I

THE

J%ttr££ antr JRsmjjlMits

POPULAR FLOWERS.

BY THE

REV. H. HONYWOOD DOMBRAIN, A.B.

THE PLATES BY JAMES ANDREWS, F.R.H.S.

VOL. IV.

LONDON:

LOVELL REEVE & CO., 5, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN

1865.

LITTLE

JOHN EDWASB TAYLOB, PEINTER,

QUEEN STBEET, LINCOLN’S INN FIELDS.

INDEX.

PLATE

Achimenes, Pink Perfection and Grandis . 233

Acliimenes Rollisonii . 217

Andromeda Tetragona . . 250

Anemone Fulgens . 251

Aquilegia Caerulea . . . 254

Auricula, Lord Clyde . 202

Azalea, Fascination . 231

Azalea, Forget-me-not, (Xvery’s) . 193

Azalea, Souvenir de Prince Albert . 201

Begonia Bigswelliana . 236

Berberis Stenophylla . 252

Calceolaria, Bird of Paradise . 227

Camellia, Comte de Gomer . 196

Camellia, Contessa di Gonda . 242

Carnations, varieties of Tree . .228

Chrysanthemums, Golden Ball and Venus . 235

Chrysanthemum, Variegated, (Sensation) . . 239

Cinerarias, Flower of the Bay, Rembrandt, and Eliza . 200

Clarkia Integripetala . 244

Clematis Jackmanii . 226

Clematis Rubro-Violacea . 215

Clerodendron, Thomsonim Balfourii . ..255

Bisa Grandiflora, var. Superba . . 223

Fuchsia, Cloth of Gold . 204

Fuchsias, Lucrezia Borgia and Fantastic . 232

Gladiolus, Eleanor Ns orman . 222

Hepatica Angulosa . . 247

Hovea Pun gens Major . ..238

Hyacinth, Robert Fortune . 194

Hvacinth, Thorwaldsen . 243

Iresine Herbstii . 219

Iris, Mademoiselle Patti . 207

Lapageria Alba . . 199

Linum Chamissonis . 214

IV

INDEX.

PLATE

Mimulus, Double-flowering . 248

Odontoglossum Pescatorii . 241

Ornithogalum Thyrsoides . 203

Pansies, varieties of Fancy . 211

Pelargoniums, Anne Page and Edgar Turner . 205

Pelargoniums, British Sailor and John Hoyle . 216

Pelargonium, United Italy . 209

Pentstemons, Princess of Wales and Attraction . 224

Petunias, Jubilee and Charming . 230

Primula Cortusoides, var. Amcena . 249

Primula Intermedia . 256

Pyrethrum, varieties of . 212

Ehododendron, Princess Alexandra . 245

Ehododendron, Princess Alice . 206

Ehododendron, Princess Helena . . 220

Ehododendron Thibaudiense . 253

Eose, Bernard Palissy . 229

Eose, King’s Acre . 213

Eose, Madame Victor Verdier . i . 198

Eose, Tea, Alba Eosea . 210

Eose, Tea, Marechal Niel . .237

Sarracenia Drummondii . 208

Saxifraga Fortunei . 221

Sweet William, varieties of . \ 218

Tulips, varieties of Early . * . . 197

Vallota Eximia . 225

\ erbenas, George Tye, Charles Turner, and Queen of Pinks . 240

Verbenas, New Italian . 195

Verbena, Variegated, Popular . 234

Zonale Geranium, Venus . . .... 246

193

J.A rtdrews, del et lith..

~Vmc ent Bro aks, Imp

Plate 193.

AZALEA (FOEGET-ME-NOT, IVEEY’S).

Probably no English grower has been so successful in raising
seedling Azaleas as Mr. I very, of Dorking, the many fine flowers
which have proceeded from his Nursery holding a foremost
place in all collections, for who can have a collection of which
Gem, leery ana, Criterion , Carnation , and other fine flowers, do
not form a part \ and we never see a good set of plants staged
for exhibition in which some of his flowers are not to be found.
That which we now figure will show that he has not forsaken
their culture, but that in it and in others which he has already
exhibited this season, he is prepared to maintain the high cha¬
racter which he has so long had as a raiser and grower of
Azaleas.

This beautiful spring flower, which forms so prominent a
feature at our various exhibitions, and both from its beauty and
its fragrance is so generally admired, is by no means difficult of
culture for those who are contented with ordinary cultivation,
t of course, like every other plant, pays for the care bestowed
upon it, and those mountains of bloom which are produced
every year at the metropolitan shows are only the result of un¬
ceasing care and attention. The great enemy to their culti¬
vation is the thrips, and we have observed, in a series of admi¬
rable articles by that well-known Azalea grower, Mr. Barnes,
of Camberwell, that he advocates fumigation in preference to
any other process, for keeping this under, and considers that it
ought to be repeated two or three times so as to ensure the
destruction of this pest. Various other plans have been pro¬
posed, such as dipping them in a solution of Gishurst compound,
and other preparations of a similar character ; but, independently

of tlie discoloration of the foliage resulting from this process,
he has not found it sufficient to kill the thrips.*

“ Forget-me-Not ” is described by Mr. I very as of “ dwarf,
compact habit, with small neat foliage, the colour a purplish-
red, with rich markings in the upper segments, and quite dis¬
tinct from any other kind.” We do not hesitate to say that
we think it will be a general favourite, for it is one of those
flowers that keep a long time in bloom. We believe it will
be sent out in May of next year.

* The process of fumigation is a very unpleasant one, and it is therefore with
considerable satisfaction that we can recommend an improved fumigating
bellows, recently brought out by Messrs. Barr and Sugden, of King Street,
Covent Garden. The case to hold the tobacco is made of solid brass, so that
there is no fear of its giving way with heat, and as it is supplied complete for
a small sum, it will be acceptable to many amateurs. We have used it with
much effect in our own greenhouses.

f

'Vincent! Brooks, Imp

Plate 194.

HYACINTH, ROBERT FORTUNE.

Considerable discussion has arisen during the past two sea¬
sons as to the class instituted at the Royal Horticultural So¬
ciety for new Hyacinths, the difficulty of determining what was
new, and the questionable nature of the class altogether, being
the points about which the discussion has arisen. Having our¬
selves carefully watched the plants exhibited during that time
by our two principal growers, Messrs. Cutbush, of Highgate,
and Mr. William Paul, of Cheshunt, we must record our decided
opinion against the advisability of continuing it, as it is only
calculated to mislead the public ; and it was on their behalf
that the class was originally formed.

The Hyacinth is in some respects unlike other flowers. It
is slow in its increase, and consequently a new bulb can only,
for some years at any rate, remain in the hands of those who
grow for exhibition ; nor is it like the Tulip, for when one or
two guineas have been paid for it, it is with the certainty that
only one year’s bloom can be obtained from it, whereas the
Tulip may repay the purchaser by its offsets alone, and hence
absolutely new varieties have but little interest. And then,
again, there is the temptation to put into the class a number
of inferior bulbs, and indeed this has been the case, many of
the flowers exhibited during the present season being by no
means equal to those which have been for some years in the
hands of every grower of Hyacinths. We therefore hope to
find that it will for the future be put into the same position as
other flowers, and be judged simply as to its individual merits.

Various flowers have been considered of first-rate merit, and
will probably, in a few years’ time, come into general growth.
Lord Palmerston is a good blue, although we do not consider it

worthy of the very high commendation it has in some quarters
received. Josephine is a bright orange-red; and although it
had not a very large spike, yet was very attractive. The same
may be said of a lilac flower, Henrietta Elizabeth. The large-
belled kind of the Pieneman type was represented by Thor-
ivaldsen , a light-blue flower ; but this class is not by any means
to our mind so attractive as those with smaller pips and a fuller
truss. We have reserved our notice of Robert Fortune , the
subject of our Plate, for the last, as we believe it to be the very
best of those exhibited as novelties. The colour is quite new ;
the spike well Ailed up, and large ; the individual pips not very
large, but of a tolerably good form. The colour is very difficult
to describe ; some have called it a puce mauve, others, a crim¬
son-lilac ; each segment has a deeper stripe in the centre, while
the margin fades off into a lighter shade, almost white. It is
somewhat in the style of that old flower Haydn , but infinitely
preferable to it, and we have no doubt that, when plentiful, it
will be eagerly sought for, for collections. It was exhibited by
Mr. Cutbush, of Highgate, and received a first-class certificate
from the Floral Committee of the Poyal Horticultural Society.

*

J. Andrews, del . et Tith..

Vincent Broolis.lmp

Plate 195.

NEW ITALIAN VERBENAS.

Amongst the flowers exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of the
Imperial Society of Horticulture in last May, we particularly
noticed some Italian Verbenas which seemed to us to be in an
entirely new strain, being mottled, striped, and dashed in a very
peculiar manner. We obtained some of the most remarkable
of them from the well-known establishment of Rougiere-Chau-
viere, and of them we have selected the three most meritorious
for our present illustration.

We understand that they, with many others of a similar cha¬
racter, were originated by the firm of Cavagnini Brothers at
Brescia, and while in many respects defective in the eye of a
florist, — for they want that shape, contour, and substance which
are obtained in the self-coloured varieties of English and French
origin, — yet, as indicating a step in an entirely new direction,
they are very valuable. It has generally happened that the
first flowers of these variegated kinds, in whatever section they
have originated, have generally been deficient in these points,
but the skill of hybridizers, and the impulse given by the great
demand there is for anything of novelty of really sterling merit,
has soon overcome this. Fancy Pansies are the latest evidence
of this. They were at first complete “ragged jacks,” but,
owing to the perseverance of Mr. Dean and others, we are now
obtaining them with outlines almost as good as the older varie¬
ties. The very few striped flowers amongst V erbenas unake us
feel the more desirous of seeing these novelties more cultivated.
If we could obtain flowers with white grounds, striped with
scarlet, crimson, blue, etc., as regularly as stricta perfecta , a
great gain would be made ; and knowing what has been done,
we do not despair of seeing this accomplished.

Pallavicini di Brescia (Fig. 1) is the best-formed amongst
those that we have seen, but then it is not so regularly striped
as the others. It has a white ground with a brilliant crimson
blotch in the centre of the pip, more or less filling it up, while
it is also blotcherl and spotted with the same colour on the
edges of the segments. Conte Bernhardino Lecdd has a white
ground striped with crimson-violet ; the pips are small, but
round, while Caroline Cavagnini (Fig. 3) is irregular in shape,
but distinct in colour, being a white ground striped with scarlet.
As far as habit is concerned, we do not think, save Pallavicini
di Brescia , that they are as vigorous as the older varieties.
This we had blooming in our own garden during the past
summer, and it was fully equal in this respect to the general
run of those in the same bed with it.

196

JJhn.drew's, deL. etlith.

"Vincent Brcoks;Irap

Plate 196.

CAMELLIA, CONTE DE GOMEL.

We have been very much surprised to find that, notwith¬
standing the liberal encouragement given by the Loyal Horti¬
cultural Society to the exhibitors of Camellias, they have been
brought forward so sparingly. In several cases no competi¬
tion has taken place, and in others where prizes have been
awarded, as in cut-blooms, the flowers were by no means of that
first-rate character that we should have expected, and yet there
is not a flower more universally admired, or which, when well
grown, with its beautiful glossy foliage, makes a more conspi¬
cuous object; nor can it be for want of novelty, for many new
and beautiful varieties are being continually introduced from
the Continent.

In visiting the new plant establishment of Mr. William Bull,
at Chelsea, in the month of March, we noticed, amongst other
interesting plants, the new variety of Camellia which we now
figure, and which will be found, we think, an interesting addi¬
tion to those already grown. The striped varieties have of late
years been more of those on white grounds, — such flowers as
Countess of Derby and Contessa Lavinicc Maggi , — most beautiful,
indeed, and well meriting the favour with which they have been
received, but in Conte de Comer we have a flower of an entirely
different character. It was raised in Brescia (Italy) by Conte
Bernhardino Lecchi, a well-known and ardent horticulturist.
The colour is a soft beautiful rose, striped with both broad and
narrow bands of crimson ; it is of large size ; the shape of the
petals is good, and the flower itself well imbricated. It was a
little confused in the centre when we saw it, but probably that
was an exceptional case. The foliage is large and handsome,
of a deep green colour.

We have so frequently reverted to the cultivation of the
Camellia, that we can add but little to that which we have
before given. They are, in truth, very easy to manage, the
main points to be careful about being a nice rapid growth
when they have done flowering, with abundance of syringing,
and a gradual hardening in the open air, or under tiffany; the
intrusion of worms into the pot must be carefully guarded
against, as derangement in the drainage is thereby caused, and
this will cause the bloom-buds to fall off without coming to
maturity, a frequent source of disappointment to growers, and
more generally attributable to this than to any other cause.

/

I

197

J. .Andrews , deletlith.

Ifoncent Brooks Jinp

Plate 197.

VARIETIES OE EARLY TULIPS.

Few flowers are more effective for the early decoration of the
greenhouse or garden than the many beautiful varieties of early
Tulips, and we have therefore selected three from the extensive
collection exhibited by Messrs. Cutbush and Son at the spring
shows of the Royal Horticultural and Botanic Societies, as the
subject of our present illustration, and are indebted to our
friend Mr. James Cutbush for the following notes on their
culture : —

“We have divided this very beautiful class of early-flower¬
ing bulbs into two sections, the first being those which will
bear a moderate degree of forcing, and may be had in bloom,
under careful culture, as early as the Hyacinths. The second
section contains those better adapted for blooming in March.
We select the bulbs early, and pot three bulbs in a pot in good
turfy loam, mixed with a good proportion of rich decayed ma¬
nure and silver-sand about the first week in October. The
first section might be potted a fortnight earlier with the first
batch of Hyacinths. After they are potted, select a level plot
of ground, sheltered from rain and frost, and plunge them in
old tan or coal ashes some six inches deep for a month or six
weeks ; after, remove them and clear away all impurities, and
place them in a cool house, and gradually introduce them into
the forcing pit, observing great care that the temperature be
not too high, say 55 degrees, increasing to G5, giving plenty of
clear water, and keep near the glass, to prevent them from
drawing ; when the bloom is so far advanced above the bulb as
to be distinctly seen, remove them to a cooler house, that they
may expand their flowers and ensure a better colour. A little
very weak manure water may with advantage be used in this

stage , but not earlier , and it will be found to materially assist
their development, both as regards colour and substance. We
find about half a bushel of fresh cow-dung, in a 36-gallon cask,
filled to the brim, the strength they appreciate.

“ If these cultural remarks are rigidly adhered to, we feel
confident that they will form excellent companions to those
lovely harbingers of sunny times (Hyacinths) and other spring
flowers. Nothing possibly can exceed the brilliancy and purity
of colour and chasteness of form of those that will be found
enumerated in our catalogue.5’

The varieties figured are— (Fig. 1) Proserpine , rich silky
rose ; (Fig. 2) KeizerTcroon , yellow and red ; and (Fig. 3) Boi
Pepin , pure white, flaked with crimson.

198

Plate 198.

BOSE, MADAME YICTOB YERDXER

There is no season more generally looked forward to by the
flower-loving public than the Rose season. Many are the in¬
quiries as soon as the month of May opens. “ What are the
prospects of rose-growers this year ; what new Koses are likely
to be useful ; what shows will be the most successful V are
amongst the many inquiries, which clearly indicate that the
Rose justly claims the honour of being considered the Queen
of Flowers ; and, judging from our own prospects, we are likely
to have one of the most brilliant seasons we have ever known.
Nothing can exceed the vigour and promise of bloom of those
collections which we have seen ; while, as the number of ama¬
teurs has been gradually increasing every year, we may expect
a much larger number of exhibitors than have ever before con¬
tended together for honours at the various metropolitan shows ;
while in the provinces, exhibitions for the Rose alone are each
year increasing in number.

The Rose which we now figure was sent to our artist by Mr.
Charles Turner, of Slough, with the character of being the very
deepest rose he ever sawT, — not in colour, but in what florists call
44 build,” being in fact to Roses what Lord Derby is to Dahlias.
It was sent out by M. Eugene Yerdier, aine, of Paris ; and
ad though it is of a shade of colour in which we have a great
many varieties, yet this characteristic in its shape will probably
lead to its being considered worthy of a place in our select lists.
It will be seen that this character of depth has been admirably
preserved by our artist.

The immense number of new varieties which each year in¬
troduces to the notice of rose-growers is becoming more and
more a source of perplexity ; and as it is very likely that as the

impetus has been given to obtaining new varieties in England, —
and last season was a very favourable one for maturing seed,
— we may expect a large number of home-raised seedlings. It
will be therefore more than ever needful to exercise caution in
the selection of new varieties. Several of those of last season
have been already exhibited, and although we cannot determine
much from dowers grown under glass, yet the following gave
promise of being good : —

Tea, Alba ; Bourbon, Rev. II Dombrain ; Hybrid Perpetuals,
Alpa'ide tie Rot alter, Amiral Lapeyrouse , Marechal Forey (Mar-
gottin), and Bernard Palissy. The stands of new varieties will
be looked forward to with more than ordinary interest this
season, and we hope to chronicle the results at ”some future
period.

f

193

J .Andrews ; del.et ]ith_ .

Plate 199

LAPAGEBXA ALBA,

Many years have not elapsed since the Messrs. Veitch, of
Chelsea and Exeter, received from their collector in Chili, Mr.
Pearce, the beautiful climber Lap ag evict rosea , which, to the
character of being one of the most exquisite climbers known,
added the most desirable requisite of being a greenhouse plant,
and hence has soon established itself in all the best collections
in the country. Nothing can exceed the beauty of its lovely,
soft, rosy-coloured bells, as they hang in profusion from the
roof, while, as we have seen it exhibited as a pot plant, trailed
on a trellis, it was almost equally beautiful.

About two years since, on the same day that Mr.Veitch exhi¬
bited the magnificent Lilium auratum , the splendid plant which
we now figure was also shown, under the name of Lapag evict
rosea , var. albifiova. It had been also discovered by Mr. Pearce
in the same country, and sent home by him. The name has since
been altered to Lctpagevia alba , and we do not doubt that it will
ere long be as largely cultivated and as widely grown as the
rose-coloured variety.

There are some few things necessary for the successful cul¬
ture of both these plants. They are impatient of bad drainage,
and therefore ought to have extra good drainage, while some
lumps of charcoal in the soil, about the size of a walnut, tend
to secure this. This soil should consist of loam and peat in
about equal proportions, and some leaf mould and silver sand
may be added, but no manure. They should have plenty of
space for the roots, and therefore succeed best when planted out,
although for three or four years they will succeed very well as
pot plants. They also rejoice in a light house, although they do
not like the scorching rays of the sun. Although impatient of

bad drainage, they require a good deal of watering, and hence the
necessity for great care. When growing, the water should be
given very abundantly. If, when they are commencing to grow,
a little heat can be given, they will be improved by it, although
this is not absolutely necessary. Attention to these few points
will ensure success. We do not say anything about cleanliness,
for no good gardener will allow his plants to get dirty, however
great may be the difficulty sometimes of overcoming greenfly
and thrips, and no plant can be neglected in this respect with¬
out injury.

200

J. Andrews, del. et litii

"Vincent Brooks ,Imp

Plate 200.

CINERARIAS, FLOWER OF THE DAY,
REMBRANDT, AND ELIZA.

The opinion was expressed to us some time ago by one of
the most successful raisers of Cinerarias, that we had reached
the Ultima Thule in their growth ; that neither in form, size,
nor colour was it possible to exceed those already in growth.
From this opinion we dissented, and when, at the exhibition of
the Royal Botanic Society on April 30th, we with him stopped
opposite to one exhibited by the Messrs. F. and A. Smith, of
Dulwich, figured in our present Plate ( Rembrandt ), and saw a
first-class certificate appended to it, he, too, retracted his deci¬
sion, and said that it richly deserved it for its novelty and dis¬
tinctness.

There is, in truth, no possibility of placing a limit thus, and
saying that further improvement is impossible. We remember
the same being said years ago of the Pelargonium, and figures
of flowers then published were confidently appealed to in proof
of this, but if we take these figures now and compare them with
the flowers of the present day, or with the drawings now pub¬
lished, we do not wonder that the names even of those flowers
have gone from our lists, so superior are those which have been
raised of late years in every point which the florist deems of
importance; and so in the same way with the Cineraria and
other flowers. When a certain point has been reached, the
improvement of necessity must be slow ; but if we compare
those of the present day with flowers of a year or two back, we
see at once that progress has been made, and there is so great
a tendency to sport that we can never know when some fresh
strain may be obtained. While this is the case, however, we
do feel that, as far as regards the plants set up for exhibition,

there has not been this tendency to improvement, nay, it rather
strikes us that those now shown are not at all equal to what
they were a few years ago. It may be because some of the
most successful exhibitors of those days do not now exhibit, but
still the fact appears so to us.

Of the varieties now figured, all raised by Messrs. F. and A.
Smith, of Dulwich, Flower of the Bay (Fig. 1) is a rich violet
plum, with broad band of pure white surrounding a darkish
disk, — fine form and substance, and quite new in colour. Fem-
brandt (Fig. 2) is an intensely deep mulberry-crimson, with a
white ring surrounding a very dark disk, — a large flower of fine
form, great substance, and novelty of colour. Eliza (Fig. 3) is
a very large smooth flower, deep rosy-crimson, with very broad
band of pure white surrounding a blackish disk, very dwarf, and
of compact habit.

Plate 201.

AZALEA, SOUVENIR DE PRINCE ALBERT.

As a general rule, amongst what are called florists’ flowers,
double flowers are preferred to single ones. In the Dahlia,
Pink, Hollyhock, Carnation, Picotee, etc., this rule holds good;
while amongst some of the more tender classes of the same,
such as the Pelargonium and the Azalea, the reverse is the
case. Several fine sorts of double Azaleas are however now
in cultivation, and when in large plants are very effective. We
need only mention that very fine white variety sent out by
Messrs. Smith, of Dulwich, Flag of Truce , to bear out the
truth of this; nothing can be conceived more lovely than a plant
naturally grown, covered with the pure white flowers of this
fine sort.

We have said naturally grown, for the conviction is, we
think, forcing itself upon the minds of all who are interested
in the beauty of our exhibitions, that an alteration is required
in this respect. Since we last figured an Azalea, and mentioned
this subject, the great Spring Shows have been held ; and while
everybody stood in wonder at the huge masses of bloom which
the immense plants of Messrs. Turner, Veitch, Green, and
others exhibited, yet the question was universally asked, Why
is it necessary that these pyramids of bloom should be exhibited
in this shape ? It used not to be so, in Chiswick days, when
Mrs. Lawrence, of Ealing, was so constant and so successful an
exhibitor. Her plants used not to have this character ; they
were full of bloom indeed, but their foliage wras to be seen,
and plants were not tortured into the shapes of crinolines or
sugar-loaves. To effect a change, the initiative must be taken
by the Societies themselves. If they discourage it, the growers
will at once fall into the arrangement, for this present system

entails an immense expense, many of these large plants requir¬
ing one man for a whole week to tie them out ; but unless this
is clone, one grower will hardly venture on making the change
and run the risk of being beaten by another who adheres to
the present system.

The Azalea which we now figure is of Continental origin,
and has been highly spoken of. As a decorative variety, it
seems to us to possess great merits. The colour may be de¬
scribed as having a white ground, with the centre of the petals
blotched with bright rosy-pink extending towards the edge of
the petals, and in some of the petals with deeper crimson spots.
The plant is a profuse bloomer, and close and compact in habit.

/

4>

J Andrews, del et Iith

"Vincent Brooks, Imp

Plate 202.

AUEICULA, LOED CLYDE.

The National Auricula Show having been again held this
year in London, a good deal of interest in this beautiful spring
flower, so rapidly increasing in popular favour, has been ex¬
cited. The long range of plants exhibited, attracted through¬
out the day a large number of admirers, many of whom were
evidently ignorant of the great beauty of the many varieties
sent in by amateurs and dealers both north and south.

A considerable difference of taste exists between northern
and southern growers as to what constitutes a good Auricula
for exhibition, the former having been in the habit of greatly
reducing the number of the “ pips,” as the individual flowers
are called, so as to make a truss consist of but three or five
flowers, and looking more to the quality of the pip than to the
size and effect of the plant as a whole ; while the latter have
regarded these as essentials, and have been more inclined to
obtain large flowers than small ones. The friendly intercourse
that has taken place between them both in these exhibitions
has had the good effect of modifying both these views, and we
doubt not that permanent good will result from it. There can
be no question that refinement is the one remarkable charac¬
teristic of the Auricula ; and if a flower be naturally coarse, or
be made so by cultivation, it very materially detracts from its
beauty, and, moreover, the effect of high stimulants on the
Auricula is to alter completely the character of the colour, so
that they are, for these reasons, to be avoided. We think, too,
that the opinion is now winning its way amongst northern
growers that to cut down the number of pips, as they have
been in the habit of doing, is also wrong, inasmuch as it gives
them a very bald appearance.

Amongst the flowers exhibited on the occasion alluded to
were several new7 ones of excellent quality, and when we speak
of new Auriculas, it is not as in the Verbena, Geranium, etc.,
where the novelties of this year are considered old next season ;
but in the Auricula a flower may be considered new for eight
or ten years, so slow are they to increase. Of these wTe would
mention Turner s Buckstone , a flue grey-edge flower, which took
the premier prize ; Headly’s George IAghtbody , also grey ; Pohl-
m an’s Garibaldi , a dark self; and Lightbody’s Lord Clyde , the
subject of our present Plate. This latter is a flue dark flower
of a maroon shade of colour, well formed, and of good sub¬
stance ; the paste is somewhat too angular, but is solid. We
think the flower is destined to hold a high place amongst self-
coloured varieties, a class generally very much admired.

203

J Andrews, del. et litK.

YincentBrop'ksjTnp

'

j

I

Plate 208.

OBNITHOGALUM THYBSOIDES.

At all the great Spring Shows this season, Messrs. Carter,
of Holborn, have exhibited a group of fine blooms of this old
but very much neglected flower, and as it has received the ap¬
probation of the various gardening periodicals, and obtained
special certificates from the Royal Horticultural and Royal
Botanic Societies, and is moreover a plant of a highly decora¬
tive character, we have considered that it would be serving the
interests of horticulture to figure it.

Although by some writers this variety has been called ten¬
der, we have the authority of Messrs. Carter for asserting it to
be hardy, although we dare say that, like most of the spring
flowering bulbs, it will well repay the protection and care of a
cold pit, from thence to he brought into the greenhouse and
conservatory, as occasion may require, or the plants arrive at
their blooming period. The bulbs should be potted in the
autumn in good-sized pots, and in a compost composed of sandy
loam, with a little leaf-mould and peat, and the ordinary atten¬
tion required for Tulips, Hyacinths, and Hutch bulbs, will be
sufficient for them. If they are planted out, it should be on a
dry border, and protection should be given to them in wet and
frosty weather during winter. But, for ourselves, we prefer,
whenever it is practicable, to take up bulbs rather than to
leave them in the ground, as worms are so apt to make holes
in them, and so destroy the bulb.

One great advantage that this variety of Ornithogalum pos¬
sesses is the permanence of its bloom, not merely from the
large number of individual flowers, but from their durability,
spikes of it continuing from three to four weeks in perfection,

and when brought into the greenhouse amongst other spring
flowers it will be found very valuable, and we do not there¬
fore wonder that the special certificate should have been
awarded to it.*

* "We have been favoured by Messrs. Carter with the following notes

“ The bulbs from which we raised our stock of OrnitJiogalum thyrsoides
were sent to us from a correspondent in Natal, and were planted at once in
pots and placed in a cool vinery. They soon started into a most vigorous
growth, and about Christmas last some of the forwardest showed signs of
blooming, throwing up stems from 1 to 1| feet high, having a fine thyrse of
pure white flowers with a bronze-yellow centre, opening from the bottom, and
having in most cases 90 to 100 flowers on each spike, two-thirds of which
were generally expanded at one time, and surpassing in loveliness any known
white half-hardy bulb. We have seen the bloom continue expanding for three
weeks if not exposed to too much sunlight, and cut blooms will keep in full
beauty for a month in water. Tor conservatory decoration we know of no¬
thing to equal it if grown three to five bulbs in a pot, and introduced among
the dark foliage of the Camellias or any groups of conservatory plants, and
being of a character so distinct from most other plants in bloom at that time
of year. We believe, with judicious management, it may be had in bloom
from the end of January to the end of June, and is of most easy culture, suc¬
ceeding well in a mixture of sandy loam and leaf-mould ; and if potted up in
autumn and started in a cool vinery, will, without any further extraordinary
attention, succeed well.”

Extract from Shirley Hibberd’s ‘ Gardeners’ Weekly Magazine,’ April 23 :
— “We must only mention one more subject, and strangely that ought to
have been mentioned first instead of last, for it is Messrs. Carter’s Great Gun
of 1864. Ornitliogalum thyrsoides is a nearly hardy species, with a grand
spike of snow-white flowers two or three feet high, regally set in the form of
a sceptre ; the individual blossoms large and neatly formed ; the whole plant
possessed of a superior air, that befits it for the noblest purposes of spring
decoration. The specimen seen had been drawn longer than its usual habit
under glass in heat.”

Extract from ‘ Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ May 14, p. 463 : — “There is now in
bloom here quantities of the showy flowering bulb O. thyrsoides , the great
conical-shaped snow-white flower-heads of which, borne well up on stout
stems, are conspicuous even at a distance ; and intermixed with other plants
on a greenhouse shelf, have a fine effect.”

V

J. Andrews, del. etlitk.

"Vincent Brooks, imp.

Plate 204.

FUCHSIA, CLOTH OP GOLD.

It is curious to remark the various steps in the progress of
variegated plants : take, for example, the Fuchsia we first
figured, Carter’s Meteor , a plant on which the flowers were
totally useless, and only the foliage of any account. Last year
we figured Smith’s Pillar of Gold , in which the flowers were
tolerably good both in form and colour, while in the present
variety we have a clear and good variegation, with a flower of
first-rate character ; for it is a sport from that old and well-
known and valued variety, Souvenir de Chiswick.

Fuchsia Cloth of Gold was originated by Mr. Stafford, of
Hyde, near Manchester, the raiser of those two excellent
flowers Aurea floribunda , Calceolaria, and Stafford's Gem , fancy
Dahlia ; and we are indebted to him for the following notes
concerning it:— 44 It originated (like other sports) from a cut¬
ting on a large plant of Souvenir de Chiswick coming acciden¬
tally variegated. The cutting was struck, and grown into a
plant two or three feet in height. Another plant struck from
it, grew three feet, and as it showed no inclination to vary, it
was at the end of last summer propagated for sale, and sixty
or eighty young plants grown through the autumn, most of
them flowering ; and neither then nor at any time since has it
varied, except occasionally to get so yellow in the young plants
as to refuse in that state to grow ; but this does not matter in
an old plant, but is rather an improvement. Of course no de¬
ciduous variegated plant is so permanent in colour as variegated
evergreens, but this retains it as well as it is possible for any
variegated Fuchsia to do. I believe if I had twice the stock,
and continued to advertise it, I should have sold it. Smith’s
Pillar of Gold now shows the red veins, and comes more yellow,

and the two make a very beautiful pair, both being sufficiently
similar, and yet sufficiently distinct, Smith’s having the advan¬
tage of red veins and very strong close habit, and mine of more
regular, and I believe more permanent variegation and better
flowers.”

In Mr. Stafford’s circular he thus describes it : — “ A golden
variegated-leaved sport of Souvenir de Chisivick , retaining all
the fine properties of the original, with leaves all constantly
variegated, some in way of Golden Chain , and other similar to
Cloth of Gold , Geranium, but brighter, and during three years’
trial has never shown a green leaf. It is not only by far the
best, but the only variegated-leaved Fuchsia ever sent out with
really fine variegated leaves, large fine flowers, good habit, and
free bloomer. It will prove a most useful market plant, as,
among other Fuchsias, it is as striking as a fine variegated Ge¬
ranium among green sorts, and as a specimen, which may be
grown up to 6 or 10 feet, will be one of the finest ornamental
greenhouse plants, and useful also as a bedding plant on ac¬
count of its compact habit, and being easily and cheaply grown
and propagated.” We can, from having grown it ourselves,
personally testify to the correctness of this description. Mr.
Stafford’s having sent out Aurea floribunda , Calceolaria, and
Stafford's Gem , Dahlia, is a sufficient guarantee of the sound¬
ness of his judgment in this case.

*

' V*

J. Andrews , del. et lith. .

"Vincent Brooks , Imp

Plate 205.

FANCY PELARGONIUMS, ANNE PAGE AND

EDGAR TURNER.

It is now nearly two years since we figured any flowers of
this section, not because there has been any diminution of in¬
terest in them, but the perfection to which they have, by care¬
ful hybridizing, been brought, is so great, that improvement is
indeed most difficult The flowers which we now figure seem,
however, to present to us this improvement: one has been
awarded a certificate by the Floral Committee of the Royal
Horticultural Society, and the other, from its colouring, seems
to us worthy of a place in our collections.

The position which Mr. Turner (the raiser of these flowers)
has so long occupied, both as a grower and an exhibitor, has
been somewhat interfered with this season, he having been
absent from many of the metropolitan shows, and only taken
second prizes in others. The cause of this affords a useful
lesson, and is an illustration of the need of attending to the
old adage, “ Let well alone/’ In order to give greater vigour
to his plants, and make them surpass themselves, he used, this
season, some of the chemical manures, in solution. The result
of this was to give an immense impetus to the growth of his
plants, and nothing could promise better than they did in the
early part of the month of May ; but it will be remembered
that during that month we had some very hot weather. The
effect of this on his plants, so treated, was to hurry them into
bloom, and to burn and wither the foliage, so that by the time
the exhibitions were taking place, his plants had either gone
out of bloom or were in a condition unfit for showing. Had
the cooler weather lasted a little longer, as might, under ordi¬
nary circumstances, have been supposed, they would have been

wonderfully fine ; as it was, they were so forced into bloom as
to be deficient in quality of flower and foliage ; and however
useful these manures may be for some things, he is convinced
that for' soft-wooded plants they are ill-suited.

Of the two varieties which we now figure, Anne Page (No. 1)
is a beautifully-shaped light-coloured flower, very round in out¬
line, bright crimson-rose top petals, the lower ones marked and
veined with the same shade on a lighter ground, the edges of
all the petals being white. Edgar Turner (No. 2) has very
dark-crimson top petals, with a fiery crimson edge ; the lower
petals with dark blotches of the same, shaded, like the top, with
black, and with a clear white throat ; this will be, we think, a
valuable plant for exhibition purposes, an opinion which Mr.
Turner also entertains.

Plate 206.

RHODODENDRON, PRINCESS ALICE.

Amongst the many beautiful varieties of Rhododendron, none
has been more coveted for the size of its flowers and for the
richness of its perfume than B. Edgeworthii , and therefore it is
not surprising that hybridizers have attempted to use it for the
purpose of producing free-flowering plants of dwarf habit.

It was not likely that horticulturists so successful as the
Messrs. Veitch would omit such an opportunity, and they have
consequently, by crossing B. Edgeworthii with B. ciliatum , been
enabled to obtain the very beautiful variety which we now
figure, Princess Alice , and which has been very largely exhibited
by them, during the last two years, at the various horticultural
exhibitions held in the metropolis. We were particularly struck
with some small plants, from nine to twelve inches high, which
were exhibited by them at the Royal Botanic Society during
the present season, and had all of them a fine head of bloom ;
this, for small greenhouses and conservatories, will make them
very effective plants, while the delicacy of their perfume adds
an additional charm to them.

It will be seen that the flowers of this fine variety are large,
and, when fully expanded, pure white ; when they first open
there is a faint pink tinge on them, which, however, gradually
fades away. The tip of the bud, when unexpanded, is bright
rosy-pink, and affords a pretty contrast to the pure white of the
open flowers. The plant has been awarded a first-class certifi¬
cate wherever exhibited.

There is little that can be added to what has been already
given with regard to the cultivation of these greenhouse varie¬
ties of the Rhododendron. The cooler they are kept, so as to
be free from frost, the better will they succeed ; and we are in-

dined to think that it is with them as with many other plants,
that they have oftentimes been too much indulged and petted,
and thereby made more difficult of cultivation than they really
are. A more rational method is now, however, being generally
adopted, and increased success may therefore be looked for.

•*

207.

J. Andrews, deL.et lith

"Vincent Brooks , Imp

Plate 207.

IBIS, MADEMOISELLE PATTI.

Amongst the tribes of plants for which Mr. Salter’s Versailles
Nursery is celebrated, the Iris holds a conspicuous place; and
as it is one which is deserving of more extended cultivation
than is at present given to it, we have figured the present beau¬
tiful variety. It was our intention and wish to have introduced
two into the Plate, but we could not do so without overcrowd¬
ing and spoiling the effect, so we have been contented with one,
a very beautiful variety, Mademoiselle Patti.

Mr. Salter has kindly furnished us with the following notes : — ■
“ The varieties of Iris Germanica are perfectly hardy, and will
grow in almost any soil ; indeed, I have seen them growing and
flowering well on the top of a high wall ; but they are pecu¬
liarly adapted for large borders, or the front of shrubbery,
blooming, as they do, in early summer ; while the variety and
gay colours of the flowers are distinctly seen from a distance.
The best time to form plantations is in early autumn, for then
the young tubers begin to throw out roots ; but any time in
autumn or winter will do, although the earlier the operation
can be carried out the better, in order to ensure good blooms
for the following season. They do not require to be planted
deep, and should be taken up and separated every third year.
The variety now figured was raised from seed here about four
or five years ago, seedling plants generally blooming the second
or third year. The seed will sometimes lie dormant in the
ground a whole year, and therefore I have found it better, in
order to save time, to sow the seed as soon as ripe. The Iris
Germanica does not like fresh manure ; indeed, in any tolerably
good soil, it flourishes better without any.” Where a plant is
so easy of cultivation as this, and is moreover of great beauty,

it is surely surprising that it is not more cultivated. Mr. Salter
has a rich and varied collection, and we have also seen some
fine stands exhibited by Messrs. Barr and Sugden, of King
Street, and- Messrs. Hooper, of Covent Garden.

The variety now figured, Mademoiselle Patti (Salter), has the
upper petals of bright orange-yellow, the lower petals claret,
very distinctly and prettily veined with darker veins of the same
colour. The base of the petals yellow, with claret veins. The
flower is large, and the colours are very distinct and showy.

\

208

J. Andrews , del.et lith.

"Vincent Brooks , Imp

Plate 208.

SABBACENIA DBTTMMONDXL

The impulse that has been given to the cultivation of pitcher-
plants by that zealous and indefatigable friend of horticulture
Lady Dorothy Neville, has induced us to give a representation
of one of those whose cultivation comes within the reach of
those amateurs wTho possess nothing more than an intermediate
house ; for while the different varieties of Nepenthes require
the treatment of a stove, the Sarracenias will flourish, some of
them, in a warm greenhouse, and others even in cold frames
or pits.

We are indebted to Mr. B. S. Williams, of Holloway, one of
our ablest and most experienced plantsmen, for the following
notes on their culture :■ — “ The genus Sarracenia comprises per¬
haps some of the most curious and interesting plants that we
have, and one which is much more rare than it need be, owing
to the mistakes that have been made with regard to their cul¬
ture ; for notwithstanding that they are mostly North American
plants, and consequently are subject to great variations of tem¬
perature, they have been generally treated as stove plants. But
it has been found with them, as with many of our Orchids, that
the high temperature to which they have been subjected is not
only not necessary, but does not suit them so well as a lower
one. My method of procedure is, to put them in a soil com¬
posed of good fibrous peat, sphagnum moss, and leaf-mould, in
about equal proportions, well mixed but not sifted. Plenty of
broken pots and charcoal should be used for drainage, for on
attention to this point depends a good deal of the success of
their cultivation. Being bog plants, they require a great deal
of water ; and if there be not good drainage, the soil is apt to
become soured, and the plant to be injured, if not destroyed.

I generally re-pot them about every six months, and find that
the place most suitable for them is a cool greenhouse, avoid¬
ing a current of air passing directly on them. In this situation,
they will flourish well ; and their curious appearance will amply
repay any trouble taken in their cultivation.”

We have felt considerable difficulty as to the best method of
figuring this plant, as it is from eighteen inches to two feet
high ; our artist has therefore given drawings of the curious
pitchers, which are green, the extremity wdiite curiously netted
with green. He has also represented the flower in the centre
of the Plate, and in the right-hand corner has given an outline
sketch of the plant in its growing state, — this will give a very
correct idea of its singularity of appearance.

9

t

209

J. Andrews, del. et iitL.

Vincent Brooks, Imp

Plate 209.

UNITED ITALY, PELARGONIUM.

No class of flowers is more popular at the present time than
that which is commonly known as the bedding Geranium (the
term scarlet Geranium being now clearly incorrect, inasmuch
as colours of all hues, pure white, salmon, pink, rose, crimson,
as well as scarlet, are to he found in them), and whether for
the adornment of the flower garden or conservatory during the
summer months, they are especially valuable, combining great
brilliancy of colour, easiness of growth, and profusion of bloom. j

This popularity has induced the promoters of our great flower-
shows, during the present season, to offer prizes for collections
of both the plain-leaved and variegated kinds ; but we must ex¬
press our decided opinion that the plants exhibited were, with
very few exceptions, quite unworthy of the class and of the
skill of the exhibitors,— that terrible love of formality which
has so hindered the natural, and consequently beautiful, growth
of many of our exhibition plants having completely spoilt the
effect. In many cases they were trained, or rather tortured,
into flat table-like shapes, like the specimen plants of Pompon
Chrysanthemums we have seen formerly. In one instance the
flowers were tied across, so that the eye was arrested by a series
of sticks and stalks, and all for the purpose of getting the
blooms into their proper place. Thus fine plants were entirely
spoilt by the love of formality. Plants in our own greenhouse,
which have been left to themselves, are now full of bloom, and
vastly preferable to most of those which we saw at the metro¬
politan exhibitions.

Amongst the plants which are most suitable for pot culture,
the tricoloured-leaved varieties are very conspicuous. These
are now divided into two sections ; those with the ed^es of the

G

leaves of a golden hue, as Mrs. Pollock , which has had a greater
run than any other variety of the tribe ; and those with white
or light-sulphur edge, such as Attraction , Pictured a. etc. : to
this latter section Italia Unita , or United Italy , — for it has been
called by either name,— belongs, and is one of the most attrac¬
tive of the number. It was exhibited both last season and this
by Messrs. E. G. Henderson and Son, of the Wellington Eoad
Nursery, and has been greatly admired. The margin of the
leaves is of a delicate sulphur-white, within that a broad zone
of bright crimson-pink, marked with bronze, and the centre of
the leaf green. The habit of the plant is dwarf and compact,
and as a pot plant is unsurpassed in its class, but, like a good
manv of the silver tricoloureddeaved varieties, it loses much of
its beauty in the open air. The flower is small, of a dark-
crimson colour.

/

210

J. Andrews, del. et litK

Vincent Brooks, Imp.

Plate 210.

TEA ROSE, ALBA ROSEA.

Whatever difference of opinion may exist as to the value of
Tea Roses as cut flowers when exhibited by themselves, there
can be but one opinion, we think, as to their beauty and to
their value as pot plants (this difference of opinion not arising
from anything in the flowers themselves, but from the great
similarity of colouring that exists amongst the different varieties,
— it having been found as yet impossible to obtain any high-
coloured flowers in a class in which so much beauty and deli¬
cacy of tint already exists). Attempts in this direction have
been made both in England and in France, but as yet unsuc¬
cessfully. We must not despair, however, for the skill of our
horticulturists has achieved greater results than this.

While hosts of hybrid perpetuals come to us every year
from France, puzzling us by their similarity, and causing often-
times grievous disappointments, Tea Roses have been but spa¬
ringly sent, and even then sometimes there is a doubt as to
their novelty, for it does now and then happen that a good Rose
has been, comparatively speaking, almost unknown,— been
raised perhaps in the provinces, and not much valued by the
Parisian growers; but after a year or two it attracts notice, and
then comes out as a new Rose. Thus that very beautiful and use¬
ful Noisette, Celine Forestier , had been 44 let out,” and brought
over here, but received little notice ; but a couple of years
after our friend Mr. Stan dish met with it, and brought it be¬
fore the English public, and no Rose has been more successful
or given greater satisfaction than it. So, again, M. Eugene
Verdier is bringing out a Tea Rose this season, Marechal JSfiel ,
which is not absolutelv new, but of which we entertain the
opinion that it will be found to be a really good and useful
flower.

Alba rosea was chiefly exhibited by Messrs. Paul and Son, of
the Old Nurseries, Cheshunt, who have taken the greater por¬
tion of the first prizes for cut Poses this season at the various
rose exhibitions, and was considered by the best judges as a
valuable addition. It bears a great similarity (and this is
its chief defect) to that fine old Pose Madame JBravy , being,
however, more robust in growth. It will be noticed, too, from
the admirable figure of Mr. Andrews, that it is very fine flower¬
ing. The drawing is not so large as we have seen the flowers
exhibited, but the bloom was taken somewhat late in the

season.

Vincent Brooks, Imp-

^ .Andrews, deLetlith..

Plate 211.

VARIETIES OE EANCY PANSIES.

The two chief sources from whence we derive the improved
varieties of this useful flower, are Mr. Wm. Dean, of Shipley,
near Bradford, and Messrs. Downie, Laird, and Laing, of Stan-
stead Park, Forest Hill, and Edinburgh. We last year gave a
plate of the new varieties raised by Mr. Dean, and we now
figure four of the new sorts about to be sent out by Messrs.
Downie and Co.

The stands of this new strain of Pansy which have been ex¬
hibited during the present year have shown a marked im¬
provement in the shape and substance of the flowers, while
new and curious tints of colour have been introduced amongst
them. A glance at our Plate will be sufficient to show the
truthfulness of this ; for while deficient in many of the points
which a florist looks to as belonging to his ideas of correctness,
yet the roundness of the flower and the proportion of the petals
are much nearer the standard than they have previously been.

But it is not as exhibition flowers only that these flowers are
valuable ; they are admirably adapted for spring-flower gar¬
dens, blooming, as they do, very profusely, and growing with a
great deal of vigour. For this purpose it will not be necessary
to have the named varieties, — a small package of seed will
amply suffice. Let it be sown now, and the plants, as soon as
they are large enough, be potted off, and planted out about the
middle of October, and a good display will be obtained in the
months of April and May ; while the plants, after they have
done blooming, may be thrown away, to make room for the
summer bedding-plants.

Of the varieties now figured, John M‘Nab (Fig. 1) is a flower
of really good shape and substance : ground, a pale-sulphur,

the petals have a broad border of rosy-purple, margined with
a narrow line of white ; eye large and dense. Mrs. Bombrain
(Fig. 2) is a pale-yellow, somewhat rough on the edges, but
with a very large eye and spot of deep purplish -black, radiated,
and with deep orange centre. Mrs. JR. Bectn (Fig. 3) is a pure
white, with large dense eye and spot of violet-purple, shading
off to a lighter tint of the same colour. Mrs. Scott (Fig. 4) has
a pale cream-coloured ground, the petals being all margined
with brilliant violet-purple, shading off lighter to the inner
margin, the eye and spot being of the same colour, with a deep
orange centre. Both the growers named have many other va¬
rieties coming out this autumn. We should add that Mrs.
Bombrain has received a certificate from the Floral Committee
of the Royal Horticultural Society.

212

- J'ooKs

Plate 212.

VARIETIES OF PYRETHRUM.

Since we last figured some varieties of this pretty herbaceous
plant, considerable progress has been made by Mr. Salter, of
the Versailles Nursery, Hammersmith, in their improvement;
and from the very large collection of named sorts which he has
been enabled to raise, we have selected three for our Plate:
their size and globular outline sufficiently testify to the im¬
provement.

We have noticed that both in the ‘Gardeners’ Chronicle’
and 4 Journal of Horticulture’ allusion has been made to Mr.
Salter’s collection, and the desirable qualities of this summer-
flowering plant have been pointed out. It is so easy, too, of
cultivation, that we should think it must soon be very generally
grown ; and indeed we learn from Mr. Salter, that his collec¬
tions are now being widely distributed, both in England and
Scotland. It affords another field for the skill and enterprise
of the florists, who are rapidly bringing so many flowers under
their control, that any new field of operations will be gladly
welcomed.

The Pyrethrum commences its blooming season in the month
of May, and, as has occurred with other flowers, some sorts
have evinced a tendency to early and some to late blooming,
and consequently their season of continuance is greatly pro¬
longed, some of them following in succession until quite late
in the autumn. Thus, in those gardens where herbaceous
plants are cultivated, and everything has not been sacrificed to
the bedding-out system, their hardy nature, easy culture, abun¬
dance of blooms, and variety of brilliant colours, make them
very desirable additions.

The varieties now figured, and which Mr. Salter considers as

amongst the most perfect that have as yet rewarded his efforts
at hybridization, are — No. 1. Annie Holborn , a large and very
double white flower, with delicate lilac centre. 2. Fulgens
plenissima , a large and very fine dark -red crimson, throwing up
a succession of blooms throughout the summer and autumn.
3. Nemesis , a large rosy-red, with lighter centre, and of great
depth.

213

Plate 213.

EOSE, KING’S ACEE.

That our English rose-growers are determined not to allow
the French nurserymen to have all the honour and profit of
introducing new Eoses has been already demonstrated; and
we can now with some degree of confidence appeal to our judg¬
ment in this matter, as having been abundantly confirmed by
the experience of the past season, — those which have already
been figured by us, John Hopper and Lord Clyde , having taken
a prominent position at the various rose-shows held through¬
out the kingdom this year. We have now great pleasure in
adding another to the list, with the belief that King's Acre will
prove a worthy compeer of the two already named.

The continued drought of the past summer acted very inju¬
riously on the autumn blooming of the Eose : in some very ex¬
tensive rose-grounds that we visited in the latter part of August
the flowers were very scarce and very much out of character,
and the autumn exhibition at the Crystal Palace bore testimony
to the same fact, even although the copious rain had put an
end to that long season of dry weather which had previously
prevailed. It was then with no little surprise that about the
middle of August we received a box of very beautiful blooms
from Mr. Cranston, the well-known rose-grower of King’s Acre,
Hereford. There was something so fresh and beautiful about
them, the colour was so bright and fresh, and the shape was
so good, that we immediately hailed it as a valuable addition
to our English-raised Eoses. It was accompanied by a note
from Mr. Cranston, stating that the habit of the plant was
very vigorous, the foliage large and good, and that it had
withstood, as a seedling, the terrible winter of 1861. He also
added, what we can well believe, that during the proper Eose

season it was far liner than when we saw it, and that it was
in truth a superb Rose.

We may here say that, amongst the new Roses of the past
season, we have, in addition to those mentioned in a previous
number, seen very fine Pierre Wotting and Kate Hausbury ; but
from the large number of flowers sent over we do not think
that above six or seven are likely to obtain a permanent place
in our rosaries.

Mr. Cranston says : 44 Kings Acre is a fine bright vermilion
rose ; reverse of petals satiny ; the flowers are extra large,
cupped, of remarkable depth, and exquisitely formed, having
large, smooth, shell-shaped petals of fine substance ; the foliage
is ample, and of a fine rich dark- green colour ; the habit of
growth is vigorous and robust, flowering abundantly and
throughout summer and autumn.”

YincEniBroote, JTnp

I

J. Andrews, del.eUith.

Plate 214.

LINUM CHAMISSONIS.

Amongst the many collectors sent out by our chief nursery¬
men, few have had the good fortune to send home prettier and
more generally useful plants than Mr. Pearce, the indefatigable
collector of Messrs. Veitch and Son, of Chelsea. Our pages
have already been enriched by drawings of some of his plants,
Ourisia Pearcii , Mhnulus capreus , etc., and we now have the
pleasure of adding another to the list, in the very pretty orange-
yellow Linum which, under the name of L. Chamissonis , he sent
home in 1860.

Many collectors visit the warmer portions of our globe ; and
although in grandeur of foliage, and singularity and splendour
of flowers, Borneo, Madagascar, and Brazil may justly claim the
pre-eminence, yet their productions are such as only the wealthy
can hope to cultivate ; not so, however, such countries as Japan,
North China, and the higher ranges of the Andes, — there, owing
to the low temperature, their flora is such as will either bear
transferring to our gardens, or at most will require the protec¬
tion of a greenhouse, so that all persons of moderate means may
be benefited by the researches of those who visit them; hence
their much greater value in the eyes of the floricultural public.
Take, for example, the very curious Ouvirandra fenestralis , or
Lattice-plant of Madagascar, — in how few places is that to be
found! while Lilium aurcitum will in a very short time find
a home in every greenhouse in the kingdom : one is the plant
of the select few, the other, that of the many.

Many of the species of Linum are exceedingly ornamental.
The little Alpine Flax is a very pretty plant ; even the common
Flax of commerce is highly ornamental, with its delicate foliage
and pale-blue flowers, amongst annuals there are few more

effective things than the beautiful crimson Linum grandijlorum;
and we think that the plant now figured will be also a very
pretty addition to the already known members of the family.
Mr. Veitch says of it: “We received it from our collector, Mr.
Pearce, who sent it from Peru in 1860. He describes it as a
beautiful species, with large flowers about an inch in diameter,
and growing in a good loamy soil. It is a very free bloomer
indeed, and the plant we exhibited in the summer is still in
bloom (September), and will, we think, be a capital greenhouse
decorative plant. We have not yet sent it out, but shall be
able to do so, we hope, next season.55

We have only to add, that it has received a certificate from
the Floral Committee of the Poyal Horticultural Society, when
exhibited before them during the present year.

■

"Vincent Brooks, imp.

revrs, del . et lath..

Z.

Plate 215.

CLEMATIS EUBBO-YIOLACEA.

Some years ago the introduction of Clematis lanuginosa added
a very handsome and hardy member to our flowering climbers,
and very lately Mr. Fortune brought from Japan those two very
beautiful varieties, figured by us in a former volume, C. florida
Standishii and C. Fortune i, while the skill and energy of our
cultivators at home have produced such plants as C. Begince ,
raised by Mr. Anderson Henry, and which we have also figured ;
and quite recently Mr. Geo. Jackman, of the Woking Nursery,
has exhibited two very beautiful varieties raised by him, called
Clematis Jackmanii and C. rubro-violacea , the latter of which
forms the subject of our present Plate.

Selecting as the parent of his intended family C. lanuginosa ,
Mr. Geo. Jackman, jun., hybridized it with C. Viticella , and has
given an interesting account in the pages of the ‘Gardeners’
Chronicle ’ of the result of his experiments, which have quite
equalled his most sanguine expectations. His batch of seed¬
lings flowered for the first time in 1862, and comprised every
shade of purple, from the very lightest up to dark maroon, and
from them he selected two, of unquestionable merit, which
were named as we have already stated. They were shown
before the Floral Committee in August, 1863, and were then
awarded first-class certificates.

We have seen both varieties, and hardly know to which we
should award the palm ; and we are told by a contemporary,
that a plantation of these seedling Clematis, supported on
stakes six feet high, has produced during the present season, at
Mr. Jackman’s nursery, thousands of blooms, and that the effect
has been wonderfully beautiful. Nor is there any reason why
the same should not be obtained in every garden. These plants

are perfectly barely, and will be the more appreciated on that
account.

The flowers of Clematis rubro-violacea are of a beautiful rich
reddish-violet colour, and when not fully expanded are still
deeper in colour, being then almost maroon. The petals are
very thick and velvety in appearance. The general verdict of
the public has been such that Mr. Jackman has been obliged
to withdraw from his lists the smaller plants, and has now only
those at the higher price to dispose of; they thus bid fair to
be most widely circulated, as their merits justly deserve. We
subjoin Mr. Jackman’s description of both varieties.

“ C. rubro-violacea , a seedling between Viticella atro-rubens
and C. lanuginosa (the seed-bearer). Leaves slightly hairy, as
also the stalks, of a moderate size. Flowers of four to five
inches in diameter, of a maroonish colour when first opened,
shading off to a reddish-violet, always retaining a rich velvety
surface, the centre of each sepal being veiny and of a deeper
red hue. Bine robust, making a growth of seven to ten feet
this summer. Perfectly hardy ; stood in the open ground last
winter. Flowers from July to the autumn. Very distinct from
C. Jachnanni. Hybridized in 1858 at Woking Nursery. Flow¬
ered first time in 1862.

“ C. Jachnanni , a seedling between C. Viticella Hendersoni
and C. lanuginosa (seed-bearer). Hardy and vigorous climbers,
planted in the open ground, and standing uninjured last winter,
and made a growth this summer seven to ten feet of bine.
Flowers from five to six inches in diameter, of rich velvety
violet-purple colour, with four to six sepals ; the centre of each
sepal has a veiny and reddish hue. Flowers from July to Oc¬
tober. Foliage ovate and slightly hairy, measuring a little over
two inches in length. Flowers abundantly many times this
season ; have had one hundred flowers or upwards on a plant
at the same time. Hybridized at Woking Nursery in 1858, and
flowered for the first time in the summer of 1862.”

«

\

•».

216

J. Andrews, cfelet lith.

"Vincent Brooks, Imp .

Plate 216.

PELARGONIUMS, BRITISH SAILOR AND

JOHN HOYLE.

The past season has not been so prolific in the production of
seedling Pelargoniums as some of its predecessors, but we think
it may justly lay claim to having seen one of the very finest of
all Pelargoniums brought forward, by that most successful of
all our seedling raisers, G. W. Hoyle, Esq., of Reading, — the
unanimous verdict of the horticultural press, and the public in
general, having awarded that place to the very fine flower we
figure, John Hoyle.

It is not to be supposed that such flowers are merely the
production of chance ; Mr. Hoyle, and indeed all scientific hy¬
bridizers proceed on regular principles, for sometimes there is
a difficulty arising from this excessive high breeding, that a
delicacy is engendered which makes it very difficult to grow
the plants successfully. This was the case with that strain of
flowers represented by Beauty of Beading and Achilles , where
the most splendid and brilliant colouring is found ; but the
habit of the plant is so delicate, that years elapse before a full-
sized exhibition plant is produced, — this does not affect so
much the ordinary grower, who is content with smaller plants
and greater variety. In the case of both the flowers we now
figure, there is combined with great beauty of colouring vigour
of constitution and excellence of habit.

British Sailor (Fig. 1) is a flower of the Diadem class, some¬
what similar to that fine variety, but having a more distinct
spot, the colour being a lively purplish-crimson, with good
white throat, John Hoyle (Fig. 2) is in every way a remarkable
flower, of the class technically known as painted flowers. The
form and substance of the petals are unimpeachable, exhibiting

that complete rotundity so dear to the florist. The colour of
the upper petals is a very dense maroon, almost approaching to
black, with a bright carmine margin. The lower petals are bright
pinkish-scarlet, veined and painted with dark crimson. Besides
these, there have been exhibited Profusion, very free blooming
rosy-scarlet ; Sunny Memories , orange-scarlet ; Mary Hoyle , very
large and bright, with good white centre ; this is likely to be a
very useful flower, although not of the high quality of the
flowers figured. There are other seedlings of the same raiser,
which have passed into Mr. Charles Turner’s hands, from whose
nursery they will be distributed in the course of the present
autumn.

Plate 217.

ACHIMENES EOLLISONII.

There seems to be always a clanger in pronouncing how far
flowers are capable of improvement, and when the limit of
progress has been reached, for it has been said frequently that
we could not expect anything further in this section of plants,
while in various quarters this year some very decided advances
on former varieties have been made.

We were much interested, for example, when in Paris this
summer, by seeing, at the celebrated establishment of Thibaut
and Keteleer, some very curious varieties of both Achimenes
and Tydcea. Those in the former section had been obtained by
crossing Achimenes with Sinningia , the result of which had been
a number of varieties most curiously spotted, and retaining the
characteristics of both parents. Then we have also seen that
Mr. Parsons, of Welwyn, so long and so favourably known for
his success in hybridizing these beautiful flowers, has brought
forward some very fine varieties, amongst which Bose Queen
seems likely to hold as conspicuous a place in its class as Mauve
Queen has done; while the Messrs. Rollison have also struck
out into a new path, the result of which is shown already in
the very beautiful variety now figured.

“ Achimenes Bollisonii ,” say the raisers, “is a cross between
Achimenes gloxiniflora and Achimenes Shecirii, raised by us. It
flowered for the first time in June last, and is without exception
the largest and most beautiful variety obtained by seed from
the Achimenes section of plants. It flowers during the months
of June, July, and August, and will be found an invaluable ac¬
quisition to the greenhouse and conservatory, being robust in
habit and a very free-flowering plant. The colour is a pur¬
plish-lavender, the lobes being very large and smooth on the

edge ; the throat is yellow, while the centre of the flower is
thickly spotted with purplish-crimson spots ; the diameter of
the flower is large, and altogether it is a very striking plant.”

It has surprised us much to see the very inferior specimens
of this beautiful flower that have been brought forward at
some of the metropolitan shows, the drawn and lanky appear¬
ance of many of them seeming to show that the culture of the
plant had been but little understood ; and yet few are more
easily grown. The mistake is too often made of giving them
more heat than they require, and the result is inferior plants ;
at any rate, we have seen at many provincial shows specimens
far better grown than those which are sent in to some of our
metropolitan exhibitions. We must refer to former volumes,
where the treatment practised by some of our best growers
has been given.

A

■

218

J. Andrews, del.et lith .

"Vincent Brooks , Imp .

Plate 218.

VARIETIES OE SWEET-WILLIAM.

There are some flowers which are popular because of their
rarity, and others because of their commonness, and a few per¬
haps for the associations that are connected with them ; for
there are few things with which the memory of past days is
more thoroughly connected than some of our commonest flowers.
The garden of our childhood, the place where we have gathered
some and seen others growing, are amongst those things which
cling the closest to us ; and few flowers are in the latter sense
more popular than the Sweet-William.

But we should not for such reasons as these have decided on
figuring this pretty flower, but because it has shared, amongst
others, the skill and energy of the hybridizer, and can boast of
great improvement and progress. Some years ago it was taken
in hand by Mr. William Hunt, of High Wycombe, who esta¬
blished for himself a reputation connected with the flower, having
obtained both brilliancy of colour and rotundity of form. Since
then various other growers, both in the north and south of
England, have followed in the same course, and from time to
time many beautiful stands have been exhibited at the various
horticultural exhibitions, where they have always attracted
great admiration. The stand exhibited by Mr. Hale, of Stoke
Pogis, near Slough, was amongst those florists’ flowers so much
admired by the Princess of Wales at South Kensington in
July last, and from it we have selected two varieties for our
illustration.

Like the Calceolaria, there is no necessity for obtaining va¬
rieties, for from a package of seed as good flowers can be ob¬
tained as from cuttings, and hence the value of these improved
sorts ; and then they are so perfectly hardy that they may be

left very much to themselves. The seed requires to be sown
in summer, and when the young plants are sufficiently large
to handle they should be pricked out into a seed-bed, and then
again removed to the place where they are to bloom. Like
every other plant, however hardy it may be, it is sure to com¬
pensate the grower for any extra trouble bestowed upon it. A
careful preparation of the soil, and attention to weeding and
watering, will always ensure a finer bloom ; treated in this way,
it will continue to produce in succession fine heads of bloom ;
and although deficient in that which many of its allied species
possess in perfection, fragrance, it yet, by its masses of flower
and splendour of colour, compensates for this defect.

The two varieties which we have figured will give a fair idea
of the sort of flowers which may be expected from Mr. Hale’s
seed. The colours are disposed with as great regularity as in
the Auricula, and hence the name has been given to them of
Auricula-eyed SweetAYilliam.

i

J. Andrews ;del.et lith.

Vincent Brooks, Imp

Plate 219.

ERESINE HEKBSTIP (Hooter).

The desire of making variety in those brilliant flower-gardens
which are now so much in vogue, and especially of contrasting
something more sombre with the bright and glaring reds and
yellows that predominate, has led to the introduction of many
plants with dark foliage, such as Perilla Nankinensis , Coleus
Verschciffeltii , and Amaranthus melancholicus ruber , — the latest
addition being the plant which we now figure, introduced by
Mr. Herbst from Brazil, and to which has been awarded a first-
class certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society.

When a large bed has to be made, it is an admirable plan
to trace out the outline of the figure with one of these dark-
foliaged plants, as we saw it most artistically done at Linton
Park, by Mr. Robson, the very able and intelligent gardener of
Lord Holmesdale. There Perilla was employed, and when the
immense bed was looked down upon from the terraces the
tracing of the pattern was vividly and beautifully seen. The
Iresine is as yet an untried plant, but its hardiness is much in
its favour, and for this reason it may be more useful perhaps
than some of its predecessors.

We are indebted to Mr. Herbst, of the Kew Nursery, for the
following account of it : —

“This plant forms a soft-wooded shrub of from twelve to
eighteen inches high, and is without any trouble grown into
a perfect specimen of the most globular form, as it produces
a branch from the axil of every leaf. In a house too warm
and close it no doubt would grow taller,- but even then the
stopping of the terminal shoot would make it branch very
easily. The stem and branches are of a most beautiful almost

* Figured in c LTllustration Horticole ’ as Achyranthes V ers chaff eltii.

transparent carmine, while the leaf itself, strongly bilobed, is
of a purplish-crimson underneath, dark maroon on its upper
side, with its many broad ribs of a very prominent carmine.
There is not a green spot on the whole plant, and whether
placed in the shade or in the most brilliant sunshine, it produces
a most admirable contrast with plants of a lighter colour. It
has neither the gloomy appearance of the Perilla nor the woolly
leaf of Coleus, and is by no means so susceptible of cold and
dampness combined as this latter plant. Another advantage
it has is, that it does not flower either out-of-doors nor in a
warm greenhouse, where I have introduced several strong plants
on purpose to induce it to flower, but without success. The
flowers which I have seen on some dried native specimens were
very small and insignificant, of a greyish-white, and very nume¬
rously produced on a loose panicle of about eight inches long.

64 The Iresine was introduced by me from the River Plate,
and Sir W. Hooker also possesses a native specimen from Peru,
gathered by Matthews ; but incorrectly, he says, placed in his
herbarium as Iresine diffusa ; and I am at a loss to find how
I deserve the compliment paid me by Sir William by naming
the plant after me, unless he meant it as an acknowledgment
for the many contributions in plants which I sent to Kew Gar¬
dens during my eight years’ stay in Brazil.

44 The plant coming both from Peru and the River Plate will
no doubt stand our climate better than the Coleus, and I may add,
that in my nursery-ground, in close vicinity to and almost on
a level with the Thames, open to all winds and weathers, with¬
out trees or protecting walls, it stood uninjured the slight frost
which occurred in August last, while the leaves of Coleus Ver-
schaffeltii were entirely spoiled, and those of C. nigricans dropped
off. I am persuaded that the Iresine will maintain a first place
in every collection where plants are grown for decorative pur¬
poses, and I am informed that it will be largely planted next
season in some of the most celebrated metropolitan gardens.”

J. Andrews , del. etith.

Vfccer.t Brooks . Imp

Plate 220.

RHODODENDRON, PRINCESS HELENA.

The raisers of both hardy and greenhouse Rhododendrons
seem to be vying with one another as to who shall produce the
greatest novelties in their respective classes, and our pages tes¬
tify with what great success ; Mr. Rollison’s Prince of Wales and
Mr. Veitch’s Princess Alice amongst the more tender kinds, Mr.
Prince’s Countess of Levon and Mr. Young’s Princess of Wales
amongst the hardy ones which we have already figured, dis¬
playing great variety of colour and beauty of appearance ; while
that now presented to our friends in the exquisite drawing of
Mr. Andrews will show that the improvement has by no means
reached its limit.

Messrs. Yeitch and Son, of Chelsea, are the fortunate raisers
of this most beautiful variety, and to them we are indebted for
the opportunity of figuring it and also for the following notes
concerning it : — “ Princess Helena is a seedling, reared from
Rhododendron jasminiflorum , crossed with a scarlet species im¬
ported by us, but never sent out. The tubes of the flower are
much longer than in any other variety that I know, and the
flowers are of a more glossy colour than in any that we have
before obtained. It is a very free bloomer, and I am confident
will be a great acquisition. It is of course more nearly like
Rhododendron Princess Royal than any other, but it is quite dis¬
tinct from that variety in shape of flower, habit, and foliage, as
well as colour.” It will be seen that the colour both of the
tube and lobes of the flower are of a delicate soft pink, striped
with darker shades of the same colour and most delicately
tinted. The foliage is of a rich dark glossy green, which throws
up the colour of the flower with great effect, and altogether -we

must concur in the very high estimate which has been formed
of it by the Messrs. Veitch.

The cultivation of greenhouse Rhododendrons calls for little
remark, and we should think must be pretty generally under¬
stood ; yet the plants which are exhibited from time to time in
collections do not seem to manifest that skill which we might
expect. Probably the more free-flowering character of many
of the new varieties may lead to our seeing better plants, as they
can thereby be exhibited in dwarfer character than the older
ones ; and if the ideas of exhibiting plants in a more natural
form than they have been of late years are carried out, some
of these fine showy flowers may take the place of many of the
weedy plants, which are only tolerated because they will bear
twisting and torturing to any extent.

Vincent Brooks, Imp.

Plate 221.

SAXIPRAGA PQRTUNI.

A

tl

CL,-

u B

w; Cfi tn.

One of the most remarkable things connected with the recent
discoveries of botanical treasures in Japan by Mr. E. Fortune
and Mr. H. J. Veitch was the immense variety of variegated
plants which were there cultivated. This variegation was to be
seen not only in shrubs of all kinds, — for there were variegated
Camellias and Tea-plants, — but in forest trees, the beautiful
TJiuiojpsis dolabrata variegcda for example ; while JRetinospora ,
Osmanthus , Acer , and other fine trees were found with golden
and silver markings, and even such humble things as the Saxi¬
frage, — almost justifying the statement of Dr. Siebold, that he
could make a variegated form of any plant.

It is surely strange that while we, with our advanced tastes
on the subject of horticulture, are only just now beginning to
see the advantage of introducing these variegated forms into
our landscape gardening, for centuries this singular people
have been quite alive to their value, and have cultivated so
many forms of variegated plants, many of which, if proved to
be hardy in our climate, will be very valuable ; and great as are
the treasures which have been brought to us by the indefati¬
gable labours of our countrymen, there is good reason to hope
that the recent operations in Japan, the opening-up of the in¬
land sea, and the greater facilities likely to be given to European
enterprise, may be the means of adding still further to our list
of useful and beautiful things, — not so much so perhaps as in
other countries, for the Japanese being great lovers of garden¬
ing, are likely enough to have obtained from their own country
those things most useful to them, as well, as we know they have
done, importing them from other countries.

The humble little Saxifrage is a general favourite amongst

cottagers, where suspended in the window it grows vigorously
and freely; its place is likely, we think, to be supplied ere long
by the curious and pretty Scmfraga Fortuni we now figure : the
beautiful and bright variegation of the leaves varying from
white to bright pink, with the under side of the foliage a
lightish crimson, being likely to make it a general favourite.
Its cultivation will he of the very simplest character, but care
must be taken not to pot it into rich soil, for the tendency will
be then to return to the plain-leaved form ; it is also easily
propagated, producing as it does many little plants in the form
of runners, in the same manner as the older and well-known
plant.

222

J . Andrews , del. etlith. .

"Vincent Brooks, Imp

Plate 222.

GLADIOLUS, ELEANOL NOLMAN.

Although but scant favour has been shown to autumnal
flowers this season around the Metropolis, — the exhibition at
the Crystal Palace being the only one worthy of the name, for
the miserable display at South Kensington did not deserve to be
called an exhibition, — yet in various parts of the country where
autumn shows are always popular, fine collections of beautiful
Gladioli have been staged. We had ourselves the pleasure of
carrying off first prize at Brighton in a class open to all Eng¬
land, and amongst the spikes then much admired was one of
the very beautiful variety figured in our present illustration,
one of the numerous fine seedlings produced by the successful
hybridization carried on by Mr. John Stan dish, of the Loyal
Nursery, Ascot.

We have again taken the trouble to compare some of the
finest of Mr. Standish’s seedlings with those which have come
to us from the Continent, principally raised by M. Souchet, of
Fontainebleau, and we do not hesitate to say that the English
flowers are quite equal to the foreign ones ; and as so many new
flowers are raised every year, we think it is time that there
should be more discrimination practised as to what should be
let out and grown than formerly. There can be no question
that those varieties which produce their flowers on opposite
sides of the stem are very inferior in effect to those which pre¬
sent but one face, and hence, as we have so much variety, all
these “ winged dowers,” as they have been called, ought to be
discarded, — a process which we are about to begin in our collec¬
tion, they having been simply tolerated at present until the
same colour was produced in the better-arranged dowers.

Again has the question been mooted as to the best way in

which the Gladiolus should be exhibited, — the discussion having
arisen from the fact of one of the exhibitors at the Crystal
Palace placing his flowers in the concave leaves of the Aloe,
and thus showing those flowers which were double-faced to a
single front. We think that they ought to follow the example
of all florists’ flowers, and be shown without any foliage, for we
believe that then the true character and value of the varieties
would be better seen.

Eleanor Norman is a flower of great delicacy of colour, and
indeed quite unique. The ground colour is white, but so largely
suffused with pink and flaked with pink stripes as to leave very
little of it to be seen ; in the centre of each of the lower petals
is a bright crimson feather, while in the sprouts there are semi¬
circular spots of deep crimson. It obtained a first-class certifi¬
cate from the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural
Society, and has been greatly admired wherever exhibited.

J Andrews, cLsl.et iLth.

Vincent Brooks, Imp .

Plate 223.

BXSA GEANDIFLOEA, var. stjpebba.

It is now upwards of three years since we figured this beau¬
tiful Orchid in its normal condition, when indeed it was not
known that there was any^ variation in the colouring. At that
time it was so scarce that not only was it not in any catalogue
of our leading firms, but none of our amateurs (save one) who
spare neither trouble nor money in adding to their collections
had it in their possession.

Since then, the liberality of the gentleman who first showed
how this lovely plant might be successfully treated, our friend
Mr. Charles Leach, of Clapham Park, and the enterprise of one
of our leading nurserymen, Mr. James Veitch, of Chelsea, have
combined to make it better known ; the former has presented
it to many of our best Orchid-growers, and also to the Eoyal
Horticultural Society, through whom it has been distributed
amongst the Fellows, and the latter has imported a quantity of
it from the Cape of Good Hope, and has now a good stock of
it in various-sized plants, ranging in price, according to size,
from one to three guineas ; and in accordance with the wishes
of many of our friends we have given a figure of the more
beautiful variety, named superba.

We had the pleasure the other day of seeing Mr. Leach’s
stock of this Orchid, comprising upwards of a hundred plants
in various stages of growth, and on inquiring of him whether
the past three years had led him to suggest any alteration in his
method of treatment, he said, “ No ; some had spoken of giving
the plants rest ; mine appear to require none ; at all events
they do not get it, if by rest be meant diminution of watering:
mine are syringed over two or three times a day all the year
round, young fry being in their several stages always in a grow-

ing state, and the young plants, the offsets from the parent
bulbs, being generally an inch high before the old flower-stems
have died down. I finished my repotting and taking off offsets
or runners about a fortnight ago, and should no mishap befall
me during the winter, I shall be almost driven to plant them
out in the spring and make a bed of Disas instead of or beside
a bed of Geraniums — thus bearing out the anticipation we
formed three years ago, that it might hereafter be used round
small pieces of ornamental water in gardens.

The variety now figured has larger and better-proportioned
flowers than the ordinary one, while the colour in all the parts
is much richer, and the green tips which exist in the lateral
sepals of grandiflora are wanting in suggerbci, which obtained a
first-class certificate from the Floral Committee of the Eoyal
Horticultural Society, when exhibited by Mr. Leach. We
should add, that the Plate gives a very inadequate idea of the
beauty of the plant, as six, seven, and in some instances eight
flowers are produced on a single stem.*

* A magnificent drawing of it appears in part ix. of Warner’s ‘ Orchidaceous
Plants,’ just published, from the artistic pencil of Mr. Andrews.

224

J .Andrews, d4|et lith

Vincent Brooks, Imp

Plate 224.

PENTSTEMONS, PRINCESS OP WALES
AND ATTEACTION.

Amongst the many herbaceous plants to which the attention
of the hybridizers has been directed for some years past the
Pentstemon has not failed to secure a place, and has been in
their hands greatly improved. Messrs. Downie and Co., Mr.
Bull, and others at home, and several Continental raisers have
brought forward annually a considerable number; it is one of
the flowers also to which Mr. John Salter, of the Versailles
Nursery, Hammersmith, has paid particular attention, and from
his varied and beautiful collection the two varieties in our
Plate have been selected.

There is little to be said on the subject of cultivation with
regard to plants so easily grown as most of our herbaceous
plants are ; the Pentstemon requires therefore but little care.
It is easily increased by division of the roots or by cuttings,
while those who are anxious for novelty and the little excite¬
ment of seedling raising may easily gratify their wishes, as seed
is produced very freely, and by at first only growing a few that
are really of good properties ; the seed, when gathered, will
produce flowers fully equal to those in cultivation, and probably
in advance of some ; or, if preferred, any respectable nursery¬
man who grows them will supply seed of good quality ; but
where time is not of so much consequence we should prefer the
former method.

The varieties now figured ar e— Princess of Wales (Pig. 1),
having a white tube and throat, lips edged with pink, the plant
is very dwarf, free, and with large flowers ; Attraction (Fig. 2),
light rose-pink tube, with pure white throat, an improvement

on Victory , taller and more vigorous than the preceding, and
very free-flowering. The following list of good varieties, taken
from a contemporary, may be relied on: — Purple and violet
shades of colour, Goliath , Mon Caprice , Orientate , Mrs . Lees ,
Kellermanii , John Foggo , Monsieur de Poupart , Jeffryanum,
Azurea verticillata , CKo and Blue Beauty: in Scarlets, Vivid,
Arbele , of England , Rubrum magnificum , Meteora , Illumi¬

nator , itfrs. Stevens , Robert Highet , Amabilis , Coccineum magni¬
ficum, Brilliant, and Comte de Lambertye; to these we would
add Admiral Jarvis, Charles Watson, Cyrus, Flora, Dr. Hogg,
Juno, Leon Kern, Purple Prince, Scarlet Gem, Sultan, John
Salter, Tyninghamii, Carl Appelius, Albicans , and ilTrs. Hope.

J • Andrews , del.et Jith.

'vine exit JBro oks, Imp .

Plate 225.

YALLOTA EXIMIA.

Among those numerous varieties of Cape bulbs which we
have had for so long a time in our greenhouses, there is not
one more worthy of cultivation than the well-known V allot a
purpurea ; and yet it is not by any means so extensively culti¬
vated as we might have expected, for it presents no difficulty
in its treatment, and with even a small number of bulbs a
succession of bloom may be kept up for a long period, and that
at a time of the year when flowers are more scarce than in the
summer.

The method of treatment which we have ourselves adopted
is of the very simplest character. As soon as the bulbs have
done flowering we cut off the flower-stem as low down as pos¬
sible, and then re-pot them (this occurs generally some time in
November, although we have even now, in the middle of De¬
cember, bulbs in bloom). The compost that we use is one
composed of good yellow loam and leaf-mould, in about equal
proportions, with a good mixture of silver sand. As soon as
the bulbs are potted they are gently watered, and placed in the
greenhouse, vffiere they wall be excluded from frost, and kept
in a growing state all the winter, although it wall be necessary
to be cautious in not overwvatering them. They wall, it is true,
take a good deal, but no plant will endure for long defective
drainage. As soon as the days begin to lengthen and more
sunlight is obtained, w7e waiter more freely, and thus excite
their growth. They may, during the summer, be placed in a
cold pit out of doors, or in a cool part of the greenhouse, and
during this period may receive a plentiful supply of water,
and be kept in a vigorously-growing state. As they show
their flowTer-stems they may be brought into the greenhouse or

sitting-room, where they will expand their beautiful crimson
flowers very rapidly, the number on each stem varying from
four to eight, according to the size of the bulb, about half the
number being expanded at one time, and with even a small
collection we have had bulbs in flower from the beginning
of September to Christmas. Another recommendation that
this bulb has, is, that it increases very rapidly, throwing off a
number of offsets, which, if the above management be adopted,
very soon make flowering bulbs.

The variety of Yallota which we now illustrate is named
Pximia , and was exhibited by Mr. Wm. Bull, of King’s Road,
Chelsea, at a meeting of the Floral Committee of the Royal
Horticultural Society, for whom it obtained a first-class certifi¬
cate. It is of the same shade of colour as Purpurea , and is
chiefly distinguishable for its white throat, with crimson fea¬
ther, not unlike what is seen in some varieties of Gladioli.

J-AfiHrewa.del. etlith

"Vmcervt Broolis

Plate 226.

CLEMATIS JACKMANII.

Few flowers have so rapidly come into favour as the two
varieties of Clematis raised by Messrs. Jackman and Son, of
Woking, one of which, Clematis rubro-violacea , we have already
figured (Plate 215); and, in accordance with wishes expressed
to us, we now add that of its equally beautiful (and indeed, if
possible, more beautiful) companion, Clematis JacJcmanii.

Hardy climbers are evidently much wanted ; and when any
possessing the remarkable qualities of these new varieties of
Clematis are produced, we do not wonder at the rapid sale they
meet with. It will undoubtedly happen that the success which
has attended these will stimulate others in the same field, so
that we may expect additions to our lists from year to year.
(It will not be easy, however, soon to surpass in size and bril¬
liancy the splendid variety we now figure.) As a proof of this,
we may mention that Mr. Wm. Bull has lately received from
the Continent a pure white variety, called Clematis lanuginosa
Candida , and said to be a hybrid between C. ccerulea and C. la¬
nuginosa. It has downy leaves, while the flowers are open, of
a pure wdiite, and equal in size to C. lanuginosa. Another
from the same source has been received by Mr. Bull, called
C. lanuginosa nivea , but its character is not sufficiently deter¬
mined.

C. JacJcmanii has flowers fully expanded, and measuring from
five to six inches across ; the number of petals varies from four
to six, the bloom figured in our Plate having five ; the colour
is a beautiful violet-purple, or, as it is now the fashion to call
such colours, a bright mauve ; the back of each petal is marked
by three ribs, which show slightly through on the face of the
flower, and tend in some degree to heighten the brilliancy of

its appearance. It received equally with C. rubro-violacea a
first-class certificate from the Floral Committee of the Royal
Horticultural Society, when exhibited before them in August,
1863.

As we perceive by Messrs. Jackman’s advertisement that
their plants have been very widely distributed in all parts of
the country, their merits are likely to be well tested during the
ensuing year, and we have every confidence that they will give
general satisfaction.

*

227

Plate 227.

CALCEOLARIA, BIRD OE PARADISE.

The modern style of gardening known as the bedding-out
system has had a severe trial during the past season, the ex¬
treme dryness of the summer having in many cases entirely
spoiled the effect, and especially where laid out in grass, as
this suffered perhaps more than anything from the want of rain.
Thus, at the Crystal Palace, where the system is carried out in
perfection, the beds appeared as if set in brown soil, rather
than in the bright green they usually do.

There are two methods in which this system is carried out ;
one, where the effect to be produced is obtained by the em¬
ployment of large quantities of only a few flowers, arranged
and combined in various methods. This we have seen in its
perfection in the beautiful grounds of Lord Holmesdale, at
Linton Park, under the able direction of Mr. Robson, whose
skill in this department is unrivalled. His large and magni¬
ficent bed, which at once strikes the eye as the very perfection
of colouring, is composed of only some six or seven different
flowers. The other method is the employment of a large num¬
ber of plants, with differing shades and tints of colour, giving
greater beauty to the parterre, although perhaps not producing
so good a general effect. Each system has its advocates, and,
we may add, its advantages.

To those who adopt the simpler system, the flower which we
now figure would be useless ; for one rule connected with it is,
never to employ those with two shades of colour ; while to
those who adopt the more complex plan it will be a great
acquisition. Some years ago flowers of this shade of colour
were raised by Mr. Cole, but, owing to their delicacy of consti¬
tution, they were found to be of little use. The flower which

we figure is of a different character, being robust in habit,
bearing large masses of bloom, and the individual pips of good
size, the colour a bright orange-red, with a margin of yellow,
the whole flower being minutely punctured. As a pot plant
also it will be found very useful.

Calceolaria Bird of Paradise is quite a new flower, and is in
the possession of Mr. B. S. Williams, of Paradise and Victoria
Nurseries, Holloway, by whom it will be distributed in the
spring.

228.

J. Andrew's, del . et litih .

Yineent Brooks, imp

Plate 228.

VARIETIES OE TREE CARNATIONS.

The production of flowers that will bloom during the dark
and dreary months of winter has become more than ever an
object amongst our cultivators, since no fete, whether public
or private, is considered complete without a supply of natural
flowers. Amongst those which have become valuable for this
purpose, we know of none more worthy of a place in our green¬
houses than the numerous varieties of Tree Carnations and
Picotees, three of which form the subject of our Plate.

Messrs. E. J. Henderson and Son, of the Wellington Road
Nursery, have been the means of introducing this very desirable ,
flower to our greenhouses, the greater portion of the varieties
having been obtained from the Continent.

It will be at once seen, by a reference to our Plate, that they
are very unlike in colour to the ordinary varieties of Carna¬
tions, although some varieties approach them very nearly, being
regularly flaked, while others are as regularly picoteed. They
are also very rough on the edge, as compared with florists’
flowers of the same class.

We have found the following to be the best method of cul¬
tivation. As soon as the cuttings are struck, which should be
about July or August, they should be potted off into small pots,
in a good soil composed of loam and well-rotted manure and
leaf-mould, in equal proportions, with a little road-grit, to keep
it open ; then gently watered, and placed in some cool place,
either in the pot or out of doors. The flower-stems should be
pinched off as soon as they appear, as we never allow them to
flower during the first year, the object being to get them to
make wood and to run up in a tree-like form. In the follow¬
ing spring we re-pot them into larger pots, and allow them to

grow, which they will do rapidly. They should then be well
staked, and brought into the conservatory as their flower-buds
are produced. By this treatment good plants are obtained,
which give a succession of flowers during the dreariest winter
months.

The varieties which we now figure are all from the collection
of the Messrs. Henderson, and are — Delicatissima (Fig. 1), a very
pretty pink flower, having the petals thickly barred with a deep
pink or light-crimson; Victoria (Fig. 2), is a beautiful light-
crimson flower, flaked with dark crimson, approaching to black ;
while Princess Alice (Fig. 3) is a bright yellow, with red bars
and flakes, forming a very pretty and attractive flower.

#

229

J. Andrews, del . etlith.

Vincent Brooks, imp .

Plate 229.

ROSE, BERNARD PALISSY.

As no flower is so extensively cultivated as the Rose, we feel
that there are few, if any, of our subscribers who will not feel
an interest in seeing some of those new varieties which from
time to time are introduced by either home or foreign raisers
of seedling flowers ; and as we have lately figured an interesting
variety of English origin, we now give one of the best French
varieties of the past season, a flower that doubtless will appear
in many a winning stand at the exhibitions of the present year.

It has been frequently observed, and with a great amount of
truth, that it is very difficult to form a correct judgment of new
Roses, from the blooms exhibited during the first season, when
they only appear in the stands of some of the leading growers,
for sale ; when, however, a flower has acquired a good name
when first shown, it is rarely that it loses it afterwards, although
many flowers have had to endure neglect for the first season,
their merits being only discovered later ; and hence, when judg¬
ments are passed on new flowers, it very often happens that
lovers of the Rose in various parts find fault with it. We may,
with perhaps but little fear of being very far wrong, consider
the following as amongst the best of the seventy or eighty varie¬
ties of last year: — Alp aide de Botatier , clear rose with satin-
like gloss ; Andre Leroy dAngers , rich dark velvety purple ;
JDuchesse de Morny , a fresh pale-rose, reverse of petals silvery,
shape excellent ; Claude Million , an imbricated crimson-scarlet
flower ; Kate Hamburg , clear rose-coloured flower ; Eugene
Verdier , deep violet-purple, of excellent form; Madame Derreulx
JDouville , bright pink or tender rose, shape excellent, and large,
very free blooming ; Madame Victor Verdier , a bright cherry-
red, figured by us last year ; Pierre Netting , deep blackish-red,

of good form and substance, one of the best Roses of the year.
There are others which are well spoken of, but we have not
had an opportunity of seeing them, and without that it is im¬
possible to form an opinion, the description of the French
raisers being of a most high-flown character.

Bernard Palissy , raised by our friend M. Margottin, of Eourg
la Reine, near Paris, is a seedling from that fine flower of M.
Margottin’s raising, Jules Margottin , but it differs from it very
much in shape, being an expanded Rose, somewhat flat, instead
of being cupped, the colour is a bright reddish-carmine, the
habit of the plant is excellent, and we are convinced the flower
will add to M. Margottin’s fame as a raiser.

Plate 239.

PETUNIAS, JUBILEE AND CHABMING.

Every year witnesses the production of a large number of
seedling Petunias, both single and double, although the latter
have very much lost ground in public favour, (few, if any, of
them surpassing one of the earliest raised, Inimitabilis flora
joleno , and figured by us more than three years ago,) while
amongst the single varieties, the striped flowers, in the way of
Madame Ferguson , Mrs. Smith , etc., have been more generally
grown, and deservedly so, for a plant of this strain well managed
makes a very pleasing object for the greenhouse or conservatory.

The varieties which we now figure are, however, entirely
distinct from the striped class, and may perhaps rather be
called pencilled or reticulated flowers, being distinguished by
very beautiful and delicate veining ; they have been brought
forward by Mr. William Bull, of Chelsea, and have been much
admired, their form, size, and colouring, being alike excellent.

It is not likely that in the cultivation of a flower so easily
grown as the Petunia, any novel methods of culture are likely
to be discovered, and we have, therefore, no further remarks on
this head to make to those already given in former volumes ;
it may perhaps be interesting to note a few of the leading varie¬
ties for the guidance of purchasers : amongst double varieties,
Ariadne , Boule de JSfeige , Due de Guise , Inimitabilis flore igleno,
JU Imperatrice, Madame Bouchardat Aine , Prince of Wales, Ma¬
dame Bendatler, are perhaps the best; while of the single
varieties we should prefer Distincta , Mrs. Smith, Flower of the
Bay, Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. SJierbrook, Shrubland Bose, and Venus.

Of the varieties now figured, Jubilee (Pig. 1) is a rich rosy-
red of good shape, with a distinct bar of dark crimson in each
lobe, the space between the bars being very largely and deli-

cately veined with crimson-maroon, while Charming (Fig. 2) is
a beautiful pure white with rosy-crimson bars delicately veined
also, leaving the edges of the flower perfectly free from mark¬
ing; this is a very chaste and attractive flower, it is large in
size and of good shape and substance. Mr. Bull has other va¬
rieties to send out, hut we have selected these as the best.

J. Andrews, deletlith.

Vincent Brooks, Imp

Plate 231,

AZALEA, FASCINATION.

We have in former years figured different varieties of varie¬
gated Azaleas, but we have never had the opportunity of no¬
ticing so fine a flower as the one which forms the subject of
the present Plate, for it has been universally pronounced to
be the very first in the class to which it belongs, and fortunate
indeed is Mr. Iverv to have raised so lovely a flower.

It is well known that many of the variegated varieties of
Azaleas are merely “ sports a shoot of a red or pink variety
has become blotched, or in some cases white, portions of this
shoot have been propagated, and thus a supply of a new varie¬
gated variety is obtained. Unhappily there is a great tendency
in such kinds to return to their original character, and their
flowers are to some extent uncertain ; when such varieties are
introduced, as they frequently are, from the Continent, their
character ought to be given with them, whether they are really
seedlings or sports, as this would prevent much disappointment
in regard to blooming.

Notwithstanding all the discussion that has taken place with
regard to the manner in which Azaleas should be exhibited,
and the fault that has been found with the huge masses of
crinolined and hooped plants which every year in still larger
and ever-increasing proportions are brought forward, there does
not seem at present as if any change would take place, but the
non-exhibitor, who grows for his own gratification, is happily
not bound by these inexorable laws, and will in his home na¬
tural though not overgrown plants, find a more beautiful and
pleasing object; in time, perhaps, exhibitors and the public will
come to the same conclusion.

Fascination is, as we have said, a flower raised by that well-

known and most successful cultivator and raiser, Mr. James
I very, of Dorking ; it was exhibited by him at the spring shows
of the Royal Horticultural and Royal Botanic Societies, from
the latter it received a first-class certificate and was regarded
as one of the very finest Azaleas ever raised ; it was raised in
1860 from a pod of seed of A. tricolor impregnated with A. Cri¬
terion ; the shape is perfect, the form of the petals round, the
colour a bright rosy-pink with deep crimson spots in the upper
petals, — the edges of all the petals being white, and the pink
colour of the ground being marked off in irregular bands.
Messsrs. Xvery and Son hope to let it out in the ensuing
autumn.

c

232

Plate 232.

FUCHSIAS, LUCEEZIA BOEGIA AND

FANTASTIC.

There seems to be really no limit to the variations that take

ft

place in the very simple flower which is seen in every garden
and which bears the most opposite extremes of climate, for we
have seen it during the past year, luxuriating as large shrubs
twelve and thirteen feet high, in the wild and stormy moun¬
tains of Mayo and Donegal, and adorning in immense quanti¬
ties the park and squares of Paris ; and we may well ask, who
would recognize in the curious and beautiful forms that now
adorn our greenhouses the same plant that years ago they had
cultivated originally with its narrow yet pretty flowers, its crim¬
son sepals and darker tubes l See what changes either hybri¬
dizing or chance have wrought in it, We have it attaining
a size which a few years ago would have been deemed chime-
rical ; its sepals, from being pendent, have become reflexed like
a Turk’s cap ; and in lieu of flimsiness, we have now great
substance, the tube has increased in size and substance in pro¬
portion as the sepals have increased, the corolla has instead of
being closely folded round become expanded, like a parachute
or crinoline, or has become doubly increased in the number of
its petals, while, as in the variety figured in our Plate, it appears
in another and most curious form. An equal variation has
taken place in the colouring : we have had white sepals, and
corollas of crimson, violet, and purple ; we have had, on the
other hand, dark-crimson sepals and white corollas ; and we
have in Lucr ezia Borgia a tendency to produce striped flowers
which may vet create a revolution in the colouring* and mark-
ing ; and, as we have given evidence in our pages, the foliage
has also added variety, and in such flowers as Meteor , Pillar of

Gold , and Cloth of Gold , we have another remarkable class of
plants.

Lucrezia Borgia (Fig. 1) is a flower raised by our friend and
neighbour, Edward Banks, Esq., of Sholden, and is of great
size and substance ; the sepals are broad and well reflexed,
the corolla is also large, of a rich violet-purple, with blotches
and stripes, of light crimson-pink, these markings are irregu¬
larly produced, but are indications of a change in colouring
which may yet produce some further novelties ; it received
a certificate from the Floral Committee of the Royal Horti¬
cultural Society. Fantastic (Fig. 2) is a flower raised by Mr.
George Smith, and well deserves the name he has given it;
the sepals are reflexed in the ordinary way, but it is in the co¬
rolla that the curious change has taken place ; instead of being
pendent, it opens out nearly horizontally, while underneath is
what has the appearance of a second corolla, with the petals
folded round in the ordinary manner, the colour being a deep-
lavender : a reference to the Plate will at once show the very
curious and fantastic appearance that this produces, and we
have little doubt that this will ensure its being a general
favourite.

J ^Andrews/ieL.et lith..

Tinceat Brodks,Tmp

Plate 233.

ACHIMENES, PINK PERFECTION, AND

GRANDIS.

Those who are able to afford the luxury of a house where a
moderate amount of heat can be obtained for a short period of
the year, know how very valuable for the summer decoration
of their houses are the tribes of Acliimenes , Tydosa, and Gloxinia ,
in all of which great improvements have taken place during
the past few years, as our pages have given abundant testimony
to in the fine varieties we have from time to time figured.

Acliimenes have been the more especial care of Mr. Parsons,
of Welwyn, and to him we are indebted for some of the finest
varieties in cultivation, for when we mention Mauve Queen , Car -
minata splendens , Dazzle , Bosea magnifica , and Meteor (a few of
Mr. Parsons’s seedlings), it will be at once seen how very largely
he has contributed to their present advanced character as ex¬
hibition flowers, and in our last volume (Plate 180) will be found
figures of two very excellent varieties, Purpurea elegans and
Leopard , which, with Magnet , Scarlet Perfection , Vivicans and
Eclipse , form the most admired and newest of the section; they
were let out by Mr. B. S. Williams, of Holloway, and still will
hold that position, for we are informed by Mr. Williams that
the varieties now figured, together with some others, of Mr.
Parsons’s raising, will not be distributed this season, the stock
being small, so that exhibitors must be contented for the pre¬
sent with those already out.

It has been Mr. Parsons’s great object, not only to increase
the beauty of colouring in the Acliimenes , but also to obtain
that size which, when combined with brilliancy and form, so
materially adds to the effect of a plant, and it will be seen that
in the present instance he has made a great step in that

direction, for in Pink Perfection we have the forerunner, pro¬
bably, of a race of flowers of large size, combined with that
brightness of colonring hitherto only found in such small flowers
as Dazzle and Meteor.

As we have nothing to add to the former remarks we have
made on the subject of the cultivation of Achimenes , it remains
merely to say that Pink Perfection (Fig. 1) is a fine, well-formed
flower, of nearly three inches diameter, of a deep, rosy-pink
colour, throat yellow, spotted with orange; while Grandis is a
somewhat smaller, but still very fairly-sized flower, of a purplish-
lilac, or deep mauve-colour, with orange-spotted throat. Both
varieties are very free flowering, and will be valuable additions
to the class.

234

J. Andrews, del. et lith..

Vincent Broc&s, Imp

Plate 234.

VARIEGATED VERBENA, POPULAR.

The great favour with which variegated plants have been
received during the past few years has led to the introduction
of plants of nearly every tribe in cultivation, whether in the
hardy, or half-hardy, or greenhouse section; to these the Japa¬
nese have largely contributed, while the vigilance of our home
gardeners has led to the production of many others. Perhaps no
greater proof of the extent to which this has gone can be ad¬
duced than by looking at the section in Mr. John Salter’s
catalogue devoted to hardy variegated plants ; in this list are
enumerated about three hundred different varieties, and in it
are Daisies, Chrysanthemums, Strawberries, Fuchsia, Wood
Anemones, Ivies, Iris, Nettles, Phlox, Ribes, Y eronicas, etc.

It is not surprising then, that with a flower so universally
grown and admired as the Verbena is, there should have been
a desire to obtain a good variegated-leaved form of it, and we
believe that in more than one instance this has been done,
but the character of the variegation has not been sufficiently
permanent to make it of any value. Thus we remember seeing,
with our friend and neighbour, Mr. Banks, of Sholden, a plant
of Defiance , much variegated ; after however propagating it for
some time, he found that it was not constant, and so discarded
it. The subject of our present Plate is in the possession of Mr.
Wm. Bull, of King’s Road, Chelsea, the well-known introducer
of new and rare plants ; it is permanent in its markings, and
when bedded out, the golden variegation of the leaves, with the
brilliant scarlet of the flower, will tend to make it one of the
most effective of our bedding plants.

In a visit we paid lately to Mr. Bull’s establishment we saw
this Verbena in course of propagation, and also some very inter-

esting variegated plants ; thus there was a form of Aubrietia pur¬
purea, which showed the most beautiful and constant variega¬
tion imaginable, and with its bright purple flowers and dwarf
habit, will be very valuable ; there were also a neat shrubby-
growing Sedum, and some beautiful gold and silver variegated
Ehodeas, and perfectly distinct male Aucubas, of Von Siebold’s
introduction from Japan. It will thus be seen that lovers of this
style of plant will have no difficulty in gratifying their taste. It
remains but to add that this Verbena will be let out in April, by
Mr. Bull, together with his other new plants.

235

Plate 235.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS, GOLDEN BALL, AND

VENUS.

The favour with which the Chrysanthemum has been re¬
garded for so many years seems to be increasing rather than
diminishing, and, if one may judge from the number of new7
varieties wdiich are being introduced by Mr. Salter, this is more
especially the case with the large-flowering section, for wdiile
he announces only four new7 Pompons, there are no less than
twenty-eight large flow7ers, of which those in our Plate are, wTe
are inclined to think, amongst the finest.

Me had an opportunity in November of inspecting Mr.
Salter’s rich and varied collection in his winter garden,— one of
the choicest treats to a real lover of the flow7er that London
affords at that season of the year, and far to be preferred to any
exhibition, in our humble opinion, for the plants are much
more naturally growrn ; and the advantage of novelty is also
added, for here one may see at a glance, not merely the best
flow7ers in growffh, but also those which are to be sent out in
the following spring. Me had ourselves grown a good selection
of the newT varieties of last season, and can strongly recommend
amongst large-flow7ered varieties — Prince Alfred , a splendid
rosy-crimson, finely incurved, and the best purple in growth ;
Princess of Wales , pearly-white, tinted w7ith rosy-lilac, of beau¬
tiful form, broad petals, w7ell incurved, a splendid flow7er ; Lord
Clyde> fine, bright crimson ; General Bainbrigge , dark orange-
amber and gold centre ; Bernard Palissy , fiery orange, good
pot-plant ; Sam Slick , ruby, w7ith bronze tip ; Saint Margaret ,
orange anemone flower, w7ith stiff guard-petals and high centre;
Florence Nightingale , a fine pot-plant: wdiile among Pompons,
Lizzie Holmes stands pre-eminent, although it came everywhere
darker than last year.

The flowers which we have selected for our Plate are, Golden
Ball (Fig. 1), a bright orange, with golden back and tips, beau¬
tifully incurved, and a perfect model of form, of extra large
size, and great brilliancy of colour ; Venus (Fig. 2), large, deli¬
cate lilac-peach, finely incurved, a beautiful show flower, and
decidedly the best in its colour. Besides these, we noticed and
can recommend — Blanche of Castile , pure white ; Golden Dr.
Brock , golden-yellow ; Brince of Wales , dark purple-violet ;
Mrs. Karines, blush ; Mr. Br unices, large, Indian red ; King of
Denmark, rosy-lilac ; Albert Helyer, rosy-purple ; and Attraction,
a reflexed flower.

We are glad to be able to announce that Mr. Salter, than
whom no one is so well qualified for the task, is about to pub¬
lish a history of the Chrysanthemum, from its introduction
to the present time, illustrated by our artist, Mr. Andrews, a
work which will form the text-book on this subject for many
years, for it will embrace its culture in every manner and for
every purpose.

236

J. Andrews, dei.etlith.

"Vmcerit Brooks, Imp

Plate 236.

BEGONIA DIGSWELLXANA.

Flowers derive their value from various considerations and
properties, some for their brilliancy of hue, others for their
delicacy of perfume, others for the singularity of their forms,
others for their hardiness, and some for the period of the year
at which they bloom. When flowers are plentiful, and every
parterre shines with the most brilliant hues, or when green¬
houses are so filled that it is wellnigh impossible to display all
to advantage, then it will happen that some flowers, which at
another time might attract attention, are pushed aside ; but
when all out-of-doors is dreariness, and within scarcity of bloom
prevails, then a flower which will adorn the house, even although
it may lack the brighter hues of its summer rivals, is eagerly
welcomed.

We have seen an immense change in the manner of deco¬
rating rooms ; for fetes of all kinds nothing now is of any ser¬
vice but natural flowers and plants, — the day for tolerating
artificial flowers is past, and hence a great demand is every¬
where made for cut flowers and plants. Let any one but see
the business that is transacted in Covent Garden for such things
for decorative purposes, and the effect of this change is at once
apparent : the flowering section of Begonias then is very use¬
ful for this purpose, — far more interesting, to our minds, than
the ornamental-foliaged section, which was so much in vogue a
year or two ago, but which has rapidly receded in public esti¬
mation.

The Royal Horticultural Society has attempted the plan of
holding weekly exhibitions devoted to special plants, and amongst
them the Begonia ; but, like most of their plans, however well-
intentioned, it seems to have been a complete failure. Thus, at

the Begonia show, we are told, none were exhibited save a few
from the Society’s own garden.

The variety now figured is in the possession of Mr. B. S.
Williams, of Paradise and Victoria Nurseries, Holloway ; it is
described to 11s by him as being of a dwarf and free-flowering
habit, the colour being a light pink, the edges of the petal
being deeper, and when contrasted with the deeper pink of the
unopened buds, it forms a pretty object for the greenhouse or
drawing-room, and makes it also useful for cut flowers for bou¬
quets.

237.

J. Andrews, del. etlith.

Vincent Brooks. Imp .

Plate 237.

TEA ROSE, MARECHAL NIEL.

When in Paris last year, M. Eugene Verdier brought to us
some of his new Roses, which were to be let out in the autumn.
The majority were Hybrid Perpetuals; but with them there
was a tea-scented Rose of great beauty, which we at once re¬
garded as the cream of the set, and one likely to be a great ac¬
quisition, and this we selected for our illustration.

Yellow Roses have always been considered a great deside¬
ratum, but unfortunately the best of them have some serious
defects. Cloth of Gold , or, as it is called in France, Ckromatella ,
is unquestionably a most difficult Rose to bloom ; it will grow
rampantly enough, but few are able to induce it to flower well ;
when it does, there is no yellow Rose to equal it. Isabella Grey ,
which a few years ago was introduced from South Carolina,
gave great promise of supplying our need ; but, alas ! it too
was found hard to open, and shy in flowering. SynitKs Yellow ,
again, rarely flowers well. Solfaterre , a light shade of yellow,
is too loose and ragged a flower to please the fastidious eye
of the rosarian ; and, indeed, in the Noisettes , Celine Forestier
and Triomjyhe de Rennes are the two most satisfactory flowers
of this colour. Pure yellows amongst Tea Roses are scarce.
Vicomtesse Cazes , which is very bright, is also very ragged.
Boule I Or is very difficult to open. Eliza Sauvage and L' En¬
fant Trouve are both of delicate habit ; while Gloire de Dijon ,
splendid Rose as it is, can hardly be classed amongst pure
yellows. The accession, then, of a flower like the one now
figured, if true to the description given with it, must be hailed
with satisfaction by all lovers of the Rose.

Let it be however said, that while it is, as far as we were
able to judge, a valuable Rose, there are one or two points

which make us hesitate about it. It is said by M. Verdier to
have been raised in the south of France, and consequently
there must be some doubt as to the certainty of its opening
well in England; for JBoule d’Or , which we have seen in per¬
fection in the neighbourhood of Paris, will not, without a
great deal of coaxing, display its beauties with us, and then it
is unquestionably, both in foliage and form of flower, very Wee
Isabella Grey , and therefore wre fear is likely to partake of the
defects of that flower. We may be mistaken, but time will tell.
Its growth -is evidently vigorous, and no one looking at the
beautiful drawing of Mr. Andrews can fail to see that it is a
very fine Rose.

238

J. Andrews, del. etlith.

"Vrr\.cent Br ooks, Imp

Plate 238.

HOYEA PUNGENS MAJOR.

We remember, many years ago, what a difficult plant Hovea
Celsi was considered to be, and we believe deservedly so ; the
beauty and attractiveness of its bright-blue pea-shaped flowers
led many to attempt its culture for exhibition, but it was rarely
that one saw a good plant of it, while fewer plants were more
subject to the attack of thrips and red spider, which oftentimes
completely disfigured it. The species which we now figure is
not of so difficult character, and although not a new plant, it
is one of those which amidst the multitude of novelties has
been overlooked, while others of far less merit have been
grown.

Mr. Frazer, of Lea Bridge Road Nurseries, has, during the
present year, exhibited it at the weekly meetings of the Royal
Horticultural Society, where it was greatly admired, and re¬
warded with a certificate ; and we have also noticed that in the
gardening periodicals it has been favourably mentioned. We
feel, therefore, that we are bringing under the notice of our
subscribers a plant which, from the period at which it flowers,
as well as from its own beauty, ought to be generally grown.

We have been favoured by Mr. Frazer with the following
notes: — “ Hovea p ungens, introduced from the Swan River, in
1837, is one of the most beautiful of all the fine plants from
the same locality. The variety now figured is Hovea pungens
major , introduced some years after the original species. No¬
thing can possibly be of more value than this Hovea; it not only
blooms freely in the winter, without more heat than an ordi¬
nary greenhouse or conservatory affords, but its colour is so very
attractive. This pretty plant, associated with winter-flowering
Heaths, Epacris, Camellias, and other winter and spring flower-

in g plants, will greatly help to make a rich display in places
where there are no houses for forcing flowers. Its culture is
not difficult. Supposing a plant to be purchased in flower,
after the bloom is past the shoots should be shortened back
below the part where the flowers have been produced, and when
the plant begins to grow — say in May or June — it can be shifted
(if required) into a larger pot and placed in a pit or frame for
the summer, where it can be protected from the excessive heat
of the sun and sheltered from very heavy rains ; it should, how¬
ever, be exposed at night, so that it may have the benefit of the
dews, which will make it grow robust and healthy. In a gene¬
ral way the plant does not require stopping, but should a shoot
or two start away from the rest it will be well to stop them,
so as to equalize the growth and get the plant as compact as
possible. A mixture of good fibrous peat and sand is the most
suitable soil for growing it in, to which, if the peat is very light
and poor, a little loam may be added. All the Hoveas are
straggling growers, and this sort is especially so, and perhaps it
is on this account that it has not met with so much attention at
the hands of plant-growers as it deserves. The only really good
specimen of it that I have ever seen was several years ago, in
one of the greenhouses of the late Mrs. Laurence, of Ealing
Park, and she thought more of this Hovea than of any dozen
plants in her magnificent collection.”

t o

23 9

J. Andrews, del . et lith-

"Vincent Brooks, Imp .

Plate 239.

VARIEGATED CHRYSANTHEMUM, SENSATION,

We have usually at this period of the year given a group of
the newer varieties of Pompon Chrysanthemums, but as the
number of seedlings in this class is (as we observed last month)
considerably less than in the large-flowered section, we have
this year departed from our usual custom, and instead thereof
given a Plate of a curious and interesting sport which Mr. Bull,
of Chelsea, has obtained, adding another to the many variegated
plants now to be met with in every section of gardening.

With those who grow the Chrysanthemum for their own plea¬
sure only, without a view to cut blooms for exhibition, the
Pompon varieties are much greater favourites than the large-
flowered section, their dwarf habits, profusion of bloom, and
compact shape, fully entitling them to this preference ; and
their suitableness for bouquets, despite to some their unplea¬
sant odour, gives them an additional claim to our attention, at
a period of the year when flowers are comparatively speaking
scarce. We have had, too, some good additions to the class
during the past few years, making it a matter of exceeding
difficulty to obtain anything that may be a decided advance.
One of the very best is the fine variety Lizzie Holmes , which
we figured last year, and which has everywhere maintained its
character as a very desirable variety. A variegated plant in
this class, then, will not only be a novelty, but, we should think,
a general favourite.

It will be seen that the variegation in this variety is not a
mere blotch, but that each leaf is regularly and broadly mar¬
gined with silver white, and that this variegation is quite
constant we can testify from personal observation. Mr. Bull
anticipates that not only will it be found a useful plant for the

greenhouse or conservatory, but that it will also be desirable for
ribbon bordering, on account of the constancy of its variegation,
and the neatness of its habit. The flowers are well formed,
Ranunculus-shaped, full to the centre, and pure white, so that
in every respect it seems to be a very desirable and useful plant.
It will be let out in the present month.

240

J. Andrews, del. et iitin.

"Vincerct B'rooks,Tmp

Plate 240.

VERBENAS, GEORGE TYE, CHARLES TURNER,

AND QUEEN OE PINKS.

It is extremely difficult when flowers have reached the per¬
fection that the Verbena has, to produce new varieties which
shall be very decidedly in advance of the older ones : we must
be contented if we can make a little progress, and either in
colour, shape, habit, or size, strain a slight improvement, and
perhaps there is no one more likely to effect this than Mr. C.
J. Perry, of The Cedars, Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham,
the raiser of the three varieties now figured.

While adding so much by their continuous blooming and
diversity of colour to the gaiety of the garden during the sum¬
mer months, no dependence in our variable climate can be
placed on these out-of-door plants for blooms for exhibition—a
slight shower of rain is quite sufficient to destroy all the beauty
of the blossoms, and hence those fine and fresh-looking flowers
which we see so constantly at the various exhibitions, are the
produce of plants grown either in pots or in a frame, — we believe
Mr. Perry’s plan is the latter. A common cucumber frame is
filled with good compost, and the Verbenas are then planted
out at regular intervals, abundance of room being given to
them, and pegged down as they grow. Great care is needed
against thrips and green-fly, and the frames must therefore he
well fumigated from time to time as soon as ever there is the
slightest indication of either ; indeed it is better to fumigate at
regular intervals, on the ground that prevention is better than
cure.

George Tye (Fig. 1) is a large and finely-formed deep laven¬
der-coloured flower, with well rounded pips, and a large lemon-
coloured eye. Charles Turner (Fig. 2) has been most favourably

noticed by most of the horticultural journals, and has obtained
a first-class certificate. In colour it is a French white, with a
bright carmine centre ; the truss is large, and the petals are very
slightly notched. Altogether it is a very fine variety, and likely
to be a general favourite. Queen of Pinks (Fig. 3) is another
fine flower of a bright-pink, shaded with a deeper tint of the
same colour, with a small bright-yellow eye, and the habit of
the plant good ; altogether we feel convinced that these will
add to Mr. Perry’s fame as a raiser of Verbenas. They are in
the hands of Mr. Charles Turner, of the Royal Nursery, Slough,
and will be let out during the present month ; for exhibition we
believe these varieties will be most desirable.

J. Andrews ;del.etli±h..

Plate 241.

ODONTOGLOSSXJM PESCATOBEI,
Yae. SPLENDENS.

We are glad again to embrace the opportunity given to us
by the new cool treatment of Orchids, of figuring one of the
genus which has proved itself most amenable to the method of
culture, and that, one of the most beautiful of its tribe. For
this we are indebted to the kindness of Mr. James Veitch, of
King’s Road, Chelsea.

As might have been expected, a change so great as that pro¬
posed. in the treatment of many of those Orchids which had
heretofore been subjected to a high temperature, was likely to
meet with opponents, and also to be carried to extremes by its
advocates ; but we have seen enough during the past winter to
convince us of its practicability and success, for we had an op¬
portunity of seeing the establishments of perhaps the two
largest Orchid-growers in the neighbourhood of London, amongst
public and private cultivators,- — Mr. Veitch’s, of Chelsea, and
Mr. Rucker’s, of Wandsworth, — and in both we saw abundant
evidence of the successful adaptation of this method of culture.
In the garden of the latter gentleman we saw a spam roofed
house or pit divided into two compartments : in the first com¬
partment the temperature had been maintained at from 45°
to 50°, and here Lycaste, Odontoglossum, Barkeria, etc,, were
flourishing and flowering in great vigour ; in the second house
the temperature had been about 5° higher, and in it many
varieties of Cypripedium, Calanthe, Dendrobium, Leptotis, and
Cattleya were in equally vigorous health. Surely this is a great
point gained ; and we hope the extreme views which many will
be apt to rush into, of subjecting Orchids not suitable to it and
then proclaiming its failure, will not prevail to prevent its

adoption. With a very small amount of heat, especially if Mr.
Bewley’s system of double roofing be used, any one may, at a
small expense, grow a nice collection of this interesting tribe
of plants.

Odontoglossum Pescatorei splendens differs from the normal
condition of the plant in the delicate mauve-coloured spots,
as shown in Mr. Andrews’s very beautiful figure. This marking
seems to be irregular, but, as contrasted with the delicate flesh-
white of the ground, adds greatly to its beauty. As we have
already stated, its cultivation is comparatively easy, although at
present it is very scarce. It received a first-class certificate from
the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society.

242

J. Andrews, del. et lith

"Vincent Brooks.irnp

Plate 242.

CAMELLIA, CONTESSA DI GONDA.

The additions which are each year being made to this most
lovely and interesting tribe of plants, bid fair to put into the
shade many of those older beauties which have hitherto been
grown, and we are glad to find that those to which we have
hitherto given a place in our Magazine are establishing them¬
selves as general favourites.

The most beautiful sight in the way of Camellia-culture that
we have seen for some time was in the garden of Mr. Sigismund
Pucker, West Hill, Wandsworth. A large house wras entirely
devoted to them, and nothing could exceed the healthiness of
the trees and the profuseness of the bloom, while the varieties
grown were all excellent and many of them quite new. Mr.
Pucker is well known for his liberal encouragement of horti¬
culture, and hence nothing of real merit is likely to be found
absent from his collection. Among them we saw splendid
plants of Countess of Orkney, striped ; Fimbriata , white ; Centi-
folia alba , white ; Mathoniana , deep-red, of immense size and
substance. There were also amongst newer varieties, Queen of
Beauties , blush ; Contessa Lavinia Maggi , very distinctly striped
and of large size ; Comte cle Comer , striped and distinct ; Buchesse
de Berri , fine white (these three have been figured in our pages).
There were also P. Aldobrandini , blush ; Madame Sir ek at of
light blush ; Sarah Frost , bright pink, of exquisite form ; Mrs.
Abby Wilder , striped ( Buchesse de Berri is a sport from this).
We also saw at Mr. W. Bull’s, Chelsea, a new shaded Pose,
Prince Camilli , and we are quite sure that any one wishing to
add to their collection may safely add these newer and most
desirable varieties.

Contessa di Gonda , which, like many of our latest novelties,

is of Italian origin, has the ground-colour of a beautiful deli¬
cate salmon-pink, flaked with deeper stripes of the same colour.
We saw it in flower at Mr. Wm. Bull’s establishment for new
and rare plants at Chelsea, and from the novelty of its colour
we think it is likely to prove a desirable acquisition.

*

tt.

243

J-Andre-ws, del- etlith.

Vincent Brooks, Imp

**

Plate 243.

HYACINTH, THORWALDSEN.

Although we have not had the opportunity of visiting the
two great spring exhibitions of the Royal Horticultural and
Royal Botanic Societies this season, we have enjoyed that
which, to the lover of the Hyacinth, is perhaps the greatest
treat to be had in or near London, —the exhibition of Hyacinths
and other spring flowers which Mr. James Cutbush annually
provides for the florists of the metropolis, at his well-known
nurseries at Highgate, and it was there that we selected for
illustration the very beautiful Hyacinth which forms the sub¬
ject of our Plate.

The annually increasing interest in the culture of spring
bulbs, both for the open air and the greenhouse, is manifested
in the immense demand made on the growers in Holland for
the supply of bulbs, oftentimes leading, we fear, to the supply
of immature and enfeebled roots, while the craving for novelty
leads to the bringing forward of many worthless varieties. This
was seen at the Great Horticultural Exhibition at Amsterdam
during the present season, where, we are told by credible wit¬
nesses, “ the prizes awarded for seedlings new to commerce were
given, in the case of double Hyacinths, to a dirty-white variety,
so utterly wretched, that how the judges could possibly have
awarded it we are utterly at a loss to understand ; the second
went to a semidouble red, of good colour, but also a very poor
flower.”* “While of all those shown as new,” the writer adds,
“ we were much disappointed at the Hyacinths shown in these
two classes, as there were none worth introducing into Eng¬
land.” The same writer observes that the Hyacinths exhibited
were by no means so well grown as those seen in London, grown

* ‘ Journal of Horticulture.’

by Messrs. Cutbush and Mr. William Paul, — an observation which
holds good, as far as we have been able to judge, with the greater
number of plants, of whatever class. Nowhere are such fine
specimens of cultivation to be seen as in this garden-loving
country.

Thorwalclsen is one of those very attractive blue flowers which
are always sure to please, although it is very difficult to do jus¬
tice to its delicate colouring. The ground colour is a delicate
slate-blue, and the centre of each petal has a broad stripe of
deep azure. The flower has been frequently exhibited by Mr.
Cutbush, and has been favourably noticed wherever it has been
shown.

244

J._Arulr.e.ws, del - et lith..

Yincent Brodksjmp

Plate 244

CLABKIA INTEGBIPETALA, flore pleno.

It is very interesting to mark the improvement that takes
place from time to time in various classes of plants, where
either careful selection or skilful hybridization has been
adopted. Amongst other dowers, annuals have not been un¬
cared for, and we are perhaps most indebted to the Messrs.
Carter, of Holborn, for the great improvement that has taken
place in them.

Some two or three years ago we figured the double-flowered
ClarJcia pulchella , which wre then described as of a deep-rosy
colour, and having three or four rows of petals, forming a
tolerably well developed double flower. Previous to that they
had introduced ClarJcia integripetala , so called from the petals
not being deeply notched, as in the ordinary varieties then in
growth. It is from a sport from this variety that the flower we
now figure has been raised, and should it come constant in
character there is no doubt, we think, that it will be the finest
of all the tribe of ClarJdas. We know, indeed, that very often
this is not the case with such flowers, and unless great care is
taken in the saving of seed they are apt to become very infe¬
rior, and it is to this want of care that a great deal of failure is
to be attributed. It is always better to save a small quantity
of good seed than a large quantity of inferior, and if those
plants are marked where better flowers are produced, or indeed
the individual flowers themselves marked, a great deal of dis¬
appointment w7ill be saved. It is by such careful selection that
many of our most valuable productions have been obtained, and
it is surely worth w7hile to use the same care where ornament
is concerned.

The description given by the Messrs. Carter of their new

Clarkia integripetala, flore pleno , is as follows: — 46 To the fine
class of entire-petaled Clarkias , of which we were the original
producers, we have this season the gratification of adding this
magnificent double variety, which is by far the finest of its
genus. The bloom is very double, large, of a rich magenta co¬
lour (we should call it a bright rosy-crimson), and produced in
the greatest profusion. We anticipate that this will supersede
entirely every other variety of Clarkia in cultivation, as soon as
its great merits have been observed.”

i

.

245.

J. Andrews, deLet kth

"Vincent Brooks, Imp,

Plate 245.

RHODODENDRON, PRINCESS ALEXANDRA.

This is another of the beautiful greenhouse novelties which
have been brought forward by the Messrs. Veitch, belonging
to the East Indian, and consequently warm greenhouse section,
which, from its delicious fragrance and delicate colour, is likely
to be much valued by lovers of this interesting group of plants.

There is hardly, perhaps, a more varied and beautiful tribe
of plants than the one to which this belongs, from the dull-
coloured hardy varieties to the magnificent Bhootan and Sikkim
species, many of them of surpassing beauty and grandeur. We
had thought, indeed, that nothing could exceed the size and
beauty of R. NuttalUi , a fine plant of which we saw at Mr.
B. S. AYilliams’s, of Holloway, with about one hundred trusses
of bloom opening on it ; but on a visit to the Royal Dublin So-
ciety’s Gardens, at Glasnevin, near Dublin, we there saw some
blooms of another variety, Rhododendron JenJcinsii , in which the
individual flowers were as large as Lilium candidum , and the
purest ivory-white. What a grand sight a large plant of this
would be. The habit of the variety now figured, however, is
not of that large character, as it forms a neat shrub, well co¬
vered with bloom, and therefore within the powers of those
who have not an abundance of room.

Rhododendron Princess Alexandra has been exhibited both
before the Royal Horticultural Society and at the late exhibi¬
tion at Amsterdam, where, however, it failed to obtain that
recognition of its merits which, in the opinion of competent
judges, it richly deserved. It was, so we are informed by Mr.
H. J. Veitch, raised by the late Mr. Veitch, of Exeter, between
R. jasmini flora and a species which had never been sent out.
It is similar in habit to Princess Helena , which we have already

figured. The flowers are of a delicate white, with a beautiful
pinkish tinge, which Mr. Andrews has well preserved, and it is
moreover deliciously sweet-scented. It received, as it greatly
merited, a first-class certificate.

>

246

JAndrews, del. et iith.

Vmcent Brooks, Imp

Plate 246.

ZONALE GERANIUM, VENUS {Halley's).

There can be little doubt that amongst the most popular
flowers of the present day, the Zonale or bedding Geranium
must take a prominent place. The advertising columns of the
different gardening periodicals sufficiently attest the number
of new varieties that are yearly produced, while every garden
in the kingdom shows how largely — nay, universally — they are
cultivated. Amongst those newer varieties, the productions of
Mr. Halley, of Blackheath, take a conspicuous place, and we
have therefore selected one of them, which seems to combine
the requisite properties of good habit and excellence of bloom,
for illustration.

A report on the different varieties on trial at the Royal Hor¬
ticultural Society’s Gardens at Chiswick has been recently
published by the Floral Committee, and, while it is evidently
the result of careful examination, there are, we believe, many
omissions of good varieties, and many which occupy a higher
place than they will be found entitled to. Habit is one of the
most important elements in the goodness of a plant, and this
ought to be especially attended to, for grossness of habit for
bedding purposes completely destroys the effectiveness of the
very best variety in other respects.

The culture of this class of plants in pots has latterly made
considerable progress, and they are well worthy of any care and
attention that may be bestowed on them for this purpose, as
they make, during the later summer and autumn months, most
admirable plants for the decoration of the greenhouse, conser¬
vatory, or drawing-room. The best plan for producing good
specimens is to plant out those varieties which are most ap¬
proved of in a good open airy situation in the garden, and as

they grow to pinch them in, so as to form close compact plants.
A little attention during the summer will effect this, and then
early in autumn let them be taken up (say about the middle of
September) and potted in a mixture of loam, leaf-mould, and
well-rotted dung. Some advise them to be put at once into
the pots they are to bloom in the following year, while others
advise a smaller size ; but in any circumstance they should not
be over-watered, and kept in an open and airy part of the green¬
house. In February they should be cut back, and they will
then soon start into growth and make fine plants, — much finer
than if they had been kept in pots all the time.

Venus (w7hich seems as if it would be admirably suited for
pot purposes) is dwarf and compact in habit, with a broad,
dark horseshoe, the centre of the leaf yellow-green, which be¬
comes more yellow when planted out, while the horseshoe
breaks into blotches of brown and buff. It received a first-class
certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society. Resides this,
Mr. Halley has Bed Biding Hood , Enamel , and Boom Hood. We
have also seen Luna and Little Treasure (Saltmarsh), each
excellent in their way. Mr. Bull lias some fine varieties, and
so has Mr. George Smith, among which wre may specify High-
gate Rival , the Clown , and Glory , so that there is little proba¬
bility of the love of novelty being nngratined this season.

t

*r

f

4

247

J. Andrews , del. et lith

Vincent Brooks, Imp

Plate 247.

HEPATICA ANGULOSA.

When the long dreary winter months are passing away, and
we are anxiously looking out for signs of returning spring,
there are no dowers more readily welcomed than the Hepa-
tica, — none more readily gathered as proofs that the winter is
passing away,— and therefore any addition to them of a really
good character will he at once recognized as a desideratum.
And this is, we believe, the character of Hepatica angulosa ,
lately brought before the Floral Committee of the Royal Hor¬
ticultural Society by Messrs. Backhouse and Son, of York.

There is another reason that makes any addition to our
spring-flowering plants of great importance, and that is, the
greater attention that is now being given to spring gardening.
Since the new bedding-out system has driven out of the held
the old mixed herbaceous borders, it has been felt to be a dis¬
grace to our English gardeners and gardening that for six
months of the year the parterres should be as bare as a ploughed
field, and various plans have been adopted for the purpose of
remedying the defect. By no person has the reproach been
more felt and the remedy been better applied than by Mr.
Fleming, of Cleveden, and his experiences in spring gardening
have been brought before the world, and led to many attempts
at following in his steps. Clumps of this fine Hepatica will be
by-and-by very useful in adding to the effect.

Hepatica angulosa was introduced by Messrs. Backhouse and
Son, of York, and is said by them to be a native of North
America and Hungary, but believed to be scarce in Europe. It
is thus described in the Royal Florticultural Society’s Pro¬
ceedings : — “ The leaves and flowers are about twice the size of
the common Hepatica triloba : the former three inches broad,

three-lobed, the lobes commonly crenated and again obscurely
lobed ; the latter numerous, each upwards of an inch and a
half across, consisting of nine or ten (the numbers seven and
eight being also found) oblong sepals, of a pale blue-lilac co¬
lour, prettily relieved by the central tufts of yellow styles. One
of the finest hardy plants of recent introduction, and of a
sturdy vigorous habit.” It was awarded a first-class certificate.

Cutely
u and a
and
-ac co-
1 One
“4 of a

248

JJxukrews, del • et lith .

Vincent Brooksjmp.

Plate 248.

DOUBLE-FLOWERING MIMULUS.

Some time since, when visiting Mr. Bull’s establishment for
new and rare plants at Chelsea, he pointed out to lissome plants
of what he believed would be considered a great novelty, and
his anticipations have been fully realized, for no plants of the
present season have excited more interest than the very remark¬
able double or hose-in-hose Mimulus, three of which are re¬
presented in our Plate.

As these very showy flowers have been well described in a
contemporary, we cannot do better than transfer the description
here : — “ This is a veritable duplex monkey-flower, a thorough
hose-in-hose, as though the calyx, justifying the name, had taken
to mimicking the corolla. In this remarkable curiosity the
corolla exactly resembles some of the forms commonly known
in gardens as Mimulus maculosus , but instead of the calyx
being of its usual form and green colour, this organ is converted
into a coloured body, almost exactly like the corolla in size and
form, and, like it, brightly coloured and handsomely spotted.
Looking at the Mimulus as a decorative plant, this new feature
is a very great advantage. No one can doubt or dispute the
beauty of some of the fine varieties of Mimulus, but the defect
of a plant, from a garden point of view, is that the flowers
droop too soon, — the beauty is not enduring. Now leaving out
of question altogether the fact that here the ornamental part of
the plant is at once doubled in quantity, there remains the very
important fact that be the corolla ever so fleeting and evanes¬
cent, when it falls, the plant, to all intents and purposes, still
remains in flower : the calyx is virtually in itself a flower, as far
as ornament is concerned, and this part does not fall like the
corolla, but lasts as long as its substance will endure. The

great merit of the new race is that the flowers, as represented
by the outer of the two floral whorls, remain persistent for a
period hitherto unknown amongst Mimuli.”

Some of these varieties obtained when they were exhibited
a first-class certificate, and we believe there are twelve varieties
at least which Mr. Bull intends to distribute.

I

249

J.lndr ews , del.et Mi .

Lucent Breaks ,]mp .

Plate 249.

PRIMULA COETTJSOIDES, var. AMCENA.

By little and little, the treasures gathered in Japan by Mr.
J. G. Veitch and Mr. Fortune are finding their way into publie
favour, and it is astonishing how they have embraced almost
every department of the vegetable kingdom, from the lofty
Pine to the lowly Saxifrage ; and thus we have now7 the plea¬
sure of figuring a very beautiful Primula, which has been exhi¬
bited by Mr. Veitch during the present season, and for which
he has obtained a first-class certificate.

The old Primula cortusoicles is an established favourite
amongst all lovers of herbaceous plants, and these varieties
of it which have been introduced by Mr. Veitch cannot fail
to be attractive. (We hope to see the growth of herbaceous
plants gradually increase, for there are many very beautiful
things amongst them, and if encouragement were given to
them at our Spring showrs, wre are quite sure that it wrould
give a great impetus to their growth.) There are no less than
three of these new varieties, P. cortusoicles grandiflora , of a lilac-
purple colour, very large, and drooping in habit, P. cortusoicles
alhidci , a greyish-wdrite, and P. cortusoicles amoena , rich purplish-
rose or magenta colour, very showy and attractive. All of these
have been exhibited before the Floral Committee of the Royal
Horticultural Society, and have ail obtained first-class certi¬
ficates.

The cultivation of these plants hardly calls for any remark,
as it is very simple and easily managed. The soil should be
light and open, and w7ell drained, and all are the better for
protection, not from frost so much as from the sharp and cut¬
ting winds w7hich we so often have to experience in our climate
in spring. When grown in pots, they form very attractive

objects for early spring, owing to their freedom of flowering;
and any one who saw the beautiful mass of plants exhibited
by Mr. Yeitch could not fail to see how valuable they are
likely to be. Of the three varieties named, Mr. Yeitch has, wre
believe, the largest stock of amoena , and it will therefore proba¬
bly be the one which will first find its way to the collections of
those who value herbaceous plants.

250

J.Aadrews , del.etlith..

"Vincent Brooks , Imp

Plate 250.

ANDROMEDA TETRAGONA.

On a recent visit paid to the Botanic Garden of the Koval
Dublin Society at Glasnevin, amongst many other plants (which,
under the skilful direction of Dr. Moore, the valued curator,
have been grown and flowered there, and to which our atten¬
tion was directed), we saw the very pretty heath-like shrub
which forms the subject of our present Plate, and which, from
its early-flowering habit and duration of blooming, was greatly
esteemed there, it will, we believe, be found very useful to
all who are looking for some improvements in the appearance
of their gardens during early spring ; and considering that
many of our subscribers are interested in this subject, we ob¬
tained permission from Dr. Moore to figure it. It is also in
the very extensive and valuable collection of hardy perennial
plants cultivated for sale by Messrs. Backhouse and Son, of
Y ork.

There are two or three species of Andromeda which might be
cultivated to advantage on rockwork, or any dry, well-drained
spot. Messrs. Backhouse and Son advise them to be grown
in sunny, well-drained fissures, in clean grit, stones, and peat,
the grit that they recommend being coarse sandstone, crushed.
In such places they will flourish well, and will amply reward
the care bestowed on them. Andromeda fastigiata is somewhat
similar to the subject of our present Plate, although obtained
from the Himalayas, while A. tetragona is a North-American
plant, but is more robust in habit, and with somewhat larger
flowers. On the other hand, Andromeda hypnoides , which has
been exhibited by the Messrs. Backhouse this season, is much
smaller than A. tetragona , and quite different in habit. It
“ forms soft, light-green mossy tufts, two to four inches high.

from which arise a profusion of slender, hair-like crimson stalks,
each bearing a snowy-white bell.”

Andromeda tetracjona is a native of North America, having
bright-green quadrangular shoots, six to eighteen inches high ;
it bears numerous white bell-shaped flowers, and it continues
for a long period to send forth fresh bloom-buds down the
stem. We were informed by the foreman at Giasnevin, that
he had found that the only way to propagate it was by layer¬
ing, as cuttings invariably failed A

* The following note is from Dr. Moore : — “ The beautiful Ericaceous
plant you are to figure is a native of the Himalayas, where it grows at a
great elevation on the mountains at Grossain-Than, Kamaon, and also in
Chinese Tartary. It is Andromeda fostigiata, Wallich, and Andromeda cupres-
siformis, of the same author ; Cassiope fastigiata, Don. The only plant known
to have yet been raised in Europe was grown in this garden from seeds sent
hither by the late Major Madden, who collected them at an elevation of
eleven thousand feet above sea-level, near 'Kamaon. The few plants which
have got about were from the one raised here. It is quite hardy in Ireland,
where it grows in ordinary peat-mould without protection, and flowers pro¬
fusely every spring. The blossoms continue from three to four weeks, and
have a very sweet perfume.”

♦

251

Tv

JJVndrews , del et lith. .

Yineent Brooke ; Imp .

Plate 251.

ANEMONE EULGENS.

We have again taken one of the many new spring flowering-
plants which have been brought forward lately by Messrs.
Backhouse and Son, of York, for our illustration, and, although
not remarkable for its rarity, we are inclined to believe it will,
for the brilliancy of its colouring, be a valuable acquisition.

There are already two varieties of Anemone well known to
our gardens, the common garden Anemone, Anemone coronaria ,
distinguished for its brilliant scarlet flowers (and of which many
fine varieties have been recently imported from the mountains
of Greece), and Anemone hortensis. This differs considerably
from, the previous variety, as the flowers are of a delicate
shaded rose, ruby or rosy-purple, the petals more numerous
and narrower than in A. coronaria. The species now figured
has been recently imported by Messrs. Backhouse from the
mountains of Greece, and is thus described in the Report of
the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society: —
“ Anemone ful gens, exhibited by Messrs. Backhouse and Son,
of York. This beautiful Anemone had been imported last
year from the mountains of Greece. It was closely allied to
A. stellata or A. hortensis , which it resembled in foliage ; but
the numerous large flowers, which sprang up in a tuft to the
height of six inches, were of a brilliant crimson, with a centre
of black stamens. . . . This will be a charming ffower for the
spring garden, in which probably it may require a sheltered
situation. It received a first-class certificated

All who know what pretty and brilliant objects the Ane¬
mones are for early spring flowering, will agree in the estimate
thus formed of it ; and as Messrs, Backhouse, who are no
mean judges on such points, say that as a scarlet ffower it is
unrivalled, it will no doubt be largely grown for spring garden¬
ing purposes.

252

J Andrews , del. etTith. .

Vincent Brooks .imp .

Plate 252.

BEEBEBIS STENOPHYLLA.

Flowering shrubs are always objects of interest, and few of
those of late introduction have attained so much favour as
Herberts Darwinii , the profusion of its bright apricot-coloured
blossoms, and its pretty plum-coloured berries, making it at
both the season of flowering and fruiting an interesting object ;
and therefore a hybrid like the present, which combines with
its excellencies other good qualities, is well deserving of the
distinction that it has obtained, wherever exhibited.

Herberts stenophylla was raised at the Handsworth Nursery,
near Sheffield, by Messrs. Fisher, Holmes, and Co., and is a
hybrid between H. Darwtnit and H. empetrtfolta , and evidently
partakes of the character of both parents ; the foliage is very
distinct from H. JDarwtntt , the leaves being about half an inch
long, and rolled backward on the edge, so as to give the appear¬
ance of being cylindrical, and the spines are not nearly so nu¬
merous or so strong as in H. Hccrwtntt. The flowers partake
of a good deal of the character of that species, being of a fine
deep apricot, and produced in clusters of three to five at the
axils of the leaves. The flowers are followed by small round
berries about the size of black currants, of a deep purplish-
black, and covered with a delicate bloom, as in the black
grape. Surely these characters mark it as a very desirable
plant ; but besides this, the flowers are sweet-scented, and the
plant itself is perfectly hardy. Moreover, as it grows in moist
situations and soils, under trees, or in dry hanks, and as its
berries are likely to be as palatable to pheasants as its congener
H. Harwtntt , it will be seen how generally useful as well as or¬
namental it is likely to he.

We fear that the fine Japanese varieties, H. Healtt , H. tnter-

media , and B. Japonica , will hardly suit our climate, for, al¬
though not killed, their foliage is so much defaced by frost and
wind, that they never present an attractive appearance. We
are informed by Messrs. Fisher, Holmes, and Co., that the
plants produced from seed of Berberis stenophylla do not come
true, so that it must be propagated by cuttings in order to
ensure its being true to character.

2b 3

o Andrews, deist lith.

Yincent Brooks Jrnp

Plate 258.

RHODODENDRON THIS ATJDIEN SE.

A Rhododendron ! would be, we doubt not, the involuntary
exclamation of any one on first seeing this remarkable species,
far more resembling, in its flowers at least, a Correa or Thi-
baudia than any of those many varieties of Rhododendron
known to our gardens or greenhouses. It was exhibited at a
meeting of the Floral Committee in May of the present year,
and attracted a good deal of attention from its 44 variety, beauty,
and remarkable form and a first-class certificate was awarded
to Mr. Wm. Bull for it.

A somewhat interesting notice of it appears in the 4 Scottish
Farmer,’ in which the writer questions, whether 4k it be really a
new species, but a specimen of the rare Rhododendron Keysii at
a less advanced stage of flowering than that from which Sir
Wm. Hooker took the drawing of 11. Heysii figured in the 4 Bo¬
tanical Magazine,’ t. 4875 ; at the same time we admit that this
is not altogether clear, and that Mr. Bull has better grounds
for holding his specimen to be a distinct species than the
makers of many species which have never been challenged.”
The writer then proceeds to notice the peculiarities of each of
the tw7o varieties, and especially remarks on one remarkable
distinction, viz. that R. Keysii has the trusses of flowers on the
old wood, while those of R. Thibaudiense are terminal. We
believe that the opinion of English botanists is in favour of
their being distinct.

44 We do not know,” the writer adds, 44 any Rhododendron
which more directly and, as it were, by its mere outward ap¬
pearance, vindicates the title of the genus to be classed
among the Heaths. It is no uncommon thing to hear non-
bp tanical horticulturists wonder what Rhododendrons have

in common with Heaths, except liking a peaty soil. If we
could show them this plant in dower, no other answer would
be needed. No great heat is required in its cultivation ; it
was in a cool greenhouse covered with a Vine that the plant
which Sir Wm. Hooker described was grown. Mr. Bull’s treat¬
ment of his plant was also what is called cool treatment— pro¬
tection from frost or cold, but very moderate heat.”

Rhododendron Thihaudiense is a native of Bhootan, from
whence so many forms of the genus have been introduced.

*

Plate 254

AQUILEGIA C.ERULEA.

“ In a genus noteworthy for including in its limits some of
our most popular hardy perennials the Aqiiilegia ccerulea stands
conspicuous, if not pre-eminent, for its striking and highly orna¬
mental features. Though perhaps rivalled in point of beauty
by the well-known Siberian species, A. glandulosa , it possesses
a great advantage over that plant (which, as every gardener
knows, is a shy bloomer) in the facility with which it yields its
flowers under the simplest conditions.

“ Its most salient feature, as our Plate will show, is the long-
spurred petal so characteristic of the genus, and which in this
species attains its maximum development and attenuation. In
most specimens the tube of the spur is fully two inches long,
and a graceful outward curvature adds considerably to the effect
produced by this extreme length. It is scarcely less remarkable
for the reversed position of the flowers at the time of their
expansion. As our readers are aware, in most, if not all the
other species of this genus, the fully expanded flower is pen¬
dent until fertilization is effected and the blossom begins to
wither, when it assumes an erect position. In the A. ccerulea ,
on the other hand, the bud only is drooping, but as the period
of expansion approaches the flower gradually becomes nearly
erect, thus presenting its mouth to the observer and exhibiting
more fully the contrast of colour between the white limb of
the spur and the violet-blue of the sepals.

“This leads to the remark that in a few instances the caerulean
tint is replaced by a blush colour, and the plant is known to
exist in a wild state with deep-yellow flowers. The singularly
inappropriate specific name needs therefore hardly be pointed
out, and it is the more inapplicable that in so many other species

the blue or violet colour more or less obtains. As the name of
ccerulea has, however, the right of priority, we have thought it
inadvisable to substitute Sir W. J. Hooker’s far more judicious
designation of macranflia , abandoned, as it appears to be, by
botanists.

“The Aquilegia ccerulea is a native of elevated regions of the
Eocky Mountains, in about lat. 40°, having been originally
discovered by Hr. James, subsequently by other explorers. By
the collector Burke it was found just twenty years since near
Medicine Eiver, growing in rich loamy soil in great abundance,
and was described by him as being in his opinion 4 not only the
Queen of Columbines, but the most beautiful of all herbaceous
plants.’

44 Though this eulogium may now appear somewhat exagge¬
rated, the award of two first-class certificates at the exhibitions
of the past spring will doubtless be received as evidence that it
was in a great degree merited. The plants in question had
been raised by the writer from seeds collected in 1862, by Dr.
Parry, in the district where the species was first discovered by
Dr. James.”— W. T.

We have only to add that Mr. Thomson, of Ipswich, to whom
we are indebted for the above, remarks that the plant attains,
in good loamy soil, a height of twelve to eighteen inches, yield¬
ing its flowers in April and May, and, like the other species, it
is readily increased by seed, or division of the roots, when these
have become sufficiently strong.

Though introduced at the date just mentioned to the Boyal
Gardens, Kew, it does not appear to have come into general
cultivation.

J. Andrews , del.et lith. .

Uncent Brooks, imp .

Plate 255.

CLEEODEKDEON THOMSONS,
Yaes BALPOUEII.

The appearance of this plant in our pages indicates a change
in the character of our Magazine, which we hope will make it
still more interesting to our numerous friends. We have
hitherto confined ourselves to those plants which were cultivated
in the open air or greenhouse, hut we have felt for some time
that as the efforts of the hybridizers were no longer confined
to these, but had extended to the denizens of the stove and
orchid-house, and that owing to the more wide-spread taste for
horticulture a larger number of persons cultivate these flowers
than formerly, we should meet their wishes and give a greater
variety to our Magazine, by figuring from time to time such
plants as were valuable for their decorative effect, and not mere
botanical curiosities. In so doing we shall endeavour to avoid
clashing with any other periodicals of a similar character.

Clerodendron Thornsonice has been exhibited during the pre¬
sent season in some of the collections of stove and greenhouse
plants which have appeared at our great metropolitan exhibi¬
tions, but nowhere have we seen it so effective as in a small pit,
at the establishment of M. Ambroise Verschaffelt, at Ghent, in
Belgium, where it was trained along the rafter (in the same
manner as we have seen the beautiful Lcipageria rosea at Messrs.
Henderson’s), and the charming clusters of. white and crimson
flowers profusely borne on it made it a very lovely object,
showing also that it is of easy cultivation and free habit.

“ Clerodendron Thornsonice , var. Balfourii , now figured, is
exactly like the normal form, excepting that its flowers are
large, and being stronger the crimson and white are fuller and
clearer. It was raised from seed by Mr. M4Nab, of the Edin-

burgh Botanic Gardens, who also raised C. Thomsonias So
writes Mr. Jackson, of Kingston, by whom the plant was ex¬
hibited during the present season, when it obtained a first-class
certificate.

Mr. Jackson has kindly given us the following notes on its
cultivation The cultivation of Clerodendron T. Balfourii is
very simple. Pot in free rich mould. During the summer
give strong heat, a liberal supply of water, and as much light
as possible : keep the plant well spurred. In August ripen off
the growth that has been made by withholding water and giving
more air. During winter, if the wood is well ripened, it may
be kept in a temperature of fifty degrees, and break stronger
than if kept in greater heat.”

256

J .Andrews , del . et litk .

Imcent Brooks ,lmp .

Plate 256.

PRIMULA INTERMEDIA.

We last month figured one of the Japanese varieties of Pri¬
mula cortusoides , which have been recently introduced by Mr.
Veitch ; we now give the figure of a more humble but equally
pretty member of the same family, which is shortly to be sent
out by Mr. Wm. Bull, of Chelsea, and for which he has re¬
ceived a first-class certificate.

All the members of this family, from their early-flowering
habit, are favourites with all lovers of flowers, — the pretty
wild Primrose is hailed as the harbinger of that season to
which all look with pleasure, while few florists’ flowers have
been cultivated with greater zeal or are more highly prized
than the Auricula. Those persons whose stoves, orchid-houses,
and conservatories can be kept gay from one year’s end to the
other, can little appreciate the pleasure with which a culti¬
vator of these flowers looks forward to their opening blooms
through the long and dreary winter ; they have had to watch
over perhaps a few frames and pots without a flowTer to gladden
them, but when spring returns and the Pansy, or the Auricula,
or the early-flowering herbaceous plant begins to show its
blooms, there is a zest added to their enjoyment which in vain
the wealthier horticulturist looks for; hence plants like the
one now figured will be valued by many whose means do not
admit of their looking to a stove or greenhouse for their en¬
joyment.

Primula intermedia was raised by Mr. Fullar, of the Exotic
Nursery, Headingley, and has from him passed into the hands
of Mr. Wm. Bull, who has distributed so many good plants.
It will be seen to have a good deal of resemblance to a small-
flowered Auricula, both in the truss, which is, however, com-

posed of a very large number of pips, which are of a beautiful
mauve colour ; the foliage is a bright-green, leaves serrate, and
the edges slightly tinged with white, as in Richard Headly and
some other of the Auriculas. We have no doubt' that it will
prove a1 very general favourite.

\

1