January 18 , 1913 . 
THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 
39 
was no evidence of decay. The case came 
before the Court of Session on December 
31, when it was intimated that an offer of 
£75, and expenses, had been accepted. 
Flora of the Australian 
Northern Territory.— The Com¬ 
monwealth Government has, we learn from 
^‘Nature,” entrusted Professor A. J. 
Ewart, professor of botany in the Univer¬ 
sity of Melbourne, with the investigation 
of the plants collected during the recent 
Northern Territory exploring expedition, 
and has appointed Dr. A. Morrison, for¬ 
merly Government Botanist of West Aus¬ 
tralia, to assist in the work. Dr. Morri¬ 
son will reach Melbourne shortly, and it 
is hoped that the material available will 
be sufficient for the preparation of a flora 
of the Northern Territory. 
Mr. T. W. Birkensha.w has re¬ 
signed the position of head gardener at 
Hatley Park, Sandy, Beds., and the other 
day his employer. Sir Charles Hamilton, 
Bart., presented him with a silver tea ser- 
The number of days during the year when 
a rainfall of 0.01 inch or more was re¬ 
corded was as follows, January, 20; Feb¬ 
ruary, 20; March, 22; April, 3; May, 13; 
June, 21; July, 10; August, 27; Septem¬ 
ber, 6; October, 15; November, 12; De¬ 
cember, 22; total, 192 days. 
Lily Pools that are to be met with in 
gardens evince a great diversity of design 
and differ much in size, but they all agree 
in l3eing remarkable for their Ijeauty and 
interest when the nymphseas have been 
selected with care, properly planted, and 
given the attention necessary to keep them 
in good order. A pool of simple design, 
and of a size so small that no more 
than three or four plants can be successfully 
cultivated, will be a constant source of 
pleasure, while a lake large enough to ac¬ 
commodate a representative collection will 
form a feature that will be immensely at¬ 
tractive throughout the summer, and 
abound in interest. We might mention 
many lily pools formed on widely divergent 
WEEPING STANDARD ROSES 
FOR INDOOR DECORATIONS. 
Of late years the culture of w^eeping 
roses in standard form has taken a pro¬ 
minent place, and a well-grown specimen 
has few equals in decorations. As the 
present is the most suitable time to com¬ 
mence operations where one means to try 
a few, I am induced to pen a few notes 
from my own experience, so that my 
readers may have the benefit of what I 
have found somewhat expensive to acquire. 
A maiden standard is the best to start 
with. First of all you have a better chance 
in potting, and can avoid many of the 
coarser roots a two or three-year-old plant 
must necessarily make in order to sustain 
itself, more particularly against wind, 
which affects such heavily-laden stems. To 
do this the plant naturally throws out 
strong and widely-spread roots, and these 
are by no means easily arranged in pots. 
A second, and equally imixirtant reason 
[Photo: Mrs. H. M. Gutman. 
LILY POOL AND CONSERVATORY, WARWICK CASTLE. 
vice as a mark of appreciation. Mr. Bir- 
kenshaw has had charge of the Hatley Park 
Gardens nine years, and during this period 
many alterations and additions have been 
made under his supervision. 
Notting^ha.m Garden Holders’ 
Association continues in a flourishing 
condition, and has been able to show a sub¬ 
stantial balance on last year s operations. 
According to the annual report, the receipts 
during the year (including £30 brought for- 
Mard) amounted to £64. The expenses 
The association has now 
£151 in the general fund, £11 in the bene- 
tolent fund, and, with cash in hand a 
total of £203 6s. 4d. 
Leonardslee in 
f Cook kindlv sends us the 
tollowing record of rainfall,^ taken 360ft. 
above sea level in the gardens at Leonards- 
Horsham. January, 2.97 inches; 
7^ 1.41; August, 
'-yi ; September, 3.44; Octol>er 4.12* No¬ 
vember, 2.28; December, 3.32; total, 37.83. 
lines that contribute liberally to the 
charms of the gardens in which they have 
a place, but in this short note it must 
suffice to briefly refer to the accompanying 
illustration of the pool devoted to nym- 
phseas in the gardens of Warwick Castle. 
The design is alm.ost severe in its simplicity, 
yet it possesses much elegance, and the deep 
green leaves of the lilies and the various- 
coloured flowers as they float on the surface 
of the water present a pleasing contrast to 
the grey masonry. Additional charm is 
given to the scone by the closely-cut hedges 
and the examples of the topiary art which 
have as a backgrouncl a conservatory which 
was built in accordance with a design that 
found favour with a past generation. It 
would appear that the Earl and Countess 
of Warwick take considerable interest in 
water lilies, for not onh’ are they success¬ 
fully grown at their ancient seat in AVar- 
wickshire, but at Easton Lodge, their Essex 
seat, there is an exceptionally good collec¬ 
tion, and numerous fine varieties have been 
raised by Mr. H. Lister, who has long had 
charge of the Easton Lodge gardens. 
is that you would, in any and every case, 
have to cut away the rose growth ^ so it 
is obvious that any excess of either roots 
or wood would be useless. In selecting 
the plant, pay attention to the stem, as 
this is of far greater importance than the 
size off the top. Fnless the stem is healthy, 
and not what we growers style “ hide¬ 
bound,” it cannot do justice to the top 
under pot culture, where the roots have 
so small a run that all advantages should 
be afforded them of readily transferring 
food to the heavy head of growth and blos¬ 
som they will have to support. 
It matters little about having the stem 
of the standard in the centre of the pot, 
for, in the majority of cases, the pots are 
hidden by other small subjects, and so 
this does not matter so much as the fact 
of arranging the roots in the pots without 
undue cramping. They will thrive in a 
very small pot, compared to the amount 
of growth to be supported, and I would 
put them into as small a size as the roots 
will allow. Do not attempt those with 
large knobby roots as a base. I have not 
