FLORA AND SYLVA. 



are good in lamp-light, and many will be glad 

 to grow it for vases. 



Orange and Red Flowers. — In this sec- 

 tion Goachers Crimson, the first great gain of 

 that raiser, is still the best dark early, the flowers 

 of a rich crimson, best in colour when not dis- 

 budded, but if thinned they are as much as 

 5 inches across; the plant is robust and of good 

 habit, with flowers and leaves unharmed by 

 weather. A second effective red is Cactus, of 

 quite another type, smaller and less refined but 

 good in colour, a profuse bloomer, showing 

 well in sprays, and for some uses better than the 

 more massive Crimson ; for vases and dining- 

 tables there is nothing better, showing well in 

 artificial light and dainty inform. Gladys Irene 

 Harknesshzkozhne dark kind, very dwarf and 

 showy for pots or the border, the flowers large 

 and a good crimson, but too short in the stem 

 to be popular for cutting. For this purpose one 

 of the best is Gertie, a flower so hard cut as to 

 be nearly over spite of its profuseness, but a 

 second crop of blooms from below is coming 

 fast; the flower is an uncommon blend of sal- 

 mon-red and yellow, of ideal size for bunches, 

 and habit of the best. A showy plant for the bor- 

 der is Mrs. A. Willis, a sport from Madame C. 

 Perrier, but better in habit and leaf, coming in 

 low, dense bushes with flowers so free as to hide 

 the plant; they are bright crimson and gold on 

 first opening, but pale to a warm terra-cotta in 

 sunlight. Rosie shows this terra-cotta colour to 

 perfection, being finest when full-blown and 

 lasting a long while ; the disbudded flower 

 comes large, fully 4 inches across, left to itself it 

 is a mass of blossoms on bushes of dwarf habit, 

 making it effective for beds or massing ; it is 

 a little later in flower than some. Of orange 

 flowers there are two good kinds in Orange 

 (one of the new gains), a large flower of fine 

 form and colour and very distinct; and Pollie, a 

 good early and renewing well either large or 

 in sprays; in this colour these two kinds leave 

 little to be desired. An older sort, Madame Ze- 

 pliir Lionnet,with flowers of deep orange-yellow 

 is also good, and Vivid, bright red with yellow 

 reverse, is attractive, but a little late for cold 

 districts. 



Pompons. — Though hardly coming under 

 the heading of large flowers, many of these are 

 so neat and showy, and need so little care, that 

 for autumn borders they are a good class of plant. 



As they move well, they can be grown on in 

 any spare ground, and used to fill gaps as sum- 

 mer flowers fail, while a sheltered group of these 

 hardy little bushes defy all weathers until sharp 

 cold sets in. Amongst the best are Anastasia, 

 light purple, very dwarf, and free ; Blushing 

 Bride, rosy lilac, and Bronze Bride, its sport, 

 both large in growth and size of flower ; Flora 

 and Golden Fleece, rounded masses covered with 

 golden flowers, the first opening quite early in 

 August ; LlAmiConderchet, shapely little masses 

 of primrose colour not above a foot in height, 

 a gem for moving ; Little Bob, early and free, 

 uncommon in its crimson colour, but losing its 

 richness in too strong a light ; Mignon, a plant 

 good in flower but sensitive to bad weather ; 

 Mr. Selby, with blush flowers, and Mrs. E. Sta- 

 cey, a fine shaded yellow, leave nothing to be de- 

 sired. Amongst Mr. Goacher's new seedlings 

 is Orange Pet, a good Pompon of large size and 

 distinct in its depth of colour. 



On the vexed question of disbudding Mr. 

 Wells admits that the best colour is shown 

 by unthinned blooms, some kinds showing a 

 marked change when disbudded, from pink to 

 dirty white, or from bronze to a poor yellow. 

 Where markets rule, however, large blooms, 

 as commanding the best price, are most profit- 

 able. 



TREE-FERNS. 



The Tree-fern is, perhaps, the most graceful of 

 all types ofvegetation,combiningthestateliness 

 of the Palm with the grace and luxuriance of 

 the Fern-tribe, to which Nature has given a 

 large share of these charms. A few well-grown 

 Tree-ferns lend a peculiar grace to the glass- 

 house or conservatory, breaking with their 

 arching fronds the stiff outlines of the structure, 

 casting a welcome half-shade during summer 

 and still spreading their green canopy when 

 outside things are shorn of beauty. True they 

 need an amount of space which makes them of 

 little use for any but lofty houses, but for win- 

 ter-gardens and large conservatories such as are 

 against many plants, there are few things their 

 equal. The hardier kinds, too, may be well used 

 out of doors from June to September, in quiet 

 nooks sheltered from strong winds and fierce 

 sunlight ; a shady path winding through arches 

 of Tree-fern being a lovely addition to any sum- 

 I mer garden. There are a few favoured locali- 



