152 



of these kinds is veryvigorous,and some, 

 like Star of 'Baden- Baden (orange) and 

 Herome(ye\\ow), reach a height of 7 feet, 

 and more when in flower. From the 

 intercrossing of K. Tucki — one of the 

 hardiest kinds grown — which flowers 

 in July, with the equally early K. aloides 

 jloribunda, a race of summer-flowering 

 plants is slowly being produced, but at 

 present they lack the brilliancy of the 

 autumn kinds, and their popularity is 

 therefore not great. The dwarf-growing 

 K.Nelsoni — best described as a minia- 

 ture MacOwani, and, if possible, still 

 more free in flower- — and K. rufa, plants 

 which have only recently come into 

 cultivation, are really fine kinds suited 

 to small gardens. The last-named bears 

 numerous spikes only 2 feet high, with 

 flowers presenting an unusual blend of 



brownish-yellow and orange. 



C. G. VAN TUBERGEN, Jun. 

 Zwanenburg Nurseries, Haarlem. 

 Hybrid Irises. — Seeing in Messrs. Back- 

 house's list a description of some new hybrid 

 Irises, raised by Mr. Yeld of York, I procured 

 the following kinds : — E. E. Adams, lavender 

 with a beautiful halo ; Eleonor, sulphury-rose 

 with deeper rose falls ; Fay, brownish-rose, tall 

 habit ; Oporto, deep wine-coloured self, very 

 fine; Porsuna, shaded orange with large orange 

 beard ; Rosa6e//e,\ike a small Queen of May and 

 very dwarf ; and Verbruna, fine metallic blue, 

 also dwarf. The parentage of these plants is 

 not stated, and the flowers, though small (near 

 the Cengialti group for size), are very pretty, 

 numerous, and varied in colour. Other kinds 

 offered are : — Celia, a whiter form of Brides- 

 maid; Dawn, white and gold; Forester, reddish- 

 purple ; Galatea, white with orange beard ; 

 Hera, milk-white with gold markings ; Lynette, 

 pale blue ; Samnite, purple ; Sea-nymph, resem- 

 bling Pallida celeste ; Selma, blue ; Sincerity, a 

 dark form of Queen of May ; and Umbro, pale 

 lavender. — G. C. Leman. 



I A YELLOW HYBRID RHODO- 

 DENDRON (R. Smithii-aureutn)* 



' Among the myriad varieties of the hardy 

 Rhododendrons raised in England dur- 

 ing the past sixty years, there are many 



: beautiful things, but there is not one 



! among the hardy kinds more distinct 

 and interesting than this yellow-flow- 

 ered, hardy evergreen Rhododendron. 



Raised some seventy years ago by 

 a nurseryman of Norbiton, it formed 

 one of a series of early crosses between 

 the Rhododendron and the deciduous 

 Chinese Azalea. In spite of their beauty, 

 however, the plants have never become 

 common, and for many years past this 

 beautiful kind has been rare in gardens 

 and nurseries. It is not of very vigorous 

 growth, somewhat straggling in habit, 

 and coming as a cross between a yellow 

 form of the Chinese Azalea and Rhodo- 

 dendron caucasicum^xhe latter of which 

 it resembles in habit, though nearer the 

 Azalea in its flowers. These are very 

 like those of its Chinese parent, and 

 are borne in rounded clusters of a fine 

 buff yellow, marked with orange upon 

 the upper segments. It blooms early in 

 June, after all the yellow Azaleas are 

 over, giving an added value to its re- 

 fined and beautiful clusters. 



Other Hybrids. — Many other plants 

 have been raised as crosses between the 

 Rhododendron and Azalea, and a few 

 are to be found in collections as at Kew 

 and elsewhere. One of the best known 

 is R. aza/eoides, a plant of many other 

 names, resulting from crossing the de- 

 ciduous Swamp Honeysuckle [Azalea 

 viscosd) with the rose-coloured R. maxi- 



* With coloured plate from a drawing by H. G. Moon s at Holmewood, Cheshunt. 



