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THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



bers of the genus Fuchsia. The thanks of the Floral 

 Committee were awarded to Mr. R. P. Barr, Tooting, 

 for a large and very complete collection of cut blooms of 

 Narcissi, well illustrating many of the critical species 

 and varieties of this handsome and now favourite genus 

 of hardy plants, and the same award of thanks was 

 given to Mr. Stevens, gardener to the Duke of Suther- 

 land, Trentham, for a large specimen, with about three 

 dozen spikes of flowers, of the variety of Cmlogyne 

 cristata, known as Lemoniana, which has longer and 

 narrower bulbs, longer leaves, and comes into flower 

 from three weeks to a month later than the typical 

 form. 



Royal Horticultural, May 12. — A first-class cer- J 

 tificate was awarded to Mr. William Paul, of Waltham 

 Cross, for a very fine new hybrid perpetual rose, Star 

 of Waltham, and to M. Louis Van Houtte, for Berto- 

 Ionia Van Houttei, a very handsome plant, something 

 in the style of Mr. Bull's B. superbissima, recently il- 

 lustrated by us. A beautiful crimson Masdevallia, small, 

 but evidently a profuse bloomer (If. amabilis), was shown 

 by Mr. Gray, gardener to H. Smithers, Esq., Laurie 

 Park, Sydenham ; and Senecio macroglossus, a remark- 

 able evergreen greenhouse climber from South Africa, 

 by Mr. Charles Green, Holmcsdale Road, Reigate. This 

 latter is a remarkable plant, with a yellow eight -rayed 

 inflorescence and leaves closely simulating the common 

 ivy. Although this was called the Pot Rose Show, the 

 roses, except Mr. Paul's blooms above alluded to, were 

 of little account ; the Azaleas were also poor, but Messrs. 

 Dobson and Sons sent an excellent collection of their 

 unrivalled Calceolarias, as illustrated by us in our last 

 volume. Messrs. Robinson and Sons, of Tooting, Mr. 

 Parker, of the same place, and Mr. Richard Dean, of 

 Ealing, respectively exhibited fine groups of hardy 

 perennials, the latter gentleman showing a magnificent 

 pan of Pinguecula grandiflora in the finest possible con- 

 dition. Dr. Hooker and Mr. Bentham agree in con- 

 sidering this plant a mere variety of the common P. 

 vulgaris of our bogs, an opinion in which Mr. Babington 

 however does not seem to agree ; and any one who 

 knows the latter plant well, would hardly consider it 

 possible that Mr. Dean's plant, with its flowers an inch 

 and a quarter across, and its long spurs, could be one of 

 the varieties of P. vulgaris. It was very interesting to 

 observe the profuse subterranean offshoots thrown out by 

 Mr. Dean's plants. Messrs. Veitch and Sons, of 

 Chelsea, exhibited a specimen of the same species, but 

 smaller. Mr. B. S. Williams was awarded a second-class 

 certificate for a very fine Azalea {Flambeau) of great 

 substance and splendid crimson-scarlet colour. 



CULTIVATION OF PHAL^ENOPSIS 

 PORTEI. 



PhalrEiiopsis Portei (sometimes known as P. interme- 

 dia) is a plant which roots very readily, and attaches 

 itself very firmly to the teak baskets which I believe 

 the late Mr. James Veitch was the originator of. When 

 one basket is covered with roots just insert it into 

 another of larger size — in a very short time the young 

 growing points will be attracted and will ramify all over- 

 it. There should be nothing used except a little char- 

 coal or cork to keep the baskets firm. This latter 

 point must be attended to, as no Orchid will root to any- 

 thing which is constantly shifting about at eveiy 

 watering. P. Portei will not take so much water as 

 is usually given to Phalamopsids, if the roots are buried 

 in a heap of stale moss, peat, &c, they quickly perish 

 if they get wet. It, like its congeners, requires the 

 hottest house, aud to be shaded from the direct sun- 

 shine. — W. Denning, Norbiton, 



DISA GRANDIFLORA. 



Few plants are more difficult to cultivate than Pisa, 

 rjrandijlora, and no gardener has been so successful in 

 blooming this obstinate plant as Mr. Denning, gardener 

 to Lord Londesborough. We recently had an opportu- 

 nity of seeing one of these fine plants in full beauty in one 

 of Lord Londesborough's houses at Norbiton. The plant 

 carried no less than twenty-seven magnificent blooms, 

 and measured exactly three feet six inches in height. 

 In writing to the Gardeners' Chronicle on the cultiva- 

 tion of this plant, on April 3rd last, Mr. Denning says, 

 " One of the reasons, perhaps the main reason, why this 

 most beautiful Orchid is not cultivated wherever a 

 Chinese Primrose or a Fuchsia is grown, is because it 

 will only succeed under a special treatment, and either 

 that treatment must be afforded by the natural condi- 

 tions of the structure in which it is placed, or it must 

 be procured by daily attention. It is a plant which will 

 not forgive neglect. The soil most suitable for the 

 Disa is a good sound peat, such as would do for 

 Heather, but not so fibry as the peat usually used for 

 Orchids, to which should be added a good quantity of 

 good clear sharp river-sand — silver-sand is not coarse 

 enough — and some dry horse-droppings, which should 

 be well mixed together, taking care not to break the 

 peat up too fine. Select a broad pan in preference to a 

 pot, and well and carefully drain by placing the crocks 

 in such manner that they will not readily choke ; if the 

 drainage is thrown in in the careless slipshod manner 

 so usual now-a-days failure may be expected. Cover the 

 crocks with a little sphagnum moss and fill the pan to 

 the rim with the above compost, on which place the 



