NEW SERIES.] 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



At the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, on 

 May 10th, Messrs. J. Laing and Co., Stanstead Park 

 Nursery, Forest Hill, received a First-class Certificate 

 for Begonia Davisi, fl. pi. superba, which is considered 

 by The Garden to be, " without doubt, the finest double- 

 flowered tuberous-rooted Begonia yet raised." It is a 

 remarkably fine novelty, the flowers measuring fully 

 two and a half inches in diameter, and being of a rich 

 deep crimson-scarlet colour. It possesses all the fine 

 qualities of B. Davisi as regards sturdy habit of growth 

 and freedom of flowering ; the flowers form a perfectly 

 circular rosette of petals. We hope to figure this 

 shortly. ■ The same award was made to Messrs. James 

 Veitch and Sons, Exotic Nurseries, Chelsea, for Aralia 

 Chabrieri, a dense, bushy-habited plant, with the 

 leaves divided into long, narrow, linear segments ; the 

 stem is erect, and thickly furnished all round with 

 pinnate spreading leaves about nine inches in length. 

 It promises to make a valuable, fine foliaged plant, 

 and will, no doubt, be particulai'ly desirable for dinner- 

 table and vase decoration. Also for Gloxinia Radiance, 

 a variety with erect flowers of medium size, but of an 

 extremely rich velvety carmine hue inside, gradually 

 shading off to a purplish-lake, the exterior being pale 

 pink : a very fine and attractive form indeed. 



A similar award was made to Messrs. Osborn and 

 Son, Nurserymen, Fulham, for Ribes Alpinum pumilum 

 aureum, a golden-leaved form, of a very dwarf and 

 compact growing habit, and being perfectly hardy, 

 will be a valuable plant for rockeries, margins of 

 borders, shrubberies, &c, where it will be extremely 

 effective from early spring till autumn. Also to 

 Messrs. James Carter, Dunnett, and Beale, High 

 Holborn, W.C., for double Primrose Cloth of Gold, a 

 fine late yellow form, bearing profusely large double 

 flowers — so double, indeed, as to form pretty compact 

 rosettes. We are not at all certain this is distinct 

 from the old late double yellow ; but it is a plant so 

 well adapted for general cultivation, that it can be 

 highly recommended. We have this season had quite 

 small plants in bloom, bearing many flowers of larger 

 size and very double. 



Other novelties not so fortunate in obtaining Cer- 

 tificates comprised Cattleya Reineckiana, a lovely 

 variety with large flowers of the Mossiae type, having 



[No. 114. 



pure white sepals and a broad shallow lip of a rich 

 amethyst and orange, and beautifully crisped at the 

 margins : from Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., Bur- 

 ford Lodge, Dorking ; a pretty Japanese Primula, from 

 Ichang, abundantly distinct, especially in foliage, from 

 any other cultivated kind, the flowers being pale 

 mauve and borne in umbels ; Alpinia albo-lineata, a 

 prettily variegated-leaved stove plant ; and a new 

 Japanese Maple, with broadly-divided leaves of a deep 

 brownish-crimson, named Acer polymorphum latifolium 

 purpureum, came from Messrs. James Veitch and 

 Sons. From Mr. Croucher, gardener to J. T. Peacock, 

 Esq., Sudbury House, Hammersmith, came a finely- 

 coloured form of Masdevallia Harryana ; from Mr. R. 

 Dean, Ealing, a new dwarf red Wallflower, very neat 

 and compact in growth, as well as rich in colour, which 

 was highly commended j from Mr. G. Bethell, gardener, 

 Sudbourne Hall, Suffolk, came Tradescantia argentea, 

 a gold and silver variegated form of T. zebrina ; and 

 from Mr. A. F. Barron, Royal Horticultural Society's 

 Gardens, Chiswick, a very good flowering specimen of 

 the pretty, old, yet rare, Tropasolum Azureum. It is a 

 pity this is not more grown, and Mr. Barron proved 

 beyond question that it is not difficult to cultivate. 

 Why this and the equally fine old T. tricolorum should 

 be so much neglected is surprising - , and we are of 

 opinion that failure to grow and bloom them well 

 comes from neglect at the proper time, that is, just 

 when the plants are putting forth their fine thread- 

 like growth. 



LACED AURICULAS. 



A clergyman, writing to us a few days since, praised 

 very highly the strain of Alpine Auriculas known as 

 the laced type. They are so designated because the 

 shading in the Alpine class of show Aui'iculas is in the 

 laced flowers so sharply defined as to form a distinct 

 marginal colour, of white, French white, ivory, prim- 

 rose, yellow, and gold, as a margin to a deeper colour. 

 They are exceedingly pretty, but need a refining pro- 

 cess to have the quality and marking of the flower as 

 good as possible. 



Seed may be sown now and at any time up to 

 August. It is best to sow in a shallow pan, using fine 

 sandy soil, and covering with a broad piece of glass, 

 placing the pans in a shady place in a cold frame 



THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



JUNE, 1881. 



