245 
Septemvr  10,  ur.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
duty  falls  ;  lut  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  hardy  flowers 
present  aomething  to  please  us  even  amid  the  glow  of  the  other 
flowers,  and  with  the  great  advances  being  made  in  many  genera 
will  soon  be  even  more  attractive. 
The  Starworts  have  been  with  us  for  some  time,  and  their  value 
is  markedly  shown  at  the  present  time  by  the  contrast  between  a 
border  in  which  none  of  these  perennial  Asters  is  grown  and 
another  in  which  they  are  fairly  well  represented.  The  one  is 
comparatively  unattractive,  while  the  other  has  considerable  beauty, 
the  soft  shades  of  colouring  in  the  Michaelmas  Daisies  going  well 
with  the  black  centred,  deep  orange  flowers  of  Rudbeckia  speciosa, 
the  deep  blue  of  the  autumn  Monkshood,  the  white  Japan 
Anemones,  the  brilliant  Phloxes,  and  the  other  flowers  in  flower  at 
the  same  time.  There  are  rapid  advances  being  made  in  these 
flowers,  and  many  of  the  older  plants  have  been  superseded  by  the 
choice  seedlings  now  becoming  so  numerous,  and  which  almost 
demand  a  specialist  in  these  plants  to  deal  with  them  worthily . 
Among  the  species  which  may  be  expected  to  yield  in  time  some 
handsome  varieties  is  the  Himalayan  one  Aster  Thomson!,  which 
doe*  not  seem  to  be  very  widely  grown,  but  which  has  been  thought 
worthy  of  the  mark  of  x  x  x  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s 
Committee.  Very  handsome  is  it  with  its  large  pale  blue  flowers, 
which  when  well  grown  are  about  2|  inches  across,  and  its  broad 
light  green  leaves.  It  grows  to  about  2  feet,  or  a  little  more,  and 
is  one  of  the  prettiest  of  the  large-flowered  Starworts. 
Another  good  species  also  honoured  with  the  x  x  x  mark  is 
A.  pyrenaeus,  which  comes  earlier  into  bloom,  and  has  beautiful 
starry,  lilac-blue  flowers,  with  a  yellow  centre,  and  of  large  size, 
and  produced  from  three  to  five  in  a  short  corymb.  The  acute 
oblong-lanccolate  leaves  are  sessile,  and  are  serrated  on  the  upper 
part. 
I  have,  however,  no  intention  of  devoting  this  week’s  notes 
entirely  to  one  flower,  so  shall  pass  to  a  tiny,  insignificant  little 
plant  which  1  saw  recently  in  the  collection  of  alpines  of  Mr. 
.  James  Lotimer,  Nithbank,  Dumfries.  This  was  a  very  curious 
little  Evening  Primrose  named  (Enothera  minuta.  It  is  one  of 
the  little  plants  so  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  enthusiast  in  alpine 
flowers,  and  is  to  be  admired  more  on  account  of  its  neatness  than 
its  sbowiness — a  quality  it  has  no  claim  to  possess.  It  forms  a 
little  tuft  only  about  2  or  ?>  inches  high,  and  produces  tiny  yellow 
flowers  among  the  leaves.  I  cannot  either  verify  or  correct  the 
name,  which  is  certainly  appropriate  enough,  as  I  can  find  no  trace 
of  this  rare  little  plant  in  any  of  my  books.  This  tiny  Evening 
Primrose  is  growing  and  looks  happy  on  a  terraced  rockery  in 
free  soil. 
In  the  same  garden  was  an  exquisite  pure  white  Phlox,  which, 
although  one  of  the  early  flowering  varieties,  continues  in  bloom 
for  a  long  time.  This  had  been  received  under  the  name  of  Queen 
of  the  Phloxes,  and  it  is  high  praise  but  not  undeserved  to  say  that 
one  is  not  disposed  to  object  to  the  name  given.  Of  purest  whife, 
of  splendid  texture,  with  perfect  form  of  pip,  and  with  a  hand¬ 
some  truss,  the  Queen  of  the  Phloxes  was  very  beautiful  indeed. 
I  have  before  taken  exception,  and  desire  to  do  so  again,  to  the 
form  of  the  trusses  in  some  of  the  new  French  varieties.  They 
are  too  short  and  flat  to  compare  favourably  in  tbii  respect  with 
some  of  the  older  varieties,  although  their  colour  and  size  of  pip 
h  ave  nothing  to  be  desired. 
The  Meadow  Saffrons  are  astir,  and  have  anticipated  the  coming 
of  the  more  chastely  coloured  Crocuses,  which  help  to  bridge  the 
obasm  between  the  flowers  of  autumn  and  of  spring.  I  have  a 
fairly  good  collection,  and  generally  add  two  or  three  to  it  annually. 
I  do  not  know  that  I  would  recommend  this  to  everyone,  as  the 
number  of  really  distinct  C-dchicums  is  comparatively  limited, 
Sibthorpi,  Bornmulleri,  speciosum  rubrum,  and  the  larger  variety 
of  it  named  maximum,  byzantinum,  the  double  white  and  the 
double  purple,  are,  I  tbink,  the  best  for  those  desiring  a  limited 
number. 
Among  my  new  ones  for  this  year  is  one  named  C.  Kochi,  and 
this  is  the  only  one  of  the  additions  to  my  collection  which  1  as 
come  into  flower  as  yet.  It  does  not  appear  to  be  a  very  distinct 
Meadow  Saffron,  but  is  dwarf,  of  good  form,  and  of  a  pretty  deep 
pink  with  only  a  very  slight  tinge  of  the  purple  so  general  among 
the  flowers  of  the  genu*.  Generally  speaking  my  Colchicums  are 
smaller  than  usual  this  season,  which  I  attribute  to  the  dry  weather 
earlier  in  the  year.  Very  distinct  looking  in  its  way  is  Phygelius 
capensis,  planted  on  the  top  of  a  low  rockery  against  a  low  south 
wall.  Here  it  is  thriving  better  than  it  generally  does  when 
planted  in  a  border,  and  one  has  also  a  better  opportunity  of 
examining  the  interior  of  the  tubular  flowers  with  their  bright 
yellow  colouring,  which  is  margined  with  scarlet  at  the  mouth  of 
the  limb  of  five  spreading  lobe*.  The  showy  locking  scarlet 
blooms  are  in  panicles  of  from  three  to  seven  flowers,  and  hang 
down  gracefully,  looking  not  unlike  scarlet  cornucopias  emptied  of 
iheir  stores  save  for  the  seminal  organs  protruding  fiom  the 
opening  of  the  flower.  The  stems  are  stout,  and  the  leaves,  which 
are  opposite,  are  rather  deep  green  in  colour.  It  is  described  as 
coming  from  the  Cape,  and  hence  acquired  the  specific  name  of 
capensis  and  the  English  one  of  “  Cape  Fig  wort but  the  “Kew 
Hand  List  ”  gives  its  habitat  as  South  Europe. 
Whatever  may  be  the  case  in  its  native  home  this  plant  is  a  sun 
lover  here,  although  the  generic  name  is  said  to  be  derived  from 
pliyga,  meaning  flight,  and  helios,  the  sun,  on  account  of  its 
preference  for  the  shade.  It  is  not  very  hardy,  and  only  seems  to 
succeed  in  mild  localities.  Even  in  our  comparatively  favoured 
districts  in  the  south-west  of  Scotland  the  Cape  Figwort  at  time* 
looks  unhappy  and  as  if  it  desired  a  more  genial  clime.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  a  warm  rockery  is  the  best  place  for  it.  Phygeliu* 
capensis  is  frequently  grown  in  the  south  of  Scotland  under  the 
name  of  Cantua  dependens  (C.  buxifolia),  which  is  not  synonymous 
but  a  distinct  plant  belonging  to  a  different  natural  order,  that  of 
the  Polemoniacem,  while  the  Phygelius  belongs  to  the 
Scrophularinese.  I  have  not  attempted  any  method  of  propagation 
except  by  means  of  cuttings,  which  root  readily  in  a  frame. 
The  Cape  Figwort  is  valuable  as  an  autumn  flower,  as  we  have 
none  too  many  of  its  colour  and  habit,  and  it  helps  now  to  make 
the  garden  more  interesting  in  the  end  of  August.  This  year  is  an 
early  one,  and  even  Ceratostigma  plumbaginoides  came  into  flower 
on  August  20th,  which  is  early  for  this  district,  whose  climate, 
modified  to  greater  mildness  in  winter,  is  in  summer  cooler  owing 
to  its  nearness  to  the  sea. — S.  Arnott. 
AUTT'MN  FLOWERING  OdONTOGLOSSUMS. 
Bv  far  the  majority  of  this  favourite  and  lovely  genus  produce 
their  blofSoms  in  spring  and  summer,  most  of  the  crispum,  Pesca- 
torei,  and  allied  kinds  being  past  their  best  by  midsummer  or  soon 
after.  The  section  of  the  genus  represented  by  O.  grande  and 
similar  species  are,  therefore,  all  the  more  useful  on  account  of  the 
blossoms  appearing  during  the  late  summer  and  autumn. 
In  tbe  light  of  recent  introductions,  such  as  the  autumn 
blooming  Cattleya  labiata  and  the  magnificent  Dendrobiam 
pba’mnopiis  Schriideriana,  there  can  hardly  now  be  said  to  be  a  dull 
season  in  our  Orchid  houies  ;  still,  the  present  is  the  time  when 
the  smallest  number  of  really  good  kinds  are  in  bloom,  and  this 
fact  makes  the  Odontoglots  referred  to  all  the  more  welcome. 
With  regard  to  their  culture  there  is  nothing  specially  difiicalt 
about  it,  and  if  due  attention  is  given  to  small  details,  and  healthy 
plants  procured  in  the  first  place,  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  inex¬ 
perienced  cultivators  taking  them  up  and  being  successful  with 
them. 
Temperature  and  the  right  conditions  of  the  atmosphere  are 
important  faccors  in  their  well-being,  and  as  they  are  natives  of 
Mexico,  Guatemala,  and  other  parts  of  Central  America,  they 
like  a  nice  mild  climate,  not  quite  so  cool  as  the  0.  crispum  and 
O.  triumphans  set,  but  cooler  than  is  usually  accorded  to  Brazilian 
Orchids,  as  Gattleyaa  and  some  Lmlias.  Moisture  in  abundance, 
both  at  the  roots  and  in  the  atmosphere,  they  all  require,  with  a 
fairly  close  shade  during  summer,  and  during  winter  all  the  light 
obtainable. 
They  are  usually  grown  in  pots,  which  should  be  three  parts 
filled  with  clean  crocks,  a  layer  of  rough  moss  being  placed  on 
this.  Repotting  should  take  place  when  the  plants  commence 
to  grow,  usually  in  early  spring.  If  in  fair  condition,  the  roots 
need  not  be  disturbed  much  ;  just  picking  away  all  sour  or  close 
parts  of  the  old  compost,  and  cutting  all  dead  roots  clean  away 
with  a  sharp  knife.  All  the  recently  made  and  healthy  roots 
are  best  left  alone  as  far  as  possible,  though,  of  course,  some 
are  bound  to  be  injured,  especially  those  clinging  to  the  sides  of 
the  pot,  which  should  be  broken  to  pieces  with  a  hammer  in 
preference  to  turning  the  plant  out  in  the  usual  way. 
For  compost  have  ready  three  parts  of  the  very  best  peat 
obtainable,  broken  in  rough  lumps,  and  all  sand  and  earth 
shaken  out ;  mix  with  this  one-fourth  of  freshly  gathered 
sphagnum,  picking  this  over  carefully  before  u.-e,  as  otherwise 
slugs  and  small  snails  are  sure  to  be  introduced  theiewith. 
Fix  the  compost  firmly  with  the  dibber,  the  base  of  the  pseudo- 
bulb  being  kept  about  an  inch  above  the  rim  of  the  pot,  so  as  to 
throw  off  superabundant  moisture  ;  clip  off  all  ragged  ends,  and 
'  leave  the  compost  in  tfce  form  of  a  neat  cone.  The  plants  may  re 
