February  13,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
147 
Wild  Flowers:  January, 
I  hope  during  the  months  of  this  year  to  give  .short  notes  on 
•our  native  flowering  plants,  and  shall  try  to  write  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  may  be  interesting  and*  useful,  especially  to 
the  younger  readers  of  the  Journal.  There  has  been  much 
written  at  different  times  as  to  what  young  gardener.s  should 
study.  Amongst  other  things  botany  has  been  included,  and  1 
think  rightly  so.  A  young  man  may  not  care  to  make  a  special 
study  of  it,  but  a  knowledge  of  the  natural  orders  of  our  native 
plants  will  often  be  found  of  great  value  in  help  ng  him  to  deter¬ 
mine  the  names  of  exotic  plants,  especially  among  the  herbaceous 
and  alpine  section.  To  give  an  instance.  A  gardener  known  to 
the  writer  was  looking  through  a  garden  with  the  owner.  AMien 
examining  the  herbaceous  borders  he  noticed  a  plant  in  flower 
^inknown  to  him.  Upon  inquiry  he  was  informed  that  it  was  a 
add  that  some  curious  names  came  to  light.  Many  owners  of 
I  gardens,  especially  ladies,  are  interested  in  wild  flowers. 
Although  a  knowledge  of  these  may  not  be  indispensable  to  a 
gardener,  nevertheless  he  will  often  find  that  it  may  be  greatly 
to  his  advantage. 
'Ihere  are  very  few  of  our  native  plants  in  bloom  during  the 
month  of  Januai-y,  and  some  of  these  we  are  apt  to  look  upon 
more  as  obnoxious  weeds  than  flowers.  The  common  Groundsel 
is  a  plant  that  everyone  is  familiar  with;  this  may  generally  be 
found  in  flower.  It  is  one  of  our  most  common  weeds  of  cultiva¬ 
tion,  but  it  has  some  showy  relations.  Our  greenhou.se 
Cinerarias,  which  are  so  useful  during  the  winter  and  spring 
months,  are  very  closely  allied  to  this  common  weed.  Poa  annua, 
a  small  growing  annual  grass,  is  another  plant  that  may  be  found 
in  flower  nearly  all  the  year  through.  It  may  he  found  in 
almost  every  part  of  the  globe.  In  gardens  it  is  a  most  trouble¬ 
some  weed.  It  is  said  to  be  a  chief  ingredient  in  the  grass  of 
some  of  the  London  parks.  The  common  Daisy,  Beilis  perennis, 
Apple,  Stirling  Castle. 
Verbascum.  The  gardener  intimated  that  he  thought  it  was 
wrongly  named,  but  was  assured  that  it  was  the  name  sent  with 
it  from  the  nursery. 
Although  he  did  not  know  the  plant,  he  explained  to  the 
gentleman  that  it  was  not  a  Verbascum,  as  the  structure  of  the 
plant  did  not  agree  to  the  natural  order  to  rvhich  the  Verbascum 
belonged,  the  specimen  in  question  having  a  square  stem, 
opposite  leaves,  a  four-lobed  ovary,  and  the  four  small  nuts  in  the 
bottom  of  the  calyx,  resembling  naked  seeds  ;  these  characters 
placing  the  plant  in  the  natural  order  Labiatse,  v  Inch  is  repre¬ 
sented  by  Salvia,  Lavender,  Eesemary,  Mint,  Thyme,  &c.  Other 
instances  could  be  given.  At  some  of  the  shows  held  during  the 
summer  and  autumn  months  prizes  are  offered  for  wild  flowers  ; 
in  some  cases  substantial  amounts.  Generally  these  are  for  the 
best  arranged  bouquets.  This  is  an  interesting  feature  at  the 
great  Shrewsbury  Show,  and  one  that  we  think  might  be 
enlarged. 
In  many  of  our  elementary  schools  a  greater  interest  is 
fostered  amongst  the  children  by  having  flower  gardens,  and  also 
shows,  for  wild  flowers.  At  a  show  of  this  kind  I  was  asked  to 
officiate  as  .iudge,  and  where  prizes  were  offered  for  twelve 
varieties  I  suggested  that  the  children  should  be  requested  to 
attach  the  names  as  far  as  they  could.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
(See  note  on  page  141.) 
may  often  be  found  in  flower  in  midwinter,  and  it  is  well  known 
to  all. 
This  small  plant,  however,  belongs  to  the  most  extensive 
family  among  flowering  plants.  Many  Avho  pluck  a  Daisy  look 
upon  it  as  an  individual  flower,  whereas  it  is  composed  of  a 
quantity  of  very  small  flowers,  tightly  compressed  into  a  head, 
and  is  known  as  a  composite  flower.  The  Shepherd’s  Purse, 
Cap.sella  Bursa-pastoris,  is  one  of  our  most  common  garden  weeds, 
and  blooms  nearly  all  the  year  round.  It  may  be  easily  recogniseil 
by  its  triangular  seed  pods,  wdiich  is  supposed  to  resemble  a 
shepherd’s  purse,  hence  its  common  name.  It  belongs  to  a  most 
important  family,  which  is  represented  in  our  gardens  by  all  the 
Cabbage  tribe.  Turnips,  Mustard,  and  Cress,  Radishes,  &c., 
among  vegetables;  Stocks,  Wallflowers,  Candytuft,  and  othei 
flowers.  One  other  flower  we  should  like  to  name,  and  that  is 
Ulex  europseus.  This  has  several  common  names,  used  in 
different  parts  of  the  country.  In  the  north  it  is  generally  called 
I  Whins  ;  other  names  are  Furze  and  Gorse.  This  flowers  generally 
j  in  early  spring,  but  sometimes  flowers  may  be  found  in  winter. 
I  This  is  a  more  showy  flower  than  others  mentioned,  but  perhaps 
it  is  too  common  to  be  much  appreciated.  It  is  a  member  of  the 
very  showy  and  most  useful  family,  the  Leguminosse. — Fiet,i> 
Botanist. 
