304 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULIURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  26 , 1896. 
OLLA  PODRIDA. 
Since  the  partial  collapse  of  the  beddiag-oiit  system,  and  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  mixed  borders,  annuals  both  hardy  and  half-hardy  have  been 
more  extensively  used,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  not  only 
tend  to  brighten  the  border,  but  also  afford  beautiful  flowers  for  cutting 
for  house  decoration,  their,  in  many  instances,  light  and  graceful 
forms  and  diversified  colouring  make  them  most  suitable  for  this 
purpose.  As  I  have  frequently  said,  I  do  not  think  double  flowers  are 
nearly  so  valuable  as  the  single  ones,  and  those  who  have  a  good  supply 
of  herbaceous  plants  and  annuals  need  never  be  at  a  loss.  Amongst 
those  flowers  which  have  suddenly  found  themselves  much  sought  after 
is 
The  Salpiglossis, 
a  half-hardy  annual,  having  singularly  beautiful  flowers,  many  of  which 
look  almost  like  enamel.  They  are  varied  in  colour  and  free  in  growth, 
but  of  slender  habit,  so  that  it  is  always  advisable  to  put  a  few  stakes 
to  them  to  prevent  the  wind  bending  them  about.  Some  of  the  flowers 
are  of  a  rich  ruby  shade,  others  dark  red  striped  with  gold,  and,  again, 
lighter  red  also  striped  with  gold.  Then  there  are  blue  with  gold  stripes, 
and  yellows  of  various  shades  from  primrose  to  orange.  The  stems  are 
sticky  and  the  flowers  emit  a  disagreeable  smell,  which  is  particularly 
strong  after  rain  or  heavy  dew.  It  is  somewhat  less  objectionable  when 
the  flowers  are  cut,  and  this  should  therefore  be  done  after  the  dew  is 
off. 
Marvel  of  Peru. 
This  is  one  of  those  plants  which  seems  to  me  to  have  been 
unaccountably  neglected  ;  it  is  so  remarkable  in  its  character  and 
withal  so  beautiful  and  so  deliciously  sweet  that  I  very  much  wonder  it 
is  not  more  used.  I  suppose  no  one,  except  for  his  owm  satisfaction, 
has  explained  the  striking  peculiarity  of  this  half-hardy  annual. 
Although  a  native  of  South  America  it  shuns  the  garish  light  of  day, 
and  it  is  not  until  the  sun  begins  to  sink  that  it  opens  i’s  small  but 
pretty  flowers,  and  then  as  night  comes  on  it  fills  the  whole  part  of  the 
garden  where  it  is  growing  with  the  most  delicate  and  pleasant  perfume. 
I  have  a  bed  of  it  at  the  present  moment  beneath  my  dining  room 
window,  and  the  whole  house  is  filled  with  its  fragrance,  which  passes 
off  as  the  sun  gains  power.  It  is  a  great  favourite  with  the  wild 
bee,  which  taps  its  long  slender  tubes  at  the  base  to  get  at  the  nectar 
which  it  encloses  ;  it  is  a  favourite,  too,  with  the  hummingbird  sphinx, 
though  I  have  not  seen  it  of  late  years.  This  plant  requires  only  the 
ordinary  treatment  of  a  half-hardy  annual,  and  makes  large  fleshy  roots 
•somewhat  like  a  Dahlia,  and  these  of  course  can  be  preserved  over  the 
winter;  indeed,  I  once  did  so,  but  it  is  not  worth  the  trouble,  as  good 
seeds  can  always  be  procured,  and  I  found  the  seedling  plants  twice  as 
vigorous  as  those  grown  from  the  old  roots. 
GANNAS. 
The  great  development  which  has  taken  place  in  this  class  of  sub¬ 
tropical  plants  during  the  past  ten  years  is  very  remarkable  ;  we  were 
formerly  in  the  habit  of  admiring  them  only  for  their  foliage.  The 
flowers  were  inconspicuous  ;  indeed,  one  hardly  looked  for  them  at  all, 
but  some  of  the  French  hybridisers  thought  they  saw  their  opportunity, 
r  do  not  know  what  were  the  flowers  used,  but  one  sees  that  the  objects 
at  which  they  evidently  aimed  have  been  successfully  attained. 
These  were  two,  the  enlargement  and  beautifying  of  the  flowers  and  the 
dwarfing  of  the  plant,  and  we  have  to-day  plants  from  1  to  2^  feet  high 
with  a  brilliant  spathe  of  flowers  of  beautiful  colours.  There  is  one 
great  recommendation  Gannas  have,  and  that  is  the  ease  with  which 
they  are  cultivated,  in  fact  they  are  quite  as  easy  to  grow  as  the  Dahlia. 
They  form  large  fleshy  roots,  which  should  be  taken  up  as  soon  as  the 
first  symptom  of  frost  touches  the  foliage,  storing  in  a  dry  place  free 
from  frost.  In  the  spring  they  must  be  potted  or  placed  in  boxes  in  a 
close  frame,  with  some  bottom  heat.  As  soon  as  they  begin  to  show 
signs  of  growth  they  should  be  divided,  or  if  much  increase  is  required 
the  shoots  may  be  taken  off  with  a  heel,  just  in  the  same  way  as  Dahlias 
are  treated.  They  should  be  planted  out  when  all  fear  of  frost  is  over 
in  small  groups,  which  I  think  is  the  preferable  way.  They  are 
very  much  used,  by  those  who  have  large  places,  for  the  conservatory  in 
late  autumn  and  early  winter.  Numerous  varieties  are  being  added  to 
our  list,  both  from  English  and  foreign  raisers,  and  doubtless  in  a  short 
■time  the  difficulty  will  be  what  to  choose  and  what  to  avoid  ;  but  on 
this  subject  I  may  have  more  to  say  by-and-by, 
OSTROWSKIA  MAGNIFICA. 
I  had  an  opportunity  in  June  last  of  seeing  this  magnificent  Cam- 
panuloid  in  a  flourishing  condition  in  the  garden  of  Mr.  Fremlin,  of 
Wateringbury,  Kent,  It  was  not  in  bloom,  but  showing  strongly  for  it ; 
both  the  old  and  seedling  plants  had  withstood  the  severe  ordeals  of 
frost  and  drought  without  apparent  injury.  It  seeds  freely,  and  the 
seedlings  vary  very  much  in  colour,  and  it  is  just  possible  that  we 
may  obtain  some  considerable  variations,  and  in  the  hands  of  the 
hybridisers  some  new  forms.  There  must  be  some  time  to  wait  before 
the  seedlings  flower,  but  it  may  be  said  of  them  with  truth  that  they 
are  worth  waiting  for.  The  plant  is  vigorous,  the  stripe  well  furnished, 
and  the  blooms  large.  As  far  as  I  know,  it  is  the  king  of  Campanulas. 
(Enothera  marginata. 
This  is,  I  think,  the  most  beautiful  of  the  dwarf  Evening  Primroses. 
Its  long  white  flowers  are  deliciously  fragrant,  and  from  their  size  are 
conspicuous  objects  in  the  border.  It  has  a  curious  habit  of  spreading  ; 
thus  a  plant  that  I  have  of  it  has  gone  underneath  the  walk  and 
appeared  in  the  opposite  border,  and  it  seems  now  inclined  to  take 
up  its  berth  in  one  of  my  Eose  beds.  I  stopped  its  progress  last  year 
by  cutting  some  of  it  off  for  a  friend,  but  it  is  now  apparently  recover¬ 
ing  this  treatment.  It  is  one  of  those  short-lived  beauties,  which  we 
are  obliged  to  look  on  with  some  degree  of  regret,  for  we  know  that  its 
beauty  is  evanescent. 
Eose  Beaute  Inconstante. 
This  is  one  of  those  charming  high-coloured  small  Teas,  which  are  so 
useful  for  the  buttonhole  or  other  similar  purposes.  It  has  a  good 
pointed  bud,  the  colour  is  a  combination  of  yellow,  apricot,  and  cream, 
with  occasional  tints,  which  gives  such  a  charm  to  other  Eoses  of  this 
section.  Its  habit  is  vigorous,  and  those  who  are  seeking  for  something 
more  than  exhibition  Eoses  will  do  well  to  add  it  to  their  collection  ; 
and  I  think  it  very  likely  it  will  be  useful  for  the  pillar,  as  many  of 
the  same  section  undoubtedly  are. — D.,  Deal. 
DICKSONS’,  CHESTER. 
A  CITY  replete  with  historic  interest  is  the  ancient  stronghold  of 
Chester.  In  medieval  times  its  beleagured  inhabitants  not  unfrequently 
had  cause  to  be  thankful  for  the  security  afforded  by  its  mighty  walls, 
which  to-day,  grim  and  crumbling,  instinctively  turn  the  current  of  our 
thoughts  to  the  ages  gone  before.  Though  these  walls  have  ceased  to  be 
needed  for  defensive  purposes,  let  it  not,  however,  be  supposed  that 
they  serve  no  useful  purpose  now  except  as  relics  of  the  past,  for  their 
summit  forms  a  delightful  promenade  from  which  the  beauty  of  the 
surrounding  country  may  be  seen  to  perfection,  especially  at  those 
points  from  whence  a  fine  view  of  the  valley  of  the  Dee  is  obtained, 
where  the  bold  outlines  of  distant  hills — mapped  out  in  many  tints  of 
green — rise  in  steep  undulations  from  their  watery  base.  To  the  archae¬ 
ologist  this  picturesque  old  city  teems  with  interest  at  every  step,  and 
affords  a  continuous  succession  of  surprises.  The  infinite  variety  of 
gable-fronted  houses  with  their  elaborately  timbered  walls  form  quite  a 
study  in  themselves. 
To  horticulturists  in  every  land  Chester  is  inseparably  connected 
with  the  name  of  Dicksons,  under  which  distinctive  title  one  of  the 
greatest  nursery  and  seed  businesses  throughout  the  world  has  been  built 
up.  The  nurseries  “extend  over  450  acres,”  and  everything  required  for 
the  garden  or  farm  can  be  supplied  in  any  quantity.  To  do  this,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  everything  is  conducted  on  a  large  scale.  To  begin 
with,  we  find  a  little  town  of  glass,  fields  of  herbaceous  plants  and 
flowering  trees,  miles  of  drives  through  plantations  of  shrubs,  Coniferse, 
and  fruit  trees.  To  attend  to  this  great  business  500  hands  are  constantly 
employed,  and  all  who  are  acquainted  with  the  complicated  nature  of 
the  nursery  trade  must  fully  understand  that  to  carry  on  the  work 
successfully  the  directorate  must  be  men  of  great  enterprise  and  business 
capacity,  who  are  also  thoroughly  supported  by  a  departmental  staff, 
each  proficient  in  its  particular  speciality.  It  is  only  when  these 
conditions  are  found  in  combination  that  such  splendid  examples  of 
British  enterprise  can  be  conducted  in  a  satisfactory  way.  To  describe 
the  sights  met  with  during  a  long  day’s  tour  through  these  nurseries  would 
require  an  amount  of  space  which  could  scarcely  be  connected  with  the 
word  reasonable  ;  it  would  also  need  a  memory  far  better  than  mine, 
unless  supported  by  copious  notes  taken  on  the  spot,  but,  alas  1  those 
jumbled  notes  do  not  always  unravel  themselves  when  home  is  reached. 
I  still,  however,  retain  a  vivid  impression  of  a  few  salient  features 
which  will  perhaps  serve  my  present  purpose. 
One  of  the  first  things  to  attract  attention  on  reaching  a  series  of 
light  span -roofed  houses  was  a  remarkably  fine  collection  of  pyramidal¬ 
shaped  Peach  trees  in  pots,  having  clean  healthy  foliage,  and  showing 
well-ripened  wood,  just  such  specimens  as  the  owner  of  many  an  orchard 
house  might  well  envy.  Pot  Vines  are  also  extensively  grown — that, 
too,  in  such  a  way  that  highly  satisfactory  results  from  them  may  be 
confidently  anticipated  ;  moderately  strong  hard  canes,  unusually  short 
in  the  joints,  were  their  characteristics.  Many  very  long  span-roofed 
houses  were  devoted  to  Vines  of  this  type,  and  they  had  an  especial 
interest  to  me.  The  space  underneath  the  Vines  was  in  many  instances 
filled  with  small  Ferns  in  pots,  looking  the  picture  of  health,  both  these 
and  the  canopy  of  leaves  above  being  singularly  free  from  insects. 
We  pass  on  through  houses  filled  with  Crotons,  Dracmnas, 
Dipladenias,  Eucharis,  Ixoras,  Ardisias,  Gardenias,  Maples,  and  various 
other  plants,  till  we  come  to  the  pot  Eoses.  Ah  !  what  Eoses  ;  how  fine 
were  the  “  Maiechals,”  the  Niphetos,  the  William  Allan  Eichardsons, 
the  Eeine  Marie  Henriette,  in  fact  all.  In  the  houses  devoted  to 
climbing  Eoses  thousands  of  Teas  of  the  most  approved  varieties  were 
looking  healthy,  vigorouc,  and  contented  in  light  houses  or  pits,  every 
plant  bearing  striking  testimony  to  two  things — viz.,  that  the  soil  at 
Chester  and  the  attention  given  are  just  what  they  require.  Several 
houses  are  devoted  entirely  to  Palms,  which  may  be  seen  in  every  stage 
of  development,  from  the  young  seedling  just  emerging  from  the  soil  to 
fine  healthy  vigorous  specimens,  8  or  9  feet  high.  As  might  be  supposed, 
Kentias  are  the  most  largely  grown,  their  fine  lasting  qualities  making 
them  favourites  everywhere.  The  demand  for  Cocos  Weddelliana  is  still 
good,  on  account  of  the  singular  gracefulness  of  its  habit,  and  I  noticed 
a  promising  group  of  voung  plants  in  one  of  the  smaller  houses. 
Thousands  of  setdling  Tuberous  Begonias,  both  single  and  double, 
showing  great  variety  of  colour,  looked  the  picture  of  health,  and  a 
couple  of  houtes  filled  with  large  well-grown  plants  must  be  passed  over 
