January  28,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
71 
The  companion  of  Cyclamen  Coum  is  the  Snowdrop  ;  it  blossoms  at 
the  same  time,  and  no  words  of  mine  are  needed  in  its  praise.  It  has 
many  pretty  names— and  some  of  them  are  very  expressive — but  none 
are  better  or  so  good  as  its  familiar  English  name.  It  seems  to  have 
been  described  as  the  “  bulbous  Violet”  towards  the  close  of  the  seven¬ 
teenth  century,  bat  that  is  an  unsuitable  appellation.  The  “  Snow- 
piercer”  of  the  French  is  a  much  better  name.  The  “  Milk  Flower  ”  of 
the  Germans  might  have  done,  bat  the  best  of  all  names  is  Snowdrop, 
because  it  exactly  expresses  what  the  flower  seems  to  be.  Mrs.  Barbauld 
must  have  thought  of  this  when  she  wrote — 
“  As  Flora’s  breath  by  some  transforming  power 
Iiad  changed  an  icicle  into  a  dower.” 
It  has  always  been  considered  to  be  an  emblem  of  consolation — a  herald 
of  hope — but  that  can  only  apply  to  one  or  two  particular  species — e  g., 
Galanthus  nivalis,  which  blossoms  in  midwinter  ;  the  others  take  very 
different  times  of  the  year — in  the  autumn  and  in  the  spring.  Of  the 
Snowdrop,  however,  that  most  of  us  know  best,  this  may  be  said — 
“  Green  hues  of  hope  array  us, 
Our  snowy  bells  must  ring, 
And  low  but  sweetly  chiming 
The  joyful  tidings  bring ; 
^  For  theirs  it  is  to  utter  — 
Awake  !  behold  the  spring.” 
The  above  lines  are  quoted  from  Dr.  Forbes  Watson’s  essay  and 
Sowerby’s  “  British  Botany.” 
Dr.  Forbes  Watson  made  a  great  study  of  the  Snowdrop,  and  on  his 
deathbed  wrote  a  beautiful  essay,  of  which  I  will  quote  to  you  a  few 
lines.  His  great  point  is  that  the  expressiveness  of  the  Snowdrop 
depends  on  its  double  drop,  and  this  comes  from  its  belonging  to  the 
order  of  the  Amaryllidaceae  and  not  to  the  Liliacem— which  orders, 
however,  are  to  the  eye,  except  in  this  one  respect,  very  much  alike. 
His  words  are  these  : — ‘‘Suppose  that  the  Snowdrop  had  been  a  Liliaceous 
instead  of  an  Amaryllidaceous  plant,  its  whole  significance  would  have 
been  changed.  The  two  orders  so  nearly  resemble  each  other  that  no 
visible  change  would  be  needed  except  one — that  the  green  drop-like 
ovary  would  be  contained  within  the  corolla  instead  of  being  outside  it, 
and  thus  the  form  of  the  double  drop  would  be  lost,  for  the  corolla 
would  spring  directly  from  the  flower  stalk.  We  may  notice  also,”  he 
says,  “  when  the  flower  is  closed  and  the  fitness  of  the  name  most 
manifestly  seen,  how  the  white  corolla— so  narrow  where  it  leaves  the 
ovary — lets  its  fulness  run  down  into  the  tip  so  as  to  give  the  form  of 
a  dewdrop  just  parting  from  the  stalk  which  bears  it.” 
These  seem  to  me  most  beautiful  reflections,  and  which  would  have 
occurred  only  to  a  very  cultivated  mind.  Galanthus  nivalis,  as  you 
know,  will  grow  anywhere,  but  some  of  the  other  species  are  very 
troublesome  indeed.  Galanthus  octobrensis  was  discovered  by  Lord 
Walsingham  when  he  was  hunting  in  Albania,  and  he  introduced  it  into 
cultivation.  As  its  name  imports  it  blossoms  in  October,  and  G.  prsecox 
or  corcyrensis  comes  even  before  that.  G.  Redoutei  or  latifolius  is  one 
of  the  last  to  blossom  ;  its  broad  strap-shaped  leaves  are  not  glaucous, 
but  of  a  deep  green  colour  ;  it  winds  up  the  series  in  March,  so  that  it 
is  very  possible  to  have  Snowdrops  with  us  for  nearly  six  months  in  the 
year.  The  Snowdrop  specialist  of  the  present  d«y  is  Mr.  James  Allen 
of  Shepton  Mallet.  He  is  a  great  friend  of  mine,  and  I  have  often  tried 
to  pick  his  brains.  He  has  given  me  some  varieties  of  his  own  selection 
which  are  extraordinarily  lovely.  He  says  that  from  some  reason  or 
other  Snowdrops  do  best  when  they  are  planted  among  the  roots  of  trees, 
and  I  almost  think  that  it  is  so.  I  have  a  new  Snowdrop — Galanthus 
Fosteri — which  is  coming  up  now  in  quantity  under  the  shade  of  a  large 
Elm,  and  I  find  it  much  more  amenable  to  reason  than  had  been 
previously  the  case.  The  roots  of  the  tree  seem  in  some  way  to  ventilate 
the  soil  and  to  keep  it  sweet,  and  at  any  rate  Galanthus  Fosteri — which 
is  reputedly  a  very  difficult  plant  to  manage — is  quite  at  home  there. 
It  may  be  added  that  this  Snowdrop  has  leaves  which  are  similar  to 
those  of  G.  Redoutei,  and  is  a  very  fine  one.  I  think  that  they  should 
all  be  planted  deeply  in  the  ground,  and  then  they  should  be  left  alone 
as  much  as  possible.  They  seem  to  me  to  like  a  rich  soil  where  leaf 
mould  largely  predominates,  and  under  such  circumstances  as  these  they 
are  sure  to  increase. 
I  have  two  curious  little  Snowdrops  which  are  rather  scarce — 
G.  flavescens  and  G.  lutescens.  They  are  unlike  their  congeners  in  having 
a  yellow  ovary,  and  they  are  said  in  9ome  way  to  differ  from  each  other, 
but  what  the  difference  is  I  do  not  see.  G.  Sharlocki  is  a  perfect  oddity, 
and  looks  like  a  Snowdrop  which  has  gone  out  of  its  mind.  The  outside 
tips  of  each  outer  petal  are  green,  the  upper  portions  are  white,  and  it 
has  a  two-leaved  spathe  which  stands  up  in  a  most  funny  way  on  either 
side  of  the  flower,  and  reminds  me  of  Mr.  Gladstone’s  shirt  collars  as 
they  are  represented  in  “  Punch.”  In  contradistinction  to  this  strange 
apparition  some  mention  should  be  made  of  G.  poculiformis,  which  is  a 
form  of  G.  nivalis,  and  perhaps  the  most  perfectly  shaped  of  all  known 
Snowdrops.  The  inner  segments  of  the  corolla  are  elongated  and  close 
inwards,  and  its  very  beautiful  form  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired.  The 
only  drawback  to  this  extremely  pretty  Snowdrop  is  that  it  has  a  very 
tender  constitution.  It  has,  alas !  parted  company  with  me,  and  its 
place  knows  it  no  more.  Snowdrops  seem  to  me  to  follow  one  of  two 
patterns — they  are  globose  and  floppy  like  G.  Elwesi  or  more  pendent 
and  refined  like  G.  Imperati.  There  are  several  others  beside  those 
I  have  named.  It  should  be  added  that  my  collection  of  Snowdrops 
has  been  very  largely  improved  by  Mr.  Whittall’s  munificence  G. 
Cassaba,  G.  Ikariae,  and  two  or  three  more  are  very  fine  things,  and  are 
already  taking  high  rank  as  they  become  more  known  and  better 
established  in  the  ground. 
The  Christmas  Rose — Helleborus  niger — claims  a  word  at  my  hands, 
It  belongs  to  a  genus  which  has  about  a  dozen  species,  two  of  which~ 
H.  feetidus  and  H.  viridis — are  found  in  Great  Britain.  I  have  no 
particular  difficulty  with  any  of  them,  though  I  think  they  would  be 
glad  to  have  more  shade  in  my  garden.  H.  niger  blossoms  in  midwinter, 
and  is  always  welcome  then,  for  it  is  pure  white,  and  rivals  the  snow 
itself.  There  is  a  large  farm  for  Christmas  Roses  near  Bath,  and  they 
ought  to  be  very  profitable  flowers,  as  coming  in  at  the  right  time  of  the 
year.  The  Bath  variety  is  a  very  good  one,  and  much  in  request. 
H.  maximus  blossoms  about  a  month  or  six  weeks  earlier,  and  is  a  very 
fine  plant.  It  hails  from  Aberdeen. 
I  am  very  fond  of  H.  angustifolius,  which  was  highly  prized  by  the 
late  Mr.  Brockbank,  and  I  think  all  h?  said  in  its  favour  is  borne  out  by 
facts.  It  is  curious  to  read  what  Parkinson  wrote  more  than  200  years 
ago  about  the  true  blacke  Hellebor  or  Christmas  flower,  as  he  calls 
it.  His  words  are  these  “  The  flowers  have  the  most  beautiful  aspect, 
and  at  the  time  of  flowering  are  most  rare.  The  true  blacke  Hellebor,  or 
Bearefoot  as  some  would  call  it,  hath  many  fair  greene  leaves  rising 
from  the  roote,  each  of  them  standing  on  a  thicke  round  fleshey  stifle 
greene  stalke,  about  an  handbreadth  high  from  the  ground,  divided  into 
seven,  eight,  or  nine  parts  or  leaves,  and  each  of  them  nicked  or  dented 
from  the  middle  of  the  leafe  to  the  pointward  on  both  sides,  abiding  all 
the  winter,  at  which  time  the  flowers  rise  up  on  such  thicke  stalks  as  the 
leaves  stand  in,  every  one  by  itself,  without  any  leafe  thereon,  for  most 
part  consisting  of  five  broad  white  leaves — like  unto  a  great  white  single 
Rose — with  many  pale  yellow  thrums  in  the  middle  standing  about  a 
green  head,  which  after  groweth  to  have  divers  cods  set  together  pointed 
at  the  ends  like  horns,  &c.,  &c.”  Such  was  the  description  of  our  old 
favourite  Helleborus  niger  before  botany  grew  into  a  science,  but  I  think 
it  can  be  followed  even  at  the  present  day. 
It  may  be  as  well  just  to  mention  two  or  three  other  Hellebores 
which  no  garden  Bhould  be  without.  H.  purpurascens  has  large  flowers, 
dove-coloured  inside  and  out ;  it  is  one  of  the  earliest  to  bloom,  and  is 
a  native  of  Hungary.  H.  orientalis,  from  Greece,  is  very  free  indeed, 
and  some  of  its  varieties,  such  as  H.  antiquorum  and  H.  guttatus,  are  of 
great  value.  H.  abschasicus,  from  the  Caucasus,  fs  one  of  the  parents  of 
a  large  race  of  hybrids  at  Berlin,  itself  also  being  of  merit.  H.  colchicus 
is  of  a  deep  bright  plum  colour,  with  sepals  which  are  somewhat  round 
and  flat,  and  yellow  stamens.  It  blossoms  in  March,  and  should  find 
a  welcome  place  with  all  lovers  of  flowers.  H.  argutifolius  is  more 
curious,  I  think,  than  beautiful.  It  comes  from  Corsica,  and  resembles 
a  young  Holly  more  than  anything  else.  There  are  some  two  or  three 
other  species  of  merit  which  I  have  besides  these.  But  I  think  this 
notice  of  Hellebores  may  be  closed  with  just  naming  two  acquisitions 
which  came  to  me  from  Herr  Max  Leichtlin  of  Baden  Baden.  They  are 
H.  lacteus  and  H.  Madame  Fourcade.  The  former  is  of  such  a  precocious 
disposition  that  it  seems  to  be  thinking  of  winter  before  the  summer  is 
closed,  and  the  latter  is  admittedly  a  hybrid  of  the  highest  beauty  and 
excellence. 
CTo  be  continued.) 
CAULIFLOWERS. 
To  a  large  extent  the  uncertainty  and  inconvenience  of  wintering 
Cauliflowers  in  frames  and  pots  for  the  early  summer  supplies  is  greatly 
minimised,  and  has  become  in  many  gardens  a  thing  of  the  past.  Nor 
is  it  at  all  necessary  since  the  introduction  of  the  early  forcing  varieties 
of  this  nutritious  vegetable.  Of  course  we  do  not  from  this  section  get 
large  heads,  but  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  they  are  the  size  most  prized 
for  the  table,  as  they  can  then  be  served  whole,  and  it  is  certain  they 
present  a  much  more  appetising  appearance  served  thus  than  is  the  case 
when  large  heads  have  to  be  used,  as  dividing  them  for  cooking  is 
then  unavoidable.  For  quality,  too,  they  cannot  be  surpassed,  and  when 
one  has  to  cater  for  a  gentleman’s  table  quality  is  not  to  be  lightly 
thought  of. 
To  produce  really  good  heads  the  plants  need  liberal  treatment  from 
the  commencement.  Therefore  the  ground  chosen  for  them  must  have 
a  dressing  of  well-decayed  manure,  and  be  dug  to  a  good  depth, 
taking  care  to  bury  the  manure  well  under.  A  pinch  of  seed  should  be 
sown  in  a  pan  towards  the  end  of  January,  and  placed  in  a  cool  vinery, 
where  it  will  germinate,  and  the  plants  soon  be  large  enough  to  transfer 
singly  into  pots  or  dibbled  into  boxes. 
We  prefer  the  latter,  as  we  find  the  plants  are  less  likely  to  suffer 
by  want  of  water.  If  pots  are  used  care  must  be  exercised  at  the  time 
of  planting  in  making  sure  that  the  ball  of  earth  is  thoroughly  moist, 
otherwise  should  a  dry  period  follow  much  difficulty  may  be  experienced 
in  preventing  flagging,  and  we  may  be  certain  that  if  the  plants  receive 
a  check  in  any  way  the  result  will  be  premature  heads,  or  to  use  a 
gardener’s  term — buttoning  will  ensue.  Keep  the  plants  moving  slowly 
and  surely.  Care  should  be  taken  that  they  receive  no  checks  when 
being  hardened  previous  to  their  being  planted  out  on  a  south  border. 
The  beginning  of  April  is  the  most  suitable  time  for  this,  but  even  then 
it  is  necessary  to  have  protection  of  some  kind  at  hand  in  case  of 
emergencies. 
To  follow  the  early  Snowball,  Magnum  Bonum,  King  of  Cauliflowers, 
and  Autumn  Mammoth,  as  well  as  Veitch’s  Autumn  Giant,  will  extend 
the  supply  so  long  as  they  are  safe  from  frost.  If  the  soil  is  of  a  strong 
loamy  character,  containing  much  humus,  the  distance  of  3  feet  between 
the  plants  will  be  fully  occupied  by  the  two  last  mentioned  varieties. 
