558 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  18,  1896. 
HARDY  FLOWER  NOTES. 
The  American  lover  of  Nature,  Henry  David  Thoreau,  in 
“Summer,”  speaking  of  the  Water  Lilies,  says:— “I  found  two 
Lilies  open  in  the  very  shallow  inlet  by  the  meadow.  Exquisitely 
beautiful,  and  unlike  anything  we  have,  is  the  first  white  Water 
Lily,  just  expanded  in  some  shallow  lagooD,  perfectly  fresh  and 
pure,  before  the  insects  have  discovered  it.  How  admirable  its 
purity  !  How  innocently  sweet  its  fragrance  !  How  significant 
that  the  rich  black  mud  of  our  dead  stream  produces  the  Water 
Lily  !  Out  of  that  fertile  slime  springs  this  spotless  purity.” 
These  words  were  recalled  to  my  memory  by  the  opening  of  the 
first  Water  Lily  flower  in  my  little  pool  the  other  day,  and  now  I 
cannot  help  quoting  them,  knowing  that  they  will  do  more  than 
any  language  of  mine  to  induce  lovers  of  flowers  to  take  up  to 
some  extent  the  cultivation  of  these  beautiful  Nympbmas  and 
other  aquatic  plants.  There  are  thousands  of  lakes  and  ponds, 
which  are  now  blots  rather  than  beauties  in  the  grounds  they  are 
supposed  to  ornament.  Plant  these,  however,  with  some  of  the 
newer  Water  Lilies,  some  of  which  I  have  seen,  and  others  I  hope 
to  see  before  long  ;  and  these  sheets  of  water  will  be  transformed 
in  the  summer  into  gardens  bright  with  beautiful  flowers  set  among 
floating  leaves,  whose  quiet  attractions  enhance  the  beauties  of  the 
gems,  of  which  they  form  the  setting. 
Nor  is  it  the  owner  of  broad  acres  alone  who  can  grow  these 
flowers,  for  there  are  few  gardens,  even  if  small,  where  space 
may  not  be  found  for  a  little  pool,  a  small  tank,  or  even  the 
homely  water-tub,  in  which  some  Water  Lily,  such  as  Nymphtea 
Laydekeri  rosea  or  N.  marliacea  chromatella,  may  grow  and  flower 
to  the  delight  of  all  who  see  it.  There  are  many  places  in  nearly 
all  gardens  where  such  a  little  pool  would  suit  well  with  its 
surroundings.  The  rock  garden  presents  many  such.  My  own 
small  pool,  which  as  yet  has  only  one  of  the  North  American  white 
Lilies — N.  tuberosa — in  flower,  although  others  are  planted,  has 
been  much  admired  by  visitors.  It  does  not  yet  satisfy  me, 
but  as  its  boggy  margin,  planted  with  Irises,  hardy  Orchids, 
Primulas,  Rodgersia,  and  other  moisture- loving  plants,  become  s 
better  furnished  it  will  be  a  pleasure-giving  feature  to  the  garden. 
It  is  fed  with  water  from  the  garden  well,  and  does  not  require  a 
constant  stream,  but  only  replenishment  occasionally.  Much  as 
one  would  like  to  expatiate  on  the  Water  Lilies  and  other  aquatic 
plants  no  less  interesting,  there  is  too  much  beauty  around  to 
permit  of  me  giving  details  which  can  be  better  withheld  until  days 
are  shorter  and  flowers  are  fewer,  and  we  must  turn  our  thoughts 
to  other  plants  of  diverse  nature  and  beauty. 
The  hedgerows  are  festooned  with  wild  Roses,  which  climb 
through  the  Hawthorn  or  up  among  the  pliant,  yielding  branches 
of  the  Willows  near  by.  The  garden  Roses  are  delightful,  full  of 
sweet  pdours  and  models  of  beauty  in  form.  What  can  surpass 
some  of  their  colours  and  shadings  ?  and  with  what  luxuriance  and 
profusion  of  bloom  do  some  of  them  grow.  The  earlier  Lilies  are 
in  bloom,  and  perhaps  ere  this  appears  the  Madonna  Lily  will  have 
opened  its  flowers — emblems  of  chastity.  There  are  Irises  many, 
of  colours  many,  and  of  many  types,  such  as  the  Flag  Irises,  in 
great  array,  and  the  English  and  Spanish  Irises,  which  represent  the 
bulbous  section.  Pinks  are  delightful  in  their  beauty  and  delicious 
in  their  perfume,  and  an  old  plant  of  Mrs.  Sinkins  nearly  11  feet 
in  circumference  is  a  mass  of  beauty  and  fragrance.  Every  year  I 
expect  will  be  its  last,  but  still  it  lives,  and  though  it  encroaches  on 
other  things  I  cannot  harden  my  heart  to  the  task  of  cutting  it 
back.  It  is  very  beautiful  as  it  is,  and  the  many  sweetly  scented 
flowers  yielded  by  it  and  the  other  Pinks  are  acceptable  to  those 
who  receive  a  share  of  the  blooms. 
My  readers  will  become  weary  of  my  reiterated  remarks  in 
praise  of  the  Poppies,  so  that  I  shall  only  say  that  at  present  they 
are  full  of  brightness  as  they  flutter  in  the  breezes  and  glance  in 
the  sunlight.  If  their  perfect  beauty  is  to  be  realised  they  should 
be  seen  in  early  morning  when  the  flowers  have  cast  their  green 
coverings,  and,  butterfly  like,  emerge  from  the  chrysalis  stage  into 
their  full  glory. 
The  Stonecrops  and  Houseleeks  are  now  having  their  innings  in 
the  gala  days  of  the  season.  The  dry  and  sunny  weather  has 
suited  them  well,  and  their  starry  flowers  of  white,  pink,  yellow, 
cream,  a!nd  of  grey  add  to  the  garden’s  effect.  We  call  them  starry, 
because  they  so  appear  when  seen  singly,  as  many  of  the  Stone- 
crops  are  so  covered  with  flower  that,  except  when  near,  the  single 
blooms  are  undistinguishable.  The  Bellflowers  are  numerous,  too, 
in  sheets  on  the  rockeries  or  raising  their  spikes  among  the  other 
border  flowers.  Great  favourites  of  mine  are  these  Campanulas, 
and  well  worthy  are  they  of  even  more  than  the  high  favour  in 
which  they  are  at  present  held  by  flower  growers. 
Beautiful  are  these  Bellflowers  with  their  blooms  of  blue  or 
purple  or  white,  but  the  first  colours  are  more  nobly  represented 
by  the  perennial  Larkspurs,  quaintly  called  in  olden  times  Lark’s- 
heels,  or  Lark’s-claws,  and  Lark’s-toes.  There  are  wonderfully 
beautiful  shades  of  colour  among  these  Delphiniums.  It  is  not 
enough  to  see  a  few  plants  in  a  garden,  for  no  one  can  fully  realise 
the  variety  of  shade  they  show  until  they  visit  a  large  nursery 
where  there  are  many  varieties.  Nor  is  it  enough  to  wrander  among 
their  towering  spikes  and  to  study  their  effective  colouring  as  thus 
presented.  We  must  look  into  the  single  or  semi-double  flower, 
and  see  its  colouring  and  shading.  There  are  royal  purples,  Oxford 
and  Cambridge  blues,  with  lustrous  effects,  as  seen  on  the  feathers 
of  some  pigeons ;  varieties  of  form  and  endless  differences, 
apparent  only  to  the  eye  rendered  keen  by  practice  and  sharpened 
by  love  for  refined  floral  beauty. 
Then  there  are  many  other  flowers,  such  as  Spiderworts, 
perennial  Peas,  Rockfoils,  Speedwells,  Violas,  Meadow  Rues, 
Masterworts,  Meadow  Sweets,  Sea  Hollies,  Androsaces,  and  others, 
whose  charms  enhance  the  garden’s  attraction. 
A  truly  quaint-looking  flower  is  Phlomis  vkcosa,  best  known  in 
gardens  as  P.  Russelliana,  but  figured  in  table  2542  of  the 
“  Botanical  Magazine  ”  as  P.  lunarifolia  Russelliana.  I  do  not 
know  that  anyone  is  bold  enough  to  say  it  is  a  refined  flower,  but 
with  all  its  coarseness  it  is  a  conspicuous  plant  in  the  garden,  and 
there  are  many  who  look  on  it  with  covetous  eyes.  It  is  easy  to 
gratify  their  desire  to  possess  it,  as  it  increases  rapidly,  and  soon 
takes  up  a  good  deal  of  room.  It  grows  from  3  to  5  feet  in  height 
in  a  general  way,  but  I  have  seen  it  a  little  taller  in  good  soil  in  a 
favourable  season.  Its  leaves  are  wrinkled-looking,  tomentose 
below,  and  green  above,  and  ovate  in  form,  but  heart-shaped  at  the 
base.  The  pale  yellow  flowers  are  produced  on  the  stems  in  whorls 
numbering  sometimes  fortv  or  fifty  flowers  in  each  whorl.  It  was 
introduced  from  Syria  in  1821,  and  forms  one  of  a  large  genus  of 
some  fifty  or  more  species,  comparatively  few  of  which  appear  to 
be  in  cultivation,  due  to  some  extent  to  the  coarse  habit  of  a  good 
many  of  the  species  The  natural  order  to  which  it  belongs  is  that 
of  the  Labiates.  P.  viscosa  is  easily  grown  in  any  garden  soil,  and 
may  be  increased  by  seeds  or  division. 
I  observe  that  among  the  plants  exhibited  from  Cheshunt  at 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  on  5th  May  was  Artemisia  sericea. 
This  is  a  very  beautiful  plant  for  the  rock  garden,  thriving  best 
in  a  sunny  and  rather  dry  position,  and  sometimes  suffering  from 
winter  rains.  It  does  not  appear  in  the  majority  of  ordinary  works 
of  reference,  but  the  name  is  recognised  at  Kew,  and  appears  in 
the  “Hand  List.”  From  that  useful  work,  and  from  the  older 
editions  of  the  “  Cottage  Gardeners’  Dictionary,”  I  learn  that  it  is 
a  native  of  Siberia,  and  was  introduced  in  1796  This  silky  leaved 
Wormwood  or  Southernwood  is  a  dwarf  trailing  plant,  with  the 
linear  narrow  leaflets  quite  silvery  or  silky  looking.  It  is  very 
attractive  from  its  foliage  being  so  silky  and  elegant  in  habit,  but 
its  beauty  is  lessened  if  allowed  to  flower.  I  have  permitted  it  to 
flower  this  year,  and  it  is  at  present  in  bloom.  The  flowers  are 
very  small,  and  of  a  colour  which  is  by  courtesy  called  white,  but 
is  certainly  not  pure,  and  the  green  bracts  partially  cover  the 
flower,  making  it  look  very  poor  indeed.  The  foliage  of  the  plant  is, 
however,  sufficiently  pretty  to  make  it  an  acquisition  in  the  rock 
garden,  where  it  looks  well  hanging  over  a  stone.  I  grow  it  in 
light  sandy  soil  with  a  west  exposure,  but  shielded  from  the 
greater  quantity  of  the  heavy  rains  which  came  lrom  that  direct. 
A.  sericea  may  be  increased  by  cuttings,  which  root  more  easily 
if  taken  with  a  heel. 
Now  I  mast  close  after  taking  special  notice  pf  two  plants, 
certainly  not  so  bright  nor  so  showy  as  many.  The  charm  of  the 
garden  of  hardy  flowers  is  not  altogether  given  by  brilliant  bloom, 
bat  also  by  what  was  a  striking  feature  of  the  old  gardens,  of 
which  Forbes  Watson  says,  in  contrasting  them  with  those  in  which 
the  bedding  out  system  was  carried  oat,  “  It  was  different  in  the 
old  gardens,  because  there  was  just  variety  there ;  the  plants 
strongly  contrasted  with  each  other,  and  we  were  ever  passing 
from  the  beautiful  to  the  curious.” — S.  Arnott. 
FRUIT  TREES  IN  POTS. 
Geowing  fruit  trees  in  pots  is  a  method  of  culture  which 
cannot  be  said  ’to  be  generally  practised  in  private  establishments. 
Perhaps  it  is  because  the  advantages  accruing  from  the  system  are 
not  generally  known,  and  in  consequence  not  appreciated  ;  or  it 
may  be  that  with  the  exception  of  a  limited  number  of  large 
gardens  the  glass  accommodation  is  not  sufficiently  extensive  to 
allow  of  any  new  departures  whereby  such  accommodation  would 
necessarily  be  encroached  upon.  The  splendid  examples  of 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  in  pots  shown  from  time  to  time  by 
Messrs.  Rivers  &  Son,  Sawbridgew^rth,  have  been  excellent 
object  lessons  to  recommend  the  system  for  the  early  forcing 
of  the  fruits  named. 
In  most  gardens  of  any  size  and  pretentions  the  early  forcing  of 
