1870.] GARDEN RECORDS. 561 



other colours, but alse red, cerise, and chocolate blotches on a pure white ground, 

 as well defined as those on a show Pelargonium. A very beautiful variety that 

 flowered last June has been named R. Baronness Isabelle Taintegnies, and has flow- 

 ers with the blotch so apparent that it can be detected with the naked eye some 

 distance away. Another interesting cross has been made by taking R. Blandy- 

 anum and impregnating it with R. Thompsoni, one of the Sikkim kinds ; the 

 flowers of this are all pendulous. Yet, singular to state, some of the hybrids 

 so obtained are larger in size than R. Blandyanum ; — for instance, the Ascot 

 Brilliant, which has flowers of the most intense shining blood colour. He has 

 also flowered some very fine reds raised from R. Blandyanum crossed with 

 Minnie, and R. Johnsonii crossed with the same, five years ago. Mr Standish 

 has also crossed R. Aucklandii with some of the late white -flowering kinds, and 

 has plants at the present time from 12 to 15 inches in height, and he hopes 

 to flower some of them in a couple of years from this time. In the matter of 

 foliage they are as near as possible between the two. Mr Standish has also 

 tried to cross some of the smaller flowering kinds with R. Aucklandii, but to no 

 purpose ; and he assigns this reason for his failure, — that the pollen was too 

 large for the tubes of the pistils of the smaller ones. It is mentioned by Mr 

 Standish as a curious fact, that in the spring, when there are any of the early- 

 blooming kinds in flower, and there happens to be frost, the nearer the plants 

 stand in affinity to R. arborea, the more tender are the flowers ; while, on the 

 other hand, the nearer the affinity to R. Caucasicum, the better do the plants 

 withstand frost. 



But we have lingered too long in the open grounds, for there are remarkable 

 features within the houses. 



The production of cut flowers for the aristocratic neighbourhoods of Belgravia, 

 South Kensington, and elsewhere, is a prime part of the Ascot business. Mr 

 Standish has a shop at Knightsbridge, and commands a wonderful sale for fruits, 

 cut flowers, &c. There are on this nursery three houses of considerable size for 

 the growth of forced Roses, which are in considerable demand. To one red 

 Rose, twenty-five yellow ones are planted. Why, 3000 yellow Roses per week 

 are sent to London, during April and May, in the height of the London season ! 

 Mignonette is largely grown, both planted out in cold frames and in pits ; so are 

 intermediate Stocks and Tree Carnations. The biggest house for Roses is a 

 large span-roofed building. Here was planted out on the 25th of May 1868 a 

 Marechal Niel Rose, now 70 feet in length by 8 and 9 feet in width ; this was 

 on its own roots, and produces immense quantities of flowers. In one house we 

 saw a new Ceanothus, named Gloire de Versailles, with very pale blue flowers ; 

 a strong plant will produce a panicle of blossoms a foot across. Mr Standish 

 has a large stock of Daphne elegantissima, a variegated form of D. Indica, 

 which was awarded a first-class certificate of merit by the Royal Horticultural 

 Society a few weeks ago ; it is a capital variegated plant. That fine double-red 

 Azalea, Francois de Vos, was also being largely propagated. 



In one of the early vineries was a pot of Gladiolus cruenteus, from Central 

 Africa, with orange-scarlet flowers blotched with white. This is a fine and 

 showy pot plant, that remains in bloom for ten weeks together. In a stove- 

 house, and in cooler houses, were Italian Tuberoses in various stages of growth. 

 They are potted in February, and kept cool and dry by means of top air in a 

 bottom heat of 90° ; then they are removed into a house in order to push them 

 on into bloom. These are very useful for cut flowers ; and among other plants 

 cultivated for the same purpose was a species of Oldenlandia, with pretty white 

 sprays — a capital thing for wedding bouquets — that flowers all the year : Bouvar- 



2 P 



