496 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



f Jane 24, I87C. 



convey an adequate and correct idea of a species as it demon- 

 strates by a characteristic habit of growth how eminently 

 suited are these plants for various positions and purposes of 

 decoration. 



A soil composed oE turfy loam, peat, and silver sand, a 

 Buffioiency of moisture at the root and in the atmosphere, with 

 moderate shade and a miuimnm temperature of 15', are the 

 requisites of the temperate species; those from tropical lati- 

 tudes requiring' a minimum winter temperature of C<0\ with a 

 corresponding iQci'oase in both cases daring the summer months. 

 The whole of the species are of easy culture. — W. 



lEIS GERMANICA. 



O.N page 237 I read an interesting article on this old and 

 beautiful garden flower. Until then I was not aware what a 

 rich variety there is in cultivation. German Irises have been 

 exceedingly fine this year. I have seen them flowering pro- 

 fusely under trees in poor soil, and immense clumps in shrub- 

 bery borders. I have seen their bright heads adding cheerful- 

 ness to churchyards, and for the past month they have been 

 the brightest of all flowers in cottagers' gardens. They seem, 

 in fact, to flourish anywhere, in town or in country, in rich 

 soil or poor, in suu or in shade. For cut flowers nothing can 

 be more suitable, and this brings me to what I have to say. 



Being in Loudon recently I saw a splendid collection of 

 thirty varieties in the Central Avenue of Coveut Garden 

 Market. Surely every tint and colour to ba found in flowers 

 were blended in that box of blooms— blues, pinks, crimsons in 

 every shade, with yellow and white in purity and clearness. 

 The reticulations of these flowers were most chaste, and the 

 delicacy of the pencilling on many of them was exquisite. Of 

 course I shall have some of them, as I find they are offered at 

 a reasonable price. Bat why are not these flowers advertised ? 

 I never see thorn offered anywhere, and my neighbours, of 

 whom I have inquired, were as ignorant about them as myself. 

 There is much ado made of flowers of less beauty. When 

 oQoe the distinct and splendid varieties of this fine old garden 

 flower are known they cannot fail to be inquired after and 

 cultivated in many gardens whore they have now no place. 



While I can enjoy beautiful examples of bedded-out flower 

 gardens as well as anyone, I am still glad to see that increased 

 attention is being given to our hardy flowers, and amongst 

 them few are finer than these Irises, and few are less under- 

 stood than are their diversified beauties and advantages. — A 

 Countryman. 



PORTR.\ITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, .ixD FRUITS. 



KNirnoFiA Macowani. Xat. ord , Liliaceir. Linn., Hex- 

 audria Moaogynia. Native of South Africa. Flowers scarlet, 

 tipped with yellow. — " We have several dried specimens of this 

 pretty little K'liphofia, collected by its discoverer, whose name 

 it b3ars, in grassy plac33 of the Boschberg mountains in 

 Somarsat district, whore it inhabits elevations of 4000 to 

 5000 feet. It was described from these by Mr. Baker, and 

 flowered shortly afterwards in the Royal Gardens from roots 

 Bent by Professor Macowan. It is best treated as a greenhouse 

 pUut, though probably as hardy as the other species of the 

 genus."— (Bo(. Ma;/., t. 0167.) 



Crocus Crewei. Nat. ord., Iridaceic. Linn., Triandria 

 Monogynia. Native of Greek Archipelago. Flowers creamy, 

 striped with purple and yellow.— " It is remarkable that so 

 distinct an undescribed plant should inhabit Syra, the best 

 known of all the Greek islands, and one which has long been 

 the coaling station for the Mediterranean steamers, whence the 

 tralHc diverges in one direction to Smyrna, and in the other 

 to Constantinople and the Black Sea. This fact shows how 

 much remains still to be done towards the investigation of the 

 bulbous plants of the Levant, and especially in respect of 

 such genera as Crocus, whose flowers are very fugacious. 



" CrocusCrewei is a discovery of the gentleman, H.G. Elwes 

 Esq., F.L.S., to whom horticulture is indebted for the intro- 

 duction of many new Oriental bulbs. He collected seeds and 

 corms of it on hills about 1000 feet high, growing with C. Boryi, 

 and flowering very early, and transmitted corms to the Rev. 

 II. Harper Crewe, who flowered them at the Rectory, Drayton 

 Beauohamp, in March of the present year. At Mr. Elwes'a 

 desire I have named it after our common friend, Mr. Crewe, 

 whose collection of Crooi is the richest in Europe." — (Ibid,, 

 t. 0168.) 



Dbac.esa Smithu. Nat. ord., Liliacena. Linn., Hexandria 

 Monogynia. Native of tropical Africa. Flowers yellow, — 



" The precise origin of the handsome Dracfena here figured is 

 unknown ; it has been in cultivation for many years both at 

 Kew and Sion House, and it appears to be so closely allied to 

 D. fragrans that I cannot doubt its being an African species, 

 and one probably introduced by Whitfield from the West 

 Coast a quarter of a century ago. As it is, all trace of its 

 history is lost in both establishments. 



" Mr. Baker, who I follow in keeping it distinct from 

 D. fragrans, has proposed that the name of the late and pre- 

 sent able Curators of the Royal Gardens (both named John 

 Smith, and unrelated) should be attached to this plant, which 

 is the more applicable, inasmuch as the present Curator had 

 charge of the gardens of his Grace the Duke of Xorthumber- 

 at Sion House, where, as well as at Kew, D. Smithii has been 

 long in cultivation. It flowers in winter or early spring in 

 both establishments."— (Z^i'i;., /. OICO.) 



B.ALEISIA VERTiciLL.iTA. Nat. ord., GerauiacetE. Linn., 

 Mouadelphia Decaudria. Native of Chili and Peru. Flowers 

 yellow; anthers and pistil red. — "This beautiful half-hardy 

 shrub was introduced into the Horticultural Gardens in 1825 ; 

 but like BO many other plants requiring occasional protection 

 to insure its continuance in the open air, it soon was lost from 

 out of doors, and coming from a dry cool climate it damped 

 off when transferred to a pit. Such plants, indeed, can be 

 secured only through a constant repetition by cuttings, and 

 by more care than is usually bestowed on plants with un- 

 familiar names. When properly grown it is exceedingly hand- 

 some, flowering in August and September, and resembles a 

 gigantic Hypericum more than an (Enothera, with which latter 

 it has more usually been compared. The Chilian name is 

 Flor do San JosO, and it has a wide range, both in Chili and 

 Peru, growing on dry hills and ascending to 10,000 feet. 



" Balbisia vertioillata has been introduced for the second time 

 by Messrs. Veitch."— (ItiJ., /. 0170) 



Ma3dev.\llia Estrad.e. Nat. ord., Orchidacea;. Linn,, 

 Gynandria Monandria. Flowers purple and yellow. — " Though 

 neither so rich in colour nor grotesque in form as the species 

 of Masdevallia lately figured in this work, the present species 

 promises to be a favourite with cultivators from its dense habit 

 of growth, abundant flowering, and the delicate tints of the 

 flowers. It is a native of New Grenada, and was, according 

 to Dr. Reichenbach's statement in the Gardeners' Chronicle, 

 first observed in the garden of a New Grenada lady. Dona 

 Estrada, a skilful grower of Orchids. It was subsequently 

 found by Mr. Patin, collector for Mr. Williams of the Victoria 

 and Paradise Nurseries, through whom it was thus first intro. 

 duced into this country." — (Ibid., t. 6171.) 



ViEURNUSi S.iNDANKWA. Nat. ord., Caprifoliaoea:. Linn., 

 Pentandria Digynia. Flowers white and pinkish. — " A hardy 

 evergreen shrub, cultivated in Japan, whence we have cul- 

 tivated Bpecimons gathered by Maximovicz at Nagaski, and 

 native ones from the Loochoo Islands, gathered by C. Wright 

 during the American North Pacific Exploring Expedition in 

 1853-0, and subsequently in the same island by Dr. Weyrich, 

 communicated from the St. Petersburg Botanic Gardens. 



" It has been long cultivated at the Scilly Islands, where the 

 late proprietor, Aug. Smith, Esq., M.P., formed at Tresco 

 Abbey a magnificent collection of half-hardy herbs, shrubs, 

 and trees, principally procured (and this amongst them) from 

 the Royal Gardens, Kew, and from Messrs. Veitch of the then 

 Exeter Nurseries. This collection is now sedulously cared for 

 by his heir, J. Dorrien Smith, Esq., who sent to Kew to be 

 named flowering specimens of V. Sandankwa in March last. 

 It is not a little remarkable that a shrub, native of the Loo- 

 choo Islands, which are but little north of the tropics and 

 within the zone of the typhoons of the Chinese seas, should 

 flourish in 52" N. >: 1 1 in the cool Atlantic Ocean. At Kew it 

 has proved hard; 1 anted against a wall in a very sheltered 

 place, but has never flowered." — (Ibid., t. 6172.) 



Death or Mr. Rollisson.— We regret to have to announce 

 the death of Mr. William Rollisson, the head of the old and 

 well-known Tooting Nursery firm, on Friday last, the 18th 

 inst., in the seventy-third year of his age. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



The Vinery.— This house will now need considerable atten- 

 tion, for if the Grapes are forward and commencing to colour 

 they may with advantage have more air admitted to them ; the 

 atmosphere should also be kept rather dry than otherwise, 

 though in the early stages of colouring it will be safe to advise 



