February 20, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
389 
programme, the assistance of some good speakers should 
be secured, and having a lively remembrance of the 
debut of the present President of the Local Government 
Board as a horticultural dinner chairman at Aston 
Lower Grounds some years ago, I think the securing of 
the Right Honorable Gentleman as chairman for the 
proposed dinner would be to ensure its entire success. 
There are just now many reasons why gardeners 
should be brought together in social intercourse, not 
the least of which is found in the paralysed condition 
of the Royal Horticultural Society. Perhaps a great 
gathering as suggested, if held in London during the 
summer, would help to stimulate that body to more 
democratic action, and thus bring a society, in which 
every gardener feels some interest, into more complete 
accord with the times.— A. D. 
■-- *3 - 
WINTER FLOWERING 
BEGrONIAS. 
Poe a cool stove or warm conservatory there are 
few plants to equal 'the winter-flowering Begonias at 
this time of the year, and for a month or two yet they 
will be yielding their flowers in such numbers that we 
can cut basketfuls from a moderate collection of plants. 
Being easily grown and cheap, they are finding friends 
in hundreds of gardens where efforts are made to main¬ 
tain a prolonged supply of flowers during winter and 
early spring. Those of the B. semperflorens section 
are the best known and the most generally useful, they 
are strong in growth, free in flowering, and are quickly 
increased either by cuttings or seed, all considerations 
of much importance. The typical B. semperflorens 
has white flowers, pure and large in fine clusters 
produced naturally from Christmas onwards without 
any special management, but by sowing seed at inter¬ 
vals or raising several batches of cuttings it can be had 
in bloom at "any time of the year. From time to time 
seedlings have been selected from this distinguished 
by the greater size of the flowers or the presence of 
rosy tints, and to these suitable names have been given. 
Thus an enlarged form has been termed Gigantea, and 
of this two beautiful varieties are named respectively 
Rosea and Carminea, the former of a bright pure soft 
pink, and the latter deep rosy red in the bud, but 
when fully opened of a rich flesh tint. There are 
varieties of the ordinary B. semperflorens type bearing 
similar names to the above, and one Rubra, is note¬ 
worthy for the very dark red hue of the flowers, but 
all are valuable plants, and anyone may venture to 
have a good collection as they are certain to give 
satisfaction. 
A series of hybrids named after the gardens where 
they were obtained, such as Knowsleyana, Ascotensis, 
Digswellensis, and Weltoniensis, comprise some of the 
best known and most useful Begonias in cultivation ; 
and it is impossible to say too much in their praise for 
their particular purpose—a winter supply of graceful 
flowering plants. Knowsleyana has very much to 
recommend it ; the habit is free but compact, it is ex- 
extremely fioriferous, and the flowers are charmingly 
tinted with rose or sometimes nearly white. It 
is a thoroughly useful plant, and either for general 
decorative purposes in the conservatory or greenhouse, 
where it succeeds admirably, or to furnish its blooms 
in unstinted quantity for cutting. The gracefulness of 
its habit renders it well suited for arranging with other 
plants, especially with Ferns or plants bearing brighter 
coloured flowers than this Begonia. Ascotensis is 
similarly useful, and the flowers are of a warm pink 
colour; Digswellensis is dwarf in habit, producing 
great numbers of its rosy flowers in neat clusters ; 
while Weltoniensis, of similar colour, but having rich 
green foliage, is so well known as scarcely to need 
description. 
Of a different style, hut very graceful, free, and 
bright, is B. Ingrami, an enlarged hybrid or variety of 
the B. fuchsioides type; the flowers, however, are 
larger than that lovely species and of a darker colour, 
the leaves and growth are also stronger and distinct. 
B. fuchsioides itself should be grown in every garden, 
for its charming coral-like scarlet drooping flowers 
please all who see it in good condition. It is one of the 
best for planting out in a conservatory, and can be 
trained to the pillars or rafters with excellent effect; 
in fact, there is no other Begonia so well adapted for 
this purpose. B. Carrieri is a comparatively new 
hybrid, and unites some of the best qualities of B. 
semperflorens with the dwarfer habit of B. Schmidti. 
It forms a bushy plant, branching but compact, and is 
one of the most fioriferous of the winter-flowering 
Begonias, small plants being frequently seen what are 
termed masses of bloom—that is, the foliage is scarcely 
visible owing to the abundant clusters of pure white 
elegant flowers, which have a lighter appearance than 
those of B. semperflorens. Many more might be men¬ 
tioned, but the above comprise the most reliable and 
useful sorts, it being only necessary to add to them the 
white or blush B. nitida, that can be safely recom¬ 
mended to all who have not grown it ; those who have 
it well know its valuable character. 
The culture is so simple that it can be detailed in a 
few words, and except to assist amateurs or beginners 
it would not be necessary to refer to it. "We have found 
that the best soil for these Begonias is a mLxture of 
light turfy loam and peat in equal parts, adding for the 
stronger growing sorts a small proportion of old manure, 
and for all a liberal allowance of sand. Drainage must 
be carefully looked to, as the plants are of a succulent 
nature, and though requiring plenty of water when 
growing they are soon injured if it becomes stagnant 
around their roots. To assist the free-flowering varieties 
supply weak liquid manure frequently, but be sure that 
it is weak. It is important also not to employ too large 
pots, rather restrict the roots a little, and make up the 
deficiency by increasing the liquid manure applications. 
Cuttings can be struck at any time with success if in¬ 
serted in sandy soil in a warm house, and not kept too 
moist. Seed also can be sown next month and onwards, 
in batches to yield plants for flowering successionally. 
As the old plants go out of flower cut them back closely 
and transfer them to smaller pots, afterwards re-potting 
as they advance.— B. 
--- 
MR. CYPHER’S NURSERY. 
There is probably no time in the whole year when 
Orchids, or indeed any flowering plants indoors, are 
more welcome than at this season of the year when 
scarcely a leaf dare venture from beneath the sod out-of- 
doors. At the present time the Orchid houses in Mr. 
Cypher’s nursery at Cheltenham, present a very gay 
appearance, not a spike or two of flower here and there, 
but sufficient, in fact, to make a very effective display 
if they were all arranged en viasse. This crowding of 
flowering plants into one structure, however, does not 
appear to be any part of Mr. Cypher’s idea, as may be 
gleaned from the manner in which the various Orchid 
houses in his nursery are made gay with the complement 
of plants it contains. 
At the present time there are many genera well 
represented by flowering specimens, among which the 
following are the most prominent and noteworthy. 
Conspicuous in the Odontoglossum house, were many 
and various forms of 0. Rossii majus, pleasing in its 
variety and useful as well as a telling free flowering 
winter Orchid; suspended in small baskets near tlieglass, 
it is evidently quite happy. In the same house were 
plants of Cypripedium insigne Maulei and Chantinii, 
both very distinct as here seen ; there were also num¬ 
bers of Lycaste throwing up spikes with unwonted 
freedom, and which probably ere these notes reach the 
readers of The Gardening World, will be playing 
their part in the embellishment of a house already gay 
with choice flowers. 
In the warmer structures were many valuable and rare 
Orchids, in which Dendrobes were prominent. These 
included the white D. leueolophotum, in which the 
flowers are arranged on an horizontal bar, at right 
angles with the spike ; then came the lovely white D. 
Dearii, the most durable of all, perhaps ; and associated 
with these were several forms of Ainsworthii and its 
variety, roseum, among them, with D. bigibbum, D. 
heterocarpum, and D. Fytchianum completing the 
group. In those named we get much variation, both 
of form and colour, which at such a time are doubly 
welcome. Nor was this all we saw, for Calanthe 
Veitchi was gay with lovely flowers and beautifully 
coloured ; of these there were many plants producing 
a most telling effect. The Cypripediums included the 
useful biflorum, throwing up numbers of flowers and 
some already developed ; then followed the ever-welcome 
C. Spicerianum, always pleasing and attractive ; nor 
must we omit the many forms and the massive pendent 
racemes of Saccolabium giganteum, in varied hues of 
rose and white ; some of these were extremely hand¬ 
some and verging on pure white, which latter, Mr. 
Cypher informed me, were very useful in button-hole 
and bouquet arrangements, for which he is well known ; 
and probably among the most interesting and curious 
were the Dove Orchid, Peristeria elata, and Angrsecum 
sesquipedale, which are both white and of great sub¬ 
stance. 
But turning from this to the cooler quarters of the 
Cattleya-house, a brilliant array of flowers await us 
there, "which include Lselia anceps Barkerii and au- 
tumnale ; Cattleya Loddigesii and Holfordii, the latter 
yellow and apparently a very free-flowering species ; C. 
Trianae and others. The useful Cypripedium insigne 
was flowering profusely, and, as ever, it still maintains 
a good position among the host of new comers ; note¬ 
worthy in respect to this was the fact that in many in¬ 
stances two flowers were produced on a scape. Barkerias 
were plentiful, and while several of the forms were 
flowers of small proportions, we had only to turn to B, 
Skinnerii and B. Lindleyana, both of which weie in 
splendid form, to find both size and colour ; the former 
Anemone eulgens. 
