1913. 
225 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
. ji business at Hawick, and entered 
improTement of phloxes and pent- 
ind certein other classes of hardy 
• 3:„, of these pioneers and of ihe 
: - of new forms of these beauti- 
' has been to improve the form 
-fitse the size of the flowers, and 
- - *he range of colouring. How well 
r ‘ 7? succeeded in effecting their ob- 
- -rrident in all gardens in which these 
tie grown. In the case of the 
’ X flowers of the present-day varie- 
r V .7. .1 circular outline, and in dia- 
^ . xreed by at least 50 -per cent, the 
of the older forms, and the deve¬ 
st in colouring is little short of mar- 
In proof of this we have only to 
^' the orange-red Cocquelicot, the 
V, -ictrlet Etna, the pure white Frei- 
1 ron Lassberg, the salmon-pink 
Campbell, and the deep violet- 
famous, established a nursery at Tooting 
for hardy plants, and gave the whole of his 
time to their development. For a con¬ 
siderable period he used to contribute large 
and interesting collections to the London 
shows ; these stimulated much interest, 
and brought into prominence many plants 
that were comparatively unknown. He also 
did excellent work in connection with the 
Michaelmas daisies, which at that time con¬ 
tained a considerable number of varieties 
that were weedy and of little value for 
beautifying the garden. A few years sub¬ 
sequently the late Mr. T. S. Ware, imbued 
with a strong affection for hardy plants, 
gave up the business in which he had been 
so long engaged, and established, on a large 
scale, a nursei^ at Tottenham for their 
cultivation for commercial purposes. These 
two nurseries were the first that were es¬ 
tablished specially for hardy, herbaceous, 
and alpine plants, after their restoration to 
and varieties were introduced from various 
parts of the world, and strenuous endea¬ 
vours were made at home, and with much 
success, to develop the leading kinds by 
cross-fertilisation. For evidence of this 
we have only to turn to a catalogue of 
hardy plants issued within the last few 
years, and compare it with one that was 
published about a quarter of a century ago. 
It will at once be found that there have 
been large increases in a number of in¬ 
stances that have resulted from judicious 
cross-fertilisation and careful selection. To 
mention but a few, there are the delphi¬ 
niums, which now form a magnificent 
group; the plants stately in growth, the 
spikes of great length, the flowers, botli 
double and single, of large size rang¬ 
ing in colour from the purest white 
to the deepest purple on the one hand, 
and to the most brilliant blue on the other. 
These we chiefly owe to the efforts of 
AN ORNATE FOUNTAIN BASIN WITH WATER LILIES (DOWNSIDE. LEATH ERHEAD). 
the 
in the ® rais&rs have re- 
more S^rthf fl 
length, a^ 
7 - horilontai thei • 
Inf removed ^1*® varieties 
-■ the type. Countess 
V Mrs p'"a Northcote, 
mention^' » Talma 
- type .. •O'Presenting the 
-f ot the present-day pent- 
4“^ the late partner- 
file orchids oonsiderabl-e extent. Under the stimulus 
^plants forwb'^+Tk^ sttave thus given, and the ever-increasing de- 
icn they were mands for novelties, new and rare species 
public favour, rendering valuable ser¬ 
vice in making the various kinds known, 
and distributing them amongst those who 
were desirous of enjoying the individuality 
of the many beautiful hardy plants. 
Ascendancy of Hardy Plants. 
Subsequent to these two nurseries hav¬ 
ing been established the taste for hardy 
plants increased at a rapid rate, and con¬ 
currently with this there was a remarkable 
extension in their cultivation, b^th in trade 
establishments and private gardens, and 
this extension has, happily, continued with¬ 
out a halt until the present time. In 
the course of time, and that of no great 
length, collections of hardy plants were 
to be found at all the nurseries of any 
Messrs. Kelway, Perry, and Blackmore and 
Langdon. Conspicuous among the more re¬ 
cent of the additions that have been made 
to the delphiniums are Daniel Osiris, Excel¬ 
sior, Monarch of All, Phyllis Kelway, Rev. 
E. LasceUes, and Statuaire Rude. The 
Michaelmas daisies, for which we are, 
in a large degree, indebted to Mr. Ernest 
Ballard, an enthusiastic amateur, Mr. 
E. Beckett, Messrs. Barr and Sons, 
and the late Rev. Wolley Dod, in¬ 
clude exceedingly beautiful forms cf 
Aster cordifolius, A. eriooides, A. 
novse-anglise and A. novi-belgi, espe¬ 
cially notable being the double Beauty 
of Col wall and the remarkably fine Climax 
in the last-named group. The garden iris, 
amongst which the late Sir Michael Foster 
did such excellent work. The Oriental 
poppies, which have -been contributed 
chiefly by Mr. W. J. Godfrey and Mr. Amos 
