254 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARBLEER. 
|[ September 17, 1885. 
and the name of this firm must he a welcome one in Weston-super-Mare. 
So wonderful a business could only have been established on the soundest 
principles, and it is only by a strict observance of these that it has been 
advanced to its present position. 
PELARGONIUMS IN THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
As the time for propagating and increasing these is at hand it may be 
well to consider if we have any more useful plants in the flower garden 
and for the summer decoration of flower beds and borders generally, than 
these. In my opinion we have not, and a few extra hundred cuttings 
inserted at this season are always acceptable in spring and at bedding-out 
time, when it may be decided to plant a few more Pelargoniums than 
usual. Coleuses have been largely used in some gardens. They look fairly 
well for a short time in August or during the hottest part of the summer, 
but they are a long time in coming to perfection after planting ; indeed, 
in a cold wet season they never do, and they decay very early in 
autumn. 
These are the reasons we gave up Coleuses in our flower garden. 
Alternantheras merit the same character. Iresines are a little better, but 
too brief in duration. The variegated Mesembryanthemum is satisfactory 
while it lasts, but it goes off too soon in a cold autumn. Other plants 
might be named which are showy for a time, but they are too short-lived, 
and do not compensate for the labour and expense devoted to their propa¬ 
gation and culture previous to the time they are turned into the flowerbeds, 
and, after many years’ experience in both dry and wet localities I have 
no hesitation in asserting that the most satisfactory class of flower garden 
plants we possess are the Pelargoniums. Any number of cuttings of them 
can be secured at this time. They may be rooted in the open air, packed 
in very closely in either pots or boxes. They do not require much fire 
heat or expense to keep them in good condition through ordinary winters, 
and they always turn out healthy in spring. A little extra attention then 
will convert them into good plants, and they will prove very effective 
immediately after being bedded out in May. The weather must he bad 
indeed if they do not make a good show from then until the end of 
October, and if the blooms are disfigured for a time with rain or rough 
weather they soon bloom anew when the weather improves. If the 
flowers are temporarily destroyed the foliage remains good, and this is a 
great consideration. We frequently manage to keep our Pelargoniums 
gay until the middle of November, but the majority of the other plants 
are over long before that time. I wonder if anyone could name a bed¬ 
ding plant which has remained so long in fashion, and is still used largely, 
than the old Tom Thumb Pelargonium? I grow it in quantity, and 
although there are many newer ones with showier flowers, I have found 
none with greener leaves, brighter blooms, and so lasting as this old 
favourite. Perhaps I ought to explain that I am not placing Pelar¬ 
goniums against “ hardy flowers,” but amongst half-hardy summer flower 
garden plants the Pelargoniums are undoubtedly the most satisfactory.— 
M. M. 
GLADIOLI AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 
I wish that I could consider the large display of this grand autumn 
flower at the Crystal Palace as indicative of a revival of its culture in and 
around the metropolis ; but 1 fear it is not so, for my own stand was the 
only one shown within 108 miles of London, the nearest exhibitor being 
Mr. Catley of Bath; and when we consider the natural habitat of the flower, 
and the fact of its successful culture at Fontainbleau, so much farther to 
the south, it does seem a remarkable fact that the only exhibitor for com¬ 
petition in the open class came from far-off Scotland, and that two of the 
exhibitors in the amateurs’ class hailed from Yorkshire. It shows what I 
have always maintained, that the taste for florists’ flowers is more fully 
developed in the north, and that although laudable attempts have been 
made to galvanise such a taste in the south, they have as yet effected no 
very great results. 
I do not think that the arrangement of the schedule by the Crystal 
Palace Company was such as to attract growers either amateur or pro¬ 
fessional. When prizes are offered for collections it is pretty well under¬ 
stood that only large growers can compete. I met there two nurserymen 
who are very keen in their culture, but who justly said it is not easy 
unless one has a large collection to cut thirty-six distinct varieties, and 
that was the lowest number for which a prize was offered to nurserymen, 
while the sole prize for amateurs was for twelve varieties, and the amount 
for that no more than was offered for Aster«, which could he grown for a 
few shilling packets of seed, and no more than was offered at a small pro¬ 
vincial show. Growers are not attracted by the amount of prize money, 
but they do look to repay their expenses or partly so. This was utterly 
out of the question with such paltry prizes as were offered. 
There were two large collections of 100 or 120 spikes set up, one by 
Mr. Campbell of Gourock in Scotland, who was enterprising enough to 
bring them and set them up, which he did in very good style. I had 
been anxious to see them, and as I missed doing s > last year, when I 
heard so much of them, but both he and other friends who had seen them 
both years said that they were not equal to his last year’s exhibit. They 
were very noticeable for several reasons ; one was the great length of the 
spikes. This had been to some extent, I have no doubt, attained by 
judicious shading, but with all that spikes with twelve or fourteen ex¬ 
panded blooms on them were not easily obtained, and this was no unusual 
thing in his collection.- Another noticeable feature was the successful 
manner in which some old flowers, whose days I had thought were past, 
were shown. Take for example Amalthea, which indeed I never thought 
much of; Tour du Monde, Belladonna, Dumont’s Dirville. These and many 
others were shown in this collection in a manner which fully entitled them 
to he considered first-rate exhibition flowers. In this collection, too, were 
Horace Vernet, Romulus, a very old but very light flower ; Marquis of 
Lothian, a scarlet seedling ; Franklin B. Hankey, raised by my friend Mr. 
Dobree of Wellington ; Sylvie, Anna, Le Perle, Ondine. The one fault 
that I found with the collection was that it wanted brilliancy ; there 
were too many white and light-coloured flowers. Mr. Kelway’s collec¬ 
tion consisted almost altogether of his own seedlings, which he has named 
and distributed, and a few which were put up for certificates. It was a 
collection of the most vivid and various colouring. The length of the 
spikes was not equal to those in the Scotch collection, but in brightness of 
colouring and variety were much superior. There were several new 
varieties put up for certificates, of which four were awarded—Lord 
Randolph Churchill, scarlet flushed with violet; Princess Maude, brilliant 
purple, white throat, and with white lines in the petals ; Dora Thorne, 
yellow, veined with purple, a novel and striking flower ; and Lord Ash¬ 
bourne, light vermilion, of good shape and substance. 
Turning now to the amateurs’ class, of which there was but one—viz., 
for a stand of twelve, I fear I must be guilty of a little egotism, for my 
own stand stood first, and I can, I think, without flattery, say it contained 
the best Gladioli in the whole Show. I have never put up so good a stand, 
and never hope to excel them. I suppose the season has been a specially 
good one for me, for I believe the Gladiolus likes a dry hot summer, but 
some of my friends said theirs had been very much injured by tbrip, of 
which I had not a vestige. I never once used any shading, and, in fact, 
they had no more than the most ordinary care. I did not mulch, and am 
perfectly satisfied now that this is unnecessary, as it was impossible to 
have larger flowers than mine were. The stand contained the following 
flowers :—Meyerbeer, with twelve expanded pips on it; Leandre, a most 
beautifully soft-coloured flower ; Hesperide, a very bright flower, white 
ground, but very largely flaked with rosy salmon, somewhat loose; 
Daphinus, a variety of the present year, tall spike of rosy salmon, flamed 
with slaty violet, and white centre ; Delila, a lovely flower, bright rose, 
flamed carmine, large pure white blotch, the lower blooms measured 
54 inches across ; Flamboyant, a splendid spike of brilliant scarlet flowers ; 
Murillo, rosy cerise, white lines, and white throat, a lovely flower, 
measuring 5 inches across ; Seduction, salmon, white blotches, carmine 
stripes ; Tamerlane, a remarkable flower, brownish crimson suffused with 
slate colour on the edges, creamy yellow marks on the under petals ; 
Feather Gem, a seedling of Mr. Dobree’s, rosy salmon, flamed with rose ; 
Archduchesse Marie Christine, white, tinted with lilac ; and Rabaut, a 
seedling of my own, to which a first-class certificate was awarded. It had 
a long spike with twelve expanded flowers of a soft French white, veined 
at the edges, and very distinct. The second-prize stand contained some 
very fine flowers, especially Meyerbeer and Ondine. They were spoiled, 
I think, in the setting up, too much foliage having been added, and there 
was a lack of quality in some of the blooms. 
One cannot cease to regret the difficulty experienced in cultivating 
this glorious autumn flower, but there is much comfort in recollecting that 
the price of bulbs is now so much reduced that it does not require a great 
deal to replenish one’s stock, and that some of the finest flowers are no 
higher in price than Hyacinths, which one only calculates to grow in per¬ 
fection for one season. It is unquestionably the queen of aulumn flowers. 
Not so gigantic as the Hollyhock, it is yet stately; while the Dahlia, 
although so symmetrical in form and varied in colouring, can never be 
compared to it for elegance and variety of tints and shading. Is it 
utterly hopeless to see more encouragement given to it, and hence, as 
an inevitable result, more growers cultivating it?—D., Deal. 
HENSOL CASTLE, 
The seat of Miss Fothergill in Glamorganshire, is a handsome building 
beautifully situated in a valley, finely sheltered on the north by a hill, 
from which a charming view of the surrounding country can be seen 
to advantage for miles on all sides. The view obtained from this spot 
stands almost unrivalled for picturesque beauty. To the we9t of the Castle 
is a beautiful lake covering 60 acres, which adds greatly to the appear¬ 
ance of the place. It is well stocked with fish, and several fishing boxes 
have been erected along the banks. There is also a handsome boathouse. 
Returning from the lake towards the Castle, on the north side I observed 
some good Coniferse, notably Araucaria imbricata, Wellingtonia gigantea, 
Cedrus deodara and atlantica, also some of the largest Tulip Trees I 
have ever seen, and grand old Beeches, Limes, and Oaks. Curiosity led 
me to measure the spread of an Oak, which was fully 100 feet from tip 
to tip of the branches, and little more than 30 feet high. This tree was 
clothed to the ground with branches borne on strong limbs projecting 
from a proportionate bole. It seemed somewhat singular to see strong 
branches projecting 20 or 30 feet straight, and then drooping to the 
ground. This tree in all other respects resembled the common Oak. 
There are few features connected with a garden which add more to 
the beauty and enjoyment than well-kept lawns. Heneol Castle may 
well be famed for its lawns, which, though extensive, are kept in first- 
rate condition, and are seen from the principal windows on all sides. The 
Castle walls are covered with Ivy, neatl} trimmed. On leaving the 
Cattle for the kitchen garden, turning to the left we passed along an 
8 -feet walk with ribbon borders on each side, which were gay (at the 
time of my visit, August 5th) with a miscellaneous collection of herba¬ 
ceous and bedding plants. At the back of these borders were some fine 
Rose beds. Though most of the varieties are old they were blooming 
profusely, and I was informed they were the “ real cut-and-come-again 
