosy salmon standard and 
cream wings, slightly flushed with rose, 
a very strong grower and very free flower¬ 
ing. 
R. Bolton. 
Mr. Bolton, whose catalogue is even 
more tastefully got up than last years, 
and has always some reliable and choice 
novelties to offer, is also sending out 
three varieties with a promise of other 
six even better ones in the autumn. They 
are all of the Spencer type, very strong 
growers, and quite fixed. They are Kitty 
Clive, somewhat in the way of St. George, 
but slightly lighter in colour, a much 
stronger grower, and a far more free 
flowering variety. George Baxter, a 
lovely dark, being a very pretty shade of 
maroon, tinged with violet, and splendid 
for exhibition. The name itself well de¬ 
scribes Triumph Spencer, and like the 
grandiflora Triumph, it is a very strong 
grower, and very floriferous. 
Stark and Son. 
From Messrs. Stark and Son, who are 
fast coming to the front as Sweet Pea 
raisers, and most deservedly so, although 
unable to offer George Stark, the variety 
that won the Silver Medal at Reading, 
have other four novelties all worth grow¬ 
ing, viz., Mrs. R. W. Pitt, a lovely waved 
variety, perfectly fixed, very large, , rosy 
cerise in colour, and very free flowering; 
Lady Farren, which may best be described 
as a Prince of Wales Spencer, a fine bold 
flower; Winnie Jones, a Spencer Jessie 
Cuthbertson, and one of the very best of 
the striped varieties; Elegance, a white 
variety feathered with bright orange- 
scarlet, somewhat after the style of Helen 
Pierce. This will prove a splendid gar¬ 
den variety. 
C. W. Bread more. 
From Mr, Breadmore we have not such 
a strong list as usual. He is offering five 
novelties this spring with the prospect of 
six others, which he considers among the 
best he has ever raised in the autumn. 
Those being sent out are all waved varie¬ 
ties, and illustrated on the. covers of his 
catalogue. They are Lavender George 
Herbert, a lavender with huge flowers, 
long stems, and very strong growth; 
Primrose Spencer, a lovely 1 arge-flower- 
i|iig lon'g-stemmed cream; Countess of 
Northbrook, a very large and strong- 
growing lovely pale pink variety; King 
Alfonso, another King Edward Spencer; 
Gordon Ankentell,. a brilliantly coloured 
flame flower. 
Baker’s, Wolverhampton. 
Messrs. Baker's have four novelties this 
season, and they are all worth growing, 
as no truer stocks are on the market. 
They are Baker’s Scarlet, a lovely variety, 
an improved Queen Alexandra, and of 
more vigorous growth ; Earl of Plymouth, 
probably their best novelty, a splendid 
waved exhibition variety, very strong 
grower, practically a self buff, but deepen¬ 
ing as the flower ages to rosy buff; ? L 
T. G. Baker, another lovely waved e fi- 
bition variety, the flower being beautif l v 
edged and tinted browny amber; Ik. 
R. M. Shelton, a lovely garden vanv, 
slightly hooded, of a rosy carmine col r. 
and a very vigorous grower. 
W. J. Unwin. 
From Mr. Unwin, whose seeds re 
always very reliable, and can be depend 
on to come perfectly true, we have J;k 
Unwin, and Rosabelle Hoare, two lo lv 
waved striped varieties, the former bug 
a rich rose flake on white ground, lC i 
the latter soft rose flake on white groid. 
Both are very free bloomers, and i; V 
vigorous, the former if anything b( g 
the better. Gladys French, anothen'i 
Mr. Unwin’s novelties of the grandif a 
type, is sure to be very popular, as it a 
light blue Helen Pierce. 
Professor Biffen. 
Zephyr, raised by Professor BifUn if 
Wiston, is being sent out by Miss He:u 
and Mr. Unwin. This is almost a Fra 
Norton blue, but has a slight flush if 
purple, and is of the Spencer type, d' 
one of the best, if not the very finest lie 
Sweet Pea in commerce. 
Miss Hemus. 
Miss Hemus is again to the front \ h 
a splendid list of novelties, and like tie 
already sent out by her, will be rah 
sought after, and bring her name era 
more prominently before the Sweet a 
growing public. In addition to Zeplr. 
they include Holdfast Belle, a soft p k 
tinged with apricot, very large and wail, 
somewhat in the way of Mrs. Henry II. 
and like it a splendid grower, and jr- 
fectly fixed; Crimson Paradise, a lovlv 
King Edward Spencer, and prob. v 
synonymous -with The King; Improd 
Lucy Hemus, somewhat like Mrs. A. e- 
land, and like it an extra strong grow: 
Maroon Paradise, a splendid waved d k 
Spencer, very large, and grand for cn- 
petition ; Zarina, grandiflora type, a m h 
improved Queen of Spain, but deepein 
colour, larger and more robust. 
E. W. King- and Co. 
Messrs. E. W. King and Co., who g,ra 
a large quantity of Sweet Pea seed," d 
are noted for the purity of their ston. 
are sending out four novelties this sea;n. 
including White Spencer, with which tiy 
are giving a guarantee of 90 per oft. 
fixity, the same as they did with Mrs. f. 
King last year. They have grown is 
stock for past three years, and it is ab- 
lutely fixed; Blush Spencer was specify 
noted by the Floral Committee, who-.e- 
commended its being sent to Readings 
trial. It is a very strong grower, bear 
fully waved, and one of the best blsh 
varieties in cultivation ; Anglian Blue a 
lovely sky blue Spencer, and probaly 
almost similar to Zephyr, highly recra- 
mended ; Phoenix, another waved vari y. 
resembling Phenomenal in form, etc., pt 
quite distinct in colour, having both sln- 
dard and wings flushed, and shaded ith 
deep lilac on white ground. 
A. Malcolm. 
Mr. Malcolm, the well-known Seek 
grower, is through Messrs. King and M:- 
kereth putting two lovely cream Sperm 
on the market. Both are very vigorp 
growers, very free flowering, and jlr- 
fectly fixed. They are Mrs. A. Malcofi 
