418 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
June 7, i v 
FLORISTS’ AURICULAS 
Among the flowers dear to the hearts of 
the old florists the auricula has always held 
a foremost place, and. despite the fact that 
modern tastes have become more catholic 
there are still a goodly number of enthusias¬ 
tic devotees to the cult of the auricula, to 
whom perfection of form irresistibly appeals. 
I l^ve no desire to quarrel with those who 
claim that, so long as a plant produces a 
quantity of bright and pretty flowers in the 
garden, it matters little or nothing whether 
the individual flower conforms to a certain 
standard of form, or arrangement of its 
various colours. What I am really anxious 
about is that we shall not lose the aesthetic 
taste and whole-hearted enthusiasm of the 
old florists, and that the rising generation 
A recent visit to Mr. Jas. Douglas, Eden- 
side. Great Bookham. gave me an oppor¬ 
tunity to revel among his p^rless collection 
of both stage and alpine auriculas, and I am 
constrained to think no true-born gardener 
could have been in my company without 
evincing ^me enthusiasm over the truly de* 
lightful display there sc-en. Whether among 
the green, grey, or white-edged, the seifs, or 
the fancies, there were varieties that repre¬ 
sent the very finest of their sections, and 
whilst, of course, conversation from time to 
time centred on the respective merits of this 
variety against that, one saw now and again 
a flower about which all we wished to say was 
It'^s grand !” One such variety was Har¬ 
rison Weir, a rich crimson self in the show 
A very fine green-edged show 
AURICULA WM. SMITH. 
ari^y. A.M., R.H.S., May 20. Mr. James Douglas, 
Great Bookham. 
of gardeners shall be encouraged to acquire 
the taste for, and admiration of, a flower 
that possesses the perfect points which, com¬ 
bined with skdful cultivation, used at one 
time to constitute the sole qualifications for 
the appearance of auriculae on the show 
table or their inclusion in the collection of a 
connoisseur. 
It is no credit to anyone simply to state 
that he sees beauty in every flower. Indeed 
to my mind, if that is as far as one goes he 
IS simply on a level with the avowed lover of 
music who knows not the work of a master 
froni the mutilation of a novice, or he who 
considers his cheap prints as good as a work 
that reveals the soul of an artist. It is only 
when we are awakened to the glory of perfec¬ 
tion, and are quickened to strive after it, 
that the fullest enjoyment of a pursuit, be it 
horticulture or any art, is realised. Hence, 
my appeal to the readers of The Gardeners’ 
Magazine, especially the younger of them, 
to give more than a passing glance to the 
flowers of the florist. 
section. It is a lovely flower, showing per¬ 
fection of form in every division of the pip, 
and in the symmetrical centre and surround¬ 
ing band of rich, velvety colour. This 
variety has won first-class certificates and 
premier awards that justify its claim to 
being considered the best of all crimson seifs. 
George Lightbody is well known among auri¬ 
cula fanciers as the best grey edge, its 
points consisting of perfect golden tube, 
sharaly defined band of dense white paste, 
solid black ground, and fine grey edge. 
Marmion, a Douglas variety, is another grey 
edge of outstanding merit, and, in addition 
to the charm of its flowers, it has fine, mealy 
foliage, a point that should not be lost sight 
of in a show auricula. 
I was very pleased with Prince Charming, 
which Mr. Douglas himself considers a first- 
class green edge. It has vigour, size, good 
outline, and sharply contrasting colours to 
its cr^t. Shirley Hibberd, one of the late 
Mr. Simonite’s raising, is also a very good 
green-edged variety. Heather Bell has an 
€dp as White as can be wished for ssrf 
colour described as rich violet ’a^ 
almost black against the zone of 
the mealy foliage Princess Ma, 'Tad M 
Swan are two of Mr. Douglas’s varietit 
nmy well be included among any set of V 
edges. Wm. S^th, a g^ranl ^w 
ed^ed variety raised here, was greatiy 
mired at the recent Chelsea Show^. 
In the alpine section Mr. Dou?lAi ^ 
^veral new varieties of distinctive^r 
Roxburgh being one that quickly at 
attention. Its rich violet-blue thrown 
fine relief a clean, circular white centre • 
the perfectly smooth edge of the pip is t 
laced with a lighter blue. Muriel is a eo ■ 
centred flower with a fine band of mahow- 
crimson, and Golden Dustman k anot'^- 
perfectly-formed flower with an edge 
could not be improved, while its gold*- 
centre and its outer band of crimson efcad-i 
with bronze, make it a truly handsog* 
flower. Phyllis Douglas is still about 
goc^ as any of the very pretty, blue la 
white-centr^ flowers, and if any rai&er 
seedlings sets up Phyllis as a standard, > 
will become very exacting when se!ec‘;it- 
the best from a batch. 
Speaking of seedlings, I may say these 
to be seen in great quantity at Edenside. r : 
very fine many of them are. It is, how.rt* 
Mr. Douglas’s practice not to name ever - 
pretty a flower if it has a fault such as r:- 
even edge, defective centre, or weak tn- 
whilst, of course, a pin-eye is Anatbem* * 
any auricula fancier. I have not mentVr.c 
a quarter of the varieties of which I t» i: 
note, but must conclude by saying ttat r*' 
whole collection, although extensive, 
eludes only varieties of unquestioned ir r • 
and I would that many such c<^ect>’i 
existed in this country, and that high-cl^ 
auriculas might become general favouTi;»^ 
rather than the special pets of a oompiri 
tively narrow circle of enthufflasts. 
Visrroi 
SPIR^A VEITCHL 
About twelve years ago seeds of 
shrubby spiraea w’ere sent to Me^. • 
Veitdh and Sons by Mr. E. H. 
who discovered it in Hupeh, when 
ing for the Chelsea firm. Mr. ‘ 
evidently very greatly impressed by 
pearance on its native soil, for he 
it as, perhaps, the finest of Chine 
spiraeas. In the time whidi has ap 
since its introduction it has ^ne a .r 
•way -towards verifying its ooUe^rs 
for it is certainly a beautiful an 
ferous shrub. . f c 
Amongst the older species, it ^ c’j 
resembles the Himalayan S. t 
it has a similarly graceful habit, w 
arching shoots, clothed with 
leaves. A difference may be oo^ ^ 
however, as the Chinese plant 
leaves, whilst those of S. can 
hairy. At the same time ’ 
the serration of the ’frc" 
noticed. The white flowers . ■ 
short, axillary growths ^^jeed ’ 
May and early June, and /• w ^ 
heads up to two and a-half 
diameter. . hcicbt " 
A mature bush may at^yn ^ a 
twelve feet, with a considerable sp 
and growths six or eight Scr_ 
sometimes formed in a ^ b’j- 
idea of the effect of a 
may be gathered from the evei} 
inflorescences appear ^nrcvious ' 
bud on the upper half of the p 
son’s growth. As is - 
spirseas, it must be given reaUy g 
if the best results are exp 
pruning which is done naus 
after the flowers are ever, , 
the older shoots may he re ^ p. 
