Gardening for Amateurs 



805 



yellow varieties Sanderae is by far the best ; 

 it is primrose-yellow, excepting the top part 

 of the dorsal sepal, which is white. C. 

 spicerianum has a white dorsal sepal with 

 green base, and pale green petals marked 

 with purple, while the lip is brownish-purple. 



C. villosum is yellowish, with brown dorsal 

 sepal marked with purple and a narrow 

 margin of white. Hybrids, however, are so 

 numerous and beautiful that they have almost 

 superseded the species. C. leeanum (insigne 

 X spicerianum), C. Actaeus (insigne Sanderae 

 X leeanum), C. Calypso (spicerianum X 

 villosum), C. Euryades (spicerianum x 

 villosum), and C. Thalia (insigne Chantini X 

 Baron Schroeder) are all good, but it is 

 advisable for an amateur to select his plants 

 when in flower. All Cypripediums must be 

 kept moist at the root throughout the year, 

 and be repotted in spring in the same mixture 

 as recommended for Cymbidium. During hot 

 weather a gentle spraying overhead not only 

 encourages luxuriant growth, but helps to 

 keep down insect pests. 



Dendrobium. Dendrobium is divided 

 into several groups. The autumn-flowering 



D. Phalaenopsis, with deep rose and magenta 

 flowers, and the white D. formosum gigaiiteum 

 require warm house treatment all the year 

 round. There are also D. nobile, a variable 

 plant, usually white tipped with rose-purple, 

 and deep crimson blotch on the lip ; D. 

 wardianum, white tipped with amethyst- 

 purple, the yellow lip having two reddish 

 spots at the base ; and D. crassinode, white 

 tipped with purple, the lip having a distinct 

 orange blotch. These all need a warm, 

 moist atmosphere and plenty of water while 

 in active growth, but must be kept drier 

 and cooler after the pseudo-bulbs are fully 

 matured, until flower buds appear about 

 January or February from the various nodes 

 on the bulbs. Many of the hybrids, such as 

 Ainsworthii (nobile x aureum), should also 

 be included. 



If a summer-flowering kind is wanted, the 

 white D. Dearei should be chosen, and be 

 placed in the warm house, but never sub- 

 jected to the drying-off process. D. nobile 

 and its varieties require little shade during 

 their period of growth (excepting during the 

 middle of the day when the weather is very 

 hot), and may be repotted in a mixture of 



peat, osmunda fibre and sphagnum moss 

 soon after the flowers are removed. Pans 

 without side holes, or ordinary flower-pots, 

 can be selected, the former if it is intended 

 to suspend the plants, and the latter where 

 stage room is plentiful. Keep the plants 

 near the light. 



Disa. A small group of terrestrial 

 Orchids, which must be arranged at the 

 coldest end of the cool house, immediately 



Cypripedium Venus. 



under a ventilator. This may always be 

 left open an inch or so, except during frosty 

 weather and rough winds. They need to 

 be repotted in August, and not in March 

 as some growers advocate, using the same 

 compost as suggested for Cymbidium. Keep 

 the roots moist all the year round, and when 

 fumigating remove them to another structure 

 until the fumes have escaped. If insect 

 pests appear, dip the plants in a weak 

 solution of XL ALL liquid insecticide. The 

 finest sorts are the scarlet D. grandiflora, 



