April 27, 1912. 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE, 



343 



good substance. O. Pescatorei crossed with 

 0. hiteopurpureum, named O. Brandtise, is 

 an attractive and most variable hybrid, the 

 extreme forms quite closely resembling one 

 parent or the other. 



Odontoglossum Thompsoni is very fine, and 

 the oldest batch is producing a perfect forest 

 of long, graceful spikes, to be presently 

 studded with purple flowers. The unflowered 

 seedlings are extremely promising, and among 

 these we made special note of those derived 

 fromO. Edwardi x O. Vuylstekese, O. Eossi x 

 0. percultum, O. Rossi x O Lambeauianum, 

 0. ardentissimum X 0. Uro Skinneri, O. 

 triumphans x O. Eossi^ and 0. Rossi x 

 Harryano-cri spurn, which combination has 

 already produced the distinct and handsome 

 0. Smithi. 



A batch of Odontioda Bradshawite was in- 

 teresting, as showing the fairly wide range 

 of colouring this hybrid will give, though it 

 is the brilliant crimson-scarlet forms that are 

 usually seen at exhibitions. The useful rosy 

 Odontioda Chelseaensis is flowering freely, 

 and is a very usefxil and easily grown hybrid. 



Two little batches round which consider- 



orchid department shows what skill can do 

 in the raising and cultivation of orchids in 

 towns, and, at the same time, incidentally 

 demonstrates how "wndeepread is the love of 

 orchids, because it would obviously be use- 

 less to keep on raising crossbreds and hy- 

 brids unless theire were plenty of people 

 ready to buy them. A nursery is not run 

 on philanthropic lines. 



Besides the orchids, the chief plants grown 

 largely at Chelsea by Messrs. William Bull 

 and Sons are palms, from tiny seedlings up 

 to the big specimens in the large winter 

 garden'; liliums of many kinds, and amaryllis. 

 Of these latter the firm has now an excel- 

 lent strain, as was made evident on the 

 occasion of the firm's centenary celebration 

 last year. If they can be kept back suffi- 

 ciently these brilliant flowers will be largely 

 shown by the Messrs. Bull at the forthcom- 

 ing International Exhibition. At the pre- 

 sent moment spring cleaning is in full force 

 at Chelsea, and the large winter garden and 

 its occupants are being prepai'ed for the ele- 

 gant and beautiful display annually pro- 

 vided during May. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



DENDROBIUMS. 

 the 



For some 



and hybrids 



weeks past 



have 



numerous species 

 formed a prominent feature in the orchid 

 houses. Many of them have now passed out 

 of flower, and are pushing forth new growths 

 from the stem-like ps-eudo- bulbs, which will 

 produce roots when they are a few inches 

 high. It is at this time that any necessary 

 repotting should be attended to. Healthy 

 plants which have sufficient room for de- 

 velopment need not be disturbed, but may, 

 for ai}pearance sake, be surfaced with new 

 material. Young, vigorous plants that are 

 root-bound should be shifted on with as 

 little root disturbance as possible, using re- 

 ceptacles that will accommodate the plants 

 for two years. Overpotting is detrimental. 

 For strong growing kinds like D. nobile, 

 D. Wiganise, D. Aineworthi, D. Eolfeae, D. 

 Blacki, and others of this class, the ordinary 



SEEDLING ORCHIDS. 



r 



Part of a house filled with seedling Odontoglossums and Odontiodas at Messrs. William Bull and Sous' Nurseries, Chelsea 



able hopes centre are the result, respectively, 

 of crossing Miltonia Bleuana virginalis with 

 M. vexillaria Cobbiana, and Oncidium cris- 

 pum, crossed with Cochlioda Noetzliana, One 

 plant of the former, still quite a youngster, 

 was found to be producing a little spike on 

 the occasion of our visit. 



One large house is wellnigh full of cat- 

 tleya, laelio-cattleya, and brasso-cattleya 

 hybrids that ought soon to reach a flower- 

 ing stage, but tiny seedlings of thetse groups 

 are not numerous, few being raised, because, 

 as already stated, their first flowers do not 

 open kindly in town. Of Laelio-cattleya Baden 

 Powell, L.-c. Bletchleyensis, L.-c. Lady 

 Wigan, L.-c. Aphrodite, L.-c. Myra, etc., 

 there were first-rate batches, mostly in 

 sheath or showing flower buds. 



Cypripediums do capitally at Clieltsca, and 

 of C. bellatulum, C. Tautzianum, C. Fowler- 

 lanum magnificum, C. Maudiae magnificum, 

 and numerous hybrids of C. bellatulum and 

 C. niveum, there were particularly fine 

 healthy examples; while the whole range of 

 autumn and winter flowering sorts were fully 

 represented, and seedlings were noticed in 

 all stages of development. Certainly the 



Passing through the packing sheds we saw 

 in full working order the arrangements pro- 

 vided for the careful and prompt despatch of 

 orders, and a question, suggested by the 

 numerous cwt, bags of Bull's plant food, led 

 to the information that this fertilising spe- 

 ciality meets a first-rate demand, and it is 

 quite a common occurrence for the firm to 

 despatch two tons in a day. 



Celosia pyramidalis. — While 



many bedding plants proved very unsatis- 

 factory in 1911, the different forms of this 

 celosia showed that the weather conditions 

 just suited them. During late years a very 

 improved strain has become popular, the 

 habit of the plants being much better and 

 the colours more clearlv defined than wa^ at 

 one time the case. A very effective arrange- 

 ment noted in Regent's Park last summer 

 was one in which eome fine, brilliantly- 

 ooloured examples of this celosia were dis- 



-1 thinly over a carpet of Lotus peliorhyn- 



the greyish foliage of the latter serv- 

 ing as a foU to their bright hue.— W. T. 



chus 



flower pots is suitable; while for the dwarf 

 growing species, and those of pendulous 

 habit, as D. crae^inode, D. cretaceum, and D. 

 crepidatum, shallow pans which can be 

 suspended clotse up to the root are prefer- 

 able. Eemove all useless back-bulbs that 

 have flowered, and remove as much of the 

 compost from the back part of the plant 

 as is practicable. By this means smaJler 

 pots than otherwise would be possible c^n 

 be used. My remarks in the issue of April 6 

 in respect to compost for Dendrobiiims is 

 also applicable to this class; in tart, all of 

 them will succeed in such a comi>o8t. As the 

 plants are potted a few stakes should be 

 inserted, and a number of the pseudo-bulbs 

 tied to them to keep the plant from rock- 



If this matter is left to a later period, 

 there is a danger of injTiring the young 

 roots. Place them in the East Indian house, 

 or warm plant stove, keeping them well up 

 towards the H^ht. Bendiobiums also thrive 

 exceedingly well in warm vineries, but un- 

 less they 'are scrupulously clean, they are 

 uot desirable companions to viner^. They de- 

 light in early morning sunshine, and also 

 in afternoon ■ sun ; but until new pseudo- 



mg. 



