712 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 9, 1887. 
This applies to various crops that require trans¬ 
planting besides the Cabbage tribe. Water Celery in 
the trenches unstintingly, using weak liquid manure 
after the plants have fairly started into growth. 
Tomatos. —This wholesome and useful fruit is now 
becoming very popular with the British community, 
and every amateur may grow them who is possessed of 
a piece of garden ground in an open sunny position. 
Sunshine is the great factor for the production of fruit 
of the best quality, and the benefit of a wall should be 
given them if possible. In the absence of this, how¬ 
ever, they may either be grown in pots or planted in 
the open ground, tying them to stakes. In the latter 
case, to insure ripening of the fruit, top the plants 
after the formation of a few bunches of flowers. 
Confine the plants on the wall to one or, at most, two 
shoots, train erect, and remove all laterals.— F. 
-- 
HARDY FLOWERS AT WHITTON. 
One can have little conception of the effect hardy 
herbaceous plants are capable of producing if experience 
of such is entirely confined to their cultivation in 
borders in the ordinary way. When recourse is had to 
growing them in masses or beds, their natural char¬ 
acteristics are often brought out in a bold and telling 
manner. We recently had the pleasure of being con¬ 
ducted through the grounds of Mr. Walker, of Whitton, 
who grows hardy plants extensively for market. 
Early-flowering subjects are those most suitable for 
planting amongst fruit trees, and this arrangement 
seems to be followed to a great extent at Whitton. 
After the trees come into leaf the plants are heavily 
shaded, besides being robbed of moisture in dry seasons 
such as the present one. An open field entirely 
devoted to the culture of various bulbs and other 
herbaceous plants is a flue sight at different times as 
the respective subjects come into flower. At the time 
of our visit the herbaceous Pseonies were just com¬ 
mencing to bloom, and exhibited free growth and a 
great quantity of flowers. P. albiflora and P. officinalis 
alba with other of their varieties are the greatest 
favourites, and most acceptable to the general public. 
A considerable breadth of the so-called Parrot Tulips 
had just been cut, finding great favour with buyers. 
Their singular appearance, and green, scarlet and 
yellow-blotched and splashed flowers are very novel, 
and consequently attractive to many. 
A great quantity of different species of Iris showed 
by their floriferous character how suitable the soil is to 
their well-being. The German or Flag Iris was re¬ 
presented by the type as well as I. germanica atro- 
purpurea, a very dark purple form, also known as 
I. g. atroviolacea. Princess of Wales is the purest 
white variety grown, which was clearly brought out by 
contrast with I. Florentina, a pale lavender rather than 
a white colour. I. pallida and I. p. dalmatica are 
grown in quantity, the latter being conspicuous by its 
large white bracts. A very fine variety of the same 
species, evidently, named Madame Chereau, has white 
flowers conspicuously margined with beautiful blue lines 
and markings. To our taste, this is one of the most 
charming Irises grown. I. variegata, I. aurea, a 
beautiful golden yellow Himalayan species ; I. Eben 
Assan, yellow ; and I. flavescens, are also grown more 
or less extensively. The latter is a dwarf floriferous 
yellow-flowered Iris. A white variety of the English 
Iris, named Mont Blanc, is a great favourite. 
Liliums seem to be very capricious, growing and 
flowering freely in some cases, and succeeding rather 
indifferently in others. L. pyrenaicum, L. testaceum, 
and L. chalcedonicum, all coming under the Martagon 
group, are grown in full exposure in masses. The first 
named is closely allied to L. pomponium, and is a very 
old-fashioned cottage garden flower, naturalised in 
several places in Britain. L. candidum, another 
equally old species (both being introduced in 1596), and 
the popular L. auratum were grown in another piece of 
ground between the lines of fruit trees. Anemone 
fulgens was also associated with these Lilies, but was 
almost out of bloom at the time of our visit. 
Double Pyrethrums constitute another strong feature 
of the place, and are grown in quantities of a sort for 
cut-flower purposes. Whether double or single, they 
are admirably adapted for indoor decoration, either by 
themselves or, preferably, in association with flowers of 
an altogether different kind, and last a long time in 
water. Their lively colours have a telling effect, and 
some prefer single, others double varieties ; but we 
admire good specimens of either kind as affording a 
greater amount of variation. Princess de Metternich 
is a double white, and a fine, bold, massive flower. 
Mont Blanc is an old double white variety, particularly 
good for cutting purposes, and a favourite with many 
growers. Saltaire is another variety with a white ray 
and a sulphur-coloured centre—at least, when it first 
expands. It is, moreover, a soft colour, and finds 
favour with some tastes. A very conspicuous flower is 
a double variety named Captain Hares ; it is deep rosy 
red and double. 
A miscellaneous lot of other things are cultivated in 
greater or less quantity, and suitable alike for market 
purposes or private growers. Inula glandulosa is a 
grand herbaceous plant, and one of the best of all the 
species for garden decoration. It grows ordinarily from 
18 ins. to 24 ins. in height, and bears an immense 
terminal golden yellow flower head. A mass of the old- 
fashioned Lupinus polyphyllus and its white variety 
at the far end of the ground resembled a body of 
soldiers drawn up in a square for defensive purposes ; 
to say the least of them, they are very stately summer 
flowering plants. Although by no means new, Centaurea 
montana rosea is an exceedingly useful plant, but not 
so common in gardens generally as the typical blue 
form ; its rosy flower-heads are very useful for table and 
other decoration. A quantity of the old double Persian 
or Turban Ranunculus is grown, but they do not grow 
satisfactory in some gardens in this country, although 
we cannot but admire their beautiful forms and striking 
colours. A deep scarlet, double-flowered variety we 
noticed was very fine, and the Orange Turban was 
another handsome, fully double, deep orange-coloured 
form. 
-- 
ORCHIDS AT SUDBURY HOUSE. 
The grand feature of Mr. Peacock’s collection at 
Sudbury House, Hammersmith, recently was a display 
of Odontoglossum vexillarium that commenced flowei- 
ing some time ago, and is not yet over. The bulk of 
the collection is grown in a low-roofed lean-to structure 
facing the east and running north and south. A few 
plants are staged in another house ; but the effect may 
be imagined from the simple fact that they carried, in 
the aggregate, 1,700 spikes, varying with four to six 
flowers each. In round numbers, this would represent 
a total of from 7,000 to 10,000 flowers. When to this 
we add the handsome and distinct-looking foliage with 
which this noble species must ever be associated in the 
minds of cultivators and Orchid fanciers generally, a 
sight of this kind is not soon to be forgotten. 
The foliage presents a considerable range of variation 
with regard to the purple tint suffusing many forms of 
it ; but curiously enough, a dark-coloured form some¬ 
times produces pale or white flowers, which rather 
upsets one’s ideas of the correlation of colour in 
homologous parts. With regard to the flowers, there 
is also a wide field of variation in the range of colours, 
as might be expected, and the originally-named and 
dark-coloured O. v. superbum pales in comparison with 
some of the dark forms to be seen in the collection. 
A very distinct form, with deep rose-coloured flowers, 
has a large white blotch at the base of the labellum, 
suffused with yellow on that part representing the 
almost obsolete crest. In another the petals are several 
shades darker than any other part of the flower ; while 
in a third the base of the petals exhibits this dark 
colour only, and the labellum is almost as pure white 
as in the variety O. v. leucoglossum. Some of the 
darkest forms have apparently habitually small flowers, 
and resemble a variety named O. v. Klabochorum. 
Some of the paler flowers taken at random measured 
3 ins. in breadth by 4 ins. in length. 
In the cool Odontoglossum houses many fine forms 
of O. crispum, O. polyxanthum, 0. Coradinei, 0. 
triumphans, 0. gloriosum, 0. Pescatorei, and others 
were flowering, but any great display of bloom is 
prevented by constant cutting for decorative purposes. 
Many of the forms of 0. crispum are noted for their 
deep rose colour. Oncidium cucullatum giganteum 
has been flowering continuously for some months back, 
and is very distinct for the size of its well-coloured 
blooms. Notwithstanding the bold and distinct 
appearance of 0. macranthum it never seems to make 
that headway in collections which its telling character 
should warrant. The size of the pseudo-bulbs and the 
number and size of the flowers testify that its cultural 
requirements are understood here. A singular feature 
was noticeable in the shape of a double or twin flower 
of Odontoglossum citrosmum, in which the pedicels 
and ovary had grown together throughout their length. 
There was no malformation of parts, except what would 
be brought about by overcrowding, and no suppression 
of parts. 
Amongst the finer Dendrobiums in flower we noticed 
a quantity of D. Dearei, whose milk-white flowers are 
rendered more conspicuous by the large green blotch in 
the throat. D. Griffithianum -was noticeable for its 
dwarf stature and large drooping spikes of golden 
yellow flowers. A considerable quantity of the shy¬ 
flowering Lselia majalis is grown at Sudbury House, 
and frequently produces its showy and delicately 
marked flowers. The sepals and petals are warm 
rose, w T hile the labellum has a rosy margin, and 
numerous rosy stripes on a white ground. This was 
flowering in a house mostly devoted to Phakenopsis, 
which produce a great quantity of bloom at different 
seasons of the year. Recently there were some very 
large and handsome flowers on P. amabilis and P. 
grandiflora, especially on the former. P. rosea is a 
small-flowered but very pretty species. P. Stuartianum 
and P. Schillerianum, although out of season, are con¬ 
spicuous for the size and varied colouring of their 
foliage. 
--- 
FLOWER SHOW JUDGING. 
I am obliged for the answer to my letter, and to “A. D.” 
for his article ; but I do not seem to get much nearer 
to my point. I think that the object of flower shows 
should be the improvement of horticulture and flori¬ 
culture. Now, what improvement is there when one 
sees the same old plants year after year in similar 
places, bearing the same prize tickets ? And what 
pleasure or benefit would anyone get unless there were 
some novelties—something fresh to see, something new 
to beat or to be beaten by ? I hoped from your article 
that some movement might be on foot, or set on foot, 
to do away with the antique system of showing old- 
fashioned monsters, and that judges might be compelled 
to award prizes for quality and not quantity. As to 
“A. D.’s” letter, it does follow that an exhibitor of 
half a dozen of Laing’s novelties in Begonias has more 
difficulty in showing good specimens of them than of 
plants of older varieties, because little one-year old 
tubers or cuttings will not make as large or as well¬ 
shaped plants as the older ones, since they mostly 
throw up only one stem. Novelties are usually sent 
out about as big as a finger-nail; older tubers will get 
3 ins. to 4 ins. or more across, and send up several 
stems. So, if improvement is the object of shows, 
novelties, if improvements, ought to have the 
prize, though the plants are smaller and less well 
grown. 
As to what he says about the big pancake zonals, I do 
not see why pinching is not distorting as much as 
tying to sticks—in fact, rather more so. In growing 
zonals as pancakes from one stem there is great art, 
and I hold that care and skill should be rewarded ; 
also one thus gets the greatest amount of flowers and 
foliage to the space. If committees and judges require 
a great flare of colour, that can be easily attained— 
providing the exhibitor has space and carriage room— 
by striking forty or fifty cuttings in a tub, and letting 
them grow into a small forest; but I should hardly 
award a prize to such a tub over a well trained and 
flowered pancake. By the way, when I asked if 
pancakes were correct, I rather meant fashionable. 
Again, it does not always follow that judges will give 
right verdicts, even when there are express directions in 
the schedule. At a show last September, a schedule 
expressly stated that in four classes of Apples and 
Pears the prizes were to be awarded to the “best 
specimens of the best sorts, and not for the then fitness 
for table.” There were splendid exhibits of unripe 
fruit, but the prizes were awarded in each instance to 
dead-ripe fruit ; if I remember right, in one class of 
Apples, to Red Astrachan, Quarrenden and Irish 
Peach. The show was on September 3rd. Frequently, 
again, the award of one year is no guide for the next, 
or even for that very show. At the same show last 
year I saw first and third prizes given for quantity over 
quality, while the second was given for quality over 
quantity. I wish I could know’ what to be at. I 
expect it will come to my giving up exhibiting 
altogether, as many others have done before me, and 
for the same reason. —Heath End. 
