Juno 4, 1B68. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



405 



loctiou of hardy, horlmcooufl, and nlpino plants exhibited hy Mr. 

 VVai'o, of Hale Fiirin NurstTiiH, Tottcuhain. Amongst theso I noted 

 tha following as likely to prove useful for binlding ]>ur[H)so9 — I.>iplotrtxis 

 tcnuifolia vurii'Rftta. havin;^ a protty, white, vaiiopatod Chrysautho- 

 mara-liliti Itiaf, doo])ly jaj^^'cd, a bud of this edited with blue Lobelia or 

 scarlet Verbena would have a line effect, or a bed planted alternately 

 with thi3 and the beautiful new Colons MarshalUi would produce one 

 of the f^nuulest etToets ever seen in any boddin;^' arranj'ement. Another 

 pretty varie^'uted plant in this collfrtion, anii likely to prove useful on 

 acconnt of its neat habit, is /I'^i^opodinm poda^'raria variopata. Mes^'r3. 

 E. G. Henderson exhibited some pretty plants suitable for bedding 

 purposes. Foremost anion;;st these is Ceutaurea rafjusina compacta, 

 certainly the linest of all the frostud-silver plants for bedding' pur- 

 poses. This if used as an ed^int^ to a bed of Coleus Marshallii 

 would produce a tino ctVeet. I can conceive nothing more boautifnl 

 then a larfjo bed planted as follows, the bed to be surrounded with 

 grass : — Supposiui^ the bed to bo 1*2 feet ac.ro33, I would plant tho 

 centre with Colour Marshallii. This should occupy "> feet. Nest to 

 it I would plant a ring 2 feet G inches wide of Centaurea rac^^sina 

 compacta; next to this a rinj; of Lobelia speciosa, 2 feet 6 inches 

 wide, tinishinp; with a '2-feet edgiuG; of the pretty golden Pyrethrum 

 Golden Feather, or Little Golden Christine Pelargonium — either would 

 do — next the grass. The latter would, however, have tho finer effect 

 as it produces immense numbers of pretty pink flowers borne well 

 above its neat yellow foliage. These would harmonise beautifully 

 ■with the bric;ht blue Lobelia, the green grass surrounding, and tho 

 neat yellow foliage. Or, in lieu of this, the Leantiful golden Colens 

 Telfordi anrea might be nscd with good effect. This will undoubtedly 

 prove one of tho tinest yellow-foliaged bedding plants in cultivation. 

 Visitors to Battersea Pari: during the snnimer will have an oppor- 

 tunity of judging for themselves of the effer't produced by the two 

 beautiful Coleuses— Telfordi aurea and Marshallii. I feel sure a bed 

 planted according to the arrangement I have suggested above would 

 have an extremely fine effect. 



The mention of the two Colenses above reminds ma that most of tho 

 varieties lately sold by the lioyal Horticultural Society were exhibited 

 ou this occasion. Mr. W. Bull also exhibited his collection of varie- 

 ties raised by himself. From the kinds exhibited a good selection 

 may be made, and this is the order in which they stand in my estima- 

 tion. For cultivating in pots for conservatory decoration— 1, Coleua 

 Marshallii; *2, C. Bausci ; 3, C. Berkeleyi ; 4, C. Telfordi aurea; 

 5, Gem; G, Elegant. For bedding purposes — 1, C. Marshallii; 

 2, C. Telfordi aurea, and 3, C. Berkeleyi. It is generally admitted 

 that C. Marshallii is tho best of the whole series for all purposes. If 

 I make a wrong assertion in thus placing Marshallii I am open to 

 correction, and willing to cancel the opinion I have formed of its 

 merits. Having made this selection of the varieties exhibited up to 

 the present time, I thiulc all the others may be easily dispensed with. 

 The above six have all received first-class certificates, and several of 

 them have been awarded this distinction by three societies. 



A very handsome plant was exhibited in Mr. Bull's collection nuder 

 the name of Coprosma Baueriana variegata. I have great hope of 

 thia making a first-class bedding plant; it has beautiful glossy green 

 leaves, which are edged with a deep band of creamy white, they are of 

 gi'eat substance, and the plant has an erect or sturdy style of growth ; 

 I have booked this as tirst-rate. It would have a fine effect if planted 

 with the dark-foliaged Coleus. Mr. Bull also exhibited some pretty 

 Petunias, suitable for bedding purposes. 



Mr. W. Paul exhibited several good bedding plants, amongst these 

 a Gold and Silver Tricolor leaved Pelargonium, named Prince Silver- 

 wings, with a Stella habit and style of growth. This is a very pretty 

 and useful plant. His Cottington, Scarlet, or Double Tom Thumb, 

 I think will prove most useful for bedding purposes. It is a most 

 profuse- flowering variety, and the flowers appear to remain ou tho 

 plant a long time in perfection ; they are semi-double. A basketful 

 of a very pretty neat bedding hybrid Pelargonium, in the way of 

 Shnihlaud Pet, also came from ]NIi'. W. Paul ; this was named Little 

 Gem. 



In the collection of Messrs. J. Veitch &: Sons there were gems in 

 tlie way of stove plants, including some of the Colenses named above, 

 the carious and beautiful Begonia bolivieusis, some new Alocasias, 

 and carious double-flowared Gloxinias. Messrs Carter & Co. exhibited 

 some fine Tricolor-leaved Pelargoniums. Their Prince of Wales 

 promises to be a very great acquisition, also Mrs. Duunett. The 

 same firm likewise exhibited some fine Echeverias; one named metal- 

 lica, is remarkably fine, having large thick leaves of a metallic colour. 

 This will also prove a very handsome plant for bedding jjurposes. 

 Echeveria sanguinea, also exhibited by the Messrs. Carter, is a fine 

 bedding plant. 



Messrs. Dobson & Son, of Isleworth, exhibited a fine lot of their 

 splendid Pelargonium Mac;net. This I think will prove a splendid 

 market plant. Every plant was as even as if it had been turned out 

 of a mould. Space will not permit me to refer to the carious hybrid 

 Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums exhibited by Mr. Wimsett ; these must form 

 the subject of another paper. — J. Wills, F.R.H.S. 



vancement of Science, will be on a very liberal scale. A3 an 

 example, for twelve stova aud greonliouae plants the lirst prize 

 is £10 ; the second, £7 10«. ; and the third, £5, 



ROYAL HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SUMMER 

 snow. — JuNi: 2ni) to r»TH. 

 TnE glories of Chiswick were revived on Tuesday last in the 

 magnificent Show of the Royal Horticultural Society at South 

 Kensington, which, for the splendour of tho plants, the un- 

 usually propitious weather, and tho brilliancy of the company, 

 has not been surpassed. Rival exhibitions have for many 

 years bid high for popular favour, and for a time shared tho 

 honours of horticulture with the old Society; but the tide is 

 again on tho turn, and the prestige which by precedence and 

 prescription belong to the Society, but which was lost for a 

 time, has again returned, and horticulturists find in its regene- 

 rate state all the attractions of a first love. Notwithstanding 

 the diversion of the groat Show at Manchester, to which many 

 of the plants of our great metropolitan exhibitors were attracted, 

 there was such a profusion in the conservatory and covered 

 arcades of South Kensington, that space could hardly be found 

 to accommodate them, a refuge for some having been found in 

 the open arcades. What struck thoughtful observers on Tues- 

 day was the sad want the Society has to contend with in not 

 having a suitable place wherein to hold the exhibitions. Grand 

 as the Show of Tuesday was, its finest features and tho capa- 

 bilities of the material of which it was composed to form a 

 splendid effect, were entirely lost through being confined to 

 those dark one-sided arcades. The conservatory was all that 

 could be desired, and all was done that could be done with it 

 under present arrangements ; but if that Exhibition had beert 

 held in a place suitable for the purpose, it would have made a 

 display such as has not been seen since the great Internationa! 

 Show of 18GG. Contrast the rigid formality of this with 

 Messrs. Waterer & Godfrey's glorious exhibition of Rhododen- 

 drons in the great tent, and it will be seen on what side the 

 advantage lies. The Council has, with Mr. Gibson's assistance, 

 made a most successful alteration in the arrangement of the 

 ground in this tent, and if they could be persuaded to erect some- 

 where in the garden a permanent structure adapted to the 

 present improved style of plant exhibitions, not only would 

 they secure the support of all the leading exhibitors, to whom 

 dark arcades and similar inconvenient places are peculiarly 

 discouraging, but they would find that all the circumstances 

 attending the exhibitions would tend to make them far more 

 attractive and profitable. There is a dead dullness about the 

 lower end of the garden, where all sorts of ineffective attempts 

 at "bedding" have been carried on, which might be much more 

 usefully employed were some such structure erected there, 

 and if connected with the eastern and western arcades, would 

 form a dry and well-sheltered promenade all round the garden. 

 Without depreciating the efforts of other societies and public 

 bodies who have established rival exhibitions, it is not to be 

 forgotten that though the power of numbers has not always 

 of late years been with the Society, it has continued to pre- 

 serve so much of its influence and prestige as have enabled it 

 through great difficulties to maintain tho first position, and 

 always to be regarded as the nucleus round which all purely 

 horticultural matters instinctively centre. All that is now 

 wanting is a proper place in which the Society can exhibit the 

 power of its influence. 



Norwich Hotiticultuhal and Florai. Fete. — This, which 

 will be held at Norwich from the 19th to the 22nd of August, 

 during the visit there of the British Association for the Ad- 



This, the best display which the Society h.as yet held at Kensington 

 commenced ou Tuesday last, and wiircontiiiiie till Friday even- 

 ing. Its extent will be judged from the facts that prizes were offered 

 in the schedule in nearly seventy classes, that nearly all of these were 



