January 5, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Clematis 
Ville de Limoges. 
The Clematis, with its several types or 
sections, has been so tremendously worked 
and improved of late years, that the num¬ 
ber of really excellent varieties available 
is so great as to bewilder the amateur who 
desires to select one for his rustic arch or 
entrance porch. One thing, at least, may 
be said that one is to a great extent able 
to secure a favourite colour, for we have 
a wide range, 'from blackish purple 
through all the shades of wine colour, blue, 
lav’encler, mauve, and pink, as well as a 
few bright reds, and many good whites. 
The latter is always popular, and whoever 
desires a really fine white Clematis may 
well secure Ville de Limoges, a fine 
double flowered one of clear, satiny white. 
The flowers last a long time, being of good 
texture and substance. 
This, and many other Clematis, could 
be made conspicuous objects in many 
other ways than the orthodox method of 
training on a rustic arch. For instance, 
about three plants, surrounding and ramb¬ 
ling over a bi? tree-stump, or a boulder 
of rock, would develop into a perfect 
mound of leafy stems and snowy flowers. 
A piece of garden netting stretched out a 
few inches above the soil could be quickly 
covered with the long growths, and the 
blossoms would thus be kept from the soil 
and preserved in cleanliness: It is 
strangle that Clematis blooms, and 
especially, white ones, are not largely used 
in a cut’ state, they Will last many days, 
and should be useful for" many purposes. 
Heather Bell. • 
-- 
Behan iour of Solomon's Seal.— “ The 
American Botanist, in discussing the be¬ 
haviour of Solomon's Seal, notes the fact 
that the stems all bend over in one parti¬ 
cular direction, but whether this is due to 
light, wind, or warmth, is doubtful, and 
more observations are necessary in order 
to determine this point. As Solomon s 
3 eal usually lives in thickets and 
coppices, it follows that light does not 
reach it directly, at least in the more 
shady positions. Our opinion is that the 
leaves, being regularly placed in two rows 
upon the stems, and the two surfaces of 
the leaves being of different construction, 
it. follows that the plant must expose the 
leaves to the source from which the maxi¬ 
mum amount of light comes. In 
thickets it more frequently happens that 
the greatest amount of light comes from 
above. The darker green surface of the 
leaves is therefore all turned in that direc¬ 
tion. The stomata ade situated on the 
under side of the leaves chiefly, and 
plants usually find it convenient to hide 
these from direct sunlight to avoid too 
great a loss of moisture. If the top of 
the sj:m: were all to point in one direc¬ 
tion or in some direction more than an¬ 
other, it would be interesting to learn a 
reason for this, unless the stems always 
bend in a particular direction with'rela¬ 
tion to tlije direction of growth of the 
rhizome on which they are inserted. 
Phormium tenax Powerscourtii. [ 5 . M. Wallace. 
t 
POWERSCOURT 
FEW ZEALiflHt) 
Phormium tenax Powerscourtii. 
The New Zealand Flax (P. tena'x) is 
hardy in many parts of Britain, particu¬ 
larly the southern counties and along the 
western seaboard where the climate is in¬ 
fluenced by the proximity to the sea. 
Needless to say, it is equally hardy in 
Ireland, seeing that no hard winters are 
experienced in any part. A well grown 
plant is a conspicuous ornament in the 
garden or a distinct feature in the land¬ 
scape just as much as Pampas Grass, 
The broad, sword-shaped leaves give it 
quite a distinct appearance, as they are 
different both in texture, colour, and 
height from those of any of the Irises, 
which most nearly approach it in habit. 
The leaves being 'strictly evergreen make 
it much more conspicuous than any of the 
Irises in winter. 
Where it is capable of withstanding the 
winter no protection of any sort is neces¬ 
sary, and the owners can enjoy the full 
beauty- of the plant summer and winter. 
In colder parts, but more especially in 
heavv soils, the chief difficulty lies in the 
crowns damping during the winter, even 
if thev are tied up to exclude rain. If 
gardeners could invent a covering that 
would leave the crowns open there would 
be a better chance of the plant coming 
through the winter than where the leaves 
are tied up to restrict them within smaller 
space before the protecting material is 
put round them. 
Possible a few stakes would support a 
roof ‘of thatch which would throw off the 
rain while open at the sides. In some 
gardens a covering is made for the Fan 
