GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 8 , 1857. 
,j 301 THE COTTAGE 
j there is not a family of plants in this country that are 
sj more ill used than we have been. Now, I do wish that 
| those who admire our blossoms knew how much we 
j love a simple course of treatment. They would save 
i themselves a deal of trouble and expense, and ourselves 
i a deal of misery and degradation.” 
| Thus for the present ends poor Camellia’s catalogue of 
■j woes. I live in hopes of some-day obtaining the rest of 
j her history, which, according to her statement, threatens 
t some important disclosures. In that event I shall with 
j pleasure give it to the public. Perhaps some useful 
lesson may be derived from it. R. Errington. 
NORWOOD HALL. 
( The seat of J. Wheal, Esq.) 
I visited lately this place, two miles north of Sheffield, 
and found a good collection of Orchids very well grown, 
and many in bloom. As it may be desirable for new 
beginners to know what species flower in winter, I took 
their names down, and shall send them to be inserted 
in our Cottage Gardener for their information. The 
principal Orchid house here is a lean-to, with a rather 
flat roof, from which in winter drops of condensed water 
were continually falling upon the plants. To remedy, 
or rather, prevent this Mr. Ellis, the gardener, procured 
some large sheet glass wide enough to reach from rafter 
to rafter. This is fixed inside, and it not only prevents 
the dripping of the water; hut also prevents the escape 
of heat in winter, and shades the plants from the burning 
foci of sun heat on the outer glass. The Orchids 
are, as is usual, some grown in pots, others in baskets, 
and the rest on blocks of wood. I did not see a single 
plant that was sickly. All appeared to be in robust 
health. Behind the Orchid house is a raised border. 
In it are planted various Creepers, and the surface is 
covered with Ferns, Lycopodiums, &c. A comparatively 
new plant, the Eranthemum leuconervum, seemed to be 
quite at home on this border. Its beauty, green leaves 
variegated with silver, rendered it exceedingly interest¬ 
ing. This large house contained the plants at rest. In 
another part of the garden there is a half span-roofed 
low house. In it the East Indian Orchids in growth 
are kept. 
At this place I saw the large Vanda Batemanniana, 
which flowers every year. It was purchased at a sale 
in Stevens’s Rooms for sixty guineas, and is, I believe, 
the finest plant of the kind in this country. 
The following Orchids were in flower :— 
Ansellia Africana. —A large plant, with three large, 
many-branched flower-stems. 
Calanthe vestita. —Both varieties with many stems. 
This is an exceedingly fine winter-flowering Orchid. 
Limatodes rosea with three stems. Tins plant is 
nearly allied to Calanthe, and is very beautiful. 
Marmodes speciosa. —One of the best of this curious 
genus. 
Epklendrum ciliare. —A good species for winter bloom¬ 
ing. 
Lcelia acuminata, L. anceps , L. anceps Barheriana .— 
All these are good species for winter flowering. 
Lycaste macrophylla. —Though not so showy as 
many species, this is worth growing to flower at this 
season of the year. 
Prussia Martiana. —A curious, pretty, scarce species. 
Oncidium papilio. —The ricli-coloured, large-flowered 
variety; exceedingly beautiful. 
Sophronitis cernua. —A fine plant on a block with 
numerous flowers. 
Sophronitis cernua coccinea. —Decidedly more scarlet 
than the species. A distinct variety. 
Phaltenopsis grandijiora with several blooms. 
STOVE PLANTS IN BLOOM. 
Poinsettia pulcherrima .—Both the scarlet and white j 
varieties. The latter shows best by candle-light. 
Rondeletici speciosa major .—This is planted out in the 
border above-mentioned, and I was assured is constantly 
in bloom. 
Oeissomeria longiflora .—This plant is somewhat dif¬ 
ficult to grow so as to form a fine, handsome plant. 
Mr. Ellis manages it well by putting four or five plants i 
in a pot. By this method he obtains as many heads of 
its beautiful, tube-shaped, scarlet flowers. 
Begonias .—Many species. B. insignis is the best for 
winter blooming. There are here some good specimens 
of the curious Pitcher plants. The rare Nepenthes 
sanguinea bad five perfect pitchers on it, though not 
above a foot high. 
Th’ere is also a good greenhouse here, and in order 
to make the most of it Vines are very successfully grown 
on the rafters. The back wall is covered with Camellias 
planted out on a similarly raised border to that in the 
Orchid houses. I was glad to see them in perfect health, 
and covered with blossom-buds. Many a naked back 
wall in various greenhouses throughout the land might 
be covered with this fine-flowering, evergreen shrub. On 
the stages I noticed some well-grown, bushy Heaths of 
the better kinds. 
On the whole I was much gratified by what I saw at 
Norwood Hall. T. Appleby. 
THE FIRS. 
( The seat of Edward Smith, Esq.) 
This place is in the valley, about half a mile from 
Norwood Hall. It has been built and the gardens formed 
about ten years. There is a neat range of span-roofed 
ridge-and-furrow houses. One is a greenhouse, and 
there are three houses filled with Orchids. Though the 
collection has been so lately formed there are many 
good plants of the best varieties there, especially a Den- 
drobium Dalhousianum, which is five feet high, and as 
many through, with the stoutest and strongest pseudo¬ 
bulbs I have ever seen. 
The plants I noticed here in flower (I visited it the 
same day I called at Norwood Hall) were as follows:— 
Lcelia autumnalis. —Very neat and beautiful. 
L. anceps. —Very strong. L. Barlceriana, also, finely 
bloomed. 
Dendrobium moniliforme (the bracelet Dendrobe).— 
On this plant were scores of its beautiful rosy blossoms, 
which at this inclement season were the more re¬ 
markably lovely. Few Orchids surpass this gem in 
beauty. 
Ansellia Africana. —Well bloomed. 
Oncidium leucocheilum. —A very neat andjfree-flowering 
Orchid; also a variety of the same with darker spots. 
Both had many long spikes. 
STOVE PLANTS IN FLOWER. 
Poinsettia pulcherrima. —Many plants. I measured 
one flower; it was seventeen inches diameter—a brilliant 
scarlet star. The plants were generally more dwarf than 
usually seen. 
Henfreya scandens. —I never thought much of this 
plant till I saw it here. As its name imports, it is a 
scandent or half-climbing plant, with large leaves and 
corymbs of white, heavy-swelling flowers. The plant 
here was planted out, and covered a side pillar com¬ 
pletely. I am sure I am within compass when I say it 
bad upwards of a hundred bunches of flowers on it. 
It was really a fine object at this season of the year. 
Thyrsacantlius rutilans. —Another fine winter-flower¬ 
ing stove shrub. The flower-stem droops straight down¬ 
ward, and, though the flowers individually are but small 
