72 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  aND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  28,  1898. 
as  fully  expanded  flowers  formed  a  picture  to  delight  the  eye  of  an  artisr, 
or  win  the  admiration  of  all  who  see  them  in  their  summer  glory. 
Dundee  Rambler,  Madame  Plantier,  Amy  Yibert,  and  the  grand  old 
Blairi  No.  2  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in  displaying  their  wondrous 
charms.  From  the  Roses  our  eyes  turn  to  the  flower  beds,  where  bright 
colours  and  pretty  combinations  of  flowers  and  foliage  are  seen  on  all 
sides.  There  is  no  formal  flower  garden  of  the  stereotyped  style,  but 
something  better — viz.,  large  beds,  or  groups  of  beds,  judiciously 
disposed  with  backgrounds  of  shrubs  or  spreading  trees  to  give  relief  and 
create  a  series  of  surprises  at  each  step.  One  large  circular  bed  struck 
me  as  being  particularly  effective  and  novel.  The  groundwork  was 
formed  of  rings  of  blue,  yellow,  and  white  Violas  (flowering  grandly)  ; 
summer  flowering  Chrysanthemums,  and  Gladiolus  were  used  as  dot 
plants,  and  blue  Lobelia  and  Ajuga  aurea  as  an  edging. 
In  another  direction  the  rounded  sweep  of  a  border  on  sloping  ground 
was  rendered  bright  and  effective  by  planting  irregular  bands  of  yellow 
Calceolaria.  Henry  Jacoby  and  the  silver-leaved  Mrs.  Foster  Pelar¬ 
goniums.  Smaller  beds  were  filled  with  Begonias,  or  foliaged  plants,  and 
a  few  examples  of  carpet  bedding.  As  a  central  object  to  this  part  of  the 
grounds  stands  a  commodious  conservatory  of  the  old  type,  lofty  and 
well  adapted  for  showing  plants  to  advantage  when  they  have  been  grown 
elsewhere,  but  not  calculated  to  keep  them  sturdy  and  dwarf  if  their 
sojourn  in  it  is  a  long  one.  Palms  and  Ferns,  however,  thrive  well  in  it, 
as  some  good  examples  attested.  Roses  are  employed  as  climbers  with 
fine  results,  as  a  common  mistake  of  training  the  shoots  too  thickly  is 
avoided.  Strong  well-ripened  shoots  are  produced,  with  fine  flowers. 
Cheshunt  Hybrid  and  climbing  Niphetos  were  each  carrying  numbers  of 
splendid  blooms.  _ 
The  glory  of  the  house  in  regard  to  Roses,  however,  is  a  wonderful 
plant  of  Fortune’s  Yellow,  or  Beauty  of  Glazenwood.  It  has  grown 
with  two  straight  clean  stems  up  to  the  roof,  and  from  thence  spreads 
out  in  all  directions.  It  usually  flowers  in  March,  and  as  many  as  2650 
blooms  have  been  cut  from  it  in  one  season.  After  flowering  the  old 
shoots  are  cut  hard  back,  and  the  young  ones  shortly  after  produced  are 
trained  thinly  as  they  advance  in  growth.  The  pink  Oleander  was,  I 
noticed,  flowering  finely,  large  plants  being  confined  to  comparatively 
small  pots — an  important  item  ot  culture  for  securing  floriferousness. 
Onward  toward  the  mansion  we  pass  two  remarkably  fine  specimens  of 
Dracxna  Veitchi  placed  on  each  side  of  the  walk  at  the  end  of  some  well 
executed  slopes  of  rockwork,  among  which  hosts  of  suitable  plants  were 
growing  in  rich  profusion.  _ 
The  greater  part  of  the  mansion  is  surrounded  by  a  pleasant  verandah 
which  is  draped  with  hosts  of  free-growing  climbers,  Roses  predominating. 
Crimson  Rambler,  Dundee  Rambler,  and  many  others  of  the  same 
type  were  in  full  beauty,  being  loaded  with  countless  buds  and  opening 
flowers,  forming  a  vision  delightful  indeed  to  all  who  pay  court  at  Flora’s 
shrine.  Just  ns  we  turn  to  leave  I  catch  sight  of  something  novel  in  the 
distance,  a  glorious  groundwork  of  greenery  with  bright  bits  of  colour 
springing  from  it.  What  can  it  be  ?  A  few  yards  of  space  are  soon 
traversed,  and  lo  !  I  find  it  is  a  sloping  bank  covered  with  Ivy,  with 
masses  of  scarlet  Geranium  and  Calceolarias  springing  up  between,  and 
a  few  Foxgloves  at  the  back.  The  idea  is  a  good  one,  and  worth  copying, 
though  a  little  labour  is  necessary  to  keep  the  Ivy  in  check. 
In  the  kitchen  garden,  good  culture,  order,  and  cleanliness  are 
apparent  on  every  side.  Many  of  the  fruit  trees  on  the  walls  are  old, 
but  still  fruitful,  because  they  have  been  rejuvenated  by  grafting,  a 
practice  which,  under  various  circumstances,  might  often  be  profitably 
followed  in  preference  to  planting  young  trees.  Pears  and  Plums  on 
walls  I  noticed  were  generally  a  good  crop,  and  Apples  in  the  open 
quarters  looked  extremely  promising,  as  a  good  set  had  been  obtained, 
and  the  highly  important  matter  of  thinning  the  fruit  bad  also  received 
due  attention.  Good  breadths  of  early  Peas  were  ready  for  picking  on  a 
warm  border.  Chelsea  Gem  and  English  Wonder,  growing  side  by  side — 
the  sowings  having  been  made  on  the  same  day — showed  no  perceptible 
difference  in  point  of  earliness,  but  the  first  named  variety  gives  a  longer 
succession  of  pods.  _ 
Mr.  Lansdell  is  an  advancing  gardener  who  likes  to  keep  pace  with 
the  times.  One  way  in  which  he  strives  to  do  so  is  by  attempting 
to  raise  superior  varieties  of  fruits  or  vegetables.  At  the  present  time  he 
has  several  extremely  promising  seedlinj  Strawberries.  One  in 
particular  is,  I  think,  destined  to  make  its  mark  if  put  into  commerce, 
for  it  is  absolutely  the  heaviest  cropping  variety  I  have  seen.  The  fruit 
is  of  large  size,  and  the  flavour  first-class.  The  Rhubarb  quarter  might 
not  be  considered  a  particularly  attractive  part  of  the  garden  at  this 
season,  but  I  made  a  discovery  there  in  the  form  of  an  ideal  market 
growers’  variety  of  this  popular  edible.  I  noticed  a  row  having  very 
pronounced  characteristics.  The  leaves,  although  fully  developed,  were 
only  about  one -third  the  size  of  ordinary  varieties  ;  the  stems  are  thick, 
sturdy,  and  highly  coloured.  On  inquiring  I  found  it  was  a  seedling. 
I  am,  as  a  rule,  no  prophet,  but  for  once  I  am  going  to  move  out  of  the 
beaten  track  and  predict  that  this  seedling  Rhubarb  will  ere  long  be  one 
of  the  most  popular  and  widely  grown  varieties  in  Britain. 
The  glass  structures  are  not  extensive,  but  the  best  use  seems  to  be 
made  of  them,  for  they  are  filled  with  such  useful  materials  as  are  in 
constant  demand.  Melons  and  Tomatoes,  a  mixture  not  often  seen,  are 
each  doing  well  in  one  house.  Pelargoniums  and  Tomatoes  are  more 
generally  associated,  and  in  another  house  they  are  the  principal 
occupants.  A  fernery  and  a  new  and  substantially  built  Peach  house 
planted  with  young  trees  are  next  inspected,  after  which  we  enter  a  good 
sized  vinery  in  two  compartments.  The  Vines  in  this  house  are  consider¬ 
ably  more  than  100  years  old,  and  yet  the  crop  of  Grapes  is,  for  weight 
and  finish,  quite  as  good,  nay  better,  than  many  young  Vines  annually 
produce.  Many  of  the  bunches  are  from  2  to  3  lbs.  in  weight,  and 
perfect  in  shape  and  finish.  The  old  rods  were  some  years  ago  cut 
away  quite  close  to  the  ground,  and  new  ones  taken  up,  but  the  enormous 
thickness  of  the  main  trunks  at  the  ground  line  shows  plainly  their  great 
age.  The  varieties  grown  are  principally  Black  Hamburgh,  Gros  Colman, 
and  Muscat  Hamburgh,  and  the  man  who  can  produce  such  results  with 
old  Vines  is  capable  of  doing  as  good  work  as  any  yet  accomplished  by 
Grape  growers.  _ 
The  pen  has  now  run  on  somewhat  beyond  its  usual  limit,  but  before 
closing  these  notes  I  must  with  pleasure  record  that  Mr.  Lansdell  is 
happily  placed  in  having  generous  employers,  who  love  their  gardens,  and 
take  the  greatest  interest  in  them.  Thus  it  is  that  during  the  twenty-six 
years  that  Mr.  Lansdell  has  spent  at  Barkby  Hall,  the  happiest  relations 
have  existed  between  employer  and  employed.  The  rapidly  developing 
town  of  Leicester  boasts  of  a  splendid  technical  school.  In  connection 
with  it  during  the  winter  session  Mr.  Lansdell  teaches  horticulture  to  a 
considerable  number  of  pupils,  many  of  whom  enter  for  the  examinations 
of  the  R.H.S.,  and  this  season  every  candidate  passed  ;  one  I  believe 
obtained  as  many  as  260  marks  out  of  a  possible  300. — Wanderer. 
MECONOPSIS  WALLICHI. 
The  flowers  sent  by“C.  D.,  Kent,"  are  those  of  the  so-called  Blue 
Poppy,  Meconopsis  Wallichi,  which  belongs  to  the  natural  order  Papa- 
veraceae.  It  was  discovered  in  the  Sikkim  Himalaya  by  Sir  J.  D.  Hooker, 
who  sent  seeds  to  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  which  produced  flowering 
plants  in  June,  1852.  The  root-leaves  are  very  large,  often  12  to  18  inches 
or  more  long,  stalked,  and  much  lobed  and  cut.  The  stem-leaves  are  small 
and  without  stalks.  The  flowers  are  rather  numerously  produced  from 
the  axils  of  the  upper  stem-leaves,  on  short  drooping  peduncles,  and  are 
of  some  size  ;  the  ring  of  yellow  stamens  round  the  seed-vessel  contrasts 
charmingly  with  the  pale  blue  colour  of  the  petals.  The  seed-vessel  is 
more  elongated  than  in  the  true  Poppies,  and  is  densely  clothed  with 
erect  bristle-like  hairs  or  setae  ;  the  stigmas  are  elevated  on  a  thick 
cylindrical  style  as  long  as  the  ovary,  as  shown  in  the  figure. 
In  Meconopsis  Wallichi  (fig.  14)  and  the  other  species  of  this  genus 
the  capsule  opens  when  ripe  by  six  or  seven  valves  at  the  top  of  the 
style,  which  appears  to  be  rather  a  mere  elongation  of  the  ovary  than 
what  is  generally  understood  to  be  a  true  style.  The  numerous  seeds 
are  arranged  on  thin  membranaceous  plates,  radiating  from  the  inner 
walls  of  the  capsule. 
The  plant  is  a  biennial,  and  is  reputed  somewhat  difficult  to  grow, 
though  we  have  seen  it  thriving  in  a  shaded,  sheltered  position,  on  the 
rockery  at  Kew.  Mr.  Robinson,  in  The  English  Flower  Garden  (J.  Murray), 
gives  the  following  hints  as  a  successful  system  to  follow  with  this  plant. 
A  piece  of  ground  is  prepared  by  digging  in  good  loam  and  well  decayed 
stable  manure  ;  a  two-light  frame  is  placed  over  it,  and  seedling  plants 
are  put  in  about  March.  As  soon  as  the  plants  are  fairly  established  the 
sashes  are  removed  (unless  the  weather  is  frosty),  and  throughout  the 
summer  the  plants  are  well  supplied  with  water.  During  the  following 
season,  in  April  or  May,  they  will  have  become  large  plants,  often  2  feet 
to  3  feet  in  diameter,  and  are  then  removed  to  where  they  are  wanted  to 
flower.  This  may  be  readily  done  without  checking  them  much,  as  they 
form  such  a  large  quantity  of  fibrous  roots  that  usually  a  good  ball  of 
i  soil  may  be  had  with  them.  They  are  thus  grown  on  as  quickly  as 
possible,  treated  like  biennials.  They  should  be  planted  out  on  well- 
drained  rockwork  in  good  soil,  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  in  summer, 
but  they  must  be  kept  as  dry  as  possible  in  winter,  as  excessive  humidity 
in  cold  weather  soon  kills  them.  Pieces  of  sandstone  broken  finely  should 
be  placed  under  the  leaves  so  as  to  prevent  them  coming  in  contact  with 
the  damp  soil.  A  piece  of  glass  placed  over  the  leaves  in  a  slanting 
position  also  protects  them  from  too  much  moisture. 
Harbinger  Potato. — For  a  round  this  is  a  decidedly  early 
variety,  with  me  ;  in  fact,  it  is  as  early  as  Sharpe’s  Victor,  Ringleader, 
and  others  of  the  Ashleaf  type.  Those  who  prefer  a  white-fleshed  Potato 
may  well  choose  it  for  aa  early  crop,  no  other  that  I  have  grown  having 
such  a  pale  colour  when  cooked.  In  the  stalk  it  is  distinct,  and  what  is 
important  in  the  early  plantings,  it  is  not  so  delicate  in  the  leaf  as  some, 
consequently  light  spring  frosts  do  not  have  the  same  damaging  effects 
as  is  noticeable  in  some  kinds.  It  is  not  a  large  Potato,  but  it  yields 
heavily,  and  for  the  earliest  digging  this  is  the  more  important  point. — 
W.  S. 
