OF INTEREST TO GARDENERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXII, Issue 141, 23 June 1898, Page 4

OF INTEREST TO GARDENERS.

£r ."« ;:-%TiEB EVOLUTION OF- THE . ' ?#>;iH^Ii6RNIN(J ajiORY OF JAPAN. ;;^ tbemtim V ii fer aU it ritfs done * for -■ . our.sgardens, Vaud.take; np' iustead V •witn *tli4'imormng-glory of Japan, '" ■ ;the. H NV6ndr6.uf,".aas4go ?" Qne is '--■"'''almost compelled to think that this , ;jb -f inevitable "''aftMr' ; ! reading/ the I ' , viviolly-painted account of the mar- '. Vels'of the flatter, flower, givea by 0< an American lndj; tourist to the '"■'■ the v?! Century" magazine. The ■>■ •» as'agao," like the chrysanthemum, came ' io 'Japm from ChiDa; as a : primitive sort of weea. It Is still nothing more than that to-day in Chlna'i ani little, more so in our gardens." In Japan,"however, after being neglected for centuries, the daimios, the great nobles took it up, - ' and.under their 'hands it became a' thing; of magnificent beauty, of huge' size and magnificent oolourv-. - irig.H compared to which the coni: ■ volvulns diE our summer gardens is as'inßignificaut aa (he humble little • ; -wild pansy, of Etiglish fields 'is to the splendid-product of the florists'; '-" skill whieb we would all-like-to grow, ( ,Thon the craze died out, came 'in^agairi .'during the early years o£ the present century, lapsed - again Wiin the social revolution •which robbed! the daimioa of their power, and finally made its appear- ; ' anoe two summers ago; Now th re .aril'/BSBgfio^olribs'in several cities, and all s classes cultivate the charm- > ing flower-., , Tba .bast, plaoe in . which to see theimprning-gloryas it.is grown is ; : in Japan are. ihe.gard^enß of Iriya, on!.tthe(>-putßlartß of Tokio, and - . thither " at daybreak during > the season of blooming resort hundreds , of the'-'flbwer-worshippera; The 'flowers .themselves :must be well ■ -worth going- mueaEto.seo. " G«ow» ing •in'-potsj- twining round and v round« ; four or five thin ■ bamboos, opening/ohalioesthrße, four, five, and ; six inches; in diameter of every- conceivable colour. The geeat circle of flowers -ranged from fairy. ix\i and -delicate orchid .tints, tflibugli' brilliant ' scarlet, carnation, 1 and intense petunia ahadeß, through purples, 1 c'6rnfl6wer, and oobalt blues to the?raly r mid night colour,' Suoh " gray^purpleß'and rttd-purpleßj BU«h ! soft duUieb^es of roßev terra cotta, hrown , andi .gray.} -. such hints . of maftve; fawn and lavender, of violet, heliotrdpe, 1 lilac, and* lemon; the ■ soft' grays.offog.and mist and clonds,.'the.'gray'o'fblacfc pearls, and grays half iridescent, that, shaded to the colourings of 'pigeons': wings and Australian \opalß," :The . variega- , tions' were rinconceiyable-^corollas Bfir-rayed; ; Striped, shaded, bprdered/flplashed, spotted, and mottled^ y ilany of the great corollas, or , trumue'ts, were fluted and crumpled, and separat'edinto |flnf£y, petals, like a double, poppy., The largest flowers measnred ! eix and a»h'alf inohes across /tfie" mouth of the Ntr.ump.et. ".' Such we have des- '. ! ' cribed : a^e called th« ; " owa mono 1 ," ana,:-^may'V.vimaginea, ; their . production' lß^as much a Bcience aa ,' an art.ff'But there is an inner circle of enthusiastß.who have bo treated v the assgao as tpvroji.it.of allits con^ " . volvulus characteristics.,; The, flower. • th^y produce is called the "f uknrin." ! ; Instead ofi a twiningj graceful vine, in their hands' it beqomes a drooping . ' plant n«t| foot high/ or elsi astiff .;, • stunted' 1 bftih'/ ain'd the flo werß^-they : have changed them out of recognition. ' They appear ; to be Everything ) except what "they really are, morn-ing-glories, f '. 166k like double poppies and pelargoniums, like camatioDß, boneyßUckies, tbist~ les tuberoses, gordeßias, chrysantbe- ■■'"". mumsjooiumbines,* lupins, peonies, double iris, butterfly and pitcher , planiffancl ) 6r ! ch'xds;'?- Their .cbloWs ; ; are -£?sSsi>sftU; -m 'Varied; ai .. thoseof tke(V.oy?aj",&,n'd their foliage .is of ftvgryji^ape,iiom that : of the / .map|qfjjieaf)w3hp,"pine«needle. In short itherarteems to i be nothing tbat the necroMan T cgfs7bf . Japanese gar-. denß^canjrof^o.jWuh a: pltof. .' ; ' Ther!B,iß'one^s|rVous, drawback , to ; thepopularißingoftheasagao. "Its 1 cuitiyatf6"rfiß : i perfe'ei lottery,, f r . not tipjje $$q : 16 per cent, or the ; •■" owa^eedß can lofc reckoned to produce the '''parent flowers, - while only. 5Cf , per;' cent, of the f ukurin Beedj^b^n'g. frem : sixjjence^ to five 1 or te"n ahilßnga -a seedi grow, at all. But themagni^cence of the flower / when one does get it must compenf Bate for all the difflonlties and risks of ite - cultivation.— Christchurqh jrreas. ,^;;t!>:v:.-. ;■