HORTICULTURAL NOTES. 
383 
na tlie ruling power in the decision upon 
Florist's flowers, will next June give their 
ten prizes for Geraniums, which shall be 
judged by the best trusses and character, in- 
stead of the largest number of trusses ; for, 
grand as all these have been shown by Mr, 
Beck on large specimens, they will be much 
finer when shown with only one, two, or 
three good trusses. Heaths have been ex- 
hibited with effect all the season ; but Pamp- 
lin's new ones have been shown, and approved 
everywhere. His whole set amounts to eight, 
but there are three or four that we suspect 
will come out soon. They are all of the Ven- 
tricosa kind, but beautiful in habit, abundant 
in bloom, and different both in shape and colour 
from those we have already. "Where they 
are all acquisitions, it is hardly worth making 
a distinction ; all he has to do is to imitate 
Mr. Beck, send them out at a moderate price, 
and all Heath growers will want his set. At 
the Chiswick shows, magnifica, splendens, and 
grandiflora, were the best ; but the others 
were beautiful in their way, and deserve 
places in all good collections. Mr. Veitch's 
new Siphocampylus, called S. coccineus, was 
exhibited at Chiswick, though previously 
shown at the Royal Botanic Society. It is 
very much finer, and of more beautiful habit 
than any of the others, and a great acquisition. 
The scarlet flowers are brilliant and numerous, 
the plant bushy and handsome. A new pur- 
ple annual was also shown from the same 
nursery, called Calandrinia umbellata ; and a 
new plant, called Salpichroa glandulosa, with 
dull yellow flowers. Mr. G-lendinning showed 
a new yellow Statice from China, more curious 
than beautiful. A scarlet Geranium, with a 
white eye, called Mrs. Mayler, was shown 
by Mr. Conway, of Earl's Court. Many 
other new things were shown, but they were 
not remarkable. Upon the whole, this season 
has done more for Floriculture than the last 
four, and there is every prospect of improving 
both the spirit and the taste of amateur and 
professional florists. 
HORTICULTURAL NOTES. 
Calceolaria alba, (the white-flowered 
Calceolaria.) — A small shrubby species of 
Calceolaria, with opposite, remotely serrated 
leaves ; and copious fascicles, or little bundles 
of leaves, from the axils of the principal ones; 
so far it possesses just the character of the C. 
thyrsiflora ; but in this the flowers are white ; 
or at least so little tinged with sulphur, or 
cream colour, as to be practically. They are 
produced in terminal elongated panicles, formed 
of small clusters, arranged above each other 
in an opposite position on the stem. It is a 
native of Chili ; and has been lately intro- 
duced to the gardens of this country by 
Messrs. Veitch, nurserymen, of Exeter, who 
received the seeds from their collector, Mr. 
William Lobb. Having been so recently in- 
troduced, there is but little that can be said 
of its treatment : it will probably prove a 
hardy green-house plant. To those who are 
fond of hybridizing, it affords some points 
worth attention : large Calceolarias are gene- 
rally too leafless; perhaps this might give rise 
to a race of bushy habit, and better furnished 
with foliage. 
The Phloxes. —Few plants afford a much 
greater diversity than the numerous varieties 
of the Phlox : very tall, very dwarf, very large, 
very small, with all the grades between them, 
may be found in a moderate collection, and 
we shall not be surprised to see trusses of its 
bloom exhibited shortly like those of the Ver- 
bena and Petunia. "We hardly know a flower 
more calculated to sport when once people 
begin raising them from seed in anything like 
quantities. No plants have been more neg- 
lected than a large class of border Perennials. 
They propagate themselves, and people hardly 
dream of securing seed or waiting for plants 
raised from seed; otherwise the Lychnises, 
Delphiniums, Lupines, and many others, 
offer the highest temptation to the florist. 
The Phloxes, however, stand preeminent for 
their claims upon the florist. They are al- 
ready beautiful — many of them are worthy of 
the best place in the garden, and a diversity 
of colours would increase the interest of the 
family amazingly. Van Houtte has sent us over 
a Phlox sufficiently variegated to show that 
there is an inclination to sport; all we have to 
do is to persevere in the course which has 
been successful with other flowers, taking care 
that seed is saved only from the best varieties, 
and then again selecting the best from them, 
to go on breeding from. The Phlox family 
propagates itself like many other perennials, 
by spreading its roots, and the shoots from 
them, until, if left alone, a small plant will, in 
time, make a great patch that would cut out 
into a large number of rooted offsets, so that 
when you have a seedling that you think it 
desirable to propagate, all you have to do is to 
carefully take off all side-shoots from the root 
as soon as they are large enough to handle, 
and plant them out, six inches apart, in a good 
rich bed; or you may put them in pots, and 
keep them in frames. The Phloxes are suf- 
ficiently hardy to stand out all ordinary winters, 
and there is scarcely any one of the herbaceous 
perennials that can reward us better for any 
attempts we may make to improve the races. 
Now is the time to save seed for the most 
handsome of the sorts, and they may either be 
sown directly, in boxes or pots, so as to put 
them in a frame for protection during the 
