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THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



of seedlings ; the best of these was 

 Paul Prv, a large, smooth, finely- 

 formed flower. One of the best 

 seedling* in the show was a A r erbena 

 from Messrs. Perkins and Son, of 

 Coventrv ; it is called Sbakspeare. 

 It is of large size; broad petals, 

 smooth, circular, and flat ; the truss 

 large and compact ; colour crimson- 

 scarlet, with lemon eye. It is quite 

 distinct from all the fine scarlet 

 varieties of late years, such as Lord 

 Leigh, etc., etc. Another equally 

 meritorious subject was a new Pe- 

 tunia from Mr. Clarke, of Streatham, 

 and I am particular in calling atten- 

 tion to it, because I do not name a 

 third part of the new Petunias that I 

 see, for the simple reason that they 

 are generally rubbish. This fine 

 seedling is called Illuminator. It is 

 a single flower, finely formed, the 

 colour rosy-purple, with a broad 

 white strips up the centre of every 

 petal, so that when the flower is 

 fairly expanded it preseute a distinct 

 white star of five rays. This is dis- 

 tinct from all other Petunias of the 

 class, even if we go back so far as 

 Madame Ferguson, and I think will 

 beat them all. No small share of the 

 interest attaching to the novelties at 

 this show was the collection of 

 Lilium auratum from Mr. Turner. 

 There were twenty plants, all carry- 

 ing superb flowers, and each differing 

 in character from all the rest. We 

 may say, therefore, that this was an 

 exhibition of twenty varieties of 

 auratum, and a glorious exhibition it 

 was. In some the segments of the 

 perianth are long and narrow, in others 

 very broad ; and there can be no ques- 

 tion that as a florist would judge them 

 is the proper way to judge them, and 

 then the broad petals win the day. 

 In respect of breadth of petal (I use 

 the term for convenience merely), 

 there was one plant conspicuous and 

 without an equal ; this had fine 

 golden stripes, and appeared to be 

 typical in its colouring. Beside it 

 stood another broad-petalled variety 

 with red stripe, and these two were 

 no doubt the best in the group, though 

 all were so beautiful that it was almost 

 a sin to make comparisons. Mr. 

 Holland, gardener to E. W. Peake, 



Esq., Isleworth, sent a plant of Cy- 

 clamen Peakinum, as fresh and full of 

 bloom as in early spring. This per- 

 petual blooming Cyclamen is perhaps 

 the most interesting variety of 

 European known. Mr. B. S. Wil- 

 liams, Mr. Veitch, and Mr. Bull con- 

 tributed new plants in great plenty ; 

 the only subject amongst them that 

 I noted as of special importance was 

 a variegated variety of Juniperus Vir- 

 ginia, with snow-white shoots inter- 

 mixed with green shoots. If such a 

 thing can be grown to some size out 

 of doors, it will be worth any money ; 

 for a specimen lawn tree there could 

 be nothing so beautiful. It is called 

 elegantissima. Messrs. Ivery, of 

 Dorking, sent a collection of new 

 varieties of British ferns, some beau- 

 tiful, some ugly, and some neither the 

 one nor the other. Athyrium f. f. 

 incompletum has the fronds but 

 slightly differing from the type, but 

 they are depauperated all through ; it 

 is of no value. Polystichum angulare 

 decurrens might as well be sent back 

 to its native hedgerow, or wherever 

 else it came from ; it has no merit. 

 Scolopendrium vulgare flabellatum is 

 a fine crested form, badly named. 

 This all collectors should have if they 

 can afford it. Athyrium f. f. multi- 

 furcatum has the points finely forked ; 

 it is appropriately named, and very 

 beautiful. A. f. f. Fieldi decomposi- 

 tum is finely tasselled, and the pinna? 

 show a tendency to return to the 

 type, which indeed Fieldii does in all 

 its conditions, so that in a few years 

 it will probably be run out. Poly- 

 stichum angulare rotundatum has 

 very round pinnules ; it is distinct 

 and pretty. 



New Geraniums. — There were 

 many very interesting zonales amongst 

 the novelties, and I made notes of all 

 the best. From Mr. Wilson, gar- 

 dener to Sir B,. Howard, Fulham: 

 Fulham Bival, one of the Mrs. Mil- 

 ford school, but not so good ; leaf 

 sulphur-yellow, with cinnamon zone. 

 Lady Howard, a rather nice varie- 

 gate, the leaf with stellate green 

 disk, creamy margin, and pale rosy 

 zone. From Mr. Bull : Sterling, neat 

 Stella-like leafage, and finely -formed 

 bright scarlet flowers. Ranunculi- 



