HORTICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11734, 16 August 1901, Page 7

HORTICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

TREE ON A WALL. It has been' remarked' that trees sometime show a good deal of intelligence in adapting themselves to their lot in life, flourishing as they do under the most unpromising condtions. For instance, there is a tree 30 to 40ft high, growing out of the wall >f a house at Clyunog, South Carnarvonshire, which has evidently sprung from a seed lodged there by chance. It has adapted its roots to penetrate the wall and draw nourishment from the ground beneath. THE KING AS A GARDENER. In the Gardener " G." writos as folio- : — Tho boys at the Queen's Shool, Windsor Park, used to cultivate a three-acre pi ' as part of their training. On one occasio- tier late Majesty Queen Victoria and the P-ince Consort, accompanied by the young prii.ces, paid a surprwe visit to the school plot. The headmaster, Mr. Horner, was commanded to walk with the Queen, and had to answer a number of questions and listen to tho ■ :>mConsort, accompanied by the young Princes, "You know, Mr. Horner," said our present King, "wo both have gardens of our own. which wo look after ourselves, and all the vegetables we grow wo aro allowed to give away to poor people." Mr. Horner now lives at Shepton Mallet, and is fond < f recalling the youthful gardening enthusiasm of Edward VII. THE SCOTCH THiSTLE. Do you know, asks an American journal, why the thistle is the national flower of Scotland? The story is a pretty one, and very characteristic of the Scotch. It is said that ; centuries ago the Danes ere making an inroad into Scotland. They were advancing cautiously at night; but, unfortunately, j they wore barefooted. They had got close ! to the Scotch camp when one of the men 1 at the head of their column stepped on a i thistle. Did you ever put down your foot squarely upon a real Scotch thistle? If you have, you will not be surprised to hear that the man gave a scream of pain. His scream awakened the Scotch. They sprung up, and perceiving their enemies fell upon them and defeated thorn. And tho thistle was made the Scotch flower. THE ROSE ACACIA. The ornamental shrub generally known as rose acacia (Robinia hispida) is a native of tho Southern States of America. It is of a trailing, straggling nature, sometimes assuming the habit of a low-growing tree and at others a shrub. Its tendency is to sucker freely, and the suckers aro trailing or prontrate- Whatever form it may assume it is always ornamental, producing its flowers in rosy racemes about four inches long abundantly in June and sparingly tho entire summer. In appearance it is much like the common yellow locust, but its young wood is covered with mossy, soft, brown prickles. But for its habit of suckering it would be one of the most desirable of ornamental shrubs. For rough places where largo masses are required it is very desirable. The flowers are rose in colour, about the size of those of an ordinary sweet pea, and borne, a few together, in drooping racemes. There I is a variety in cultivation with hairless stems, shorter growth, and larger racemes of flowers. It is known under the varietal name of inermis, and is a much superior plant to the type. A NEW SUNFLOWER. Mr. Hawthorne states that as the sunflower is admittedly an aesthetic flower the more artistic the form in which we can obtain it the better. Artists will certainly rave over the grace of the new helianthus. Its petals are slender and all twisted at the tips, after the style of single cactus dahlias. In colour it is a bright gold, with a black or deepest chocolate brown centre. Another merit possessed by the variety is the elegant nature of the stems, which support the blossoms in an upright position, yet are very thin for a helianthus. All gardeners who have to cater for dinner-tablo decorations daily, or for general house adornment, should make a point of growing this new sunflower. Its height is about 3gft, and it forms a beautiful piece of colour in the border; or it may be used with white ivyleaved geraniums and golden violas for bedfilling.