March 30, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
219 
Webbs’ China Asters. 
The China Aster, although not so com¬ 
plicated in its variety of forms as the 
Chrysanthemum, nevertheless, hears on 
its face the hand of the florist for many 
generations past. Like the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum it is classified under a number of 
headings according to the form of the 
flower. Quite recently fashion returned to 
the cultivation of the single wild form in 
which it was delighted on account of the 
singular grace of the flower that had ori¬ 
ginally taken the eye o'f our forefathers. 
The double forms, nevertheless, still 
hold their own because they can be put to 
such a variety of purposes on account of 
their difference in habit, and the mass of 
flowers which they produce during August 
and September. 
The' accompanying illustration typifies 
five of the groups or sections offered 
amongst others by Messrs. Webb and 
Son-, Worclsley, Stourbridge. This illus¬ 
tration serves the purpose of enabling us 
to indicate by sample the nature of the 
different types of flower in an easier man¬ 
ner than by description alone. The flower 
jn the top left-hand corner represents 
Webbs' Peerless, which is a compact 
flower something after the style of Vic¬ 
toria, but less formal, perhaps. It is per¬ 
fectly double, compactly built and of a 
chaste creamy colour or pale sulphur. It 
is of neat habit of growth, neither too 
dwarf nor too tall, and therefore adopted 
ivhere a mass of colour is required in beds 
and likewise for pot culture on account 
of its neat habit and general suitability 
for this purpose. 
Asters may be grown entirely in pots 
: or greenhouse and conservatory decora- 
:ion, or they may be reared in the usual 
a' ay and planted out in nursery lines about 
die end of May. Here they are grown 
antil about to commence flowering, when 
:he ground is thoroughly watered, and an 
dour or two afterwards the plants are ready 
u or lifting and potting, to be placed in 
:he greenhouse after they have been kept 
close for a week or so until they have be¬ 
come established in cold frames. Light 
shading is given in bright sunshine to pre¬ 
vent the plants from flagging till the roots 
have taken to the fresh soil. 
On the lower left-hand corner is a bloom 
of Webbs' Snowflake, a variety of recent 
production selected for its pure white 
lowers of large size and the profuse flower- 
ng character of the same. The plant 
frows about a foot in height, and is there - 
'ore useful for the same purposes as the 
variety above named. It will be noted 
hat the petals are very much longer than 
lsual. recalling a Japanese Chrysanthe¬ 
mum. 
The bl 00m in the centre represents 
ebbs' Victoria, which may be" described 
is a strain agreeing in the form of the 
lower, but varying greatly in colour. 
Those who take delight in neat and 00m- 
oactly formed flowers will appreciate the 
1 ictoria strain. It has been cherished by 
iorists of the old school who used to pride 
hemselves in staging it on paper collars 
on the showboards. The plant is of vigor¬ 
ous growth, reaching a height of 1 J4ft. 
under good cultivation, although it may 
be clwarfer and yet serviceable, though not 
grown so strongly. The long stems, how¬ 
ever, enable it to be cut for decorative 
purposes. It may be had in rose, purple, 
crimson, rose and white, light blue and 
pure white colours. Those who do not re¬ 
quire all of these separately may have 
them in mixture. For bedding purposes 
the colours come true, and therefore 
when grown separately the effect they will 
ultimately produce can be relied upon. 
On the top right-hand corner is a bloom 
of Webbs’ New Decoration now being put 
into commerce. The individual bloom is 
of large size with long narrow petals, and 
is of a striking and pleasing delicate 
silvery lilac hue. In other words it may 
be said that a pale lilac hue overlies a 
white ground colour producing a silvery 
tint. The plant grows about a foot high, 
branches freely and is very handsome. 
On the lower right-hand corner is a re¬ 
presentation of Webbs’ Ostrich Plume, 
which may also be described as a strain 
having the perfectly double blooms made 
up of long narrow recurving rays, curling 
more or less at the tips like an ostrich 
feather. It may, therefore, be described 
as one of the types of China Aster which 
imitate a Japanese Chrysanthemum. The 
principal colours offered are white, light 
blue, rose and crimson. A design in 
flower bedding could be made out with 
these Asters alone, as their height could 
be relied upon and the colour effect just 
what the planter intended. 
Scottish H.A. 
Prizes to the amount of £500 will be 
offered for competition at the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum exhibition of the Scottish Horticul¬ 
tural Association, to be held in the Waverley 
Market, Edinburgh, on November 14th, 15th”, 
and 16th next. Copies of the prize list, 
rules, etc., may be obtained of the secre¬ 
tary and treasurer, Mr. A. D. Richardson, 
19 Waverley Market, Edinburgh. 
Webbs’ Peerless. 
Webbs’ Snowflake. 
Webbs’ China Asters. Webbs’ New Decoration. 
Webbs’ Victoria. Webbs’ Ostrich Plume. 
