March 1, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
175 
flower borders, among shrubs, and in rock beds. All have done 
fairly well, but those growing among the rocks are remarkable 
for a vigour and beauty greatly exceeding all the others; for there 
the single plants have become huge cushions upwards of 2 feet in 
diameter, each being now a mass of blossom that is very striking. 
Erica codonoides is equally beautiful in its way ; the tall tapering 
cones of lively green, so soft, full, and compact, are charmingly 
crowned with thousands of pretty pink and white flowers, and 
the general effect is so refined that it would prove no unworthy 
associate of the best Cape Heaths. E. mediterranea, on the con¬ 
trary, though its flowers are fully open, has become so loose and 
straggling in appearance, and the colour of its flowers is so tame, 
that they only attract us by the sweet scent, which is certainly an 
important redeeming property. 
Berberis Darwinii and B. japonica are both in flower, the first 
partially, and the other fully. Andromeda floribunda has many 
of its pretty white Heath-like flowers open ; Mahonia, too, is almost 
in full bloom. Rhododendron Nobleanum coccineum has a few 
open flowers, which are comparatively dull-looking beside the 
brilliant carmine hue of the unopened flowers. The colour of the 
outside of its petals is so brilliant that it is very attractive when 
the flower buds become prominent. I have recently made a 
special nook for this and some other early-blooming varieties. 
Ceanothus rigidus is fast bursting into bloom ; some of the Ribes 
are almost as forward, and among flowers of lowlier growth there 
are Wallflowers, Cowslips, Primroses, and Omphalodes, while Gen- 
tiana acaulis has also actually a few flowers nearly fully developed. 
These results of the mild winter, which I observed on February 
13th, appear sufficiently remarkable to be recorded in the Journal. 
We that live in the south, with all our benefits of climate, do not 
often enjoy such immunity from frost and snow as in the present 
winter ; even the aquatic plants are already starting, the Arrow¬ 
head being especially remarkable for its half-grown leaves, and 
there are several perfect flowers of Aponogeton in one of the 
ponds.— Edward Luckhukst. 
We have received a communication from “ Delta ” for the 
information of Mr. Elwes, to the effect that “ the failure in 
Gladioli is not a matter of the last few years only, it has been 
going for the last twenty years. As far back as that I had nearly 
my whole collection swept off, and had almost abandoned their 
culture, while very many whom I have known to have for a time 
grown them have been forced to abandon them owing to their 
heavy losses. It is possible the exceptional seasons we have lately 
had may have aggravated the failure, but it is not a thing of 
yesterday.” 
- Mr. B. S. Williams of Upper Holloway sends us flowers 
of Primula sinensis fimbriata alba and rubra, two very 
fine strains, distinguished by the great size of the blooms, the 
purity of the white, and the richness of the purple variety. The 
plants are also of good habit, as we have frequently seen them. 
- The schedule of the Rochdale Auricula Society 
announces that the Exhibition this year will be held in the Public 
Hall, Baillie Street, Rochdale, on Wednesday, May 2nd. Fifteen 
classes are provided for all the different sections of Auriculas, 
Show, Alpine, and Fancy, together with Polyanthuses. 
- Mr. H. G. Smyth, 17a, Coal Yard, Drury Lane, is now 
sending out the beautiful Border Carnation Mary Morris, 
which was awarded a first-class certificate by the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society on the 22nd of August last year. This variety 
has large but neat, clear, rose-pink flowers, which are produced 
in great freedom, and a bed of plants we saw last year was literally 
“ a mass of blooms,” so abundant were they. Either for cutting 
or as a border plant it is most valuable. 
- Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons have now a fine display of 
Orchids at Chelsea, a large number of handsome species and 
varieties being in flower. Particularly attractive are the Phalm- 
nopsids, some scores of spikes of the grand P. Schilleriana 
producing an unrivalled effect in one of the houses, P. grandiflora 
and P. Stuartiana being also in good condition, and contribute 
to the beauty of the display. With these may also be noted the 
free-flowering Angrsecum citratum, which in small pots and pans 
are bearing abundance of spikes of creamy white flower*. This 
is unquestionably one of the most useful members of the genus, 
though not so striking as A. sesquipedale, which is also flowering 
well. Amongst the Dendrobes very noticeable is the charming 
D. splendidissimum, the Chelsea hybrid, which is so closely related 
to D. Ainsworthii; indeed, it appears that there is no perceptible 
difference between D. Ainsworthii roseum and D. splendidissimum, 
both are alike distinguished by the rich crimson lip and their free- 
flowering qualities. A new Bornean species, D. Curtisii, is worth 
a note, the flowers being small, white, with an orange spot on the 
lip, and produced on very slender growths. It is very distinct, 
and of dwarf habit. 
- A number of superb varieties of Cattleya TriAnh 3 are 
flowering, ranging from pure white to some with the richest 
crimson labellums. This grand Orchid is one of the most useful 
of the genus, and is especially valuable for winter flowering. 
The new C. labiata Percivaliana is also represented, some of the 
flowers being highly coloured. Cypripediums are in strong force, 
those of the Sedeni type, C. calurum and C. porphyreum, being 
very fine. The last named is a beautiful hybrid, with deep rosy 
lips and shorter petals than C. calurum, which has also more 
green in the dorsal sepal. C. Boxalli, with its dark-blotched 
shining flowers ; C. marmorophyllum, with its deep purplish- 
tinted flowers ; and C. vernixium, a hybrid between C. villosum 
and C. Harrisianum, having purplish petals, greenish sepals, and 
a pale brown lip, are all well displaying their respective charac¬ 
ters. Amongst the cool-house Orchids Odontoglossums Alexandras, 
Pescatorei, triumphans, Cervantesii, Rossii, biandum, cirrhosum, 
prasnitens, and maculatum are represented by diverse and hand¬ 
some varieties, with several Oncidiums, Masdevallias, &c. Remark¬ 
able, too, is Sophronitis grandiflora, of which one of the largest 
flowered and richest coloured varieties is growing on a small block 
a few inches square, and suspended from the roof of the house. 
- In order to stimulate the production of new early Peas 
and high quality, and also to test the value of Mr. Laxton’s latest 
effort in this direction, Messrs. Hooper & Co. of Covent 
Garden offer the following special prizes to be competed for at 
the Royal Horticultural Society’s Meeting at South Kensington 
on May 22nd next—viz., “for two dishes of early Peas, one of them 
to be Laxton’s Earliest of All, first prize, £3 ; second, 30s. ; third, 
15s. Each dish to consist of twenty-five pods, and the trade 
mark of the seed packet of Earliest of All must be placed on the 
exhibit as a proof of its genuineness. Intending exhibitors will 
please make a note of this announcement, as it is not inserted in 
the Society’s schedule.” 
- Relative to the winters in America, a correspondent 
writing to us from the State of Wisconsin on the 5th inst. re¬ 
marks :—“ We are having a very severe winter. The thermometer 
has for some time past been ranging between 10° and 35° below 
zero. This morning it is 28° below zero.” 
- Mr. Edward Mawley, of Addiscombe, Croydon, has 
issued the annual edition of his work on the weather in the 
neighbourhood OF London. It contains seventy-five pages of 
clearly printed tables and miscellaneous observations for every day 
in the past year, comprising barometric variations, temperature, 
wind, and rain, compared with those of an average year. These 
are accompanied by a novel diagram showing the variations of the 
