THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



athyrium flexile, the narrow-fronded 

 and sparse-habited fern, which is 

 better known as Polypodium alpestre, 

 and ought not to be exhibited under 

 any other name. Polystichum an- 

 gulare proliferum Footii, a fine sub- 

 ject for the hardy fernery ; Adiantum 

 capillus veneris, a fine specimen ; 

 Lastrea montaua Norvelliana, Blech- 

 num spicant heterophylla, Woodsia 

 ilvensis, Asplenium trichomanes incisa, 

 Asplenum marinum ramosum. Mr. 

 Holland's twelve consisted of Asple- 

 nium trichomanes, Blechnum spicant 

 imbricatum, Scolopendrium vulgare 

 ramosum, Lastrea f. m., cristata an- 

 gustata, a modified form of one of 

 the most useful of tasselled ferns, 

 and having very much the aspect of 

 Athyrium f. f. Frizella;, Asplenium 

 trichomanes Harrovi, Asplenium adi- 

 antum nigrum, Lastrea thelyptens, 

 Polystichum proliferum Woollas- 

 toni, Scolopendrium vulgare crispum. 

 Pelargoniums were in good condition 

 for the seasou : Mr. Eraser first in 

 show varieties with Pericles, Lord 

 Clyde, Boyal Albert, Bacchus, Bessie, 

 Marabout, Desdemona, Festus, Per- 

 dita, Laudseer, Prince of Prussia, 

 Begina formosa. Mr. Bailey first in 



the class for amateurs with Mdlle. 

 Patti, Etna, Pericles, Guillauine 

 Severyns, Desdemona, Beacon, Boy- 

 alty, Conflagration, Hegina formosa. 

 Scarlet Floribunda. There was a 

 class for six pelargoniums of 1862 aud 

 1863, in which Mr. Fraser took first 

 place with Oriana, Eoyalty, Maiden 

 Fair, Colossus, Feu de Joie, Favourite. 

 Mr. Fraser was again first in the class 

 for six fancies, with Hebe, Brides- 

 maid, Boi des Fantaises, Miss in her 

 Teens, Madame S. Dolby, and Cloth 

 of Silver. Geraniums : The so-called 

 zonale pelargoniums were attractive, 

 but far less so than might have been 

 the case ; they only need encourage- 

 ment, and a show in July might be 

 made as gay with them as a show in 

 May is with azaleas. Mr. Catlin sent 

 the best six : they were Bubens, 

 Eugenie Mezard (syn. Madame Bu- 

 dersdorf), Monsieur Martin, this was 

 grand ; bcarlet Globe, Tom Thumb. 

 Second, Mr. Pettit, with Kuben3, 

 James Campbell, Evening Star, Tin- 

 toret, Brilliant, Princess of Prus- 

 sia. Third, Mr. Hawes, with Prin- 

 cess of Prussia, Henri de Blecourt (?), 

 Aurora, Monsieur Martin, Tom 

 Thumb, Una. 



BLUE HYDRANGEAS. 



The April number of the Floeal 

 Woeld — the first I have seen — hav- 

 ing just fallen in my way, allov me, 

 when expressing my pleasure in read- 

 sing so charming a little work on 

 gardening, to say a few words with 

 respect to " Blue Hydrangeas." I 

 see that a correspondent of the 

 Floeal Woeld has noticed them, 

 and regret to find the Editor deems 

 them "hydrangeas spoiled." I 

 have seen magnificent plants — I 

 scarcely think 1 should be wrong 

 were 1 to write trees, for they grow 

 to such a size in the open air in this 

 country — bearing flowers of a beauti- 

 ful tint — a blue nearly approaching 

 in shade the colour known to ladies 

 as "the Empress blue," and full as 

 large in circumference as a big cauli- 

 flower head. I lived in Wales at tlie 

 time, at a place called Bryumar, in 

 Carmarthenshire, and our flower- 



garden was made upon a piece of 

 ground that had formerly been a 

 cinder-tip. We always attributed 

 the blue colour of the hydrangeas 

 growing on tbat particular bant to 

 the quantity of iron in the soil ; and, 

 consequently, if your correspondent's 

 suggestion has anything to do with 

 giving the plants water impregnated 

 with this mineral, I have little doubt 

 but what he will succeed. I had no 

 idea that our hydrangeis were either 

 rare in colour or size, until on my 

 first visit to town, when a grown-up 

 young Ldy, I was shown what seemed 

 to me a miserable specimen of a blue 

 hydrangea, at the Botanical Gardens. 

 Helen Watney. 



[The Editor is greatly obliged for the reproof 

 convejed in the above. The lact is, no doubt, 

 that all the Luue onus the uditor has seen Hare 

 been "' hydrangeas spoiled," and he will now be 

 on the look-out for blue ones worcn seeing and 

 worth proving.] 



