56 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
January  17,  1901. 
Certificated  Plants— No.  4. 
The  genus  Caladium  shows  a  remarkable  muster-roll  of  varieties 
in  the  11  H.S.  list  ol  certificated  plants.  As  I  write  there  lies  before  me 
a  list  of  hothouse  plants,  published  in  1817,  in  all  probability  one  of 
the  most  comprehensive  and  reliable  published  during  the  first 
quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century;  in  that  there  is  no  mention  of 
Caladium  bicolor,  which  was  introduced  by  Messrs.  Lee  &  Kennedy 
as  far  back  as  1773.  The  first  Caladium  certificated  by  the  Society 
was  C.  Chantini,  introduced  from  Para,  and  exhibited  by  Messrs. 
Veitch  &  Sons  in  1859,  a  year  after  its  introduction  ;  the  next  year 
Messrs.  Osborn  &  Sons  received  the  same  award  for  C.  Wighti.  Some 
three  or  four  others  were  similarly  honoured  during  the  sixties,  such 
as  Alfred  Bleu,  Auguste  Riviere,  Meyerbeer,  and  Queen  Victoria 
among  others.  One  of  the  most  useful  is  undoubtedly  the  dwarf 
growing,  small  leaved  0.  argyrites,  which,  though  introduced  in  1858, 
did  not  receive  a  certificate  ot  merit  until  1884.  Of  late  years  numbers 
of  new  varieties  have  come  over  from  the  Continent,  and  some 
probably  raised  in  this  country.  What  splendid  specimens  are  produced 
in  a  high  and  moist  atmosphere  can  be  seen  at  the  Temple  Show,  and 
for  the  decoration  of  a  warm  greenhouse  and  stove,  no  other  plants  of 
a  similar  character  show  so  many  and  such  exquisite  lines  of  beauty 
traced  upon  their  leaves,  rivalling  in  richness  of  tone  the  flowers  of 
other  plants. 
The  Chinese  Aster. 
The  Chinese  Aster  (Callistephus)  must  have  been  in  cultivation  in 
this  country  for  many  years  before  any  serious  attempt  was  made  to 
improve  it.  In  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  there  were  in 
cultivation  some  eight  forms  of  the  China  Aster,  and  a  half  dozen  or 
so  of  the  quilled.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  many  distinct,  well- 
defined  types  in  cultivation,  such  as  the  crown  flowered,  the  quilled, 
the  incurved,  the  Chrysanthemum  flowered,  and  the  Comet,  are  all 
traceable  to  a  common  parent  but  modified  by  selection  and  cultivation. 
We  have  many  instances  on  record  showing  what  human  agency  can 
accomplish  in  the  direction  of  leading  on  a  novel  peculiarity  until  it 
becomes  fixed  and  the  first  of  a  new  type.  James  Betteridge  of 
Chipping  Norton  did  much  to  improve  the  quilled  type,  which  in  the 
hands  of  later  devotees  has  been  further  advanced  in  quality. 
We  may  take  the  present  quilled  Aster,  which  is  exhibited  in  such 
finished  beauty  at  flower  shows  held  in  the  West  of  England  in 
August,  as  a  distinctly  English  creation  ;  but  the  fine  flat  petalled 
types — the  Victoria,  Pseony-flowered,  and  the  Comet — we  owe  to 
continental  enterprise.  It  does  indeed  seem  doubtful  if  improvements 
in  these  sections  can  be  carried  further,  though  each  succeeding  year 
witnesses  the  introduction  of  so-called  novelties  in  Asters  from  the 
Continent  ;  and  as  if  in  protest  against  the  much  and  deservedly 
lauded  double  forms,  the  single  type,  glorified  by  selection  and 
cultivation,  is  asserting  itself  and  challenging  comparison  with  its 
double  relatives,  and  this  phenomenon  is  also  seen  in  the  case  of  other 
flowers  in  the  present  day. 
The  perennial  Asters  have  multiplied  during  the  last  few  years 
with  amazing  rapidity,  and  they  can  now  be  had  in  all  heights  of 
growth,  in  great  variation  as  to  colour  and  in  the  size  of  the  blooms. 
Their  value  as  autumn  flowering  plants  cannot  be  over-estimated. 
Nearly  fiity  forms  were  in  cultivation  in  the  beginning  of  the  century, 
largely  natives  of  North  America,  and  in  the  main  it  is  supposed  they 
were  natural  seminal  varieties. 
The  Calceolaria. 
Coming  to  the  Calceolaria,  this  popular  flower  is  distinctly  a  product 
of  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  During  the  first  quarter  of 
the  century  the  only  species  known  was  C.  Fothergilli,  introduced 
from  the  Falkland  Islands  in  1777.  It  was  not  until  the  end  of  the 
thirties  that  any  attempt  to  systematically  improve  the  Calceolaria  was 
made,  and  by  1848  such  leading  florists  as  Cole,  Gaines,  Kinghorn, 
Woodhouse,  Holmes,  and  Constantine,  were  raising  seedlings  in  every 
direction,  for  it  was  a  time  when  there  was  a  great  revival  of  interest 
in  florists’  flowers  generally.  An  enormous  impetus  was  given  to  the 
culture  of  the  Calceolaria  when  in  1855,  Mr.  J.  Cole,  a  nurseryman  at 
St.  Albans,  raised  a  batch  of  shrubby  varieties,  probably  through 
crossing  the  hardy  C.  scabiosae folia  and  others  on  to  the  somewhat 
tall-growing  softwooded  types  then  cultivated.  Cole’s  new  varieties 
were  of  dwarf,  compact  habits,  the  flowers  smaller,  but  much  more 
freely  produced  than  in  the  case  of  the  types  then  being*  cultivated 
by  Kinghorn  and  others.  Mr.  J.  James,  then  gardener  at  Redlees. 
Isleworth,  crossed  the  shrubby  and  the  taller  types,  and  in  this  way 
began  the  section  of  much  dwarfer  varieties  now  so  popular ;  indeed, 
and  that  not  without  reason,  it  is  sometimes  asserted  that  the  extreme 
limit  of  dwarfness  has  been  reached,  with  a  corresponding  loss  of 
decorative  effect.  Large  size  in  the  flowers  has  been  gained,  but  too 
much  at  the  expense  of  form ;  but  with  size  has  come  what  is  not 
usual,  a  marvellous  floriftrousness.  Messis.  Sutton  &  Sms,  Carter 
and  Co.,  Webb  &  Sons,  and  others,  have  now  in  cultivation  strains 
beyond  which,  in  point  of  size,  it  seems  unwise  to  go.  C.  amplexicaulis, 
introduced  from  Peru  in  1845,  still  maintains  its  individuality,  and 
has  never  ceased  to  be  a  favourite  bedding  plant  for  summer.  It 
may  be  added  that  the  naming  of  distinct  varieties  of  Calceolarias 
ceased  long  ago. 
The  Camellia. 
The  Camellia,  once  the  fashionable  buttonhole  flower,  has  been 
dethroned  by  the  Carnation  and  the  Rose.  Tnere  was  a  time  when 
this  plant  was  to  be  found  in  every  garden  as  indispensable  to  a 
representative  collection.  As  a  conservatory  subject,  whether  planted 
out  or  cultivated  in  pots,  the  Camellia  may  be  said  to  be  without  a 
rival.  But  it  is  not  popular  to-day,  though  occasionally  a  variety 
receives  an  award  from  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  As  far  back 
■as  1862  a  certificate  of  merit  was  awarded  to  Contessa  Lavinia  Maggi, 
and  in  the  same  decade  a  few  others  were  similarly  honoured,  including 
the  double  form  of  the  well-known  C.  reticulata,  which  was  exhibited 
by  the  late  Mr.  John  Standish.  One  of  the  most  valuable  introductions 
during  the  last  half  of  the  century  was  the  American  C.  M.  Hovey 
in  1879,  a  model  flower  in  point  of  form,  as  well  as  brilliant  in  colour. 
Year  after  year  Messrs.  W.  Paul  &  Son  of  Waltham  Cross  bring  to 
London  collections  of  plants  and  cut  blooms  remarkable  foi  their  high 
culture  and  fine  development  of  flower,  and  an  award  of  merit  is 
occasionally  made  to  a  new  variety.  Fine  examples  of  C.  reticulata  are 
occasionally  met  with  in  conservatories,  and  few  possess  greater 
ornamental  value. 
The  Canna. 
Canna  glauca  and  C.  indica — the  latter  having  been  introduced 
from  the  West  Indies  in  1570 — found  a  place  among  reedy  or 
Scitamenous  hothouse  plants  early  in  the  century  just  closed.  There 
had  been  a  few  introductions  up  to  1866,  but  it  was  not  until 
Mr.  Alex.  Rogers  in  that  year  employed  them  in  his  illustrations  of 
subtropical  gardening  in  Battersea  Park  that  any  degree  of  interest 
was  manifested  in  securing  improvements  upon  those  already  in 
English  gardens.  The  novelty  and  beauty  of  these  beds  was  lauded  ; 
those  interested  in  outdoor  summer  gardening  came  to  see,  and  their 
imaginations  were  fired  by  the  bold  and  striking  leafage  the  plants 
displayed.  The  original  Cannas  were  mainly  of  tall  growth,  but  new 
productions  were  characterised  by  shorter  habit.  In  1880  Messrs. 
Hooper  &  Co.  received  a  first-class  certificate  for  the  large  and  brilliant 
crimson  C.  Ehemanni,  and  from  that  time  forward  awards  have  been 
made  with  some  degree  of  frequency.  In  late  years  we  have  witnessed 
the  flowers  increasing  in  size,  substance,  and  marking,  thanks  to 
M.  Crozy  and  others ;  dwarlness  of  habit  is  now  a  conspicuous 
feature,  and  for  decorative  purposes  they  are  of  the  greatest  value. 
During  the  past  twenty  years  awards  have  been  made  to  as  many  as 
fifty  varieties  of  Cannas,  and  the  work  of  improvement  is  by  no  means 
at  an  end. — R.  Dean. 
- - 
Early  Flowering  Scrubs  and  Trees. 
I  may  at  once  say  that,  as  a  rule,  shrubs  are  seldom  given  a  fair 
chance,  being  too  often  used  as  stop-gaps,  or  as  nurses  for  evergreens 
and  Conifers ;  they  are  mutilated  rather  than  pruned ;  crushed,  and 
crowded  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  their  assuming  that  elegant 
form  which  they  should  develop;  used  singly  instead  of  in  masses; 
and,  in  short,  neglected  in  every  possible  way.  Even  in  nurseries 
they  are  not  seen  in  perfection,  because  for  the  purposes  of  sale  it  is 
necessary  to  cut  them  back  severely  in  order  to  make  all-round  plants. 
Happily  at  Kew  and  some  other  botanical  gardens  they  can  be 
recognised  in  proper  condition,  and  in  such  private  gardens  as  Miss 
Willmot’s  at  Warley  Place,  Miss  Jekyll’s  at  Munstead.  I  also  call  to 
mind  their  intelligent  treatment  at  Madresfield  Court,  Great  Malvern, 
where  Mr.  Crump  seems  to  consider  what  may  be  called  the  feelings 
and  wants  of  all  subjects  under  his  care  in  that  vast  and  beautiful 
garden.  Still,  it  is  evident  that  in  our  provincial  parks,  cemeteries, 
&c.,  they  are  too  often  made  to  assume  a  set  form,  and  clipped  for  the 
sake  of  tidiness  more  often  than  they  are  allowed  to  demonstrate  their 
natural  beauty  and  utility. 
To  the  amateur  cultivator  one  advantage  they  possess  is  cheapness, 
as  for  a  £5  note  he  may  buy  100  fine  and  distinct  varieties,  or  fifty  of 
the  choicest  for  the  same  sum.  Further,  they  require  no  special  soil 
or  position,  except  in  a  few  cases,  which  will  be  noted  herealter ;  and 
for  elegance,  boldness,  grace,  and  contrast  with  their  evergreen 
brethren  they  stand  out  pointedly,  as  even  without  flower  their  foliage 
alone  entitles  many  of  them  to  a  position  of  importance,  ranging  as  it 
does  from  the  mossy  Tamarisk  to  Paulownia.  Nor  must  their  value 
as  cut  flowers  be  overlooked.  They  supply  sprays  of  all  sizes,  suitable 
for  large  receptacles  as  well  as  for  small  table  vases,  and  this  cutting 
at  the  flowering  season  does  the  plant  good,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  notes 
on  pruning.  Several  are  very  sweet  scented,  and  many  old  favourites 
have  a  sentimental  value  from  their  frequent  notice  in  poetry  and 
prose,  and  frcm  their  returning  to  greet  us,  season  after  season,  linking 
