July 13, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
721 
George 1Y. was King” it was a penal offence to 
carry a bundle in Hyde Park, and no one was suffered 
to saunter in Kensington Gardens unless he was 
dressed in a white tie and had white gloves. It might 
also be stated that dogs and livery servants especially 
were not allowed to enter the select domain, and at the 
gates, in those days, were always to be seen crowds of 
gorgeously-adorned lackeys waiting for the ladies who 
were taking their airing in the Park. The long gar¬ 
dening life of Mr. Thomson, of Haywards Heath, has 
been but briefly sketched, but sufficient has been said 
to indicate the interest that lies in the career of a 
veteran among gardeners .—Sussex Daily News. 
-- 
BEGONIA, ROSEBUD. 
Anyone who has marked the progress made by double 
varieties of tuberous Begonias must have noted the 
ragged appearance of the first forms, the improvements 
upon which were lumpy flowers with a dense mass of 
petals. As time went on the seedlings selected 
were notable for the increasing size of the blooms, the 
various types of which represented a truss of a double 
Pelargonium, a double Hollyhock, a Camellia, and so 
on. The tendency now is to get moderately large 
flowers with broad petals, not too densely or confusedly 
arranged. Some of these represent Camellias, Holly¬ 
hocks, or Roses, as the case may be, and to the last 
type belongs Rosebud, exhibited for the first time by 
Messrs. H. Cannell k Sons, Swanley, Kent, at the 
Temple show of the Royal Horticultural Society, on 
the 30th and 31st June last. The whole flower forms 
a single rosette, with broad, rounded, and evenly over¬ 
lapping petals of a soft rose colour and surpassing 
beauty. The accompanying illustration will serve to 
give an idea of its form, but the real flower must be 
seen to be properly appreciated. 
-- 
THE FUCHSIA.* 
It would be difficult to name a more generally useful 
decorative plant than the Fuchsia. It is a favourite 
with all classes, on account of the ease with which it 
can be grown in almost any kind of soil and situation. 
Its free-flowering habit, and the accommodating way 
in which it will flourish in any sized pot, renders it 
especially popular. It is useful for covering rafters 
and pillars in lofty conservatories, in which positions 
it is seen to the best advantage, for its flowers hang in 
the most natural and graceful manner. It is also 
useful for growing into specimen plants, the pyramidal 
form of training being the one generally adopted. It 
may also be grown in baskets hanging from the roof. 
It can be grown in beds and borders, and proves very 
' * A paper read by Mr. J. Farrow at a meeting of the Sheffield 
Floral and Horticultural Society. 
effective in warmer districts than Sheffield. I have 
seen it out of doors forming an important feature, 
unsurpassable for its drooping habit and productiveness 
of bloom. I will, however, deal with the Fuchsia as a 
greenhouse plant, commencing the cultural details by 
describing the raising of varieties from seed. 
If you wish for new and rare varieties you will have 
to carefully select the plants you intend to cross. The 
fertilised flowers must be guarded from winged insects, 
or they will render your labour different from what 
you expected. When the fleshy berries are ripe they 
should be placed on a warm shelf in a greenhouse 
exposed to the sun, and when shrivelled the seed may 
be taken out and dried. It is then ready for sowing at 
any time. Sow the seed in a well-drained pan or pot, 
the compost consisting of half yellow loam and half 
leaf-soil, with a good sprinkling of sand. Take care 
before sowing to have the surface of the soil level. 
When the seed is sown cover with fine soil, water 
gently, place in a heat of about 70°, and shade from 
the sun. Germination will quickly take place, and 
when the seedlings are large enough place them in 
small pots, keeping them in the same temperature for 
a time, but when they are well established they should 
be gradually hardened to a lower temperature, kept 
near the glass, and lightly shaded in bright weather. 
They may also be syringed morning and afternoon, and 
if properly attended to with water and ventilation will 
soon make good plants. During warm weather in 
summer the plants may be grown in cold frames, and 
taken into the greenhouse when showing flower. 
I do not recommend stopping seedlings, but let them 
take their own way, so as to ascertain the natural habit 
of each variety—a matter of great importance, as some 
plants prove worthless on account of their straggling 
appearance, while others throw out regular shoots and 
form compact pyramids. No matter how fine the 
flowers may be, if the habit of the plant be bare and 
straggling it makes it worthless for pot culture. 
Most of the varieties will bloom the first season, but if 
not they will most certainly the following one, when 
they can be judged as to their qualities and merits. 
Raising Fuchsias from cuttings is a much quicker 
method. Cuttings can be struck at almost any period 
of the year, but it is generally done in the spring. 
The plan usually adopted is to place old plants in a 
moist heat, where they will break into growth and 
supply plenty of cuttings. When the shoots are 3 ins. 
or 4 ins. long take them off, cutting level at a joint 
and insert them in a sandy mixture of loam and leaf- 
soil in a moist heat of 60°, where they will soon root 
and commence growing, when they may be potted 
singly. Where fine plants and exhibition pyramids 
are required, the best time is to strike cuttings about 
the end of July, keeping them growing through the 
winter. They should be rooted as before recommended 
in heat, then placed in small thumb pots, using the 
following compostThree parts good yellow loam, 
and the additional part made of leaf soil, horse and 
cow manure rubbed through a fine sieve, with a good 
sprinkling of sand to keep the whole porous. Place 
the plants for a few days in heat and moisture, shading 
them from the sun. When established they can be 
gradually hardened to a temperature of 55''and grown on, 
giving them a 3mall shift in the autumn to carry them 
through the winter. Water carefully, and about the 
middle of March they may again be potted, raising the 
temperature to 60°, with sun heat a little higher, and 
air and shade if required. They will then begin to 
grow freely. It is not always wisdom to overpot them, 
as sometimes by careless watering the soil may get too 
wet, and then they will not grow satisfactorily. 
When potting use the soil previously recommended, 
and in favourable weather syringe them morning and 
afternoon at closing time. I recommend stopping the 
leading shoots once or twice during the early stages, so 
as to make them bushy, but this can be regulated by 
the habit of the plant you are treating. A sharp look¬ 
out must be kept in stopping the side shoots, so as to 
keep a regular outline of foliage. Care should also be 
taken to keep the plants near the glass and not too 
crowded. Insects must also be carefully watched for, 
never letting them get a start, but should this occur 
means must be employed to get rid of them. 
The plants will require shifting into larger pots 
during the early part of the summer, but the last 
potting should be in the middle of June or the begin¬ 
ning of July, and the last stopping of the shoots seven 
or eight weeks before the plants are required to bloom. 
If their wants have been attended to well, they will by 
that time be useful plants, well repaying the cultivator 
for his trouble. 
The form of house best adapted for the F uchsia is a 
span-roof greenhouse, where plenty of light and air 
necessary for their culture can be given. Liquid 
manure can be used with advantage for old plants, but 
it is seldom required for young plants that have had 
the treatment here recommended, except when they 
become root-bouud, when they will be benefited by 
frequent applications of liquid manure or artificial 
manure applied as directed by the makers. 
As soon as Fuchsias have flowered they may be placed 
out of doors to get the wood ripe, and remain until 
the appearance of frost, when they should be stored in 
their winter quarters. The Fuchsia is a very accommo¬ 
dating plant, and will keep alive in almost any place 
safe from frost. An old greenhouse or pit where a 
little heat can be afforded is a very suitable place. 
They may be kept moderately dry, but not too dr}', or 
much dead wood will be the result, or perhaps the 
plants will die altogether. 
About February the plants must be pruned into 
shape two or three joints longer than last year, a 
process which gradually increases the size of the plants 
year by year. After pruning the plants may be started 
in gentle heat, according to the time at which they are 
wanted to flower. They will break freely if syringed 
well, and when the shoots are about 1 in. long the 
plants may be shaken out of their pots carefully, 
reducing the ball, retaining all the fibrous roots, but 
cutting all gross and useless roots well back. Pot in 
the compost previously advised, and in most cases in a 
size less pot, but do not water until the roots begin to 
work freely in the fresh soil ; syringe them, however, 
two or three times a day, and keep them in a moist 
heat. They can be grown in this manner for years. I 
have seen Fuchsias 12 ft. to 14 ft. high and one mass of 
flowers, making a grand display. I venture to say 
that good trained specimens are seldom met with now, 
even at our flower shows. I think the reason the 
Fuchsia is so neglected is because it grows with almost 
any kind of treatment, and is considered a common 
plant. At one time the Fuchsia stood high in the 
estimation of the public, but perhaps not so high as 
the Chrysanthemum does now. "Well-trained specimens 
require both skill and careful management, and when 
well grown fully repay the cultivator. There is one 
good feature about the Fuchsia—namely, when once 
you have a well-trained specimen it is easy to keep it 
in this condition for years. 
-- 
new and rare plants. 
Cypkipedium De Witt Smith. 
In your issue of June 29th, when describing our new 
hybrid Cypripedium, Mr. Fraser has the parents 
reversed, namely, Lowii X Spicerianum. This should 
be Spicerianum X Lowii, the former being the seed- 
parent .—Hugh Low cfc Co., Clayton. 
Double Begonia, Rosebud. 
