10 
drous petals have come to give us cheer. 
Take all they have to offer and be glad. 
“Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may, 
Old time is still a-flying ; 
And this same flower that smiles to-day 
To-morrow will be dying.” 
Roses, like the time and tide, wait for 
no man. You must be ready and wait- 
ing, or they pass you by. Like a flash of 
sunlight, or a passing shower, they come 
and go, but between their coming and 
their going they leave much that is worth 
having behind. 
Scotland’s great poet, writing as usual- 
with much insight, feelingly says: 
“May’st thou, long, sweet, crimson gem, 
Richly deck thy native stem ; 
Till some ev’ning sober, calm, 
Drooping dews, and breathing balm, 
While all around the woodland rings, 
And every bird thy requiem sings: 
Thou, amid the dirgeful sound, 
Shed thy dying honours round, 
And resign to parent earth 
The loveliest form she e’er gave birth.” 
Why write more? The rose is here 
with us to-day, to speak for herself. Find 
her and hear what she has to say. She 
is over there in the garden in all her sweet: 
loveliness waiting but to be admired. 
—From the Amateur Gardener. 
5 FITTONTIAS. 
Although Fittonias are stove plants and 
revel in the heat found therein, they may 
be grown in the greenhouse during the 
greater part of the summer and autumn, 
and bearing in mind that they are ex- 
tremely beaatiful in appearance, having 
prettily-veined and netted foliage, are 
dwarf, and most useful for growing in 
_ pans and baskets, or in pots for the fronts 
of stages, one sometimes asks the question 
as to whether they are known as much as 
they ought to be. Light loam and leaf- 
mould are the compost they need, the 
warmest part of the house, and a moist, 
partly-shaded atmosphere. They strike 
- very freely, and those who grow Coleuses 
or Gloxinias can grow these showy, fine- 
foliaged plants.—Leahurst. 
DAHLIA KAISERIN AUGUSTA 
; VICTORIA. 
I have tried this dahlia for two years, 
and am convinced! that it is the best white 
dahlia is existence. I grow mostly white 
dahlias for cut flowers, and, after having 
tried all the so-called best white sorts, have 
not found any to equal Kaiserin Augusta 
Victoria. It is of the decorative type; 
flowers of the purest white; size, 4 to 5 in. 
diameter; double. The plant grows 3 to 
34 ft. high, is of sturdy and compact habit, 
and does not require staking. .The profu- 
sion of bloomy is remarkable, exceeding any 
other sort im the field. The flowers can be 
cut with stems 12 to 18 in. long. The plants 
frown from cuttings will make the best 
plants and produce the largest, finest, and 
longest stemmed flowers. 
Kaiserin Augusta Victoria was awarded 
special premium by the American Insti- 
tute, New York, at its dahlia exhibition in 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
October, 1904. The awards commititee of 
the New York Florists’ Club, who visited 
my place and saw the plants growing, re- 
ported to the club, October 10, 1904, as 
follows: “It is unquestionably a valuable 
addition to the race, and whee white sum- 
mer flowers are wanted. will prove of great 
vaiue.” 
A, Li. Miuier. 
Brooklyn, N.Y. 
LILIES IN THE GARDEN. 
These noble garden flowers have only 
within recent years been planted largely in 
the best possible way, and thati is among 
shrubs. At one time they were considered 
suitable fon jots only; but under these 
conditions the finest growth and bloom 
were never obtained. Planted in the open, 
however, among Rhododendrons they are 
thoroughly atihome. We were once much 
struck by the appearance of L. elegans, or 
L. Thunbergianum, as it is more often 
called, planted among dwarf, dark-leaved 
shrubs, kalmias, &c. The contrast of leaf- 
age and flower was rich and telling. We 
may make use of almost every lily in this 
way, even L. longiflorum, which is often 
supposed to succeed only in a pot in the 
greenhouse. 
L. elegans is a splendid early lily, while 
there are many varieties differing widely 
in habit and. color of the flowers. The tall- 
est should be planted among the shrubs, 
and in large spreading masses there are al- 
ways openings through which can ascend 
the stately spikes of brilliantly-colored 
flowers, reserving the dwarf kinds, those 
that grow only from 1 ft. to 18 in. in 
height, for the outside. Such varieties 
as the apricot-colored alutaceum: atro-san- 
guincum (deep crimson, height 14 ft.), Van 
Heutitei, fulgens, Prince of Orange 
(orange), and cruentum (crimson), are all 
of dwarf growth, and adapted for edging 
peaty beds filled with shrubs. In growing 
the Lily in this form there is very little 
trouble. The soil that suits such shrubs as 
the Rhododendron| also agrees with: the 
lily, and the growth protects the tender 
rising stems in early spring, when, except 
for this protection, they would suffer from 
frosts. A top-dressing of manure each year 
will keep both shrubs and lilies in vigor, 
but it must not be dug in. 
Liltum testaceum (Nankeen Lily) is a 
distinct and fine lily that does well in the 
soil that will suit rhododendrons. The best 
lily, however, for planting in this fashion 
is L. auratum. The large masses of rhodo- 
dendrons on either side of the main walk 
are generally a picture of color in autumn 
at Kew Gardens, the bold spikes of this 
Japanese lily appearing in profusion, the 
flowers large, numerous, and finely colored, 
finer far than anything we can obtain in 
pots. It is under these conditions that 
screened from heavy rains, cold winds, and 
late frosts. Those who have no large 
clumps or shrubs to plant it in should 
choose ai sheltered situation, not! exposed. to ~ 
the full beauty of the variously colored 
flowers is obtained. The bulbs are in the 
May 1, 1905. 
soil that suits them, and the growth is 
the full glare of the midday sun, and where 
the soil is rich and well drained. It will 
succeed in ordinary garden material, if this 
is well manured, but it likes best an ad- 
mixture of peat and loam. The finest: re- 
sults with Lilium auratum, have been ob- 
tained by planting it among rhododen- 
drons. 
A PRETTY AQUATIC. 
The purple Loosestrife (Lythrum. Sali- 
caria). Ina tub I have had it growing up 
fifty of its pretty racemes of flowers, about 
2 ft high, and much admired by many. who 
were not familiar with it in its wild state, 
and autumnal foliage, of a reddish-brown 
shade, is also beautiful. Small yellow seeds 
ara produced in abundance. Blue tits seem 
fond of these, and are often seen climbing 
up ‘the sprays searching for them. The 
Loosestrife is perennial and requires no 
care in growing) beyond seeing thati the 
tub is well supplied with water, and the 
roots spread till they soon quite fill the 
receptacle. 
THE PEACH-LEAVED BELL- 
FLOWER. 
Amongst the many beautiful Campanu- 
las none are more popular than C. persici- 
folia, the peach-leaved bellflower, and for 
beds and borders it is largely grown, having 
a prominent place in not a few country 
gardens where hardy plantg are specialised. 
This variety is often to be seen planted in 
rows, or grouped together as a “second 
line” subjects, backed wp in many instances. 
by tall-growing delphiniums, &c., and in: 
December and January such gardens are 
always effective. The blue variety is pos- 
sibly the least grown, inasmuch as the 
white sort is in greater demand where cut 
flowers are wanted, but both’ have their 
place in borders where hardy flowers ara 
cared for. All campanulas love a sunny 
situation, good soil well manured in, the 
autumn, and need division every two years. 
Some that I neglected to divide for several 
years became weak in the centre of. the 
clumps, and died off in the winter, whilst 
plants in small groups from a biennial divi- 
sion bloomed much better. Many who grow 
Campanulas seem! to think that they will 
do with any kind of treatment, hence one 
sometimes finds them! planted in. out-of-the- 
way corners, under trees, &c., but to get 
the best results from them they must have 
a sunny aspect, and, as stated, a rich’ soil. 
Old stools should be pulled to pieces in 
March, replanted in fresh positions, as, 
by so doing, one will get muchi stronger 
bloom spikes. We often forget how useful 
campanulas are for pots, and for cool houses 
they should be borne in mind.—Wooppast- 
WICK. 
THE CAUSES OF DOUBLING IN 
FLOWERS. 
The botanists find the doubling of flow- 
ers a Somewhat hard nut to crack. There 
are several forms of doubling, one of the. 
most common being found in the multipli- 
