182 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 6, 1884. 
suspended from the roof on the shady side, and when the sun 
is bright and the house is not shaded a piece of tiffany is 
hung on the sunny side of the plants, effectually protecting 
them when it may not be advisable to shade the whole of 
the house. Mr. Wilson, the gardener, who is a most careful 
and observant Orchid grower, considers that the chief points 
to insure success with 0. vexillarium is avoiding overpotting, 
supplying abundance of water, and affording shade. This 
is his practice, and the results are stout pseudo-bulbs, 
strong foliage of a fine purplish hue, and abundant large 
flowers. 
A cool house is devoted to Odontoglossums, Masdevallias, 
and some Oncidiums, and all look equally as well as the 
occupants of the warmer houses. The collection of Odonto¬ 
glossums is large, including all the best species and a number 
of distinct varieties, particularly of O. Alexandras, first 
favourite amongst cool Orchids. Mr. Pollett has also been very 
successful in obtaining several novelties, the most recent 
being that shown and certificated at the last meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, and named 
in honour of its owner 0. Pollettianum. This has well- 
formed flowers, broad sepals, and petals distinctly spotted 
with chocolate, somewhat suggestive of the beautiful 
0. Pescatorei Yeitchii, but more nearly approaching O. 
Alexandras in form. A single flower is faithfully depicted in 
the woodcut (fig. 36). 0. elegans is another Fernside protege, 
and very beautiful it is just now, one plant having three fine 
spikes. 0. Wilckeanum with two spikes of thirteen flowers 
over 3 inches in diameter, and richly spotted with brown on a 
pale yellow ground, is charming. 0. blandum and 0. cirrhosum 
are similarly attractive, 0. constrictum being quite a shower 
of blooms, one plant having nine panicles, some more than 
2 feet long and gracefully arching over the plant. 
OLDFIELD. 
Plialaenopses are admirably grown by Mr. Heims, the 
excellent gardener in charge of Mr. Philbrick’s large collection, 
and a prettier house than that devoted to these plants could 
be seen in very few gardens at this time of year. The plants 
are mostly grown in baskets suspended from the roof of a 
small span-roofed house, the stage on each side beneath them 
being covered with the pretty plant Cyrtodeira fulgida, its 
neat metallic-lustred leaves mingling with the silver-veined 
Fittonia, the variegated Panicum, small Ferns, and Pilea 
muscosa all growing with tropical luxuriance, trailing over 
the edge of the stage and down the walls at the side. The 
baskets are hung at different heights, and abundant graceful 
panicles of P. amabilis, P. Stuartiana, and P. Scliilleriana, 
with Angracum citratum produce an effect which for free and 
charming beauty we have never seen surpassed in any Orchid 
collection. A number of species are included, some very 
strong plants of P. grandiflora being evidently thoroughly at 
home, P. violacea, P. rosea, and many others imparting 
interest to the house. They all appear to enjoy the pure 
atmosphere of Bickley, and the plants flower so freely that 
the chief difficulty is to prevent over-exhaustion, for Phalas- 
nopsids when in conditions suitable to their requirements are 
prone to flower in excess, sometimes to the death. Many 
valuable plants have been lost in gardens by this means, and 
it needs a watchful eye and a spirit of self-sacrifice to remove 
flower spikes when there is the slightest danger of the plant 
suffering. The Oldfield collection, some readers will re¬ 
member, was a few years since in a much less open situation 
in London, where fogs of the typical November hue and 
density often caused the Phaltenopsis buds to fall by scores, 
leaving naked spikes as dreary mementos of the grower’s 
disappointed hopes; yet there the plants grew as vigorously 
as could be wished, and there was little fear of their becoming 
exhausted. At Mr. Bockett’s, Stamford Hill Garden, Phalas- 
nopsids have long been grown with similar success, and in 
several London nurseries the results are the same— i.e., the 
plants retain their health so long as they periodically lose 
some or all their flower buds. 
The ordinary stove Orchids are in strong force, a large 
span-roofed house 35 feet long and 21 feet wide being devoted 
to some handsome specimens, Cattleyas, Aerides, Yandas, 
Cypripediums, all in first-rate health. A Sobralia macrantha, 
4 feet high and as much in diameter, is a magnificent 
specimen, two twin plants of Angracum eburneum near the 
entrance being notable. In an adjoining house 45 feet long 
and 12 feet wide Cattleya Trianse is flowering profusely, 
scores of fine blooms being open, varying greatly in colour. 
Several plants of the fragrant and graceful Dendrochilum 
glumaceum perfume the whole house, and suggest that this 
Orchid ought to be much more common than it is. What 
could be better for a stove ? and if grown in sufficient 
quantity to permit the spikes being freely cut it would be 
invaluable. A portion of Mr. B. S. Williams’ celebrated 
plant of Zygopetalum Clayi, of which a figure was given in 
this Journal (page 319 vol. iv.), has two good spikes, its rich 
purplisli-blue streaked flowers being very handsome. Eriopsis 
rutidobulbon is a curiosity worth notice, because it is showing 
flowers, and these are rather rare. It is well known to 
Orchid growers by its shiny black wrinkled pseudo-bulbs 
which look as if they had been recently dressed with tar, 
Mr. Heims attributes its flowering to a long and thorough 
rest he has this year given it. Leelia flava and L. harpo- 
phylla, both useful garden Orchids, but especially the last- 
named, are grown in quantity, and they well deserve the 
attention they receive. L. harpophylla is indeed unrivalled 
in colour at this time of year, its neat rich orange flowers 
being borne most freely, and last for a considerable time. 
Healthy plants in 48-size pots with three dozen flowers could 
not be excelled for brightness and beauty by the most pro¬ 
fusely flowered Pelargoniums. 
The Odontoglossum house is a three-quarter span, 48 feet 
long and 12 feet wide, and well stocked with the choicer species 
and varieties. Prominent amongst them is the “ Golden 
Alexandra,” which was certificated at the last Kensington 
meeting. The ground colour is a pale clear yellow with rich 
brown spots on the sepals. Several so-called golden varieties 
have been brought out at different times, but they have 
mostly had a common defect—namely, the gold did not keep 
its colour, and the flowers have relapsed into Alexandras of 
a very ordinary character. The Oldfield variety, however, 
appears to be a welcome exception to the rule, for after some 
time of careful proving it has been found to be true to its 
name, an “ aureum ” of the best character. 0. Rossi is a 
favourite, these thriving little plants in baskets hung over 
the walk having from sixteen to twenty flowers each, differing 
much in the size and colouring, some having the petals 
suffused with a distinct purplish tint. Masdevallias and 
Sophronitis are well represented, the former especially, 
many species being included, besides the standard M. Lin- 
deni, M. Veitchiana, M. ignea, and M. Harryana types, such 
as the delicately pretty M. Shuttleworthi, the small-flowered 
M. triangularis, the rare M. psittacina with twelve flowers, 
the yellow M. Wageneri, the M. Chimsera group, and several 
others. 
It is worthy of note that the stages and shelves in the 
houses at Oldfield are covered with a mixture of small shells 
and ballast, in which are planted tufts of Selaginella and 
small Ferns, which give them a green fresh appearance, and 
help also to retain the moisture. 
SUDBURY HOUSE. 
As a third example of suburban Orchid gardens it wffll 
be appropriate to briefly refer to Mr. J. D. Peacock’s 
wonderful collection at Hammersmith. This, without ex¬ 
ception, is one of the most remarkable in the metropolis, 
for few would expect to find in that district and adjoining 
the high road a dozen large houses packed with the 
choicest Orchids purchasable in this country, and repre¬ 
senting a money value of thousands of pounds. The unique 
collection of Cactaceous plants and succulents has rendered 
Mr. Peacock’s name familiar to horticulturists, and now 
he has gained an equal degree of fame with his Orchids. 
The bulk of the collection is contained in a series of houses 
