214 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
September  5,  1903 
A  New  Carnation,  Mrs.  Lora  Armstrong. 
We  have  been  favoured  vith  specimen  blocm.s  of  this  new 
Carnation  from  Messrs.  Wm.  Watson  and  Sons,  Clontarf  Nur¬ 
series,  Dublin,  who  send  the  following  letter:  “For  Carnation 
Mrs.  Lora  Armstrong,  we  received  the  certificate  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  of  Ireland  at  the  autumn  show  in  Dublin, 
August  2o.  These  blooms  were  cut  on  Monday  by  the  gardener 
who  raised  the  variety  (Mr.  J.  Dowling,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Lora 
Armstrong,  Carrickmines).  We  are  sorry  we  have  not  fresh 
flowers,  but  the  fact  that  they  were  cut  then  and  staged  yesterday 
will  give  assurance  of  the  lasting  qualities  of  the  flower.  You 
will  notice  the  .stout  erect  stems  and  thoroughly  vigorous  .style 
of  this  hardy  border  varietj’.”  On  arrival  here  the  flowers  were 
perfectly  fresh ;  and  what  will  attract  attention  at  once  tvill  be 
the  distinctive  rich  colour  of  the  novelty.  We  are  not  far  out 
if  we  describe  the  colour  as  a  brick-red  salmon.  The  blooms  are  of 
good  medium  .size,  smooth  of  petal,  full  and  even,  nicely  scented, 
and  posse.ss  a  truly  non-bursting  calyx. 
The  Garden  City. 
Having  secured  a  site  for  its  first  enterprise,  the  Garden  City 
is  in  a  fair  way  of  passing  from  the  nebulous  condition  of  a  bene¬ 
volent  dream  into  that  of  actual  fact.  An  estate  4,000  acres  in 
extent,  near  Hitchin,  on  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  and  lying 
a  little  to  the  west  of  Baldock,  is  to  be  converted  into  the  first 
Garden  City.  A  sum  of  £50,000  was  necessary  to  enable  negotia¬ 
tions  for  the  acquisition  of  the  land  to  be  completed,  and  this 
being  forthcoming,  an  arrangement  has  been  come  to.  The  new 
Garden  City  will  be  within  an  hour’s  railway  run  from  London  ; 
it  stands  from  250ft  to  300ft  above  sea  level,  and  is  furnished 
with  an  abundant  supply  of  water.  But,,  having  obtained  the 
land,  more  money  is  needed  to  make  a  start  with  the  foundation 
of  this  modern  Utopia,  where  overcro'C\-cling  and  high  rents  are 
to  be  unknown,  where  smiling  gardens  and  open  spaces  are  to 
predominate,  and  where  intellect  and  morality  are  to  be  the  most 
prominent  cidts.  Those  anxious  to  embark  in  the  enterprise  are, 
however,  frankly  advised  that  they  must  not  at  this  present 
state  regard  it  as  a  safe  investment,  which  is,  at  all  events, 
honest,  since  it  is,  perhaps,  too  much  to  hope  that  the  Garden 
City  will  prove  at  once  an  El  Dorado  and  Utopia. 
A  FI«ral  Arrangement. 
The  illustration  on  page  221  serves  to  show  how  flowers  of 
different  forms  can  be  gracefully  dtsposed  and  effectively  posied, 
even  thorigh  they  are  just  common  border  varieties.  The  illustra¬ 
tion  is  a  sketch  of  a  cottager’s  bouquet,  and  certainly  it  looks 
Avell  “on  paper,”  if  it  was  criticisable  in  the  original. 
We  have  passed  through  the  show  season — at  any  rate,  the 
summer  shows  are  past — and  we  have  all  seen  very  different 
models  in  the  floral  classes.  The  bride’s  bouquets  are  very 
popidar,  but  the  table  bouquets  are  seemingly  out  of  favour,  as 
well  they  might  be,  for  they  are  stiff  affairs.  Bouquets  have 
undergone  considerable  alteration  in  design  during  the  past 
fifteen  years ;  or  it  may  have  been  that  styles  vary  with  districts. 
Going  back  to  other  days,  the  making  of  the  show  bouquet  was  an 
interesting  event.  Half  a  dozen  of  us  would  be  wiring  the 
flowers;  one  would  be  handing  them  as  the  maker  wanted,  and 
attending  to  the  supply  of  raffia ;  and  as  the  sides  of  the  bouquet 
grew  outward,  and  its  form  and  finish  began  to  show,  the  general 
interest  rose,  and  suggestions  and  criticjs.ms  vere  rife.  But  the 
master-hand  had  won  ma*y  a^first  prize, tafid  he  would  neither  be 
led  nor  driven  :■  so  the  .criticism  fell  flatf;  and  the  bouquet  was 
at  last  admired  bj*-.  all.  .  ?*  Slfe’s:  gie  nieie.”  “A  wee  bit  slack 
there.”  “  Is  that.  Rose  no.^on  tiiev^^avy  side  ?  ”  would  be  some 
of  the-;eqmments  to  be  hcai;<I.,i.,.  At  N 
We  do  not  hold*  ourseiv.lasiiex^frts  in  bouquet  making,  .but 
we  have’  some  opinion  of  at  wreaths.  Possibly  some  of 
our  friends  may  be  drawn and  our  simple  illustration 
to  lend  their  help,  through  ttiese  pages,  in  bouquet  making.” 
We  will  welcome  their  notes,  so  will  many  of  our  readers.  Books' 
and  writers  on  this  important  branch  of  art  are  too  scarce. 
Columbus  s  Tree  Dying. 
The  sacred  Ceiba  tree,  which  Columbus  is  said  to  have  planted 
in  Havana,  is  dying,  and  the  Templete,  where  the  remains  of  the 
great  navigator  have  for  centuries  been  guarded,  is  crumbling 
away,  and  may  soon  be  reduced  to  a  heap  of  ruins.  Yet  neither 
the  State  nor  the  municipal  authorities  appear  to  be  taking  any 
particular  interest  in  these  facts.  The  old  tree  began  to  wither 
during  May  last,  its  branches  withering  one  by  one,  until  now 
it  has  scarcely  a  leaf  upon  it.  A  shrewd  American  in  business  in 
Havana  is  endeavouring  to  purcha.se  the  tree,  tvith  a  view  to  send¬ 
ing  it  to  the  St.  Louis  Exhibition,  and  afterwards  cutting  up  the 
tree  into  relies.  The  Bishop  of  Havana,  however,  hopes,  in  the 
event  of  the  death  of  the  tree,  to  secure  the  remains  for  the 
Catholic  Church,  whilst  the  Spanish  Charge  d’ Affaires  thinks  it 
ought  to  be  presented  by  the  Cuban  Government  to  the  Duke 
of  Veraguas,  Don  Cristobal  Colon,  of  Seville,  Spain,  the  lineal 
descendant  of  Chri.stopher  Columbus. 
Kadsura  japonica,  a  Handsome  Shrubby  Climber. 
This  is  a  plant,  like  too  many  more,  that  is  less  met  with  in 
the  greenhouse  or  conseivatory  than  it  deserves ;  in  fact,  it  is 
in  very  few  collections  out.side  the  precincts  of  a  botanical  garden 
that  one  does  meet  with  it.  It  is,  however,  I  think,  worthy  of  a 
corner  in  every  conservatory,  or  on  a  wall  out  of  doors,  as  at 
Kew.  Being  a  climber,  with  large  and  coriaceous  foliage,  not 
unlike  that  of  the  Eurya  japonica,  it  is  very  suitable  for  the 
decoration  of  pillars,  and  to  which  it  imparts  a  massive  and  pleas¬ 
ing  effect  all  the  year  round.  True,  the  flowers  are  relatively 
inconspicuous,  but  they  are  also  exceedingly  interesting  on 
account  of  the  Strawberry-like  protuberances  which  form  the 
receptacles.  The  flowers  in  appearance  resemble  the  Magnolia. 
The  petals  are  creamy  white,  and  contrast  well  with  the  red  and 
pink  centres.  The  plant,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  specific  name,  is 
a  native  of  Japan,  is  half-hardy  and  evergreen.  I  believe  that  it 
is  impossible  to  survive  the  winter  with  protection  in  some  parts 
of  Scotland.  It  is  usually  propagated  by  cuttings  of  half-ripened 
wood  or  divi.sions  of  the  root,  and  does  not  appear  to  be  very 
particular  with  respect  to  soil.  A  sprinkling  of  sand  and  peat, 
however,  tends  to  produce  a  more  prolific  display  of  flowers. 
Altogether,  the  Kadsura  merits  more  and  general  notice  among 
gardeners  for  the  above  mentioned  purpose. — D.  C. 
i^chsias  as  Bedding  Plants. 
Among  the  scores  of  summer  bedding  plants  employed 
throughout  the  country,  I  believe  that  none  have  stood  the  test 
of  this  uncongenial  summer  and  retained  their  brilliancy  so  well 
as  the  Fuchsias,  and  I  believe  that  they  are  gradually  gaining 
favour  as  summer  bedding  plants. 
Under  no  conditions  can  their  handsome,  pendulous  blossoms 
be  .so  efficiently  displayed  as  when  trained  as  standards  or  in 
pyramid  form,  and  used  over  a  carpet  of  Violas  or  Pansies,  or 
any  dwarf  growing  plants  that  will  harmonise  or  contrast  with 
the  colour  of  the  Fuchsia  employed.  Varieties  that  havm  a 
tendency  to  trail  should  be  discarded  if  standards  are  wanted, 
but  those  like  F.  tricolor  and  F.  Sunlight  can  be  used  as  edging, 
cr  beneath  the  taller,  upright  flowers.  Such  robust  kinds  as 
Rose  of  Castille,  Mrs.  Marshall,  Mrs.  G.  Rundle,  and  Scarcity 
are  robust  growers.  Select  cuttings  at  any  time  of  the  year,  if 
placed  in  gentle  heat,  will  root  readily,  and  should  be  encouraged 
to  make  one  strong  growth,-  removing  all  side  breaks  until  the 
desired  height  is  attained,  supporting  this  with  a  stout  stake, 
when  they  may  be  allowed  to  break  away  and  form  a  good  head. 
Fuchsias  that  have  been  employed  in  this  ihanner  here  have 
been  a  mass  of  flowers  from  the  third  week  in  June,  and  have 
every  appearance  of  remaining  so  until  the  beds  will  be  required 
for  spring  bedding  subjects.  Cuttings  of  the  variety  Scarcity 
taken  now  and  allowed  to  make  a  shoot  qf  about  a  foot  in  length 
by  the  time  the  bedding  for  summer  effect  comes  around,  will  be 
found  handsome  for  planting,  slanting  form,  in  stone  basins  or 
vases,  letting  the  pendulous  blooms  hang  over  the  sides  all  around. 
Ivy-leaved  Pelargoniums  from  cuttings  taken  now,  and  intended 
for  standards  or  pyramids,  Avill  have  to  be  grown  on  twelve 
months,  when  they  may  be  afforded  a  slight  re.'t  during  the 
winter  previous  to  bedding  them  out,  by  laying  them  on  their 
sides  under  the  stages  of  the  greenhouse.  Pot  them  up,  and 
bring  them  to  the  light  in  January  twelvemonth,  when  they 
will  be  good  for  summer  1905.  Of  course,  this  is  for  large 
plants. — Chas.  J.  Ellis,  Warren  Hou.se  Gardens,  Stanmore. 
