THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[April 3. 
should delay the blossoming, nor were we wrong in this 
anticipation. The Bellegarde peach not so kept cold 
was in full blossom in the third week of March, whilst 
that kept cold will not be in blossom for a fortnight 
from the time we are writing this (March 25th). 
Now, if there had been any snow this winter, so that 
we could have Had it heaped deeply, and beaten down 
hard over the roots and covered over with straw, it 
would not have melted by this time, and by such 
treatment, and keeping the screen before the tree, during 
the first half of April, we know of no reason why the 
tree should not be restrained from blooming until the 
end of that month. Nor do we see why the peach, like 
the vine, may not acquire a Habit of late blooming. 
Our experiment was a very rough one, and made under 
circumstances of disadvantage; but we record the fact, 
that others who have greater facilities than ourselves, 
mav test the success of such treatment more extensively. 
GARDENING GOSSIP. 
The Society for the Encouragement of Floriculture had 
a numerous meeting at Kingsland last week. The most 
remarkable productions were Seedling Crocuses, from 
Mr. Lockhart, of Fulham. 
Three were blues, of rather different qualities. One of 
them, named Incomparable purple, was of enormous size, 1 
and formed almost like a Tulip; another, Admiral of the ■ 
Blue, was, if possible, finer, though smaller; Lady Grey was i 
white outside, and a sort of grey lilac within; and a pure 
white, almost as large as the purple, was greatly admired. 1 
It was named Princess Helena. The others were very 
superior to our best ordinary varieties. David Rizzio and 
Prince Albert, two favourite purples, were completely dis¬ 
tanced. Mr. Lockhart declined submitting them for certi¬ 
ficates, as his stock was too small to profit by any sale of 
them at present. 
The National Floricultural Society pogresses, many 
leading florists having given in their adherance. 
An advertisement in our last number shows they are 
upon the move. The meetings for the year are all fixed, 
and it is decided that their shows shall take place at the 
Horticultural Society’s rooms. 
The Nurseries round London are beginning to look 
gay, and especially Henderson’s, Low’s, Rollison’s, 
and Groom’s. Hyacinths of all colours, and forced 
flowers, oi course, do a good deal towards helping the 
display ; but there are at Messrs. Henderson’s and at Rol- 
lison’s fine specimens of stove and orchidaceous plants, 
ol which we shall give a more detailed account. 
The Tooting Nursery is rich, too, in the splendid Rhodo¬ 
dendron Javafticim, of which the Messrs. Rollison possess 
hundreds of seedlings. Mr. Groom’s monster Tulip bed 
looks promising; perhaps never more so. Messrs. Low 
and Son are more famous for specimens. Whatever plant 
is coveted by a visitor is sold. But the vegetation of the 
world seems concentrated in the Clapham Nursery; plants 
of all kinds, from seedlings just above ground to strong 
mature nursery stuff, literally cram every receptacle on the 
premises; we are afraid of mentioning numbers. Choice 
subjects actually remind us, in quantity, of lettuce and cauli¬ 
flower plants at a market garden. 
A great sale of Carnations and Picotees in London 
brought a good many more to market than were wanted, 
and they were comparatively sacrificed. The auction 
mart has been such an inexhaustible source of second 
rate things, and things with wrong names, that we do 
not wonder at good things being sacrificed. 
We doubt very much if the owner gets twenty pounds clear 
of expenses for his very superb collection. Mr. Barnard’s 
collection, though not worth half the money considering the 
season of sale, produced twice as much. The sale, however, 
on this occasion was not half advertised ; perhaps the thou¬ 
sands of readers of the The Cottage Gardener hear of it 
now for the first time. 
The Victoria Regia is destined to figure in many 
places. Mr. Knight, of the King’s Road, has a plant 
well accommodated. Mr. Weeks, a near neighbour, is 
erecting a lily palace on purpose for one; and Messrs. 
Yeitcli, of Exeter, have had a plant in bloom above a 
month, which has had a dozen flowers. 
This noble plant is, however, so thorougly aristocratic, 
that it must have a residence constructed on purpose to do 
any good in its culture. Messrs. Yeitcli keep up a circula¬ 
tion of the water in the tank by means of a revolving wheel. 
The second part of Dr. Hooker’s work on The Rhodo¬ 
dendrons of the Sikkim Himmalaya has appeared, and 
contains ten splendid figures. 
R. Aucklandii, a very large white; R. Thomsonii, with 
deep red flowers, rather loose; R. pendulum, an epiphyte, 
with small hanging white flowers; R. pmnilum, an alpine 
species, with small pink flowers ; R. Hodgsonii, a large leaved 
species, with rose-coloured flowers, of great size, having 
eighteen stamens; R. Lanatum, pale sulphur colour; R. 
glaucuni, small species, with pale rosy flowers; R. Maddeni, 
with long white flowers, with eighteen or twenty stamens ; 
R. triforum, a yellow species; and R. setosum, distinguished 
for powerful fragrance. A third part is expected. 
A correspondent writes tints :— 
I read yesterday your account of the Spanish bulb, and 
only regretted that I did not know about it two years ago 
when I was in Spain at Algesiras, Malaga, Ac.; but I shall 
write to a friend of mine at Gibraltar to hunt for it forth¬ 
with ; though, unfortunately, I read in the papers that lie 
was shot by robbers in the ash woods, near Gibraltar, where 
I shot with him two years ago; but by the time he gets my 
letter I hope he will be well. 
I grew Saponaria Calabrica at your suggestion. It was 
beautiful. I shall have plenty sown for transplanting; or do 
you sow it broad-cast? Have you any dwarf walls ? The 
prettiest things I saw at Lisbon, Cintra, Ac., were dwarf- 
terraced walls, double of 4-inch brick, with the middle filled 
with earth, planted with Guernsey or Belladonna Lilies, 
Anemones, Ranunculuses, Geraniums, Ac. 
I see you ask about nosegays. I grow all my flowers for 
bouquets; and the best flower I have had this winter has been 
the Tropwohm Lobbianum. My gardener sows in November. 
From three plants trailing in a vinery, we have picked 
150 bunches, and now he could have 50 more, and is cut¬ 
ting them away. These, with the light blue-grey Italian 
violets, make a capital nosegay. And recollect, as you write 
about colour, that the complementary colour to deep orange 
is the lowest blue; but as most writers have it the deepest, 
and Newton, the painter, (not Sir Isaac) felt this, and always 
painted orange dresses and chinchilla fur. Landseer, 
wonderful painter as he is, borrows this from Newton, but 
does not know the reason. I find Goodyeria discolor a capital 
flower for 
a month. 
nosegays, blowing in winter, and it lasts in water 
E. Y. 
NEW PLANTS. 
THEIR PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES. 
Transparent Dendrobiuji (Dendrolnum transpa¬ 
rent). —This is another gem in the crown of Dentlro- 
1 bium—the royal family of air plants, of which nearly a 
i hundred and fifty species have been recorded by syste- 
! matic writers, among which are many individuals eini- 
i nently beautiful, and not surpassed in that respect by 
