342 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
April  25,  1901 
Wild  Flowers  of  Old  English  Gardens. — VI. 
Occasionally  we  wonder  at  the  appearance  in  our  garden  of 
some  wild  flower,  otheiwise  named  a  weed,  for  we  have  noticed  it 
growing  about  the  neighbourhood.  The  seeds  may  have  been  wafted 
through  the  air  or  carried  by  birds  ;  the  plant  might  be  the  result  ol 
turning  the  soil  over  to  some  depth,  fcr  when  we  dig  deeply  in  a 
garden  or  elsewhere,  and  leave  the  earth  undisturbed,  often  species 
come  up  we  would  not  expect  to  see.  Various  theories  have  been  put 
forward  to  explain  this,  but  I  have  never  met  with  one  quite  satisfactoiy. 
Other  plants  we  look  for  on  waste  and  neglected  gardens,  though  it  is 
curious  how  they  have  their  preferences.  Weeds  we  call  them,  yet 
they  hare  uses,  doubtless,  and  even  beauty,  perhaps.  Rather  mossy 
in  its  growth  is  the  Procumbent  Pearl  wort  (Sagina  ^rocumbens).  It 
may  show  on  a  city  bypath,  the  grass  of  some  lawn,  creep  upon  an 
old  wall,  or  wander  from  pot  to  pot  in  a  greenhouse.  The  small 
cross-like  flowers  of  green  and  white  remind  us  of  the  Cress  family, 
but  it  is  a  member  of  the  Chickweed  tribe.  Its  stems  resemble 
threads,  and  the  tiny  leaves  are  each  tipped  with  a  spine.  Upon 
rockwork  a  clump  of  the  Pearl  wort  looks  pretty,  though  it  is  an 
undesirable  plant  as  a  weed.  Hooker  declares  that  our  common 
Spurrey  is  a  great  favourite  in  Holland.  True,  it  is  grown  for 
pasturage,  since  cattle  eat  it  eagerly,  but  it  appears  the  Hutch  also 
admire  its  fotked  head  of  white  flowers,  and  the  circles  of  slender 
leaves  round  the  stem.  To  the  English  farmer  it  is  an  object  of  dislike, 
especially  from  its  propensity  of  scattering  the  seeds,  which  gave  it 
the  generic  nan  e  of  Spergula,  and  the  local  one  of  “Pickpocket” 
alludes  to  its  rapid  increase.  Yet  Loudon  puts  it  on  the  list  ot 
garden  plants  of  “easy  culture,”  which  it  certainly  is,  so  possibly  in 
the  eighteenth  century,  when  it  grew  freely  about  the  suburban 
cornfields,  some  thought  it  pretty  enough  to  place  in  a  garden.  On 
northern  moors  grows  the  Knotted  Spurrey  (S.  nodosa),  having  erect 
stent  and  more  showy  flowers. 
Evidently  our  ancestors  took  special  note  of  the  sha^e  of  a  mouse’s 
ear,  for  it  suggested  to  them  a  name  suiting  a  number  of  wild  plants 
in  different  families.  Thus  we  have  the  small  group  of  Mouse-ear 
Chickweeds,  of  humble  growth ;  perhaps  the  best  known  is  the  field 
species  (Ctrastium  arvense),  with  large  brilliant  flowers  and 
powdery  leaves  ;  but  at  a  time  I  was  seeking  it  I  found  the  plant 
most  plentiful  upon  the  old  walls  ol  a  Kent  park.  A  decoction  of  it 
i-  recommenced  as  a  cute  for  spasmodic  cough,  and  is  really  efficacious. 
This  may  explain  its  a;  pearance  in  old  lists  of  garden  plants.  It  was 
grown  tome  medicinally;  but  it  might  be  cultivated  for  show.  A 
friend  says  that  in  some  paces  it  is  grown  on  rockwork,  or  he  has  seen 
it  eeging  a  bolder  of  scarlet  Pelaigoniums.  It  is  a  perennial,  and 
may  be  improved  by  cultivation.  Akin  to  it  is  the  annual  C.  vulgatum, 
the  Broad-leaved  Mouse-ear,  which  is  in  some  counties  a  frequent 
garden  weed. 
We  have  had  such  cold,  ungenial  weather,  with  very  few  breaks, 
since  the  new  century  commenced,  that  we  can  quite  understand  how 
Tennyson  lelt  in  a  similar  siason  half  a  century  ago,  when  it  seemed 
as  it  “  Nature’s  ancient  power  was  lest,”  and  it  aggravated  his  distress 
that  people  “chattered  tiifles  at  fie  door” — as  they  often  will.  The 
AlmoLd,  geneiallv  a  brave  pioneer  of  spring,  even  in  the  south  has 
been  prevented  by  the  did  nights  and  easterly  winds  from  unfolding 
a  I  ud,  though  Mutch  has  halt  gone.  Someone,  thinking  I  might  find 
it  c.  nst  latory  to  lock  upon,  brought  me  a  branch  of  the  Spurge  Laurel 
(Daphne  Laureola),  obtained  in  a  copse  near  Maidstone.  It  is  not 
uncommon  about  woods;  the  upright  tough  branches  bear  tufts  of 
evergreen  leaves,  and  in  March  the  deep  green  flowers,  with  orange 
anthers,  open,  and  are  succeeded  by  black,  very  acrid  berries.  Their 
poisonous  nature  suggested  the  popular  name,  for  it  is  not  a  member 
of  the  Spurge  lamdy  Towards  evening  the  flowers  have  a  slight 
fragtance,  which  some  persons  do  not  perceive.  Being  one  of  our  lew 
native  evergreens,  it  was  transilanted  to  gardens  centuries  ago; 
moreover,  after  experiment,  gaidtDers  found  that  the  Spurge  Laurel 
of  Britain  could  be  used  fir  grafting  various  American  species  of 
Daphne,  Arbutus,  and  Magnolia 
At  present  I  think  we  see  more  often  about  country  gardens  the 
kindrrd  sjecits,  D  Mezereum,  also  called  Spurge  Olive,  the  smooth 
upright  sit  ms  of  which  are  adorned  with  pii  kish  blosst  ms  in  March 
or  April;  these  are  piwirlully  fragrant,  but  the  whole  plant  has 
dangerous  qualities,  like  the  Spurge  Laurel.  Yet  the  scarlet  berries 
are  eaten  by  st  me  birds;  <  cc^sii  nail)  they  are  yellowish  <r  orange,  and 
there  is  a  variety  of  the  Mi  zereum  with  white  flowers.  It  is  now  rare 
as  a  wild  plant  ;  some  think  in  ti  e  oluen  tm  e  it  was  fairly  abundant. 
Our  native  HelL  borts,  poisoi «  us  too,  and  numbers  of  another  order 
of  plants  which  contains  n  any  susi  ected  or  unwholesome  species, 
attiacted  notice  dming  the  Midoh-  Ages,  because  one  or  other  was 
^bought  to  be  the  Hel  ebore  ol  the  Gieeks.  By  its  early  blooming, 
^he  Stinking  Hellebore  (H.  loetidus)  or  Beaisfoot,  takes  rank  amongst 
he  plants  which  tell  us  winter  is  departing,  and  I  have  seen  fine 
specimens  taken  off  Kent  chalk,  the  green  and  purple  panicles  beingr 
open  at  the  middle  of  March.  Some  friends  grow  it  in  pots  ;  it  is  not 
a  bad-looking  plant,  and  evergreen.  As  to  the  smell,  I  cannot  say  this 
is  very  objectionable  ;  the  foliage  is^  lurid  green,  and  the  fruitjs  a 
capsule. 
The  Green  Hellebore  (H.  viridis)  is  scarcely  attractive.  This 
flowers  in  April  or  May,  but  one  botanist  calls  it  “  handsome,”  because 
the  golden  stamens  show  up  the  pale  green  petals.  I  have  never 
obsetved  it  under  cultivation.  The  Christmas  Rose,  or  Black 
Hellebore,  is  an  old  garden  flower,  but  not  British,  and  another  pretty 
species  having  crimson  blossoms  is  the  H.  orientalis,  also  early,  from 
which  several  varieties  have  been  obtained. 
Folks  have  been  out  seeking  the  wild  Marsh  Marigold  in  February, 
but  it  seldom  flowers  till  March.  This  seasoa  is  later  probably,  though 
along  a  garden  border  it  might  open  sooner  than  on  the  cold  soil  of  a 
marsh.  It  will  grow  anywhere  with  plenty  of  moisture,  and  is  some¬ 
times  put  by  the  edge  of  a  pond  or  in  an  artificial  bog.  A  fine  double 
variety  has  been  known  for  some  years,  and  there  is  a  single  variety 
having  smaller  flowers.  That  the  species  continues  in  bloom  some 
time  is  proved  by  its  being  mentioned  as  a  custrmary  flower  in  May 
garlands;  probably  it  is  the  “Winking  Mary-bud  ”  of  Shakespeare. 
There  is  no  doubt  it  was  one  of  those  sacred  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  but 
some  people  will  not  touch  its  flowers  now ;  in  Devonshire  they  call  it 
“Drunkards,”  and,  should  vou  ask  why,  you  are  told  that  if  ycu  pick 
the  heads  you  will  get  drunk.  Apparently  the  origin  of  this  odd 
notion  was  the  moisture-loving  character  of  the  species. 
Another  western  name  for  it  is  Bull-flower,  perhaps,  says  Mr. 
Friend,  a  corruption  of  “  pool-flower,”  but  it  might  be  an  allusion  to 
the  size  of  the  blossoms.  Another  big  Buttercup  is  the  Globe  Flower 
(Trollius  europseus),  with  numerous  petals,  enclosing  the  stamens  and 
carpels  so  as  to  form  a  perfect  globe.  It  has  been  grown  in  London 
gardens  for  many  years,  and  was  probably  brought  from  the  northern 
hills,  where  it  is  common.  Scottish  folks  call  it  “Luckie  Gowan.” — 
J.  R.  S.  C. 
Hudbeckia  hirta. 
The  wealth  of  late  summer  beauty  and  that  of  golden  autumn 
bring  with  them  no  more  showy  flowers  than  those  of  the  Rudbeckias, 
or  Coneflowers,  whose  high-raised  centres,  in  many  cases  datker  than 
the  ray  petals,  add  so  much  to  their  beauty.  None  of  these  Cone- 
flowers  have  this  contrast  of  colour  between  the  disc  and  the  rays 
more  strongly  marked  than  Eudbeckia  hirta,  though,  certainly,  there 
are  a  number  which  have  a  more  cone-like,  elevated  centre.  From 
the  blackmss  of  the  disc  it  bears  in  its  own  land  the  name  of  Black- 
eyed  Susan,  as  well  as  one  much  less  romantic — that  of  Nigger  Head. 
Its  other  American  popular  names  are  less  descriptive  of  tins  feature, 
though  some,  such  as  that  ot  Yellow  Daisy  or  Golden  Jerusalem^ 
are  expressive  of  the  rest  of  its  colouring  as  displayed  by  the  ray 
petals.  Ox-Eye  Daisy  carries  less  meaning  to  those  of  us  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  who  know  a  white  flower  by  that  title. 
Rudleckia  hirta  is  very  showy  with  us  when  it  opens  its  orange- 
yellow  blooms  decorated  with  a  laige,  almost  b’ack,  centre,  called  in 
the  books  “  purple-brown  ” — an  expression  hardly  forcible  enough  to 
describe  what  is  better  called  black.  In  its  native  country  it  blooms 
in  May  and  June,  but  in  my  garden  it  is,  so  far  as  I  can  remember, 
the  end  ot  the  latter  month  or  the  beginning  of  July  before  it  bb  oms 
even  from  seeds  sown  in  good  time.  The  specific  name  of  this 
Rudbeckia  is  derived  from  its  generally  hirsute  or  hispid  character,  a 
feature  which  is  very  noticeable  on  the  plant  as  a  whole.  Its  stems 
are  usually  simple,  but  are  occasionally  branched,  and  are  often  tufted. 
It  grows  from  a  foot  to  upwards  of  3  leet  high.  The  thick  leaves  are 
either  entire,  or  serrated  at  intervals  with  low  teeth.  The  lower  and 
basal  leaves  are  on  petioles,  but  those  above  are  sessile. 
It  is  rather  unfortunate  that  this  plant  is  only  biennial,  or  if 
sown  early,  annual  in  its  duration.  It  is  one  which  we  would  desire 
to  retain  longer  in  our  gardens  without  renewal.  Seeds,  are,  however, 
easily  procured.  Rudbeckia  hirta  is  rather  widely  distributed  in  the 
United  Siates  and  Canada,  although  it  is  said  only  to  be  native  on 
the  western  prairies.  We  are  told  that  it  is  “  a  weed”  in  the  eastern 
States,  and  it  must  be  a  sight  indeed  to  see  a  mass  of  its  black  and 
gold  flowers.  It  is  quite  Lardy  in  our  climate. — S.  Arnott. 
Flowering1  Bulbs  In  Holland. — OwiDg  to  the  severe  cold  the 
crop  of  Ta  ips  and  Hyacinths  in  Holland,  as  here,  is  more  than  a 
fortnight  late  this  year.  Many  tourists  were  vastly  disappointed  at 
Eastertide  at  seeing  only  the  Crocus  fields  in  bloom.  The  full  blaze 
of  bulbs  will  not  be  out  until  the  eod  of  this  week.  Special  arrange¬ 
ments  are  being  made  at  Haarlem  and  the  neighbouring  villages  to 
accommodate  the  expected  flow  of  tourists  who  come  over  in  Holland  to 
see  the  extraordinary  flower  fields  in  full  bloom. 
