"Posthumous glories, angel-like collection,Upraised from seed or bulb interred in earth,Ye are to me a type of resurrectionAnd second birth."
"Posthumous glories, angel-like collection,Upraised from seed or bulb interred in earth,Ye are to me a type of resurrectionAnd second birth."
"Posthumous glories, angel-like collection,Upraised from seed or bulb interred in earth,Ye are to me a type of resurrectionAnd second birth."
IIT was my intention to devote this entire article to "Ornamental Foliage Plants," but I think I will have a prelude, and my prelude may have no more connection with my "talk" proper than Mr. Cook's preludes do with his lecture proper, and I think that frequently the first is the most interesting and important; and from the fact that in the published reports much more space is afforded to the prelude than the lecture, I opine that others are of the same opinion. "The Topic of the Hour," whatever may be the question just then stirring the public mind, is usually chosen as the preface. The topic of the hour to-day has been a bit of a sermon from the text, "And to every seed its own body," and the lesson embodied was that of Faith. The preaching came from a package of gladiolus bulbs, just received, and it run on this wise:
Gladiolus
Here are these dry bulbs, separately wrapped and labeled. They look alike in color, and very nearly alike in form; some are rather more cone shaped than others. One is larger and more flat. But there is nothing in form nor size to show that they will not develop precisely the same form and color of flower. I know that they will all reveal the leaf, habit of growth, bud and bloom that distinguishes this species of plant from all others, because I knowthat these are gladiolus bulbs, and every seed hath its own body. A gladiolus bulb never yet produced a dahlia. A tigridia or shell-flower bulb, though greatly resembling some gladiolus bulbs, and its form of leaf is very similar, yet it never produces a bud nor blossom like the gladiolus. The tigridia hath "its own body," peculiarly and exclusively its own. I have spoken thus far of demonstrated facts—facts that have become to me a matter of personal knowledge.
But now comes the lesson ofFaith. I find each bulb bears a different name. I take my catalogue and read the description against the name on each label. Thus I am told what colors pertain to each bulb, inclosed, shut up beyond my ken. Do I have any doubts respecting these descriptions—that the distinguishing characteristics of each sort before me will fail to correspond? Here isLord ByronandLord Raglan. How do I know that the former will be a brilliant scarlet, stained and ribboned with pure white, while the latter will have salmon colored blossoms, spotted with scarlet and blotched with dark garnet? I do notknowthis, for I have never seen it demonstrated, but I have anassured faiththat in due time I shall behold those flowers true to their assigned colors, and if there should be a failure I should attribute it to the mistake of the labeler.
But why should these brown bulbs, so alike to outward view, bear flowers so widely differing in hues? Why shouldCleopatrahave a large flower of soft lilac tinged with violet, and a purple feathered blotch, whileMeteoris dark red with pure white stain? Why shouldNestorbe yellow striped with red, andAddisondark amaranth, with white stripes? Vainly would I seek by dissection to fathom the mystery of these hidden diversified markings, but He who created this plant of wondrous beauty gave to each "seed its own body," and thus we can plant in faith—yea in full assurance of faith—that in due time our eyes will behold all those varied tintsnow secreted in these bulbs before us. Our seed sowing is all the work of Faith, and Hope looks beyond with bright anticipations of the summer and autumn harvest.
The gladiolus is very easily cultured, and I have far better success in keeping the bulbs through the winter than I have with the dahlia. The tubers of the dahlia easily rot, on account of the dampness of the cellar, though carefully dried and packed in sand. But the gladiolus bulbs, without any special care, come out in fine condition. I like to add a few new ones to my old standard stock, so as to have a variety of colors, for few flowers make such a grand display in the flower garden, and the spikes of bloom are admirable for bouquets, as the buds will unfold day after day for a long time. The lower flowers on the stalk can be removed as they fade. The flowers are very fine also for saucer or shoal dish bouquets. I have a special liking for these. Fill the shallow dish with water or sand—I prefer the latter kept constantly wet—then arrange tastefully short stemmed flowers till they are a mass of bloom. I first make a green border of geranium leaves, or some trailing vine. Different shades of gladiolus flowers picked from the stalk are very effective to set off the flowers not so striking. Where the season for out-door culture is short, as it is here in Maine, it is best to get the bulbs started in the house. Some do this by simply placing them in a sunny window without covering. I always plant mine in a box.
The gladiolus can be raised from seed, but they are of slow growth, and one has to wait till the third summer usually for their flowering. It is far better to purchase the bulbs, then they bloom the first season, and, except some of the rare sorts, multiply rapidly. Although novelties, and some rare sorts are very expensive, $1.50, $2 and $3 for a single bulb, yet very fine bulbs of choice colors can be obtained for that priceper dozen. In reply to the question, "What are the names of six of your finest gladiolus not very expensive?"the reply is, "Calypso, Cleopatra, Agatha, Eldorado, James Carter and Lord Byron." These six cost but little more than $1. Of those more expensive the following are very desirable: Addison, Eugene Scribe, Etenard, La France, Meyerbeer and Rossini. These cost a little less than $3. Unnamed bulbs, a good variety, can be bought for $1 per dozen of reliable florists.
Of the new varieties sent out the present season for the first time, are the following raised during the past year by M. Souchet, M. Leomine and other French growers, who have for years made the improvement of the gladiolus a special study. They are said to be superior to any gladiolus hitherto introduced. Aurore, Bremontier, Chameleon, Corinne, Dalila, Eclair, Gulliver, Hermione, Lesseps, Tolma, Victor Jacquemont. The descriptions represent them as superb, and they ought to be at the price named, $4 per bulb! Some of us will have to wait till their novelty is worn off.
LemoineiandMarie Lemoine. "These two varieties are Hybrids of gladiolus purpureo-auratus, and are of the old garden varieties of Gandavensis, and are now offered for the first time. In form they approach the old Gladiolus Biperatus, the colors being creamy ground with distinct markings of crimson-maroon, with lemon and salmon colored cloudings. They have proved quite hardy and may be left out of doors from year to year." Mr. Henry Cannell of Swanley, England, a florist of world-wide reputation, says of those hardy Hybrids: "It is considered both by professionals and the trade, that M. Leomine's greatest victory was in crossing Gladiolus purpureo-auratus and gandavensis, two distinct species, and at the time they were awarded first-class certificates, it was thought by many that some higher and substantial recognition ought to have been made for introducing a perfectly hardy constitution into our glorious garden gladiolus, and saving the trouble of housing them from frost every season."
This is a new species from Natal, quite distinct from the common species of gladiolus and very attractive. On a slender, bending stem, which rises to the height of three or four feet, are borne from eight to twelve nodding flowers, somewhat bell-shaped in form, and yellow in color, with broad purple stripes on the lower divisions within. Its bulbs are small, and at the end of long runners numerous offsets are produced which are more certain to flower the succeeding season than are the old bulbs.
This ancient type is a very ordinary flower, and it seems almost incredible that such superb varieties should have been produced therefrom by cross-fertilization. In the hands of the French florists it has attained to the superior position it occupies to-day. More than forty years ago Mons. Souchet, head gardener at the Château of Fontainebleau, first called attention to this flower, and began its improvement, and although some few other French florists, such as Messrs. Courant, Berger, Lamoine, Verdier and others followed his example, yet nearly all of the varieties now in commerce in France, are of the raising of that now venerable and respected private citizen. His successors, Messrs. Soulliard and Brunelet supply the great French houses of Paris, by whom the bulbs are forwarded to all parts of the world. About thirty years ago Mr. Kelway of Longport, in Somersetshire, began his culture and hybridizing of the flower, and has built up an immense business. He devotes fifteen acres to Gladiolus exclusively, and the number of seedlings annually raised is 200,000. In 1879-80, Mr. Kelway exhibited eighteen named seedlings which were severally awarded first-class certificates as possessing striking original characteristics. Of our own eminently successful growers, Messrs. Hallock and Thorp of Queens, N. Y., take the lead. They devote over seven acres to Gladiolus, and raise thousands of seedlings.
For diversity of color and general effect, either in masses, or in beds of three or four rows, placing the bulbs one foot apart and three inches deep. Mix a liberal supply of well-rotted manure with the soil, and if clayey, use sand. As soon as the plants are sufficiently tall stake them, and mulch with dressing.
God might have made the earth bring forthEnough for great and small,The oak-tree and the cedar-tree,Without a flower at all.We might have had enough, enough,For every want of ours,For luxury, medicine, and toil,And yet have had no flowers.Then wherefore, wherefore, were they made,All dyed with rainbow light,All fashioned with supremest grace,Upspringing day and night;—Springing in valleys green and low,And on the mountains high,And in the silent wilderness,Where no man passes by?Our outward life requires them not,—Then wherefore had they birth?—To minister delight to man,To beautify the earth;To comfort man,—to whisper hope,Whene'er his faith is dim,For Who so careth for the flowers,Will care much more for him.Mary Howitt.
God might have made the earth bring forthEnough for great and small,The oak-tree and the cedar-tree,Without a flower at all.We might have had enough, enough,For every want of ours,For luxury, medicine, and toil,And yet have had no flowers.Then wherefore, wherefore, were they made,All dyed with rainbow light,All fashioned with supremest grace,Upspringing day and night;—Springing in valleys green and low,And on the mountains high,And in the silent wilderness,Where no man passes by?Our outward life requires them not,—Then wherefore had they birth?—To minister delight to man,To beautify the earth;To comfort man,—to whisper hope,Whene'er his faith is dim,For Who so careth for the flowers,Will care much more for him.Mary Howitt.
God might have made the earth bring forthEnough for great and small,The oak-tree and the cedar-tree,Without a flower at all.We might have had enough, enough,For every want of ours,For luxury, medicine, and toil,And yet have had no flowers.
Then wherefore, wherefore, were they made,All dyed with rainbow light,All fashioned with supremest grace,Upspringing day and night;—Springing in valleys green and low,And on the mountains high,And in the silent wilderness,Where no man passes by?
Our outward life requires them not,—Then wherefore had they birth?—To minister delight to man,To beautify the earth;To comfort man,—to whisper hope,Whene'er his faith is dim,For Who so careth for the flowers,Will care much more for him.
Mary Howitt.
"And so I hold the smallest flowerSome gracious thought may be;Some message of the Father's loveMayhap to you or me."
"And so I hold the smallest flowerSome gracious thought may be;Some message of the Father's loveMayhap to you or me."
"And so I hold the smallest flowerSome gracious thought may be;Some message of the Father's loveMayhap to you or me."
HHERE we step on disputed ground. Are Geraniums Pelargoniums? Who shall decide when florists disagree? There are eminent names on both sides of the question. Mr. Henry Cannell of Swanley, England, a florist who stands in the front rank, and whose name has become so widely known in connection withNew LifeGeranium, of which he was the originator, jumbles up together under the head of Pelargoniums everything we on this side of the water class under the head of Geraniums. A veritable muddle he makes of the matter—that is our private opinion—we whisper it to you confidentially. Here is our yellow ZonalGuinea;our best scarlet bedder,Gen. Grant, andWellington, andMrs. Pollock, andHappy Thought, all called Pelargoniums, and yet are quite unlike in leaf and flower what we Americans denominate a Pelargonium; and, to avoid confusion, it is certainly advisable for us to adhere to our established distinctiveness. We quote from theGardener's Chronicleof January 3d, 1880, a sensible talk on this subject, to which Mr. Cannell takes exceptions: "Pelargoniums and Geraniums—I think it would be as well to settle by authority the exact names of those flowers that seem to be indiscriminately called Pelargoniums and Geraniums. Botany has been described as the 'science of giving polysyllabic barbarian Greek names to foreign weeds;' but while some plants, Abies Mariesii for instance, are most carefully described, others, as Geraniums, seem to be called by names that do not belong to them,but to quite a different flower. I notice, both in your letter-press and advertisement, mention made of Zonal Pelargoniums; now I should certainly decline to receive Geraniums if I ordered Pelargoniums. I am old enough to remember that we had a parti-colored green-house flower of a violet shape that was called a Geranium, then came a lot of hardy-bedding-out stuff with a truss of red flowers, all of one color, followed byTom ThumbsandHorseshoeswhich grow nicely out of door. Then we were told that we must no longer call those green-house plantsGeraniums, that their right and proper name was Pelargoniums, and that those bedding-out plants were, strictly speaking, Geraniums. Now, however, the old name Geranium seems to be dropped for both, and the new name Pelargonium given to both, surely erroneously! Let us, however, have it fairly settled which is which, so that we may clearly and distinctly know what we are talking about, and not make mistakes either in writing or talking, in sending to shows, or in ordering plants."—James Richard Haig, Blair Hill, Sterling.
We will now give a part of a lecture delivered last spring before a Pelargonium Society in London, by Shirley Hibberd, a delightful writer on Horticulture, says Mr. Vick, from whose magazine we quote the following:
"A Pelargonium is not a Geranium, although often so called. The true Geraniums are for the most part herbaceous plants inhabiting the northern hemisphere, and the Pelargoniums are for the most part shrubby or sub-shrubby plants of the southern hemisphere. Let us for a moment wander among the pleasant slopes of Darley dale in Derbyshire, or by the banks of the Clyde or the Calder. We shall in either case be rewarded by seeing vast sheets of the lovely meadow Crane's Bill, Geranium pratense, a true Geranium, and one of the sweetest flowers in the world. In the rocky recesses of Ashwood Dale, or on the banks of the 'bonny Doon,' we may chance to see in high summer a profusion of the HerbRobert, Geranium Robertianum, with pink flowers and purple leaves, a piece of true vegetable jewelry. And, once more, I invite you to an imaginary journey, and we will ride by rail from Furness to Whitehaven, in order to behold on the railway bank, more especially near St. Bees, a wonderful display of the crimson Crane's Bill, Geranium sanguineum, which from July to September, forms solid sheets, often of a furlong in length, of the most resplendent color. No garden coloring can even so much as suggest the power of this plant as it appears at a few places on the Cumberland coast; even the sheets of scarlet poppies we see on badly cultivated corn lands are as nothing compared with these masses of one of the most common and hardiest of our wild flowers.
"Now let us fly to the other side of the globe and alight in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope, say on the vast desert of Karroo, where there is much sand, much sunshine, and little rain. Here, in the midst of desolation, the world is rich with flowers, for the healthy shrub that occurs in patches, glowing with many bright hues, consists in part of wild Pelargoniums, which often take the form of miniature deciduous trees, although in the valleys, nearer the coast, where more rain falls, they are evergreen bushes.
"Very different in their character are these two tribes of plants, and they are not less different in their constitution and aspects. We may regard the Geraniums as herbs of Europe, and the Pelargoniums as miniature trees of Africa. When we examine the flowers, we find the fine petals of a true Geranium of precisely the same shape and size; but the fine petals of a Pelargonium are not so, for sometimes the topmost are the largest, and stand apart from the rest with great dignity, like mother and father looking down on their dutiful daughters, and in other cases they are the smallest, suggesting that the daughters have grown too fast and become unmanageable. The florists are doing their utmost to obliterate the irregularity of the petals of the Pelargonium, and in this respect toconvert Pelargoniums into Geraniums, but the conversion will not be complete until much more wonderful things are accomplished. A Geranium has ten stamens, and a Pelargonium has only seven (perfect ones). These numbers are not constant, but the exceptions are of no consequence in a general statement of the case.
"When all is said that can be said about the differences and resemblances of the several genera of Geraniaceæ, there remains only one constant and unfailing test of a true Pelargonium, and that is the nectariferous tube immediately below the flower, and running down one side of the flower-stalk. If you hold the pedicel up to the light, it may be discerned as giving an indication of a double flower-stalk, but when dissected with a pin or the point of a knife, it is found to proceed from the base of the largest of the green sepals, and it often appears to form a sort of digit or point in the line of the pedicel. When you have mastered this part of the story, you may cherish the idea that you know something about Pelargoniums.
"The large flowered show varieties and the large-flowered single Zonals take the lead, and they are pleasantly followed by a crowd of ivy-leaved, double-flowered and variegated sorts that are useful and beautiful. The Pelargonium Society has set up a severe standard of judging, and a variety must be distinct and good to pass through the sieve. Moreover the raising of varieties has been to a great extent reduced to scientific principles, and we obtain as a result new characters suggestive of the great extent of the field that still lies open to the adventurous spirit in cross-breeding. No one in recent years has contributed more directly toward the scientific treatment of the subject than our own painstaking Treasurer, Dr.Denny, of whose labors I propose to present a hasty sketch.
"Dr.Dennycommenced the raising of Pelargoniums in the year 1866, having in view to ascertain the influence of parentage, and thus to establish a rule for the selection of varieties for seed-bearingpurposes. In raising varieties with variegated leaves, as also with distinct and handsome flowers, he found the pollen parent exercised the greatest influence on the offspring. The foundation of his strain of circular-flowered Zonals was obtained by fertilizing the large starry flowers of Leonidas with pollen taken from the finely formed flowers of Lord Derby. From 1871 to the present time Dr.Dennyhas sent out sixty varieties, and he has in the same period raised and flowered, and destroyed about 30,000. These figures show that when the selection is severe, and nothing is allowed to pass that is not of the highest quality, there must be 500 seedlings grown for the chance of obtaining one worth naming."
We have devoted a good deal of space to this citation because of its interest and value on the question at issue. Mr. Hibberd has, we think, made the matter very clear, and conclusive it must be to the most of minds. Pelargoniums are divided into classes, though we rarely see any classifications of them in the catalogues.
Are comparatively a new type, and from the fact of their having more scalloped petals, somewhat approaching a double; they retain their petals instead of shedding them as do the single show flowers. The Beauty of Oxton and Queen Victoria, novelties of very recent introduction, belong to this class. We had them in bloom last year and thought them very fine. The Beauty of Oxton has the upper petals of a very rich maroon color, darkly blotched; under petals very dark crimson, shaded with maroon; light center tinted with rose. All the petals are attractively and regularly margined with white and beautifully fringed. The flowers are large and the extra number of petals gives them the appearance of being semi-double.
Queen Victoria is of a very novel type and marvelously beautiful. The flowers have crispy petals, all of which are a rich vermilion in color, broadly margined with white, and the upper onesblotched with maroon. The "Show and Fancy Pelargoniums" have what the florists term "blotches," i.e. large spots on the two upper petals, and "spots" which mean the darker marks upon the center of the lower ones. The Lady of the Lake belongs to this class. Lower petals orange-rose painted with crimson, very dark maroon top petals with a narrow, even crimson edge, white center. Prince Charlie is very unique in its markings. Color white elegantly tipped, with rose-violet blotches.
This is a very handsome class of which there are many new varieties. Princess of Wales we had last summer. It has elegant frilled petal margins; flower trusses large size and borne in profusion well above the foliage; ground color pure blush, each petal alike marked with a rich dark velvet crimson-scarlet margined blotch.
Star of the East resembles the Princess of Wales in growth and profusion of bloom, but with larger flowers, of pure white ground. The petals are elegantly fringed, the upper ones marked with a rich crimson spot, and the under ones elegantly penciled with violet-colored lines. These are among the novelties of recent introduction.
A class of distinct habit, free bloomers, mostly fragrant foliage, good for bedding out. Of these we have only had Madame Glevitsky of Bavarian origin. Color, upper petals a fine vermilion, veined and spotted with purple, under petals vermilion.
We were much pleased with Pelargonium Filicifolia Odorata for its finely cut leaves of a Fern-like appearance and pleasing fragrance.
Our specimens of the various classes were from the extensive and superb collection of Mr. John Saul, of Washington, D. C.Among them was one which originated in his establishment and was named for his wife. It belongs to the "Regal" class. The habit is compact and very free flowering, producing large trusses of flowers the color of which is a rich glowing vermilion, with light center and light margin to the petals.
We are indebted to Mr. John G. Heinl for specimen plants of two "New Monthly Pelargoniums," now offered for the first time to the general public. Of the origin of one,Fred Dorner, we have this account given in a letter to Mr. Heinl, from Fred Dorner, Esq., of Lafayette. Mr. Dorner says:
"Six years ago I undertook to grow some Pelargoniums from seed. I procured some very choice seed of Ernest Benary of Erfust. The seedlings grew finely. About midwinter one commenced to bloom, and to my astonishment kept on blooming for ten months, during which period it was never without flowers. The plants grew to a good size and at one time I counted forty-seven good-sized trusses on it. The winter and everblooming quality, with the large and beautifully colored flowers, makes this Pelargonium a great acquisition to the amateur as well as the florist. I have seen here in Lafayette plants in windows blooming all winter, and it is acknowledged here to be the best and easiest kept house and window plant, blooming from nine to ten months in the year."
Freddie Heinloriginated with Mr. John G. Heinl, who says it is a sport fromFred Dorner;it is lighter-colored and the flowers are somewhat larger. That these are both a rare acquisition is evident from the testimony of such florists as Mr. John Thorp of Queens, and Mr. Henry A. Dreer of Philadelphia. Mr. Thorp says, "There are no Pelargoniums equal to them and they have a decided right to be called perpetual." Three months later he writes: "I am more than ever impressed with their superiority over any perpetual blooming varieties, and they must take foremost rank." Mr. Dreer says: "The Pelargoniums have proven very satisfactory. Theyflowered during the greater part of the summer, and are now full of buds."
The colored lithograph, which Mr. Heinl says is a good representation, shows them to be very beautiful. We should think that to call a plant so dissimilar in foliage and flower a Geranium, would be a misnomer, why not equally such to call a Geranium a Pelargonium?
As we have seen by Mr. Hibberd's address, the Pelargonium's native home is on arid plains where there is much sand, much sunshine and little rain, so that they are chiefly dependent on heavy dews for moisture. To plant them in heavy soil, give them a sheltered situation and liberal and frequent watering, would be a mode of treatment directly the reverse of what they require. In the cultivation of all plants we should as far as possible adapt them to their native conditions. One skilled amateur says his rule is to let the earth in the pots become thoroughly dry before watering, and always to give a period of rest after blooming. Another, a lady, said she never had any success with Pelargoniums until she gave them a heavy period of rest after blooming. In the spring, when putting her plants out of doors, she laid the pots containing Pelargoniums on their sides, and let them remain perfectly dry until fall. She then took the plants out of the pots, shook the soil from the roots, and scrubbed them well with a hard brush and water. The old-looking roots were cut off and the top trimmed down to six or eight inches in height. They were then repotted in rich earth and watered very moderately till they started into full growth, and after that more freely. With this treatment they never fail to bloom.
A young physician who raised many extraordinarily fine varieties of Pelargoniums from seed, in stating his mode of culture, said thathispractice was to re-pot large plants whenever they seemed in danger of being pot-bound. The mold he used was made up ofblack earth from under a manure heap, and a little stiff clay to retain the water. After the plants were done flowering, they were trimmed rather close, and with regard to probable places of sprouting. They were then placed in partial shade, and all shoots found straying out of symmetry were pinched off. His large plants were kept moist till after bloom, and then rather dry.—Floral Cabinet.
We have given these methods so that if not successful with one, another can be adopted.
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,To please the desert and the sluggish brook;The purple petals fallen in the pool,Made the black waters with their beauty gay,—Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,And court the flower that cheapens his array.Rhodora! if the sages ask thee whyThis charm is wasted on the marsh and sky,Dear, tell them, that if eyes were made for seeing,Then beauty is its own cause for being.Why thou wert there, O rival of the Rose!I never thought to ask; I never knew,But in my simple ignorance supposeThe selfsame Power that brought me there, brought you.Ralph Waldo Emerson.
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,To please the desert and the sluggish brook;The purple petals fallen in the pool,Made the black waters with their beauty gay,—Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,And court the flower that cheapens his array.Rhodora! if the sages ask thee whyThis charm is wasted on the marsh and sky,Dear, tell them, that if eyes were made for seeing,Then beauty is its own cause for being.Why thou wert there, O rival of the Rose!I never thought to ask; I never knew,But in my simple ignorance supposeThe selfsame Power that brought me there, brought you.Ralph Waldo Emerson.
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,To please the desert and the sluggish brook;The purple petals fallen in the pool,Made the black waters with their beauty gay,—Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee whyThis charm is wasted on the marsh and sky,Dear, tell them, that if eyes were made for seeing,Then beauty is its own cause for being.Why thou wert there, O rival of the Rose!I never thought to ask; I never knew,But in my simple ignorance supposeThe selfsame Power that brought me there, brought you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
A legend of this little flower,I heard not long ago;'Tis this, that when upon the crossThe sinless Saviour died,And soldier with his cruel spearHad pierced his precious side,The holy drops flowed to his feet,Then fell upon the sod,When Mary knelt and wept for Him,Her son, and yet her God;An angel who was hovering near,Thus breathed a prayer to heaven:"Oh, Father, let them not be lost,These drops so freely given,But in some form of beauty still,Let them remain on earth,And here upon this rugged hill,Give some sweet floweret birth."Then, forth from the ensanguined sod,A Fuchsia sprang that morn,Rich crimson, dyed with Christian blood,Wrapped in his "robe of scorn,"Drooping in sorrow, still it bowsEver its graceful head;Shivering in the slightest breeze—Trembling in fear and dread;For the dark shadow of the crossCan ne'er forgotten be,Where all the perfume of its breathWas spent on Calvary.Yes, offering its rich fragrance there,As incense at His feet,The Fuchsia, though so beautiful,Can never be more sweet.
A legend of this little flower,I heard not long ago;'Tis this, that when upon the crossThe sinless Saviour died,And soldier with his cruel spearHad pierced his precious side,The holy drops flowed to his feet,Then fell upon the sod,When Mary knelt and wept for Him,Her son, and yet her God;An angel who was hovering near,Thus breathed a prayer to heaven:"Oh, Father, let them not be lost,These drops so freely given,But in some form of beauty still,Let them remain on earth,And here upon this rugged hill,Give some sweet floweret birth."Then, forth from the ensanguined sod,A Fuchsia sprang that morn,Rich crimson, dyed with Christian blood,Wrapped in his "robe of scorn,"Drooping in sorrow, still it bowsEver its graceful head;Shivering in the slightest breeze—Trembling in fear and dread;For the dark shadow of the crossCan ne'er forgotten be,Where all the perfume of its breathWas spent on Calvary.Yes, offering its rich fragrance there,As incense at His feet,The Fuchsia, though so beautiful,Can never be more sweet.
A legend of this little flower,I heard not long ago;'Tis this, that when upon the crossThe sinless Saviour died,And soldier with his cruel spearHad pierced his precious side,The holy drops flowed to his feet,Then fell upon the sod,When Mary knelt and wept for Him,Her son, and yet her God;An angel who was hovering near,Thus breathed a prayer to heaven:"Oh, Father, let them not be lost,These drops so freely given,But in some form of beauty still,Let them remain on earth,And here upon this rugged hill,Give some sweet floweret birth."Then, forth from the ensanguined sod,A Fuchsia sprang that morn,Rich crimson, dyed with Christian blood,Wrapped in his "robe of scorn,"Drooping in sorrow, still it bowsEver its graceful head;Shivering in the slightest breeze—Trembling in fear and dread;For the dark shadow of the crossCan ne'er forgotten be,Where all the perfume of its breathWas spent on Calvary.Yes, offering its rich fragrance there,As incense at His feet,The Fuchsia, though so beautiful,Can never be more sweet.
TTHE Fuchsia was introduced into England in the latter half of the last century by a sailor, at whose home it was discovered by Mr. James Lee, a florist of Hammersmith, who secured the original plant by paying quite a sum of money for it, and in addition promising to give to the sailor's wife one of the first young plants he would succeed in raising. In a short time he succeeded in producing several hundred nice plants, nearly all of which were sold at a guinea each. Shortly after this a captain Firth presented one that he had brought from Chili to the Royal Garden at Kew. The plant was named in honor of Leonard Fuch, an eminent German Botanist, who lived in the 16th century. The varieties in cultivation to-day are vast improvements. One of theearly varieties was calledFulgens. We recollect seeing this variety some four or five years ago, and could not refrain from comparing it with a number of varieties lately introduced. The flower may be described as follows: A slender crimson tube two inches in length; sepals narrow, one-half inch; in color a shade lighter than the tube; the corolla purple; in size very small compared with the varieties of the present time. This variety is a strong grower, large foliage which has a silvery appearance. Thus we can have a slight idea of that from which have been produced the beauties of our time; thus can we see what a skillful florist can do when he has something to begin with. Some of the varieties of the Fuchsia are hardy in England as well as in some parts of our own country. A traveler informs us that he has seen them in California trained over arbors and to the houses just as we train grape vines here, and growing most luxuriantly. They grow in favor very rapidly wherever introduced, and it was but a short time after they became known we find the Poet eulogizing them in these lines—
"Graceful flowers on graceful stem,Of Flora's gift a favorite gem;From tropic fields it came to cheer,The natives of a climate drear;And grateful for our fostering care,Has learnt the wintry blast to bear."
"Graceful flowers on graceful stem,Of Flora's gift a favorite gem;From tropic fields it came to cheer,The natives of a climate drear;And grateful for our fostering care,Has learnt the wintry blast to bear."
"Graceful flowers on graceful stem,Of Flora's gift a favorite gem;From tropic fields it came to cheer,The natives of a climate drear;And grateful for our fostering care,Has learnt the wintry blast to bear."
While some flowers have been extremely popular for a season, and then have sunk into comparative obscurity, the popularity of the Fuchsia has never waned, but on the contrary has continually been on the increase until now it occupies a prominent place in every collection of plants, be that collection large or small. There is a cause for this popularity, and that cause is, it is of easy culture and produces its flowers freely, often under adverse circumstances. The Fuchsia is readily propagated by cuttings of the young wood. These will root in from two to three weeks, when they should bepotted in rich soil, say one-half garden soil or loam enriched with well-rotted manure, and one-half leaf soil, with a little sand added to make the compost very porous. From the time the plant is first potted it should never be allowed to become so dry as that the growth will be checked. The great secret of growing Fuchsias successfully is tokeep them growing. In order to do this we must provide for them a rich soil, an abundance of pot-room and a moist atmosphere. If you wish to grow large specimen plants the cuttings should be struck (that is rooted), early in the season. This will allow a longer period for them in which to make their growth before the season for blooming arrives; by keeping the plants supplied with plenty of pot-room the time of blooming will be somewhat retarded, and if on the other hand we desire to have the plants in bloom as early as possible we allow plenty of pot-room during the early part of the growing season, after which we allow the pots to become pretty well filled with roots, and abundance of beautiful pendulous flowers will be the result.
As house or window plants the Fuchsias are very popular. The varietySpeciosawill bloom very freely during the winter. During the summer months they should be protected from the direct rays of the sun, and kept well syringed. As bedding plants their utility is limited, as they must be planted in a shaded position. A bed of them in such a position makes a pleasant appearance, and in this way they are easily kept through the hottest part of the year. They may be bedded out, or may be allowed to remain in the pots and the pots plunged in the garden. In this latter way they will need additional care, as they must not be allowed to suffer for want of water. If it is desirable to keep the old plants another year they may be removed to the house or cellar, and kept cool and dry until toward spring, when they can be repotted in fresh soil, watered scantily, and started into growth and pruned or trained to any desired shape or form.—The Floral World.
The foregoing article so fully and clearly stated all that was essential respecting the culture of the Fuchsia, that we have transferred it entire instead of writing something original. We need now only add a few things respecting some choice varieties and recent novelties. "Champion of the Worldhas the largest blooms of any Fuchsia; the tubes are short; sepals very broad and of great substance, well reflexed, and of a most beautiful coral red; the foot-stalk of each bloom is of unusual length and strength, so that each flower stands out bold and graceful. Corolla of immense size, and as it expands forms two-thirds of a perfect ball. Color is of the most intense bright dark purple. Free tall grower, and for conservatory decoration is one of the most remarkable Fuchsias for size ever yet sent out."—H. Cannell.
The illustration of this Fuchsia in Mr. Cannell'sFloral Guidemeasures two and one-third inches in diameter, and yet we are told that when well grown, theChampionproduces much larger bloom than the engraving. It has four rows of petals, and looks round and full like a pink.Bland's New Stripedis of the single class, but the corolla is very large, of a rich plum-colored purple, regular and distinctly striped red and rose, pyramidal shape, habit strong.
Of the Hybrid variegated Fuchsias,Sunrayis by far the best with red variegated leaves ever sent out; it is very ornamental.Pillar of Goldis a very showy variety with yellow leaves. Among the novelties in color, we find mention ofAurora Superba;tube and sepals rich salmon, corolla large and spreading of a distinct orange scarlet highly suffused with yellow, fine habit and free bloomer.Polyhymniais a dwarf yellow.
OfLord Beaconsfield, Mr. Cannell says: "One of the strongest and most conspicuous blooming varieties ever sent out, and one of the very best for sale and decoration; flowers neither good shape nor color, but produced in very large clusters and blooms nearly all the year if allowed plenty of root room."
This Fuchsia originated with Mr. John Laing, Stanstead Park Nursery, Forest Hill, near London, and is a cross between Fuchsia Fulgens and one of the modern varieties known as "Perfection." It was exhibited at some of the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society first, as Laing's Hybrid, in 1875 or 1876. It much resembles the old Speciosa, but is more free blooming even than that, and its flowers are twice as large.
Kingsburyana, figured in Mr. Cannell'sFloral Guide—which comes to us from Swanley, England—is very large and double. "It is another addition to the double white corolla class, and is remarkable for its fine vigorous growth and large showy flowers; its corolla is particularly novel and beautiful."
Mrs. H. Cannell, named for the florist's wife by Swaffield, its originator, "was one of the greatest lifts in bringing the double white corolla to perfection," and has given great satisfaction in this country. We have never seen one so beautiful, but Mr. C. E. Allen who has a large collection, including those rare gems from across the water, we have named, says: "Snow Whiteis the very best double white Fuchsia ever sent out. A fine, erect grower, and a remarkably free and early bloomer. Sepals coral red. Superior to Miss Lucy Finnis in that it is of a stronger habit. Have none now in bloom." Among the fine specimen blooms of the dark purple type sent us by Mr. Allen, we thinkElm Citythe gem for size, richness of color—a double dark purple striped with scarlet, sepals scarlet-crimson—and compact form. TheSwanley Gemis of a peculiar shape, single, very open bell-shape corolla, "frilled" Mr. Cannell calls it, rose color with tube and sepals coral scarlet, the latter are very prettily reflexed.
We began our list with theChampion—the largest known—we will end it with the tiniest,Microphylla, the whole plant, flowers and leaves are Liliputian among the Fuchsias.
Here these are truly wonderful; they grow up the house fronts, and grow into large trees, so large that you can have a tea-party around the bole of the trees. They are also grown for hedges and kept nicely clipped, and with their bright green leaves and scarlet flowers look cheerful and refreshing. The winds and the spray from the sea do not in the least affect them.—The Garden.
Mr. Vick, in his Magazine says: "Once when in Europe, we saw at Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight, a Fuchsia tree, perhaps twenty feet or more in height, with a trunk full fifteen inches in diameter. The editor of theFlore des Serresof Belgium, in writing of this tree, says it is doubtless the largest specimen in Europe, but is only a baby compared with specimens the editor has seen in South America. Seeing our notice of this tree, Mr.Nichollsof Sharon Springs, N. Y., wrote us that he had "seen Fuchsias in the Isle of Jersey, in the English Channel, thirty feet in height, and there are hundreds there from twenty to twenty-five feet."
We have found the most effective method to be by placing the cuttings in a bottle of water, and keeping them in a sunny window, but the following method is said to be practiced by cottagers in the west of England: "In the autumn, after the frost has destroyed the foliage, the wood of the present season is cut off close to the ground and laid like a sheaf of corn in a trench a foot deep. The bundle is covered with a few inches of soil, and here it remains until spring, when a multitude of young shoots may be seen pushing their way through. The soil is then carefully moved, and with a sharp knife a cut is made each side of a joint, and the result is rooted plants enough for the parish. The old stool throws up more vigorously than before, to be served in the same way the following autumn."
OONLY a few years ago, not one of the Coleus family had a place in the gardens of Europe and America, and I have been told that in our absence gardeners depended chiefly upon plants with showy flowers for ornamenting their gardens and grounds. When some of my remote relatives were introduced, numerous were the surmisings as to what place they should occupy amongst cultivated plants. This was especially so in the case of Perilla Nankinensis, a plant of most sombre hue, but so striking withal as to attract general attention. Some looked upon it as the forerunner of a class of plants destined to play an important part in the future, whilst others regarded it as a vile weed. Nevertheless, considerable attention was bestowed upon its cultivation for a time; but ultimately became so neglected as to be met with chiefly as a garden weed. This may have been owing in some measure to the introduction of Coleus Blumei, which species was regarded with greater favor, and at once took a place which it held fairly well for a time, or until he whose name I bear obtained from it varieties so novel and brilliant in color, as to entitle them to rank high amongst the time-honored favorites of the garden. From the most reliable information, I infer that this species at least is one of my immediate ancestors, and whether I owe as much of kinship to any other, has not been made known. But this I do know, from the day I was first introduced to the public, in my chocolate and violet colored suit until the present time, I have been praised as few plants have been. But being neither envious nor vain, I have desired the company of those whose colors are brighter than my own, as variety in harmony gives greater satisfaction than any one can singly bestow. Some of theolder varieties are well fitted to produce this effect, and none more so, perhaps, than my old friends Aurea Marginata, and Golden Circle; but the majority of their class either lack expression, or are so delicately constituted as to become perfect "frights" when planted out of doors.