752 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 25, 1891. 
THE TWIN FLOWER. 
This popular name is very appropriately applied to 
Bravoa geminiflora, a Mexican bulbous plant, 
belonging to the Amaryllis family. The leaves are 
subulate, light green, 3 ins. to 6 ins. long, and mostly 
confined to the base of the flower stems, which 
attain a height of 1^ ft. or 2 ft. The flowers are 
tubular, inflated upward, drooping, owing to a 
curvature above the base, and borne in pairs along 
the upper part of the flower stem. This is what 
Twin Flower refers to, and the latter is simply a 
translation of the specific name. It may be grown 
in pots or planted out in a greenhouse or cold frame, 
as it is nearly hardy. In warm sheltered positions 
it will succeed without protection, but a finer growth 
is secured if protected by a frame from wet during 
winter and from spring frosts. Sandy loam and 
leaf soil constitutes a suitable compost. 
ZEPHYRANTHES CAR1NATA. 
It is a species of Zephyranthes, which is popularly 
known as Zephyr Flowers, or Flowers of the West 
Wind, and it is to be regretted it is not so hardy as 
Crocuses or Daffodils, or it would then be grown in 
quantity. The flower of that under notice is almost 
as large as some of the smaller flowered Amaryllis, 
funnel-shaped, and of a beautiful soft rose, with a 
white throat, filaments and style, while the anthers 
are yellow. The leaves are linear, of a bright shining 
green, and keeled as is implied in the specific name. 
The bulbs will succeed in warm sheltered positions 
in the south of England, but are all the better for 
being protected by a frame. Z. Candida succeeds in 
beds in the open ground, flowering freely in October 
jn Jersey. 
ANTHOLYZA >£THIOPICA. 
The leaves of this South African plant are glaucous, 
sword-shaped and arranged in two ranks, much 
resembling those of a broad-leaved Iris or Flag ; but 
instead of being confined to the base of the stem 
they are arranged along the latter to some consider¬ 
able height. A well-grown plant attains a height of 
3 feet or 3J feet, becoming at once a handsome and 
ornamental subject. It may be grown in pots or 
planted out in the bed of a greenhouse, or similar 
structure from which the frost is merely excluded in 
winter, for it is virtually all but hardy, and if pro¬ 
tected in winter may be grown in the open border 
with tolerable success, at least in the southern 
counties. In this respect it may be compared with 
Crocosmia aurea, better known under the name of 
Tritonia. The flowers gape widely with the upper 
lip or lobe scarlet, and two or three times longer 
than the reflexed lower five, which are paler, with 
blackish-purple lines in the throat. The tube is long, 
slender at the base, and twice suddenly widened or 
inflated in the course of its length, and is greenish- 
yellow at first, changing to yellow and finally scarlet. 
The lower part of the inflorescence is branched in 
well-grown plants. At this season of the year it 
supplies variety for the greenhouse or conservatory, 
whether grown in pots or planted out, and for that 
reason, as well as its ornamental character, it ought 
to enjoy a more extended cultivation. 
SEEDLING CARNATIONS. 
I send you blooms of two of my seedling Carnations. 
The rose-coloured one is about the best that I have 
flowered this year. The plant has a fine constitution, 
and is remarkable for its free, strong habit. The 
yellow one is in the way of Mrs. Sanders, but 
much deeper in colour. It is very compact; makes 
a nice buttonhole flower, and does not split its pod. 
This also is a robust grower.— G, Fry, Lewisham. 
[Both are very good, but the rose-coloured bloom 
is the most promising, a very pleasing flower.—E d.] 
THE OX-EYE DAISY. 
No further improvement apparently has yet been 
effected with the so-called semi-double Chrysan¬ 
themum Leucanthemum semiduplex. Just within 
the ray a series of the disc florets have become 
developed into narrowly linear or thread-like pro¬ 
cesses, which serve to take off the tameness of a 
single flower to those who object to the single wild 
form. Surely seeds could be obtained from it, and 
varieties raised from it, showing a greater amount 
of doubling ; and if so a perfectly double variety 
might finally be obtained that would prove useful 
for cut flower purposes, 
MOLTKIA PETR/EA. 
The species of Moltkia are closely allied to Lithos- 
permum, and are in fact sometimes classed under it. 
The plant under notice forms an erect, closely- 
branched and sub-shrubby bush, 12 ins. to 18 ins. 
high. Every shoot terminates in a branching cyme 
of deep sky-blue flowers, that are, however, of a 
pale purple hue in bud, as is the case with so many 
other Borageworts. Being a native of Dalmatia the 
species proves perfectly hardy in this country, and is 
most at home on the rockery, where it will enjoy the 
good drainage which is essential to its well being. 
Full exposure to ripen its wood should also be ac¬ 
corded it. Propagation may be effected by means of 
cuttings inserted in sandy soil and kept close by 
means of a hand-light or bell glass. 
THE OLYMPIAN MULLEIN. 
Most of the species of Verbascum are tall, stately 
habited plants, but the Olympian species (V. 
olympicum) is a giant amongst its kind, reaching a 
height of 6 ft. or 8 ft., and branching from near the 
base in a pyramidal manner. The great woolly 
leaves add much to the tropical effect produced by 
the plant, and the large golden-yellow flowers with 
orange anthers are highly ornamental. To get the 
finest effect with this plant it should be sown in rich, 
moist soil, and encouraged to make strong growth 
during the first year, as on this depends the height 
and vigour of the plant during the coming season. 
Those who make picturesque gardening an object of 
study would find in this plant a suitable subject for 
massing in prominent positions for distant effect. 
Suitable positions might also be found for it in what 
is termed the wild garden. 
ELLAM'S EARLY CABBAGE. 
This is the best early sort to stand the winter of any 
that I have yet tried. It is not a large variety, but 
it produces fine, compact heads of the finest flavour. 
It can be planted fifteen inches apart each May, and if 
sown now to be planted by the beginning of Septem¬ 
ber, there need be no fear of bad plants next spring. 
It has done well with me for the last two years. 
Other two fine varieties for autumn planting are 
McEwen's or Vanack, and Meins No. 7. When well 
grown either of them take a deal of beating.— Perthshire, 
- ♦ 
BEDDING FUCHSIAS. 
The very remarkable appearance presented by that 
charming dwarf Fuchsia Dunrobin Bedder, as seen 
recently, and probably still at Chiswick, very 
naturally attracted the attention of several members 
of one of the committees, because so compact and 
wondrously full of bloom. If Fuchsias merit the 
appellation of bedders this one' certainly possesses 
the properties of a bedder in a high degree. It 
has a very close-jointed habit of growth, as seen 
"in the plants at Chiswick, although those may be 
somewhat of stunted habit, arising from long pot 
culture. 
It is worthy of note that a plant of the old 
Riccartoni, in the centre of the bed in which 
Dunrobin Bedder is growing, had not a flower 
upon it when all the other plants were profusely 
flowering. We seem to have in this novelty the 
germ of a new race of Fuchsias, real sturdy, free- 
blooming bedders, and this favourite old garden 
flower, for some time under a cloud, is now let us 
hope in a fair way to become a really first-rate 
summer bedding plant, because if the new race 
takes after its progenitors, it will have characteristics 
far more suitable for bedding purposes than the 
old loose-growing type of Fuchsias have possessed. 
Even now if we have well-established stools or 
clumps of some of the hardier sorts—such as 
Coccinea, Magellenica, Riccartoni and others— 
we can have a fine show of bloom on bushes, 
but these are hardy bedding Fuchsias in the 
best sense. Some of the older pot varieties 
make very free blooming plants after they have 
become somewhat root-bound, and are turned out 
into the open ground. Still these are, as it were, 
artificially-produced plants, and do not give to 
us that very compact free blooming habit 
which is so essential in bedding varieties. The 
pretty little Fuchsia gracilis might well be utilised 
as a pollen parent, crossing with it some of the 
ordinary pot forms, both red and white, and useful 
the procuff may be. We have got to a stage in 
bedding plants when some novelty is needed, and 
the Fuchsia seems to offer a capital field for the 
experiments of the hybridist,— A. D, 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural. —Hardy plants, fruits, and 
vegetables, independently of the Carnation Show, 
made a fine display at the meeting on Tuesday last. 
Orchids were also exceptionally well represented for 
this season of the year. A Silver Flora Medal 
was awarded to Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, 
Upper Holloway, for a group of Orchids con¬ 
sisting largely of Vandas, Cypripedium Morganiae, 
and other species, Dendrobiums, &c., edged with 
Maidenhair Fern. A similar award was made to the 
Rt. Hon. the Marquis of Salisbury (gardener, Mr. 
G. Norman), Hatfield House, for twenty-nine long 
racemes of Saccolabium Blumei majus, which made 
a fine display, and were very fragrant. A Silver 
Banksian Medal was awarded to J. W. Temple, Esq. 
(gardener, Mr. E. Bristow), Tunbridge Wells, for a 
group of Cattleya gigas, splendidly flowered. A 
Silver Flora Medal was accorded to the Duke of 
Devonshire (gardener, Mr. O. Thomas), Chatsworth, 
for a grandly-flowered group of Disa grandiflora. 
The stems bore five to eight flowers each. Cypripe¬ 
dium Brownii was shown by Messrs. Pitcher & 
Manda, Hextable, Swanley. Mr. H. Ballantine, 
gardener to Baron Schroder, The Dell, Egham 
exhibited a fine raceme of Odontoglossum crispum 
xanthottes, with pure white flowers and deep-yellow 
blotches on the sepals and lip. A group of Orchids, 
including Warscewiczella Wendlandi and Aerides 
maculosum, Prewett's var., was shown by Messrs. 
Seeger & Tropp, East Dulwich. Some well-flowered 
plants of Odontoglossum crispum and Masdevallias, 
were shown by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans. 
A Silver Flora Medal was awarded to Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, for a rich collection of 
ornamental foliaged and flowering trees and shrubs; 
and a Silver Banksian Medal was accorded to Messrs. 
J. Laing & Sons for a fine collection of hardy herba¬ 
ceous plants. A similar award was made to Mr. 
T. S. Ware, Tottenham, for a group consisting 
largely of Liliums in great variety ; he also had 
some rare hardy Orchids. A Silver Flora Medal 
was accorded to Messrs. Paul & Son, for a collection 
of hardy herbaceous plants, Cannas and Roses. 
Messrs. Kelway & Sons, Langport, put up a fine 
group of Delphiniums, Gaillardias, and to a less 
extent hardy herbaceous plants generally. A Silver 
Banksian Medal was awarded. Two fine stands of 
named varieties of Sweet Peas, done up in bunches 
with moss, were shown by Mr. Henry Eckford, 
Wem, Salop. Messrs. J. Carter & Co. staged 
a basket of a new dwarf variety of the African 
Marigold. A pink variety of Valotta purpurea 
named Mrs. Hector Monro — quite a new 
break—was shown by Mr. Monro, Milborne Port, 
Somerset. Silver Banksian Medals were awarded to 
Mr. Wm. Rumsey, Joyning’s Nurseries, Waltham 
Cross, for a showy collection of Tea and H. P. 
Roses; and to Mr. W. Stacey, Dunmow, for cut 
flowers of Verbenas, done up in bunches, showing 
great variety and rich colours, from pure white to 
brilliant crimson or scarlet. 
At a meeting of the Fruit Committee Messrs. J. 
Veitch and Sons exhibited a large collection of 
Gooseberries as they had grown on the branches, 
and they certainly were very prolific. They also had 
10 dishes of Cherries, 9 dishes of Raspberries, 19 
dishes of Strawberries, 21 dishes of Currants, and 
98 dishes of Gooseberries. A Silver Gilt Banksian 
Medal was awarded for this fine exhibit. A 
collection of fruit was also exhibited by Messrs. T. 
Rivers and Son, Sawbridgeworth. In it were 
some fine samples of Sea Eagle, Belle Beauce, 
Exquisite, Albatros, and Prince of Wales Peaches, 
and some grandly-grown Cherries. A Silver 
Gilt Banksian Medal was awarded. A cultural 
commendation was awarded to F. Crisp, Esq. 
(gardener, Mr. H. A. Page), White House, 
New Southgate, for three very fine bunches 
of Cannon Hall Muscat Grape. He also 
showed some fine Nectarines. A Silver Banksian 
Medal was awarded to J. T. Hopwood, Esq. (gar¬ 
dener, Mr. W. H. Divers), Ivetton Hall, Stamford, 
for some remarkable samples of Peaches. A dish of 
five fruits of Sea Eagle weighed 4 lbs. 902s., the 
largest fruit was 12J ins. in circumference, and 
weighed 16J ozs. Mr. T. H. Crasp, Canford Gar¬ 
dens, Wimborne, exhibited a dish of Figs and a 
plant of Pride of Aston White Currant in a pot ' 
Mr. Crook, Forde AJibey, Chard, exhibited four 
