Febeuabt 8, 1913. 
THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 
.. 
I antirrhinums in 1913. 
❖ 
Horticulturists generally are expecting 
much from the year 1913. The general 
idea is that great progress will be made, 
and progress at a more rapid rate than 
ever before. The year 1912 was one of all¬ 
round progress, with the great Inter¬ 
national Exhibition as its outstanding 
feature. 
The race for novelties still continues, 
and many groups of plants have come into 
greater prominence than ever they have 
achieved before. This is partly due to the 
splendid enthusiasm that horticulturists 
put into their work. The raising of new 
varieties, the careful selection of stocks, 
and the pushful advertising of specialities, 
all show the keen interest Hiat toe modern 
grower takes in his work. 
Among popular subjects antirrhinums 
now rank as one of the foremost groups of 
plants for garden decoration, and, in my 
opinion, 1913 will be a great antirrhinum 
year. Many things point to this. There 
is the wealth of splendid new varieties 
which the specialists are offering. There 
are the coming antirrhinum trials at Wis- 
ley.^ There are the memory pictures of 
antirrhinum displays in some of the larger 
gardens during 1911 and 1912, and at some 
exhibitions. Lastly, there is the promi¬ 
nence which writers are beginning to be¬ 
stow upon antirrhinum subjects. 
From seeds sown in February and MarcJi 
plants can l>e raise<l which will flow^er from 
June until Xovember. A host of sterling 
varieties are procurable from the seeds¬ 
men, and a careful selection of these will 
give the finest results. Varieties that are 
not quite fixed, or which one has but little 
stock of, can be easily propagated from 
cuttings. These can be rooted at almost 
any period, provided one can obtain the 
necessary soft side growths (not flower 
growths). 
• raised from seeds sown late 
in February or quite early in Match should 
be grown steadily for a time in an airy, 
^mparatively cool house, and then har¬ 
dened in the cold frames. Any coddling 
or overcrowding militates against success. 
The question of soil is not a press¬ 
ing one, but I find that ofttimes the 
flowering season is prolonged when the 
antirrhinums are in a heavy retentive soil 
Any manuring should be clone when dig¬ 
ging the ground some time previous to 
planting. Moderation should be the 
fitern rule, and the use of artificials to 
“stimulate” growth I have hitherto found 
quite unnecessary. 
It will he borne in mind that antirrhi¬ 
nums are usually divided into three sec¬ 
tions, namely, the dwarf, or Tom Thuroh 
varieties, the tall varieties, and the incei 
mediate group, which, comionr between the 
other two. is easily the most valuable of 
the three for general garden decoration. 
Of these Flame is one of the latest 
comers, a bright orange-scarlet, whic^h will 
Drove very telling as a contrasting colour. 
Vesuvius is a bright orange, very attrac¬ 
tive en masse, a variety with plenty of fire 
in it.^ Beacon, which the raisers describe 
as a cinnabar-scarlet, must also he reckoned 
with, and should bo noted by all who are 
making large plantings. 
Of the whites. The Bride, an absolutely 
pure snowy white, and Queen of the Xorth, 
white with a sulphur lip to the blossoms’ 
are about the best in commerce. Northern 
Lights comes midway between the two, and 
has an especially good habit. 
Pink antirrhinums are a favourite sec¬ 
tion with me, and many gooci forms should 
soon come to light, which will carry them 
far in public estimation. Several are al¬ 
ready in commerce. Venus is good, but 
belongs to the tall section, making it es¬ 
sentially a back-row plant. Bose Doree is 
a soft salmon-rose, a decided acquisition, 
and Cottage Maid is a pale pink with white 
throat. Daphne gives a coral-rose shade 
relieved by white. Newer stUl is a selec¬ 
tion of bushy narrow-foliaged forms, which 
are very light and graceful in habit. Mar¬ 
jorie, with tiny reddish-green leaves, and 
hosts of pale pink flowers, is a coming 
plant. Inspiration gives a lovely shade of 
rosy-pink, clear and effective. Iris is a 
shade paler, a soft delicate pink, otherwise 
very near to Inspiration in growth and 
foliage. 
Some of the carmine and coral-red shades 
are worthy of note. Brilliant and Carmine 
Queen are but two out of several, but they 
are sufficient to show the value attaching 
to these shades. 
Scarlet King, very near to scarlet, as 
antirrhinum colourings go; and King 
Alfred, a variety with deep orange and 
rose blossoms, are rich in hue, and with 
Defiance complete a trio which lovers of 
rich colours would do well to note. 
Again, among the orange, salmon, and 
apricot hues, one obtains some warm, bril¬ 
liant touches of colour which are a delight 
in the garden, especially when the days are 
on the wane. Bonfire and Orange King 
are among the number, both good attrac¬ 
tive forms. 
Yellows and crimsons we have had 
galore, and though such old-time colours 
one cannot omit th^m from the garden. 
Selected and perpetuated varieties are 
readily obtainable, and are usually abso¬ 
lutely true from seed. My list of varie¬ 
ties may seem lengthy, but only a tithe of 
them are given. 
In conclusion I wish to say a word about 
position.^ It is usually stat^ that a sunny 
position is desirable, but this is not neces¬ 
sary, as the antirrhinums do exceedingly 
well in shady spots, prendded they are not 
overhung by heavy trees. Try them in 
moderately good soil on a shady bank. The 
effect will surprise you, and the blossoms 
last longer than in full sunshine. 
Manv old favourites will doubtless be 
nartiallv displaced this vear—the Year of 
the Antirrhinum. P. S. Hayward. 
oweex unerries. —Good variet 
will be found in Elton Heart, Rivers’ Ear 
Napoleon Bigarreau, Kentish Bigarrei 
Waterloo Heart, Black Tartarian, IVI 
D^ke, and Noble. When planting sw^ 
cherries, see that the stations are thorougl 
drained, and use good fibrous loam w 
plenty of lime rubble, burnt earth and 
mtle sw€et, thoroughly decayed inauu 
the foundation on which to set 1 
roots firm, trim the ends of ‘ all iniui 
roots, keep the stems a reasonable distai 
t^m the walls to aUow for swelling, ai 
after planting is finished, lay a little stra 
manure over the roots, but do not nail 
ARE COLOUR SCHEMES 
A SUCCESS? 
Advanced ideas regarding the arrange¬ 
ment of plants in such a way as to pro¬ 
duce certain colour effects are not always 
successful, and usefulness is often lost sight 
of. Besides, Nature, to which we look 
for all our lessons, avoids the extremes 
sometimes aimed at, and teaches us to keep, 
as far as we can, from the mathematicai 
blending of colours now so often advo¬ 
cated. Although this freak of fashion is 
even applied to trees and shrubs, it is 
chiefly with herbaceous plants that colour 
schemes for oerthin periods are essayed. In 
no instance have I known of a single suc¬ 
cess. The reason for this is not difficult 
to find, as all herbaceous plants cannot be 
induced to bloom at the same time. 
A lady I met some time ago was 
anxious to secure a great display of bloom ’ 
in her herbaceous borders during the 
month of July, but would only have them 
blended from white through all the colours ( 
to red, and then back to white again. The 
borders were about fifteen feet wide and 
although there was no difificulty in attain- [ 
ing the desired, but still artificial, effect 
in the front of the border with violas and 
other low-growing plants, few things were 
available for the back rows. In spite of ' 
this drawback the borders were planted ] 
in accordance with the owner’s ideas, and 
the result was one nobody seemed anxious j 
to copy. 
Another colour scheme I saw some years | 
ago, in a border about half the width ^ 
of the one I have just referred to, proved 
such a failure in effect, and disappoint*] 
ment in quality of bloom for cutting pur- 1 
poses, that the whole of the plants, to . 
the value of £13, were dug up and put 
on the rubbish heap. The border was then 
replanted in groups arranged with regard 
to colour, size, and time of flowering, so i 
that a succession of bloom was maintained] 
all over the border throughout the summer 
months. The plants employed in this in¬ 
stance were admirably adapted for supply*^ 
ing cut bloom for house decoration. ‘ 
Since then my doubts about “ colour j 
schemes ” being a success have induced me 
to go far, observe closely, and learn all 
I could, in order that I might see for my-’, 
self the effects of various attempts, hut 
so far I have not met with anything I 
would care to reproduce. I am now conn 
vinced that a really fine effect from * 
blended colour scheme is outside possihHj 
lity on anything like a large scale, as tha 
plants are not in existence for such a pur^ 
pose. 
The nearest attainment to anything 
success was one in which annuals, bienniatejj 
and bedding plants formed a large part, 
and in this case some of the annuals wera 
lost among the taller-growing things, gi'* 
ing the border a rather untidy appearance 
So far as herbaceous plants are con 
cerned, the best effects can only be secure 
by arranging them in good-sized 
with the taller-growing ones at the bacl 
and the dwarfer ones at the front, of f 
border, and in the order of flowering, * 
that a succession of bloom is equally 
tributed over the border from early sprmj 
till late autumn. Pedestrian. 
Eupatorium vernale-—Compaq 
with most of the greenhouse eupatorium 
this is of dwarf habit, hence it is well 
for growing in comparatively small pe 
Good bushy examples in pots five or _ 
inches in diameter, are very effective; 
what is more, they retain their heauty 
considerable time. Being so easily 
gated is another point in its favour. » 
