4 i4 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 22, 1907. 
The Viola Family 
The amateur is often puzzled to 
differentiate between the members of the 
Violaceae, and thus loses the pleasure of 
knowing their proper place and value. 
For his guidance I will now describe 
them. They are all hardy perennials, 
although sometimes it is necessary to use 
shelter and glass to secure special results 
of the highest value for the gardens of the 
rich. They also are an inexpensive glory 
for the gardens and window boxes of the 
poor. For specimens, for borders, for 
bedding they are more than desirable. 
Pansies or Heartsease are divided 
into the following groups, each of which 
may be further classified as self, blotched, 
margined, shaded, multi-coloured and 
variegated:— 
Border Pansies. —I select this name 
for Pansies in general, which do not 
belong to the following sections—or pos¬ 
sibly decorative may be a better title. 
They grow and flower very freely. 
Show Pansies have circular blooms flat 
and smooth, without crinkly edges, and 
thickly velvety petals lying closely over 
each other. The three lower petals have 
a ground or principal colour of pure 
white or pure yellow, an orange eye, dark 
circular blotch in centre of blooms, dark 
narrow belt to three lower petals of the 
same colour as upper petals; diameter 
1P2 inch. They are smaller and less 
brilliant than the Fancies, but are well 
worthy of a place in every garden. 
Fancy Pansies have circular blooms 
flat and smooth, with wavy or crinkled 
edges; petals thick and velvety, lying 
closely over each other; solid bright 
orange eve; large blotches of colour with 
a narrow belt or margin of another colour 
on the three lower petals. The top petals 
are coloured, similar to the margin, but 
Classified for Amateurs. 
this colour is sometimes suffused. The 
diameter is 1 y 2 to 2 inches. These in¬ 
clude reds, bronzes, browns, violets, 
whites, blues, and yellows, and all the 
more important tints. 
Trimardeau Giants are French 
Pansies, noted for coarse blooms and 
gaudy colours. They make a fine dis¬ 
play where these points are desiderata. 
Violas or Tufted Pansies are 
hybrids of the ordinary Pansy and the 
horned Violet. They are continuous 
bloomers. There are large-sized and 
miniature types. They are most effective 
for carpeting amongst Roses and other 
large plants, for bedding, for edging, for 
masses on rockwork, and for exhibition. 
For Bedding, select the dwarfest varie¬ 
ties which are very compact, free, and 
with flowers well above the foliage. They 
may be either round or oblong, with or 
without rays, and of a bright telling 
colour. 
For Exhibition the flowers may be of 
one or more colours, of good texture, as 
nearly round as possible, not under 
1 y? inches diameter, with or without rays. 
The Violet, Viola odorata, or Sweet 
Violet, is too well known to need much 
description. Comte de Brazza and 
Neapolitan are double, which do best in 
frames. California is a handsome new 
late single, which deserves attention. 
Czar is single white or single dark purple. 
Devoniensis is single deep blue. The 
above are the best. La France bears on 
long stiff stalks handsome single metallic 
blue flowers, the size of a florin. It has 
a very hardy robust habit. For quiet, 
restful beauty, for length of flowering, 
and for decorative effect, no flowers sur¬ 
pass the Viola family. 
Baynton-Taylor. 
Plants for . . 
Window Boxes. 
( - 
For Very Shaded, 
Partially -Shaded. 
Semi=Sunny, and 
Sunny Positions. 
With the advent of bedding out the sea¬ 
son is here for furnishing window bo'xes 
for the summer months, and during the 
next few weeks some thousands of boxes 
will be filled with some millions of plants 
(suitable and otherwise) by the readers of 
this journal. I propose to give a few 
hints on the most uncommon effects noted 
during past seasons, rather than actual 
details as to culture. 
Very little scope is afforded for novelty 
in such unpromising positions as those 
that are totally shaded; it means F eras, 
Ferns, Ferns! But stay, there .are other 
things besides Ferns. Try pulling an old 
potful of common Musk to pieces and 
edging the box with this. Then put in a 
good thick row of the common Oxalis ; 
its dainty white bells will delight you. 
Behind this three or four foliage plants, 
either Aspidistras, dwarf Aralias, or Dra¬ 
caenas. If all green is objected to, leave 
space to plunge pots of red Fuchsia, 
which must be changed occasionally as 
the blooms pass off for fresh ones from a 
more favoured position. 
I saw a lovely box once in a sunless 
place. The box was filled with rich soil, 
and old plants of Chinese Primula, pink, 
white, deep red, and bluey-mauve, that 
had done duty indoors all the winter, 
were turned out into it. The foliage was 
very very scanty at the time of turning 
them out, so the plants were crammed in. 
Six weeks later there was no foliage to be 
seen, only a bank of bloom, which con¬ 
tinued for many weeks. 
For a similar position I would try late 
raised plants of Cineraria, large flowered 
dwarf in front with taller Stellata varieties 
at the back, the colours being carefully 
chosen to blend well. These, if given 
ample water, should do well. I had some 
in bloom in a sunless border under large 
trees during the whole of last summer, 
and gathered some fine trusses late in 
November. Of course, for semi-shady 
places many plants can be selected. I 
give a few examples. 
1. Edging: Harrison’s Musk, scarle 
Begonias, white Marguerites, or Nice 
tiana affinis. 
2. Edging: Nepeta Glechoma v'ark 
gata, pink Begonias, Hemerocallis vark 
gata, and silver Abutilons. 
3. Fuchsia procumbens, F. Marinke 
and F. Ballet Girl. 
4. Calceolaria, yellow, brown, edge 
with giant Mimulus. 
A position that gets a fair amount c 
sun nearly all day, also a fair amount c 
shade, is the ideal so seldom founc 
When it is, try some of the following :- 
1. Edge with Campanula isophyll 
alba thickly planted, dwarf white Te 
Week Stock, and white Geranium Quee 
of Belgium. 
2. Edge with Campanula i. alba, C. 
blue, alternately C. persicifolia and dar 
Heliotrope. 
3. Edge with double Lobelia K. Ma 
lard, dwarf dark blue Cornflowers, an 
Salvia patens turned out of pots. 
4. Similar to the last, but put a row ( 
golden Pyrethrum behind the Lobeli.' 
then the Cornflowers, and then a row ( 
either golden Abutilons or French Mar 
golds. 
5. Edge with Virginian Stock and fi 
up with variously coloured seedling Te 
Week Stocks. 
6 . Edge with blue and white Lobeli: 
Mrs. Parker Geranium for foliage onl; 
and crimson Celosia or Prince's Feathe 
The most difficult position is th; 
where the sun beats down in full fury a 
dav long, baking up tbe soil and burnin 
alike any flowers and foliage placed in i 
Such positions are the despair of mar 
an amateur, who might easily make the: 
very beautiful and uncommon if some 1 
the following plants (easily obtained fro: 
a good general nurseryman) were used :- 
1. Edge with Mesembryanthemu! 
cordifolium, tricolor, Gazania splendei 
(deep orange), and Mrs. Pollock Ge 
anium. 
2. Edge with Mesembryanthemu 
Othonna (yellow), Mesem. polyantha (vi 
let), and Mesem. albidum (yellow). 
3. Edge with Mesem. inclauden 
Mesem. edule, and Mesem. aurantiacui 
Boxes for sunny places that soon d 
up should not be filled with the ordina 
soil, but have a large admixture of coco 
nut fibre, and a thick layer of moss ov 
all the surface of the soil. D. V. E. 
-- 
The Kew Guild. 
On May 27th, the eve of the Temp 
Show, the members of the Kew Cuil 
past and present, assembled at the He 
born Restaurant, London, to enjoy the 
annual dinner under the chairmanship 
G. Massee, Esq., F.L.S., of Kew. T 1 
director was unavoidably absent owing 
the bi-centenary celebration of the bin 
of Linnaeus. After the usual loy 
toasts, the Chairman rose to propo 
“ The Kew Guild,” which he did in t 
admirable manner, Mr. C. H. Curtis r 
plying to it. Later on Dr. A. Henr 
F.L.S., who has been instrumental in di 
covering and sending home many fii 
things from China, proposed “TheCha: 
man.” In due time the latter responde 
There were few speeches, while the inte 
vals were well filled up with songs, sole 
and other music, the evening being clos< 
by the singing of the National Anthe 
and Auld Lang Syne. 
