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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 17, 1891. 
PLANTS AND FLOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS. 
At this season we all wish to have plenty of flowers and plants. 
All need the former for home use and some over to send away, 
while many have in addition churches to supply and to decorate 
with flowers and plants. I do not think that a general review of 
what may or cm be done would be so helpful as particularising 
what I do myself. No doubt many with better means of produc¬ 
tion will find little or nothing new, but those who are less happily 
situated I hope may derive some benefit. 
Taking first of all the requirements of the home establishment, 
there no difference is made in the flowers or plants used iu apart¬ 
ments except in cases where dinner parties occur at this season. 
The plants in general use are various Palms, notably Cocos 
plumosus, Kentia Belmoreana, and the common Fan Palm, 
Latania borbonica, three essential species. Green and variegated 
Indiarubber Plants, several Aspidistras, green and the variegated 
Pandanus Veitchi, Maidenhair Ferns, and Isolepis are the chief 
foliage plants. 
Flowering plants comprise Chrysanthemums, Marguerites, 
Bouvardias, Richardias, the earliest Lily of the Valley, sometimes 
crimson Due Van Thol Tulips, Narcissus pracox and pallidus, and 
a few Hyacinths. For extra table work Crotons Johannis, Mrs. 
Dorman, Angustifolius, Dracaena Mrs. Freake, Cooperi superba, 
variegated Pine Apples, variegated Indiarubber and Palms are among 
the best. For the private chapel Richardias, Pandanus Veitchi, 
Aspidistras, Panicum variegatum, Maidenhair Ferns, Odonto- 
glossum Alexandrae, Poinsettias, Calanthe Veitchi and C. vestita, 
and a few Palms are used, sometimes adding a Croton or two if 
to spare. 
The cut flowers in use for apartments generally are late Chrys¬ 
anthemums, the varieties in flower, as a rule, at this time being 
Val d’Andorre, Peter the Great, Guernsey Nugget, Fair Maid of 
Guernsey, Princess of Teck, Lady Margaret, Miss A. Lowe, Ethel, 
Mrs. J. H. Jones. These are sorts to be depended on with the 
treatment we give them, but there are always others which are 
rather erratic in their behaviour, sometimes flowering too early and 
sometimes at the period wanted. Lily of the Valley, which is much 
thoughtof ; Cyclamens, Chinese Primulas, Pelargoniums, Richardias, 
quite a host in themselves ; Cypripedium insigne, Calanthes, 
Odontoglossum Alexandra, anyone with fifty to a hundred plants 
may have a few spikes of this now ; Odontoglossum Rossi majus, a 
most useful species ; Cytisus filipes, Heaths, Bouvardias, a few Roses, 
Carnations Germania, Miss Joliffe, and Pink Malmaison. Then 
there are generally odd flowers coming in at this time, besides 
bought bulbs such as Roman Hyacinths and Tulips. 
For a series of dinner parties the table is varied thus :—The 
first evening Chrysanthemums in variety laid on the cloth and 
lightly veiled with Maidenhair, the same in silver vases, and 
one tall Croton as a centre. The next evening no vases but an 
arrangement of Coleus leaves and shoots, the varieties used 
being Recamier, a very rich dark variety, and Gil Bias, a veined 
variety with much crimson in its composition. Two Palms in 
silver pails were in the centre of the table with a branched candle¬ 
stick dividing them, and two of the latter at each end of the 
table. Pink shades were used, and a good deal of gold and silver 
plate, the effect being very good. Other good Coleuses for this 
purpose are Tete d’Or, Vesuvius, and Rising Sun. Of course 
all these must be particularly well coloured. 
Another evening red Chrysanthemums were used, Val d’Andorre 
cut with stalks 10 inches long, and five to six arranged in vases so 
loosely a3 to allow every spare bloom to be seen. Well-foliaged 
shoots of the deep yellow Croton interruptus aureus were disposed 
under the blooms. The plants used were two brightly coloured 
variegated Pine Apples. The effect in this instance was bright and 
striking. For a special dinner party in the same series nothing 
except Cypripedium insisne was used along with Asparagus tenuis- 
simus as a slight veil. The flowers were laid pretty thickly all over 
the table save lound the narrow ledge devoted to plates. The 
plants employed in this instance were two tall specimens of varie¬ 
gated Indiarubber. Yellow shades were in use for the candles, and 
the plate was gold. It would be difficult to excel this arrangement in 
soft beauty, yellow and green being the predominating shades. Of 
course it requires a large number of plants to yield sufficient 
Cypripedium flowers, but those who have much decoration to 
undertake would do well to grow a number in order to have a 
winter supply. For other purposes this is a most useful flower. 
Upon one occasion the change was of the most decided nature. 
No plants were used, but three large cups were loosely filled with 
common Rushes intermixed with a few of the very smallest Bull- 
rushes it was possible to obtain. Browned Fern fronds—Athyriums 
and Pteris aquilina—were added, and a few branches of Beech with 
copper-coloured leaves. On the cloth more brown Ferns were 
sparingly used, with a good many branches of wild Rcse covered i 
with red heps, the only flowers u*ed being flowering sprays of the 
common Strawberry Tree. The evening next to this white 
Chrysanthemums alone were used. The plants were two talldeep- 
cfloured specimens of Dracaena superba. The middle of the cloth 
alone was covered with the flowers, and the method of arrangement 
was what would have been “ heavy ” if any other but a white 
variety had been used, and that variety one of the “ paper shaving ” 
class. Good sized shoots were cut—the stems had not been dis¬ 
budded—and laid thickly, but not too thickly, on the cloth, so as 
to make the candlesticks and various vases and cups appear to be 
rising from a bed of flowers. The foliage used was Jasminum 
gracitlimum, Cissus antarcticus, and a few sprays of Cytisus fillipes. 
For church decoration the best cut flower is undoubtedly the 
Richardia, and it is well to grow a quantity of this most useful 
continuous-flowering plant. In the parish church, in addition to 
these in pots we also use Chrysanthemums banked round the 
pulpit and organ, lightly grouping Richardias, Palm°, Ferns, cut 
foliage, and panicles of Pampas Grass, Rushes, browned Fern 
fronds, Cyclamens, Honesty, and indeed anything of no great 
value. The best material I have tried for wreathing pillars 
or windows is common Box ; it is so quickly fixed, and looks 
better than anything else. Light wreaths of Variegated Holly are 
useful; green Holly boughs with berries are employed for dressing 
brackets, window ledges, and for covering pots where specimen 
plants are used singly in conspicuous positions. Simplicity in 
material and boldness in design are the chief factors in securing a 
well-decorated church. Where several parties are engaged in 
carrying out details it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to 
secure this ; but if a gardener has the charge and possessed 
sufficient judgment to know where to begin and where to stop then 
there ought to be no interference with his designs. Much better 
have an insufficiency than to have every nook and bare portion over 
loaded with so-called decorations.—B. 
STANDARD TRAINED FRUIT TREES. 
I have known the time when trained standard fruit trees 
could not be bought, while now there is small demand for them. 
One reason probably for this is the fact that they are naturally more 
costly than are dwarf trained or maiden trees, and in these days of 
enforced economy every item has to be studied. Then, again, they 
are more difficult to pack, and may not at all times travel quite so 
well as desirable. Moreover, modern fruit growers are not so 
particular about maintaining a very perfect form of dwarf trained 
tree, and more often than not the latter is allowed to “have its 
head,” so to speak, the principal aim being to furnish a wall with 
bearing wood as quickly as possible. A more widespread trial of 
cordons or trees, with from one to four main fruiting branches 
trained uprightly, has also been another factor in the case, such 
being planted where in bygone days “riders” or standard trained 
trees were located. 
The question now to be decided is whether this departure from 
a time-honoured custom is altogether for the best. That such may 
be the case, as a rule, with Pears and Plums, I think there is no 
disputing, both kinds of fruits, if given fair play, furnishing wall 
space very rapidly. Only in the event of extra high walls being 
bare of trees is it particularly advisable to plant standard trained 
trees of Pears and Plums midway between others with low stems ; 
but when we come to consider what is best to be done in the case 
of Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and Morello Cherries, opinions 
will most probably be less decided. That garden and other high 
walls and fences cannot well be too quickly furnished with fruiting 
trees all will agree, and if the quickest method of accomplishing this 
is the most expensive in the first instance, it may yet, and most 
probably will, be the most economical in the end. Walls cost so 
much to build, and are of such good service to the fruit grower, 
that they cannot well be kept too closely furnished with trees, and, 
with such abundance of second-rate fruit now likely to be forth¬ 
coming annually, none but choice varieties should be selected for 
the walls. No time ought to be lost, therefore, in the matter of 
furnishing blank spaces or in the re-arrangement of trees already in 
possession of the best places, and standards might with advantage 
be employed in either case. For instance, they could be planted 
midway between dwarf trees that are either nearly worn out or of 
a comparatively worthless variety, the latter being cut away 
according as the standards require more room. If this fresh move 
is made with healthy trees, these having well developed clear 
stems, a good sized hole and perfectly fresh loam provided for the 
roots, progress will be satisfactory in every way. 
It must be borne in mind that some of the be3t trees to be seen 
in the country have long clear stems, say from 4 feet to 6 feet in 
length, being originally planted as “riders.” Not a few of the 
standards that were planted with the view either to transplanting 
