88 TUli FLOKIbT. 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S MEETING, 

 REGENT STREET, Feb. 19. 



A GAY assemblage of flowering plants was brought together on tliis 

 occasion ; and among them a noble specimen of Dendrobium specio- 

 sum claims especial notice. It had upwards of thirty-four spikes of 

 flowers on it, all in admirable perfection, each spike measuring more 

 than a foot in length. Flowered in this way, this is one of the finest 

 of Dendrobes, and it richly merited the large silver medal which was 

 awarded it. It was shewn by Mr. Duncan, gardener to the Rev, 

 C. F. Chawner of Bletchingley. A large table was covered with 

 Orchids and Cinerarias from Worton Cottage. Among the former 

 were Cyrtochilum maculatum, four finely flowered species of Onci- 

 dium, Coelogyne flaccida, a beautiful little Orchid, and a nice plant of 

 the curious and interesting C. cristata was the admiration of every 

 body. A Knightian medal was awarded for these, and a certificate 

 of merit for the Cinerarias, which consisted of well-flowered plants 

 of Cerito, Nymph, Maid of Artois, Bessy, Gem, and Adela Villers. 

 Mr. Turner exhibited a prettily -blossomed plant of his purple- 

 flowered Primula altaica, a hardy species, but also very suitable for 

 enlivening our comparatively flowerless greenhouses in early spring. 



Messrs. Veitch sent a little imported sweet-scented Dendrobe, 

 with creamy flowers and a buff" lip ; and Mr. Kenrick a young plant 

 of the beautiful Calanthe vestita. An Azalea called Howardii came 

 from Mr. Frost; and Mr. Henderson of the Wellington Road had 

 Mirbelia floribunda, a violet-purple species of much promise, two 

 Bigonias, and a new Pemelia with white flowers, something after 

 the way of Spectabilis. Mr. Ingram produced a hardy blue-flowered 

 Californian Ceanothus, called dentatus ; but it was not sufliciently 

 in bloom to enable us to speak of its merits with confidence. If 

 we may judge from the few flowers that were out, however, it pro- 

 mises to be rather ornamental. Various plants were furnished by 

 the Society's garden, and among them was a little dehcate purple 

 Portuguese annual, named Cochlearia acaulis. If sown on an Ame- 

 rican border in autumn, this will flower all winter ; and lifted in 

 patches, and placed in a saucer of water, it is very ornamental in 

 our sitting-rooms for a long time in early spring. Some speci- 

 mens ' of garden-labels were exhibited by Mr. Kestell of Dropmore, 

 which we may take occasion to notice hereafter. In the meantime 

 we may state, that they appeared to be an improvement on what has 

 hitherto been produced at these meetings. 



