THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] JANUARY, 1879. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



The December meeting of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society fell far short of the extent of the previous 

 meetings, owing to the severe frosty weather which 

 prevailed, and which made it hazardous to bring out 

 tender plants. Of novelties staged on this occasion 

 the foremost was Laslia anceps alba, to which refer- 

 ence is made on another page. This came from Mr. 

 Bull, and was so pure and good as to be unanimously 

 awarded a First-class Certificate of merit. By the side 

 of it was a plant of L. anceps also in bloom, and it was 

 in striking contrast to its fine white counterpart. The 

 same award was made to Mr. Richard Gilbert, gardener 

 to the Marquis of Exeter, Burghley Park, Stamford, 

 for Double Primula sinensis, Earl of Beaconsfield, 

 with large full flowers of a clear rosy cerise colour, and 

 with this, Mr. Gilbert also sent some of his other new 

 varieties, three of which were figured in the Floral 

 Magazine a short time since. These new varieties of 

 Mr. Gilbert's are remarkable for the great size of the 

 blooms, their bold trusses, vigorous growth, and 

 striking colours. 



Other novelties included a small fruiting branch of 

 of Eucalyptus globulus, which was taken from a tree 

 growing within the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, and it 

 is supposed to be the first time it has produced fruit 

 in this country. It was shown by Mr. Geo. Thomson, 

 Garden Superintendent at the Crystal Palace. From Mr. 

 Green, gardener to Sir Geo. Macleay, Bart,, Pendrell's 

 Court, Bletchingly, came a curious Grevillia, named 

 fasciulata, bearing small reddish blossoms, a plant 

 nearly hardy from Western Australia ; also an example 

 of the singular Billbergia nutans, the flowers com- 

 pounded of the three colours, green, yellow, and blue. 

 From Mr. Butters, gardener to Mr. Gerald Leigh, 

 Luton Hoo Park, came the fruit of Pandanus reflexus. 

 A Botannical commendation was awarded to the 

 curious little Masdevallia triglochin from Messrs. H. 

 Low & Co., Clapton Nursery, supposed to be the only 

 plant in flower in this country ; the blossoms are of 

 curious shape, like small beetles. It is a native of Brazil. 



A remarkable example of the fine red-flowered 

 Sophranites grandiflora came from Mr. Heims, gar- 

 dener to F. A. Philbrick, Esq., Q.C., Regent's Park, 

 and was no doubt one of the best grown and flowered 



[No. 85. 



plants yet seen. In addition there were some beautiful 

 Cyclamens fromMr. H. B.Smith, Ealing Dean Nursery; 

 and from Mr. Hepper, gardener to C. O'Ledward, Esq., 

 Acton, came a berried Solanum, having a kind of half 

 pendulous growth, and displaying its fruits to the best 

 advantage; these are small, and of a bright coral red 

 colour. It has been named Solanum hybridum pen- 

 dulum. 



Mr. Henry Cannell, nurseryman, Swanley, showed a 

 large collection of bunches of flowers taken from some 

 of the choicest Zonal Pelargoniums. The splendid size 

 and rich colouring of some of the blooms was perfectly 

 astonishing. They were said to have been gathered 

 from plants raised from the latest struck cuttings, from 

 which the buds were picked off during the summer ; 

 the plants were then pushed forward about the middle 

 of September, and flowered in a nice warmth. The 

 collection included boxes of bloom of the white and 

 salmon-coloured Sports from Vesuvius; the striped 

 variety New Life, and the following fine crimson and 

 scarlet flowered Zonals : Lizzie Brooks, David Thomson, 

 The Shah, Rienzi, Mr. Pollett, Klein, A. Henderson, 

 Mrs. Whiteley, Mr. Parker, and Colonel Seeley, of pink- 

 flowered varieties ; Lady Sheffield, Louisa, Sarah 

 Holden, and Mr. Leavers ; a rich purple-tinted variety 

 named Dr. Denny was shown also ; and a pretty 

 cerise flowered variety named Circulator; and the 

 following salmon-tinted flowers, Titania, Belle of 

 Surrey, and Miss Gladstone. This was a very pretty 

 and attractive exhibit. 



The great attractive feature was a very large and 

 finely representative group of hardy plants, with green 

 and variegated foliage, which quite filled the Entrance 

 Hall. Hero could be seen almost everything suitable 

 for winter bedding, window boxes, wall plants, etc. 

 This unique exhibition was furnished by Messrs. C. 

 Lee and Son, Royal Vineyard Nurseries, Hammersmith. 



TEA ROSES ON THE OPEN GROUND. 



The past summer brought into prominent notice 

 the great advantage of having Tea Roses on the 

 seedling brier. We saw several collections that were 

 in fine bloom right on into the autumn, until the 

 rapidly increasing days and want of solar heat pre- 

 vented the flower from expanding. Any one having in 



