JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  15,  1901, 
HS 
Zephyranthes  Candida _ As  an  edging  to  narrow  borders,  this 
dwarf  bulbous  plant  is  frequently  employed.  The  flowers  are  white,  as 
the  specific  name  indicates  ;  and  of  the  Zephyr  flowers  it  is  perhaps  the 
best  known,  and  the  finest.  The  pretty  Amaryllidaoeous  flowers  appear 
in  September,  on  stalks  9  inches  long,  but  they  are  scentless.  It 
receives  the  common  appellalion  of  Swamp  Lily  in  its  native  habitat  by 
the  marshes  of  La  Plata,  and  under  cultivation  a  soil  with  moist  bottom 
is  preferable. 
The  Tellow  Flax  (llnum  flavum). — The  golden  or  yellow- 
blossomed  Flax  is  a  rich  shrubby  perennial,  easily  raised  from  seeds, 
and  just  now  forming  glowing  masses  of  yellow  flowers  in  the  sunshine. 
It  is  very  handsome  on  rock  borders  or  stone  edgings,  but  may  be 
grown  almost  everywhere  in  the  garden.  A  white-flowered  species 
(L.  monogynum)  from  New  Zealand  is  of  similar  but  more  slender 
habit,  with  grey  leaves,  and  makes  a  good  and  free-blooming  companion 
for  the  yellow  kind,  both  lasting  in  flower  for  a  long  time. 
Flowers  In  Season. — Pentstemon  barbatus  cannot  be  excelled 
amorigst  crimson  flowered  plants  possessed  of  graceful  mien,  nor  from 
amongst  blues  could  olo  choose  a  finer  subject  than  Salvia  virgata. 
The  latter  forms  dense  massive  bushes,  and  yearly  throws  up  long 
showy  spikes  of  flowers  that  have  a  markedly  fine  effect  in  borders. 
The  Yerbaecums  and  QEnotheras  furnish  some  good  yellow-flowered 
subjects.  The  Verbascums  are,  however,  almost  past,  though  Y.  nigrum, 
dwaifer  than  most  of  them,  and  Y.  Lychnites,  a  distinctly  good  sort, 
are  still  in  fairly  good  condition.  Y.  Cbaixi  and  V.  phlomoides,  besides 
the  common  MnlleiD,  are  all  worthy  of  notice.  The  dry  weather  has 
had  a  very  marked  effect  on  them,  however,  and  not  at  any  time  this 
year  have  they  been  at  their  fullest  beauty.  Lathyrus  latifolius  and 
L.  rotundifolius,  together  with  a  few  notable  Veronicas,  furnish  other 
valuable  plant  flowers  at  this  season. 
Rhododendron  balsamlnaeflorum. — It  was  a  great  day  for  the 
hybridieer  when  he  first  saw  the  Balsam-flowered  intermediate  house 
Rhododendron  expand.  The  Chelsea  nursery  of  the  Veitchian  firm 
have  been  quite  alone  in  introducing  this  remarkably  handsome  section 
of  the  genus,  and  annually  we  are  delighted  to  find  improved  varieties 
of  great  distinctiveness  being  brought  forward.  Happily  this  warm 
greenhouse  or  intermediate  house  species  and  varieties  are  becoming 
more  fully  understood  and  their  needs  catered  for  by  cultivators.  The 
Journal  of  Borticultur  e  furnished  cultural  data  on  March  7th,  1901. 
As  this  section  of  Rhododendron  flowers  the  whole  year  round,  the 
man  who  can  grow  these  well  need  never  be  without  a  few  trusses  of 
beautifully  coloured  and  sweetly  perfumed  flowers  of  very  superior 
and  rare  qualities.  “  The  balsamic asflorum  section  contains  only 
five  varieties,  all  double.  They  must  not  be  confused  with  the  hardy 
R.  indicum  balsaminaeflorum.”  The  section  was  first  derived  from 
a  somewhat  malformed  semi-double  flower  whose  stamens  had  become 
somewhat  petaloid.  Seed  was  saved  from  the  capsule,  and  nearly 
every  one  of  the  fifteen  seedlings  that  eventually  reached  the  flowering 
stage  had  double  flowers. 
Two  Beautiful  Native  Weeds — These  are  the  Viper’s  Bugloss 
(Echium  vulgare)  and  the  common  Chicory  (Chicorium  intybus),  both 
now  very  handsome,  bearing  their  tall  and  slender  spires  thick  set  with 
blue  flowers.  They  are  both  easily  reared  or  established  on  dry  grassy 
banks  or  on  natural  reeky  declivities  in  the  sunshine,  by  sowing  their 
seeds  as  soon  as  they  are  ripe.  Our  plan  is  to  mix  the  ripe  seeds 
thoroughly  well  in  a  wheelbarrowload  of  finely  sifted  soil,  and  then 
scatter  the  whole  in  craoks  and  chinks,  or  crevices  where  it  is  desired 
that  they  should  grow.  No  soil  seems  too  dry  and  barren  or  too  hot 
and  sandy  for  these  plants,  as  they  belong  to  vigorous  habited  groups 
of  our  native  weeds,  so-called,  that  become  more  bright  and  flowery  the 
more  they  are  sun-scorched  or  starved  into  beauty.  A  writer  to  “  The 
Field  ”  says  that  he  once  saw  a  patch  of  seashore  covered  with  these 
two  plants,  with  the  Great  Horned  Poppy  (Glaucium  luteum)  and  the 
Sea  Holly  (Eryngium  maritimum)  growing  amongst  them,  and  the 
effect  was  very  lovely,  being  varied  here  and  there  by  little  grassy 
knolls  or  hummocky  banks  of  the  oommon  wild  Thyme,  which,  like  the 
Viper’s  Bugloss,  is  beloved  of  the  bees. 
A  Handsome  Turkey  Oak. — Lady  Churston,  writing  to  the- 
“  Field,”  states  that  at  Lupton,  near  Churston,  in  Devon,  there  is  a 
very  beautiful  example  of  this  tree,  the  lower  branohes  of  which' 
sweep  to  the  ground,  and  the  umbrage  of  the  tree  is  130  yards  in 
circumference.  Its  trunk  has  a  girth  of  15  feet,  and  the  total  height 
of  the  tree  is  90  feet  to  95  feet.  There  may  be  larger  and  taller  trees 
of  this  kind  in  Great  Britain  or  Ireland,  and  trees  containing  more 
timber  from  the  woodman’s  point  of  view,  .but  we  are  sure  many 
proprietors  and  tree  lovers  would  like  to  pride  themselves  on  such  an 
object  of  beauty  in  their  grounds. 
Currants. — Currants  were  formerly  small  Grapes  grown  near 
Corinth,  hence  their  name.  The  fruit  is  easily  grown  in  the  northern 
parts  of  Great  Britain.  The  White  and  Red  Currants  contain  similar 
properties.  They  contain  malic  and  citric  acid.  The  jelly  made  from 
them  is  excellent  in  fevers.  The  fruit  relieves  constipation,  says  Mr. 
Broadbent,  and  purifies  the  blood.  The  Black  Currant  is  deservedly 
prized  for  its  usefulness  in  colds.  It  is  laxative  and  cooling.  The  jelly 
has  long  been  used  for  quinsy  and  sore  throat.  It  should  not  be  made 
with  too  much  sugar,  or  its  medicinal  properties  will  be  impaired.  A 
teaspoonful  two  or  three  times  a  day  may  be  given  with  advantage  to 
ohildren  with  thrush. 
Borage  :  a  “  Homely”  Plant. — I  say  “homely,”  and  this  is 
passable,  for  Borage  (Borago  officinalis)  is  found  somewhere  in  all* 
gardens,  whether  it  be  a  cottager’s  or  that  of  a  mighty  lord.  It  has 
a  modesty  which  causes  it  to  bend  its  flowers  downward  and  away  from 
direct  observation.  Naturally  we  do  not  regard  this  in  the  light  of  a 
quality.  When  plucked  and  looked  into,  however,  the  blossoms  are  very 
attractive.  The  colour  is  of  the  deepest  sky-blue  with  a  dash  of 
gentian,  and  the  edges  of  the  petals  are  exquisitely  cut,  sharp  and 
keen,  running  acutely  to  a  point.  The  black  anthers,  about  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  long,  form  a  circular  guard  around  the  stigma,  and  their  bases 
are  “  wadded  ”  round  in  a  cushion  of  whiteness.  Borage  is  largely 
cultivated  for  bee  feeding.  Insects  probing  for  honey  dislocate  the 
stamens  and  receive  a  shower  of  pollen. 
Romneya  Coulterl. — A  large  specimen  of  this  showy  Californian 
Poppy  is  flowering  freely  in  the  Berberis  dell  at  Kew,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  striking  of  outdoor  flowering  plants.  It  has  been  in  cultivation 
about  twenty-five  years,  but  until  recently  was  but  rarely  seen.  Like 
many  other  showy  subjects  from  the  same  oountry,  it  is  a  little  tender, 
and  should  not  be  planted  in  a  cold  situation.  Even  in  a  sheltered 
position  a  little  protection  is  necessary  in  early  spring  ;  as  growth  com¬ 
mences  early  and  young,  soft  shoots  are  liable  to  injury  from  late  frosts. 
Both  from  a  foliage  and  flowering  point  of  view  it  is  very  striking,  the 
leaves  being  glaucous  and  prettily  divided,  while  the  flowers  are 
5  to  6  inches  across,  with  pure  white  petals,  and  a  large  mass  of  golden 
stamens.  It  succeeds  in  good  loam,  and  in  the  southern  counties  does 
well  in  the  open  garden  providing  the  necessary  shelter  is  provided  in 
spring.  It  is  essentially  herbaceous  in  character,  though  occasional 
examples  are  found  that  have  made  perennial  stems. — W.  D. 
IVT y  Carden:  “A  Poor  1  hlng,  but  Aline  Own.” — It  borders 
the  King’s  highway;  a  railing  divides  it  from  the  asphalt  pedes¬ 
trian  way.  It  consists  of  an  oval  bed  of  very  moderate  dimensions, 
situate  in  front  of  the  cottage  window,  and  its  contents  are  the  familiar 
Marguerites,  attacked,  alas  !  by  the  composite  leaf-miner,  and  thereby 
disfigured.  Around  the  Marguerites  are  Henry  Jacoby  Geraniums  (or 
Pelargoniums,  as  the  Editor  will  have  one  say),  and  forming  an  outer¬ 
most  border  we  have  Golden  Feather,  and  our  old  friend  the  dwarf 
blue  Lobelia.  It  is  a  homely  plot,  indeed  very  homely,  yet  is  the  best 
and  brightest  “  in  our  street,” — at  least  to  me.  But  I  have  more  than 
this,  I  have  a  little  border  that  runs  from  the  railing  bordering  the 
pavement,  back  to  the  wall  of  the  house,  and  there — what  ?  It  stops, 
Yet  here  are  Euonymuses,  Carnations,  Tobacco  plants,  Sweet  Peas, 
Scabiosas,  and  a  glorious  sj:  ecimen  of  the  white  Jasmine,  that  has  grown 
and  spread  in  tip-top  style  since  two  years  ago,  when  I  planted  it  as  a 
mere  slip.  We  have  Gladioli  galore  just  against  the  steps  leading  up  to 
the  front  door,  and  I  see  the  boldly  climbing  Tropseolums,  with  their 
gorgeous  flowers  are  gradually  hiding  the  handrail  to  right  and  left.  A 
fortnight  ago  we  furnished  a  Rose  show,  free  for  inspection  (and 
appreciated)  by  everybody  who  passed.  The  Rose  show  consisted  of 
one  variety  only,  in  the  form  of  a  really  handsome  wall  specimen  of 
Rosa  polyantha  White  Pet.  It  covered  the  whole  front  of  my  neat  little 
cottage  home,  and  bears  hundreds,  or  I  might  say  thousands,  of  its 
pretty  white  flowers  every  summer.  And  so  I  might  go  on,  but  who 
would  follow  me  ?  Yet  it  is  such  a  dear  little  garden,  all  my  own. — D. 
