342 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 31, 1891. 
■which these Eoses are required :—Gloire de Dijon, 
the type ; Belle Lyonnaise, lemon; Bouquet d’Or, 
salmon-yellow ; Bunnert Fridolin, rose, with a white 
base ; Madame Berard, shaded salmon ; Madame 
Eugene Verdier, chamois-yellow ; Madame Trifle, deep 
lemon ; Madame Chauvray, orange and pink ; Mons. 
Desir, violet-red ; Souvenir de Madame Metral, bright 
cherry-red ; Henriette de Beauveau, Lacharme’s last 
Rose, if left to ramble unpruned on a south .wall, 
superb ; and Madame Soupert, a light Madame Berard. 
Then Mr. Paul dwells on the uses of the Dijon 
Roses. “ They are amongst our best climbing Roses. 
The evergreen foliage, the freely given flowers, the 
varied colours, their perfect hardiness (barring Belle 
Lyonnaise) make them excellent wall coverers. They 
are hardly so successful as pillar Roses, as if cut close 
in they do not flower, and if left long the plants become 
sticky, and a sticky Pillar Rose is not a thing of beauty. 
Still, if the pillar to which the Rose is attached lasts long 
enough, the Dijon Teas suckering up make fine pyramidal 
masses. Then, as pegged down Roses, Dijon Teas 
make uniform beds ; they bloom all along the ripened 
shoots. For wired walls — that is, a small cross-bar 
fixed on upright posts, with wires stretched at each end 
of the bar, and the Roses trained over them—they form 
excellent breakwinds in rosaries and in gardens. 
Bouquet d’Or is par excellence the wire wall Rose. It 
gives so many flowers for each and every shoot as to 
be virtually a wall of flowers in the blooming season.” 
—E. D. 
--——- 
PLANTS FOR EXHIBITION. 
"Would some of your readers kindly advise me how to 
treat the following plants to have them in flower for 
exhibition from the middle to the end of August this 
year, viz., Stephanotis, Clerodendron Balfourianum, 
Allamanda Hendersoni, Dipladenia amabilis, and 
Lapageria rosea. I have strong young plants now 
resting, with shoots from 5 ft. to 7 ft.— Exhibitor. 
I take it that the plants are what may be termed 
young specimens with plenty of vigour in them 
to make blooming plants at the time required, and 
those required to be grown in stove heat to have the 
usual treatment accorded to stove plants in general. 
The Stephanotis should still be rested and kept dry at 
the root, giving it the cool end of the stove, and a few 
weeks later, or when the temperature is increased, it 
should, if possible, be removed into a cooler house for 
awhile, say a vinery just moving, or a Peach house 
started, anywhere in fact where the temperature does 
not fall below 50°. From ten to twelve weeks is 
needc-d from the time of starting into growth to flower 
the Stephanotis. When introduced into heat do not 
water too freely at first, but when well started give 
more, and syringe freely. Run each shoot up a string 
towards the glass, never tie down until just before the 
show, or the trusses may turn yellow and the points of 
the shoots go blind. If during the last week or two 
before the show it is found too forward, remove to a 
cooler house, or ventilate more freely. 
Clerodendron Balfourianum may be treated in two 
ways : if a very vigorous plant with plenty of wood in 
it, this too may be kept cool like the Stephanotis, 
and allowed about the same time, and the same 
treatment. If not over large, I would advise it to be 
started soon, and be encouraged to make a good growth, 
pinching out all blooming shoots and aiming at wood 
growth. The plant should then be dried off and rested 
for a few weeks, then re-introduced into heat at the 
same time as the Stephanotis. If potting is needful in 
the latter case do it at once. 
Allamanda Hendersoni may be started into growth 
by the end of this month, being at the same time 
potted into its blooming pot. Aim at securing a good 
strong growth of a moderate number of shoots rather 
than a larger quantity-of weakly wood. Grow on 
without stopping till twelve weeks before the show 
day, then stop all the shoots at once, taking off the 
tops as far back as the last joint of fully-developed 
leaves. In this way an even break is made, which 
later on sets for flower in a uniform manner. Do not 
tie down in this case either much before the show, or 
the points will go blind. Expose fully to all the sun¬ 
shine possible throughout the course, feeding with 
liquid manure when the points are all set for flower for 
certain. 
Dipladenia amabilis should be grown along as 
strongly as possible. Pot soon if it is needed, and as 
firmly as in the case of a hard-wooded Heath. Water 
cautiously throughout, as too much moisture will either 
rot the tubers or tend to a woody growth. Train near 
the glass, and do not stop at all. If any spikes show 
before May, pinch them out, but after that let them 
come away. If in flower a few weeks before time no 
harm will be done, as it is such a continuous bloomer. 
A slight shade whilst in flower is beneficial. 
Lapageria rosea will flower naturally at the time of 
year named. No attempt should be made to force it if 
it can possibly be avoided. This too should be trained 
near the glass till near upon the time it is wanted. 
The flowers can then be arranged just about where they 
are wanted. When it shows for flower,' and it is seen 
that there is enough bloom showing, then the points 
may be pinched out to hasten the flower if in any 
way late.— Grapho. 
-- 
POPULAR SPECIES OF PELAR¬ 
GONIUM. 
A large number of species of Pelargonium have been 
introduced from the Cape from time to time, and 
cultivated in British gardens. Something like 163 
species are described in Harvey and Sonder’s Flora 
Capcnsis, and a vastly greater number have been 
produced in gardens by artificial hybridisation, in¬ 
dependently of the hundreds or even thousands of 
varieties produced by cross-breeding. Of the species 
themselves, comparatively few are now cultivated outside 
of botanical collections, notwithstanding the enthusiasm 
which prevailed over them a few years ago, as well as 
in much earlier times. The bulk of the hybrids which 
have been raised have no doubt perished, leaving only 
their names and sometimes their descriptions in such 
Works as Sweet’s Gcraniacece (a monument of botanical 
folly, and a work running to live volumes, containing 
500 coloured figures) and Do Candolle’s Prodomus, 
Vol. i. As fashion changes and better garden kinds 
are produced, so the artificial products of man’s raising 
disappear, and with them their “ names ignoble, born 
to be forgot.” 
The modern representatives, the improved garden 
forms, are exceedingly numerous, but they all belong to 
comparatively a few species. The zonal Pelargoniums 
have been produced, and brought to their present high 
state of development chiefly by the hybridisation of P. 
zonale (the Horseshoe Geranium) and P. inquinans in 
the first instance, and then by the inter-crossing of the 
forms so obtained for many successive generations. P. 
zonale derives its trivial name from the characteristic 
browm zone encircling the upper surface of its leaves, 
which may be seen in a highly developed state in some 
of its forms. On the contrary, there is no zone on the 
leaves of P. inquinans, and a large number of the 
popular modern forms in this class or section show no 
tracing of the horseshoe mark on the leaves, which are 
entirely green. The golden and silver tricolor varieties, 
as well as the golden bronze, silver variegated and 
yellow-leaved races, also belong to the type of which P. 
zonale and P. inquinans were chiefly the parents. The 
former has been cultivated in Britain since 1710, while 
the latter, which is considered the parent of most of the 
scarlet varieties, has been cultivated since 1714. The 
petals of the wild P. zonale are narrowly-cuneate or 
spathulate, and vary from crimson and scarlet to pure 
white. The petals of the wild P. inquinans are shorter 
and broader, and vary as extensively irr colour as those 
of its congener. 
The Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, or as they were 
originally called, Geraniums, were for a long time 
solely derived from P. peltatum, which is very variable 
even in a wild state ; but latterly some very fine garden 
plants have been raised by the hybridising of the 
existing garden forms with some of the varieties of the 
zonal type. A species named P. lateripss, and which 
has been cultivated in England since 1807, may have 
been concerned in the production of some of the garden 
forms. Its native country is unknown, but it probably 
came originally from the Cape, like its congener, unless 
indeed it be a garden production. P. peltatum was 
introduced in 1701, and is characterised by its long, 
straggling, angular steni3, and peltate, angular or lobed 
leaves, bearing some resemblance to Ivy. Some of the 
improvements effected consist in the doubliug of the 
flowers, the broadening of the petals, the dwarfing of 
the stems, and in the leaves, which are sometimes 
entirely green, and in other sorts marked with a more 
or less conspicuous and dark zone as in P. zonale. 
The show, fancy, and decorative Pelargoniums derive 
their parentage chiefly from P. cucullatum, P. angu- 
losum, P. semitrilobum, and P. grandiflorum. The 
first named was introduced in 1690, and was largely 
instrumental in the production of the now popular 
forms, and gave rise to the double varieties. P. angu- 
losum, introduced in 1724, is closely allied to it, and 
distinguished chiefly by its sharply angular and rigid 
leaves, while those of P. cucullatum are reniform and 
cupped or cucallate. P. grandiflorum was introduced 
to cultivation in 1794. The varieties popularly known 
under the above title are undoubtedly the showiest of 
ail the flowering Pelargoniums, but as they require 
more special culture, continued attention, and last but 
a comparatively short time in bloom, they are not so 
universally cultivated as the zonal types. 
A number of species not included in the above are 
more or less extensively cultivated in this country at 
the present day for the sake of the strong and agreeable 
odour of the leaves. P. denticulatum and P. Radula 
are grown for the sake of their finely divided, odorous 
leaves, which are used for mixing with cut flowers. 
Their popularity has recently been revived for this 
purpose ; but twenty years ago cr more they were very 
common in the windows of cottagers, who grew them 
for their sweet-smelling properties, which they could 
enjoy when they failed to flower the scarlet kinds with 
that degree of satisfaction which would induce them 
to cultivate flowering sorts by preference. Much the 
same may be said of P. tomentosum, with its five to 
seven-lobed, densely and softly tomentose, woolly and 
hoary leaves, which are very agreeably scented, 
resembling Peppermint. 
Other species of some fame are P. capitatum and 
P. odoratissimum, which may be considered of some 
importance from the fact that they are extensively 
cultivated in the south of Europe, aloDg the shores of 
the Mediterranean, for the purpose of making Essence 
of Geranium. This oil is obtained by distillation of 
the leaves, and is more or less used for the adulteration 
of Otto of Roses. P. capitatum has been cultivated in 
this country since 1790, although not very extensively, 
and P. odoratissimum since 1724. The leaves of both 
are strongly and agreeably aromatic. 
TWO LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
The season during which the “Golden Flower” may 
be had in bloom is a long one, but most growers will 
admit that it is now late. Two varieties have been 
sent us by Mr. R. Owen, Castlehill, Maidenhead, and 
which seem admirably adapted for prolonging the 
season. 
The varieties in question are Golden Gem and 
Sunbeam, of which the former is-*the best. The tip of 
a shoot bore four open blooms of various sizes and two 
buds. The florets are broad, rather close set, and 
ascending so as to form a flat top, and when in their 
normal condition are of a clear bright yellow, slightly 
paler on the back. The younger blooms are more or 
less tinted with a bronzy crimson, especially in the 
centre, and which adds considerably to their appear¬ 
ance when seen in mixture. Sunbeam is several 
shades darker, almost a golden yellow, more or less 
tinted with bronzy crimson at the base of the florets ; 
but the latter are longer, narrower, and thinner in 
substance, so that the outer ones are liable to drop 
down or hang loosely, at least after being cut. 
-~>X<-- 
GLADIOLUS FOR EXHIBITION* 
By James Kelway. 
I haye grown the Gladiolus in every kind of soil, and 
have used nearly every kind of manure. I have planted 
in the autumn, and in every month from January 
until June. 
But the first consideration in successfully cultivating 
this bulb is, without doubt, the preparation of the soil, 
for, however naturally good the land may be, or what¬ 
ever time the bulbs are planted, unless the soil is 
brought into a good tilth all will end in disappoint¬ 
ment. It is a remarkable fact that I, at Langport, 
lack the very soil which is usually recommended— 
namely, black sandy loam, such as I well remember 
seeing Mr. Standish cultivating his Gladioli in at 
Ascot. If the soil is a stiff loam on clay it should be 
drained ; but if on the chalk or gravel this is not 
necessary. 
In September, or early in October, when the land is 
in a dry state, lay on a liberal quantity of stable or 
cow manure ; spread the manure and dig deeply with 
a fork in order to mix it well with the soil. Then 
allow the land to lie rough until the latter part of 
February or the beginning of March, until it is once 
more so dry as not to clog the feet when walking over 
it. It should then be hacked over at least 6 ins. deep 
with a Potato-hoe ; when this is done drill out the 
♦Abstracted from a paper read before the Royal Horticultural 
Society on September 9th, 1S90. 
