August  29,  1895, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
195 
Orangei,  because  they  make  such  compact  plants,  which  may 
be  fruited  in  quite  a  young  state.  Plants  in  6-inch  pots  carrying 
bright  golden  fruits  are  exceedingly  attractive,  and  are  certain  to 
find  a  ready  sale,  and  I  see  no  reason  why  a  specialist  could  not 
derive  a  good  income  from  this  source  alone.  When  a  business  on 
the  lines  I  have  endeavoured  to  depict  was  once  established  it  would 
grow  in  stability  each  year,  for  florists  often  have  great  difficulty 
in  procuring  the  Orange  blossoms  required  for  wedding  orders,  and 
when  once  they  became  acquainted  with  a  grower  who  could  supply 
their  wants  at  all  seasons  they  would  of  course  send  direct  to  that 
grower. 
I  do  not  claim  in  these  short  notes  to  have  put  before  readers 
of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  a  perfect  scheme,  but  I  have 
endeavoured  to  give  the  outlines  upon  which  I  am  firmly  convinced 
a  profitable  industry  may  be  built  up,  and  the  man  who  has  energy 
and  enterprise  enough  to  accomplish  the  task  will  in  time  reap  due 
reward,  and  help  in  some  way  to  secure  the  continued  prosperity 
of  horticulture. — H.  D. 
HARDY  FLOWER  NOTES. 
There  comes  at  all  seasons  to  lovers  of  hardy  flowers  times 
when  it  requires  the  exercise  of  all  our  optimism  to  enable  us  to 
write  in  a  cheerful  strain  of  the  garden  and  the  beauties  it  contains. 
These  times  come  oftenest  in  bad  weather,  when  it  seems  as  if  the 
elements  and  all  the  children  of  Nature  vie  with  each  other  in 
depressing  effect.  Such  is  the  case  as  I  write.  Torrents  of  rain, 
the  accompaniment  of  severe  thunderstorms,  have  made  the  garden 
sodden  with  wet,  and  now,  to  make  the  matter  worse,  a  steady 
continuous  rain  is  falling,  boding  ill  for  the  ripened  grain,  among 
which  the  whirr  of  the  reaper  has  been  heard  when  the  rare 
opportunity  for  such  work  offered.  Beyond  the  garden  hedge 
nothing  can  be  seen  but  a  long  stretch  of  dull  grey  sand,  streaked 
here  and  there  by  only  less  dull  channels  of  water,  and  merging 
into  a  sea  of  mist,  which  shrouds  from  view  the  opposite  coast  of 
the  Solway,  with  its  chequered  slopes  of  dark  green  wood,  or  fertile 
fields  dotted  with  houses. 
We  know  that  all  this  will  change,  and  that  the  grey  sand 
shall  be  covered  by  the  rising  tide,  and  that  the  waters  shall  sparkle 
in  the  sunlight,  while  the  opposite  woods  and  fields  shall  be  bathed 
in  its  golden  light,  and  the  windows  reflect  with  dazzling  gleam 
the  rays  of  the  welcome  sun.  So  wo  know  that  dull  as  is  the 
garden  outlook,  it,  too,  shall  share  in  Nature’s  altered  mood,  and 
the  many  flowers  rejoice  in  the  change.  Meanwhile  let  us  see  if 
there  is  naught  to  dispel  this  depression  save  the  hope  of  the 
future,  nothing  to  show  the  silver  which  should  form  the  lining 
of  the  grey  cloud  around.  We  need  not  have  asked  this,  as 
had  we  been  content  to  keep  our  eyes  from  straying  beyond  the 
garden’s  bounds,  we  might  have  begun  in  a  brighter  strain,  for, 
soaked  and  dripping  as  they  are,  forms  of  beauty  glowing  with 
brightness  still  appear,  which  to  look  on  is  enough  to  cheer  and 
delight  us. 
In  weather  such  as  this  we  seem  to  see  the  reason  for  the 
presence  of  so  many  bright  yellow  Composite  flowers,  which  at 
other  times  we  are  apt  to  resent,  to  some  degree  at  least.  Now,  if 
ever,  are  these  Sunflowers  welcome  with  their  golden  flowers, 
which  look  as  if  they  had  absorbed  the  brightness  of  the  sun  in 
finer  weather  that  they  might  yield  it  to  us  now  when  we  have 
more  need.  Perhaps  the  brightest  and  best  for  wet  weather  is 
Helianthus  rigidus,  still  better  known  as  Harpalium  rigidum, 
which  is  very  cheery  looking  with  its  stiff  stems  and  fine  orange- 
yellow  flowers.  I  am  looking  forward  with  some  impatience  to 
the  flowering  of  H.  Miss  Mellish  so  that  I  may  judge  of  its  value 
in  the  border.  There  is  no  need  for  hesitation  with  regard  to  its 
beauty  otherwise ;  as  a  flower  which  has  passed  the  Floral 
Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  and  has  been  so 
favourably  noticed  by  that  body  of  good  judges  of  floral  beauty, 
cannot  but  be  worthy  of  admiration  'oy  admirers  of  flowers. 
Although  Helianthus  rigidus  is  a  little  troublesome  in  the  border 
on  account  of  its  running  habit,  few  plants  can  be  finer  at  this 
season  than  a  bed  covered  with  some  dwarf  carpeter,  among  which, 
and  through  which,  this  Sunflower  can  ramble  at  will. 
Looking,  too,  at  some  of  these  fine  Phloxes  which  show 
their  beautiful  spikes  of  flowers  through  the  falling  rain,  we 
feel  that  they  also  are  objects  of  the  greatest  delight.  The 
dark  purple  coloured  varieties  look  dull  and  cheerless,  but  the 
whites  and  the  scarlets  are  gay  and  cheerful-looking.  They  are 
noble  plants  when  grown  in  beds  as  florists’  flowers,  and  receiving 
the  highest  cultivation  ;  but  with  simpler  treatment  they  are  of 
inestimable  value  in  the  mixed  flower  border  when  the  autumn 
comes.  Of  late  French  raisers  have  sent  some  of  the  best  of 
the  novelties,  but  some  of  their  Scottish  rivals  appear  to  be  once 
more  working  to  the  front,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  they  will  not 
allow  their  desire  to  obtain  larger  pips  and  finer  colours  to  cause 
them  to  neglect  the  splendid  spikes  of  excellent  form,  in  which 
some  of  the  French  novelties  are  somewhat  deficient. 
At  a  little  distance  one  of  the  most  pleasing  plants  in  the 
garden  has  been  Delphiniuiji  Zalil,  a  comparative  novelty,  which 
seems  to  make  but  little  progress  in  finding  its  way  into  gardens  in 
general.  Those  who  see  it  exhibited  at  flower  shows — and  it  is 
rarely  seen  even  there — can  hardly  form  any  idea  of  its  worth  as  a 
garden  plant.  When  closely  examined  it  is  rather  dull  in  colour, 
the  name  of  sulphureum,  which  it  sometimes  receives,  being  fairly 
descriptive  of  the  sulphur-looking  hue  of  its  blooms  ;  and  it  has, 
moreover,  the  defect,  from  the  point  of  view  of  those  who  like 
bright  colours,  of  these  being  marked  with  green.  Seen,  however, 
in  the  border  among  other  plants,  and  when  standing  a  few  yards 
away,  this  Larkspur  never  fails  to  be  admired.  Some  think  this 
new  species  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  the  production 
of  the  new  yellow-flowered  Delphiniums  recently  exhibited,  whose 
appearance  may  be  said  to  form  an  advent  of  very  considerable 
importance  to  all  interested  in  these  noble  flowers. 
They  give  promise  of  being  the  forerunners  of  a  series  of 
distinct  breaks  in  the  perennial  Larkspurs,  and  could  we  have  a 
good  perennial  red  Delphinium  (for  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  either 
D.  cardinale  or  D.  nudicaule  are  true  perennials)  we  would  have 
new  features  in  our  gardens.  Whether  or  not  D.  Zalil  has  any 
share  in  producing  the  new  varieties,  it  deserves  growth  on  account 
of  its  own  merits.  For  D.  Zalil  we  are  indebted  to  Dr.  Aitchison, 
who  has  done  so  much  in  connection  with  the  flora  of  Afghanistan, 
and  whose  description  of  the  effect  of  this  Larkspur  as  it  occurs  in 
its  native  habitats  is  very  attractive.  He  says,  “  This  plant  forms 
a  great  portion  of  the  herbage  of  the  rolling  downs  of  the  Badghis, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Gulran  it  was  in  great  abundance,  and  when  in 
blossom  gave  a  wondrous  golden  hue  to  these  pastures.”  Here  it 
grows  rather  more  than  a  yard  high,  and  as  the  blooms  on  the 
spikes  expand  almost  together  the  plant  is  very  effective  in  a 
quiet  way.  The  foliage  is  very  pretty  also.  Whether  it  will  be 
perennial  in  my  garden  remains  to  be  seen,  but  should  it  prove  so 
its  hardiness  is  beyond  question,  young  seedlings  standing  last 
winter  without  protection.  So  far  as  my  experience  goes  the 
variations  from  seed  are  very  small. 
Although  in  some  respects  the  appearance  of  the  Colchicums 
is  not  particularly  welcome,  betokening  the  approach  of  the  dreary 
season,  yet  the  sudden  way  in  which  they  often  seem  to  appear  is 
always  interesting,  and  the  flowers  light  up  the  front  of  the 
borders  or  space*  at  the  base  of  rockeries  in  a  welcome  way .  If 
one  is  interested  in  these  Meadow  Saffrons  the  spots  where  they 
grow  are  eagerly  scanned  for  the  first  appearance,  which  is  marked 
by  the  top  of  the  flower  beginning  to  peer  through  the  soil,  so  that 
the  rapid  progress  of  the  flower  afterwards  is  not  so  much  observed. 
Should,  however,  we  overlook  them,  some  day  ws  are  startled  to 
see  that  their  little  caps  seem  to  have  sprung  in  some  magical  way 
into  being.  The  first  to  flower  in  my  garden  is  one  I  have  as 
C.  Bertoloni,  but  which  every  time  I  see  it  makes  me  wonder  if  it 
is  correctly  named.  It  hardly  seems  to  correspond  with  the 
description  given  of  that  species  by  Mr.  Baker  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Linnean  Society,  but  in  such  plants  as  these  the  distinctions  of 
the  various  species  are  often  so  few  and  so  narrow  that  one  cannot 
distinguish  them  with  certainty.  What  I  have  as  Bertoloni  s 
Meadow  Saffron  opens  almost  white,  and  passes  off  a  light  purple. 
It  is  larger  than  C.  autumnale  and  with  firmer  stalks,  so  that  it  is 
less  easily  injured  by  wind  and  rain.  Tnis  year  the  first  flower  was 
in  bloom  on  August  13th. 
There  is  a  very  curious  little  Stonecrop  which  in  its  suinmer 
rest  is  an  object  of  much  interest  to  many  when  its  habit  of 
growth  is  explained.  For  a  month  or  two  it  has  presented  the 
appearance  of  thick  little  club-like  grey-brown  stems  with  hair¬ 
like  appendages  of  the  same  colour.  The  plant  seems  dead,  and 
some  visitors  when  asked  to  look  at  it  say  it  is  beyond  recovery. 
“  Things  are  not  always  what  they  seem,”  and  now  these  lifeless- 
looking  shoots  are  beginning  to  spring  afresh  into  growth  and  to 
shoot  out  green  leaves,  and  in  a  short  time  this  withered-looking 
patch  will  be  all  a  pretty  vivid  green.  This  is  Sedum  amplexicaule, 
and  one  can  only  regret  that  they  cannot  depict  in  words  the 
singular  appearance  of  these  little  swollen  tuberous-looking  shoots 
on  the  long,  thin  stem*  and  with  the  protruding  awl-like  hairs,  and 
the  change  which  comes  over  them  when  they  start  into  growth 
again.  The  flowers  are  yellow,  but  the  interest  of  the  plant  con¬ 
sists  in  its  curious  habit  and  its  beauty  in  the  vivid  green  it 
assumes  at  the  end  of  autumn.  I  have  three  varieties  which  show 
little  difference.  One,  which  I  have  as  the  type,  is  smaller  in  all 
