June  25,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
559 
Certificated  Plants.* 
( Continued  from  page  517,  vol.  llj. 
The  Peonies. — The  genus  Paeonia  has  proved  fertile  in 
varieties  which  have  gained  recognition  from  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society,  and  yet  it  was  not  until  1885  that  the  first 
award  was  made — a  First-class  Certificate  being  given  to  a 
variety  of  P.  Moutan  named  Snowflake.  It  is  worthy  of  mention 
that  though  P.  albiflora,  Avhich  is  a  variable  .species,  and 
P.  officinalis,  the  common  herbaceous  one  (these  two  being  the 
reputed  progenitors  of  the  many  garden  varieties  of  the  present 
day),  and  also  P.  Moutan  had  been  in  this  country  so  many 
years,  scarcely  an  addition  had  been  made  to  them  up  to  the 
middle  of  the  last  century ;  and  it  was  later  still  before  their 
progeny  began  to  assume  that  importance  among  hardy  flowering 
plants  they  now  hold.  After  1885,  and  up  to  the  end  of  last 
century,  many  awards  were  made,  Messrs.  Kelway  and  Sons,  of 
Langport,  and  Mr.  T.  S.  Ware,  being  foremost  among  pro¬ 
ducers;  the  former  firm  es'pecially.  So  great  is  the  improvement 
which  has  been  effected  that  very  few  awards  have  been  made 
of  late  years.  It  would  be  difficult  to  classify  some  of  those 
distinguished  by  awards,  probable  .species  and  sub-species  appear¬ 
ing  among  them.  P.  tenuifolia  has  also  produced  varieties.  The 
latest  introduction  of  note  is  P.  (Moutan)  lutea,  which  was  shown 
by  Mr.  E.  Pot- 
ten,  of  Cran- 
brook,  in  April 
last  and 
awarded  a  First- 
class  Certifi¬ 
cate  ;  the  flower 
rather  small, 
and  like  the 
blossom  of  a 
yellow  Water 
Lily 
Poppy.  —  It 
may  be  that,  the 
fugacious  cha¬ 
racter  of  the 
blossoms  of  the 
genxas  Papaver 
has  operated  to 
produce  so  few 
awards.  The  an¬ 
nual  P.  umbro- 
sum,  which  is 
bright  scarlet  in 
colour,  received 
an  award  in 
1880.  and  the 
dwarf  form  of 
P.  nudicairle, 
known  as  minia- 
tum,  in  1886 ; 
and  three  years 
after  a  ^ulphur 
coloured  variety 
received  an 
award  of  merit, 
but  it  does  not 
appear  to  have 
become  fixed. 
-About  the  same 
time  a  pale  salmon  form  of  P.  orientale,  named  Blush  Queen, 
gained  an  award  of  merit  ;  and  there  is  a  deeper  coloured  variety 
known  as  Salmon  Queen.  Efforts  have  been  made  to  widen 
the  group  of  salmon-tinted  varieties,  but  without  marked  suc¬ 
cess.  It  is  a  matter  for  some  surprise  attempts  have  not  been 
put  forth  to  improve  that  very  fine  form  P.  orientale 
bracteatum,  with  its  verj'  large  brilliant  crimson  flowers  and 
distinct  foliage.  Many  named  seedlings  have  come  from 
P.  orientale  of  late  years;  one  of  the  most  distinct  is  Mrs. 
Marsh,  the  rich  orange  scarlet  flowers  of  which  are  more  or  less 
flaked  with  Avhite.  The  efforts  to  cross  P.  pilosum  with 
P.  orientale  have  resulted  in  intermediate  forms,  but  so  far 
nothing  of  striking  character.  The  most  attractive  garden  forms 
of  P.  somniferum  (the  Opium  Poppy)  are  the  double  and  single 
white,  and  the  double  and  single  black.  In.  the  hands  of  the 
Rev.  W.  Wilks,  the  common  field  Poppy,  P.  Rhoeas,  has  under¬ 
gone  a  Avonderful  change ;  the  combinations  of  colours  are  most 
beautiful,  and  the  Shiidey  Poppies  are  among  the  most  prized  of 
hardy  annuals.  They  develop  vei*>'  fine  characters  when  .soAvn 
in  autumn. 
Pelargonium. — Our  large  Show  and  decorative  Pelargoniums 
are  believed  to  have  come  from  P.  grandiflorum,  which  was  intro¬ 
If.-"--. 
*  Mr.  Dean  has  been  so  urgently  ernployet  till  recently,  that,  though  we  have 
occasionally  hinted  to  him  our  desire  to  conclude  the  series  under  this  head, 
sufficient  time  for  the  necessary  research  could  not  be  found  ;  but  he  now  proceeds 
to  deal  with  the  remaining  genera  in  alphabetical  order.— Eii. 
duced  in  1794,  and  probably  the  hooded-leaved  P.  cucullatum 
may  liave  had  something  to  do  tvith  their  origin.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  past  century  the  Pelargonium  was  undergoing 
improvement,  but  between  1830  and  1860  the  advance  was  rapid. 
Such  names  as  Catleugh  and  Gaines  were  active  in  the  thirties, 
followed  by  Foster,  Beck,  Hoyle,  and  others;  and  many  certifi¬ 
cates  of  merit  were  given  to  new  varieties  by  the  National 
Floricultural  Society  previous  to  the  formation  of  the  Flora! 
Committee  of  the  R.H.S.  in  1859.  For  a  time  the  large  flowered 
Pelargonium  acquired  great  popularity  as  a  decorative,  exliibi- 
tion,  and  market,  plant ;  the  present  generation  do  not  now  see 
the  splendid  specimens  which  ivere  grown  by  Turner,  Fraser, 
Dobson,  anti  others,  for  exhibition  years  ago.  A  very  large 
number  of  new  varieties  receii^ed  certificates  of  merit  and  other 
awards;  but  this  type  of  Pelargonium  is  no  longer  popular  in 
private  gardens,  though  still  largely  grown  for  market. 
The  origin  of  the  Fancy  Pelargonium  is  not  clearly  known, 
but  it  is  thought  the  first  of  the  type  rvas  raised  about  1835,  and 
distributed  under  the  name  of  P.  Willoughbyanum.  The 
varieties  immediately  succeeding  this  appear  to  have  come  from 
the  Continent.  In  the  early  forties  Mr.  Sheppard,  of  Win¬ 
chester,  raised  Queen  Victoria  ;  then  Ambrose  and  (jiaines,  of 
Battersea,  and  Ayres,  of  Blackheath,  produced  varieties,  and 
later  Mr.  C.  Turner,  of  Slough.  Its  delicate  growth  and  con¬ 
stitution,  together  with  the  small,  soft-tinted  flower's,  caused 
it  to  be  known 
as  thei  Ladies’ 
'  Pelargonium.  It 
is  curious  to 
n  0  t  e  t  h  a  t 
though  the  old 
National  Flori¬ 
cultural  Society 
made  awards  to 
several  Fancy 
P  e  1  a  rgoniums 
(the  first,  For- 
m  0  si  ssimum. 
Ayres,  1851),  no 
a  Av  a  r  d  was 
made  by  tho 
R.H.S.  until 
1873,  Avhen  Mr. 
Turner  began  to 
submit  his  ncAv 
A’arieties.  It 
Avculd  be  difii- 
cult  to  name  a 
section  of  plant.s 
more  profuse  in 
bloom  than  the 
Fancy  type ; 
but  the  fact 
that  they  rt'- 
quired  m  ore 
Avarmth  and  a 
closer  atmo- 
s  p  here  than 
their  more  ro- 
b  u  s  t  largo 
floAvering  rela- 
t  i  V  e  s  mad  o 
their  culture  a 
little  difficult. 
The  Zonal  or 
horseshoe  leaved  Pelargoniums  are  supposed  to  have  been 
deriA'ed  from  P.  zonale,  AA'hich  AAas  the  earlie.st  cultiAated 
species,  having  been  introduced  about  1710.  A^Dr.  Fothergill 
obtained  an  improA’ed  seedling  from  it  about  1780.  In  Page  s 
“Prodromus,”  published  in  1817,  and  representing  one  of  the 
most  complete  and  comprehensive  catalogues  of  plants  of  that 
tini-o  niii0  varieties  of  Zonal  Geraniums  are  ineiitionecl ;  ono 
with’ double  flowers,  and  four  of  them  with  variegated  foliage, 
one  of  them  represented  as  having  tricoloured  leaves.  1  lo 
earliert  Zonal  variety  to  receive  a  Certificate  of  Merit  from  the 
Roval  Horticultural  Society  Avas  Mr.  Halley  s  Blackheath 
Beauty  in  1859;  but  in  the  sixties  and  seventies  a  great  manv 
were  so  honoured.  Previous  to  1859  the  National  Floricultural 
Setiety  had  gii'en  awards  to  a  feiv.  Many  double  forn^  ct 
P.  zonale  have  received  aivards  ;  they  are  iioav  numerous.  Pago 
mentions  a  striped  edged,  a  silver  striped  edged^  and  a  gold 
striped  edge.  Peter  Grieve  thinks  the  silver  striped,  or  a 
A'ariety  of  it,  AAdiich  aftenvards  became  kiimvii  as  Miller  s  \  ane- 
gated,'  wa.s  one  of  the  first  of  this  group  Later  came  Lees 
^^ariegated,  and  it  was  from  this  last  that  Mr.  Kinghorn  rarsed 
the  cnce  popular  Flov  er  of  the  Day ;  and  in  18o0  he  also 
raised  what  is  regarded  as  the  first  silver  tricolor  leaved— 
;;amel,^  Attrartioif.  Seeing  that  Page  in  1817  n.ent.ons  a 
“three-coloured  leaA'ed  or  tricolor  variety,  it  AAOuld  apptai 
that  Mr.  Grieve  had  no  knowledge  of  this  liavii^  been  m 
existence  Mrs.  Pollock  and  Sunset  were  the  fir.st  golden 
,  4 
■NW- 
Azalea  indica  5igismunde  Rucker.  (See  page  557.) 
