June 30, ' 87. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
535 
shows on particular days is a sore evil, but if societies having fixed 
and published the dates of their exhibitions think that it is open to 
them to change their day because as the season advances another 
date would better suit their locality, the evil becomes intensified. 
"What would be thought of a poultry society, which having fixed its 
date, should by-and-by alter because the season had been so cold 
that the early hatched birds had done badly ? yet that would be as 
good a reason for altering it as to alter a Rose show. But this is 
•somewhat of a digression, though I feel the matter is one of so 
great importance that it ought not to be lost sight of. Well, the 
first fortnight in June has made a most marvellous difference. 
There has been an unusual amount of sunshine, and the thermo¬ 
meter has rapidly gone up, reaching for us in June the most un¬ 
usual height of 83°. The wind has been warm and soft. We had 
here in Kent on two days an inch of rain, and the growth that 
Roses made was simply marvellous. Buds were rapidly formed, 
disbudding soon became necessary, and now, although the wind has 
for some days been blowing from its old quarters, N. and N.E., yet 
there is every prospect I think of Roses being up to time. The 
effect on Tea Roses has been truly wonderful. Already I have 
gathered from the open border (although mine is not an early 
garden), while those on my wall are a perfect blaze of beauty. 
Perle de Lyon is a Rose which in ordinary seasons is very disap¬ 
pointing. It grows well for a wall, forms a fine bud with beauti¬ 
fully coloured foliage, but the buds will not expand. This year 
they have opened grandly, and some blooms which I have cut 
might well have passed for a good Cloth of Gold. William Allen 
Richardson is one sheet of brilliant orange-coloured flowers. My 
favourite, Comtesse de Nadaillac, has already given me some ex¬ 
quisite flowers. Climbing Devoniensis and Reve d’Or are very full, 
the latter making its way to recover its lost ground ; while Long- 
worth Rambler (not so bright in colour as one might wish to see it) 
is literally covered with thousands of blooms from top to bottom. 
This, with its well nigh evergreen foliage and perpetual blooming 
character, makes it a most desirable Rose for a wall. In looking 
round those on my own and digesting the various accounts I receive 
from other gardens there is every prospect of a good Rose season. 
Of course the last fortnight in June may upset our calculations, but 
as far as we can see now our hopes are bright. 
Of the three great enemies of the Rose, the maggot, mildew, 
and orange fungus, the first has as yet only made its appearance, but 
it has been (with me, at least) in very considerable quantities ; 
however there is one comfort, that it is not difficult to detect its 
presence, and when taken in time all injury from it may be pre¬ 
vented. It requires the careful and patient overlooking of each 
shoot, and as soon as it is perceived it should be taken away and 
destroyed. As yet I have seen no trace of orange fungus or mildew, 
although I have heard of both in other places. It seems hopeless to 
try to prevent either of these pests, and to cure them seems almost 
as hopeless. Several growers have told me that sulphide of potassium 
has proved an effective remedy. I have not tried it myself, but 
mean to do so. 
On all sides one hears of preparations for the coming fight, and 
looking at the two great shows of the year, those of the National 
Rose Society, there seems to be every prospect of success. At 
South Kensington we shall have a clearer stage than we have had 
for some years past, for there will be no exhibition to interfere 
with us, and one at least of the corridors will be available. No Roses 
will be placed in the back alley, where there was hardly room to 
move, and Roses were baked under the concentrated glare of the 
conservatory, which no shading seemed to obviate. There will not 
be that awful rush of visitors which made locomotion dangerous, 
and the lives of exhibitors miserable last year, for the simple- 
minded crowd imagined that the Roses were left there for them to 
appropriate, and it was difficult to make them understand “ hands 
off.” I fear the question is not whether we shall have too great a 
rush of visitors, but whether there will be enough. I anticipate a 
rush for our Provincial Show in Edinburgh. Our English Rose 
growers seem determined to do their “level best” to make it a 
-success, so much so that negotiations were opened with the London 
and North-Western Railway as to the possibility of running a special 
train to convey exhibitors and their boxes on the night of July 12th, 
but it was found that this was a little beyond their powers. It has, 
however, been determined, if exhibitors agree to it, to attach one or 
more special vans to the 8.50 Scotch express on that night, arriving 
in “ Auld Reekie ” at 6.25 on the morning of the Show. The 
vans will be exclusively appropriated to exhibitors, a good layer of 
gfrass will be laid in the bottom to pre"vent .vibration and keep it 
cool, and as there will be no other luggage allowed in these vans, 
the boxes will not be bundled about by porters who have no mercy, 
And never discriminate as to whether they are boxes of flowers or 
portmanteaus. The only discrimination i know them to practise is 
if a box is marked “ This side up ” to turn it the opposite way. 
Exhibitors in the south of London, and probably those in the parts 
of Essex and Herts near to London, will join at Euston. Those from 
Oxford, Birmingham, &c., will have to reach Rugby so as to meet 
the express at 10.52. There is a stopping train for Bletchley at 9.8 
which will do it. Then exhibitors from Cheshire will have to reach 
Crewe to meet the train at 11.37. The 11.6 train from Chester will 
do this. All this is of course contingent on what the exhibitors 
themselves may determine ; but the fact of the arrangement being 
possible shows that the Committee of the National Rose Society is 
quite alive to their wants. It will be a considerable saving of ex¬ 
pense to those who adopt it, for as the boxes are not reckoned as 
passengers’ luggage, and they weigh heavy, and the distance is great, 
moieover, they will secure to themselves a greater likelihood of 
their boxes being carefully carried. 
As our friends in Scotland are very much on the alert and have 
entered heartily into the arrangements for the Exhibition, and as, 
too, we shall have exhibitors from the noith of Ireland, I am very 
hopeful that it will prove to be a grand success. Altogether, then, 
our prospects are “ rosy,” and I hope that when we meet we may 
be able to say at last we have a good Rose season, and one for 
which it does not require us to make apologies.—D., Deal. 
ROSE SHOW FIXTURES. 
July 12th, * Brockham, * Diss, and 
* Oxford. 
„ 13th, * Edinburgh (N.R.S.). 
„ 14th, Alexandra Palace, Bir¬ 
mingham and Harles- 
ton. 
„ 15 th, *Helensburgh, *Hereford, 
and Hull. 
„ 16 h, * New Br'ghton. 
,, 19ih, * L“ek. 
,, 20th, * Birkenhead. 
„ 22nd, Manchester and * Ulver- 
t, stone. 
Those exhibitions, which are held by the National Rose Society o-by 
Societies affiliated w th it, are di-tinguDh d by an as erisk. In the ab >ve 
list there are three 2-days shows (Birmingham, Brighton, and Hull), 
and one show extending over three days—that at the Alexandra Palace. In 
each of these cases the date of the first d <y’s exhibition only is given. No 
less than five fixtures have bsm altered since my last list appeared at the 
end of March—viz., Biockham, Crystal Palace, Hereford, JHitchin, and 
Reieate. 
The clashing of fixtures is much to be re^re'tel, but still more serious 
is, I think, the practice of altering fixtures which have been once definitely 
decided upon and male generally known.— Edward Mawley, Rosebank, 
Ber.. hamsted, Herts. 
July 2nd, * Eltham. 
„ 5tb, * S. Kensington (N.R.S.). 
„ 6th, Brighton, * Ealinv, Re¬ 
gent’s Park (R.B.S.), 
* Sutton, and * Tun¬ 
bridge Weils. 
„ 7th, * Bath, *Faruham,*Farn- 
ingham, * Ipswich, 
Malvern, * Reigate, 
and * Winchester. 
,, 8th, * Hitchin and *Maidstone 
,, 9th, Crystal Palace. 
FLORAL DECORATIONS AT A ROYAL GARDEN 
PARTY. 
On Wednesday last, on the occasion of the Queen’s garden party at 
Buckingham Palace, to which 6000 guests were invited, the floral deco¬ 
rations were extensive and admirably carried out under the superintend¬ 
ence of Mr. T. Jones, gardener to Her Majesty at Frogmore. Groups of 
plants were arranged in the windows and on the terrace, while several 
of the principal marquees on the lawn were most tastefully decorated 
with groups and borders of flowering and fine-foliage plants. The 
majority of these had been brought from the Royal Gardens at Windsor, 
some thousands being so provided, and these included the handsome 
specimen Palms, Crotons, Cordylines, Dracaenas, &c., which were re¬ 
cently noted in these pages as occupants of the large conservatory and 
stoves at Frogmore. 
The flowering plants chiefly consisted of Hydrangea hortensis varie¬ 
ties, the blue tinted form being very handsome ; Lilium longiflorum in 
abundance, Roses in pots, double yellow Chrysanthemums, Spiraea ja- 
ponica and S. palmata, which had a charming effect, Pelargoniums both 
zonal and decorative varieties, Chrysanthemum frutescens, Kalosanthes 
coccinea, with richly coloured Coleuses, and Isolepis gracilis for margins. 
These were displayed in groups at the corners of the marquees and as 
marginal borders or screens, while in addition numbers were employed 
in the apartments of the Palace. A simple, effective, and natural style 
of arrangement was adopted throughout, nothing formal or stereotyped, 
and the appearance of the groups was considerably improved by the 
neat margin of green painted narrow zinc faced with an ornamental 
buff brown wire edge. This is made in various lengths and fixed in its 
place by means of iron pins ; it is easily secured in its position, can be 
placed round groups of any form or size, and imparts a neat finish to 
the arrangement, besides preventing the plants being disturbed by a 
visitors. Mr. Jones carefully considers all these seemingly minor matters, 
and with the aid of a large staff of assistants he succeeded in completing 
his arrangements most satisfactorily early in the day. 
RICHMOND SHOW. 
June 29th. 
A magnificent exhibition was provided in the Old Deer Park on 
Wtdnesday last, three large marquees be’ng filled with plants, flowers, fruits, 
and vegetables. A’though the shows held at Richmond have long been 
noted for their good qualify, the one held this season surpassed all previous 
