18 
JOtlRNAL  Of'  ttORTtOilLTtiRE  ANT)  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
cognisant  of  the  fact  that,  outside  the  question  of  showing,  there 
are  men  who  have  in  various  ways  and  over  long  years  of  endea¬ 
vour  done  something  worthy  of  recognition  in  placing  the  great 
art  of  horticulture  on  the  firm  basis  on  which  it  stands  to-day. 
Its  present  status  could  not  have  been  attained  in  the  absence 
of  generous  patronage,  scientific  research,  the  devotion  of  explorers, 
the  skill  of  hybridisers,  the  enterprise  of  zealous  men,  quiet 
experimental  work  in  the  garden  and  the  laboratory,  and  midnight 
labour  at  the  desk.  One  section  alone,  and  any  section,  could  have 
done  comparatively  little  in  bringing  gardening  into  its  present 
condition.  It  is  by  the  combination  of  effort  on  the  part  of  many 
men  in  diverse  ways  that  Britain  stands  at  the  head  of  all  the 
world  in  horticulture.  Yet  the  fact  is  indisputable  that  those  men 
who  have  striven  to  share,  each  in  ihis  own  sphere,  in  advancing 
the  cause  of  gardening,  have  had  no  incentives  to  urge  them  on 
beyond  the  calls  of  duty,  and  until  now  no  special  public  recog¬ 
nition  of  their  services  from  high  official  source.  The  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  has  found  a  way  to  bestow  a  token  of 
honour  in  commemoration  of  the  greatest  historic  event  of  the 
century,  and  has  honoured  itself  in  doing  so. 
That  the  honours  have  fallen  where  everyone  would  desire  is  a 
question  that  need  not  be  discussed.  It  must  suffice  to  say  that 
there  is  not  wanting  evidence  that  extraordinary  pains  have  been 
taken  to  ascertain  the  views  of  a  large  number  of  horticulturists 
on  the  question  of  allocation.  If  we  mistake  not,  the  decisions  are 
based  on  a  plebiscite — a  vote  of  the  House  of  Commons,  so  to  say, 
collated  by  the  House  of  Lords — the  Council  of  the  R.H.S.  If 
we  were  inclined  to  criticise  the  final  decision,  we  should  begin  by 
saying  that  the  Council  has  not  been  over- generous  to  its  own 
members.  True,  there  are  some  three  or  four  of  the  body  who 
are  honoured,  but  the  majority,  certainly,  if  not  every  one  of  them, 
must,  we  should  think,  have  been  voted  as  recipients  of  the  medal 
if  they  had  no  seat  at  the  board. 
The  list  of  the  first  sixty  gentlemen  on  whom  the  distinction 
has  been  conferred  we  publish  in  alphabetical  order  precisely  as 
received.  It  will  be  perceived  that  the  list  is  widely  representative, 
as  composed  of  patrons  and  workers,  botanists  and  other  scientists, 
authors,  orchidists,  raisers  of  new  plants,  rosarians  and  other 
florists,  frnitists,  an  eminent  landscape  gardener,  nurserymen, 
seed  merchants,  a  great  Covent  Garden  Market  salesman,  market 
growers,  and  not  least  in  numbers  practical  gardeners. 
Original  Victoria 
Barbidge,  F.  W. 
Bunyard,  G. 
Barron,  A.  F. 
Baker,  J.  G.,  Kew 
Balfour,  Professor,  Edinboro’ 
Boxall,  Wm. 
- Cookson,  Norman 
_ .Coleman,  William,  Eastnor 
,  Culver  well,  W.,  Bedale 
Douglas,  J. 
Dyer,  W.  T.,  Thiselton 
Dunn,  Malcolm 
D’Ombrain,  Rev.  H. 
Dickson,  G.,  Chester 
Engleheart,  Rev.  G.  H. 
Ellacombe,  Canon 
Foster,  Professor  M. 
Hooker,  Sir  J.  D, 
Henslow,  Professor 
Hudson,  J.,  Gunnersbury 
Heal,  J.,  at  Veitch's 
Horner,  Rev.  F.  D. 
Haywood,  T.  B. 
Kay,  Peter 
Lawrence,  Sir  Trevor 
Laing,  John 
Llewelyn,  Sir  J.  T.  D. 
Masters,  Dr. 
Moore,  F .  W.,  Glasnevin 
Mclndoe,  James 
Alarshall,  W. 
Medallists, 
Milner,  H.  E. 
Molynenx,  Edwin 
Monro,  G.,  Covent  Garden 
Moore,  Chas.,  Sydney 
Maries,  C. 
Nicholson,  G. 
O’Brien,  I. 
Paul,  G. 
Paul,  W. 
Rivers,  T.  F. 
^  Robinson,  W..  The  Garden 
-Rochford,  T.  H.,  Broxbourne 
Rothschild.  Hon.  Walter 
Schroler,  Baron 
Sander,  F. 
Seden,  J.,  at  Veitch’s 
Sutton,  Arthur 
•Sherwood,  N.  N. 
The  Very  Rev.  The  Dean  of 
Rochester 
Thomas,  Owen 
Thomson,  D  ,  Drumlanrig 
Thompson,  W.,  Ipswich 
..-"“Veitch,  H.  J, 
^Wilks,  Rev.  W. 
Wolley-Did,  Rev.  C. 
Wright,  J.,  Journal  of  Horti¬ 
culture 
Wythes,  G.,  Syon 
Wilson,  G.  F. 
^  Ward,  Professor  Marshall 
July  8,  l89". 
That  the  honour  will  be  appreciated  by  every  one  of  the 
recipients  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  not  the  less  so  since  the 
medal  has  been  struck  with  her  Majesty’s  expreas  sanction  and 
approval,  and  being  “  solely  honoris  causd  "  will,  of  course,  not  be 
used  by  the  recipients  for  any  trade  advertiiements  or  such  like 
purposes  ;  but  each  recipient  is  authorised  to  put  V.M.H. 
(Victoria  Medal  of  Honour)  after  his  name,  as  indicative  of  the 
highest  distinction  that  can  be  conferred  in  the  horticultural 
world. 
HARDY  FLOWER  L^OTES. 
As  we  enter  the  garden  we  are  welcomed  with  the  song  of  the 
flowers,  as  their  perfume  has  so  well  been  termed.  It  comes  to  us 
sweet  as  the  carolling  of  that  lark  which,  afar  off,  sings  in  the 
heavens  its  morning  song.  Each  movement  of  the  air  brings  with 
it  fresh  fragrance  exhaled  from  the  flowers.  It  comes  from  the 
Pinks  now  so  sweet  with  their  perfume  and  so  delightful  in  their 
beauty.  It  comes  from  the  Rose,  though  a  little  later  the  queen  of 
flowers  will  yield  us  more  of  her  delicious  odouri.  It  comes  from 
the  Honeysuckle — ^the  emblem  of  faithfulness — which  hangs  over 
the  wall  and  clambers  up  the  Hawthorn  tree.  This  song  of  the 
flowers — a  wordless,  inaudible  melody — touches  us  with  its  sweet¬ 
ness,  and  endears  to  us  the  flowers  which  give  it  birth.  That 
Rose,  that  Pink,  that  Honeysuckle,  have  within  their  petals  the 
quality  which  is  to  the  flower  what  talent  is  to  the  manly  and  the 
beautiful,  an  added  virtue,  the  crown  of  all.  Of  the  Rjse  others 
can  better  tell  ;  others  can  better  reveal  its  loveliness,  its  graces, 
its  fragrance. 
The  Pmk  has  fewer  worshippers,  and  these,  like  the  writer, 
are  more  eclectic  in  their  tastes,  owning  allegiance  to  no  particular 
flower,  but  seeking  to  draw  pleasure  from  many,  yet  its  fragrant 
and  beautiful  flowers  have  made  it  a  favourite  in  long  past  years. 
It  is  one  of  Jove's  flowers — a  Dianthus— and  though  eclipsed  by 
the  sister  flower — the  Carnation — should  never  be  absent  from  the 
garden’s  bounds.  With  me,  on  account  of  old  associations,  the 
old  white  garden  Pink  will  ever  be  a  sacred  flower,  but  the 
newer  varieties  are  none  the  less  admired.  The  large  old  plant  of 
Mrs.  Sinkins,  which  for  several  years  has  grown  bigger  and  bigger 
in  one  of  my  borders,  is  larger  than  ever  this  year,  and  has  more 
flowers  than  ever  before.  Many  a  sacrifice  has  it  to  offer  to  the 
Lares  and  Penates  in  the  shape  of  cut  blooms.  Some  day  it  will 
die  of  old  age,  but  we  hope  that  day  may  be  far  distant,  and  that 
younger  plants  may  then  be  able  to  suppl/  enough  of  the  odorous 
flowers.  Some  of  the  new  Pinks  raided  by  Mr.  Ladhams  and 
others  are  of  the  highest  merit  in  the  garden. 
Following  use  and  wont  it  will  not  do,  however,  to  write  at  • 
large  of  the  Pink,  and  one  may  aptly  speak  of  one  of  the  genus 
to  which  it  belongs.  This  is  Dianlhns  superbus,  the  Fringed 
Pink,  which,  by  reason  of  its  generally  short-lived  nature,  is  not  so 
often  seen  in  gardens  as  it  ought  to  be.  This  is  not  because  of  its 
delicacy  or  inability  to  stand  cold,  but  probably  because  of  its  less 
truly  perennial  habit.  It  is  said  to  be  a  perennial  in  light,  dry 
soils,  but  experience  in  my  garden  and  els s where  does  not  bear 
this  out.  Last  year  I  saw  it  in  Ireland  planted  in  a  small 
bog  in  a  rock  garden,  where  it  would  not  be  crowded  with  other 
plants,  and  where  its  seed  would  fall  and  be  likely  to  germinate 
readily. 
It  had  been  planted  there  by  an  experienced  cultivator  of  such 
plants,  and  one  is  quite  prepared  to  find  such  a  method  of  cultivat¬ 
ing  this  pretty  Pink  prove  successful.  It  does  not  appear  to  be 
very  widely  known  among  growers  of  hardy  flowers,  so  that  this 
note  may  do  some  service  in  bringing  to  their  iiotice  a  flower  of 
distinct  appearance.  The  blooms  begin  to  appear  about  mid¬ 
summer.  They  may  be  called  rose-coloured,  and  have  the  petals 
cut  up  by  deep  divisions,  which  go  deeper  than  the  centre  of 
the  petal.  The  flowers  are  feathery,  and  are  produced  on  many- 
flowered  stems  10  to  18  inches  high.  The  leaves  are  narrow 
and  bright  green.  The  Fringed  Pink  is  easily  raised  from  seed, 
which  may  be  sown  in  spring  in  pots  or  pans,  or  in  the  open 
ground. 
Not  many  of  the  Irises  have  fragrant  flowers,  but  their  beauty 
of  form  and  bright  colouring  make  them  ever  attractive.  This  is 
emphatically  the  month  of  Irises,  when  the  different  Flag,  or 
German,  English,  and  Spanish  varieties  give  the  garden  much  of  its 
summer  glory.'  But  even  these,  numerous  as  are  their  varieties, 
form  only  a  portion  of  the  richness  of  the  material  for  gardening 
offered  by  the  Irises.  There  are  many  very  beautiful  species 
which  are  at  once  easy  to  cultivate  in  the  garden,  and  full  of 
elegance  and  grace  in  habit  and  colour.  Among  these  is  Iris 
Douglasiana,  a  Californian  species,  not  much  known,  and  not  so 
easily  procured  as  some. 
