January ]], 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



British Horticulture 



RETROSPECTIVE 



The year just closed was not altogether favorable to 

 ■gardening operations, the weather at the early part of 

 the summer being particularly trying. Despite these 

 drawbacks, there are many satisfactory incidents to re- 

 cord, which indicate that the various departments of hor- 

 ticulture are making a steady progress. The Eoyal Hor- 

 ticultural Society continues to meet encouraging success. 

 The Society's various shows met with enthusiastic sup- 

 port both from the exhibitors and the public. A nota- 

 ble achievement has been the opening of new laborator- 

 ies at the Society's extensive gardens at Wisley. This 

 extension is likely to materially add to the Society's 

 usefulness. The National Eose Society as is befitting 

 an organization associated with the National flower, is 

 making good headway. During the past year 577 new 

 members have joined, whilst the membership has been 

 doubled in a period of five years. The Society serves a 

 useful purpose not only in organizing popular shows, 

 but in the dissemination of valuable information 

 amongst rosarians. The National Sweet Pea Society is 

 also in the sunshine of prosperity. A new society has late- 

 ly come into existence to cater for the sweet pea enthusiast 

 in the Midland countries. The Winter Flowering Carna- 

 tion Society judging from the success attending the last 

 show, has come to stay. The British Gardeners' Asso- 

 ciation, formed to raise the status of the working gar- 

 dener, is adding to its membership roll. The first num- 

 ber of its quarterly "Journal" has been brought out. 

 Another useful move has been the federation of the 

 horticultural Mutual Improvement Societies, under the 

 auspices of the Eoyal Horticultural Society. 



A BRITISHER ABROAD 



Mr. W. Harrison, a member of the firm of Messrs. 

 Harrison, Cragg and Harrison, market nurserymen, of 

 Heston, Middlesex, has returned from a tour in the 

 United States. He has lately recounted his experi- 

 •ences and incidents of his travels. Amongst his con- 

 clusions he states : "I think it is fair to say I have come 

 back with a profound respect for the American's push 

 and ability to get through, as well as his readiness to 

 avail himself of the many labor-saving devices his in- 

 telligence and better education enable him to utilize." 

 Mr. Harrison was considerably impressed by the fruit 

 growing in Colorado, and the excellent system of co- 

 operation adopted amongst the growers. He winds up 

 by stating "I cannot conclude without acknowledging 

 the heartiness and cordiality of my welcome from both 

 eastern and western growers alike. I went out there ex- 

 pecting to be a stranger in a strange land ; I left the 

 country amazed and touched by the friendliness I ex- 

 perienced from every one. Instead of being a stranger 

 I was treated as an honored guest, and I look forward 

 with great eagerness to the time when I shall once 

 again renew the many warm friendships I made during 

 my visit to the other side." It is well that there should 

 be these interchanges of visits. These not only widen 

 one's experience, but remove the prejudices sometimes 

 formed by an uninformed isolation. I am quite sure 

 that should any American grower pay a return visit 

 they would find a cordial welcome awaiting them on 

 this side. 



Royal Gardens^ Kew 



Being no halls to attend I turn my attention to the 

 above, which if it be not should be the pride of every 

 Britisher, for it is acknowledged to be the best and most 

 complete esUtblishment of its kind in Europe. It is 

 not the time of year to see the various arboretums. or 

 even to visit the beautiful rock garden, so will make my 

 way at once to the show house, familiarly known as No. 

 4 to see what is there displayed. Its pojjularity is 

 mainly through its being the gathering place of all 

 subjects when they are flowering— or at least at their 

 best from a decorative • point of view, and therefore, 

 there is no botanical exclusiveness in the denizens of the 

 house, which in the summer often has alpine plants 

 from the snow line of the Alps cheek by jowl with East 

 Indian orchids and hardy but forced shrubs forming a 

 backgi-oimd to forced bulbs in pots. It is here that the 

 market florist often gets a useful hint of the practical 

 value of a little known plant, and as the aim of Kew 

 is to be as near as possible up to date here may be seen 

 the novelties from Europe, and the cream of those from 

 America, not to mention fresh introductions from our 

 colonies either in the tropics, the southern archipelago, 

 or simply from Australia, New Zealand, or Polynesia 

 generally. Entering by the Cumberland gate, one 

 could but note how green and fresh were the ferns un- 

 der the shade of the trees. Polystichums I should call 

 them but as usual that is not the Kew name — so in 

 future I must call them Aspidium. Wisely, the Hy- 

 pericum calycinum is freely used under trees as it soon 

 carpets the ground and drip does not injure it. To add 

 a little brightness some fine clumps of Helleborus niger 

 were just opening their flowers — justifying its title of 

 Xmas rose. A near way to No. i was "through the 

 houses devoted to cool orchids. The first thing that 

 strikes one on entering No. 4 is a batch of plants of 

 Peristrophe speciosa from the Himalaya. Crassula lac- 

 tea was freely used along the edges "of the stage. In 

 the centre bed were specimens of late chrysanthemums. 

 A pretty light-flowering sweet-scented thing is Eupa- 

 torium Weiumannianum. Senecio Petasitis was dis- 

 playing some massive heads of its bright star-like flow- 

 ers. Commanding notice here was an elegant fountain- 

 like plant of Buddleia Asiatica, diffusing its delicious 

 odor around; even if it fails to prove hardy, it will at 

 any rate be a great gain in plants suitable for winter- 

 garden decoration. The side benches had some very 

 good Primula sinensis. Sutton's giant strain. Beading 

 Blue is a true blue, and Giant White is a superb fringed 

 flower of great substance. Acacia platyptera was the 

 only one in good flower, longifolia coming along, while 

 one pinnate leaved kind, with a very light and elegant 

 habit of growth was labelled Baileyana. l)ut was not yet 

 flowering. Luculia gratissima was past, but a pretty 

 batch of Plumbago rosea demonstrated that this variety 

 is well adapted for pot culture and most useful at this 

 season. 



Plants of Moschosma riparium were dotted along the 

 margin of the centre bed and were bearing many of 

 their pretty flower spikes. Begonia Lorraine, narcissi, 

 cyclamens, nicotiana. Primula Kewensis and such like 

 well-known plants, made a very pretty display. A very 

 fine winter flowering, scarlet zonal Pelargonium is Paul 

 Crampel. . ^ 



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