lOA-  ■ 
'JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
J  uly  30,  •  1903 
CARDEH.  Gi(EANlNCS » 
t  “<t'’ 
\ 
Lilium  sFCcIosum. 
The  true  Japanese  L.  speciosum — a  slightly  confused  plant  so 
far  as  uaniing  is  concerned — has  faii’-sized,  roundish  bulbs  of  a 
reddish  tint,  and  stiff,  wiry  steins  1ft.  to  3ft.  high,  clothed  with 
lance-shaped  leaves  4ft.  to  6ft.  long.  The  flowers  are  Sin  to  5in. 
across,  and  white,  suffused  with  deep  rose  in  the  type,  or  pure 
white  in  L.  s.  album.  The  jagged  surface  growths  are  charac¬ 
teristic.  Plants  cultivated  in  the  open  air  usually  flower  in 
August  or  early  September,  and  bulbs  grown  cool,  in  pots  or  vases, 
form  a  welcome  decorative  feature  for  autumn  use.  L.  speciosum 
is,  of  course,  a  great  florist’s  or  market  man’s  flower,  and  large 
quantities  are  annually  forced.  Amongst  the  best  varieties  are 
Krseterzeri,  white,  with  green  centre  to  the  segments;  roseum, 
macranthum,  formosum,  roseum  superbunv;  Melpomene  (crimson 
purple),  cruentum,  nanum  (soft  rose),  and  punctatum  (white 
spotted  pink). 
Erynglums  or  Soa  Hollies. 
One  may  perhaps  also  be  allowed  to  put  in  a  plea  (if  such  be 
needed)  for  the  Kryngiums,  whose  distinct  appearance  gives  a 
character  to  any  garden.  None  are  so  fine  in  my  eyes  as  the  true 
E.  alpinum,  whose  large  leaves  and  wonderfully  cai'ved  involucre 
are  so  pleasing.  The  involucre  of  steely  blue  looks  a,s  if  made  out 
of  feathers  or  fashioned  in  the  most  skilful  way  out  of  some  lace- 
work  material  afterwards  starched  and  stiffened  to  keep  the 
“  creation  ”  erect.  Its  flowers  are  thus  perhaps  the  most 
elaborate  of  any  of  the  hardy  Eryngiums.  Then  there  is  the 
lovely  E.  Oliverianum,  so  finely  tinged  with  blue  on  the  stems  as 
well  as  about  its  involucres.  More  finely  coloured  still  is 
E.  Oliverianum  superbum ;  while  we  have  the  choice  of  others  of 
beauty  in  E.  coelestinum,  E.  planum,  the  newer  E.  Zabeli,  and 
others.  The  last  named  does  not  appeal  to  me  so  much  as  either 
E.  alpinum  or  E.  Oliverianum,  the  latter  being  often,  by  the  way, 
supplied  for  E.  amethystinum.  which  has  small  heads  of  flower. 
These  all  do  well  in  light  soil,  like  the  native  E.  maritimum,  the 
British  Sea  Holly.  These  are  but  some  of  our  July  flowers.  Space 
forbids  one’s  indulging  in  even  a  summary  of  the  others  in  bloom. 
They  are  plentiful  enough  and  beautiful  enough  for  the  highest 
praise. — S.  Abxott. 
,  Campanula  persicifolia. 
To  descend  from  this  glance  of  the  regal  Rose,  even  to  a 
remark  or  two  upon  the  Bellflowers,  may  to  some  .seem  truly  a 
descent  into  Avernus,  but  it  is  not  given  to  what  is  known  as  a 
“  hardy  plantsman  ”  to  tell  of  the  Rose  as  she  should  be  described, 
so  that  we  must  pass  to  her  followers  in  the  floral  train.  In 
stately  spires  there  rise  the  flowers  of  the  Peach-leaved  Bell¬ 
flower,  one  of  the  noblest  of  all  our  Campanulas,  and  one  of  the 
most  attractive  in  its  varied  colours  and  forms.  No  one  can  say 
that  it  has  not  received  due  attention  at  the  hands  of  our  raisers; 
for  have  we  not  quite  a  number  of  forms  of  more  or  less 
superiority  to  the  old  C.  persicifolia  of  our  early  days?  It  seems 
as  if  our  old  Double  White,  once  such  a.  general  favourite,  were 
de.stined  to  eclipse  at  the  hands  of  the  fine  variety  known  as 
Mcerheimi,  but  when  well  grown  it  is  not  easily  surpassed  with 
its  sjmnnetrical  spike  of  perfectly  formed  flowens.  To  keep  it  in 
good  condition — in  fact,  in  some  gardens,  to  keep  it  at  all — it  is 
necessary  to  propagate  it  by  division  almost  annually.  Then, 
since  the  introduction  of  the  noble  white  variety,  named 
Cl.  p.  alba  Backhousei  or  grandiflora,  we  have  had  many  large- 
flowered  single  forms  in  white  and  various  shades  of  blue  of  almost 
perfect  beauty,  and  of  much  effect  in  the  garden.  These  are 
easily  raised  from  seeds,  and  a  careful  selection  from  among  the 
seedlings  will  result  in  a  collection  of  forms  of  great  beauty.  Some 
have  single  flowers,  some  semi-double,  others  have  the  calyx  and 
corolla  coloured  alike  in  blue  and  white  ;  while  some  have  long  and 
some  short-belled  blooms.  In  any  almost  of  its  varieties  the  Peach- 
leaved  Bellflower  is  one  of  the  best  of  our  summer  garden  flowers. 
Its  beauty  will  be  my  excuse  for  speaking  of  it  again  at  this  time. 
— S.  F. 
About  the  Elm. 
It  is  .somewhat  difficult  to  trace  the  origin  of  the  Elm,  but 
at  any  rate  it  is  known  to  exist  in  North  Africa,  Siberia,  and 
North  and  South  Europe.  There  is  no  doubt,  a  contemporary 
remarks,  that  the  Elm  has  been  a  common  tree  in  England  from 
very  ancient  times  from  the  fact  noted  by  Evelyn  that  in  the 
Domesday  Book,  which  dates  from  1068,  there  are  more  than 
forty  places  bearing  the  name  of  this  tree,  such  as  Elmhurst, 
Elmham,  and  others.  Cambridgeshire  and  Oxfordshire  each 
possess  a  village  named  Elm.  Elm  timber  is  remarkable  for  its 
durability  under  the  'action  of  water,  and  is  therefore  in  great 
request  for  piles  to  keep  up  the  banks  of  rivers,  and  for  drainage 
purposes.  The  roughneiss  and  rigidity  of  the  wood  also  makes 
it  specially  .suitable  for  wheelwrights,  who  use  it  in  large 
quantities. 
Viburnum  Sieboldlanum. 
Among  valuable  shrubs,  not  nearly  as  well  known  as  they 
should  be,  is  the  Viburnum  Sieboldianum.  In  nursery  lists  it 
is  classed  as  a  .shrub;  but  though  usually  seen  in  shrub  form,  it 
becomes  a  small  tree  under  the  care  of  those  who  desire  to  have 
it  in  that  shape.  It  has  very  large,  rough  leaves,  of  a  deep 
green  colour,  and  becau.se  of  keeping  its  foliage  green  until 
frosts  take  it  off,  it  .suggests  an  almost  evergreen  character. 
Aside  from  anything  else  to  recommend  it,  its  vigorous  growth 
and  large  green  leaves,  so  unlike  those  of  any  other  shrub,  would 
be  good  claims  to  a  place  on  a  lawn.  In  early  spring,  as  soon 
as  a  little  growth  is  made,  its  flowers  are  produced  in  large, 
flat  corymbs,  white  in  colour.  These  flat  heads  are  not  unlike 
those  of  the  Laurustinus.  Attractive  as  is  its  appearance  at 
that  time,  I  think  it  .surpa.sses  it  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
when  its  clusters  of  berries  are  ripe.  These  are  of  a  salmon 
red  colour,  and  with  the  setting  of  dark  green  leaves  which 
they  have  the  effect  is  very  fine.  Where  birds  are  numerous 
the  berries  disappear  soon  after  they  ripen,  proving  an  enticing 
fruit  to  them,  as  so  many  other  berries  do. 
Clematis  recta. 
Not  many  of  us,  I  think,  speak  with  so  little  regard  for  white 
flowers  as  a  keen  lover  of  plants,  formerly  M.P.  for  one  of  the 
Scottish  counties.  He  was  wont  to  say  of  a  flower  :  “It  is  pretty, 
but  it’s  a  pity  that  it  is  white.”  Most  of  us  will  di.sagree  with 
him  in  so  daspising  the  flowers  which  are  the  emblems  of  purity. 
They  are  plentiful,  yet  never  too  ijlentiful  in  our  gardens,  and 
among  those  which  are  not  sufficiently  grown  for  summer  bloom 
we  may  include  the  pretty  Clematis  recta,  or  erecta,  as  it  is  more 
commonly  called.  No  one  need  suppose  that  it  resembles  the 
popular  climbing  Clematis  in  its  noblest  forms,  for  it  is  not  a 
climber,  but  an  erect  growing  herbaceous  plant,  growing  4ft.  or 
so  in  height,  and  hearing  clouds  of  erect  small  white  flowers  in 
almost  endless  profusion.  It  is  variable,  and  several  varieties  are 
recognised  by  some  botanists.  One  of  the  scarce.st  of  these  is  the 
double  one,  C.  recta  fl.-pl.,  but  the  typical  one  and  seedlings 
raised  from  it  are  beautiful  enough  when  grown  in  a  sunny  i>lace 
to  give  every  satisfaction.  The  plants  vary  a  little,  some  having 
broader  segments  in  the  flowers  than  others.  It  is  easily  grown 
from  seeds,  and  it  may  also  be  increased  by  division. — K.  D. 
Chrysanthemum  leucanthemum  semi-duplex. 
We  have  hardy  Marguerites  galore,  and  between  Shasta 
Daisies,  Elaines,  Duchesses,  and  other  Chrysanthemums  with 
titles  of  less  or  no  nobility  those  who  wish  to  choose  from  these 
useful  summer  flowers  are  bewildered  indeed.  Yet  one  is  .sure 
that  they  need  not  regret  selecting  as  one  to  cultivate  the  pretty 
Marguerite  known  by  the  uncouth  name  of  Chry.santhemum 
leucanthemum  semi-duplex.  Last  year  I  cam©  across  a  garden  in 
which  its  flowers  wereReing  saved  for  use  in  a  wedding  bouquet. 
I  did  not  see  the  result,  but  the  fact  was  enough  to  tell  of  the 
estimation  in  which  this  hardy  flower  was  held  by  one  who  had 
a  good  command  of  other  blossoms  from  the  greenhou.se,  stove, 
and  open  garden.  It  is  lighter  and  more  elegant  in  every  way 
than  even  the  lightest  of  the  fine  varieties  of  C.  maximum  with 
fringed  margins  now  so  popular  in  gardens.  The  ray  petals  are 
pure  white,  the  disc  is  a  delicate  greenish  yellow,  and  immediately 
round  it  are  small  narrow  i^etals  like  a  lovely  fringe.  It  is  not  a 
strong  grower  like  the  maximum  group,  but  from  a  low-growing 
tuft  of  leaves  the  flowers  rise  on  long  stalks,  which  render  it  all 
the  more  useful  for  cutting  purposes.  It  is  not  by  any  means  a 
new  flower. — S.  A. 
