7 6 



Garden and Forest. 



[February 12, 1890. 



come quite large shrubs, and, when laden with their yellow 

 Pea-like blossoms, are quite ornamental, being, perhaps, 

 the bestyellow flowered shrubs to use as substitutes for the de- 

 sired Laburnum. 



Dcutzia gracilis, being of dwarf habit, is usually well 

 protected by snow, and rarely fails to blossom as well as at 

 the Arboretum ; but the large growing Deutzia scabra (also 

 found in catalogues as D. crenata, D. japonica and D. Siebold- 

 iana), although it usually bears some flowers, is very liable to 

 have its shoots killed in winter to within a foot or two from 

 the surface of the ground. This also occurs about Boston, if 

 the plants are situated in low or very moist ground, where 

 growth is prolonged and the wood does not fully ripen before 

 winter. In favored situations at the north it may prove quite 

 hardy. 



The common varieties of Mock Orange (Philadelphus) and 

 the Tartarian Honeysuckles grow as luxuriantly as they do 

 several hundred miles further south, and the Dutch Honey- 

 suckle (L. Periclyiuenum) blooms freely every year if lowered 

 from its trellis to the ground in the autumn and given a slight 

 winter covering of leaves or branches where the snow does 

 not remain. 



The great-flowered form of Hydrangea paniculata does very 

 well where the soil is not too wet and it is not forced to too 

 vigorous growth ; and some varieties of Weigela (Diervilla) 

 are moderately hardy when grown under the same conditions. 



Forsythia viridissima seems to do best when given a slight 

 protection in winter — pegging to the ground being sufficient 

 where it is covered by snow. 



The Holly-leaved Mahonia {Berberis Aquifolium) is as 

 badly winter killed as it is about Boston, and needs much 

 protection from sudden changes of temperature in winter and 

 from the consequent freezings and thawings. Plants of Tama- 

 rix tetrandra seem quite hardy, and have flowered freely 

 though still small. Its hardiness is to be expected, as it is said 

 to be a native of high latitudes and altitudes. 



Most of the shrubs mentioned have received only 

 partial protection from the snows of winter, and they have 

 stood from twenty to twenty-five degrees below zero when 

 there was very little or no snow on the ground. 



Some of the smaller shrubs, such as the Flowering Almond, 

 Woad-wax {Genista tinctoria), Cytisus pur pur ens, C. nigricans, 

 Euonymus names, Vinca minor, etc., receiving more natural 

 protection than the taller species, are hardy and satisfactory. 

 Doubtless some seemingly half-hardy species may be grown 

 in sheltered gardens of cities like Montreal and Quebec ; but, 

 in exposed places, soil and situation are as important as differ- 

 ence of degrees of latitude, and well drained ground and slow 

 growth, leading to thorough ripening of wood, are the greatest 

 protections many trees and shrubs require. J. G. J. 



Arnold Arboretum. 



Vanda coerulea. 



THIS Vanda is undoubtedly the handsomest of the compara- 

 tively few blue-flowered Orchids. In former years it 

 was rarely grown in such thrifty condition as it is now met 

 with, and the failures with it were chiefly due to the great heat to 

 which the plants were subjected. Coming from the Khasya 

 Hills, where it is found at an altitude of from 3,000 to 4,000 

 feet, it naturally requires little heat and delights in a free cir- 

 culation of air. The illustration on page 77 is from a photo- 

 graph of a fine specimen in the collection of Mr. Hicks 

 Arnold, of this city. It is in superb health, two feet high, and 

 furnished to the bottom with perfect leaves. Last autumn it 

 bore, on four spikes, fifty well developed flowers of a clear, 

 azure blue color. The plant has been in Mr. Arnold's collec- 

 tion for two years, and has grown very rapidly. It is placed 

 where it receives plenty of light and air, and that it thor- 

 oughly enjoys the position may be inferred from the numer- 

 ous roots that show themselves outside the basket. 



Foreign Correspondence. 



London Letter. 



THE enormous demand for flowers in winter in England is 

 taken advantage of by foreigners in the same way as is the 

 demand for fruits and similar commodities. In Italy, south- 

 ern France, Spain, and even Algeria, the production of flow- 

 ers for the English and other northern markets during winter 

 has lately become an important industry. Besides these there 

 are also large flower-farms in the Scilly Islands, where 

 Grapes, Pears, early Potatoes and vegetables are largely 

 grown solely for English consumption. The development of 



the flower-farms in these islands is the subject of an inter- 

 esting communication to the Gardeners' Chronicle by Mr. 

 W. Roberts. When ordinary farming proved a poor busi- 

 ness, market-gardening was tried, but it was not until about 

 ten years ago that the cultivation of flowers for exportation 

 was commenced in earnest. Enormous quantities of the 

 flowers of Freesias, Anemones, Wallflowers, Roses and Persian 

 Ranunculuses are now sentfrom these islands to England, and 

 to the uninitiated are the cause of much wonder when seen on 

 every stall and in every flower-dealer's window in February 

 and March. But the flowers which are grown in greatest 

 abundance, which find the readiest market, and which prove 

 most profitable to the growers, are the Narcissi. Every 

 available bit of ground is planted with the bulbs of these plants 

 in various kinds, and from November right on to May they 

 are the glory of the islands. The bulbs are planted from two 

 to four inches deep and six inches apart ; they are not ma- 

 nured, except by the decay of their own leaves. They are dug 

 up, divided and replanted about every three years. It is sup- 

 posed that $1,250,000 is now invested by the Scillonians in these 

 plants alone. Some 15,000 boxes of flowers of Narcissi are 

 sent to England from these islands every year, as many as 

 500,000 spikes having been sent by one man in a single con- 

 signment. The spikes are tied in bundles of twelve and 

 packed neatly in boxes. It is stated that during the winter 

 season from ten to fifteen tons of cut flowers are sent to the 

 English market from the Scilly Islands in a single day. By 

 taking advantage of the English demand for flowers, and sup- 

 plying such as carry and keep well, and which are popular, the 

 inhabitants of these islands have shown how such a slight ad- 

 vantage as they possess in regard to climate, when compared 

 with England, may be turned to the very best account. The 

 market value of the flowers of these Narcissi varies from three 

 pence to three shillings per bunch of twelve. 



The following plants are now flowering freely at Kew in an 

 unheated greenhouse, where early flowering tender alpine and 

 herbaceous plants are accommodated. A house of this kind 

 may easily be made one of the most charming features of the 

 in-door garden during winter and spring. Hellebores, both of 

 the Niger and Orientalis (or Lent Lily) sections, are abundantly 

 represented by large masses crowded with flowers. Hepatica 

 triloba, in white, purple and blue forms, two or even more 

 colors sometimes occurring on the same plant, is conspicuous. 

 Mill a uniflora is a tuft of rich green leaves and numerous 

 milk-white, star-shaped flowers. Primula Fortuneiis the rarest 

 and most interesting of the Primroses now in flower ; it is in 

 the way of P. denticnlata, but has looser heads of lavender, 

 yellow-eyed flowers. P. obconica is grown in quantity. The 

 poisonous properties attributed to this species have never been 

 experienced at Kew. Crocuses of many kinds and Narcissus 

 minimus, with its delightful little trumpets, are other plants 

 which now help to make this house one of the chief attractions 

 at Kew. 



Orchids. — Public auction sales of these plants do not ap- 

 pear to be nearly so remunerative now as they were about 

 twelve years ago, when those engaged in the work of collect- 

 ing and importing Orchids were so few as to be able to practi- 

 cally control the market. Where there was one importer of 

 Orchids in those days there are perhaps twenty now, and the 

 consequence is that many of them find difficulty in getting 

 their plants sold at anything like remunerative prices. In the 

 early days, when Stevens, of Covent Garden, was the only 

 auctioneer of Orchids, and when Low, Bull, and latterly San- 

 der, were the only importers, it was nothing unusual for the 

 whole expense of collecting and bringing to England a quan- 

 tity of Orchids, with a handsome profit besides, to be realized 

 at the first public sale. Then such prices as ten, twenty, fifty, 

 and even one hundred guineas for a single specimen were not 

 unusual. The game paid too well for it to long remain in the 

 hands of a few, and now there are so many importers that a 

 considerable proportion of them can scarcely make Orchid- 

 importing pay. Although the cost of collecting and transport- 

 ing these plants from distant lands is not now so great as it was 

 a few years ago, yet an expedition to such countries as upper Bur- 

 mah, Madagascar, NewGuinea, or even to some parts of South 

 America, requires an outlay of some hundreds of pounds, not 

 to reckon the risks to the health and even to the lives of the col- 

 lectors, before a quantity of plants are landed safely in England. 

 Even then it is not an uncommon occurrence for nearly all of 

 the plants to be dead on arrival or too sick to recover. Only 

 this week I have learned of a case of this kind. A well known 

 and very successful importer informed me that a lot of 

 Orchids from Central America, which recently arrived in good 

 condition, was the third attempt to get these plants home alive, 

 two previous attempts having proved complete failures, 



