52 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  18,  1896. 
attention  during  every  month  of  the  year  ;  but  just  at  the  present 
juncture  many  annuals,  biennials,  or  perennials  may  with  advantage 
be  sown  to  provide  a  display  during  the  spring  and  summer  months 
of  next  year. 
Foremost  amongst  these  may  be  mentioned  those  old  but 
showy  favourites  Canterbury  Bells.  The  improved  forms  known 
under  the  name  of  Campanula  medium  calycanthema  are  extremely 
showy  and  beautiful,  excellent  alike  for  pot  culture,  shrubberies, 
or  mixed  borders.  I  sow  the  seeds  in  the  open  in  drills  about 
9  inches  apart,  and  as  soon  as  the  seedlings  are  large  enough  to 
handle  conveniently  they  are  pricked  out  in  beds  6  inches  apart 
each  way. 
Those  intended  for  pot  culture  are  then  placed  in  5-inch  pots 
in  October,  and  wintered  in  cold  frames,  the  remaining  plants 
being  left  in  the  bed  through  the  winter,  and  planted  when 
required  ewly  in  the  spring.  Antirrhinums  are  a  splendid  class  of 
plants,  which  deserve  to  be  far  more  generally  grown.  The  tall 
growing  varieties  are  well  suited  for  covering  dry  banks,  old  walls, 
and  stony  places,  and  the  dwarf  ones  are  excellent  for  borders  or 
even  beds.  The  former  succeed  well  if  sown  where  required.  I 
sow  the  seeds  rather  thinly,  then  cover  with  fine  soil,  and  give  a 
thorough  watering  through  a  rose  ;  should  the  weather  prove  dry 
the  watering  is  repeated  at  intervals  till  the  seedlings  are  an  inch 
in  height,  they  are  then  able  to  take  care  of  themselves  if  kept  free 
from  weeds. 
The  dwarf  varieties  I  find  it  more  convenient  to  sow  in  rows, 
prick  out,  and  place  in  their  permanent  position  either  in  the 
autunin  or  early  spring.  Foxgloves  are  another  invaluable  class  of 
biennials  for  establishing  in  the  wild  gardens  or  extensive  shrub¬ 
beries.  They  thrive  fairly  well  under  the  shade  of  large  trees,  and 
the  flower  spikes  when  cut  with  long  stems  make  a  bold  display  if 
arranged  in  large  glasses.  I  raise  a  large  number  from  seeds  each 
year,  as  we  find  it  almost  impossible  to  have  too  many  of  them 
about  the  shrubberies. 
^  I  sow  the  seeds  at  the  end  of  J uly  or  the  beginning  of  August, 
prick  the  plants  6  inches  apart  when  large  enough,  lift  with  a 
trowel,  and  set  in  their  permanent  quarters  early  in  the  spring. 
I  should  prefer  to  do  this  in  the  autumn  but  for  the  fact  that  the 
leaves  are  then  falling  from  the  trees,  and  in  cleaning  them  up 
many  of  the  Foxgloves  would  be  destroyed  if  recently  planted. 
When  a  shrubbery  is  once  planted,  the  old  plants  last  two  or 
three  years,  and  as  many  flower  stems  are  left  to  ripen  their  seeds, 
plenty  of  young  plants  spring  up  each  year,  and  form  quite  a 
thriving  colony. 
The  Silenes  are  indispensable  for  spring  bedding,  their  one 
■v^akness  being  that  they  flower  a  trifle  too  late,  but  this  may  be 
obviated  to  a  great  extent  by  early  sowing.  August  or  September 
IS  generally  recommended  as  the  best  time  for  doing  this,  but  I 
find  it  is  too  late  for  midland  and  northern  counties,  and  since  I 
have  adopted  the  practice  of  sowing  about  the  middle  of  July  I 
manage  to  get  the  plants  in  full  beauty  during  the  last  two  weeks  of 
May.  I  take  the  trouble,  however,  of  pricking  out  all  the  young 
plants  previoui  to  planting  them  in  the  flower  beds  ;  it  is  rather 
a  troublesome  business  where  much  bedding  is  done,  but  the  labour 
18  well  spent,  as  by  so  doing  sturdy  plants,  capable  of  withstanding 
severe  winters,  are  obtained.  S.  compacta  (pink),  S.  compacta  alba 
and  S.  compacta  ruberrima  (deep  pink)  are  all  splendid  varieties  to 
grow. 
The  red,  white,  and  crimson  forms  of  Virginian  Stocks  are 
good  early  spring  flowering  plants,  for  which  purpose  the  seed* 
may  be  sown  during  August  or  early  in  September,  as  the  plants 
are  not  strong  growers,  nor  do  they  branch.  I  prefer  to  sow  rather 
thinly  m  drills,  then  lift  in  clumps,  and  plant  into  beda  as  early 
in  the  autumn  as  possible.  When  patches  are  required  in  borders, 
it  IS  a  gooQ  plan  to  sow  where  the  plants  are  to  remain.— D.  W.  C. 
FLORAL  FACTS  AND  FANCIES,— 11, 
Inadvertently  I  omitted  from  my  last  article  a  rather  notable 
member  of  the  Pink  tribe,  the  Sweet  William,  Dianthus  barbatus 
which  possesses  the  name  of  London  Tuft  as  well,  because  it  was 
formerly  so  much  grown  in  the  metropolitan  gardens.  Vain  would 
It  be  to  inquire  now  what  particular  William,  if  any,  was  com¬ 
plimented  by  the  flower's  familiar  name  ;  nor  does  its  significance 
help  us  for  It  represents  “gallantry,”  also  “craft”  or  finesse. 
Some  old  authors  call  it  the  Cockscomb,  but  the  true  one  is  of  the 
Amaranth  kind,  Celosia  cristata,  emblem  of  singularity  and 
foppery.  Of  this  plant,  Mr.  Knight  exhibited  about  sixty  years 
ago  an  unusual  speciaaeD,  with  a  flower  18  inches  in  width  and 
7  in  height,  of  a  purplish  red,  on  a  very  thick  stalk.  This  was  raised 
under  glass  by  special  treatment. 
Another  Pink,  which  is  a  native  plant,  though  its  beauty  gave  it 
a  place  amongst  garden  flowers,  is  one  of  several  that  have  been 
called  “  Cockles.”  This  is  the  Agrostemma  githago,  and  its  state¬ 
liness  deserves  the  Latin  title  of  “  Crown  of  the  Field,”  also  the 
Corn  Cockle,  Corn  Rose,  or  Rose  Campion.  It  would  appear  that 
the  wreathed  or  turbinated  aspect  of  the  flower  suggested  a 
resemblance  between  it  and  some  species  of  shells  ;  nor  is  it  any 
wonder  that  its  mode  of  growth  made  it  an  emblem  of  “  gentility.” 
The  Darnel  Grass  has  been  sometimes  styled  the  Corn  Cockle, 
evidently  by  mistake,  for  its  flower  is  not  cockled. 
Passing  to  a  species  not  grown  for  show,  but  which,  both  in 
England  and  France,  has  served  as  a  substitute  for  Asparagus  and 
Spinach,  we  find  that  a  meaning  belongs  to  the  green  spike  of  the 
Good  King  Henry.  It  represents  “  goodness  not  an  interesting 
plant  perhaps,  but  goodness  is  not  always  attractive.  If  we  ask, 
“  What  King  Henry  ?  ”  though  some  would  link  the  plant  with  our 
Henry  VI.,  founder  of  Eton  College,  the  probability  is  that  it  com¬ 
memorates  Henry  IV.  of  France,  for  centuries  much  beloved  in 
that  land.  This  plant,  and  other  Chenopodiums,  were  also  called 
Goosefoots  from  a  fancied  resemblance  in  the  leaves  of  some 
species  to  the  foot  of  that  bird.  To  one  of  the  tribe  the  Italians 
have  given  a  significance  of  their  own,  and  handing  to  anyone  a 
twig  of  the  Grass-leaved  Goosefoot  implies  strong  dislike  or 
hostility  towards  that  person. 
Again,  in  the  Solomon’s  Seal  we  have  a  remarkable  illustration 
of  a  fancy,  because  the  root  so  called,  properly  the  underground 
stem,  is  supposed  to  bear  the  seal  or  impress  of  that  famous 
monarch.  Some  have  thought  it  was  one  of  the  names  given  to 
the  common  Lily  of  the  Valley  ;  but  the  true  Solomon’s  Seal  is  a 
species  of  Polygonatum,  several  of  which  have  certain  peculiar 
marks  on  the  joints,  as  Gerard  the  botanist  remarked  long  ago. 
How  far  they  resemble  the  seal  of  Solomon  is  doubtful.  This  is 
said  to  have  been  a  five-pointed  star,  composed  of  five  A’s  inter¬ 
laced.  Now  the  plant  is  valued  because  it  cures  bruises  ;  that, 
however,  according  to  tradition,  was  not  its  early  use.  Solomon 
cured  insanity  by  administering  it  in  the  form  of  snuff,  and  after 
sneezing  freely  the  patient  regained  his  senses  !  The  common 
Yarrow  of  fields  and  hedgerows,  one  of  our  wild  flowers  which 
flourishes  alike  in  dry  and  damp  seasons,  has  several  allies  that  are 
patronised  in  gardens,  being  admired  as  edgings  or  useful  for 
decorative  purposes.  The  genus  is  named  Achillea,  after  the 
celebrated  hero  of  early  Greece,  who  healed,  we  are  told,  some 
severe  wounds  by  the  juice  of  one  of  them. 
This  legend  has  made  the  Yarrow  tribe  a  reminder  of  “  war  ”  or 
battle,  but  of  the  species  most  familiar,  also  called  Milfoil,  it  was 
believed  in  some  districts  that  a  piece  of  it  worn  upon  the  person 
would  cure  the  heartache !  Probably  the  association  of  the  St. 
John’s  Worts  with  that  Saint  arose  from  the  fact  that  several  of 
the  conspicuous  wayside  species  came  into  flower  about  the  time  of 
his  anniversary,  and  they  were  burnt  on  the  fires  usual  on  Mid¬ 
summer  Eve,  because  the  plants  were  supposed  to  drive  away  evil 
spirits.  The  most  favoured  species  was  the  perforated  (Hypericum 
perforatum),  since  the  oil  of  the  dotted  leaves  was  thought  to  heal 
the  deepest  wounds. 
A  similar  repute  seems  to  have  belonged  to  H.  androssemum, 
for  its  name  “  Tutsan  ”  was  formerly  tuite-saine,  and  “  Parkleaves  " 
may  imply  that  it  was  planted  about  shrubberies  and  on  banks, 
just  as  we  now  have  the  large-flowered  H.  calycinum,  which  is 
really  a  native  of  Scotland  and  Ireland  ;  it  possesses  also  the  name 
of  “  Rose  of  Sharon,”  with  no  sufficient  reason.  One  of  the  group, 
the  square-stalked  H.  quadrangulare,  bears  the  name  of  St.  Peter’s 
Wort.  It  would  not  have  been  surprising  had  some  conspicuous 
tribe  of  rocky  or  stony  places,  the  Saxifrages,  for  instance,  been 
associated  with  this  great  apostle  by  the  monks  ;  but  such  is  not 
the  case.  Still  the  Saxifrages  have  their  legends ;  the  bell-ahaped, 
intensely  white  flowers  of  S.  granulata,  frequently  to  be  seen  in 
gardens  with  other  pretty  species,  tell  us  that  by  the  old  doctrine 
of  resemblances  its  knobbed  roots  were  esteemed  a  cure  for  all 
sorts  of  swellings  or  gatherings  in  the  human  body. 
The  Mossy  Saxifrage  was  also  called  Eve’s  Cushion,  and  the 
Irish  species,  S.  umbrosa,  was  once  St.  Patrick’s  Cabbage,  but  the 
profusion  of  it  exhibited  about  London  gardens,  where  it  defies 
town  smoke  and  dust,  gave  it  long  since  the  name  of  London  Pride. 
Symbols  of  “affection”  are  these  plants,  from  their  close  attach¬ 
ments  to  the  rocks  or  walls  that  afford  them  a  home.  Their 
relatives,  the  Stonecrops,  are  thought  to  represent  “  tranquillity,” 
since  their  manner  of  growth  usually  secures  them  from  rough 
treatment  by  winds,  but  the  Houseleeks  or  Sempervivums  are 
supposed  to  suggest  “domestic  industry.”  One  Sedum,  however, 
is  tall  ;  this  is  the  Orpine  (“ Midsummer  Man  ”  or  “Livelong”), 
which  maidens  used  to  gather  and  put  over  their  beds  to  discover 
by  its  movements  whether  their  lovers  would  be  true  or  false. 
Very  prevalent  in  Kent,  doubtless  in  other  English  counties 
too,  is  the  notion  that  it  is  unlucky  to  bring  indoors  the  flowers  of 
the  Hawthorn,  sickness  or  other  trouble  being  likely  to  follow. 
This  is  singular,  for  this  blossom  is  emblematic  of  “  hope,”  and  as 
