August  7,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
123 
they  can  neither  bring  foorth  flowers  nor  fruite.”  He  possessed 
and  gave  utterance  to  very  strong  opinions,  as  of  Nerium 
Oleander,  where  he  says :  — “  It  hath  scarce  one  good  propertie. 
It  may  be  compared  to  a  Pharisee,  who  maketh  a  glorious  and 
beautiful!  shewe,  but  inwardly  is  of  a  corrupt  and  poysoned 
nature.  God  graunt  all  true  Christians  and  Christian  Realmes 
whereas  this  tree  or  any  branche  thereof  beginneth  to  spread  and 
flourishe  to  put  to  their  helping  handes  to  destroy  it  and  all  the 
branches  thereof:  as  dissimulation,  Couvetousnesse,  Briberie, 
&ir  Symonie,  and  Maister  Ursurie.”  A  MS.  note  of  about  a 
contemporary  date  in  my  copy  agrees  with  the  author  that 
“  Oleander  or  Rose  Baye  is  an  Curssed  herbe.”  There  is,  too,  a 
curious  reference  to  the  Dutch  Boers,  who  at  this  date  appear  to 
have  been  causing  not  a  little  trouble  in  Holland. 
Langham’s  “  Garden  of  Health,”  1579,  contains  interesting 
.notes  on  plants;  and  Bullein’s,  or  Boleyn’s,  “Government  of 
Health,”  1588,  is  a  very  curious  book,  the  author  having  been 
possessed  of  an  exuberant  humour,  with  a  method  of  placing  it 
before  his  readers  of  the  happiest.  From  him  we  get  a  name  of 
Hemp,  “  St.  Audrey’s  Laces,”  the  root  of  tawdry,  a  word  circulat¬ 
ing  before  this  time  as  in  “The  Shepherd’s*  Calendar  — 
“  Girde  in  your  waste  for  more  finenesse  with  a  tawdry  lace  ” ; 
and  a  tawdry  lace,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  desired  by  Mopsa 
when  the  clever,  if  rascally,  Autolycus  was  disposing  of  his  wares. 
It  does  not  follow  that  these  were  made  of  Hemp,  and  Drayton 
seems  to  give  the  correct  way  of  making  them  in  the 
Xi  Polyolbion  ' “  With  white  pebbles  make  her  tawdries  for  her 
neck.”  Bullein’s  “St.  Audrey’s  Laces”  was  a  necklace  too,  just 
as  gallow  grass  and  neckweed  were  other  names  he  uses  with  a 
grim  humour  for  Hemp. 
In  1594  “The  Jewell  House  of  Arte  and  Nature,”  by  Sir 
Hugh  Platte,  was  published.  It  is  divided  into  three  parts,  of 
which  the  second,  treating  of  soils,  is  of  most  interest  to  the 
gardener.  Occasionally  this  pai-t  is  to  be  got  bound  up  separate 
from  the  others  ;  but  the  work  as  a  whole  is  of  little  value.  The 
author  possessed  two  country  houses  and  a  town  house  at 
Lincoln’s  Inn.  Gerard’s  “  Herball,”  the  greatest  work  of  its 
kind  of  the  period,  falls  next  to  be  noted;  but  previous  to  doing 
so  a  short  resume  of  what  was  passing  outside  gardening  will 
serve  to  elucidate  and  explain  the  work  in  question,  which  is  the 
first  to  treat  seriously  of  the  advance  section  of  that  exotic 
vegetation  whipli  fills  our  gardens  to-day. — B. 
Gadding  and  Gathering, 
“Here  awa’,  There  awa’." 
Some  Hardy  Plants  at  Kew. 
Though  rather  of  a  weedy  and  straggling  habit  of  growth  the 
new  Campanula  sulphurea  will  be  welcomed  in  places  on  account 
of  its  pale  yellow  flowers.  We  have  now  violet,  purple,  blue, 
white,  pink,  yellow,  and  perhaps  other  colours  amongst 
Campanulas.  The  species  is  now  in  flower  at  Kew,  and  would 
appear  to  be  an  annual. 
Rodgersia  pinnata  is  a  Chinese  species  in  common  with  others 
of  the  genus,  is  perhaps  little  known,  being  one  of  three  intro¬ 
duced  tO'  cultivation  within  the  last  few  years.  At  Kew  it  is 
growing  beside  the  little  dripping  stream  in  the  centre  of  the 
rock-garden,  and  is  now  in  flower.  The  tall  thyrsoid  inflorescence 
bears  beautiful  rose  flowers  rather  densely  packed,  and  the 
foliage  is  finer  than  R.  podophylla.  The  six  leaflets  are  arranged 
around  a  central  axis  at  the  end  of  the  petiole.  Mr.  Elwes,  to 
whom  I  pointed  it  out,  was  much  delighted  with  it. 
Genista  dalmatica  is  a  very  dwarf  and  dense  shrub,  with 
pretty  grey-green  shoots  exactly  like  the  young  growths  of  the 
common  Gorse,  and  the  terminal  close-set  racemes  are  deep, 
golden  yellow.  It  can  be  used  on  rockeries  to  advantage,  or  in 
such  places  as  those  in  which  one  usually  finds  the  Spanish 
Brooms  flourishing. 
Covering  a  tiny  spot  on  one  of  the  rockery  pockets  we  find 
Sedum  caeruleum,  a  perfect  little  gem,  with  its  blue-fringed 
flowers.  The  flowers  at  present  hide  the  minute  stems  and 
leaves,  and  remind  one  of  Houstonia  cserulea.  Contrary  to  the 
rule  among  Sedums,  the  flowrers  in  this  tiny  stranger  have  ten 
segments. 
Stepping  from  the  rock  garden  to  the  herbaceous  ground  one 
cannot  fail  to  notice  the  very  handsome  Senecio  macroglossus, 
with  spathulate  foliage  nearly  2ft  long,  bright  glaucous  in  colour, 
and  of  the  texture  of  a  Cauliflower  leaf.  As  a  solitaire  for 
placing  by  the  edge  of  a  still  water  pool  it  is  one  to  be  com¬ 
mended.  The  tall  and  deep  yellow  inflorescences  are  exceedingly 
effective. 
One  would  like  to  individualise  many  another  fine  plant  or 
plants  which  could  be  chosen  from  the  collection  of  Delphiniums, 
the  Poppies,  Campanulas,  Galegas,  Lathyrus,  Polygonums, 
Salvias,  Lychnises,  and  the  Pink  family  is  general,  while  they 
are  still  with  us,  but  the  chance  may  be  taken  to  write  of  them 
in  a  following  number. 
Floral  Designs. 
In  my  peregrinations  about  the  shops  recently  I  have  noticed  a 
basket  of  rectangular  shape,  poised  on  a  pedestal,  and  filled 
with  yellow  Coleus,  yellow'  Codiseums  (Crotons),  yellow  Privet, 
and  yellow  Spanish  Irises.  Broad  yellow  ribbons  in  loops  and 
bows  were  fixed  on  a  top-rail  at  the  back,  and  the  basket  was 
bound  round  with  the  palest  green  ribbon  and  one  bow  tied  at 
the  left-hand  front  corner.  Another  basket  of  the  same  shape  and 
size  (18in  by  12in)  contained  only  the  Zonal  Pelargonium  King  of 
Denmark,  the  plants  being  robust  and  wrell-flovrered.  A  bright 
cerise-salmon  satin  ribbon,  Gin  or  7in  broad,  was  boldly  looped 
right  up  amongst  the  flow'ers,  and  certainly  improved  the  rich¬ 
ness  and  splendour  of  the  effort  immensely.  Another  similar 
basket  contained  cut  flowers  of  pink  Sweet  Peas  at  the  left-hand 
front  corner,  pink  Carnations  at  the  right-hand  corner,  and  the 
udiole  of  the  back  filled  with  upright  racemes  of  Lily  of  the 
Valley,  the  basket  being  bound  round  with  the  indispensable  red 
ribbon. 
Sweet  Peas  of  the  variety  Lady  Grisel  Hamilton,  erect  in 
tubes  with  Rye  and  Briza,  standing  on  a  white  cloth,  were  also 
delightfully  pretty  and  simple.  In  the  shops  I  see  that  the 
merits  of  the  new  Kalanchoe  flammea  with  brilliant  scarlet 
cymes  is  already  recognised. 
Southend-on-Sea. 
Though  I  have  never  found  Essex  at  all  beautiful,  the  county 
at  the  same  time  possesses  features  and  centres  of  interest. 
Southend-on-Sea,  at  its  south-eastern  “  neuck,”  as  a  Scotsman 
might  say,  is  its  most  popular  watering-place,  for  I  believe 
Southend  lays  claim  to  that  poetical  appellative.  From  London 
one  journeys  by  the  Tilbury  and  Southend  Railway — a  good 
service — through  some  of  the  most  squalid  districts  and  densely 
populated  boroughs  of  this  great  metropolis,  through  Stepney, 
and  on  first,  to  West  Ham,  then  East  Ham,  either  of  which  have 
a  population  almost  equal  to  that  of  all  South  Africa,  and  so 
out  to  the  opener  country  and  the  market  gardens.  The 
flatness  of  the  region  traversed  is  proverbial,  and  with  the 
numerous  smoke-belching  chimneys  which  one  discovers  in  all 
directions  for  a  long  way  down,  the  scene  throughout  is  not 
strictly  inviting. 
London  has  been  twitted  on  the  supposition  that  it  possesses 
only  one  tree — the  London  Plane.  This  is  not  so.  London  has 
two  trees.  The  second  tree  is  the  Black  Poplar.  Go  by  the 
“tube”  to  Shepherd’s  Bush  and  you  will  see  long  vistas  lined 
with  absolutely  perfect  Poplars  and  Planes  placed  alternately 
in  rows  on  either  side  of  the  great  thoroughfares.  The  Black 
Poplar  is  a  splendid  tree.  It  is  used  in  North  London,  in 
South  London,  in  West  London,  and  I  found  it  flourishing  in  the 
districts  already  named  in  East  London. 
But  though  the  southern  parts  of  Essex  are  not  fruitful  to 
all  appearances,  one  forgets  of  that,  when  nearing  Southend, 
where  the  land  gains  in  character,  higher  and  broken  ground 
arises,  and  one  has  a  general  sense  that  there  is  “  something 
doing.”  The  ozone  wafts  strongly,  the  huts  of  the  cockle- 
gatherers  line  the  beach,  and  soon  the  newer  part  of  this  now 
popular  resort  is  opened  before  the  visitor. 
Southend  has  the  longest  pier  in  the  world,  with  an  electric 
tram  running  to  the  end  of  it ;  it  has  beautiful  esplanades,  and 
is  now  continually  improving  them ;  it  has  overhead  electric 
trams,  and  beautiful  parks,  gardens,  shrubberies,  and  rural 
walks  or  drives  near  by.  The  grounds  named  The  Shrubbery  are 
clothed  densely  with  Oak  trees,  among  which,  on  the  rather 
steeply  sloping  banks,  are-  many  shaded  pathways,  lined  here  and 
there  with  flower  borders  and  overhung  with  beautiful  Roses. 
So,  too,  the  Marine  Park  and  the  Public  Recreation  Grounds 
(with  a  lake),  both  at  the  east  end  of  the  town,  are  handsome 
and  most  enjoyable  for  the  inhabitants  and  the  visitors.  With 
a  powerful  and  business-seeking  Corporation,  Southend  seems 
unlikely  to  be  wanting  in  the  matter  of  further  parks  or  gardens. 
These  can  be  secured  from  the  numerous  estates  surrounding  the 
town,  and  it  is  imperative  in  the  best  interests  of  this  seaside 
place,  that  as  many  features  of  interest  as  possible  should  be 
added. — Wandering  Willie. 
Sweet  Lavender. 
About  the  middle  half  of  August  the  Lavender  sheaves  will  be 
gathered  in  from  the  fields  of  Surrey,  and  from  that  other  Laven¬ 
der  land  which  has  been  much  developed  of  late  years  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Hitohin,  Herts.  Though  so  much  at  home 
amongst  us,  the  real  place  of  its  origin  is  Southern  Europe.  The 
harvest  of  flowers — Roses,  Violets,  Jasmine — gives  to  the  Valley 
of  Var,.  in  Southern  France,  great  commercial  importance;  but 
England,  however,  is  making  a  bid  for  some  of  this  wealth.  In 
her  famous  village  industry  at  Wallington,  Miss  Sprules  grows 
Provence  Roses  as  well  as  Lavender. 
