2 
JOURi^AL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  4, 1895. 
.  dwarfer  Campanulas,  and  one  hesitates  awhile  to  consider  ere 
selecting  G,  F.  Wilson,  or  one  grown  here  as  C.  mollis,  for 
more  particular  mention  now.  Both  are,  and  will  be  after  this 
appears,  very  beautiful ;  the  former  covered  with  a  host  of  its 
small  deep  blue  flowers,  and  semi-drooping  in  habit,  and  the 
latter  as  profusely  with  blooms  of  a  more  purple  blue.  I 
have,  however,  previously  said  more  about  G.  F.  Wilson,  and 
as  the  one  named  C.  mollis  is  one  over  which  there  is  likely  to  be 
some  difference  of  opinion  regarding  its  name,  I  may  be  pardoned 
for  giving  it  the  preference,  with  the  proviso  that  in  so  doing  it  is 
not  to  be  assumed  that  G.  F.  Wilson  is  less  beautiful.  C.  mollis 
pa'^takes  much  of  the  appearance  of  the  variety  of  C.  muralis 
known  as  Portenschlagiana,  but  has  considerably  larger  flowers, 
which  are  also  of  a  deeper  colour.  It  appears,  indeed,  to  be  only 
an  enlarged  form  of  the  one  known  as  C.  muralis  Bavarian 
variety,”  but  which  is,  it  is  understood,  not  a  native  of  Bavaria. 
The  form  under  notice  has  good-sized  leaves  which  are  much  softer 
to  the  touch  than  many  other  Campanulas,  hence,  one  would  think, 
the  name  mollis  The  trial  of  Campanulas  in  progress  at  Chiswick 
will,  I  hope,  be  the  means  of  settling  some  disputed  questions  of 
nomenclature,  and  C.  “  mollis  ”  will,  in  all  likelihood,  come  to  be 
known  under  another  name. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  charming  border  Carnations  and  Pinks 
now  being  raised  will  not  throw  still  further  into  the  background 
some  of  the  other  hybrid  Bianthi,  which  were  even  better  known  a 
litule  time  ago  than  at  present.  It  is  true  that  several  new  hybrids 
have  been  raised,  but  some  of  the  old  and  proved  varieties  are  but 
little  seen,  and  are  too  pretty  and  too  useful  to  be  relegated  to 
ob.^curity.  One  is  led  to  make  this  remark  by  a  plant  of  Dianthus 
Fettes  Mount,  with  more  than  100  fully  expanded  flowers  on 
it  in  addition  to  a  number  of  buds  in  various  stages.  As  may  be 
expected  it  is  a  good  sizsd  plant,  being  about  2^  feet  in  diameter 
and  several  years  old.  The  blooms  are  produced  in  clusters  on 
stems  about  a  foot  or  a  little  more  in  height,  and  are  a  pretty  pink 
colour  and  sweetly  scented. 
D.  Fettes  Mount  is,  one  would  suppose,  of  Scottish  origin,  and 
does  credit  to  the  raiser,  whoever  he  may  have  been.  The  individual 
flowers  are  fully  an  inch  in  diameter  and  are  quite  double  As 
there  are  few  flowers  which  have  not  some  defect,  so  one  may  say 
that  the  appearance  of  this  Fettes  Mount  Pink  is  marred  by  the 
defect  that  the  leaves,  especially  those  on  the  flower  stem,  become 
of  a  purple  colour  towards  the  ends.  This  gives  the  plant  rather 
an  unhealthy  appearance,  which  is  belied  by  its  vigorous  and 
lastiug  qualities. 
A  pretty  Speedwell  at  present  in  bloom  here  is  very  rarely  seen, 
but  is  worthy  of  being  better  known.  This  bears  the  name  of 
Veronica  neglecta,  and  for  my  plant  I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness 
of  Mr.  W .  B.  Latham  of  Birmingham  Botanic  Gardens.  The 
nomenclature  of  the  Veronicas  is  notoriously  confused,  and  this 
pi  nt  is  not  the  V.  neglecta  of  the  “Dictionary  of  Gardening,” 
which  is  said  to  be  synonymous  with  V.  incana.  The  older  works 
of  reference  do  not  give  full  descriptions  of  these  plants  ;  but 
V.  incana  is  said  to  have  come  from  Russia  in  1759  and  V.  neglecta 
from  Siberia  in  1797.  V.  incana  has,  as  is  said,  the  leaves  on  both 
sides,  as  well  as  the  stem  “  hoary-tomentose  ;  ”  while  the  one  here, 
as  V.  neglecta,  has  bright  green  foliage  and  short  racemes  of  deep 
but  bright  blue  flowers,  from  one  to  four  racemes  on  a  stem.  It 
has  been  exceedingly  bright  in  the  border  in  June. 
The  so-called  rivalry  of  the  Lily  and  the  Rose  should  now  he 
raging  in  full  force,  and  the  partisans  of  the  respective  flowers  are, 
no  doubt,  ready  to  defend  the  flower  of  their  choice  against  all 
comers.  Those  of  us  who  are  non-partisans  can,  however,  admire 
bo  h  of  these  rival  queens,  and,  truth  to  tell,  see  no  rivalry  between 
them.  Both  are  alike  welcome,  and  if  I  say  little  or  nothing  of 
the  Rose  it  is  because  the  Journal  has  several  able  contributors 
who  can  speak  with  greater  enthusiasm  and  more  knowledge  of 
that  most  charming  flower. 
In  speaking,  too.  of  the  Lily  it  is  no  desire  of  mine  to  treat  of  it 
save  in  a  general  way,  and  to  notice  now  and  again  a  few  which  may 
be  worthy  of  mention  from  some  special  qualities  they  may  possess. 
I  notice  thus  one  little  plant  of  the  Thunbergianum  varieties  which 
is  in  flower  at  the  time  of  writing,  and  which  attracts  some  attention 
from  its  miniature  habit.  It  generally  grows  in  strong  soils  to 
about  9  inches  in  height,  but  never  attains  that  height  in  this  light 
soil,  and  this  year  is  not  more  than  6  inches  high.  This  variety  is 
known  as  Prince  of  Orange,  and  is  of  a  pale  orange  colour,  with 
bright  red  spots  reaching  to  about  half  way  up  the  petals.  The 
flowers  are  of  good  size,  notwithstanding  the  dwarf  habit  of  the 
plant,  and  looking  at  this  Lily  growing  in  a  border  where  it  has 
been  for  a  few  years,  J  am  inclined  to  think  that  good  use  might 
be  made  of  it  in  the  ifock  garden  in  a  position  considerably  below 
the  level  of  the  eye,  and  carpeted  with  some  dwarfer  plant.  It  is 
easily  grown  and  quite  hardy  without  protection  of  any  kind. 
A  delightful  object  on  the  east  side  of  a  rockery  running  north 
and  south  has  been  a  mass  of  the  variety  of  Saxifraga  aizoides, 
known  as  aurantiaca.  The  flowers  are  green  and  deep  yellow,  with 
a  red  centre,  and  the  effect  of  this  arrangement  of  colours  is  that 
the  plant  a  yard  or  two  away  looks  like  a  little  carpet  of  old  gold. 
It  is  much  prettier  than  the  typical  aizoides,  and  is  this  year  only 
some  4  inches  in  height,  and  covered  with  its  small  flowers.  It  is 
growing  on  one  of  the  lower  terraces  of  the  rockery,  and  is  thriving 
much  better  than  the  typical  form  on  the  other  side,  where  it  is 
more  exposed  to  the  sun. 
These  are  only  some  flowers  of  the  many  which  the  end  of 
June  displays.  Poppies  many,  and  of  nearly  all  colours  save  blue? 
plumed  Spiraeas,  fragrant  Pinks,  bright  Snapdragons,  gay  Lychnises, 
tall  Bellflowers,  and  many  others  make  the  borders  gay  ;  while  the 
rockeries  are  bright  with  many  a  gem.  On  these  a  mass  of  a  good 
form  of  Gypsophila  repens  hangs  over  a  ledge,  surrounding  the 
rock  from  view  with  a  lace-like  curtain  of  small  white  flowers.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  narrow  walk  a  fine  plant  of  the  bright 
coloured  or  “  splendens  ”  variety  of  the  Basil-leaved  Soapwort, 
planted  in  a  narrow,  horizontal  crevice,  has  grown  upwards  and 
downwards,  covering  the  stones  above  and  below  with  a  mass  of 
bright  pink. 
Dangling  flowers  of  the  soft,  yellow,  odorous  Sikkim  Cowslip 
hang  from  self-sown  plants  along  the  edge  of  the  same  walk,  the 
parent  plant  throwing  qp  several  spikes  in  a  low  and  moist  nook 
close  by.  Dwarf  Campanulas  are  masses  of  colour,  with  their 
upright,  pendent,  or  semi-pendent  flowers.  Bright  yellow  or  grey 
Stonecrops  are  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  and  all  around  there 
are  many  objects  of  lasting  pleasure  to  those  who  can  see  in  flowers 
the  beauty  they  posses®,  and  which  may  wither  and  decay,  but 
shall  leave  with  us  imperishable  and  ennobling  thoughts.  — 
S.  Aenott.  V 
FACING  THE  FACT. 
When  it  is  no  longer  possible  to  ignore  the  presence  of  the 
disagreeable,  then  the  wisdom  of  facing  it,  and,  if  necessary,  fighting 
it,  is  obvious.  Here  is  a  stubborn,  disagreeable,  indisputable  fact, 
which  no  amount  of  familiarity  with  will  ever  breed  contempt. 
Having  briefly  introduced  this  subject  (page  489)  under  the 
heading  “  How  Gardeners  are  Made,”  I  now  propose  to  attack  this 
incubus — the  over-supply  of  gardeners — which  presses  so  heavily 
and  injuriously  on  the  profession  at  large.  In  order  to  carry  it  on 
to  this,  the  second  stage,  it  is  necessary  to  repeat  the  question 
previously  put,  “  Is  there  any  hope  in  the  gathering  gloom  ?  ” 
with  the  reply,  “  I  think  there  is.” 
In  the  first  place,  having  neither  the  moral  right  nor  power  to 
check  the  constant  stream  of  candidates  flooding  the  area  of 
gardening  proper,  it  behoves  us  to  see  what  grounds  there  are,  if 
any,  for  supposing  that  fresh  channels  of  absorption  will  be 
opened  up.  British  farming,  in  the  face  of  foreign  competition, 
being  at  low  water  mark,  without  any  immediate  prospect  of  a 
turn  in  the  tide,  it  must  be,  and  is  looked  on  by  many  as 
played  out.  Not  so  gardening,  in  spite  of  this  dark  shadow 
hanging  over  it.  Slowly,  but  surely,  are  the  foundations  being 
laid  of  a  new  order  of  things  on  the  tottering  fabric  of  farming. 
It  is  not  easy  to  foresee  or  to  foretell  what  results  the  new 
crusade  of  County  Council  teachings  will  give,  preached,  as  they  are, 
