822 



HOKTi culture: 



June 20, 190S 



PARIS SPRING SHOW 



I'AKIIAL N'll.W IN Tin; I U:>T J.AROE GkKKNUOI'sK 



Of all months in the year, May is 

 decidedly one of the most enjoyable 

 for a short visit to the French capital. 

 The trees on the boulevards are clothed 

 with their new foliage, the open spaces 

 and gardens are planted with flowers, 

 the air is cool and fresh. We left Lon- 

 don on a balmy day in May, to arrive 

 in Paris, where the weather was. with 

 the exception of one wet afternoon, all 

 that could be desired, to vie* the great 

 annual spring show organized under 

 the auspices of the National Horticul- 

 tural Society of Prance, which was 

 opened on the 22nd of the month, and 

 lasted till the 29th. a contrast to our 

 own famous Temple Show, which is 

 uever open to the public for more than 

 three days. 



The two large greenhouses on the 

 Cours de Reine. which formed part of 

 the International Exposition of 1900. 

 are still standing, and form an ad- 

 mirable site, although we regret to 

 record that after the next Chrysanth"- 

 mum Show in November, they will be 

 demolished. We can only hope that 

 some new building equally advantage- 

 ous for these splendid flower shows 

 will be erected to replace the existing 

 spacious glass structures, and that the 

 society will thus be able to continue its 

 useful work in the practical illustra- 

 tion of all that is choicest and best in 

 French hortioilture. 



Bearing in mind the immense throngs 

 of visitors that crowd into the place 

 alter luncheon and there remain dur- 

 ing the whole of the afternoon and 

 evening, we decide in the interest of 

 our American readers to make an early 

 morning visit. Entering by the gate- 

 way near the .Alexander bridge we pro- 

 ceed along the promenade which forms 

 so great a feature. Let us at once say 

 that onr French friends are ever in- 

 ventive, fresh and artistic in their ar- 

 rangement here as elsewhere through- 

 out the show. No two shows are ever 

 arranged alike. Here and there are 

 groups of shrubs, beds of hardy plants 

 in full flower, trained ^ruit trees, and 

 innumerable eyhibits of garden tools, 

 l)ottery, greenhouses, statuary and hor- 

 tirulturai accessories. 



V.'e enter the doors of the first large 

 greenhouse and a dazzling blaze of bril- 

 liant coloring meets the gaze. The ac- 

 companying illustration is a partial 

 view and show? in the foreground zonal 

 pelargoniums, in the middle of tlie 

 square Begonia G-loire de Lorraine and 

 around it the single and double flower- 

 ing begonias and gloxinias, a little 

 further to the rear and towards the 

 middle a fine group of hydrangeas. 

 These and the large exhibit of Gloire de 

 Lorraine together with an orchid ex- 

 hibit were all staged by M. Robert Le- 

 ba\idy, to whom was awarded the grand 

 1)1 ix d'honneur offered by the President 

 of the French Republic. 



Before we deal with the roses, which 

 are staged in great ntimbers, just be- 

 fore we reach the portion of the exhibi- 

 tion shown in our illustration we ad- 

 mire a choice little lot of clematis from 

 a well-known specialist, Mr. George 

 Boucher. Marcel Moser, Daniel Derou- 

 da. Fairy Queen, La France, William 

 Kennett. Nelly Moser are some of the 

 most effective. Turning now to the 

 queen of flowers, there arc many lots, 

 but we can only deal briefly with a few 

 of them. A fine lot is that of Messrs. 

 Leveque et fils. many of them grown as- 

 standards. We noted among others 

 some grand blooms of Frau Karl 

 Druschki add .Mildred Grant. Among 

 the polyantha exhibits, of which there 

 was also a considerable number, Mme. 

 Nobert I^evavasseur, Mrs. Cutbush and 

 Maman Levasseur were excellent. 



M. Geo. Boucher also .staged roses ia 

 large numbers, standards in great va- 

 riety, and among other exhibits men- 

 tion should be made of M. Ad. Roth- 

 berg, who hnd a continuous display of 

 standards the whole length of one side 

 of the first large greenhouse. M. Aug. 

 Nonin was also a prominent exhibitor, 

 some good examples of Dorothy Per- 

 kins, Plush Rambler, Stella, Hiawatha, 

 Wedding Bells, and Robert I^evavas- 

 seur. .^mong other important exhibi- 

 tors we must not forget ^I. Defresne, 

 who also staged a good exhibit. 



We now come to a most brilliant dis- 

 play of zonal pelargoniums, fn France- 



