August 8, 1891. 
785 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
their beauty and interest. The species is grown in 
baskets at Gunnersbury Park, Acton, and is now 
flowering. 
Cattleya Loddigesi. 
The soft and pleasing colours of this Cattleya, and 
the medium size of its flowers, render it more suitable 
for button-hole work than the large and more showy 
blooms of the labiata group, and which are altogether 
too gross for that kind of work. A single flower, 
either alone or in association with a frond of Adian- 
tum cuneatum mundulum, or A. c. Pacotti, will 
furnish a button-hole bouquet large enough on all 
hands for a gentleman’s coat. The soft rosy sepals 
and petals are tinted with lilac ; the lip is similar in 
hue, except that the edges of the lateral lobes border¬ 
ing on the throat, and also the base of the front lobe, 
are of a pale creamy-yellow, thus adding to the 
beauty and delicacy of the flower. It is a Brazilian 
species, flowering with us during the months of July, 
August and September, and stray flowers may appear 
at various other times according to the season the 
growth has been made. 
Cattleya superba splendens. 
N either the variety under notice nor the type is 
particularly common in gardens. The flowers are 
similar in form to those of C. nobilior and C. Ack- 
landise, but the other details are different. The stems 
vary from 4 ins. to 6 ins. high, bearing at the apex two 
short, oblong leaves from between which the flowers 
arise ; they are not thickened in the manner of a 
pseudo bulb, but terete, and ridged and furrowed 
longitudinally. The peduncle bears from two to four 
flowers of large size, those of the variety splendens 
being larger than the type and showy. A plant 
suspended from the roof in a basket, in one of the 
houses at Gunnersbury Park, Acton, has been 
flowering for some time. The sepals and petals are 
of a deep, rich purple with a narrow white edge. 
The lip is purple, or the front lobe of a warm rosy- 
violet, with a yellow blotch at the base. It lies 
close up against the column, and the contrast to the 
yellow blotch formed by the maroon purple anther 
cap is very marked. On the whole, then, this Cattleya 
is of moderate dimensions, easily housed, and withal 
beautiful. 
A late-flowering Lselia purpurata. 
A large plant in the houses at Gunnersbury Park, 
Acton, flowered at the usual time and the blooms 
were removed for cut-flower purposes. A strong, 
but late developed pseudobulb produced a sheath 
about the usual time, but the flowers after awhile 
ceased to grow for a time and appeared as if they 
would ultimately fail to reach the blooming stage. 
Growth, however, recommenced and the flower- 
scape bore eight fine flower buds on the point of 
expansion when we saw it the other day. It is 
seldom that L. purpurata produces eight flowers on 
a single scape; from four to six is of much more 
common occurrence, even on well-grown plants. 
The practice of cutting off the bloom here as else¬ 
where before the pseudobulbs get exhausted has 
the effect of reserving their energy for another year, 
and this, no doubt, would help to account for the 
large number of flowers in question. 
THE DOUBLING OF 
FLOWERS. 
Does the doubling of flowers add to their decorative 
value and general usefulness ? was the question put 
to me a few weeks ago by a horticulturist of some 
standing. We were both present at a meeting 
of the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society, and among the new plants placed 
before us was a double form of Wistaria sinensis, a 
magnificent hardy twiner, which was introduced from 
China in 1818. There is a very large specimen of it 
against the south side of the residence of the Right 
Hon. S. H. Walpole, on Ealing Green, having such 
a massive trunk and covering such a great space, 
that I think Mr. Walpole was quite correct when he 
once informed me he believed it to be either one of 
the original plants brought to this country, or one of 
the very first plants propagated immediately after it 
came to hand. Those who have seen this, or other 
specimens of the Wistaria, will remember that it 
produces numerous bluish flowers in the form of 
long pendulous racemes, in early spring, and some¬ 
times a second crop, much more sparingly, in autumn. 
The double form exhibited by Messrs. Veitch & Sons 
was not nearly so beautiful as the single form, and 
that was the universal opinion of the members of the 
Floral Committee. 
Types of Lilacs. 
But some double forms of our common Lilac, Syringa 
vulgaris, raised in France and exhibited at the 
Temple Show of the Royal Horticultural Society 
a few weeks ago, had a very different recep¬ 
tion. They were warmly welcomed as valuable 
additions to our early flowering hardy shrubs. Our 
Common Lilac is, perhaps, with the exception of the 
Golden Laburnum, the most popular of our spring 
flowering shrubs, and it has recently bloomed very 
finely. There are three types of the Lilac to be 
found in our gardens, viz., Syringa dubia, which is 
generally grown as the Persian Lilac, and which can 
be readily distinguished from the common Lilac by 
its more graceful habit, smaller stature, smaller 
leaves, and more profuse flower spikes, which are 
long and branching. There is a very fine deep- 
coloured form of this known as Rothmagensis, much 
deeper in colour, and of such decorative value that 
it is not too much to say it deserves a place in every 
garden. 
The Persian Lilac is the smallest of the group ; it 
has slender branches, small leaves, and flowers vary¬ 
ing in colour from rosy carmine to white. But, as I 
have before shown, it is rarely planted under its own 
name, the Siberian Lilac being substituted for the 
Persian Lilac. 
What we generally see in gardens are the common 
white and the common purple, or lilac, Lilacs. The 
Lilac has been in cultivation in this country about 
three centuries, and, though its origin is somewhat 
uncertain, it is believed to have come from Persia, 
and with it appears to have come its common name, 
for Lilac is said to be a Persian word. Several fine 
single varieties have been obtained such as Charles 
10th, Dr. Lindley, Geant des Batailles, Alba grandi- 
fiora, Marie Le Grange, &c., all of which exceed the 
common Lilacs in the size of the individual flowers, 
as well as in the whole inflorescence, and in deeper 
and more novel tints of colour. These new varieties 
are being much more propagated and planted than 
formerly, and so, finding their way into English 
gardens, lend an added beauty to our shrubbery 
borders. 
Double Lilacs. 
I do think the new double Lilacs, to which reference 
has already been made, are valuable acquisitions. 
The large individual flowers are increased in size 
owing to their becoming double, and the flower 
spikes are much larger in consequence. The finest 
of the double varieties I have seen are Boule de 
Nancy, pale pinkish lilac; Michael Buchner, rosy 
lilac, very fine; Maxime Cornu, or to give it its 
proper name, Bretschneideri, semi-double, soft rosy 
lilac; Alphonse Lavallee, pale violet; Madame 
Lemoine, pure white, very fine ; and Leon Simon, 
pink, one of the very finest. As the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society have awarded their certificates of 
merit to several of the foregoing, their value as 
decorative agents in the shrubbery can be accepted. 
Culture of the Lilac. 
The Lilac is a very accommodating plant, and will 
grow and flower well in any good garden soil. In a 
strong yellow loam it will blossom much more finely 
than in poor soil. I am quite certain we do not 
cultivate our shrubbery borders enough. Any soil 
is thought good enough for shrubs, however poor ; 
the plants are put in thickly together, and often 
crowd each other in a most inconvenient manner ; the 
top-dressing nature provides to assist in the suste¬ 
nance of the plants by the fall of the leaves, is remorse¬ 
lessly raked out on the ground of tidiness; and 
sometimes the shrubbery border is dug or forked 
over, loosening all the surface roots, but nothing is 
added in the shape pf top dressing. Many of our 
choice flowering shrubs would grow more luxuriantly 
and produce finer flowers if the plants were less 
crowded, and some manure was occasionally added. 
It is all very well to plant shrubberies thickly at the 
outset, to furnish them, but a judicious thinning out 
should be practised as the plants increase in size. 
Common Names of the Lilac. 
In Devonshire the Lilac is known as “ May,” a term 
applied to the hawthorn in Hampshire and other 
counties. In Cornwall it is known as the " Prince’s 
Feather.” In many country places it is called ■■ Lay- 
lock and in South Devon " Ducks-bills.” The 
name of ducks’-bills is, of course, explained by the 
appearance of the separate flowerets, which have 
something of the shape and form of a glove, and are 
flattened much after the fashion of the bill of a duck. 
—if. D. 
SOCIETIES. 
Liverpool Horticultural Association, August 1st and 
V'd -—The twelfth summer exhibition under the 
auspices of this Society was held in Sefton Park, and 
fully sustained its high reputation for good all-round 
exhibits. The centre of the huge marquee was as 
usual devoted to the plant classes with a grand bank 
down the centre, Pelargoniums, Caladiums, Lycopo¬ 
diums, &c., being staged on each side. The annexe at 
either end was devoted in one case to fruit and 
vegetables and in the other to cut flowers, &c., with 
tastefully arranged groups in the centre. 
For ten stove and greenhouse plants, five fine 
foliaged and five flowering, Mr. B. Cromwell, 
gardener to T. S. Timmis, Esq., Clevely, Allerton, 
staged an imposing group consisting of Kentia 
Forsteriana (eight feet), Phoenix rupicola (eight feet), 
Gleichenia dichotoma, Croton Countess, C. Queen 
Victoria, Ixora coccinea superba (four feet), Clero- 
dendron Balfourianum (beautifully flowered), Ixora 
Williamsii, Erica Lindleyana, and Anthurium 
Schertzianum. Mr. Finch, gardener to J. Marriott, 
Esq., Coventry, was second with some fine plants, 
and Mr. A. R. Cox, gardener to W. H. Watts, Esq., 
Elm Hall, Wavertree, third. For six stove and 
greenhouse plants, three foliage and three flowering, 
Mr. J. Jellicoe, gardener to F. H. Gossage, Esq., Camp 
Hill, Woolton, was to the fore with Thrinax elegans, 
Seaforthia elegans, Croton Queen Victoria, Clero- 
dendron Balfourianum, Allamanda nobilis, Stepha- 
notis floribunda. With four stove and greenhouse 
plants in flower, Mr. A. R. Cox was first with Statice 
Holfordii, Ixora Morsei, &c.; and Mr. B. Cromwell 
second. For three stove and greenhouse plants in 
bloom, for one stove plant in bloom, for four fine 
foliage plants and for a single specimen foliage plant, 
Mr. J. Jellicoe secured all the premier awards. With 
six exotic Ferns, Mr. B. Cromwell was first with 
fresh well grown specimens, and Mr. Thos. Gowen, 
gardener to J. A. Bartlett, Esq., second ; and with 
four hardy ferns Mr. J. B. Brancker came in first, as 
he did also for Filmy Ferns. Four exotic orchids : 
first, Mr. A. L. Jones ; second, Mr. O. H. Williams. 
Single orchid : first, Mr. T. Gowen ; second, Mr. J. 
Brancker. The remaining classes were competed 
in by the exhibitors already named, the Pelargo¬ 
niums, Fuchsias, Caladiums, Gloxinias, &c., being 
very good. 
For the circular group of plants, 150 ft., amateurs, 
Mr. A. R. Cox was first with a good arrangement, 
his Drascenas being rather heavy, the ground work 
Adiantum cuneatum fresh and clean; Mr. J. Jellicoe 
was a very close second with brighter flowers, but 
lacking a trifle in ground work. Five competed for the 
open group, 250 ft. Messrs. R. P. Ker & Sons were 
easily first with a splendid combination of flowers 
and foliage, Mr. W. C. Clark being second. 
The cut flower section was very pleasing, the 
flowers being of high quality, and giving the judges 
plenty of work. Roses were good in colour but 
slightly wanting in size, owing possibly to their 
season being nearly past. Herbaceous flowers were 
in greater quantity than usual, and of splendid 
quality, whilst the stove and greenhouse flowers 
were superb. In the Rose classes the principal 
winners were Messrs. Perkins & Sons; Messrs. 
Harkness&Sons; Messrs. Dicksons, Co. Down; Mr, 
T. B. Hall, Birkenhead ; and Mr. T. Raffles Bullery 
Liscard. Of twelve varieties of stove and green¬ 
house cut flowers, five stands were staged, and Mr. 
J. Jellicoe secured premier honours with a charming 
lot tastefully arranged. Mr. T. Carling was second 
with lovely flowers, but not so many orchids. For 
twenty-four bunches hardy herbaceous cut flowers, 
Mr. G. Eaton, gardener to W. H. Shirley, Esq., 
Allerton, was first with a magnificent lot. With 
twelve varieties Mr J. Harrison, gardener to Mrs. 
Bateson, Allerton, came in first. 
Fruit was somewhat less than usual in quantity, 
the Grapes to a slight extent showing the difficulty 
in producing high finish in a dull season. For eight 
dishes, distinct kinds, Mr. J. H. Goodacre, Elvaston 
Castle, Derby, was first with a grand lot including 
Madresfield Court Grapes, well coloured Muscat of 
Alexandra Grapes, Queen Pine, Royal George 
Peaches, Monarch Melon, Lord Napier Nectarines, 
Kirk's Plum, and Apricots ; second, Mr. J. Bennett, 
gardener to Hon. C. H. Wynn, Rhug, Corwen; 
third, Mr. Blair, gardener to the Duke of Sutherland 
Trentham. Six dishes of Fruit distinct kinds 
amateurs ; first, Mr. T. Elsworthy, gardener to A. R 
