THE FLORAL MAGAZINE 
NEW SERIES.] FEBRUARY, 1880. [No. 98. 
HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 
At this season of the year there is but little to record 
in the way of novelties being produced to the public 
view. The weather is of that character to act as a 
preventive to cultivators bringing out choice plants ; 
and they wisely keep them at home, unless they are 
something of a hardy, or half-hardy character. At 
the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on 
January 14, but two plants received First-class Cer- 
tificates of Merit, viz., Barkeria cyclotella, which is 
described by the (Jarclen as a “ charming new Mexican 
Orchid, which, in general appearance, resembles the 
other cultivated species, but the flowers are con- 
siderably larger, and very distinct in colour. They 
measure two inches across ; the sepals are of a delicate 
blush hue, and the oval-shaped lip is of a brilliant violet- 
purple, broadly margined with white. The frecked 
column, which lies on the upper surface of the lip, 
also adds considerably to the beauty of the flowers. ” 
This was exhibited by Mr. William Bull, of the King’s 
Road, Chelsea, and we hope to figure it shortly. The 
other Certificate was awarded to a splendid plant of 
Masdevallia tovarensis, carrying over seventy of its 
pure white flowers, in many instances producing three 
on a scape. This plant has been in cultivation about 
fifteen years, but it was only at this remote time it 
received a Certificate of Merit. M. tovarensis is the 
only pure white species belonging to the genus, and 
as such will be much in request. It was shown by 
Messrs. James Yeitch and Sons, Exotic Nurseries, 
Chelsea. 
The last-named firm staged a very interesting col- 
lection of plants, including beautiful Cyclamen, Chinese 
Primroses, Orchids, &c. ; the latter including Odonto- 
glossum Alexandra?, O. Cordatum, the sweet little 
Dendrobium endocharis, Colax jugosus, Oncidium 
chierophorum, the new and scarce Cypripedium Hay- 
naldianum, Chysis Chelsoni, a fine specimen of 
Saceolabium giganteum, &c., all in fine condition. 
In addition there were some plants of Staphylea 
colchica, forced into bloom ; a handsome shrub bearing 
pendulous clusters of pure white blossoms, not unlike 
those of a Deutzia, and which is worthy of attention 
as a winter decorative plant. 
Messrs. Sutton and Sons sent from Reading new 
types of their very fine strains of Chinese Prim- 
roses, including Rosy Queen, with large, stout, finely- 
formed flowers of a soft pink tint ; and a double 
variety of the same colour. Also some very pretty 
varieties of Cyclamen Persicum ; Butterfly and Monte 
Rosa being well deserving of special mention. Mr. 
Canned, of Swanley, also had some good Primulas, 
and a collection of cut blooms of Zonal Pelargoniums, 
clear and lustrous in colour, and, if anything, of finer 
quality than ever. Two little-known varieties were 
deserving of notice : viz., Mrs. Moore, a large white 
variety, with a bright reddish-rose ring round the eye ; 
and Joyful, a livid scarlet, suffused with purple, a re- 
markably bright and attractive flower. 
Messrs. Osborn and Sons, of the Fulham Nurseries, 
sent, as a seasonable contribution, a remarkably fine 
example of the great Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger 
maxima), bearing a large quantity of pure white 
flowers ; the specimen being much admired. 
THE SHRUBBY CALCEOLARIA AS A 
POT PLANT. 
We should like to see this fine decorative subject 
reintroduced to our greenhouses. The larger flowers 
of the Herbaceous Calceolarias, and perhaps their more 
brilliant markings, have doubtless something to do with 
bringing the shrubby type of Calceolaria into discredit; 
but then some who could not cultivate the large- 
flowered Calceolarias, could manage to grow the 
shrubby kinds with considerable success. Time was 
when they were splendid exhibition plants, grown to a 
great size, with vigorous, yet compact habits of growth, 
and immense heads of bloom, but it is rarely indeed 
they are now met with in this form. 
There was this advantage about the shrubby Calceo- 
laria — any particular variety could be readily and 
safely propagated by division of the branches at the 
end of the summer. We have lifted plants from the 
open ground in September, divided them at the roots, 
and planted them out in a bed in a cold greenhouse, 
and been rewarded with numerous fine plants in 
spring. If potted-off then, and when established, 
stopped, the plants will break into lateral shoots, and 
these shoots can be tied out, framed, and again 
stopped, in a way similar to that adopted by those who 
grow the bottoms of Pelargoniums for exhibition pur- 
