124 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 370. 



namely, Epidendrum bicornutum, which forms thick masses 

 on exposed rocks near the sea in the island of Trinidad. It 

 also thrives in peat and sphagnum in baskets, requiring 

 excessive heat and moisture while making new growth. 



Maxillaria Lindeni^. — The March number of Lindenia 

 contains a figure and description of this handsome Orchid, 

 which was introduced from Peru in 1893 by L'HoriicuUure 

 Internationale, and flowered in their nursery in the following 

 January. It was first described by Cognieux in ihe Joiir7ial 

 des Orchidees last year, p. 362. I lately saw a flower of 

 what is evidently the same plant and which is in the col- 

 lection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, under another probably 

 erroneous name. It is a near ally of M. venusta, but the 

 segments are broader, the figure in Lindenia suggesting a 

 flower of Lycaste Skinneri. They are white, with longi- 

 tudinal lines of purple on the sepals and the outside basal 

 portion of the lip, the front lobe inside being yellow, with 

 red marginal blotches. The differences between it and M. 

 venusta are pointed out in Lindenia, the principal one be- 

 ing the monophyllous pseudo-bulbs and the shorter, broader 

 flovi-er segments in M. Lindenise. It is likely to thrive in 

 the cool Orchid-house. 



Thomas Baines. — This famous English gardener suc- 

 cumbed this week to an attack of influenza. He was 

 seventy-two years of age, having been born in North Lan- 

 cashire, at Claughton Hall, where his father was gardener 

 and his grandfather before him. Thirty years ago Mr. 

 Baines was without a rival as a cultivator of specimen pot 

 plants, and his collections were rarely second to any 

 wherever he exhibited them. Hard-wooded greenhouse 

 plants grew to an enormous size and flowered with won- 

 derful prodigality under his treatment. He was equally 

 successful with Palms, Ferns, Pitcher-plants, Crotons and 

 Orchids, the specimens of these shown by him in London, 

 Manchester, all over England, in fact, being marvels of 

 cultural skill, even to men who were skillful cultivators 

 themselves. For the last twenty years Mr. Baines prac- 

 ticed with conspicuous success as a landscape-gardener. 

 He was an ardent disciple of the natural style and used to 

 speak of Coniferse as the bane of many English gardens. 

 I have always known him as " Old Tom." He was a pro- 

 lific writer for the gardening press, and he wrote an excel- 

 lent book on the cultivation of stove and greenhouse plants. 



London. W. JVatsOtl. 



Plant Notes. 



PiTTOSPORUM UNDULATUM. — This plant is an evergreen 

 greenhouse shrub, introduced into British gardens from 

 Australia toward the end of the last century. It is one of 

 the best of the genus, the long, linear, wavy leaves giving 

 a graceful appearance to the otherwise somewhat stiff 

 habits of growth ; the leaves are also a rich deep green, 

 shining, and of good substance. It thrives in a cool house 

 in winter, and in summer can be used for decorating the 

 piazza or grounds. The small white flowers open in 

 January and continue into March ; they are borne in clus- 

 ters on the tips of the branches, have a pleasant fragrance 

 and continue in good condition for weeks. This is a good 

 house plant ; the combination of flowers and foliage is 

 effective, and it will withstand the usually trying conditions 

 of living-rooms if kept well watered. The cultural require- 

 ments are simple ; a rich soil, with plentjr of peat and 

 sharp sand, is .the best potting material, and overpotting 

 should be avoided. The propagation is by seeds, which 

 are abundantly produced on older plants ; the seedling 

 grows quickly, making blooming plants in from two to 

 three years. It is well to keep up a fresh supply of young 

 specimens, as the older plants frequently lose much of 

 their symmetry and become too large and overgrown 

 for handling with ease. It thrives out-of-doors in 

 Florida, and is one of the common shrubs of southern 

 California. 



Pelargonium Henry Cox. — This is the prettiest of the so- 

 called golden tricolor section, and has been valued in green- 



houses for some years for its beautiful foliage. None of 

 the Pelargoniums are as bright-colored as this little plant, 

 whose vigor is apparently expended chiefly in the produc- 

 tion of highly colored leaves, which, when well grown, are 

 more showy than many flowers. They have usually a 

 bright green centre, a zone of brilliant red, with black 

 markings and a broad edging of clear light yellow. White 

 stems are also a distinct attraction of this plant. It needs a 

 rather subdued light in a warm house, but cannot be 

 coaxed into rampant growth. Owing to its slow increase 

 it is not a favorite with dealers, and is seldom offered by 

 plantsmen, so that it is probably not widely cultivated. 

 The flowers are borne infrequently and are of little beauty, 

 being small and of a light magenta color. 



Galanthus Elwesil — This tine Snowdrop is now pro- 

 duced in large quantities by European growers, and con- 

 sequently is offered at such low prices that it is almost as 

 cheap as the common Galanthus nivalis. It is sometimes 

 called the Giant Snowdrop, an excellent name, for it is our 

 old friend magnified, and that, too, without added coarse- 

 ness or any objectionable quality. It is as early to bloom, 

 as hardy, and has the form and peculiarity of blossom and 

 coloring which we associate with the first flower which 

 ushers in our spring. It is a native of Asia Minor, and, 

 although known as early as 1854, was not introduced into 

 gardens by the man whose name it bears until 1S75. It 

 can hardly be called common even now, since it is only 

 recently that bulbs have been grown or collected in suffi- 

 cient quantities to supply the demand. This, like most 

 other Snowdrops, gives the best results after it has been 

 planted several years ; it must be well established, grow- 

 ing compactly in clumps, to give an abundance of flowers. 

 It is not necessary to separate them every three or four 

 yeais, as is the case with so many bulbous plants. One 

 of the best positions for these, or other early spring-flower- 

 ing bulbs, is along the foundation-wall of the house or 

 greenhouse ; they can be planted directly against the brick 

 or stone work, and so obtain not only good protection, but 

 also additional warmth ; unlike other plants, they do not 

 suffer herefrom the summer drought, because their growth 

 comes in late autumn or early spring, when there is plenty 

 of moisture. This Snowdrop makes a good edging, and 

 can be naturalized in grass or on the borders of a shrubbery. 



Eranthis hyemalis. — This plant, commonly known as the 

 Winter Aconite, is one of our earliest flowers. It is 

 in bloom now, with Snowdrops and Crocuses, showing its 

 bright yellow flowers, which are of good size and are sup- 

 plied with more foliage, in the form of a deeply cut invo- 

 lucre, than we usually find in plants at this season. It is a 

 native of western Europe, and has been long in cultivation. 

 It belongs to the Buttercup family and has a tuberous root, 

 a corm ; it is usually classed and cultivated with the 

 "Dutch bulbs." The tubers should be planted as early in 

 autumn as possible; they are quite small, and not infre- 

 quently arrive in poor condition, suffering from too long 

 exposure to the air. It is a good plan to plant them in 

 sand — that is, after preparing the soil and removing a sutifi- 

 cient quantity of earth for the purpose, put half an inch of 

 sand over the surface thus exposed, then plant the bulbs 

 and cover them with an equal amount of sand, after which 

 the soil removed can be replaced and the planting com- 

 pleted. The tubers are thus surrounded with sand and are 

 less likely to be injured by too much moisture. This Eran- 

 this should be grown in a warm, sheltered, sunny posi- 

 tion ; it may also be used in the wild garden, and in grass, 

 provided the latter is not too thick and well kept. In favor- 

 able situations it sometimes propagates itself abundantly 

 by seeds. 



Clivia (Imantophyllum) miniata. — This is one of the old- 

 fashioned greenhouse plants which is thoroughly good and 

 admirably suited for private places. If kept in a cool 

 house, it is now in good bloom, showing its large highly 

 colored orange-red flowers in full clusters on stout stems, 

 well relieved by the thick mass of dark glossy green 

 foliage. Although introduced forty years ago, this Ama- 



