124 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 22, 1887. 
seven young ones were born, three of which were alive 
when we last saw “Granny,” in the autumn of the 
same year, and but a few months before its kind- 
hearted and talented owner passed away. “Granny” 
was fed once a month on the half of a mussel, and 
the following day the sea-water was changed. During 
the Fisheries Exhibition held in Edinburgh, the in¬ 
teresting Actinia was on view there, and many dis¬ 
tinguished persons signed their names in “Granny’s” 
visitors’ book. 
Chrysanthemum, La Vierge. —I have sent 
you some blooms of this variety, which, judging from 
the various Chrysanthemum notes in The Gardening 
World does not seem to enjoy so good a reputation as 
I think it is worthy of. It is of dwarf habit, and pure 
white. Flowering early in October, it is a few weeks 
later than Madame Desgranges, thus forming a good 
successional variety.— D V. [La Yierge is one of the 
finest of the late autumn-flowering varieties, and is 
grown in thousands by some market growers.— Ed.] 
Fasciated Gladioli. —In reply to Mr. Murphy’s 
remarks at p. 106, I may say that it is not unusual for 
hybrids of Gladiolus Gandavensis to produce fasciated 
spikes, although I have not seen a plant of the variety 
“Wm. Thornton ” sport in this way. Some of the sorts 
thus deformed terminate in a crown or mass of bloom 
similar to a fasciated Lilium auratum. I have seen 
forty blooms on a spike of Gladioli when this freak 
has occurred. One of my best varieties—Maid of 
Orleans — has a great tendency that way, some of 
the individual blooms frequently having two styles, 
six stamens and from ten to twelve petals, and the 
blooms pointing in all directions. This being one of 
the largest and most splendid of the English-raised 
varieties, it has a grand and novel effect.— James 
Kelway, Gladioli Villa , Langport. 
A Monster Marrow. —A Vegetable Marrow of 
large dimensions was brought under my notice last week; 
the variety being the long green, striped yellow longi¬ 
tudinally, and measuring in length 38£ ins. The girth 
at the greatest circumference was 28J ins. and in the 
scales was equal to 34 lbs. Is not this a very ex¬ 
ceptional size? Moreover, it was shapely in its 
proportions—tapering from end to end gradually, and 
evincing no desire for beautiful curves. It was grown 
at Neasden, near Willesden, under ordinary circum¬ 
stances, and created a good deal of surprise to all who 
saw it.— C. B. G., Acton, TV. 
.A. New Shelter for Plants. —We are now 
trying at Wisley a new shelter for plants, which 
promises so well that I think it is worth publishing. 
Last winter we protected some plants, and among them 
an Agapanthus umbellatus, with coops having bracken 
interlaced ; this answered, but after a time the bracken 
did not keep in its place. We now cover the osier coop 
with green scrim, sold by the Willesden Paper Company 
at Is. per yard ; it is 54 ins. wide, therefore, not dear. 
This makes a light, nearly waterproof covering, which 
lets sufficient air through, and the coops when out of 
use take up little room if stacked one over the other. 
I believe this will prove a really useful easily moveable 
protector, and it has the advantage of being less 
unsightly than most shelters are.— George F. Wilson, 
Heatherbank, Weybridge Heath. 
Autumn Tints of Azalea mollis.— What 
beautiful tints the leaves of some of these useful 
flowering plants are now assuming 1 Having been 
green all the summer, they are now of a dark bronze 
hue, gradually changing to crimson. The leaves do 
not fall a few at a time like many other things, but 
adhere to the plants until the first keen frost. The 
plants appear like miniature bushes of fire, and dotted 
here and there in the shrubbery, there are few plants 
through October and November that stand out in such 
striking relief as these do.— B. L. 
The Weather. —On the morning of the 26th ult. 
we had 3° of frost ; 27th, 4°, and 28th, 3°. In the 
afternoon of the 28 th, a severe thunderstorm from the 
north, passing southwards, was experienced, accom¬ 
panied with a heavy downpour of hail and rain. 
Happily nothing suffered. — B. L. 
Plumbago capensis alba.— This was intro¬ 
duced about three years ago by Mr. B. S. Williams, 
and proves under extended cultivation to be a most 
desirable acquisition. Except in its pure white blos¬ 
soms, it is not distinguishable from P. capensis, but it 
is, in a small state at least, a more free bloomer, and 
as a white autumn-flowering greenhouse plant it has 
few equals. We understand that some of the market 
growers have taken it in hand for culture in 48’s, a 
pretty good proof of its value. It is flowering now in 
most of the nurseries. 
Lobelias at Pilrig Park. —In the nurseries of 
Messrs. Dicksons & Sons, Pilrig Park, Edinburgh, we 
lately noted a fine collection of Lobelias, including 
the popular and indispensable L. splendens Yictoriie, 
whose deep purplish black foliage and intense scarlet 
flowers can be put to a great variety of purposes with 
telling effect. The other kinds were hybrids, apparently, 
between L. splendens, L. cardinalis and L. syphilitica, 
with intermediate foliage, and flowers generally of some 
shade of violet or purple. The first and last named 
are the parents most commonly used. Jupiter has 
lilac-purple flowers, and seems equally as profuse and 
vigorous as the parents. The flowers of Mizza are 
violet-purple, and in that respect very handsome and 
distinct. The rosy scarlet flowers of Orion are also 
sufficiently handsome to warrant its cultivation. The 
deep amethyst-blue flowers of Amethyst bespeak a 
parentage having close affinity with L. syphilitica ; but 
they are larger and more prominent, as in L. splendens, 
adding a colour that is in itself pleasing and showy. 
The rose and violet of Challenger, and the violet of 
Ivanhoe, which is suffused with crimson, mark them 
as flowers worthy of consideration. All are describable 
as half-hardy perennials, the culture of which is simple, 
provided they are planted in moderately rich garden 
soil, and kept well supplied with moisture during the 
growing season. Propagation is easily effected by 
division of the rootstock, and they may be wintered in 
a cold frame protected with mats]or Fern litter. 
Acer Hookeri variegatum. — Some tall 
specimens of this fine tree, planted out temporarily in 
an avenue amongst other ornamental-foliaged trees and 
shrubs, were very effective in the Pilrig Park Nurseries, 
Edinburgh, last September. Of course, it is not 
sufficiently hardy to withstand our winters out of 
doors, but may be used to great advantage in the 
conservatory during summer and winter. The leaves 
were variegated with yellow and pink, while their 
upper surface was of a fine bronzy red. The latter 
colour might not be developed indoors, as we rather 
suspected it was due to the influence of being placed 
out of doors, while making a vigorous growth. 
Rosa rugosa. —The ornamental character of this 
Rose can hardly be over-estimated, especially in autumn, 
when laden with its heavy deep red fruits. Its hardi¬ 
ness should also secure it a place in every establishment 
where much could be done in the way of decorating 
lawns and the margins of shrubberies, where it will 
give most satisfaction if planted in a sunny situation 
and not allowed to be overcrowded with other subjects, 
of whatever kind. The massive rugose foliage is then 
seen to best effect, large healthy bushes being always 
interesting, owing to a long-continued succession of 
flowers and an abundance of showy fruit. It has been 
in this condition for some time at Gunnersbury House, 
Acton, where it is a great favourite with Mr. Hudson, 
who cuts the fruit for indoor decoration. Six plants 
are now the envy of all who see them. Although the 
fruit is very much alike in all, the flowers vary with 
different tints, including rose and white. Double 
forms have not yet been obtained ; but if hybridists 
continue to raise seedlings and improve them, we may, 
before long, expect double varieties, though we hope 
not at the expense of the fruit. 
Exacum afflne. — For summer and autumn 
flowering, this is an elegant free-blooming Gentian wort, 
of dwarf compact habit. The flowers cannot be com¬ 
pared with those of E. macranthum for size and depth 
of colour ; but the lilac-blue and their medium size, 
together with the quantity produced, are very pleasing 
at this season in a houseful of plants of the more 
common kinds. It is perennial, and being a native of 
Socotra, requires warm greenhouse temperature, or it 
may be described as intermediate. A fine group of 
plants may be seen in the Begonia house at Kew, 
where it finds many admirers amongst the visitors who 
pass through the house. The plants of this class 
delight in a mixture of loam and peat, with an abundant 
supply of water when making their growth in summer. 
Very few of the twenty species known are in cultivation. 
Ceratopetalum gummiferum. —Like other 
New Holland subjects, this receives but little attention 
in gardens at the present day. The times and the 
fashions change, of which we have abundant evidence, 
in the absence of other information, by reference to 
botanical works with coloured plates of 50 or 100 years 
ago, where the fashionable plants and flowers of those 
days are largely figured. The present species, and 
another constituting the genus as it is now known, are 
trees in their native country, and C. gummiferum, which 
is the smallest of the two, grows to the height of 30 ft. 
or 40 ft. In cultivation, however, it can be kept down 
to the dimensions of a small bush, and flowered 
satisfactorily. The petals are yellow and jagged like 
a stag’s horn, hence the generic name. The flowers are 
borne in terminal panicles, and the pink calyx remains 
long to brighten the plant even after the petals have 
dropped. Both flowers and the compound three-leafleted 
foliage are pretty, furnishing us with an uncommon 
but useful conservatory plant. It is a native of New 
South Wales, and we saw it recently in the Pilrig Park 
Nurseries, Edinburgh. 
Lobelia splendens and L. fulgens. —The 
general appearance of these two species, both with 
respect to the foliage and flowers, is very much alike ; 
so much so that there is great confusion in gardens as to 
which of the two the popular garden variety Yictorke 
belongs. It is generally attributed to L. fulgens, but 
this is a mistake which can easily be rectified by those 
possessing both the above-named species. L. splendens 
has smooth flowers, smooth stems except at the top, and 
flat edged leaves, characters which will be found to 
correspond with those of the Yictorise variety. There is 
a dark variety of L. splendens figured in the Botanical 
Magazine, t. 4002, under the name of L. s. atro- 
sanguinea, and the variety just mentioned is either 
identical with, or very little different from it. L. 
fulgens is characterised by the flowers being downy 
outside as well as the leaves and stems, the latter being 
also reddish, while the margins of the leaves are revolute. 
Both are, however, closely allied natives of North 
America. 
Apple Trees in Bloom. —We have witnessed 
several instances of this during autumn ; but nowhere 
is it more prevalent than at Boston House, Brentford, 
where some sixty trees were in full bloom a short time 
ago. Not only was there a fair show of bloom, but 
two other distinct stages of fruiting. Full-sized Apples 
were ripe, or nearly so, and dropping, and a later and 
quite plentiful crop consisted of fruits about the size of 
marbles. All the trees in this condition are pyramidal 
or bush specimens about 6 ft. in height, and had been 
transplanted about a year ago—that is, in October. 
Under ordinary circumstances one would hardly 
expect that the regular course of things would be dis¬ 
turbed when planted so long previous to its occurrence, 
and another factor has to be taken into account. The 
trees seemed to be suffering from want of moisture during 
the drought, and were heavily syringed with a fire 
engine kept on the place. This seemed to have the 
effect of causing a second growth ; hence the result. 
It will be interesting, moreover, to watch their conduct 
next season, and see how it affects their flowering and 
fruiting, after having unseasonably developed two 
crops of bloom besides the ordinary spring one. The 
same circumstance has also occurred at other places, 
such as at Style Hall, Gunnersbury, and in the 
nurseries of Messrs. J. Peed & Sons, Streatham. 
Datura Knightii. —As is well known, this is a 
handsome garden form, with double white, sweet- 
scented flowers ; and, except in being double, similar 
in all respects to the popular D. suaveolens, which as 
well as D. Knightii, is generally known in gardens 
under the name of Brugmansia. A small pot specimen 
at Gunnersbury House, Acton, had flowers from 8 in. 
to 9 in. in length from the base of the tube to the 
orifice, that is, where the lamina spreads in a horizontal 
direction. Not only does this plant recommend itself 
for its flowering qualities, but it constitutes an 
excellent subtropical plant, which, when grown in the 
open air, developes enormous leaves having a very 
handsome appearance. In pots it will flower so long 
as it is kept in a growing state. 
-->££<-*- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
-. 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. —Cold 
weather, with keen winds, has set in ; but care must be 
taken that in the effort to keep it out too high a tem¬ 
perature be not kept up in the houses. This more 
especially applies to the night temperature, which, if 
allowed to range many degrees above the prescribed 
limit, and equal to, or in excess of, the day temperature, 
works the greatest mischief possible on the plants, one 
and all, and that fact must be my excuse for so fre¬ 
quently insisting on the importance of a fairly low 
night temperature. In all parts of the world it is 
much lower than the day temperature, and especially 
so in the tropics, where, during the hot season, it is 
the only thing which saves vegetation from perishing 
altogether. 
Air must be freely admitted to all the houses, but 
judgment should be exercised in opening the ventilators 
