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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, June 16, 1857. 
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competitors. The rest of the stove and greenhouse 
plants and the Azaleas are just one year older since I 
described them last, only one of them, a beautiful Erica 
Bergiana, seemed to be off, or going off, from the troubles 
of this world. 
Azaleas. — Coronata is still my favourite Azalea ; 
then Criterion , in the way of Exquisita , and two highly- 
coloured ones, both in Mr. Carson’s lot, Bella and 
Apollo , crimson scarlet and orange scarlet. These two 
and Coronata are the three most distinct colours in all 
the Azaleas which have been exhibited. 
There were two collections of tall Cacti, the same as 
at the Crystal Palace; but as those who are interested 
in the names in collections will find them all in our 
summer reports since 1850, and more particularly since 
1852, it seems waste of space to repeat them. 
Mr. Salter, of the Versailles Nursery, Hammersmith, 
sent a collection of hardy variegated plants, the most 
useful of all the variegated plants after all, because 
everybody can have them out in the beds and borders. 
The newest to me of these was Vinca major reticulata, 
the network of the veining being in purple and gold; 
AEgopodium Podogravia, Spircea tdmaria, Funkia undu- 
lata and alho marginata, Tussilago, Dactylis glomerata, 
Apium graveolens, Centaurea candidissima, the best of 
the silver-frosted plants; Strawberry, Balm, and Salvias 
of different kinds, and many others, all variegated, and 
all very good and popular, and deservedly so. 
The Roses and Rhododendrons and some of the 
Pelargoniums were arranged in circular beds, with 
raised grass edges as at the Regent’s Park, with a row 
of standard Azaleas and other specimen plants placed 
all round the tent, which had a very good effect. 
Although the Messrs. Standish and Noble have dissolved ! 
partnership they were here placed side by side in one 
of these circular beds of most beautiful Rhododendron j 
seedlings of their own raising, and the Messrs. Jacksons’ 
collection of foreign Rhododendrons stood opposite them, 
with two of Dalhousice in bloom, and others the same as 
at the Crystal Palace. 
Roses. —Mr. Lane, as was anticipated, took the first 
natural leap with Roses, having jumped into Mr. Paul’s 
Crystal Palace boots at one bound, and Mr. Rowland 
also kept the foreground among amateurs. The Roses 
were never better, and never so well pitched before as 
on these beds. There was nothing new among them; 
indeed, Roses would need to be five or six years old 
before they could come to such a size, and by that time 
they could not be new. 
Pelargoniums and Fancies were not so numerous as 
at the Crystal Palace; but there was more variety in 
i them. Mr. Turner’s bed was most splendid. Sanspareil, 
spotted ; Lord Raglan, scarlet; Una, white; Rosamond, 
Governor-General, Basilisk, and Esther could not be 
selected for variety ; but the novelty and greatest variety 
were in his collection of French Pelargoniums. One 
called Eugene Duval, a light purple, is quite a new style 
of Diadematum. O for a hybrid perpetual Geranium 
of this Eugene to make a bed in the Experimental! But 
we are coming round that way, and my head for it if, 
in a few more years, we do not cast our present races 
to the moles and bats, as we have done the Moss and 
Cabbage Roses, and have nothing but hybrid perpetual ' 
j Geraniums which will last nine months in the year, and I 
I force and bed into the bargain. Dennis’s Alma and Cut- 
bush’s Blancliefleur are the fountains and foundation of 
the coming race. Mr. Kinghorn had the two beautiful 
new seedlings I mentioned last autumn, Rose Queen, 
after the manner of Lucia rosea ; and Lizzy, after Boule 
I de Neige and Blushing Bride. 
Iu the Fancy Pelargoniums one called Fornarina 
(Henderson) was the most out of the common way of 
them all. Of white Pelargoniums Gem of the West is 
i very good, also Hermione ; and Vesper is the most 
curious. Were it not that I know to the contrary I 
should say that our Vesper and Sanspareil gave the 
cue to the French for making the new spotted race, for 
which the world is all but daft just now. 
The Messrs. Fraser are pushing very closely on Mr. j 
Turner’s Pelargonium heels. Their Magnificent, Ma- j 
jestic, Rosa Portia, and Zeno remind one of their former 
strength in battling and winning battles against Mrs. 
Lawrence. 
Mr. Barter, gardener to Mr. Lennox, had a small col- | 
lection of variegated new kinds of bedding, and Mr. | 
Salter had a collection of the fancy, Pansies in cut 
flowers. These are the right kinds of Pansies for the i 
flower garden, the pot Pansies being too fat and greasy- , 
like to look well in beds. We owe a heavy debt to Mr. 
Salter for having had the courage and good sense to | 
face the tide of the circle of our florists in this class, | 
which are as Skye terriers against King Charles’s, whose j 
very grim and grisly ugliness is their absolute beauty. 
If the nixus of our florists was applied to improving the 1 
dog races the tendency would run round and round till 
all the curs, lurchers, colly dogs and all were converted 
into the Italian greyhound, and no other dog or dog- 
gesses would or could we get to buy or breed from in a 
few more years, unless some Salter should rise to 
stop the evil, &c., and so it was in Pansies. But if Sir 
Joseph Paxton is as much in earnest about spring j 
flowers, and other flowers equally neglected, as “ our 
own” correspondents, depend upon it our flower beds 
will not want for posies or fancy races of plants. 
The greatest rage just now is for Nosegay and Hybrid 
Perpetual Geraniums. Mr. Ferguson, of Stowe, has a 1 
wonderful fancy for them, and a wonderfully good 
memory to send one flower of all the kinds he sells in 
order to be classified; and there are other firms with 
no less wonderful memories about spotted French 
Geraniums, French Phloxes, and French fashions, for 
all of which I am made responsible to the curator of the 
Experimental Garden, and for the empty spaces which 
were left for the classifications. 
Mr. Edmunds, who exhibited last spring the finest : 
double China Primroses that ever were seen, and who is 
gardener to the Duke of Devonshire—the best of all 
dukes, for allowing his beautiful gardens at Chiswick to 
be seen on the Chiswick Show days—I say this Mr. Ed¬ 
munds has stolen a march on us all. His flower garden 
was more full on the 1st of June than nine-tenths of the j 
best gardens in the country will be on the 1st of July. 
His arrangements are also a stolen march since this 
time three years, and the grand secret is in his keeping 
his old Geraniums, and in making early autumn cuttings 
of those of which he has no old plants. He has planted 
a bed of the Marquis de la Ferte Petunia, the improved 
Shrubland Rose, and we shall soon know on the best j 
authority which is the better one of the two, or if they 
are better or worse than Countess Ellesmere, the second i 
improvement of the Shrubland Rose. Both the Horti¬ 
cultural and the gardens at Chiswick House were in 
first-rate style of look and keeping. D. Beaton. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
THUNBERGIA AURANTIACA FOR BEDDING. 
“ Will you kindly tell me whether I may trust to Thun- 
bergia to cover two small beds in a flower garden ? I have 
a good many very healthy-looking seedlings of Thunbergia 
aurantiaca. They have been raised on a slight hotbed, and 
are now about five or six inches high, and seem to be ready 
to plant out. If it will answer well to peg them down to 
cover the small beds, at what distance from each other I 
should they be planted? and should they be pegged close to 
the ground, or would it be better to put small branches for 
them to creep over?”—A. 
