672 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[December 8, 1888. 



actually a climbing Eose, its growth is so vigorous, 

 and its flowers or buds so charming that it is impos- 

 sible to pass it by. Who has not admired the deep 

 orange buds (for as an expanded flower it is worth 

 little), and how many fair dames have rejoiced in it 

 as forming such " loves of blooms " for a breast or 

 shoulder bouquet ? Sometimes it loses its colour on 

 a wall in hot weather, and is perhaps more suitable 

 for a pillar. 



Amongst Tea Eoses, as distinguished from 

 Noisettes, it is somewhat remarkable that there 

 has not been a greater starting off into climbing 

 varieties than there has. As far as I am aware there 

 is but one of those in commerce which has developed 

 this rampant habit. You may have strong growers, 

 such as Marie van Houtte, Catherine Mermet, and 

 others which will soon cover a space on a wall or 

 fence, but they are not climbers. 



Climbing Devoniensis is the only one as yet in 

 commerce, and is one of the most remarkable 

 instances of divergence from the type that can be 

 seen. Devoniensis itself is a moderate grower, but 

 here is a Eose which has no one knows how (although 

 we do know where) is, in Mr. Pavitt's garden in 

 Bath, developed into the most rampant climber, 

 sending out shoots 15 to 20 feet long in a season, 

 and retaining the beautiful flower of its type, 



I have said that there is only one in commerce, 

 but I hope that shortly we shall have another : — 



Climbing Niphetos. — This was exhibited by Messrs. 

 Keynes, Williams & Co., at one of the Eoyal Horti- 

 cultural Society's meetings, and was awarded a First- 

 class Certificate, and deservedly so. It retains the 

 character of the type as far as bloom is concerned, 

 and we know that there is no such popular Eose, 

 even surpassing Marshal Niel, as it comes in so 

 usefully for wreaths for either weddings or funerals, 

 and I am informed that shoots from plants worked 

 in May have attained the length of 15 feet. How 

 beautiful it will be climbing up the rafters of a Tea- 

 house ! 



Passing on to hybrid perpetuals, of these there are 

 a few which are distinct Eoses, and others which are 

 only rampant sports of previous varieties, thus 

 amongst the former we have : — 



Princess Louise Victoria, raised by Mr. Knight of 

 Battle, who, like Mr. Ward, the raiser of John Hopper, 

 must rest his reputation as a raiser on one Eose. It 

 was sent out a good many years ago, and is a very 

 strong grower, of a light pink or rosy-flesh colour, 

 and of good form ; it does not attain'exhibition size, 

 but if allowed to grow it will furnish a large number 

 of particularly fresh and light blooms, which I saw 

 excellently employed in one of the prettiest baskets 

 of Eoses I ever saw exhibited at Eltham by Miss 

 Bloxam last July — baskets of Eoses are generally 

 " lumpy," but this was light and graceful. 



Longworth Eambler has been in some catalogues 

 put down amongst the hybrid Teas, but that really 

 means hybrid perpetuals, and is a very free-flowering 

 deep crimson Eose ; the foliage is very ample and 

 completely covers the wall — its growth is rapid and 

 it blooms freely in the autum. Another is : — 



Seine Marie Henrietta, a deep carmine, but a flower 

 that soon fades off into dull magenta ; it has a long 

 pointed bud, and is very pretty before it opens 

 fully. 



Of the new series of Hungarian Eoses I know 

 nothing ; they are said to be hardy, but they all have 

 the character of lilac-purple attached to them, and 

 we know what that means. Amongst the sports which 

 have arisen in the hybrid perpetuals — sports in 

 growth, not in bloom — may be mentioned climbing 

 Charles Lefebvre, climbing Captain Christy, climbing 

 Pride of Waltham, climbing Jules Margottin, climbing 

 Bessie Johnston, climbing Edouard Morren, climbing 

 Countess of Oxford, and climbing Mdlle. Eugene 

 Verdier ; as I have said, the blooms of these partake 

 of the character of the types. 



It will thus be seen that there is a great variety of 

 climbing Eoses to choose from. I have not men- 

 tioned the summer-flowering, such as the Ayrshire 

 and Prairie Eoses, or the species of single-flowering 

 Eoses, many of which are very beautiful , but rather 

 fleeting in their character, Wild Eose, 



PHILLYREA DECORA.* 



The genus Phillyrea belongs to the Olive family, 

 and is a near ally of Osmanthus. It contains four 

 species, all of which are in cultivation. The three 

 Mediterranean plants, viz., P. latifolia, P. angusti- 

 folia, and P. media, although distinct enough in their 

 typical states, are united by so many intermediates, 

 that Caruel and Timbal have merged them under 

 one species, with the respective names of P. vulgaris, 

 Caruel, and P. variabilis, Timbal. By far the best 

 plant of the whole lot — and a considerable number of 

 forms have received distinctive names — is the one 

 figured (fig 96). It is a strikingly handsome shrub, 

 of whose claims to specific rank there can De no 

 doubt. It is also much the hardiest, having stood 

 many years at Kew without ever being in the slightest 

 degree injured by frost, though more than once 

 within the last fifteen years the other three have been 

 badly cut during severe winters. Another point in 

 favour of P. decora is the fact that it is an excellent 

 town shrub, its rigid glossy leaves seeming quite at 

 home in the smoky dust-laden atmosphere of London. 



From its general aspect the subject of the present 

 notes might be mistaken by a casual observer for a 

 fine form of the Portugal Laurel, the dark green 

 leaves varying from 2& to 4£ inches in length by a 

 width of 1 or l.J inch. The pure white flowers, 

 fully double the size of those of P. latifolia, are borne 

 in May in clusters in the axils of the leaves, and the 

 reddish-purple fruits ripen in September. According 

 to its discoverer it attains a height of 10 feet. The 

 figure in the Botanical Mogazine was prepared from 

 specimens which flowered in 1883 in the nursery of 

 Mr. Anthony Waterer, at Knap Hill, and the fruit- 

 ing twig here represented was taken a month ago 

 from a plant in the Kew Arboretum. 



Emits, no doubt collected in 1866 by Balansa — the 

 discoverer of the species — in the native habitat of 

 plant, viz., Lazistan (the Pontus of the ancients) on 

 the south-east shore of the Black Sea, were offered at 

 15 francs per hundred in the Supplement to the Cata- 

 logue of Messrs. Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co. for 1867. 

 The description there given is a good one, and ante- 

 dates by some dozen years that under another name in 

 Boissier's Flora Orientals. Besides, the plant being 

 as frequently met with under the name of P. decora 

 as under P. Vilmoriniana, we have another reason 

 for following the laws of botanical nomenclature and 

 accepting the older name. Geo. Nicholson, 



CHRYSANTHEMUM CULTURE. 



The following papers were read at the Chrysan- 

 themum Conference held at Sheffield on Friday, 

 November 16. We append an abstract of the more 

 practical extracts of Mr. Tunnington's " A Chat 

 about Chrysanthemums." 



The Best Time to Stbike Cuttings, 

 This is a point on which a variety of opinions 

 exist. My expeiience has led me to divide the plants 

 into two sections, and to treat them differently. 

 In this matter I have found that Japanese require a 

 longer season of growth than the incurved section, 

 except a few varieties, such as Barbara, Eve, Mabel 

 Ward, &c, which should be rooted with the Japanese ; 

 those we strike in December, and the incurved by 

 the end of January or any time during February. 

 I have always succeeded in obtaining better flowers 

 with broader florets by late than early striking. This 

 applies especially to the Empress and Queen group. 

 All the growers about Liverpool do not strike their 

 cuttings on the same principle. Some insert them 

 in cold frames, some place them thickly together in 

 pots and place them on a shelf, and are not particular 

 about flagging, and so on. I make up a slight hot- 

 bed in a vinery about to be started, with leaves and 



* Phillyrea decora, Boiss. et Bal., in Vilmorin-Andrieux efc 

 Cie., Supplement aux catalogues, ou liste des plantes qui 

 paraissent pour la premiere fois sur n09 catalogues (1867). 

 P. Vilmoriniana, Boiss., Flora Orientalis, vol. iv., p. 37, (1879) ; 

 Botanical Magazine, 6800. P. Vilmoriensis, Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, ser. ii,, vol. xx., p. 491, P. laurifolia, Hort, 



a small quantity of manure. Particular care is 

 taken that the heat is only of the gentlest descrip- 

 tion, in order to prevent the cuttings from flagging, 

 and at the same time assist them to root in less than 

 half the time than would be the case by cool treat- 

 ment. Weak growers are rooted singly in small 

 pots, and also those intended for trained specimens. 

 Others are rooted together in 5 or 6-inch pots. By 

 the time the plants are rooted hotbeds are made for 

 them in cold frames of the same description as for 

 rooting them ; they are potted singly and plunged. 

 They become established by the time the beds cool 

 down, which avoids checking the young plants. 

 Weak plants, as well as those for trained standards, 

 are potted on and encouraged by a little bottom-heat. 

 Under this treatment they gain strength and make 

 rapid progress. The object to be attained is strong 

 but sturdy growth from the time the plants are 

 hardened to cool-frame treatment to the time they 

 are placed out in May. This is achieved by giving 

 abundance of air and the removal of the lights as 

 the season advances, when the weather is favourable. 

 The weather must guide the cultivator whether he 

 is to place the plants outside early in May or towards 

 the end of that month. A sheltered spot should be 

 found for them, or a temporary protection should be 

 given to them in the case of late frosts or cold 

 cutting winds. Every care, however, must be taken 

 of them at this stage, for tbey are easily injured. I 

 have seen the leaves blown off them, and plants sub- 

 jected to such cruel treatment seldom recover, 



Pottino. 



Before potting is commenced we place in the 

 position the plants are intended to occupy, old 

 boards, 1 yard apart, on which we stand the plants, 

 pot to pot, until July, when they are placed 6 — 9 

 inches apart, according to the number of shoots that 

 the plants are allowed to carry. The plants are 

 placed in their flowering-pots during May as they 

 are turned outside. We have found 9 and 10-inch 

 pots most suitable, and if larger are used two plants 

 may be placed in them with good results. In drain- 

 ing the pots oyster shells are preferred to crocks, 

 whole ones at the base, and for the top they are 

 broken up moderately fine. Over this a good pinch 

 of soot is scattered to keep out worms and act as a 

 stimulant to the plant. In potting, the soil that I 

 shall recommend should be pressed firmly into the 

 pots. When potting is finished room should be 

 left in the pot for the addition of at least 2 inches of 

 soil. We use turf green from the field chopped 

 about the size of an egg. To this is added one 

 8-inch potfnl of soot, the same quantity of pounded 

 oyster shells, the same quantity of bone-meal, and a 

 small quantity of leaf-mould to each barrowful of 

 sod. 



The Mat Bdd. 



There appears to be a good deal of misconception 

 about the May bud. In my opinion it is the result 

 of a check or early striking, and I scarcely remember 

 an example of this when the old stools have been 

 cared for and the plants struck at the time sug- 

 gested. My advice is, avoid this bud. In nine cases 

 out of ten it throws the bud that should appear from 

 the middle of July wrong. If the plants show this 

 tendency help them out of it as quickly as possible 

 by removing the points of the plants, and select 

 three or four shoots to carry one bloom each. In 

 the case of doubtful kinds that occasionally go blind 

 stop them in May and run up five or six shoots, and 

 when you have secured the right-time buds and 

 observe them swelling, thin out the shoots to three 

 or four. If we do not stop them we always run up 

 more shoots than we intend to retain — that is, from 

 the natural break in July. We stop some and grow 

 others without, and then seldom fail to secure a 

 good flower at the time it is wanted. 



Feeding. 



We feed very little before the bud is secured. 



What we are in the habit of using is liquid from the 



farmyard diluted with water and, a little soot dusted 



on the 8Ui face of the soil during showery weather. 



