252 THE FLORIST. 



THE AMERICAN PLANTS AT THE REGENT'S PARK. 



Those who have never seen the exhibition of American plants in the 

 Botanic Gardens can little imagine the immense banks of flowers 

 produced from masses of Rhododendrons interspersed with a few Azaleas 

 planted fur effect in borders and groups. The effect is most striking 

 and complete, and although it is accomplished at a large expense, and is 

 attended with a great amount of labour, it must tend to promote a 

 demand for these highly decorative plants, as the Bagshot Nurseries, 

 where they are chiefly grown, are not easily accessible to London visitors, 

 who have here the opportunity of seeing them in full perfection. We 

 believe almost, if not quite all, the plants, and many of them are large 

 specimens, are brought from the nurseries only a few weeks before they 

 flower, for the Rhododendron is a plant that, to use a nursery phrase, 

 carries a good ball of earth, and can therefore be moved almost at any 

 period of the year. Unfortunately an opinion prevails with some that 

 this plant will not flourish unless planted in peat, but a more erroneous 

 impression could scarcely exist. A soil composed of a good proportion 

 of decayed vegetable matter certainly suits it well, and it is frequently 

 seen flourishing freely in a loamy soil, and in many cases in ordinary 

 garden soil. It is quite certain that no great difficulty exists in the 

 adaptability of the plants to most soils and situations, and we therefore 

 hope to see many of the beautiful varieties in the above exhibition 

 introduced more freely into our gardens. 



Under the influence of this impression we visited the exhibition just 

 as the plants were in full flower, and from the extensive collections of 

 Mr. John Waterer, Messrs. Standish and Noble, and JMr, G, Baker, all 

 of Bagshot, we selected a few of the most striking varieties, which we 

 can recommend : — 



Album elegans, delicate pale blush, fine truss, and one of the most useful 



varieties. 

 Blatteum, shaded purple with very dark spots, most distinct, and a very free 



bloomer. 

 Blandyanum, a superb variety, deep rosy crimson, slightly spotted, good form 



and truss, one of the finest in the exhibition. 

 Bicolor, pale lilac pink, shaded at the edge Avith a deeper colour. 

 Bouquet de Flore, bright rose, beautifully marked. 

 Compeer, a catawbiense variety with more of roseum colour, fine truss, and 



very free blooming. 

 Catawbiense bicolor, more delicate in colour than catawbiense. 

 Cyaneum, a very desirable variety for border decoration, producing freely 



immense trusses of deep purple flowers, and is particularly attractive. 

 Delicatissimum (Waterer's), pale blush, tinged with a deeper colour and 



marked with large green spots, large truss, and an abundant bloomer. 

 Duke of Norfolk, delicate pale rose, smooth, good form, and small truss ; very 



distinct 

 Elegans, a bright rose coloured variety. 

 Everestianum, rosy lilac spotted with green. 

 Erectum, in the way of Blandyanum, crimson, with dark spots. 

 Enchantress, delicate blush, with a deeper tinge round the margin, and spotted 



with yellow. 

 Fastuosum, a semi-double pale lilac free blooming variety. 



