196 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
August  29,  1895. 
its  parts  than  one  I  have  as  the  Italian  form,  while  a  third,  which 
I  received  from  a  careful  botanist  and  grower  of  alpines  as 
S.  retroridum,  with,  however,  a  query  attached,  is  even  larger  than 
the  Italian  one.  So  far  as  I  can  see  the  three  are  much  alike, 
and  on  the  whole  I  prefer  the  smallest  one.  This  Stonecrop 
comes,  it  seems,  “  from  the  Mediterranean  region,”  and  in  one 
work  of  reference  it  is  called  an  “  evergreen  ”  species  ;  why  I 
know  not. 
We  can  hardly  have  too  many  of  the  Gentians,  and  G.  asclepiadea, 
one  of  our  European  species,  is  so  easily  grown  in  the  border,  and 
is  so  pretty  as  I  write,  that  I  feel  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  bring 
it  before  my  readers.  Although  cultivated  so  long  ago  as  1629  it 
is  frequently  absent  from  good  gardens,  but  deserves  more  atten¬ 
tion.  It  is  a  mistake  to  omit  old  plants  of  proved  worth  in  favour 
of  newer  ones  of  less  merit  in  many  ways,  although  the  desire 
for  “  something  new  ”  is  natural  and  proper  enough  when  kept 
within  reasonable  bounds.  A  pretty  plant  is  this  Gentian,  with  its 
ovate  lanceolate,  stem-clasping,  pretty  green  leaves,  and  its  stems 
growing  from  6  to  18  inches  high,  according  to  soil  and  position, 
and  terminated  with  a  cluster  of  blue  flowers,  marked  inside  with 
white,  and  bearing  others  singly  in  the  axils  of  the  upper  leaves. 
The  white  variety  is  rarer  and  is  pretty  also,  but  one  of  the  chief 
charms  of  the  most  of  the  Gentians  is  the  beautiful  blue  colour 
they  give  us.  Gentiana  asclepiadea  is  not  very  particular  as  to 
position,  as  it  thrives  well  in  the  full  sun,  but  does  not  object  to 
partial  shade,  and  an  additional  merit  it  has  in  an  exposed  position 
like  this  is  that  it  requires  no  support. 
Thinking  of  these  and  other  flowers  we  thus  find  so  much  to 
cheer  and  to  give  true  pleasure,  that,  though  the  clouds  may  lower 
and  the  rain  may  fall,  brighter  thoughts  have  driven  away  the 
dulness  of  the  day,  and  taught  us  the  old  lesson  given  in  the  oft- 
quoted  words  of  Lord  Bacon,  that  a  garden  “  is  the  greatest 
refreshment  to  the  spirits  of  man.” — S.  Aenott. 
FLORAL  FACTS  AND  FANCIES.— 12, 
Both  indoors  and  out  a  position  of  importance  amongst  culti¬ 
vated  flowers  belongs  to  Geraniums  and  Pelargoniums,  though 
generally  they  have  not  the  conspicuous  beauty  of  some  species. 
Still,  many  of  their  varieties  possess  attractive  flowers  or  showy 
foliage,  moreover,  they  are  plants  which  we  may  have  in  bloom  all 
the  year  round.  Akin  to  familiar  wayside  plants,  which  have  long 
borne  the  name  of  Cranesbills,  from  the  beaked  fruits  or  seed 
vessels,  the  same  peculiarity  appears  in  our  garden  species,  as  is 
indicated  by  the  Latin  names,  derived  from  words  meaning 
“crane”  and  “stork.”  A  musky  odour  characterises  many  of  the 
Geraniums,  agreeable  sometimes,  in  several  kinds  not  at  all  so, 
especially  to  the  noses  of  some  persons.  It  has  been  stated  that  to 
keep  flies  from  swarming  into  sitting-rooms  through  open  windows 
in  summer  a  row  of  Geraniums  on  the  sill  is  effective.  Opinions 
differ  about  this,  but  I  have  proved  that  the  common  house  fly 
(Musca  domestics)  does  avoid  the  kinds  with  a  powerful  smell, 
though  many  flies  are  indifferent  to  the  plants,  and  notably  the 
troublesome  species,  Stomoxys  calcitrans,  much  like  the  house  fly, 
which  really  does  bite  or  puncture  tbe  skin  ;  for  the  house  fly  only 
settles  on  us  to  suck  up  moisture,  and  never  pierces  us,  its  proboscis 
being  too  feeble. 
Various  are  the  meanings  attached  to  different  Geraniums  and 
Pelargoniums.  The  old-fashioned  scarlet  Geranium  Madame  de 
Stael  called  an  emblem  of  “  folly,”  because  it  had  a  showy  exterior, 
but  on  contact  with  it  the  odour  excited  disgust.  Others,  how¬ 
ever,  have  regarded  this  flower  as  suggestive  of  “comfort.”  There 
is  a  significance  in  this,  for  those  of  us  who  have  visited  the  homes 
of  the  poor  in  oar  cities  mast  have  noticed  how  often  a  Geranium 
appears  amongst  a  few  sickly  plants  ;  watched  with  a  care  which, 
if  it  has  a  touch  of  the  ludicrous,  is  also  somewhat  pathetic. 
Significant  of  “  true  friendship  ”  is  the  Oak-leaved  Geranium,  and 
the  Ivy-leaved  is  said  to  cell  of  “  bridal  happiness,”  so  that  it  may 
fitly  have  a  place  given  it  amongst  the  flowers  used  in  wedding 
decorations.  The  Lemon-scented  Geranium  is  a  reminder  of  an 
“unexpected  meeting,”  while  the  silver-leaved  suggests  a  “recall,” 
and  the  rose  Geranium  serves  to  convey  the  idea  of  “  preference.” 
Species  with  pencilled  petals  and  varied  in  colour  have  been 
regarded  as  a  sign  of  “  ingenuity,”  in  allusion,  perhaps,  to  the 
gardener’s  skill  in  producing  them.  Then  we  have  a  mournful 
species,  Pelargonium  triste,  of  dark  appearance,  fragrant  at  night, 
which  is  representative  of  “  melancholy.”  Of  our  wild  species,  we 
find  that  the  crimson  Herb  Robert  is  associated  with  “  piety,” 
some  think  because  its  crimson  leaves  and  stems  were  worn  by  one 
of  those  Knights  of  the  Cross  who  went  forth  to  rescue  the  Holy 
Land  from  Paynims  in  the  Middle  Ages. 
We  have  arrived  at  the  season  when  in  many  a  garden  the 
“  Sunflower  shining  fair,  rays  round  with  flames  her  disk  of  seed,” 
as  Tennjson  wrote.  It  came  to  us  from  Peru,  where  the  inhabi¬ 
tants  were  sun- worshippers,  and  so  they  held  this  sun-like  flower  in 
high  esteem,  using  it  to  adorn  their  temples.  Then  in  our  western 
lands  people  took  it  for  an  emblem  of  the  Christian  faith,  since  the 
flower  appeared  to  be  always  looking  heavenward.  But  the  idea 
that  the  Sunflower,  as  a  rule,  expands  its  flowers  to  face  the  south, 
has  no  foundation  in  fact ;  this  we  can  easily  see  by  observation 
where  the  plants  are  growing  numerously.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  so  conspicuous  a  flower  should  have  more  meanings  than  one 
given  to  it.  Some  have  called  it  emblematic  of  “  false  riches,”  and 
its  stately  aspect  has  been  suggestive  of  “haughtiness”  to  others. 
Its  frequent  companion,  the  showy  Hollyhock,  is  supposed  to  have 
received  from  the  Chinese  its  meaning  of  “fruitfulness,”  originated 
by  its  abundant  flowers  and  seeds.  Mr.  Tyas  states  that  a  figure 
to  represent  Nature  is  sometimes  crowned  with  a  wreath  of  Holly¬ 
hocks.  The  name  hints  at  a  bygone  reverence  given  to  the  plant, 
for  it  evidently  means  the  holy  “  hok  ”  or  Mallow.  The  beautiful 
Hibiscus  of  our  houses,  which  is  in  the  same  tribe,  seta  before  us 
“  delicate  beauty.”  The  Musk  Mallow  (Malva  moschata),  a  native 
of  some  of  our  woods,  is  another  handsome  plant,  having  large 
roseate  flowers  ;  also  it  diffuses  a  musky  scent  from  these,  but 
when  placed  in  a  garden  its  colour  often  fades,  and  the  perfume 
disappears.  A  few  exceptional  plants  do  not  improve  under 
cultivation.  To  name  one  more  Mallow,  we  have  an  emblem  of 
“  beneficence  ”  in  the  Marsh  Mallow,  once  much  grown  by  villagers. 
Pleasant  to  the  eye  is  it,  agreeable  to  the  hand,  and  every  part  of 
it  is  believed  to  possess  good  qualities. 
Amongst  the  August  flowers  the  Purple  Loosestrife  (Lythrum 
salicaria)  attracts  notice,  having  flowers  of  that  intense  reddish 
purple  which  for  centuries  men  sought  in  vain  to  imitate,  but  which 
modern  chemistry  has  produced.  A  plant  with  a  strange  power  to 
stop  contention,  such  was  the  belief,  even  quarrelsome  oxen  would 
pull  together  peacefully  if  a  piece  of  it  was  laid  on  their  backs.  “Long 
purple  ”  seems  to  have  been  another  name  for  the  plant,  but  the 
rightful  owner  of  this  is  presumed  to  be  the  Purple  Orchis.  Some 
perplexity  arises  over  references  to  the  Loosestrife  in  old  books, 
because  there  are  other  Loosestrifes  of  the  Primulaceous  order, 
their  genus  being  called  Lysimachia,  after  Lysimachus,  a  king  of 
Sicily,  who  is  reported  to  have  discovered  the  excellence  of  some 
species.  The  one  that  an  old  poet  writes  about  as  “  crowned  with  a 
royal  title”  is  probably  the  tall,  yellow-flowered,  moisture-loving 
L.  vulgaris.  Several  of  its  varieties  are  favourites  and  free  growers 
in  gardens  ;  like  the  purple  kind,  they  are  supposed  to  have  sooth¬ 
ing  qualities.  In  town  and  country  gardens  another  of  the  tribe  is 
very  popular — the  Moneywort,  Creeping  Jenny,  or  Herb  Twopence 
of  our  forefathers,  its  golden  flowers  were  suggestive  of  “  treasure  ” 
to  them.  Perhaps  we  might  expect  the  common  Thrift  of  our 
borders  to  be  a  type  of  economy,  or  increase  of  wealth,  and  thrive 
it  does  even  amid  London  smoke  ;  but  the  meaning  attached  to  it 
is  that  of  “  cheerful  sympathy,”  because  as  a  wild  plant  it  brightens 
oft  some  gloomy  cliff  with  its  pink  or  white  flowers.  As 
Chatterton  said  : — 
“  This  truth  of  old  wai  sorrow’s  friend. 
Things  at  the  worst  will  surely  mend.” 
Though  belonging  to  the  Thistle  brotherhood,  the  Centauries 
are  admitted  to  gardens,  where  their  conspicuous  flowers  of  various 
shades  remind  us  of  the  centaur  Chiron  of  Greece,  who  is  said  to 
have  cured  wounds  by  the  juice  of  one  of  them  ;  even  in  some 
English  counties  the  tribe  were  long  believed  effective  in  removing 
whitlows  and  sores.  The  hard  knobs  of  the  wild  Black  Knapweed 
were  used,  it  is  slated,  as  a  scourge  for  vagrants  or  offenders  !  The 
blue,  occasionally  white,  C.  Cyanus,  has  its  special  legend  ;  it  is 
named  after  Cyanus,  whom  the  goddess  Flora,  grieved  at  his 
decease,  transformed  into  this  plant.  Such  is  the  story.  German 
dames  are  so  partial  to  this  flower  that  they  frequently  choose  it 
as  an  adornment  for  the  head,  and  its  growth  about  corn  fields  led 
to  its  being  called  tbe  Corn  Blue-bottle. 
To  understand  the  application  of  this  name,  we  must  remember 
that  the  leathern  bottles  used  by  field  labourers  were  roundish,  and 
the  flower  heads  of  the  plant  were  thought  to  resemble  these.  No 
doubt  blue-blottle  flies  were  also  named  from  a  likeness  between 
the  round  body  of  the  insect  and  the  old  style  of  bottle.  But 
when  sundry  books  on  flowers  say  this  plant  is  a  symbol  of 
“  delicacy,”  we  surmise  a  mistake  ;  the  characteristic  belongs  rather 
to  the  pink  Erythrma  Centaurium,  which  closes  its  flowers  so 
readily.  The  same  centaur,  Chiron,  is  credited  with  the  discovery 
of  its  excellence  as  a  bitter  tonic,  though  the  family  of  which  this 
is  a  member  (tbe  Gentians)  are  named  from  a  king  (Gentius),  and 
form  another  royal  brotherhood — types  of  “  intrinsic  worth.”  One 
of  the  handsomest  of  them  is  the  dwarf  G.  acaulis  ;  its  deep  blue 
bells,  2  inches  long,  are  an  ornament  to  borders,  as  are  others  of  tbe 
group. — J.  R.  S.  C. 
