361- 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April'  23,  1901 
CARDEri  CKEANINCSj: 
Thalictpum  aneinoneoides 
Having!:  the  beautifully  graceful  foliage  of  a  Thalictium 
(one  might  as  well  say  of  an  Adiantum),  and  the  starry  white 
flowers  of  an  Anemone,  and  growing  less  than  (3in  tall,  this  little 
spring  flower  is  one  of  the  finest  we  have  for  either  pot  culture 
iir  an  alpine  house  or  for  a  sheltered  pocket  on  the  rockery. 
Hybrid  Wichur’aiana  Rose  Hiawatha. 
This  new  seedling  from  Crimson  Rambler  di-splays  con¬ 
siderable  decorative  value.  The  flowers  are  single,  intense 
crimson,  with  white  at  th.e  base  of  the  petals,  foliage  dark  glossy 
gi-een.  The  plant  is  a  good  grower,  and  very  floriferous.  When 
seen  at  the  recent  Boston  sliow  the  variety  and  others  of  like 
nature,  gave  much  pleasure  to  the  visitor,  and  were  a  great 
feature.  A  companion  variety  is  INIinnehaha,  a  seedling  from 
Wichuaraiana. 
Planting  Hardy  Ferns. 
For  embellishing  moist,  rough  places,  the  hardy  varieties  of 
British  ferns  are  very  irseful.  A  po.sition  may  be  found  where 
probably  a  good  rockery  can  be  formed,  and  this  planted  with 
both  evergreen  and  deciduous  species.  Scolopendriums,  Blech- 
nums,  Polystichums,  Polypodiums,  are  suitable  evergreen  ferns, 
and  Lastreas,  Athyriums,  Cystopteris,  Polypodium  dryopteris, 
and  Osmundas  are  deciduous.  Plenty  of  soil  should  be  pio- 
vided,  consisting  mainly  of  loam  and  leaf  soil,  and  strong  plants 
just  starting  new  gi'owth  inserted.  I  se  the  syringe,  and  water 
freely  in  dry  weather  until  new  growth  is  starting  freely. — S. 
Strawberry  Louis  Gauthier. 
Have  any  readers  attempted  to  force  this  Strawberry?  a.sks 
“  A.  P.  H.”  in  “The  Garden.”  It  has  been  recommended  for 
this  purpose.  As  to  its  value  in  the  outdoor  garden  there  can 
be  no  two  opinions.  It  is  a  splendid  cropper,  and  Mr.  Bunyard 
says  it  resists  hot  weather  well,  and  also  gives  a  second  crop 
of* fruit  in  the  autumn.  It  is  hardy  and  a  vigorous  grower,  so 
that  those  whose  gai'dens  are  situated  in  an  unfavourable  neigh¬ 
bourhood,  as  in  the  vicinity  of  lai'ge  towns,  might  grow  this 
variety  with  every  prospect  of  success.  Not  everyone  cares 
for  a  white  Strawberry,  and  this  may,  perhaps,  account  foi  the 
comparative  neglect  of  Fouis  Gauthier,  do  say  it  is  white,  how¬ 
ever,  hardly  conveys  a  correct  idea  of  its  colour,  which  may  be 
more  properly  described  as  pale  pink  ;  the  flesh  is  white,  and  the 
flavour  very  pleasant.  If  the  public  would  only  overcome  a 
prejudice  against  the  colour  of  this  variety,  I  am  sure,  so  fai  as 
other  cpialities  are  concerned,  they  would  find  nothing  to  com¬ 
plain  of.  But  it  seems  to  be  with  vliite  Strawberries  as  with 
yellow  Tomatoes,  the  public  will  have  none  of  them. 
A  New  Sniilax. 
The  new  Myrtle-leaved  Smilax  medeloa,  or  Myr.siphyllum 
asparagoides  mvrtifolia,  is  a  plant  that  appeals  to  the  gaidenei 
as  one  that  may  be  of  exceptional  value.  It  will  prove  as 
valualile  as  Asparagus  Sprengeri,  and  is  fpiite  as  beautiful, 
though  of  an  entirely  different  type.  It  is  very  much  more  deli¬ 
cate  and  graceful  than  the  common  Smilax,  the  leaves  being 
much  smaller  -only  about  one-sixth  the  size— and  the  young 
tendrils  being  much  more  artistic  than'the  stiff  branches  of  the 
common  Smilax,  make  it  a  more  beautiful  green  for  decorative 
purposes.  The  newcomer  produces  many  more  lateral  .shoots 
than  the  common  Smilax,  and  on  this  account  it  is  advisable  to 
carry  it  up  on  several  strings,  thus  making  it  a  more  profitable 
plant  to  grow,  e.speciallv  for  the  home.  It  is  a  stronger  and 
more  vigorous  grower  than  the  common  Smilax,  and  its  hardi- 
ne.ss  and  durability  are  more  remarkable,  strings  remaining 
fresh  six  to  eight  days  after  being  cut,  and  eight  to  twelve  days 
when  placed  in  water.  It  v  ill  commend  .itself  to  every  grower 
of  cut  flowers,  as  there  is  so  little  variety  in  good  greens  for  cut 
flower  work.  This  Smilax  originated  in  Europe  about  six  years 
ago,  and  has  proved  constant  since.  Thus  far  no  seed  has  been 
obtained,  propagation  being  effected  by  division  of  the  bulbs 
onljy,  which  are  produced  very  rapidly. 
Hyacinths  and  Spring  Flowers  in  London. 
M'ith  reference  to  our  note  under  this  head  on  page  311, 
Messrs.  Cutbush  and  Sons,  of  Highgate  and  Barnet,  point  out 
that  they  supplied  bulbs  for  the  London  County  Council  parkrs, 
while,  IMessrs.  Carter  and  Co.  supplied  the  Royal  parks. 
Paeonia  lutea. 
Though  this  beautiful  Pmony  has  been  known  for  over 
twenty  years,  it  is  still  very  rare,  and  was  only  last  season 
awarded  a  ilrst  cla.ss  certificate  by  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society.  There  is  at  present  no  signs  of  its  becoming  plentiful, 
for  in  the  recent  catalogue  of  M.  Lemoine,  of  Nancy,  it  is 
quoted  at  50  francs  each.  As  this  Preonia  promises  to  be  of 
great  value  to  the  hybridist  (observes  a  writer  in  a  contem- 
poiary)  from  its  bright  yellow  colour,  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  jM.  Lemoine  will  employ  it  largely  in  this  way,  and- some 
striking  hybrids  may  in  time  emanate  from  the  noted  establish¬ 
ment  at  Nancy. 
Chrysanthemum,  Santa  Claus. 
The  new  white  Chrysanthemum,  Santa  Claus,  brought  out 
last  summer  by  David  S.  Beach,  of  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  U.S.A., 
took  well  in  its  initial  .season,  and  it  has  all  the  earmarks  of  a 
stayer.  ]Mr.  Beach,  who  is  quite  proud  of  this  acqui.sition, 
.states  that  the  habits  of  the  plants  are  such  as  to  make  it  very 
easy  to  grow.  The  foliage  is  dark  green,  plant  dwarf,  height 
not  exceeding  three  feet,  with  a  remarkably  thick  stem.  The 
blooms  do  not  begin  to  show  until  the  last  week  in  October. 
Mr.  Beach  named  the  variety  Santa  Claus  because  of  its  .snow- 
white,  bearded  appearance. 
Fricas  for  the  Greenhouse. 
Ericas  form  a  very  valuable  class  of  decorative  plants  for 
the  greenhouse,  and  although  the  handsome  specimens  of  many 
years  ago  are  not  now  the  general  rule,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
less  care  and  attention  is  paid  to  them  despite  the  continual 
assertion  that  they  are  neglected.  In  the  earlier  decades  of  the 
nineteenth  century  the  Ericas,  but  more  especially  the  Epacrids 
(which,  however,  belong  to  a  distinct  natural  order),  were 
amongst  the  chief  decorative  plants  available,  the  hosts  of 
bulbous  and  other  plants  with  which  the  public  of  to-day  are 
delighted  not  having  as  yet  been  introduced  or  evolved.  Bub 
certain  Ericas,  and  among  them  those  we  illustrate  on  page  339. 
will  ever  be  popular.  Thousands  of  plants  of  E.  hyemalis  and 
E.  gracilis  are  annually  grown  by  certain  market  men  in  and 
around  London,  notably  Air.  James  Sweet,  of  Finchley;  and 
these  find  a  place  erstwhile  as  decorative  subjects  in  town 
dwellings  or  in  the  conservatories  of  private  gardens.  At  the 
present  time  the  beautiful  yellow-flowered  E.  Cavendishi  is 
seen  in  floi’ists’  .shops ;  and  another  similar  plant  of  notable 
value,  but  with  pink  flowers,  is  E.  coccinea  magnifica.  The.se 
four  species  are  well  nigh  indispensable. 
The  Florists’  Verbena. 
Though  never  at  any  time  occupying  a  foremost  or  very 
exalted  place  in  the  florists’  anthology,  the  modest  Verbena  has 
nevertheless  been  a  subject  toward  which  his  love  has  inclined 
consistently  during  many  decades,  and  of  late  years  a  revival 
appears  to  have  set  in  in  its  favour.  We  may  compare  the 
beautiful  variety  Aliss  Willmott,  which  every  florist  now  grows 
and,  sells,  with  the  weedy-Iooking  old  favourites  of  1840  and 
later,  and  note  that  certainly  a  great  improvement  has  been 
made.  The  tnusses  are  far  larger,  the  individual  flowers  are 
better,  and,  though  habit  varies  in  the  different  strains  that  are 
obtainable,  yet  suitable  characters  are  fixed  in  the  be.st  kinds. 
Geoi-ge  Gleiiny.  observes  that  the  Verbena  was  originally  a 
windmill  sort  of  flower.  Its  qualities  ought  to  be  as  follows : — 
1.  The  flower  should  be  round,  without  indenture,  and  no  notch 
or  serrature.  2.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  flat,  bright,  and 
smooth.  3.  The  plant  should  be  compact,  the  joints  short  and 
strong,  and  distinctly  of  a  .shrubby  character;  or  a  close  gi'ouud 
keeper ;  or  a  climber.  Those  which  partake  of  all  are  bad. 
4.  The  tru.ss  of  bloom  should  be  compact  and  .stand  out  from  the 
foliage,  the  flowers  touching  each  other,  but  not  crowding. 
5.  The  foliage  should  be  short,  broad,  bright,  and  enough  of  it 
to  hide  the  .stalks.  As  the  Verbena  is  simple  to  cultivate  and 
i-aise  from  seeds  or  cuttings,  the  improvement  and  selection 
of  sterling  varieties  ought  to  be  pursued  with  greater 
application  than  seems  to  obtain. 
