Deceinbei 26, 1885. THE GARDENING WORLD. 261 
OHRISTMAS FLOWERS AT 
SWANLEY. 
Taking advantage of Mr. Canneil's standing invita¬ 
tion to “Come and see,” we paid him a visit a few 
days ago, and were well repaid for oUr trouble, so 
remarkable for extent and quality is the display of 
flowers to be seen in his nursery. From half a dozen 
houses to start with a few years ago, Mr. Cannell has 
gone on extending his resources, until now he has thirty- 
two houses, all but two of which are each 100 ft. long, 
and in construction the exact counterpart of each 
other, the odd two being, perhaps, of double the 
length. The Swanley houses are sharp-pitched span - 
roofs, and built with all due regard to economy and 
efficiency ; and by the way in which plants thrive in 
them, summer and winter, they may be taken by any¬ 
one-as models of what such houses should be. Ash 
beds or stages under each side of the roof, a path down 
the .centre, with plenty of piping and boiler-power— 
that’s the sort of house that Mr. Cannell favours, and 
he is justified by the results in eschewing all other 
types. 
Plants in Flower. 
A visit at the present time reveals a 'wonderful wealth 
of floral beauty—three houses of double and single 
flowered Zonal Pelargoniums, two of Primulas, one of 
Cyclamens, two of Bouvardias, one of Begonias, 
besides several of mixed subjects, including Mar¬ 
guerites, Salvias (nearly over), Tree Carnations, Poin- 
settias, Tuberoses, Heliotropes, Epiphyllums, and a 
host of other good things, to say nothing of the 
remains of the Chrysanthemums, of which five houses 
were filled—a sight that visitors will not soon forget, 
The Pelargoniums. 
The three houses of Zonal Pelargoniums are alone 
worth a journey to Swanley to see at this season. It is 
simply astonishing to see how grandly these plants are 
bloomed, how bright and intense are their colours, how 
great the contrast between the floral sunshine within 
and the gloom of a December day outside. To give any 
adequate idea of such a floral picture we must plead 
our inability, and give the names instead of some of 
the sorts which have proved to be good winter bloomers. 
Taking the singles first, we shall head the list with 
Mr. H. Cannell, because it is not to be supposed that 
a bad one would be selected to bear the name of a man 
who knows so much about the good ones. Well, Mr. 
Henry Cannell, is a crimson-maroon, with a pure white 
eye, and new, so that nothing more need be said to 
recommend it. Then comes Swanley Gem, rosy salmon, 
very pretty ; Lord Chesterfield, soft magenta ; 0. H. 
Swinstead, crimson; Plutarch, bright scarlet, fine 
trusses; Lord Roseberry, cerise-red ; Kentish Fire, 
crimson-scarlet; Favourite, cerise-scarlet; Octavia, 
soft magenta; New Guinea, orange-scarlet; Ferdinand 
Kauffer, rich magenta-purple, the best of this colour ; 
Zeno, purple-magenta ; Lady Reed, white, with large 
scarlet centre ; Mary Caswell and Nora, soft blush ; 
Lady Chesterfield, deep salmon, the best in the class ; 
Lucy Mason, salmon ; Omphale, soft satiny salmon ; 
Edith Miller, pink, shaded purple ; Kate Greenaway, 
rose ; Edith George, reddish pink ; Mrs. Robertson, 
bright rose-pink ; Constance, rose-pink ; and Queen of 
the Belgians, white. In the hybrid nosegay section, 
Aurore Boreale is the finest, the pips being of immense 
size, and the colour light scarlet tinged with salmon. 
Among the double varieties we selected for special 
mention, La Cygne, white, a grand winter bloomer; 
Heroine, a larger flower, and longer in the flower-stalk, 
much valued for wiring ; Madame Leon Dalloy, a 
pretty blush shade of flesh pink, extra fine ; Belle 
Nancienne, white, with bright salmon centre, a very 
large trusser ; Mrs. Corden, bright cerise, a fine trusser; 
F. V. Raspail, scarlet, and still one of the best; Paul 
Charbonnier, orange-scarlet ; Hollyhock, brilliant 
scarlet, shaded with yellow ; and Kobus, crimson- 
scarlet, somewhat new, and a large trusser. Amongst 
rose-coloured flowers the cream are, Lord Derby, Paul 
de St. Victor, extra good ; and Pauline Roussel, soft 
lilac-pink. In the purple-pink section, the Lord 
Mayor and Rosea superba take the lead ; while among 
the cerise coloured varieties, Erl King and Mr. G. 
Lowagie are still among the best; and in deep crimsons 
few can beat Negro and General Millott, which in all 
respects are first-rate. Romulus, M. L’Abbe Jalabert, 
and Boule Noir hold the lead among what are called 
purples ; and among salmons, James Murkland, an 
American variety ; Gertrude, Madame Monoreau, new ; 
and Thea, one of Pearson’s strain, are also good ones. 
Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums. 
We have in this section a gem of gems, as a combined 
summer and winter bloomer, in Madame Tliibaut, a 
very fine double, of a bright pink shade of colour, very 
free, and good habit; but for the size of the individual 
pips, and fairly good habit in the plants, a variety 
with the dreadful name of Fursten Joseph von Hohen- 
zollern, takes the palm. It is of a reddish shade of 
colour, tinged with purple, and the pips are of fine size 
and of the shape of a good double Balsam. Alice 
Crousse, deep magenta, is the best of this shade, and 
of very fair habit. A set with Chinese names includes : 
Shei-Poo, magenta-scarlet ; Lang-Son, orange-scarlet, 
best of the section ; Hanoi, reddish salmon, very dis¬ 
tinct ; all of which are very good. General de Negrier, 
magenta-pink, deeper coloured centre ; Emile Lemoine, 
rich orange-scarlet; Massenet, bright magenta, very 
distinct; and Jean d’Arc, white, are novel and good. 
Chinese Primulas. 
These are well-grown at Swanley, and though de¬ 
signedly somewhat more backward than usual, carry a 
fine head of bloom, especially the doubles. The old 
double white, still unsurpassed for general utility, is 
represented by a grand batch. Princess Beatrice, soft 
lilac-pink, with a lacing of white, is exceedingly pretty ; 
Princess of Wales, deep blush, is also very fine ; and 
worthy to rank with them is the Marchioness of Exeter, 
white, spotted, and flaked with rose ; while in Annie 
Hillier,asomewliatnew variety of a deep blush colour, we 
have a fine type for the bouquetist, by reason of its long 
flower stalks. Among the singles, the strains of Swanley 
Red, Swanley White, and Swanley Purple, are largely 
grown, and well selected ; The Queen, Fern-leaved and 
white, still reigns supreme for size and purity; and Queen 
of Whites is also a grand flower. Swanley Blue, mauve 
or porcelain-blue, is also a good pure stock ; Emperor a 
deep salmon, and fine large trusses; and Swanley Giant 
is a very large purple. 
Bouvardias. 
In the Bouvardia House one of the finest of all is 
Priory Beauty, pale satin rose, very free, good in habit, 
and altogether a beauty. President Garfield, double, 
blush coloured ; and Alfred Neuner, double white, 
still hold their own among the older sorts ; and in two 
new ones, Sang Lorraine, double scarlet; and M. 
Lemoine, salmon-red, we have novelties of great 
promise. The stock of plants in the main consists of 
dwarf, bushy plants in 48 sized pots from which bushels 
of flo-wers could be cut, almost without missing them. 
Winter-flowering Begonias. 
The evergreen section ot Begonias as repiesented at 
Swanley, are a class that deserve to be much more 
widely grown than they are for winter decoration, to 
say nothing of the usefulness of such sorts as 
Weltoniensis, widely grown as a window plant, and 
perhaps, until the new sort Carrieri made its appearance, 
the most floriferous Begonia known. It is equally good 
Begonia Carrieri : a valuable winter flowering plant. 
