[ July 21, 1892. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
strive to copy it. Much good might be done if one could undertake 
some amount of teaching in this respect, by providing a bouquet, vase, 
or basket properly and well done to serve as the ideal at which the com¬ 
petitors might aim ; this would, I believe, create a taste for the artistic 
where little now exists. 
In making the foregoing remarks I am speaking of the generality of 
shows, but there are places where the arrangement is excellent. Flowers 
must be well arranged and colours blended to be well appreciated. In 
many cases it is not the size of the individual flowers which charm us 
most, but those that are set up artistically, with care and grace, that 
claim our attention and praise. With regard to bouquets, wreaths, and 
designs composed of flowers, we as a nation are well to the fore, 
generally speaking, we have an artistic notion of the arrangement, and 
follow the natural, whilst the Americans work on rather a more formal 
method. This I feel is creeping on us, but I hope it will not extend ; 
for what beauty there can be in a piano or chair or such like things 
made of real flowers I cannot imagine. Bouquets or posies of flowers 
should be made lightly, so that each flower may be easily seen, with no 
crowding whatever, and foliage should be used to enhance the effect of 
the flowers, so making what may be termed a lovely bunch of flowers 
and having a natural appearance. 
Up to the present I have dealt more with artistic than effective 
arrangement, and I now feel it incumbent upon me to give my ideas 
respecting the latter. When I used the word effective I mean that 
resul, which is produced by bold treatment of plants and flowers, by 
judicious grouping and massing. Many plants gain greatly by being 
planted in masses. What can be a fairer sight than a bold group of 
.Rhododendrons in full flower, backed up by foliage trees, or a fine bed of 
Azaleas on a large lawn? This system of massing is often much 
abused. At times we see masses of one colour, then of another, and 
another, the result of which is a poor effect, whereas had more foliage been 
used and the masses of colour placed further apart, a much finer result 
would have been obtained. When we refer to Nature we cannot but notice 
how unobtrusively she presents to us her masses of bloom. What a 
wonderful effect a piece of rustic scenery with a mass of Bluebells, 
.Lilyol the Valley, single Narcissus, or Buttercups has. Although it is 
a mass of bloom it is not crowded and crushed together, or one mass 
spoiling the effect of another. There should not be a formal appearance 
to the massed plants, be they what they may. This is a danger which 
cannot be guarded against too carefully. Where there is plenty of 
room, say in large grounds around a mansion, I like to see large clumps 
here and there of Lilies, Roses, Phloxes, Hollyhocks, Foxgloves, Cam¬ 
panulas, Irises, Dahlias, and Sunflowers, each family of plants steering 
well clear of its neighbours, so as to prevent any clashing. Of flowers 
that gain by bold treatment we may take the Rose. What a glorious 
sight is presented by a bank of these flowers similar to those set up at 
some of our great flower shows. The effect is greatly enhanced by the 
liberal use of Maidenhair Ferns as a groundwork and fringe to the 
group. Cut flowers end flowering plants must have Ferns or foliage 
to show them off to anything like advantage. A box of flowers set up 
tor exhibition has a bare and hard appearance without foliage. Take, 
again, an exhibition group of Chrysanthemum plants which we fre¬ 
quently see at some of the large autumn shows. It is a mass of flower 
set up at a perfect angle and a faultless semicircle in shape, but a finer 
effect would be gained if the exhibitor had a little more space allowed 
him, and Palms and foliage were employed at the back, and Ferns in 
ron ^ ~^ 1S w ? u ld alter the effect of the hard and formal group, and it 
might then claim to be considered artistic. 
Just for one moment I should like to allude to conservatory decora¬ 
tion, and urge a less formal arrangement of the interior. In some 
instances we have beautiful examples of the artistic and effective 
arrangement of plants and flowers, and of interiors fitted up in an 
artistic manner, but more often we have presented the formal stage 
and straight path. What we want is a miniature landscape garden, as 
1 were, under cover, and to let our plants grow in a more natural form 
than all in a row of pots. Many of our lovely greenhouse climbers 
are not grown nearly as much as they should be, nor are the walls 
u i lsed to the extent they might be. I have seen some covered with 
Cloxinias, Begonias, and Ferns presenting a glorious appearance. The 
peat and loam m which these grow is fixed to the wall by wire netting, 
a - nd Lycopodiums^ seen covering this, and the result is most 
effective. 1 plead all round for a less formal and more natural and 
artistic treatment. I believe there is still much before us in the way 
of improvement m this phase of horticulture, and it is gratifying to find 
men striving for it.—G. P. J 
t , E °?, e i> SH0 Yu IN Dtjblin -~ The Royal Horticultural Society of 
elands Rose Show was held in Lord Iveagh’s grounds on July 7th. 
Ihere were several handsome prizes in competition. One was a 
challenge plate, value £24, presented by the horticultural seed trade of 
Dublin, for thirty-six blooms, and which must be won three times 
,i e :° r i 9 . C0 ^L ng Priva , te P r °P ert D The Society added £2 in money, 
also £2 to the second, and £1 to the third. The winner was Mr 
PoiSr;^ . t ° T I) \ M ; Wilson, Esq., Windsor, Monkstown ; Mr. 
• g T £ shtown > Woodlawn, Co. Galway, being 
second , and J. G. Nutting, Esq.’s gardener third. A challenge cup or 
Hamil°tnn la S’ U ® 2 J 8 * ineas ’ with added annually, was offered by 
SXner Mr p m ? nd, n ESq ‘ Was wou * Ir8 ‘ Robertson’s 
third. ’ M ' P t6r bemg second ’ and Mrs - Tedcastle’s gardener 
Events of the Week. —The show list for the current week is 
again a heavy one. To-day (Thursday, July 21st) there are Exhibitions 
at Highgate, Aylesbury, Barnet, Trentham, and Worksop. On Friday, 
the 22nd, there are Rose Shows at Ulvemton and Manchester, the latter 
being continued on Saturday. The Northern Show of the National 
Pink Society is held in conjunction with it. The National Chrys¬ 
anthemum Society’s picnic at Penshurst is also held on Friday. On 
Saturday, the 23rd, there are Rose Shows at Bedale and New Brighton, 
the Midlothian Rose and Pansy Exhibition taking place on the same 
day. Acton Show is fixed for Wednesday, the 27th ; and that of the 
Hessle and Howdenshire Society for the 27th and 28th. There are 
Rose Shows at Halifax and Southwell on Thursday, the 28th. There 
will be a sale of Cattleya Victoria Regina and other Orchids at 
Protheroe Sc Morris’s rooms on Friday, July 22nd. 
- The Weather in London.— The weather has been very 
unsettled during the past week. There were a few local showers 
on the 16th inst., and on the 17th there was a steady downpour of 
rain throughout the greater part of the day, the temperature, too, 
being perceptibly lower. The 18th was fine and bright until evening, 
when rain fell heavily. On the 19th a barometrical depression of 
considerable intensity reached London from the north, rain commencing 
to fall heavily about noon and continuing for the remainder of the 
day. The weather was cold also. On the morning of the 20th high 
north-westerly winds prevailed, the weather being cold, changeable, 
and threatening. 
- Royal Horticultural Society. —The next meeting of the 
Society will be held in the Drill Hall, James Street, Victoria Street, 
London, S.W., on Tuesday, July 26th. In addition to the ordinary 
exhibits, the National Carnation and Picotee Society holds its annual 
Show, in which the special prizes offered by Mr. Martin Smith will 
be competed for. At 3 P.M., Mr. A. J. Manda of the United States 
Nurseries, Hextable, Swanley, will give a lecture on “Insect-eating 
Plants,” in connection with which many exhibits are expected. 
- Royalty at Earl’s Court.— Their Royal Highnesses Prince 
and Princess Henry of Battenburg paid a visit to the International 
Horticultural Exhibition at Earl’s Court last Saturday week, and were 
conducted through the grounds by Mr. Milner. They stayed for some 
time in the house for insectivorous plants, and had the beauties of 
the Orchids, Nepenthes, Sarracenias, See., exhibited by Messrs. B. S. 
Williams & Son, pointed out by Mr. H. Williams, and they expressed 
themselves highly gratified with the collection they had seen. 
-A Valuable Summer Chrysanthemum. — At the late 
Portsmouth Show, held on July 13th, Mr. Agate, Chrysanthemum 
Nurseries, Havant, obtained a first-class certificate for a seedling 
Chrysanthemum named Lady Fitzwygram, which is the best of the 
summer flowering section. It partakes of the character of Avalanche 
in the flower with perhaps a trifle more looseness in the petals, which are 
snowy white and about 4 inches in diameter. The habit of growth is 
everything to be desired, plants now flowering in pots being not more 
than 1 foot to 15 inches high. It is a decided acquisition where pure’ 
white early flowers are in demand.—E. Molyneux. 
-Shepherdswell Horticultural Society. —At.the monthly 
meeting of the Horticultural Society held on Monday the first pr'ze 
for a collection of vegetables grown by gentlemen’s gardeners was 
awarded to Mr. W. Golder, gardener to the President (W. J. Smith, E-q.) 
whose exhibit included an excellent dish of Tomatoes. The second 
prize was awarded to Mr. W. Ashdown, gardener to K. H. Wills, Esq., 
who also won a prize for greenhouse plants. The President’s prize 
for the best collection of vegetables grown by a cottager was awarded 
to Mr. J. Ash. Prizes for .vegetables were also awarded to Mr. J. C yer 
and Mr. W. Hughes, each of which also won prizes for window plants. 
Mrs. Smith’s prize was awarded to Mr. J. Fox for cut flowers. The 
Royal Horticultural Society has made a grant to the Shepherdswe’l 
Society of one of its bronze Banksian medals, to be awarded to the 
cottager whose collective exhibits at the annual Show are considered 
by the Judges the most meritorious. 
