December 26, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
487 
_ Messrs. CurpusH & Son, HIGHGATE—When at Holloway 
it is natural to travel onwards and upwards for a little distance 
to see the prettily situated nursery of this old firm and its 
respected head. But to see flowers at Highgate the “ bulb 
Season ’’ must be selected, when the conservatory is bright 
indeed. Only a few Hyacinths are now advancing, the prize 
bulbs being yet buried outdoors with cocoa-nut fibre. If 
gardeners and Hyacinth growers generally who desire to excel 
in the culture of these flowers could see how they are pro- 
tected at Highgate and Coombe (Messrs. Veitch & Sons) they 
would cease starting their bulbs under greenhouse stages. “A 
hint 1s as good as a nod,” &c,; and we pass on. ‘he feature 
of Highgate at this season are the handsome shrubs, especially 
standards of Bays, Hollies, &c., imposing pyramids (grand lawn 
ornaments), of the Caucasian Laurel and the Magnolia-like 
Laurus rotundifolia. Weeping trees, too, are a specialty ; 
Young’s Weeping Birch, very elegant; Ashes, Limes, Elms, &c., 
which are prepared with great care. These trees when heavily 
draped, as we saw them, with frost crystals resembled fountains 
of silver, and the effect produced was singularly chaste. The 
houses were filled with plants, but chiefly Palms and other 
plants of that nature. ‘The hardwooded plants, such as Ca- 
mellias, Ericas, and Epacrises, are grown in the purer air of 
Barnet, and are draughted to Highgate as required. Fourteen 
thousand Epacrises are annually grown by the firm, and other 
plants in proportion. At present the flowering plants chiefly 
consist of Ericas hyemalis, very five; caffra, gracilis, and 
colorans, all of which are extremely useful for decorative 
purposes at this season of the year. 
Mr. WILLS, FULHAM AND ANERLEY.—Since Mr. Wills pur- 
chased the Fulham Nursery a few months ago great alterations 
have been made, an open frontage having been formed next 
the Fulham Road, and new structures have been added to the 
extensive ranges of glass that previously existed. ‘lhe large 
stock of flowering and ornamental-foliaged plants in Mr. Wills’ 
nurseries afford evidence of the public taste in reference to 
plants and flowers for home adornment, nearly all the products 
of the two establishments being devoted to what may be termed 
domestic purposes, and in addition large quantities of flowers 
and numbers of plants are purchased to meet the daily demand 
for them. As a rule flowers and very large plants, such as Palms 
and Azaleas, are grown at Fulham, and Ferns and choice fine- 
foliaged plants, such as Crotons, Dracwenas, Nepenthes, &c., are 
provided at Anerley. At Fulham a house has recently been 
erected solely for growing the white Lapageria, and another for 
Tea Roses. The Lapagerias are planted out, and the Tea Roses 
are in pots. When Mr. Wills finds out how admirably Tea 
Roses succeed when planted out in a stove temperature, as they 
are grown in the Pine stove at Lambton Castle, and in briskly 
heated pits as in Lord Londesborough’s garden at Norbiton, he 
will probably adopt the same mode of culture for producing 
buttoniers” of the first quality for Christmas. 
The collection of cool Orchids is being greatly extended at 
Fulham, and well the plants look; but ‘he spikes are cut as fast 
as they are produced. The same remarks apply to the beautiful 
Lelia anceps, which is grown by hundreds. A large house is 
entirely filled with Begonias of the Rex type, so great is the 
demand for these plants for various purposes of decoration. 
Another house is planted with Gardenias—a perfect thicket of 
them for affording cut blooms. Another house contains Pancra- 
tiums speciosum and fragrans, the flowers of which and Eucha- 
rises are always acceptable. In one of the houses we noticed 
several plants of a striking Zamia, the fronds of which were deep 
xed in colour and highly effective. Bulbs are grown by thou- 
sands packed as closely as possible in shallow hoxes, and rich 
soil and Copious supplies of water do the rest. This is all that 
¢an be said about Fulham; and as to Anerley, if anyone desires 
to see a Fern, a Draceena and Nepenthes manufactory and other 
plants rare and popular increased and cultivated well, they will 
tind such work well carried out there by Mr. Bause. 
Mzrssrs. Osroxn & Sons, Funwam.—It is very gratifying to 
all interested in the prosperity of this old establishment to learn 
that under the energetic management of the sole surviving male 
representative of the firm, Mr. R. Osborn, and able coadjutors 
the nursery is in a very improving state. Fruit trees and Vines 
an pots are a great specialty, and the stock of them is both ex- 
tensive and excellent. In the houses there are plenty cf 
foliage and flowering plants, including Ferns and climbers of 
the leading varieties suitable for decorative and other uses, 
usually to be met with in large nurseries. In the show house 
there is a great variety of Palms, Araucaria excelsa, Aralia Sie- 
boldii, Phormium tenax variegatum, Camellias, Ferns, Aucubas 
beautifully set with berries which are now changing colour. 
Laurustinus, Primulas, Cyclamens, &c., all alike healthy and 
useful. In the stoves the Draczenas, Crotons, Pandanus, Palms, 
Ferns (noticeably Adiantum farleyense), &c., in variety and of 
various sizes, are remarkably clean and healthy. Among the 
Palms we noticed attractive plants of Areca crimita, A. Herbstii, 
Cocos Weddelliana and Kentia canterburyana, as being particu- 
larly well adapted for table and house decoration. ‘ 
In the hardwooded house the Ericas and Epacris look particu- 
larly well, and promise an abundance of bloom. Acacia.grandis 
will shortly be covered with its miniature yellow balls, and 
dwarf plants of the useful pure white Jasminum grandiflorum are 
flowering freely. Lomatia propinqua is a very graceful green- 
foliaged plant, and does well ina cool house. In an interme- 
diate house Tropzeolum Ball of Fire trained along the roof is 
flowering freely. Libonias are also attractive. In this house is 
a good stock of the much-improved varicties of double Primulas 
raised by Mr. Gilbert of Burghley, and certificated by the Royal 
Horticultural Society, which this firm will shortly send out. 
The colour of Mrs. A. F. Barron is blush slightly striped with 
red; Princess, white slightly blotched with red; White Lady, 
a good white; and the Marchioness of Exeter, white slightly 
spotted with pink. The plants are more vigorous, flowering 
freely, the individual flowers much larger and more double than 
the old varieties. 
Among the hardy shrubs Euonymuses in variety are very 
Serene) they are suitable for either pots, shrubberies, or 
eds. 
Messrs. C. LEE & Sons, HAMMERSMITH.—The Christmas 
display of this firm is now arranged in the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Gardens at South Kensington, and a splendid display 
it is of hardy ornamental shrubs, for which a gold medal was 
awarded at the last meeting of the Committees. This fine col- 
lection merits a fuller notice than has yet been accorded to it or 
than can be given now. -Such notice must be deferred to a 
future issue of the Journal, for notes of plants of such perennial 
beauty are always seasonable. 
CHRISTMAS ROSES. 
Ropust hardy perennials, comprising some of the gayest 
and earliest flowering of winter or spring plants. Hellebores 
produce their flowers at a season when few others can brave 
the inclemency of the weather, the genus belonging to the 
same natural order (Ranunculacee) as Winter Aconite, one 
of the first flowers of the year. i 
The whole of the species delight in moisture and some in 
shade, but shade is only essential when the soil is light and 
shallow, the plants thriving well in the full sun where the soil 
is deep and retentive. One of the greatest defects in their 
culture is disturbing them. All they require is planting in soil 
moderately enriched, deep, retentive or rather moist. and in 
slight shade in shallow soils, but the shade should be that of a 
deciduous kind soas to admit of the plant enjoying the full 
light in the early part of the year. Beyond keeping them 
clear of weeds, and giving a mulch about the plants in autumn 
they require no further attention, continuing to grow and in- 
crease in size and beauty annually, indeed when undisturbed 
they succeed to admiration. 
Propagation is effected by dividing the plants when in a 
dormant state, or by seeds, which should be sown so soon as 
ripe in the open ground and covered lightly with fine soil. 
Owing to the fickleness—uncertainty of our climate, Christmas 
Roses cannot always be depended upon at the festive season. 
I lift a few roots of the early-flowering varieties in early 
autumn, pot them in pots that will hold the roots nicely, using 
rich compost, and place them in any light airy house from 
which frost is excluded, draughting them into heat if necessary 
so as to have flowersat Christmas. I haye now flowers of Helle- 
borus niger maximus and H. olympicus, and have had for some 
time past. The individual flowers are fine for ladies’ hair, and 
the buds on the point of opening are excellent for the “ button 
hole.” 
In the open ground to have flowers with certainty the plants 
should have handglasses with moyeable tops, or frames placed 
over them, admitting air freely in mild weather, but protecting 
from heavy rains and snow, further placing mats oyer the 
lights in severe weather. The blooms are much finer thus 
cared for than when they haye not received any attention. 
The finest plants I have seen were grown upon a south border 
in front of a house—a stove. They were in a double row, the 
plants being about 2 feet apart. and the soil a retentive loam, 
