

vi. [supplement.] 



1HE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 



[May 25, 1912. 



ORCHIDS. 



The exhibits of Orchids constitute the finest 

 •display of these plants ever gathered t jgether. 

 The large tent (No. 1) in which they are staged 

 is specially provided with a hot-water system, 

 driven by two boilers. The outstanding group 

 is contributed by . Lieut. -Col. Sir George L. 

 Holford, K.C.V.O., whose gardener, Mr. Alex- 

 nder, has arranged the collection with con- 

 amate skill, and it has received the highest award 

 the King's Cup. The area furnished by this ex- 

 hibitor is 1,100 square feet, the group occupying 

 one end of the tent. The Orchids are shown in 

 bold relief by imposing drapery of olive-green 

 colour, the effect being heightened by lofty 

 Palms. High up at the back are grouped 

 numerous fine plants of Oncidium Marshalli- 

 anum, with about 50 spikes of bright-yellow 

 flowers, around these being arranged grand speci- 

 mens of Laelio-Cattleya, including amongst the 

 most prominent varieties, Canhamiana alba, 

 Rex, " Eosslyn variety/' and Wallaertianum. 



ing the expanded and fringed lip of their parent, 

 but immeasurably more ornate. Some 20 forms 

 of Brasso-Cattleya and Brasso-Laelia are in- 

 cluded, the varieties of the old favourites B.-C. 

 Digbyano-Mossise and especially Queen Alexan- 

 dra being still unsurpassed. A new Brasso- 

 Cattleya, named "The King," is a noble and 

 distinct flower, whilst plants of B.-C. Digbyano- 

 Mossiae " Westonbirt variety," the finest of all 

 the deep, rose-coloured forms, have each 14 or 

 16 flowers. Laelio- Cattleyas furnish bright colour 

 of various tints, the most striking being L.-C. 

 Bedouin (L. purpurata x L.-C. Hyeana), one of 

 the specimens bearing 23 flowers; L.-C. Gold- 

 crest (one of the finest of yellow hybrids), L.-C. 

 Lustre (the new varieties, Budda and Lavengro, 

 being very showy), L.-C. Golden Glory (the best 

 plant bearing three spikes and 23 flowers), L.-C. 

 Britannia " Westonbirt _ variety " (L.-C. Can- 

 hamiana x C. Warscewiczii), a gorgeous flower, 

 finer in colour than Canhamiana, and a large 

 number of other hybrid Lselio-Cattleyas and 



Sophro-Laelio-Cattleya Marathon Vesuvius being 

 very showy. Effectively arranged to show their 

 large, white flowers to advantage were many 

 plants of Phalsenopsis amabilis Rimestadtiana, 

 with 50 spikes, the scarlet Renanthera im- 

 schootiana, and a brilliant array of Masdevallias, 

 with Vanda teres gigantea. 



Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans and 

 Bruges, have, on one side of the central stage, 

 and occupying some 700 square feet, probably 

 the finest group they ever staged. The collec- 

 tion includes old and new kinds blended 

 harmoniously, the older Orchids being repre- 

 sented by fine specimens of Aerides expansum 

 and other Aerides, Vandas, including the white 

 V. Denisoniana and showy plants of V. teres. 

 The newer ones are represented by a brilliant 

 display of showy hybrids, Odontoglossums being 

 specially good, and including types varied, rich 

 in colour and good in form. The central design 

 comprises a white Phalaenopsis Rimestadtiana ar- 

 ranged with the spikes appearing between the 



tlG.2. — LiELIO-CATTLEYA CANHAMIANA EXHIBITED BY LIEUT.-COL. SIR GEORGE HOLFORD, K.C.V.O. 



The sides at the back are furnished with 

 finely-flowered Cymbidiums and some noble 

 -specimens of Dendrobiums, the latter being 

 masses of bloom ; the showiest include D. 

 nobile virginale, D. n. nobilius, D. n. Harefield 

 Hall, D. n. elegans, D. Apollo grandiflorum, D. 

 Wardianum album, the beautiful D. Ophir, 

 carrying 60 flowers, D. Dalhousianum luteum, 

 three fine plants, carrying 200 flowers and buds, 

 D. infundibulum, with more than 50 fine white 

 flowers, the bearded, yellow D. Brymerianum, 



and a very handsome collection of hybrids. A 

 great feature in the group is the magnificent 

 specimens of large-flowered Cattleyas, some of 

 the plants bearing from 20 to 50 flowers. Among 

 them we noted 25 distinct varieties of Cattleya 

 Mossise Marmion, A. Dimmock, compacta, and 

 the white Wageneri Aigrette, all new and choice 

 varieties ; whilst forms of C. M. Reineckiana are 

 noticeable for their showy labellums, which con- 

 trast with the dear-white sepals and petals. 

 Brassavola Digbyana is arranged with a host of 

 its charming descendants, all fragrant, and show- 



Cattleyas, the white C. Pusseldorfei Undine 

 being very effective. Among the species are the 

 finely-coloured C. Skinneri " Temple's variety," 

 with 52 flowers, and the white C. S. alba, with 

 about 80 blooms. A specimen of Cypripedium 

 callosum Sander® has from 15 to 16 flowers, and 

 there are other good Cypripediums. A superb 

 collection of Cymbidiums includes the wonderful 

 C. Parishii Sanderae; forms and hybrids of C. 

 insigne, including the pretty Westonbirt hybrid 

 C. Alexanderi ; some noble specimens of Laelia 



Surpurata ; a charming lot of Miltonias, of which 

 L vexillaria "Westonbirt variety" has 33 fine 

 flowers, and a specimen of the unique M. 

 Memoria Baron Schroder having 12 large blooms. 

 Odontiodas furnish brilliant colouring through- 

 out the group, and there i$ a superb collection of 

 forms of Odontoglossum crispum, the varieties 

 Madonna and Mrs. Lindsay being specially at- 

 tractive. In all, there are about 300 spikes of 

 these fine forms of O. crispum, and a very large 

 and varied lot of hybrids. Mention may also 

 be made of richly-coloured Sophronitis crosses, 



at either 

 arranged 



the same 



long plume-like fronds of Polypodium Knightii, 

 in front of which are massed many fine forms of 

 Miltonia vexillaria and M. Bleuana, some of 

 which are new. In the depressions, 

 side, are Phalaenopsis Rimestadtiana 

 with scarlet Renanthera Imschootiana, 

 brilliant colour appearing beneath the elevated 

 designs of Vanda teres, Aerides, Cyrtopodiurn 

 punctatum, and other plants at the ends. The 

 whole is connected in an undulated outline with 

 showy Cattleyas, Lselio-Cattleyas, patches of 

 Odontoglossum crispum, showy hybrid Odonto- 

 glossums and brilliant Odontiodas, many of 

 which are new, O. Sanderae sanguinea being of 

 the darkest red-flowered Odontiodas, whilst 

 Roger Sander and O. Lselia Sander are both 

 fine novelties. Among new Laelio-Cattleyas, 

 L.-C. Aphrodite Lord Faber is one of the most 

 beautiful and richly-coloured of Laelio-Cattleyas, 

 its petals being of a glowing crimson purple, the 

 front of the lip deep violet-crimson, and the 

 tube light with red lines. A new strain of 

 Odontonia was represented by several very pretty 





