jANTAin (1, 1«IS. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



265 



Araucaria Excelsa Glauca dressed with red Ribbon. 

 CHRISTMAS PLANTS IN THE NEW YORK STORES. 



H. illiistris rubricaulis, a variety whose 

 beauty and color richness can never be 

 adequate!}- described in words, these with 

 ferns, grasses and lycopods combine to 

 give the finish to a picture truly tropical 

 in its luxuriance and naturalness, and sur- 

 passing; nature in one respect, for nowhere 

 in nature's richest fields could so many 

 species and varieties be found in such 

 graceful association upon so limited an 

 area. I have often visited gardens 

 spread over broad acres and found them 

 quite devoid of interest, but here, right in 

 the heart of Trenton, on a town lot, is a 

 collection of plants that one needs to 

 spend days examining before realizing to 

 the full the vast store of beauty. 



A Visit to Chestnut Hill. 



I gathered these notes in the space of 

 two hours and tilled out the day with a 

 visit to E. Lonsdale'sand J. Burton's, two 

 establishments of whose products I had 

 often read, nor is that a matter for won- 

 der when one has seen the places in 

 question; for example, those American 



Beauties in solid beds, you need to see 

 them before you can appreciate the 

 "fishing rod" story told in connection 

 therewith. Even the "Rose City' itself 

 can show no "Beauties" like these from 

 beds of the second and third year. 

 Meteors and Carnots, too, were just al)Out 

 as fine as it is possible to have them. 

 Our near-by growers of Farleyense, too, 

 will have to defend their well won laurels 

 for Mr. Lonsdale has a grand batch and 

 w'as shipping therefrom to the 

 New York market. A front bench of 

 crotons led to an exchange of views as to 

 their adaptability for outside use in sum- 

 mer, the chief point elicited being one 

 must not expect much growth to be made 

 outside, therefcre, at the start plant 

 close'v, then when the leaves take on 

 their best color a grand bed will result. 

 I noted here Rothschildianum, very large 

 leaf, veined in bright crimson on a darker 

 ground; Andreanuni, reddish yellow veins 

 on a lighter ground; Fasciatus, Queen 

 Yictoria, a good old variety, and Day- 

 spring, this last most distinct, the central 



portion of the leaf being red, broadly 

 margined with dark green. The "cyps" 

 seen were most!}' insigne forms, as the 

 public at present only wants the "green 

 orchid," but Mr. Lonsdale is striving 

 after something else, at least I assume 

 that much from seeing a lot of seedlings 

 of Charlesworthi crossed with numerous 

 other fine kinds. 



The " shades of night were falling fast" 

 before I had seen all that was to be seen 

 over the way at Burton's, but in addition 

 to the usual line of roses, I noted some 

 good houses of hybrids coming on with 

 one house of Brunners from which cut- 

 ting had commenced. A front bench of 

 C. insigne here should be mentioned. 

 One could see nothing but a solid sheet of 

 flowers. 



At Chestnut Hill the oVjject of my visit 

 was an inspection of the stock in W. 

 Warner Harper's Andorra Nurseries, and 

 the planter will be hard to please if he 

 does not find something here to meet his 

 needs in deciduous or evergreen trees and 

 shrubs. To review the stock in detail is 

 not mv intention here, but of things one 

 is sometimes looking for in these latter 

 days and cannot always readily get; I 

 would mention the oak-leaved Hj-dran- 

 gea quercifolia, a handsome shrub not 

 enough planted, Berberis Thunljergi, 

 Spireea Anthonv Waterer, and the new 

 sweet briers, all plentiful, while the 

 rhododendron stock is a feature of the 

 place and one that is going to grow. 



.As is well known, there aie hardy 

 rhododendrons that can withstand the 

 rigors of winter in this latitude, and the 

 same varieties have perished too often 

 because they have been imported plants 

 grafted on the tender ponticum stock 

 which, be it understood, is a South Euro- 

 pean plant and ill-fitted to endure the 

 climatic vicissitudes of North America. 

 Mr. Harper has a very large stock of 

 own root rhododendrons of present 

 planting size, although one of our con- 

 temporaries says " if one wants to buy a 

 few hundred plants there is not an estab- 

 lishment in all America that can furnish 

 them," and I saw abundant evidence of 

 future development, in the right direction, 

 for thousands of shoots had been layered. 

 From layers or from seed it should be, 

 and in fact is, just as easy to rai.se own 

 root rhododendrons here asoverthe water, 

 and once they are well under waj- they 

 will grow to salable size with greater 

 rapidity by a gain of one year in three. It 

 onl V awaits to be done and until it is done 

 the rhododendron business will still be 

 transacted in comfortable city offices and 

 the plants dispatched from shipping 

 wharves with the ever attendant uncer- 

 tainty as to their becoming acclimated in 

 the gardens of their too often unfortunate 

 purchaser. 



From the Andorra nurseries I came 

 back to Philadelphia 



Along the 'Wissahickon Drive 



and what a precious heritage this drive 

 should be considered by Philadelphians, 

 preserving to futurity one of nature's real 

 beautv spots, too many of which have van- 

 ished, sacrificed to the supposed needs of 

 commercial enterprises. Along this drive 

 in truth "Nature unadorned is adorned 

 the most" and man's efforts at park mak- 



