April 17, 1909. 
An Early Flowering 
- Saxifrage. - 
(Saxifraga burseriana magnifica). 
Several varieties of S. burseriana are 
in cultivation which do not differ very 
widely from one another, but, neverthe¬ 
less, sufficient for those who pride them¬ 
selves on collections of alpine plants. In 
some cases the foliage differs, but most 
of the varieties owe their varietal name 
to the large size of the flowers. S. b. 
magnifica has much larger flowers than 
S. b. major, which was the best variety 
for many years'under cultivation. These 
flowers are larger than a shilling piece 
■ and pure white with a yellow or lemon 
tint in the centre. 
The whole plant is only i| in. to 2 in. 
high and each tiny stem bears only one 
large flower. The rosettes from which 
they arise, however, are so numerous that 
every little tuft of the plant is well fur¬ 
nished with its white flowers. There is 
nothing more conspicuous on the rockery 
during March and the early days of April 
than these varieties of S. burseriana when 
they come into bloom. At the present 
time they have a companion in S. sancta, 
with bright yellow flowers, but they are 
not at all freely produced as a rule, 
there being more foliage visible than 
flowers, whereas the reverse is the case 
with the plant under notice and its 
varieties. 
- +++ - 
The Starry . . 
- ]Vtagnolia. - 
(Magnolia stellata). 
One or other of the Magnolias blooms 
all over the season in this country, and 
this display is heralded by M. stellata, a 
deciduous species native to Japan. It is 
occasionally seen in gardens under the 
name of M. halleana. There is no diffi¬ 
culty, however, in distinguishing this 
species, as it is the first to come into 
bloom, which may be March or April, ac¬ 
cording to the earliness or lateness of the 
season. This year it is much later than 
usual. The flowers consist of numerous 
narrow petals that spread out in a starry 
fashion, so that it well deserves the name 
of starry Magnolia. 
The accompanying illustration shows a 
bunch of cut flowers, for which purpose 
it is well suited. It may also be put to 
another purpose, because after being es¬ 
tablished in pots it may be brought along 
in a warm greenhouse, and had in bloom 
much earlier than those out of doors. 
After being hardened off when the flower¬ 
ing season is over, it may be transferred 
to the open ground if getting too big for 
pot work. The present is really the best 
time for planting Magnolias, as their 
thick fleshy roots resent disturbance, and 
are very liable to be injured if the plant 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
Saxifraga burseriana magnifica. Maclaren and Sons. 
ing is done in autumn. The Magnolias 
are exceptional in this respect amongst 
shrubs, and it is entirely due to the fleshy 
character of the roots. Any trees or 
bushes intended to be planted or trans¬ 
planted should have the operation per¬ 
formed now, when growth is about to re¬ 
commence, and they will soon get estab¬ 
lished in their fresh quarters. 
Willows. 
The genus Salix, to which W illows be 
long, is admittedly one of the most com¬ 
plicated sections of the British flora. It 
numbers about 200 varieties, some of 
these being merely gardeners’ distinctions, 
while some are natives of distant lands, 
though most of them are stated to belong 
to the northern hemisphere. 
Magnolia stellata. 
