374 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 9, 1889. 
culturally. Success largely depends on the weather, 
and this last year was the only unpropitious element 
with which the show had to contend. 
Apple and Pear Conference. — The conference on 
Apples and Pears, held at Chiswick from October 16th 
to 20 th, attracted a great deal of attention, and will 
prove very helpful to intending planters. The display 
of fruit was, considering the season, magnificent ; and 
the hearty thanks of the Council are due to all who so 
kindly contributed to it, as to all the readers of papers, 
which, with the discussions that followed, excited 
very great interest. The Council are glad to find that 
the report of the conference, which is being prepared 
by the superintendent and the honorary secretary, and 
which is now almost ready for press, is being inquired 
for from all parts of the world. The apparent delay 
in its publication is due to two causes : the enormous 
amount of statistical work it involves, and the great 
pressure of work which has lately been thrown on 
Mr. Barron. 
Bi-monthly Meetings. — The exhibition of plants, 
flowers, fruits and vegetables at the bi-monthly meet¬ 
ings has been, taken as a whole, all that could be 
desired ; but the Council are sorry to have observed 
that on some occasions the attendance of Fellows has 
fallen short of their expectations. This is partly, no 
doubt, attributable to the change of locality, the ease 
with which the Drill Hall can be reached from all parts 
being not yet sufficiently known. Fellows, however, 
can have little idea of the loss they sustain by not 
attending these meetings, where the newest plants and 
the greatest improvements in culture are from time to 
time to be seen. 
Afternoon Lectures, Ac. —With a view to popularise 
the bi-monthly meetings, the Council have determined 
to revive the once so popular three o’clock afternoon 
meetings, with a short lecture and discussion at each 
on some of the plants, &c., exhibited. The Council 
invite the co-operation of all Fellows and lovers of 
gardens to help make these gatherings instructive, 
useful and pleasant. 
Proceedings and Journal. —The Council have also 
decided to revive the publication of a periodical 
Journal and Report of the society’s proceedings, meet¬ 
ings, and work. This, it is hoped, will convey useful 
and interesting information to Fellows living at a dis¬ 
tance, and to others who from any cause may be 
debarred from attending the meetings, or studying the 
work going on always at Chiswick. 
Chiswick Gardens. —Last, but not least, the Council 
have resolved, to the utmost extent of their means, to 
revive the gardens at Chiswick, which have fallen into 
an unsatisfactory state, owing chiefly to the hitherto 
unavoidable expenditure at South Kensington ; and 
they are glad to report that the work at Chiswick 
already shows healthy signs of revival, owing to the 
unremitting attention bestowed by the Garden 
Committee, consisting of Colonel Beddome, Dr. Hogg, 
Mr. George Paul, Mr. Shirley Hibberd, and Mr. 
Herbst, with the treasurer and secretary, whose 
exertions have been loyally seconded by the super¬ 
intendent. All available funds have been bestowed on 
the repair of the glass-houses, and on the general work. 
Committees. —The several committees—the Scientific, 
the Fruit and Vegetable, and the Floral—have been 
unremitting in their exertions during the year, and the 
thanks of the society are due to all who have so kindly 
devoted their time and ability to them. But whilst 
the work of the individual members has been beyond 
praise, the Council have felt that the organisation of 
the committees themselves called for some re¬ 
adjustment. They have therefore determined that in 
future the members of all the standing committees 
shall be chosen out of the general body of Fellows, and 
that the Fruit and Vegetable, and the Floral Com¬ 
mittees shall each consist of about forty members, half 
of whom shall be drawn, as far as possible, from the 
London district, and half from the country at largo. 
Awards made by the Committees.—It is also thought 
very desirable to give greater value to the First Class 
Certificate of the society, and, with this object in view, 
the Council have constituted another order of com¬ 
mendation, to be called “ The Award of Merit,” in the 
hope'that the committees will be able by its use to 
discriminate between what is really a first-class intro¬ 
duction or novelty, and what is simply a meritorious 
advance on or variation of some well-known and 
established plant. To enable the Council to judge of 
the relative value of the several recommendations of 
the respective committees, and to assist them in their 
deliberations as to the expediency or otherwise of 
confirming these recommendations, a list will be in 
future prepared and laid before them of the number of 
members of the committee present on each occasion, 
and of the number voting for or against each proposed 
recommendation. These numbers will be printed in 
the society’s journal, and will be of the utmost 
assistance to Fellows in estimating the general opinion 
of the committees on the subjects under discussion. 
Auditors. —The Council cannot close their report 
without expressing their deep regret at the cause which 
compels Mr. John Lee to retire from the auditorship of 
the society, which office he has so long and so con¬ 
scientiously filled. The society, in common with all 
horticulturists, owes a deep debt of gratitude to Mr. 
Lee, and will anxiously look for his restoration to 
health. 
-- 
The Amateurs' Garden. 
- ~i~ - 
Beautiful Foliage Plants. 
There are several species of Funkia, commonly called the 
Plantain Lily, the foliageof which is so distinct as to merit 
cultivation in several ways. Whether in the border, the 
rock garden, or sub-tropical garden, the handsome 
leaves of F. Sieboldiana, F. grandiflora, and F. sub- 
cordata are equally beautiful and admired by those who 
have seen them. There are also several smaller species, 
but all are admirably adapted for pot culture and for 
forcing. The larger kinds might be utilised by those 
who have plenty of accommodation, using pieces pro¬ 
portionate to the needs of the house. The heart-shaped 
leaves of F. Sieboldiana are of a decided glaucous hue, 
and attain a larger size than any. Those of F. Fortunei 
are much deeper in the tint, and the plant is smaller 
in all its parts, being therefore more suitable for those 
who have small houses to fill; but it is rather stiff and 
slow in growth. 
For a small house, the neatest and dwarfest is F. 
lancifolia undulata, which has lance-shaped leaves about 
6 ins. long, beautifully undulated, as the name implies, 
and attractively splashed with creamy white. As might 
naturally be expected, the leaves are brightest when 
they first expand, and form a conspicuous ornament in 
the herbaceous border or on the rockery for many weeks. 
The plant is equally amenable for forcing, and is often 
employed for that purpose even in the market nurseries. 
When urged into leaf in this way, the plants prove very 
effective when dotted about in mixed collections of 
greenhouse subjects. Those who desire something in 
the way of beautiful foliage at this season would do 
well to try this Funkia. There is another variety of it 
with a white margin to the foliage—namely, F. 1. albo- 
marginata. A more common kind is F. ovata, with 
ovate, deep green, strongly-ribbed leaves. They may 
also be successfully flowered in pots later on. With 
the exception of F. subcordata and F. grandiflora, 
which have pure white blooms, the latter being de¬ 
liciously scented, the others have blush-purple flowers. 
Day Lilies foe Forcing. 
The species of Hemerocallis have yellow Lily-like 
flowers in some shade or other, and several of them are 
successfully cultivated in pots, either for their foliage 
or flowers, according to the kind. H. flava, the 
common yellow one, and H. Dumortieri, as well as 
several others, are well adapted for forcing on account 
of their large and showy flowers. The first-named has 
clear yellow blooms, produced on stems about 1J ft. in 
height, and grass-green foliage. Like those of its near 
relation, Funkia grandiflora, the flowers are deliciously 
scented—a great recommendation for a plant at this 
season of the year. The flowers of H. Dumortieri are 
orange-yellow, heavily stained with brown externally ; 
but in most other respects the plant is closely similar 
to H. flava. In this group H. Middendorfii might also 
be placed, having from three to four golden yellow 
blooms terminating the flower-stem. Smaller iu every 
way is H. minor, with grass-like foliage and yellow' 
flowers. It is admirably adapted for rockwork, but is 
less desirable for early purposes where H. flava is grown. 
The largest and one of the commonest species in gardens 
is H. fulva, with large and showy fulvous or bronzy 
yellow flowers. A variety of this, with double flowers, 
is being circulated in gardens under the name of H. 
Kwanso. For pot culture a more effective and desirable 
kind is the variegated-leaved variety, named II. f. 
variegata, with ample Pandanus-like foliage, beautifully 
variegated, and very effective for a long time after 
development if kept clean. 
The Double Snowdrop. 
This is a double form of the common Snowdrop 
(Galanthus nivalis), and is the result of the great mul¬ 
tiplication of the three short inner segments with their 
characteristic green blotch below the apical notch. It 
increases very rapidly by means of offsets from the 
bulbs, and is consequently now very widely dissemi¬ 
nated. It proves very convenient for market-garden 
purposes from the fact that the double flowers are more 
compact and solid than the single ones, and conse¬ 
quently carry to market better without being crushed 
when piled up in heaps. The numerous small segments 
in the interior keep the outer ones distended ; but 
those who have seen both the single and double ki n ds 
growing in proximity cannot but admire the chaste 
and graceful appearance of the single and typical form, 
as compared with the compact, lumpy and ungainly 
appearance of the other. Private growers may well 
add the double kind to their collections for the sake of 
variety ; but there are now numerous single varieties 
belonging to this species that well deserve attention, 
and are now rapidly making their appearance above 
ground. 
The Glory of the Snow. 
The name here given is very happily and appropriately 
applied to Chionodoxa Luciliae, one of the loveliest of 
early spring flowers. The name Chionodoxa was first 
given to the plant in its native habitat, or the idea 
was borrowed from there, because the bulbs were found 
growing on mountainous places, from which the 
winter’s snow was just melting, and the flower-buds, 
being already formed the autumn previous, soon 
burst into bloom as the snow melted and the ground 
thawed. They are never seen to better advantage than 
in this condition, because the foliage and flower-stems 
are short, the latter being in a close compact truss. 
They are of a lively deep sky-blue, with a large white 
eye, and being erect, they show the latter off to greater 
advantage. Some growers prefer C. sardensis, on 
account of the almost uniform intense blue of the 
flowers; but the latter are smaller than those of 
C. Luciliae, and less attractive. The flower-spikes are 
now pushing through the soil, and will soon be very 
gay- 
Iris reticulata. 
Amongst the early-flowering Irises the subject under 
notice will always be a favourite, on account of its 
earliness, beauty, and dwarf habit. The flowers are 
deliciously scented, and flower freely when potted up 
with other bulbs and afterwards introduced to the 
greenhouse or other warm place when they have 
commenced to grow. By putting the pots containing 
them into a forcing pit, or where a moderately high 
temperature is maintained, the flowers will come much 
earlier, and at a time when they are appreciated. 
-- 
Hardening '§Jiscellany. 
Greenhouss Plants in the Open Air. 
Among the many greenhouse and half-hardy plants 
thriving in the open air at Parkstone, Dorset, there 
are several fine specimens of the Shanghai Fan Palm, 
Chamoerops excelsa, two of the best being in the garden 
at The Lodge, occupied by Lord Nelson. They were 
planted on the lawn some fifteen years ago, and are 
now at least 10 ft. high and feathered to the ground 
with splendid foliage. In this same garden, which 
seems to be a favoured spot, I also saw a fine bush of 
Acacia lophantha, which the gardener told me was cut 
down six or seven years ago, and which now forms a 
bush 10 ft. high and 20 ft. in circumference. The 
New Zealand Flax, Phormium tenax, also grows out 
here all the year round, and by its side is a plant of 
Dracaena australis, 20 ft. high. Both of these have 
withstood the climate of our Mentone of England for 
twenty years. Daphne indica alba, a variegated form, 
represented by a plant 4 ft. high, looked far more 
happy than many an one I have seen in a pot. 
Rhodendrons are flowering in many places, and one I 
saw much resembled Charles Dickens, a bright scarlet. 
It had several trusses nicely open. This is in Mr. 
Ingram’s nursery, and by its side was another specimen 
of the Chamrerops excelsa, not, however, in such robust 
health as the first named, the plant being in an exposed 
situation quite in the open. Mr. Ingram told me 
that it had flowered early for several years past.— E. 
Warden. 
Euadenia eminens. 
The flowers of this plant are a great curiosity in¬ 
dependently of any ornamental value that may be 
attached to them. The plant belongs to the Caper 
family, in which wo have many curious or beautiful 
plants, although not very numerously represented in 
gardens. The flowers are often very irregular, and 
this is pre-eminently the case with Euadenia. The 
