246 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  9,  1897. 
F.  Hardy,  Esq  ,  Tyntesfield,  Ashton-on-Mersey,  sent  a  few  Orchids  (silver 
Flora  medal),  as  did  one  or  two  other  exhibitors,  including  Mr.  F.  J. 
Thorne,  gardener  to  Major  Joicey,  Sunningdale  Park,  who  exhibited  a 
splendid  specimen  of  Acineta  bicolor. 
Certificates  and  Awards  of  Merit. 
Cattleya  Euphrasia  (J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.).— A  superb  hybrid  result¬ 
ing  from  a  cross  between  C.  superba  and  C.  Warscewiczi.  The  sepals 
and  petals  are  rich  rose  purple,  and  the  magnificent  lip  deep  velvety 
crimson  with  a  lemon  coloured  throat  (first-class  certificate). 
Dahlia  F.  C.  Pawle  (.1.  Cheal  &  Sons). — A  handsome  Cactus  variety 
of  good  substance.  The  colour  is  rich  crimson,  occasionally  flushed  with 
purple  (award  of  merit). 
Hibiscus  Manihot  (.1.  Fulford).— A  beautiful  flower,  pure  yellow  in 
colour.  IVhen  the  bud  is  expanding  it  has  much  the  appearance  of  an 
Flvening  Primrose  (award  of  merit). 
Michaelmas  Daisy  Mrs.  W.  Peters  (W.  Peters). — A  seedling  with  white 
flowers.  The  height  is  about  2  feet,  and  the  plant  is  extremely  floriferous 
(award  of  merit). 
Nepenthes  Tiveyi  (.1.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.).^ — New  Nepenthes  are  seldom 
seen.  The  one  under  notice  resulted  from  a  cross  between  N.  Veitchi 
and  N.  Curtisi  superba.  The  pitchers  are  medium  to  large  in  size,  and 
wonderfully  even  in  shape.  The  ground  colour  is  pale  green,  and  the 
profuse  marking  chocolate  brown  (first-class  certificate). 
Ehynchostylis  ccelestis  Cambridge  Lodge  var.  (H.  J.  Chapman). — This  is 
a  dark  form  of  the  type  (award  of  merit). 
BRIEF  NOTES  ON  ALPINE  FLOWERS. 
{Continued  from  page  168.) 
Acantholimon  glumacbum. 
This  “Prickly  Thrift”  is  by  no  means  a  rare  plant,  nor  one  which 
is  difficult  to  grow.  While  it  is  thus  less  likely  to  be  coveted  by  growers 
of  rare  alpines,  it  is  one  of  the  almost  indispensable  plants  for  the  rock 
garden.  It  much  resembles  in  fiower  an  abnormally  dwarf  Statice,  and 
has,  indeed,  been  by  some  included  with  these  plants  under  the  name  of 
Statice  Ararati. 
A  native  of  Armenia,  it  is  quite  hardy,  although  sometimes  injured  by 
frost  in  severe  winters.  It  forms  a  neat  mound  of  narrow  and  crowded 
leaves,  spiny  at  the  points.  The  flowers  are  of  a  rose  colour,  and  are 
produced  on  spikes,  which  rise  a  little  above  the  tufts  of  leaves.  The 
whole  plant  is  only  about  6  inches  in  height.  A.  glumaceum  prefers  a 
light  well-drained  soil,  but  is  none  the  worse  for  having  a  fair  supply  of 
water  in  summer,  provided  the  position  is  a  sunny  one.  This  full 
exposure  to  the  sun  ought  to  be  secured  in  any  soil.  The  Prickly  Thrift 
is  valuable  for  slopes  or  terraces  of  the  rock  garden,  or  for  rockwork 
edgings  to  walks.  It  is  much  more  easily  grown  than  its  scarce  and 
difficult  congener,  A.  venustum.  It  is  increased  by  cuttings. 
Achillea  ageratifolia. 
This  Greek  Achillea  is  but  seldom  met  with  under  Bentham  and 
Hooker's  name  of  A.  ageratifolia,  Grisebach’s  one  of  Anthemis  Aizoon 
being  more  commonly  followed  in  garden  practice.  It  is  a  very  desirable 
little  plant,  and  certain  to  be  appreciated  by  those  who  like  modest  yet 
attractive  beauty  in  foliage  and  flower.  The  flowers  themselves  are  some¬ 
thing  like  those  of  a  white  Daisy  in  general  appearance,  with  fourteen  to 
eighteen  broad  ray  florets.  The  leaves  are  equally  attractive  from  their 
whiteness  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  serrated.  The  whiteness  is 
caused,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  by  the  presence  of  a  down  on  the 
leaves.  A.  ageratifolia  grows  about  4  inches  high.  It  likes  a  moderately 
light  and  dry  soil,  and  fiowers  well  in  one  with  limestone  or  chalk  among 
it.  It  is  a  little  tender  in  some  localities,  and  is  occasionally  lost  in  others 
from  the  effect  of  excessive  rains  in  winter. 
Convolvulus  lineatus. 
The  “  Pigmy  Convolvulus,”  as  it  is  occasionally  called,  is  a  pretty  little 
plant  which  is,  unfortunately,  the  cause  of  much  trouble  and  disappoint¬ 
ment  to  its  owners.  This  is  principally  due  to  its  shy-flowering  habit  in 
a  large  number  of  gardens.  I  have  been  often  asked  about  this,  but  it 
would  be  affectation  to  say  that  one  is  able  to  prescribe  an  unfailing 
cure  for  so  great  a  defect.  The  more  we  know  of  some  flowers  the  less 
likely  are  we  to  dogmatise  on  the  score  of  their  requirements,  or  to  say 
that  a  certain  treatment  will  insure  success.  J  udging  from  considerable 
observation  of  this  little  Convolvulus,  I  think,  however,  that  a  good  firm 
soil  well  drained,  but  with  an  ample  supply  of  water  in  summer,  is  most 
likely  to  give  satisfactory  results. 
( )n  a  poor  and  rather  dry  soil  it  seldom  gives  much  satisfaction,  and 
in  such  its  habit  of  sending  out  underground  runners,  a  feature  on  all 
soils  but  even  more  marked  on  a  poor  one,  suggests  better  feeding  than 
the  plant  generally  receives.  This  running  habit  makes  it  troublesome 
among  other  dwarf  flowers,  but  may  be  counteracted  by  enclosing  the 
plant  so  that  its  runners  cannot  trespass  upon  others.  When  this  is  done 
it  may  become  partially  exhausted  and  should  be  lifted  every  few  years, 
reduced,  and  replanted  in  fresh  soil.  The  whole  plant  only  grows  from 
3  to  6  inches  high,  and  a  mass  looks  very  pretty  with  its  lance-shaped 
silky  leaves.  The  flowers  are  a  pretty  rose  and  are  nearly  an  inch 
across. 
Erica  vagans  alba. 
Heaths  are  of  the  utmost  value  in  the  rock  garden,  their  generally 
neat  habit  and  profuse  flowering  making  them  unfailing  favourites.  The 
number  of  species  and  varieties  is  large,  and  all  the  hardy  ones  can  be 
utilised  with  advantage  where  there  is  sufficient  space.  The  white 
variety  of  E.  vagans,  the  Cornish  Heath,  finds  much  favour  either  in  or 
out  of  flower.  As  these  lines  are  written  a  large  plant  crowning  the 
summit  of  a  rockery  is  very  handsome,  with  its  racemes  of  white 
flowers  with  pro  ecting  chocolate-coloured  anthers.  In  a  rather 
dry  place,  it  flowers  well  every  year,  but  requires  in  continued  dry 
weather  an  occasional  soaking  with  \vater.  One  hot  summer  this  was 
neglected,  with  the  result  that  it  took  the  plant  a  year  or  tvvo  to  recover 
properly  from  the  effects  of  the  drought. 
E.  vagans  alba  is  not  at  all  difficult  to  obtain,  and  if  increase  of  stock 
is  required  division  of  established  plants  may  be  practised.  Space  will 
not  permit  of  dealing  with  some  other  useful  Heaths,  but  one  may 
mention  that  one  of  the  best  of  the  white -flowered  plants  of  the  same 
natural  order  is  Calluna  vulgaris  Hammondi,  generally  a  most  satisfactory 
plant  for  autumn  bloom. — Alpinus. 
(To  bi  continued.) 
EATON  HALL. 
The  palatial  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Westminster  is  about  three  miles 
from  the  ancient  City  of  Chester,  with  its  cathedral  and  Roman  walls. 
Visitors  from  Chester  may  enter  the  park  by  the  Overleigh  Gates,  just 
without  the  City,  or  may  go  by  steamer  up  the  classical  River  Dee  to 
Eccleston  Ferry,  a  few  minutes’  walk  from  the  Hall.  As  is  well  known, 
his  Grace  is  reckoned  to  be  the  richest  man  in  England.  His  income 
from  London  pi'operty  alone  is  estimated  at  .£800,000  per  annum. 
The  family  of  Grosvenor,  Dukes  and  Marquises  of  Westminster,  is 
descended  from  Gilbert  Le  Grosvenor,  who  came  over  with  William  the 
Conqueror.  They  were  people  of  high  standing  in  Normandy  for 
150  years  anterior  to  the  Norman  Conquest,  and  held  the  high  and 
honourable  office  of  Le  Grovenour.  Gilbert  Le  Grosvenor,  according  to 
“  Collins’  Peerage,”  was  nephew  of  Hugh  Lupus,  the  great  Earl  of  Chester, 
who  was  nephew  of  William  the  Conqueror,  his  father  being  Richard 
Earl  of  Avranches  in  Normandy,  and  his  mother  Emma,  the  King's 
sister.  Hugh  Lupus  was  invested  with  the  Earldom  of  Chester  in  1070 
by  his  uncle,  and  had  jurisdiction  over  all  Barons  within  the  county, 
excepting  the  Bishop.  A  bronze  equestrian  statue  of  Hugh  Lupus  stands 
in  the  courtyard  of  Eaton. 
It  is  not  of  the  glories  of  Eaton  that  1  intend  to  write.  My  visit 
being  a  hurried  one  I  am  only  able  to  record  indifferently  what  I  saw  in 
the  large  corridor  and  a  few  plant  houses  around.  The  corridor,  running 
from  north  to  south,  is  3G0  feet  long,  12  feet  wide,  and  about  20  feet  high. 
It  has  narrow  borders  on  each  side  of  the  broad  walk,  in  which  are 
planted  climbers  which  hang  in  graceful  negligence  overhead.  Amongst 
the  large  plants  in  flower  were  Fuchsia  corallina  and  F.  fulgens,  hanging 
in  pendulous  racemes  ;  three  large  plants  of  Bougainvillea  glabra, 
remarkable  for  the  intense  mauve  colour  of  the  bracts.  This  is  evidently 
the  result  of  cool  treatment  and  abundance  of  light,  as  grown  in  a 
stove  we  heard  complaints  of  the  dullness  of  their  colour.  A  large  Plum¬ 
bago  capensis  was  full  of  its  cold  pale  blue  flowers  ;  Cassia  corymbosa 
was  a  mass  of  gold  ;  Brugmansia  suaveolens  was  drooping  with  its  long 
white  trumpet  flowers.  A  large  Heliotrope  added  its  beauty  and 
fragrance  to  the  scene.  Abutilon  Boule  de  Neige  was  truly  named  a  ball 
of  snow.  Amongst  other  plants  clothing  the  sides  and  roof  of  the 
corridor  were  Cobcea  scandens  variegata  and  Oleanders.  The  pathway 
borders  were  gay  with  large  plants  of  Liliums  speciosum  rubrum  and 
speciosum  Kraetzeri,  Campanula  pyramidalis  in  10-inch  pots  with  an 
average  of  six  spikes  of  bloom  to  each  plant,  also  rich  Cannas  and 
gracetul  Fuchsias. 
On  the  eastern  side  of  the  coiwidor  is  a  delightful  Water  Lily  house, 
about  40  feet  long  by  30  feet  in  breadth.  The  sides  of  the  tank  are 
about  3  feet  above  the  pathway  which  runs  around  the  house,  which  has 
side  stages.  The  tank  occupies  the  whole  centre  of  the  house,  and  its 
sides  are  fringed  with  Ferns,  Tradescantia,  and  Panicum.  At  intervals 
rising  from  this  leafy  groundwork  are  miniature  groups  of  Achimenes, 
Gloxinias,  and  Capsicum  Prince  of  Wales,  profusely  berried  ;  also 
Crotons,  and  Clerodendron  fallax  in  full  flower.  Up  the  pillars  around 
the  tank  are  entwined  Thunbergia  alata  and  T.  alata  alba.  Festooning  the 
roof  Bignonia  venusta  is  laden  with  its  purple  towers,  and  Jasmin um 
grandiflorum  emits  its  sweet  perfume.  Several  large  hanging  baskets  are 
suspended  from  the  apex  of  the  roof,  all  excepting  two  being  Achimenes, 
and  these  two  Microlepia  hirta  cristata. 
I  noticed  close  to  the  corridor  a  houseful  of  flowering  Cannas,  and 
another  of  Plumbago  rosea  for  winter  flowering  in  6  and  8-inch  pots. 
Suspended  from  the  roof  in  this  house  were  hanging  baskets  of  Asparagus 
defiexus,  and  on  the  shelf  Smilax  asparagoides  for  cutting.  Another 
house  was  full  of  Eranthemum  pulchellum  and  Bouvai’dias  for  winter 
►'owerii.g  ;  the  rafters  were  clothed  with  Dipladenia  boliviensis  in  profuse 
flo-wer.  I  observed  in  another  house  a  portion  of  the  Malmaison 
Carnations  that  were  awarded  the  gold  medal  at  the  last  Chester  show, 
and  had  recently  been  placed  in  8-inch  pots. 
The  fruit  houses.  Orchid  houses,  kitchen  garden,  and  parterre  I 
do  not  presume  to  describe,  but  Rave  them  to  others  with  more  time 
and  facile  pens  ;  but  1  can  say  there  is  no  question  but  that  the  ducal 
gardens  are  ably  managed  by  Mr.  Barnes,  who  is  equal  to  his  duties 
and  the  control  of  the  fifty  men  w  ho  are  employed  in  their  keeping  -  - 
F.  Street. 
