April  17,  1902. 
347 
■JOUBXAL  OF  HORTTOULTURE  AKD  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
po.sscssed  an  exact  kno\vledge  of  every  phase  of  liigli-class  life 
existing  in  his  day,  depicts  the  hci'ber  ”  ("  Garlande  of 
Laureli  ”) ; 
^Vith  alys  ensandid  about  in  compa.s 
The  hankie  enturfld  witli  .singular  solas, 
Knrailed  with  Roses  and  Vines  engrapid. 
It  was  a  new  comfort  of  sorrow  escapid. 
Here  we  liave  the  simple  “  herber  ”  of  former  days  isolated 
by  encompa.ssing  walks,  and  clothed  with  flowering  Jloses  and 
t  ines  in  fruit.  Hatves’  “  Pastime  of  Pleasure  ”  of  a  little  earlier 
date,  presents  a  flower  garden  extremely  florid  and  artificial. 
This  garden  : 
was  paynted  and  wrought  curyou.sly, 
In  dyvers  kiiottes  of  marvaylous  gretenes, 
Rampande  lyons  stode  up  womiersly 
Made  all  of  herbes  of  dulcet  swetenes, 
With  many  dragons  of  in.'u-vaylous  likene.s 
Of  dyvers  fioures  made  ful  craftely, 
Ry  Flora  coloured  with  colours  suudiy. 
It  also  contained  “  an  herbei'e'  fayre  and  quadrante,  set  all 
aboute  with  flowers  fragrante,”  as  well  as  a  dulcet  spring  and  a 
fountain  painted  blue  and  gold.  Churchwardens’  Accounts,  many 
Schizocodon  soldanelloides  (See  page  348.) 
of  which  exi.st',  come  into  the  range  of  this  section  of  the  subject, 
and  prove  that  vast  quantities  of  flowers  were  required  at 
particular  church  festivals,  one  of  the  chief  being  Poses,  wliich 
were  largely  employed  for  making  the  garlands  worn  bv  the 
clergy.  Torches  were  also  decorated  with  flowers. 
During  this  century,  too,  tJie  King.?  of  Scotland  endeavoured 
to  bring  that  country  into  line  with  England.  James  I.,  as 
Fordun  states,  taught  his  subjects  such  intricate  problems  in 
horticulture  as  gi’afting,  with  other  methods  pursued  by  English 
gardeners.  He,  moreover,  passed  a  law  to  compel  the  owners  of 
a  plough  and  cattle  to  plant  annually  a  firlot  (2  bushels)  of  Wheat, 
half  the  quantity  of  Pease,  and  “forty”  Beans.  This  law  was  re¬ 
enacted  by  his  son  in  1453,  who  added  to  it  another  requiring 
freeholders  to  plant  woods  and  trees,  to  make  hedges  and  plant 
Broom.  Yet  another  Act  of  this  year  ordered  tile  de.struction  of 
rooks  in  orchards  and  other  places'. 
James  III.,  as  Pitscottie  remarks,  was  fond  of  laying  out 
gardens:  and  James  IV.,  in  1503,  was  obliged  to  enact  a  law 
again.st  “breakers”  of  orchards  and  gardens,  and  it  was  ordered 
tliat  those  “  lords  and  lairds”  who  hitherto  had  not  moved  in  the 
matter  should  “  make  them  to  liave  parkes  of  deare,  stancks  (fish¬ 
ponds),  cunningars  (rabbit  warrens),  dowcottes  (dovecots), 
orcliards,  hedges,  and  to  plant  at  lea.st  one  aicker  of  woods.” 
Hundreds  of  extensive  parks  had  already  been  enclosed  in 
I'.'ngland  and  tenanted  by  deer,  and  rabbit  warrens  also 
instituted. 
A  delightful  description  of  a  garden  was  written  by  a  Scots 
bishop,  Gawain  Douglas.  The  language,  unfortunately,  is 
friglitfully  Archaic,  and  defies  transcription,  otherwi.se  it  is  as 
fresh  and  natural  as  that  of  Hawes  is  dull  and  stilted.  Ivy  grew 
rankly  on  the  castle  wall,  and  Viue.s  were  trained  on  trelli.ses. 
Flowers  were  of  many  colours,  some  pink,  others  buriiet,  blue. 
gre3',  red,  purple,  blood,  brown,  3’ellow,  sky-blue,  sea-blue,  gold, 
or  freckled  red  and  white.  Gold-cups,  Camomile,  Iris  floi'en- 
tina,  Hesperis  matronalis.  Columbines,  Strawbernes,  Gilliflowers, 
Primroses,  Violets,  Poses,  and  white  Lilies,  are  some  of  the 
plants.  Poultry  wandered  among  the  vegetables,  picking  up  their 
food  along  the  alleys.  There,  too,  the  painted  peacock  unfolded 
his  tail.  Endless  birds  worked  crafty"  ne.sts  on  the  trees,  each 
one  rejoicing  with  its  mate,  Avhile  under  tlie  trees  in  the  park, 
close  of  pales,  bucks,  harts,  red  hinds,  and  dun  does,  with  calves 
and  faAvns,  wandered  or  played. 
In  1513,  the  time  this  was  Avritten,  300  AjAples  cost  in  Scot¬ 
land  6s.,  sufficient  Saffron  for  Christmas  a  like  sum,  and  Onions 
Avere  3d.  per  lb. — B. 
Notes  on  Hardy  Flowers. 
Primula  megaseaefolla. 
The  appearance  of  this  Primula  at  one  of  the  R.H.S.  meetings 
in  the  course  of  last  spring,  and  the  publicity  given  to  it  by  the 
notices  and  illustrations  in  the  horticultural  press,  have  made 
man.v  hardy  plant  groAvers  interested  in  such  a  distinct-looking 
Primrose.  I  had  received  a  plant  from  the  introducer,  Mr.  C. 
Sprenger  just  a  short  time  before  Miss  Willmott  showed  her 
plant ;  but  mine  had  rather  suffered  in  transit  from  Italy,  and 
the  floAvers  it  had  formed  had  not  exiianded,  the  scape  decajdng 
before  the  floAvers  could  open.  Late  in  autumn,  lioAAeAmr,  niA' 
plant,  then  groAving  in  a  shadj"  and  moist  place,  began  to  give 
me  some  of  its  pretty  purple  floAvers.  Unfortunately  the  Aveather 
Avas  A'erj^  unfavourable  for  Avinter  blooming  plants  outside,  and 
one  Avas  grteved  to  see  that  it  could  not  display  its  bloom  to 
adA'antage,  as  thej"  fell  victims  to  the  Amrious  A'icissitudes  Avhich 
aAvait  such  things  when  frost  and  rain  are  alternately  striAung 
for  the  mastery.  So  far  as  the  Avinter  has  gone,  it  is,  hoAvever, 
standing  the  frost  quite  Avell,  and  as  this  is  Avritten  it  is  snug 
under  snow,  and  so  is  likeh'  to  pass  safely  throAigh  a  most  trA'ing 
season  unprotected  otherAvise.  It  is,  I  should  say,  a  better  plant 
for  a  cool  or  cold  house  or  a  slightlj'  heated  frame  than  for  the 
open  air  in  a  season  such  as  this  has  been.  It  is  a  most  distinct 
Primrose,  AA'ith  its  rounded  leaves  reminding  one  of  the  Magaseas. 
Avhich  feature  has  given  it  its  siDecific  name  of  megaseaefolia.  This 
has  tAvo  variants — megassefolia  and  megascifolia — but  the  other  is 
the  spelling  of  the  “  Index  KeAvensis.”  I  understand  that  the 
stock  Avhich  has  been  introduced  comes  from  Persia,  but  the  plant 
is  said  by  Boissier  to  groAv  near  Bhizeh  in  moist,  shady  gorges, 
Avhere  it  flowers  in  May.  I  am  in  Iiope  that  I  may  have  a  second 
bloom  from  my  plant  Avhen  spring  fairly  comes  in. 
liilium  pai'dalinum. 
I  doubt  much  if  the  Lil^^  Conference  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Societj^  excited  as  much  interest  among  the  fraternity  of 
gardeners  as  its  promoters  desired,  and  had  a  right,  it  may  be, 
to  expect.  Still,  it  has  had  the  effect-  of  again  holding  up  the 
banner  of  the  Lily,  and,  if  it  had  done  nothing  more,  AA  ould  have 
repaid  the  trouble  and  expense  by  being  the  source  of  the  most 
valuable  information  embodied  in  the  Journal  of  the  Rojml  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society.  A  Society  aa  hich  can  produce  such  a  Avork  as  this 
is  deserving  of  the  support  of  all  interested  in  floAvers.  Yet,  aa  hen 
all  is  said,  the  Lilium,  as  a  aa  hole,  does  not  occupy  the  place  in 
gardens  it  ought  to  do,  and  one  thinks  no  apology  is  needed  for 
speaking  of  the  variable,  but  effective  and  beautiful,  L.  parda- 
linum,  or  the  Panther  Lily,  as  it  is  called.  Its  hardiness  seems 
unquestionable,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  failures  AA'ith  it  arc 
mainly  due  to  Avant  of  proper  moisture  at  all  seasons.  In  some 
gardens,  Avith  rather  heavy  soils,  it  can  be  groAvn  in  the  ordinary’ 
border;  but  it  requires  plenty  of  moisture  to  do  it  justice,  and 
its  proper  place  seems  to  be  by  the  stream  or  pond,  or  in  a  peaty- 
bed,  specially  prepared,  Avhere  it  can  be  kept  moist  at  all  times 
Avhen  required.  My  garden,  Avith  its  di-y  subsoil,  is  one  of  the 
last  places  one  Avould  expect  L.  pardalinum  to  do  in ;  but  it  is 
doing  well,  although  this  is,  I  am  certain,  due  to  the  special  con¬ 
ditions  under  Avhich  it  is  groAvn.  It  is  planted  on  the  cement 
“shelf”  at  the  side  of  a  small  aquatic  pool,  Avliere  it  is  in  Avet. 
rather  than  moist,  soil.  The  soil  is  but  shalloAv,  and  in  some 
places  the  bulbs  are  just  covered  Avith  soil  above,  and  are  almost 
touching  the  concrete  beneath.  In  this  position  it  has  attained 
from  strong  bulbs  as  much  as  upAvards  of  5ft  in  height,  and  has 
increased  rapidly  at  the  base,  so  that  Avere  it  to  be  lifted  iioav 
the  increase  of  bulbs  AA’ould  be  remarkable.  It  is  just,  hoAA-ever, 
under  these  conditions  of  moisture  that  it  grows  best  a,t  home. 
Lilium  pardalinum  is  very-  variable,  and  scA'cral  A’arieties  haA'e 
been  given  names.  One  often,  hoAvever,  meets  Avith  a  good  form 
procured  under  the  name  of  the  type,  although  that  knoAAm  as 
is  s*  fiii0  oiiG.  It  is  cis  cill  tli^  foiiTis  ^\itn 
their  AmlloAvish-red  or  deejier  red  floAvers,  recurved  at  the  tips, 
and  plentifully  spotted  with  purple.— S.  Aknott. 
