264 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 24, 1887. 
even in this case the flowering period may he hastened 
considerably by introducing them to a dwelling-room 
where fires are kept up. The temperature there will 
range from 50° to G0°, so that growth will be hastened 
in no mean degree. In the early stages the pots con¬ 
taining the bulbs may be placed on a shelf or other 
out-of-the-way place in a warm position till the flower- 
spikes have attained some length. During this period, 
whether the bulbs are iu a forcing-house or in the 
dwelling-house, an inverted pot may be placed over 
the crowns, and this will have the effect of retarding 
the foliage, while the flower-spikes will be advancing. 
When the latter have gained the lead they will keep 
drawing from the resources of the bulb, while the 
leaves thus held in check will be able to support them¬ 
selves round the base of the flower stem. Before 
becoming drawn, however, the plants must be gradually 
inured to the light, especially if the foliage is pale. 
The more gradual the forcing to which the bulbs are 
subjected the longer the flowers will last in perfection 
when expanded. 
Cinerarias. —Whether now in frames or the con¬ 
servatory, these must receive attention if they are 
expected to make a fine display later on. The object 
at present must be to keep them growing slowly but 
steadily, giving them full exposure to light to ensure 
robust habit, and potting those whose size and condition 
require it. Above all, they should be so protected that 
if severe weather be experienced they may not be 
damaged by frost, as the foliage is easily and per¬ 
manently injured by it, disfiguring the plants at a time 
when they are preparing to throw up their flower- 
stems, and can ill afford the loss of a healthy leaf. 
Green-fly are also very liable to attack the succulent 
juicy foliage, and should be kept in check by timely 
fumigation. If the most forward of the plants are now 
pit in their flowering-pots, they may be placed in the 
greenhouse or conservatory if not already located there, 
and the danger of damage from frost avoided. The 
amount of water required will depend on the rate of 
growth, and whether the roots are in any way pot- 
bound. In any case, the plants must never be allowed 
to flag or get dry, otherwise they lose greatly in vigour, 
if they are not permanently injured by the check. 
Floral Decorations.— Cut flowers at this season 
of the year is a matter of no small importance with 
many. Chrysanthemums, however, are still to be had 
in greater or less quantity, and these may be supple¬ 
mented with Roman Hyacinths, Heliotropes, Christmas 
Roses, Pelargoniums, Cyclamens, Chinese Primulas, 
Coronilla glauca, Cytisus racemosus, Heaths, and other 
greenhouse plants in season. Out of doors, Jasminum 
nudiflorum is flowering ; while berries of Cotoneaster 
Simonsii, C. microphylla, C. thymifolia, Holly, Per- 
nettya musronata, and others add considerable variety. 
A free use may be made of the leaves of Mahonia 
aquifolium, which are now finely tinted with red and 
bronze where exposed; Ivy of the finer kinds, 
Euonymus, Ferns, and cut-leaved and scented Pelar¬ 
goniums. In making them up into wreaths, bouquets, 
vases, or other decorative work, the aim should be to 
use as few of the flowers as is consistent with an effective 
display ; because the more graceful and free they are 
arranged, the more natural and tasteful they appear. 
It is evidence of bad taste when the flowers are massed 
in a heavy and solid way ; and besides constituting a 
loss in material, they last for a much shorter period of 
time than when arranged loosely.— F. 
-- 
CAMELLIAS DROPPING THEIR 
BUDS. 
The cause of Camellias casting their buds at this 
season of the year is to be accounted for in many ways. 
With many a too dry and hot atmosphere is being kept 
up with the idea of forcing them into bloom prema¬ 
turely. Ho greater mistake could possibly be made in 
the cultivation of the Camellia than applying to them 
a great amount of artificial heat at the present time. 
If sufficient heat is kept up to maintain the temperature 
of the house during the day at 50°, and during the 
night at 40° to 45 e , no more is necessary ; but in this 
case care must be taken that the atmosphere does not 
get too dry, by an occasional damping of the floor or 
under the stage where the pipes run. 
It is far better to turn a little heat on during the 
day, completely stopping it at night, except there is 
danger of severe frost, which would do great damage to 
the plants after the buds have begun to swell from the 
effects of heat during the day. The Camellia is really 
a spring-flowering plant, and opens its bloom-buds 
better in March than at any other time of the year. 
A great evil is done to the roots of Camellias by 
allowing them to become dry at this season of the year ; 
but another and more important harm is caused by 
administering ice-cold water. Rain-water that is 
caught from the roofs of the greenhouses, and stored 
in deep cisterns in the house, will, at this time of the 
year, be always cold, and often the plants are watered 
with it just as it runs into the cistern from cold winter 
rain, or snow melting on the roof. This gives a decided 
chill to the plants, and is one of the many causes of 
buds falling off, or turning brown and becoming so 
hard that they cannot open. The cold water kills the 
young roots that are being formed during the winter 
season, and causes a stagnation to the whole system. 
The water used for the plants should be raised as 
near the temperature of the house as possible, and 
where they are vigorous, weak liquid manure may be 
given, which will greatly assist the plant, and improve 
the substance of the flowers. When watering, give 
sufficient to permeate the whole ball, and be careful 
that the drainage of the pot is perfect, for stagnation 
or a waterlogged condition of the soil is, perhaps, a 
worse evil than dryness.— IF. G. 
-->X<-- 
WINTER FLOWERS AT 
SWANLEY. 
Much as we enjoy a visit to Swanley in the summer 
and early autumn months, when there is so much that 
is beautiful to see and admire in the open air as well as 
under glass, it is at mid - winter when we find it a 
downright pleasure to have apmn through the Messrs. 
Cannell’s plant houses, which are all aglow with colour, 
and such colours as are not to be found under the 
summer’s sun. The zonal Pelargoniums, of course, 
claim precedence, for the display is simply grand. Few 
indeed, could credit the brilliant and gay appearance 
that may be produced by these fine old-fashioned (so to 
speak) and everlastingly-gay flowers, except they have 
seen them and judged for themselves, at places where 
they are grown to such perfection as at the Home of 
Flowers, aided by a clearer atmosphere and a more 
sunny sky than the town and suburban cultivator is 
favoured with as a rule. Not only these conditions, 
but the lowness of the glass houses must be taken into 
account for the production of short-jointed wood, perfect 
foliage and the brilliancy of the colours. A house, 
100 ft. in length, is entirely filled with some of the 
older and better known kinds in full flower, while 
another, of equal size, is devoted to novelties not yet 
catalogued. 
New Zonal Pelargoniums. 
A great number have been drawn from all quarters, 
while the following comprise novelties of the Messrs. 
Cannell’s own raising. The darkest variety of all is 
certainly that named Minuit, with intense crimson- 
maroon flowers ; H. Cannell, Junr., is notable for the 
huge size of the truss and flowers, which are rich scarlet 
tinted with purple on the three lower petals. A very 
brilliant scarlet is that named Brilliant, with large 
trusses, round flowers and recurved petals. The richest 
of all the purples is that named Richard Dean, of a 
deep uniform colour, with the exception of two large 
scarlet, basal blotches on the upper petals. Red Shirt 
is another clear brilliant scarlet, characterised by the 
great size of the truss and the boldness of the flowers. 
Those who desire novelty in colour will certainly find 
it in Lovegold, where the scarlet fades uniformly to a 
pale colour, seemingly blended with yellow, and 
comparable to flaming gold. It is, therefore, inter¬ 
mediate between scarlet and yellow, but cannot 
correctly be described as either. Goldfinder is a 
double variety, much in the same way with regard 
to colour, and constituting a beautiful companion plant 
to the former. Another handsome novelty, named 
Salamander, has large trusses of double flowers of a 
magenta-rose colour. Lighter-coloured forms are not 
overlooked, and accordingly we have variety furnished 
by Countess of Derby, which is white, mottled and 
veined with salmon, and exceedingly pretty ; while 
Madame Patti is also a light mottled salmon, char¬ 
acterised by huge trusses, large pips, and greatly 
overlapping petals. Bridesmaid, recently certificated, 
is white, flushed with light pink on the base of the 
petals ; and Lily is white, faintly shaded with an 
almost indiscernible blush, and has large round flowers 
beautifully revolute at the edges when fully expanded. 
Other novelties not yet catalogued are flowering 
finely, showing how well adapted they are for winter 
work. Foremost amongst these must be mentioned a 
grand stock of Swanley Double White, notable for its 
exceedingly dwarf habit, short internodes and flori- 
ferous character. This, coupled with the purity and 
abundance of the white flowers, will make it a favourite 
with those whose space is limited. Swanley Queen of 
White Improved is a choice single pure white variety, 
with the largest flowers of any amongst white kinds. 
The flowers are perfectly round, and produced in grand 
trusses, while the habit of the plant is good. One of 
the best of the salmon-coloured varieties is that named 
Lady Rosebery, with large rosy salmon flowers. The 
rosy pink of Lady F. Russell, and the lilac-pink of 
Mrs. D. Saunders, both with a tvhite eye, are very 
handsome and choice in their way. Wherever it crops 
up in the house, the huge flowers of Hyacinth (recently 
certificated) are conspicuous by their brilliant scarlet 
colour and white eye. 
New Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, flowering freely, show 
what can be done with them at this dull season. A 
beautiful form is Galilee, with large double rosy pink 
flowers. Clara Dubois is also fine, bearing large fully 
double bright rose flowers tinted with mauve ; while 
those of Cuvier are rose-magenta, large and double. 
One of the best and most distinct was that named 
Lavoisier, with large double flowers of a pleasing soft 
red colour. 
Winter-flowering Varieties. 
Another house, of the same length as the last, is 
entirely devoted to older kinds grown expressly for 
winter flowering, and the endless and varied colours 
pleasantly arranged and harmoniously blended for effect 
by contrast was truly magnificent, and can only be 
realised by seeing them. Size of truss and flower, 
combined with perfect blooms of geometrical exactness 
as to shape and their tendency to become recurved at 
the margin, testify to their quality. Swanley Gem is 
of a pleasing rosy salmon, with a white centre, pro¬ 
ducing bold trusses of flowers ; and equally effective 
are the crimson and maroon flowers of Mr. H. Cannell. 
Aurea Perfection is something in the way of Lovegold, 
already mentioned ; Mrs. Baker is of dwarf habit, 
bearing rosy magenta flowers ; the pure white flowers 
of Lady Reed have a scarlet centre ; the orange-scarlet 
of Cato is very pleasing ; while Eurydice is a grand 
improvement on the Christine race ; Favourite has 
large trusses of soft cerise-scarlet flowers ; those of 
Ajax are soft reddish scarlet, and equally choice ; and 
Aurore Boreale, belonging to the hybrid nosegay, 
Gigantea section, has striking large flowers of a light 
scarlet colour. A singular novelty that should not be 
omitted from a collection of any extent is Cameleon, 
with double rosy pink flowers, striped and splashed 
with red and scarlet. The habit is dwarf, the leaves 
small and distinct. Amongst the show type of Pelar¬ 
goniums, a large batch of Venus shows how well this 
variety is adapted for forcing in winter. The flowers 
are of great size, and pure white with the exception of 
two lilac-purple blotches or the upper petals. 
Chinese Primulas. 
A cheerful and attractive display is produced by 
these in batches of different varieties and of different 
ages. The greatest quantity of bloom, as might 
naturally be expected, is borne by those which first 
came into flower ; but second batches of the same kind 
are notable for the robust vigour of the plants, the 
great size, and succulent character of the leaves and 
petioles ; while the flowers already expanded measure 
over ins. in diameter. Princess Beatrice, a distinct 
salmon-mauve variety, with a white shading round the 
five-lobed yellow eye, is both novel and handsome. 
The finest of all the crimsons is that named King of 
the Primulas, whose flowers are large and intensely 
coloured. The best of the white varieties is White 
Perfection, a Fern-leaved sort with red petioles of 
remarkable stoutness. Braid’s Seedling is lilac when 
young, changing to a deep carmine-rose, with a crimson 
line surrounding a yellow eye, and, therefore, described 
as Auricula-eyed. It is certainly charming. A grand 
stock of Swanley Red with bright rosy red flowers, 
tinted with violet round the eye, which is very con¬ 
spicuous, is now in perfection Bridesmaid, a warm 
blush variety, with flowers of great substance, and 
recently certificated, must be reckoned as one of 
the best, and a free bloomer. Another grand 
variety named The Queen must not be overlooked, 
characterised by large white, blush-tinted flowers, with 
an unusually large orbicular orange eye. The Fern- 
leaved foliage is also fine. Swanley White is a pure 
white, with leaves of the ordinary type ; Emperor is a 
very floriferous carmine-flowered variety ; while Princess 
of Wales is a beautiful delicate blush sort, and very 
vigorous ; and Swanley Purple has deep carmine-purple 
flowers. A whole house is devoted to double varieties, 
such as Alba plena, Fimbriata, Fairy, Eva Fish, 
Marchioness of Exeter, and others. 
