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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