112 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Fcljiuary  5,  1EC3. 
be.  Herein  is  the  keynote  to  harmonious  work  that  one  may, 
nearer  home,  act  more  in  unison  with  those  grand  underlying 
principles  instead  of  violently  opposing  them.  Happily, 
object  lessons  by  gifted  pupils  of  the  great  teacher  are  not 
wanting  ;  yet,  unfortunately,  all  cannot  see  them,  nor  can 
all  grasp  the  lessons  thej^  inculcate.  In  some  old-world 
demesnes  the  natural  spirit  of  gardening  has  been  allowed 
to  roam  by  woodland  walk,  o’er  grassy  dell,  by  sedgy  mere 
and  murmuring  rill,  to  the  end  that  a  sense  of  harmony,  all  un¬ 
consciously,  perhaps,  steals  upon  the  visitor.  Analyse  it  if 
you  will,  portray  it  if  you  can,  yet  it  is  n.erely  that  there  are 
common  things  disposed  with  that  inimitable  grace  and 
happy  abandon  wherein  consists  their  charm. 
With  men  manacled  to  fashion  no  preacher  of  the  new 
gospel— which,  indeed,  is  but  an  old,  old  story— dares  hope 
to  break  the  fetters  of  orthodoxy.  Yet  is  there  a  new  genera¬ 
tion  of  gardeners  springing  up  with  wdiom  the  dotting, 
dribbling  mixtures  of  clipper  and  crowded  cropping  may 
come  to  be  regarded  as  an  utter  abomination.  It  is  the 
young  gardener’s  birthright  to  shake  off  the  shackles  which 
custom  will,  by  hereditary  transmission,  endeavour  to 
environ  him,  and  to  embellish  his  life’s  work  by  the  aid  of 
a  higher  ritual  than  the  obsolete  articles  of  a  bigoted  faith 
in  rigid  curtailment  *and  geometrical  precision.  What  grand 
opportunities  are  now  presented  in  the  culture  of  hardy 
plants  to  break  down  the  barriers  of  Puritanical  prejudice 
by  freer  thought  and  more  liberal  action.  And  is  there, 
may  be  asked,  any  reason  why  order,  heaven’s  first  law  in 
the  garden  proper,  should  ever  be  brought  into  conflict  with 
freedom  which  is  Nature’s  prerogative?  Here  of  all  places 
does  gardening,  in  its  more  comprehensive  sense,  often 
attempt  too  much  and  accomplish  too  little.  For  instance, 
in  the  herbaceous  border,  or  in  the  Alpine  rockery,  why 
should  the  planter  be  so  religiously  exact  to  keep  all  divided 
up  and  dotted  out  like  Currants  in  a  cake  ?  True,  many 
suffer  from  an  emharras  des  riches,  a  good  fault,  some  will 
say  ;  but  good  faults  can  never  condone  consequent  offences. 
Fine  opportunities  are  lost  in  the  craze  for  a  medley  of 
many  things.  In  wall  gardening,  what  might  very  pardonably 
be  esteemed  as  a  high  art  example  of  Alpine  culture,  where 
a  stone  wall  was  creviced,  crannied,  and  pocketed  with  a 
homogeneous  collection  of  these  most  interesting  plants  the 
tout  ensemble  could  not  compare  with  a  crumbling  red-brick 
wall  in  another  place  clothed  with  Erinus  alpinus.  The  one 
was  Art,  the  other  Nature — Nature  pure  and  simple,  and, 
to  repeat  a  former  expression,  beyond  criticism  and  beyond 
compare.  “  Y  hat  do  you  think  of  it?  ”  Avas  said  to  an  expert 
in  dots  and  patches  Avhen  brought  to  face  the  crumbling 
ruin  in  all  its  glory  of  rosy  purple,  then  intensified  by  the  last 
rays  of  the  setting  sun.  The  reply  was  “  Ah  !  ”  That  was 
all.  But  the  eye  spoke  volumes  of  what  the  tongue  refused 
to  tell.  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  natural  beauty.  Yet  is 
the  inimitable  mistress  ever  ready  for  the  ministering  hand 
to  do  its  part,  and  if  that  is  done,  and  done  well,  she  Avill 
dp  the  rest. 
Apropos  of  examples,  could  one  ever  forget  that  superb 
undulating  mass  of  the  Welsh  Polypody,  P.  Cambricum, 
cqvering  many  square  yards  in  the  cool  comer  of  an  old- 
fashioned  garden,  Avhich  after  many  years’  wanderings 
through  a  heap  of  stones  and  vegetable  refuse,  aggressively 
encroached  on  the  rock-margined  walk,  and  formed  a  staud- 
ing  grievance  between  the  worthy  gardener  and  his  gentle 
mistress  who  made  him  give  as  much  space  on  the  offside 
as  the  plant  took  up  on  the  near  side.  All  of  w’hich,  of 
course,  was  very  Avrong  from  his  point  of  view,  but  very 
beautiful  from  another  point  of  vieAv.  In  conclusion,  these 
thoughts  are  merely  Avoven  from  the  fringe  of  a  great  subject, 
large  enough,  in  fact,  to  enA^elop  the  whole  realm  of 
picturesque  gardening,  and  must  be  taken  rather  as  sug¬ 
gestive  than  exhaustive  or  dogmatical.  There  is  neither 
time  nor  space  to  include  a  sidelight,  viz.,  the  sociability 
of  plants  which  in  co-relation  to  it  might  be  of  interest  to 
some  yet  considered  too  abstruse  by  others.  Sufficient  for 
present  purposes  if  young  gardeners  can  be  coaxed  out  of 
that  groove  Ave  are  all  apt  to  run  in,  and  that  they  may 
avoid  folloAving  those 
Whoso  incoliercnt  stylo,  liko  sick  men’s  dreams, 
^  aides  all  shapes  and  ini.xcs  all  extremes. 
— A.  N.  Oldhead. 
Violet  Notes  from  Bristol. 
Eloquent  testimony  wms  afforded  at  the  late  Bristol 
Chrysanthemum  ShoAV  of  the  popularity  of  the  Violet,  both 
as  a  competitive  and  commercial  floAver.  Special  prizes  and 
classes  Avere  provided  by  the  Messrs.  House  and  Son,  of 
Westbury-on-Trym,  open  to  all  comers,  AAuthout  limit  in 
number  of  blooms  or  the  class  of  groAver.  Quite  an  exhi¬ 
bition  itself  was  formed  by  these  sw’eetest  of  floAvers,  and 
it  Avas  made  the  more  interesting  by  reason  of  the  various 
methods  of  staging  them.  To  me  it  seemed  a  clear  case 
of  the  largest  groAver  annexing  the  better  prize,  for  in  some 
exhibits  the  quantity  of  flow’ers  staged  Avas  almost  extra¬ 
vagant.  Yet,  Avhile  this  might  have  in  some  degree  crushed 
the  “little  man,”  it  yet  afforded  him  a  stimulus  for  a  future 
These  non-competitive  exhibits  afford  the  best  means  one 
can  get  of  comparing  floAvers  and  colours,  and  it  is  only  in 
this  Avay  one  may  learn  Avhat  a  large  range  there  is  of 
variety,  differing  shades  of  colour,  and  other  distinct 
characteristics.  In  their  exhibit  one  naturally  looks  for  the 
newer  comer,  and  in  the  larger  race  of  Violet  Ave  found  this 
in  Baroness  de  Rothschild,  a  fine  type  of  the  Princess  of 
Wales  class.  La  France  still  stands  out  conspicuously  as 
one  of,  if  not  quite,  the  best  single.  The  habit  of  the  plant 
is  dAvarf  and  compact,  the  individual  bloom  almost  the  size 
of  a  Viola,  and  its  colour  of  the  deepest  shade.  For  frame 
growth  in  Avinter  certainly  it  is  the  best  all  round  single 
Violet. 
Princess  of  Wales,  hoAvever,  has  yet  a  future  before  it, 
any  by  some  connoisseurs  Luxonne  is  admired  for  graceful 
bearing,  and  valued  for  its  lengthened  season  of  bloom. 
Admiral  Avillan  in  a  groAving  state  does  not  strike  one  as 
being  attractive  ;  but  in  a  gathered  state  its  reddish-purple 
hue  becomes  at  once  conspicuous  Avhen  stood  beside  the 
darker  purple  sorts.  For  this  reason  it  should  find  a  place 
in  collections  grown  for  home  use.  It  has  the  merit  of 
hardiness,  too,  Avhich  is  worth  something  in  cold  Avinters. 
St.  Helena  has  smaller  flowers  of  a  clear  blue,  and  is  recom¬ 
mended  as  a  very  hardy  sort.  Princess  Beatrice  bears  a 
resemblance  to  La  France. 
The  foregoing  mostly  belong  to  the  blue  or  purple  shades 
Avith  bold  flowers ;  but  in  Messrs.  House’s  exhibit  Avere 
several  not  of  the  conventional  order,  but  distinctly  out  of 
the  common.  Particularly  striking  Avas  a  small  glass  of  the 
pretty  orange  tinted  Sulphurea,  Avhich  is  a  little  gem  among 
Violets.  Its  flowers  are  small,  but  in  a  gathered  state  it  is 
very  pleasing.  Another  out-of-the-common  sort  Avas  Prin¬ 
cess  de  Sumonte,  an  Italian  Violet.  In  this  is  a  pretty 
blend  of  pale,  clear  blue  and  Avhite,  and,  like  the  last  named, 
is  bound  to  catch  the  eye  Avhen  contrasting  Avith  the  dark 
purples.  St.  Anne’s  Pink  affords  another  curiosity,  and  is 
most  distinct,  the  colour  denoted  by  its  name.  White  Czar, 
to  those  Avho  admire  white  Violets,  Avill  receive  a  good  vote, 
its  colour  is  very  clear  and  snowr-white. 
The  old  favourite,  Marie  Louise,  though  threatened  by 
an  invasion  of  so-called  improvements,  still  holds  its  position 
among  growers  of  double  Violets  generally.  New  York  and 
Undine  are  tAvo  that  claim  to  Avrestle  for  first  place  with  it. 
Of  the  last-named  I  have  no  experience  ;  but  New  York  I 
have  a  stock  of,  and  find  it  very  free  and  continuous  in 
flower,  though  in  habit  of  growth  quite  distinct.  Mrs.  J.  J. 
Astor,  next  to  Marie  Louise,  pleases  me  most  of  all  the 
double  Violets,  and  I  find,  too,  that  ladies  clamour  much 
over  this  because  of  the  heliotrope  scent  and  soft,  mauve- 
shaded  colour.  This,  too,  is  very  free  to  flower,  and  of 
healthy  groAvth.  De  Parma  is  a  good  spring  flowering  sort, 
the  neatest  grower  of  all,  paler  than  Marie  Louise, 
and  quite  indispensable  Avhere  Violets  are  in  everyday 
request. 
Parma  Perfection  is  a  newer  Violet  that  would  seem  to 
be  an  earlier  Avinter  blooming  kind,  and  Avhose  floAvers  are 
deeper  coloured  than  De  Parma.  Lady  Howe  Campbell  for 
frame  growth  is  much  prized  by  some,  though  seemingly 
among  doubles  there  is  not  the  same  keenness  for  variety 
as  apply  to  the  single  kinds.  This  much,  hoAA'ever,  may  be  • 
said :  a  fresh  stock  does  not  ahvays  assume  its  true 
character  or  its  worth  under  the  first  trial,  and  it  happens 
sometimes  that  a  Violet  Avhen  pitted  against  the  old  victor, 
Marie  Louise,  is  dismissed  Avithout  its  merits  being  given  a 
chance  to  come  to  the  surface.  Nor  does  one  ahvays  find 
soil  and  treatment  give  uniform  results.  One  fact  is  dis¬ 
tinctly  apparent,  that  the  past  season  has  suited  Violet 
growth  to  an  eminent  degree. — W.  S. 
