July 30, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
757 
ALSTRCEMERIA AURANTIAOA. 
There can be little doubt but that this Alstroemeria 
is the best all-round species that has been introduced 
to British gardens. This applies equally to its 
hardiness, free-flowering habit, and the beauty and 
variability in the colour of the flowers and their 
stripes or markings. It was introduced from Chili 
in 1831, and since then has given rise to varieties 
that exhibit orange, red, pink, and yellow tints in 
numerous shades. The true value of a plant for out¬ 
door decoration must, to a great extent, be determined 
by its adaptability to the variable conditions of our 
climate, and of this A. aurantiaca has given abundant 
proof in various parts of the country, even including 
some of the far northern counties. The fleshy tuberous 
roots, as might be expected, are most susceptible of 
injury from outward conditions; but provided they are 
planted in light sandy or otherwise well-drained soil, 
no fear need be entertained of their suffering during 
winter. If they are attended to in this respect when 
planted, no extra protection will be needed beyond 
that afforded by the soil. It can be propagated by 
seed, or by offsets that are readily given off by the 
main tubers when the plant is in a healthy free- 
growing condition. For this reason a single plant will 
soon become a large clump, requiring trimming to 
keep it within bounds, except in special cases where 
plenty of room can be afforded. It used to be very 
popular in stands of cut flowers at local shows. 
-- 
NEW PLANTS CERTIFICATED 
By the Floral Committee of the B.H. S. 
July 26th, 1887. 
Phal.enopsis Hariettzb. 
In this we have a very distinct hybrid between P. 
grandiflora as the seed parent, and P. violacea as the 
pollen parent. The sepals and petals are primrose- 
yellow, the basal part of all being more or less suffused 
with rosy purple. The latter are elliptic, obtuse and 
much broader than the sepals. The deepest colouring 
is confined to the lower side of the lateral sepals as in 
the pollen parent. The terminal lobe of the lip has 
the colouring of P. violacea, but is much more 
triangular, less ridged along the centre, and shows a 
trace of the tendrils of the seed-bearing parent. 
Exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, 
Odontoglossum Harkyanum. 
The sepals and petals of this new Orchid incurve 
so as to make the flower hollow or somewhat 
cup-shaped, and then recurve at the tip ; they are 
also of a deep shining chocolate-brown with a few 
yellow streaks and a yellow tip. The peculiarly shaped 
lip is the most striking part of the flower, and the 
large upper lobe is boat-shaped, beautifully marked or 
reticulated with violet-purple (some say blue), and 
furnished with a number of golden yellow fringed 
lamellae near the base, while the upper part is pure 
white. It is a grand thing, undoubtedly. Exhibited 
by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans. 
Streptocarpus Kewensis 
Hybrids often afford matter for surprise, and that 
S. Dunnii should have crossed so readily with pollen 
of S. Rexii is indeed a surprise. The habit is 
intermediate, but one large leaf is produced as in 
S. Dunnii, with two or more small ones. The flowers 
are produced from six to ten together, on the scapes 
proceeding from the basal part of the mid-rib of the 
leaf. These scapes vary in number, according to the 
strength of the plant. The flowers are violet-blue, 
AURANTIAOA. 
with deeper coloured lines in the throat. Sent from 
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 
Streptocarpus Watsoni. 
This is another remarkable hybrid between S. Dunnii 
and S. parviflora. From a decorative point of view it 
is, perhaps, the prettiest of the two. The habit is 
similar, but the flowers are smaller and more numerously 
produced, on scapes arising in close contiguity to one 
another, as in S. Kewensis ; consequently, a finer effect 
is produced, and the colours are more lively. The tube 
is pale purple, varying with age, while the throat is 
white. Sent from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 
Carnations. 
Alice Ayres.—* As a border Carnation this is certainly 
a fine thing, and very floriferous. The flowers are 
large, belonging to the flaked class, sweet scented and 
white, marked longitudinally with a few red lines on 
the petals. No protection or shading had been afforded 
them. Exhibited by Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm 
Nurseries, Tottenham. 
Gravetye Gem. —A box of this variety was shown, 
and was most conspicuous for its novel orange-buff or 
buff-salmon colour. The flowers are medium or large 
sized, and Goncolorous throughout, or nearly so; the 
petals are toothed at the margin. Exhibited by 
Messrs. J. Dickson & Son, Newton Nurseries, Chester. 
Begonias—Tuberous-rooted. 
Edelweiss. —The double flowers of this variety are 
those of the male blooms—the females being single and 
unaffected. The flower is large, pure white, and has 
several centres, the axis being somewhat elongated, as 
frequently occurs in double male blooms. The habit 
is dwarf and the leaves half cordate. 
Shirley Hibberd. —This variety is also the result 
of the doubling of the male blooms, and is a very large 
flower, with several centres like a bouquet of separate 
and smaller flowers. The colour is a very delicate 
shade of blush and very pleasing, with a faint tint of 
yellow in the centre when young. 
Major Lendy. —The leaves of this variety are very 
broad, unequally cordate, and the habit is dwarf. 
The blooms are of great size, with several axes, and of 
a soft rosy pink colour. The male blooms only are 
thus developed. All the above were exhibited by 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent. 
By the National Carnation and Pico tee Society, 
July 26 Lh. 
Picotee, Pride of Leyton. 
This is a seedling with large pure white flowers, 
belonging to the light-edged class. The petals are flat, 
except a few of the central ones, with a slender purple 
edge. Exhibited by Mr. H. Headland, The Firs, 
High Street, Leyton. 
Carnations. 
Purple Emperor. —A number of blooms of this 
seedling were shown. They are large, rich in colour, 
and of a shade of purple by no means common, but very 
fine. It is a very attractive self-coloured variety. 
Will Threlfall.— Here we have another self- 
coloured Carnation of a uniform soft yellow colour. 
The flowers are large, with somewhat incurved petals, 
toothed at the margin, and certainly very fine. 
Exhibited by Mr. Charles Turner, Slough. 
--»=&*-- 
FLOWERING TREES AND 
SHRUBS. 
Spir.ea arizefolia. —Notwithstanding the many 
fine species of Meadow-sweet to be found more or less 
extensively in every garden at the present time, none 
of the shrubby kinds produce such a profusion of showy 
panicles of bloom as does this, the White-beam leaved 
Spiraea. One of its great recommendations is its 
hardiness in winter, although it must be said that the 
protracted drought has done it great harm in dry places 
this season. It is a native of North-west America, and 
grows to the height of from 5 ft. to 10 ft., forming 
an excellent shrubbery plant. There are numerous 
specimens at Devonhurst, Chiswick. 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. — The 
popularity of this hardy Japanese shrub may be judged 
from its frequency in Covent Garden Market, grown 
in pots for house decoration. Under this sort of 
treatment, the flowers, no doubt, retain their freshness 
and purity for a much longer period ; but it must not 
be overlooked that this shrub is equally amenable for 
the decoration of beds or borders in the flower garden 
or pleasure grounds. When associated with other 
shrubs, it should occupy the front line, as it is of dwarf 
stature, and produces flowers in great abundance in 
panicles often 1 ft. in length. Small fertile flowers are 
scattered irregularly through the showy, white, barren 
ones. 
Veronica salicifolia. — Most of the shrubby 
New Zealand Veronicas require the protection of a 
greenhouse in all the less-favoured parts of this country, 
but the present species, which is, perhaps, better known 
in gardens as V. Lindleyana, not only thrives and 
flowers remarkably well, but even scatters its seeds 
about freely in the neighbourhood of London and 
most or all of the southern counties. The seeds 
germinate readily, and the old plant survives all but 
the severest winters. At present a fine bush, loaded 
with its long white racemes of bloom, may be seen at 
Pendell Court, Bletchingley, where it lived in the open 
border without any protection whatever, last winter. 
Cassinia fulvida.— There is an exceeding grace 
about this shrubby composite, whether in flower or not, 
from the golden yellow under-side of the linear leaves 
and the branched twiggy shoots. The flower-heads, 
Alstriemeria 
