24 
J. Wilkinson Elliott, Pittsburg, Pa 
SPECIMEN PLANT OF IMPROVED ENOT.ISH DELPHINIUMS. 
TALL ENGLISH DELPHINIUMS, continued 
light blue (lowers with the large white eyes are very striking, and of this sec¬ 
tion Britannia is, I think, the very best Delphinium 1 ever saw. . . . The 
Delphiniums do not receive any special treatment here, being simply planted 
on a strong loamy soil in an open position. Some few were tied to stakes, but 
the majority do tiot require it, being so dwarf in comparison with the old sorts. 
This dwarfness of habit is a great gain, and the greater portion of the plants 
were not more than 4 to 5 feet high, yet carried immense spikes of large 
bloom."— The Gardening World. 
SPECIAL OFFER OF IMPROVED ENGLISH DELPHINIUMS 
I want everyone who receives this price-list to try these Improved English 
Delphiniums, and to that end offer them at extremely low prices. 1 guarantee 
that they will give unqualified satisfaction in every instance, and will be a 
revelation of beauty to most people. 
Fine Mixed English, grown from seeil of Kelwav's famous named 
sorts.$1 50 
English, in separate colors, grown from Kelwav's newest named 
sorts . 
Selected Varieties, selected from thousands of seedlings grown 
from Kelway’s choicest named sorts. 3 00 
Extra Selected Varieties.each, 50cts... B 
White Varieties. Not recommended.each, $1.50.. 
Per doz. 
d 
100 
. .$1 50 
(1 
$10 00 
.. 2 00 
13 00 
n 
.. 3 00 
20 00 
.. 5 00 
Delphinium formosum 
Jn the Perennial Delphiniums or Larkspurs we have one of the most beau¬ 
tiful and useful families in hardy plants. The old Delphinium formosum is 
one of the few hardy plants which have been pretty generally offered by the 
plant trade; yet it is comparatively unknown, although few things can be 
planted that will give more satisfaction, whether the object is decorative effect 
in the garden or flowers for cutting for the house. Messrs. J. H. Small & Sons, 
the leading florists of New York and Washington, have made quite a hit with 
it as a novelty in cut-flowers. The flowers are intense deep blue, perhaps the 
most brilliant blue to be found in flowers freely produced in long spikes; 
blooms in June and July and continues a long time in bloom, and if the plants 
are cut back after flowering will bloom a second time in the fall. The plants 
grow to 4 or 5 feet in height, and if planted in masses about 2 feet apart will 
produce a splendid effect. 15 c.ts. each, $1.25 per doz., $8 per 100. 
Delphinium formosum coelestinum 
This rare and scarce Delphinium has all the good qualities of the well- 
known Formosum, but instead of dark blue flowers produces great spikes of 
exquisite light blue bloom, the loveliest shade of blue in the floral world. I 
have always treasured this Delphinium in my garden, but could never get 
enough stock of it to offer. This season I have secured three thousand plants, 
which I can offer at reasonable prices. 20 cts. each, $2 per doz., $12 per 100. 
Gardening "Books and Tapers 
I am sorry to say it, but there is at present no gardening paper published in America worthy of consideration. For a few years we had 
an excellent paper, well suited to the needs of our country. Its editor was able and enthusiastic, and had the business management been as 
intelligent as the editorial the success of the paper would have been unqualified; but the editor was allowed to resign and the paper dropped 
into the uninteresting rut. occupied by its contemporaries* This is preliminary to recommending the English Paper, The Carden, which is 
beyond question the best gardening paper published in the world. It is a weekly, well edited, well printed, and freely illustrated with 
pictures made in the best gardens in England. Each number also contains a fine colored plate of flowers of some fine tree, shrub, plant or 
bulb, so that it is really a cheap paper at $4.50 per year. I will be glad to forward subscriptions to the London office for my customers. 
Since the above was written a new magazine entitled Country Life in America has been published by Doubleday, Page & Co., of New 
York, and edited by that high authority, Prof. L. H. Bailey, of Cornell University. This is hardly a gardening magazine, but considerable 
space is devoted to gardening matters, and it is altogether the most beautiful and interesting magazine that I find on my library table. This 
magazine has been run on a liberal scale, the publishers believing that there is ample field for a magazine appealing to the better class of 
country-lovers. I am glad to say that their experience has borne out this hope, and the magazine has prospered so that it now has a regular 
circulation of above 50,000 copies. Its continuation on its present scale should be a satisfaction to every country-lover and every person 
connected with the country. The price is $3.00 a year, it. is printed on coated paper, most superbly illustrated, and in every way worth what 
the publishers charge. An English paper that gives me a great deal of pleasure is Country Life. It is a 32-page weekly, exclusive of 
advertisements, and is beautifully printed and illustrated. It treats of all pursuits and sports of country life, but is especially interesting 
on account of its illustrated descriptions of English country places, one of which it publishes each week, showing house, gardens and 
lawns. My attention was called to this paper recently by one of my clients, and I was so well pleased with it that I bought all the back 
numbers as well as subscribing. The price for American subscriptions is $10.00 per year. I will forward subscriptions if desired. 
The best book on gardening ever published, and worth more than all other books on gardening and landscape gardening, is Win. Robin¬ 
son's The English Flower Carden, now in its eighth edition. Whatever success I have made as a landscape gardener I owe to the inspi¬ 
ration of this book. It not only teaches good gardening, but, what is quite as important, condemns bad, giving reasons that are convincing 
for both. This book has done more to improve the gardening in England than all other influences combined, and I wish it were in my power 
to secure its reading by all thoughtful, intelligent people in this country. The book is very comprehensive, treating of the arrangement of 
various styles of gardens, and contains descriptions of almost every tree, shrub, plant and bulb of value used in ornamental gardening. It 
is profusely illustrated by the best English artists with pictures made in hundreds of English gardens. The price is $6.00. It may be 
ordered from any bookseller, or I will forward it on receipt of the price. 
A delightful book recently published in England is Wood and Carden, by Miss Jekyll. The book hasn’t much to say about culture, 
but is full of good suggestions for arrangement, and the illustrations, from photographs made by the author, are a delight, and should do 
much toward the banishment of ugly and inartistic gardens. It is charmingly written by an enthusiastic amateur, and should be read and 
owned by every lover of a good garden as well as by those who know nothing of the pleasures of a garden. The book can be obtained 
through any bookseller. A later book written by Miss Jekyll, Wall and Water Cardens, tells most interestingly of two of the most fasci¬ 
nating phases of gardening. The pictures are superb and should do much to improve the gardens of England and America. Still another 
book by Miss Jekyll is Lilies for English Cardens. A friend complains that he finds no good lily illustrations. Well, he will find them 
here, and the best and most exhaustive work on lilies yet written. 
