June 16, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
663 
I accompanied Mr. Siebrecht to the nurseries from 
which the shop is supplied. These are situated at New 
Rochelle, about seventeen miles from the city, and on 
the main line to Boston. From the station, a pleasant 
drive of a mile and a half through fine avenues of trees 
brings us to the residence of Mr. Siebrecht, at the back 
of which on the summit of a liill are the glasshouses, well 
and substantially built, and in every way suitable for 
the purpose they are used for. The first block on the 
right of the drive consists of (1) a house 100 ft. by 
16 ft. full of Liliums, Hydrangeas, and such-like 
plants ; (2) a similar house full of Roses planted out, 
and forced Lily of the Valley, Lilacs, &e.; (3) a house 
100 ft. long and 18 ft. wide full of Rose General 
Jacqueminot in flower and bud ; (4) a house 100 ft. by 
12 ft. containing Violet Marie Louise, planted out in 
beds a short distance from the glass, and producing 
fine crops of flowers, the perfume of which was most 
delicious ; (5) a house facing north, and over 100 ft. 
long, containing cool Orchids, all the leading sorts of 
Odontoglots, Masdevallias, and Epidendrum vitellinum 
majus grown by the 100 for cutting from, kc.; (6) a 
span-roofed house-100 ft. by 18 ft., divided down the 
centre, and one side used for Roses in pots, and the 
other devoted to Cyclamens, of which there were many 
in flower, and of a very fine strain. The Cyclamen is 
being well done in some places in America now, and is 
becoming a popular favourite. 
The centre house of the second block has a dome to it, 
and is full of fine specimen Palms, while the south 
wing is used for Ferns and the north one for Palms ; 
at the back of the range, which is some 150 ft. long, is 
a commodious potting shed, &c., which is shortly to be 
converted into a grand show house. Leading from this 
shed is a range of houses, somewhere about a dozen in 
number, and each 100 ft. long by 20 ft. wide. No. 1 
is full of young healthy Palms and Ferns, noticeable 
amongst the latter being a fine lot of Platyceriums of all 
the known sorts ; (2) contained Hydrangeas, Roses and 
Liliums, at the warm end. Asparagus is grown planted 
out and trained up strings in 4 ft. to 6 ft. lengths, and 
grows freely ; on the roof are grown in baskets a fine lot 
of Vanda teres and Epidendrum rhizophorum, both of 
which do well here and flower freely; (3) is another 
Rose house, and contains a grand lot, flowering pro¬ 
fusely ; (4) is an Orchid house, containing Cattleyas, 
Ladias, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, &c.,by the hundred; 
also a fine lot of Anthurium Scherzerianum, including 
Wardii and Cypherii flowering well; (5) is a Cattleya 
house, full of the leading kinds ; (6) is another Rose 
house, in which American Beauty is solely grown, and 
in which were men at work cutting the flowers. They 
had their arms full of magnificent blooms, cut with 
stems fully 2 ft. in length ; (7) contains Roses—The 
Bride, Catherine Mermetand Perle des Jardins, and all 
doing well; (8) is full of H. P. Baroness Rothschild, 
Annie Diesbach, &c. ; (9) is a fine new house, used for 
handsome foliage plants, and here Mr. Siebrecht showed 
me a fine batch of Palms, grown in their establishment 
at Trinidad, where they have purchased some acres 
of land for this purpose. In this house also are 
hundreds of Cycas revoluta, some with 5 ft. stems, and 
which are shifted direct from Trinidad to New York, 
where they arrive in grand condition and are much 
appreciated for decorative purposes. Here, too, was a 
grand lot of the old Ardisia crenulata, varying in 
height from 1 ft. to 2 ft., well clothed with foliage and 
splendidly berried. The habit of this plant, when well 
done, renders it admirably adapted for vases, &e. 
Another range consists of four houses, as follows :—(1) 
a house 20 ft. wide and 12 ft. high, the centre filled 
with fine healthy specimen Palms, &c., and over the 
walks, the entire length of the house, is a double row 
of Nepenthes suspended in baskets, of all the leading 
sorts, and beautifully pitchered; (2) is a propagating 
house ; (3) an East India Orchid house, containing, 
among other good things the celebrated Vanda Sander- 
iana from the late Mrs. Morgan’s collection, which was 
bought for £200 at the sale. It is a grand piece and 
doing well; (4) is a magnificent circular-roofed house, 
20 ft. high in the centre, containing many magni¬ 
ficent specimens, Tree Ferns, Encephalartos Lehmanni, 
with 12 ft. spread of fronds, &c. 
Near this range is a cool house full of Rhododen¬ 
drons, Lilacs, Azalea mollis, and A. indica, full of 
flower buds in a fit state for forcing at any time. Last 
year this enterprising firm started annual exhibitions 
in New York, and recently held an Orchid exhibition, 
at which a most imposing display was made, and which 
was the talk of the city for the time. It was visited 
by a great number of the leading citizens, who were 
loud in their praise of the grand exhibition that was 
provided for them. It is the intention of the firm at 
different times of the year to have similar shows of 
other things, and I think the idea a good one, as while 
such displays will encourage trade they will also stim¬ 
ulate a love for flowers, which will be a great benefit to 
the community at large.— Alfred Outram. 
PLANTS AND FLOWERS AT THE 
ITALIAN EXHIBITION. 
The large beds of Rhododendrons, although not fully 
in bloom the other day, were the most conspicuous and 
telling features when we visited the grounds. Although 
partly remodelled since last year to suit the require¬ 
ments of the Italian exhibition, the grounds preserve 
a certain air of antiquity, owing to the presence of 
some large old Elm trees, Pear trees that formed part 
of the contents of an old market garden, and a row of 
the Ever-flowering or Weeping Cherry (Prunus semper- 
florens), now heavily laden with fruit on its pendent 
branches. Very conspicuous is a row of the Myrtle¬ 
leaved Portugal Laurel (Prunus lusitanica myrtifolia) 
growing in tubs, pruned into narrowly columnar form, 
and along the top of a terrace. The Rhododendrons 
of Mr. Maurice Young, Milford, Godaiming, consist of 
many fine varieties, grown as standards on the grass, 
as well as dwarf bushes in beds. The flowers are of 
handsome proportions, and exhibit lilac, red, w T hite, 
blush, pink, and purple shades, and many of them are 
conspicuously blotched on the two upper segments of 
the corolla. Mr. Anthony Waterer, Knap Hill, 
Woking, has also a collection similarly varied and 
beautiful, but they are all mostly confined to the bush 
form and grown in beds, abutting on old Pear trees, 
hung with lamps of a new pattern, which are of a red 
colour and relieved with lozenge-shaped patches painted 
green and white. The Conifers and variegated foliaged 
shrubs of Messrs. Charles Lee & Son, Royal Vineyard 
Nurseries, Hammersmith, are also very attractive. 
Besides Rhododendrons, w r e noticed Araucaria excelsa, 
Abies nobilis, Lawson’s Golden Cypress, the Golden- 
fruited and the Golden-leaved Ivy, variegated Box and 
Euonymus, Hollies, Planes, Poplars, Choisya ternata, 
and Liliums. A large bush of the double white Scotch 
Rose (Rosa spinosissima), abutting on some larger 
shrubs, was also noticeable and fine. Two or more 
pieces are occupied by the firm, and the trees and shrubs 
are beautifully dotted about on the grass or grown in 
clumps. 
Some pieces of rockwork and grass are also kept gay 
by Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham. 
The flowers in bloom at present are Hemerocallis flava, 
blue and white Lupins, Aquilegia chrysantha, Paradisia 
liliastrum, and Iceland Poppies in various pretty 
colours. A square garden, surrouuded by a low pan- 
nelled wall of stone, has a white marble fountain in the 
centre, and the beds are planted chiefly with Pelar¬ 
goniums and a few Rhododendrons. The artificial 
Vines trained up the square pillars of a building 
belonging to the Societa Generale Dei Viticoltori 
Italiani di Roma look very natural. Grapes are repre¬ 
sented by white and black varieties, while the foliage is 
very pretty, and by artificial light would, no doubt, be 
deceptive. 
The scenery in the open air—representing blue, white, 
and red rocks, imitative of Alpine regions—is very 
attractive, and at a distance appears like Italian 
scenery as portrayed in pictures. At the base of these 
are rocks and boulders, representing the terraces of 
mountains, planted with various species of Pinus, Abies, 
and Picea. Beside this is the Alpine tent of the late 
Victor Emmanuel. Along the boundary adjoining the 
railway between Earl’s Court and West Kensington is a 
double row of tall columnar Lombardy Poplars (Populus 
nigra pyramidalis), and more of them are planted near 
a representation of the old Roman Forum. The 
turfing, planting, and other matters of this kind are 
rapidly approaching completion, if not finished by this 
time ; and this, together with the tasteful manner in 
which the work has been carried out, reflects great 
credit on Mr. William Goldring, who has the manage¬ 
ment of all landscape and horticultural matters. 
-- 
FLOWERING TREES AND 
SHRUBS. 
The Snow-ball Tree. 
The wild form of this tree (Viburnum opulus) is simply 
known as the Guelder Rose, and for decorative purposes 
is far inferior to the Snow-ball Tree (V. opulus sterilis) 
when in flower. The latter, however, is the pride of 
the shrubbery at present, and owes its beauty to the 
whole of the flowers of the inflorescence becoming 
enlarged, like those on the outer flowers of the wild 
plant, where the corolla has become greatly enlarged. 
When this happens the whole of the blooms become 
sterile. Under these circumstances, the Snow-ball 
never produces any seed, but has to be propagated by 
layers, suckers, or grafts. When the blooms first 
expand they are of a creamy or greenish hue, but 
ultimately develop into globular masses of pure white. 
The plant is sometimes grown under the name of 
V. o. roseum, which would lead one to suppose that 
the flowers were rose-coloured ; but the application of 
the name refers to the shape of the globular mass of 
blooms. For cut-flower purposes the plant is extremely 
useful, the blooms lasting a long time in perfection, 
and it also constitutes a valuable subject for forcing. 
Diervilla Abel Carkiere. 
The showy, large-flowered, and most ornamental kinds 
are best known in gardens under the name of Weigelia. 
The continental variety under notice is at present a 
beautiful sight, and recommends itself very strongly, 
either for planting in the front row of the shrubbery or 
for a bed on the lawn. The buds and the exterior of 
the corolla, even when in bloom, are of a deep reddish 
crimson ; while the upper or inner face of the limb is 
of a cheerful attractive rose. The flowers are profusely 
produced on short branches along the stems. 
East Indian Hawthorn. 
Several forms of this plant (Rhaphiolepis indica) are 
under cultivation, especially that named R. i. salici- 
folia, but few or any of them are ever seen out of doors. 
The latter is generally considered a species (see Botanical 
Register, t. 652), and is cultivated in greenhouses for 
the. sake of its Hawthorn-like racemes of white flowers, 
which are plentifully produced at the ends of the 
branches. The narrow evergreen leaves are narrowly 
lanceolate and willow-like ; but in the typical form, 
now flowering on the outside wall of the Victoria-house 
at Kew, the leaves are much broader and ovate. The 
panicles of flowers are white, tinted with pink at the 
base, and the young foliage is red, as in many other 
members of the Rose family belonging to the same 
allied group. The plant has been grown for many years 
in its present position without any protection whatever, 
and would have been considerably taller and more 
lloriferous, but is now of no great height owing to the 
lowness of the wall and the necessity for keeping the 
annual shoots down to the coping of the brickwork. 
It is a native of China, and generally considered only 
half-hardy. 
Buddlea globosa. 
Although it sometimes gets killed in very severe 
winters, it is so nearly hardy that it seldom fails to 
flower even far north of the Tweed. The large, lance¬ 
shaped leaves are rugose or wrinkled on the upper 
surface and felted beneath with a white tomentum, and 
when ruffled by the wind constitute the plant a con¬ 
spicuous object even when not in flower. When covered 
with its globose, orange-coloured heads of bloom the 
effect is greatly enhanced, as the orange heads look 
more like fruit than bloom. The leaves being ever¬ 
green the plant should be grown in a somewhat 
sheltered position to protect it from cold north winds. 
It constitutes, however, a grand bush for the lawn. 
-->=£«-- 
JfoTES from Scotland. 
"♦* 
Rhododendrons at Moncreiffe House, 
Perth. —There is at present a fine display of these 
highly ornamental shrubs in the pleasure grounds at 
Moncreiffe House. Four or five years ago a number of 
beds were made throughout the grounds and planted 
with some of the finest hybrid varieties, which are 
thriving exceedingly and are now beginning to repay the 
labour and care which have been bestowed on them. 
The colours are very varied, ranging from dark claret 
in Baron Schroder to white as in Mason’s Perfection, 
with numerous intermediate shades of rose, pink, 
scarlet, crimson, kc. Many of the trusses are of 
enormous size, and as nearly every shoot is bearing one, 
the effect is quite gorgeous, backed up as they are by 
the dark green glossy foliage. Amongst the varieties 
which were particularly conspicuous I noted Bouquet 
de Flore, Cynthia, Exquisite, Lady Godiva, Roseum 
elegans, Sultana, Loquendum, Crown Prince, Princess 
Christian, Vandyke, Duchess of Bedford, Elfrida, 
Baron Schroder, Kate Waterer, Duchess of Edinburgh, 
Michael Waterer, Mason’s Perfection, Blandyanum, &c. 
There are many other interesting objects at Mon¬ 
creiffe which might be noted, but time and space will not 
permit. Perhaps I may (with the Editor’s permission) 
at some future date send a few notes of some of the 
many notable things which are to be seen about this 
grand old mansion.— Arbutus. [Please do.—E d.] 
A Gardener Convicted of Fraud.—On 
Monday last, before Sherriff Gloag and a jury at 
Dumblane, John Russell (54), until recently employed 
as head gardener at Keir, Dumblane, where he had 
been for twenty-five years, was sentenced to six months’ 
imprisonment in connection with charges of fraud. 
