December 19, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
241 
New Plants Certificated in Ghent.—At the last 
meeting of the Belgian Syndical Chamber of Horti- 
culturalists Certificates of Merit were awarded to 
Mr. Charles Vuylsteck, for a hybrid Cypripedium 
(Spicerianum x barbatum superbum) ; to Mr. L. 
Desmet, for Abutilon insignis, Due de Malakoff fol. 
marmoralis ; to Messrs. Duriez, for Asparagus retro- 
fractus arborescens ; to Mr. Moens, for Cypripedium 
insigne Moensi; to Mr. Jules Hye, for Cypripedium 
decorum; to Mr. Edward Pynaert, for Adiantum 
nebulosum; to Messrs. Boelens Brothers, for Cattleya 
Bowringiana ; and to Mr. E. Eckhaute, for Dracaena 
Veitchii fol. var. 
The Midland Counties Pansy Society is again at 
work for its 1892 exhibition, that of last year being 
of so very satisfactory a character that the com¬ 
mittee are now preparing an extended schedule of 
prizes, which will be issued as early in the new year 
as possible. Intending subscribers are invited to 
communicate with the Hon. Secretary, Mr. W. 
Dean, Dolphin Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham. 
Birmingham Gardeners’ Association.—On the occa¬ 
sion of the last two meetings Mr. Charles Bick, 
gardener to Walter Chamberlain, Esq., read an 
excellent paper on “ Evergreen trees and shrubs for 
town gardens," with examples of those which he has 
found from experience to do best in the Birmingham 
district. At the last meeting Air. John Bluck, gar¬ 
dener, The Henburys, read a paper on "The Camellia 
and its varieties and cultivation," giving the details 
of his management of the monster specimen, double 
white, under his care, as well as smaller plants. 
Both papers were most instructive, and were well 
discussed. 
"The Miniature Fruit Garden." —Horticulture, es¬ 
pecially in so far as relates to fruit culture, both in 
the open air and under glass, owes an immense debt 
of gratitude to the memory of the late Mr. Thomas 
Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, who during a long and 
and singularly active life gave an immense impetus 
to enhanced fruit production in this country. One 
of the most useful of the several valuable works 
which he contributed to the horticultural literature 
of his time was " The Miniature Fruit Garden," 
which after running through nineteen editions has 
just made its re-appearance in an enlarged and im¬ 
proved form. The Editor of the present edition, Mr. 
T. Francis Rivers, has considerably revised the selec¬ 
tions of varieties most suited for various purposes, 
but otherwise has not found it necessary to make 
many alterations in the text, for, as he observes, 
" trees do not change their nature, and the rules for 
their cultivation in one year, if sound, must be the 
same in all succeeding years.” We note the addi¬ 
tion, however, of a chapter on " Insect Pests," by 
Mr. H. Somers Rivers. The work requires no com¬ 
mendation from us, its merits being amply proclaimed 
by the fact of its having reached the twentieth edi¬ 
tion. Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co. are the pub¬ 
lishers. 
HARDY TREES & SHRUBS. 
The St. Peter’s Worts. 
About six species of Symphoricarpus, popularly 
spoken of as St. Peter's Wort, are known to science, 
but few of them are seen in cultivation beyond S. 
racemosus, S. vulgaris, and the variegated variety of 
the latter. As in the case of most other hardy shrubs 
the most useful always come to the front and are 
propagated in preference to the others, which sooner 
or later drop out of cultivation. They are natives 
of North America, and some of them of the moun¬ 
tains of Mexico, the former being the most useful in 
this country. They are easily propagated from 
suckers, which they often throw up in great abun¬ 
dance. This habit of throwing up suckers is advan¬ 
tageous in some instances and disadvantageous in 
others according to the size of the garden and the 
ground at disposal. 
S. racemosus. —For general purposes this is un¬ 
doubtedly the most useful species, and the most 
ornamental. The flowers are rose coloured, and keep 
on expanding in succession from July to September. 
The berries are of the size of large Peas, and ripen 
in October, when they become white. Both from 
their abundance, their size, and peculiarly snow-like 
appearance, the plant is popularly and widely known 
as the Snowberry. Our illustration will serve to give 
those unacquainted with the plant an idea of its fruit¬ 
ful nature. The small flowers are represented in the 
Jower right-hand corner of the figure, and the berries 
natural size in the lower left-hand corner. The 
upper portion of the figure represents a spray of fruit 
reduced ; and the berries were drawn from specimens 
ripened last October. The berries hang on the 
plants for the greater part of winter provided severe 
weather does not drive the birds to eat them, and 
there can be no question as to their decorative value. 
The shrubbery is the most convenient place for this 
species in gardens and the more immediate vicinity. 
It is also extensively planted in coverts orcopsewood 
where game is kept, both for the sake of shelter and 
the food it affords the pheasants. The flowers are 
also held in much esteem by bees. It has been sug¬ 
gested that by grafting the Snowberry on upright 
stems of Lonicera Xylosteum, or some allied plant of 
similar habit, an interesting little tree in the form of 
a standard would be the result. Its habit of throw¬ 
ing up suckers would then be overcome. 
S. vulgaris. —The flowers of this species are red 
and yellow, and produced during August and Sep¬ 
tember, while the berries ripen in December. Neither 
are, however, very abundantly produced in this 
country. The plant is valued chiefly for making 
small or low hedges, which are dwarfer and neater 
than those of the Privet. This need not, however, 
preclude the use of it in shrubberies, where it forms 
Symphoricarpus racemosus. 
neat bushes about 2 ft. or 3 ft. high. It branches 
very freely, and being of twiggy growth presents a 
neater appearance even than S. racemosus. The 
leaves are also small, about the size of Box leaves, 
but compactly and differently arranged. The varie¬ 
gated variety of this species is even more popular 
in gardens than the type, and has its leaves variegated 
with green and yellow, which adds considerably to 
their attractiveness. Both the type and the variety 
are very hardy, and are grown even in the far north ; 
the former was introduced in 1730. 
S. montanus. —The Mountain St. Peter’s Wort is 
so called from its inhabiting the mountains of Mexico, 
at an altitude of 7,000 ft. to 8,000 ft., and that fact 
must account for its hardiness in this country. The 
leaves are almost evergreen, and not unlike those of 
S. vulgaris. The pinkish flowers expand during the 
months of August, September, and October, and are 
followed by white berries, which ripen in December. 
The stems are erect, close, and bushy, and the plant 
is neater in habit than S. racemosus, and requires to 
be propagated by layers. 
S. occidentals. —The flowers of this species are 
larger than those of S. racemosus, pink and densely 
bearded inside. They are produced in dense, droop¬ 
ing spikes from July to September, and the white 
berries ripen in October, and hang on during the 
winter months. The leaves are larger, more rigid, 
and more densely arranged on the stems than in the 
case of the Snowberry proper, and by those charac¬ 
ters the two species are distinguished. Like the last 
named it seems to have dropped out of cultivation to 
a large extent. ■ ■> ■ ' 
Retinospora obtusa lycopodioidea. 
The typical R. obtusa is a moderately slow growing 
tree even for plants of this class, but the variety under 
notice is even slower. As the name implies it bears 
some fancied resemblance to a Club Moss, owing to 
the unusual thickening of all the twigs and shoots 
corresponding to the great crowding and singular 
arrangement of the leaves. Small plants have quite 
a dense habit of growth, and altogether different 
from what we are accustomed to see in the more 
typical forms of the species. Collectors would find 
it a distinct looking plant at all seasons of the year 
for except a slight change in the colour of the young 
growths, the plant preserves much the same appear¬ 
ance all the year round. It was introduced from 
Japan in 1861, and proves hardy in this country as it 
resisted the severity of last winter without injury. 
In gardens it is often met with under the name of 
R. lycopodioides, and though only a form of 
R. obtusa, would not at first sight be recognised as 
such, seeing that it is more distinct than R. leptoclada. 
The Japanese Conifers of this group are very much 
given to variation, and the variety under notice must 
be regarded as a very singular form. 
Cupressus nutkasnsis pendula. 
There are now pendulous varieties of a large number 
of the ornamental and other trees and shrubs grown 
in gardens ; and it is curious to note how the different 
kinds vary in their mode of becoming pendulous. The 
pendulous Sequoia gigantea (Wellingtonia) is often a 
very scraggy looking plant with the main lateral 
shoots depending from the upright stem as if they 
were broken. The pendulous C. nutkasnsis, on the 
contrary, carries its lateral branches horizontally or 
nearly so ; but their branches are regularly decurved 
as if partly broken off and left hanging on the plant. 
A row of these pendent branchlets on each side of the 
horizontal ones hangs so gracefully, resembling a 
fringe or curtain, that the decorative value of the 
tree is considerable. The habit reminds one very 
much of Spruce trees as seen in the arctic regions, 
borne down by the weight of snow till they come to 
assume that peculiar habit permanently. 
NEW 5 WE PLANTS. 
The undermentioned plants and flowers were exhi¬ 
bited at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, on the 8th, and received certificates accord¬ 
ing to their value. The Orchids certificated on the 
same occasion are recorded on page 247. 
Zamia integrifolia. —Two plants of this Cycad 
were exhibited by Messrs. Pitcher & Manda, Hex- 
table, Swanley, Kent. One of them had three crowns 
and the other had five. The leaves were 18 in. to 2 ft. 
long, ascending and arching, pinnate, with the pinna; 
linear, obtuse, ascending at an angle from the midrib 
of the leaf and again recurved at the tip. They are 
rigid in texture and of a deep green. The plants 
were grown in 24-size pots, and looked well furnished 
with foliage owing to the plurality of crowns. Their 
dwarf, compact habit would also tell greatly in their 
favour as decorative subjects. A First-class Certi¬ 
ficate was awarded. 
Vriesia cardinalis. —This hybrid Vriesia is the 
result of crossing V. Krameri with V. brachystachys, 
and was raised by M. L. Duval, 8, Rue de l'Ermi- 
tage, Versailles. The leaves are strap-shaped, sud¬ 
denly narrowed to a point, of a bright shining 
green, and arranged in the form of a small 
vase. The flower scape rises to a height of i8in., 
and is red in the upper portion where not 
covered with bracts. The upper portion is covered 
with large keeled, deep crimson-red bracts arranged 
in two dense ranks, giving the spike somewhat the 
form of the blade of an oar. The petals are yellow 
and tipped with green. The whole presents a showy 
appearance, and must-be valuable for decorative pur¬ 
poses. A First-class Certificate was awarded it. 
Chrysanthemum Henry Perkins. —In this we 
have an incurved Japanese variety of medium size ; 
but very compact owing to the dense arrangement of 
the florets, which are fluted but not tubular, more or 
less twisted against the sun, pointed, and of a soft 
bronzy-red. The tips of the florets, especially on the 
reverse, are the colour of old gold, and this is best 
seen in the centre of the bloom. It is an English 
raised seedling of great merit. 
Chrysanthemum E. G. Hill. —The blooms of 
this American variety are somewhat of ihe same style 
as Sarah Owen, but the florets are more decidedly 
