FLOWERS AT “THE HIGHLAND”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23014, 17 October 1936, Page 23

FLOWERS AT “THE HIGHLAND”

By F. C.

The “ Highland ” Agricultural Show at Melrose gave us a surprise in the unexpected excellence of the flower show which was a side line in the great collecvion of exhibits pertaining to the farming industry gathered together under the shadow of the ancient abbey. It was on rather unconventional lines, the wooden sheds being arranged along four sides of a large square and open to the centre except for the canvas shades protecting the flowers from the rays of the blazing sun that shone out of the summer sky on nearly all four days. There was hardly one exhibit that did not display real merit in its own line. Forbes’s herbaceous plants, and especially pentstemons, Bobbie’s sweet peas and roses, Allwood Brothers’ carnations. Baker’s lupins and delphiniums, Storrie’s fruit trees in pots and large stands of rock and alpine plants were all fine products of careful culture and gardening skill. For my own part, I feel that carnations grown to the size of those exhibited here have lost entirely the charm which has made this flower so desirable for decorative purposes. They are too suggestive of what youngsters call “ middle-aged spread.” I had not time to examine in detail the exhabit of sweet peas, but here again the large size of the blooms was a conspicuous feature. In passing, I may mention that at the autumn show last year in ' Edinburgh the following varieties were noted as being of special merit: —Welcome, Ambition, Patricia Union, Sybil Henshaw. Pacific, Debutante, Mollie, Thriller, Lavender Lady, Purple Monarch, and Superfine. On several stands the flowers that gave, most evidence of improvement during the years I had been absent from this country were lupins (Lupinus polyphyllus). In colour and length of spike they are far and away superior to the old white, pink and purple forms. The new colours are purer, more vivid and varied. Among the crimsons Downer’s Delight takes pride of place with its immense spike of dull carmine and old rose flowers. There are clear blues like Mrs D. Mathieson and Codsall Blue; rich yellows like Sunbeam and bright bicolours such as Chocolate Soldier (real chocolate and standard yellow), Big Ben (salmon pink and deep rosy red); chrome yellows such as Ada and many intermediate shades and combinations. I should advise my New Zealand friends to try a good sowing of lupin seed from a reliable firm and there will be pleasant surprises in store for them. I obtained a promise from Mr Arthur Evans, of Bakers, that nothing other than seed from first-class varieties would be sent to New Zealand. He also supplied me with some interesting details of future developments with this flower. His firm is at present preparing for commercial distribution in 1938 an entirely new strain which is the result of many years’ work of a York amateur, Mr Russell, and has been the subject of much interest to the horticultural trade. People have travelled from far and near to see the wonderful colour spectacle presented by Mr Russell’s lupins in June, I shall, however, endeavour to see the flowers myself and give a critical report Only an inexperienced gardener would expect seed of lupins to produce plants equal in all points to the parents, for notoriously the lupin is a variable flower. Still, from first-class seed one may expect at least a small percentage of first-class seedlings.

Delphiniums, too, were an imposing exhibit; those of Storrie, Thyne and Co., Dundee, and Bakers of Codsail being much the best. Here, large flowers are quite in keeping with the massive character of the plants and a variety like D. B. Crane with its lovely soft lavender pips slightly suffused with blue, nicely placed upon the stem may well be proclaimed king of the border. On the stands devoted to rock and alpine plants there was a refreshing diversity of species. It will interest lady readers to know that two of the best furnished were from nurseries run by ladies working in partnership—the Edrom Nurseries at Coldingham by the Misses LoganHorne and Castlehil 1 Nurseries at Kippen by the Misses Clark. Both firms .supply excellent descriptive catalogues Here are a few of the things which took my fancy and which I should like to grow: Campanula abietina, though not a rarity, I do not remember to have seen in New Zealand gardens. The stems are long and slender and bear starry, upright bluebells that move in the gentlest breeze: a dainty and attractive plant. Armeria Corsica is a thrift of unusual shade which might be described as brick red. There were many small violas suitable for the rock garden, and the pick of the bunch was one with pale lemon rayless flowers and named V. citrina. Saxifraga primuloides, Elliot’s variety, is a miniature London Pride with flowers of a darker shade of crimson Dianthus Prichardii has large flowers of a soft pale pink and slightly “ double.” Lithospermum, Grace Ward, is a variety of the popular L. prostratUm, heavenly blue with distinctly larger flowers. Phlox subulata camlaensis is described as a new species of great merit. The flowers are starshaped, freely produced and pink. I noted two particularly good Achilleas The first, A Lewisii, has a close-growing habit and heads of soft sulphur yellow flowers only about four inches high; the other, A. King Edward, has pale yellow flowers on silvery grey foliage. Geum Fire Opal, which I saw for the first time, seems to be a hybrid between the two well-known varieties G Mrs Bradshaw and G. Lady Stratheden. Its flowers are semidouble and streaked in such a way a- to produce the effect of orangescarlet.

I shall conclude the present notes by mention of a few notable flowers seen elsewhere. In the garden of the house where I am staying a large clump of Lilium monadelphum Szovitzianum makes a superb picture. It has pale yellow flowers of clear, soft shade, with red stamens showing well against lightish green foliage. Near at hand but not flowering till some weeks later stands a specimen of Philadalphus grandiflorus floxibundus. one of the daintiest and most graceful of the race. Another of the so-called Brides’ Blossoms and probably the finest of all flowered a little earlier It has long, arching stems, covered with large, double flowers superficially resembling roses. No one could fail to be delighted with this magnificent and easily-grown shrub. Its name is P Virginal. A third seen at the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens is also well worth notice —P avalanche. Lastlv. a plant which I raised in New Zealand, but never appreciated as it deserves—it should be grown in a good clump—Delphinium Brunonianum will give a pretty display of soft purplish flowers on dwarf stems. It is easily grown from seed.