THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 6, 1909. 
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Improved Sweet Saltans. 
Amongst the improved forms of Sweet 
Sultan the strain offered by Messrs. Webb 
and Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge, under 
the name of Centaurea Marguerita is a 
very engaging and attractive one either 
for cut flowers or for garden decoration. 
The heads are perfectly double, of large 
size, and vary in colour in being lilac, 
light blue, yellow and rose, and pure 
white. Each floret is cut into long finger¬ 
like segments so that a head of bloom 
presents a peculiarly soft and beautiful 
appearance. In addition to this the 
flowers are sweetly scented. The plants 
grow about 2 ft. high. Last year Messrs. 
Webb sent us a packet of seed and the 
accompanying illustration shows two of 
the varieties as grown in our suburban 
garden, the varieties in question being 
pure white and lilac. 
Amongst other flowers sent, a bed of 
mixed Bedding Stocks and Admiration 
Stock made a splendid display till quite 
(Centaurea Marguerita). 
late in the season. The situation being 
I’ghtly shaded the plants kept on branch¬ 
ing and flowering till the end of the sea¬ 
son, so that there was no necessity for 
filling the bed with anything else. A very 
large peicentage of these Stocks were 
double. They were reared in an unheatecl 
frame and planted directly out of boxes. 
Selected large flowering Sweet Peas also 
bloomed until the end of September or 
later, giving a large number of well- 
known named varieties. Emperor Corn¬ 
flower gave a remarkable variety of 
colour, and was also a success under the 
same conditions. Annual Chrysanthe¬ 
mums gave rise to manv beautiful varie¬ 
ties of C. carinatum, and double varieties 
of C. coronarium. Eschscholtzia Car¬ 
mine Gem also grew well under these con¬ 
ditions, but showed that it required a 
more sunny situation for profusion of 
flowers. Calliopsis Sunbeam was also a 
success, giving a considerable variety of 
colours. Webbs’ new double rose Godetia 
flowered well, producing long racemes of 
double flowers. Double mixed Clarkia 
gave various shades of colour, the double 
white being the most appreciated. 
Various vegetable seeds were also sent, 
and Exhibition Scarlet Runner Bean con¬ 
tinued to bear pods until the end of Oc¬ 
tober. Kinver Mammoth Long Pod Bean 
produced some long, light green, well- 
filled pods. A beautiful clean Turnip was 
Silver Ball, with globular roots suddenly 
tapenng into a very fine tap root. Turnip 
Radishes were also excellent. Some of 
the other vegetables we gave to our fellow 
workers who had gardens in more rural 
districts, and these werehighly appreciated, 
including New Kaiser Pea, New Model 
Pea, and Surprise Pea. New Leader 
Cabbage Vanguard Broccoli, Marrowfat 
Parsnip, Masterpiece Onion, Model Onion, 
Emperor Tomato, and Invincible Spinach 
were other useful and much appreciated 
vegetables. 
- +++ - 
- Daphr?es - 
For Amateurs. 
In this class of plants some of the most 
deliciously fragrant flowers are included, 
although they are not so often seen in our 
greenhouses as they deserve to be. When 
properly grown they yield an abundance 
of delightfully sweet flowers during the 
dull days of the winter, when flowers of 
this kind are the more appreciated, al¬ 
though they are of a rather slow growing 
nature. 
Daphnes are usually grafted, but cut¬ 
tings of the half-ripened wood in.-erted 
round the sides of five-inch pots early in 
the spring can be verv easily rooted if 
plunged in a gentle bottom heat and after¬ 
wards potted on in a compost consisting 
of about half of loam and half of equal 
parts of peat, leaf-mould and 1 a good 
sprinkling of -harp sand. When well 
rooted into this, they will soon develop 
into nice bushy specimens, and will even¬ 
tually become fit for the adorning of the 
sitting-room or the conservatory. 
When they have grown too large for 
pot work, the}- may be planted out in an 
inside border, any ordinary greenhouse 
suiting them admirably, as they are im¬ 
patient of anything like strong heat. If 
required early, a little gentle heat may be 
used—that is to say, for pot plants. 
Amongst those suitable for cultivation 
by the amateur the following may be men¬ 
tioned as the best:— 
D. hybricla, of slender and compact 
growth, with small leaves, very free- 
flowering ; colour, almost a purple. 
D. indica alba, the best kind for plant¬ 
ing out, for trellises, oillars or on the 
back walls ; gives a great abundance of 
white blooms. 
D. indica rubra, produces long, narrow 
leaves of a light-green colour, the flowers 
being on the tips of the growths; the 
colour of a pinkish-red shade and of the 
most delightful fragrance, a small plant 
or two filling a house with sweetness. 
J. r '"iMMF,LL. 
Centaurea Marguerita. Maclaren and Sons. 
