June 13, 1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
525 
Certificates and Awards of Merit. 
Begonia B. R. Davis (B. R. Davis). — This is a deep crimson 
coloured, double form of fine quality (award of merit). 
Begonia Lucerne (B. R. Davis) —This variety has curiously coloured 
blooms, there being a mixture of orange, rose, white, and pink. It is a 
double variety (award of merit). 
Begonia Mont Blanc (B. R. Davis).—A handsome, perfectly double 
white variety (award of merit). 
Bentinckia nicobarioa (F. Sander & Co.).—This is a new Palm from 
■Central Asia, with broad pale green leaves. The habit is that of a Kentia 
(first-class certificate). 
Blandfordia aurea (\V. Bain).—The plant of this Blandfordia was 
very finely grown, and carrying large numbers of yellow flowers (first- 
class certificate). 
Calochortus Lyoni (R. Wallace & Co.).—This is a charming variety, 
with large white flowers, slightly tinged with lilac (award of merit). 
Carnation Corunna (J. Douglas)—This is a fine yellow self variety 
with well-shaped flowers, which have no appearance of splitting in the 
calyx (award of merit). 
Cattleya gigas Sanderce (J. Hamilton).—This is a superb variety, 
with bright rose sepals and petals and a broad lip of the richest maroon. 
The throat is yellow, veined brown. It was one of the finest Orchids 
staged (first-class certificate). 
Cattleya, superha alha (R. Johnson).—This is a pure white form of 
the type. The lip has a charming yellow blotch in the centre (first-class 
certificate). 
Cirrhopetalum rohustum (J. Veitch «& Sons).—This is an uncommon 
Orchid, with greenish yellow flowers (first-class certificate). 
Cypripedium hellatulum album (W. H. Young).—This is an ex¬ 
ceptionally handsome Orchid of splendid shape. As the name infers, 
the flowers are pure white. The woodcut (fig. 93, page 513), sketched at 
the Drill Hall, pourtrays the form of the flower (first-class certificate). 
Cypripedmm Frau Ida Brandt (F. Sander & Co.).—This is a very 
handsome hybrid obtained from a cross between lo grande and Youngi- 
anum, the former being the seed-bearing parent. The flower is very 
large, and the dorsal sepal of fine size, the ground colour being white 
•flushed rosy purple and green. The petals are rosy purple with 
chocolate spots. The pouch is pale reddish brown (award of merit). 
Cypripedium Eleanor (VV. H. White).—The dorsal sepal of this 
hybrid is white flushed rose, the pouch dull chocolate brown, and the 
petals rosy purple heavily blotched with brown (award of merit). 
Cyrtantkus obliguuslY. Sander & Co.).—Tnis bulbous plant has flowers 
of the Blandfordia style. The colour is orange red shading to yellow, 
with green tips (first-class certificate). 
Delphinium Beauty of Langport (Kelway & Son).—This is a fine 
variety with a medium sized spike, and flowers creamy white with petals 
tinged with sulphur (award of merit). 
Inula Hookeri (Paul & Son).—The flowers of this Inula are not very 
large, but the colour is a very rich yellow (award of merit). 
Iris asiatica (R. Wallace & Co.).—This is a fine Iris, of free and 
robust habit. The flowers are large and borne in great profusion, with 
blue standards and violet blue falls (award of merit). 
Lcelia grandis, Wigan's variety (W. H. Young).—The type of this 
is well known, and the variety noted has sepals and petals of the same 
colour. The lip is dull white with deep red marking (award of merit). 
lcelia purpurata Richmond Gem (W. H. Young).—This is a very 
handsome variety with white sepals and petals. The lip is, however, 
the best feature. The outer portion is rich velvety crimson with a paler 
patch at the edge, and a pale yellow throat with crimson veins (award 
of merit). 
Paeony Duke of Devonshire (Kelway & Son).—A large double variety 
of deep rose colour, with outer guard petals and dense centre (award 
of merit). 
Paony Lady Beresford (Kelway & Son).—An immense semi-double 
flower of blush pink colour (award of merit). 
Pceony Solfaterre (Barr & Son).—A large flower, creamy white in 
-colour, the outside guard petals being pure white (award of merit). 
Rcnanthera Imschootiana (E. H. Woodall).—This is a fine Orchid 
with dull red coloured flowers (award of merit). 
Rose Lawrence Allen (George Cooling & Co.).—A good Hybrid 
Perpetual, having fine well formed flowers of colour rosy pink and 
sweet scented (award of merit). 
Rosa rugosa, Blanche Double de Coubert (Paul & Son).—This is a 
splendid double white form ot R rugosa (award of merit). 
Streptocarpus Distinction (J. Laing & Sons).—Tne flowers of this 
Streptocarpus are large in size and of a bright blue colour, the lower 
portions of the bloom being blotched with deep violet (award of merit). 
Thnnia Veitchi qrandiflora (P. Sander & Co.).—This form of the 
well-known type is large, but the colour of the lip is much brighter and 
more intense (award of merit). 
SKIM MI A FRAGRANS. 
The Skimmias (fig. 95) are better known and more valued for their 
brightly coloured berries than for their flowers, yet though these are 
unattractive they posse.'s one property—fragrance—that renders the 
plant a favourite in some establishments. The rich green foliage of the 
Skimmias is always an attraction ; then we have their flowering period, 
and later on a rich display of fruits, so that they can be fairly considered 
as useful in a more than ordinary degree. 
HALE FARM NURSERIES. 
Lovers of hardy flowers will always find abundance to interest 
them at these nurseries, and despite their proximity to the smoke of 
London, the display just now is very brilliant. Not so much so, perhaps, 
as has been the case in many former years, and will be again in future 
seasons, as two enemies have had to be contended against, not coming 
concurrently, but following each other in immediate succession. The 
former of these was the terrible frost, and the latter the persistent dry 
weather, accompanied by bright sunshine and parching winds. The 
effects of these combined are plainly apparent on some plants, 
but the ill effects have not been sufficient to destroy all the beauty, all 
the colour, and all the diversity. Considering, however, that upwards 
of 40 acres are here devoted to hardy flowers, one would be surpr'sed 
indeed was there not always a number of handsome hardy plants to be 
seen in bloom from the early spring months onwards through the year. 
During the past few years there has been a kind of revival in favour 
FIG. 95.— SKIMMIA FRAGRANS. 
of this class of iplants, and to create, meet, and increa-e this demand 
Mr. T. S. War*e has always been in larnest. Nothing can be said against 
this growing popularity, as haidy plants not only provide an extra¬ 
ordinary diversity of colouration, an extremely varied range of form, but 
are also adapted for culture in all gardens from the smallest to the 
largest, and indeed in almost all they are found represented in some 
form or another. The amateur in London, or any other large manu¬ 
facturing town, may find amongst hardy perennials plants that will 
grow and flower year after year, apparently little, if any, the worse for 
their smoky environs. For cutting purposes many of them are 
unequalled, lending themselves as they do so admirably to tasteful 
arrangement, and lasting so well when placed in water. Other 
attributes in their favour could be mentioned, but sufficient have been 
put forward to render permissible the title of Flowers for the Million. 
Not that everyone can have such a display as is provided at Tottenham. 
This of course is not possible, but by a judicious selection flowers can 
be had over a very long period of time that will afford a never failing 
source of pleasure to the owner, whether the number is limited to a 
dozen or runs into the hundreds. 
One could, with ease, form a collection to comprise scores or hundreds 
of kinds and varieties, but wffien to be limited to a dozen or so the task 
would be nothing short of formidable. The reason of this has not to be 
sought for, as it simply consists m the plethora of beauty. One sees 
a plant that must be had here, another there, and so on until the 
dozen is passed, and rapidly extending to or e.xceeding the score. 
In the formation of a garden of perennials several things have to be 
