244 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 19, 1891. 
CHRISTMAS ROSES. 
Hellebores have generally done well during the 
passing year, and are now throwing up blooms abun¬ 
dantly. The term Roses is perhaps rather inexact, 
but after all Hellebore flowers are as much Roses as 
are those of the Rock Cistus. Perhaps there is much 
more that is taking or pleasing about a name of this 
fanciful sort than is found in the Latin term of Helle- 
borus niger; the latter affix especially very much 
helping to puzzle all who see the pure white flowers 
and do not understand that the application is rather 
to the roots and stems. 
It is indeed fortunate for us that we have so hardy 
a plant as is this mid-winter-blooming Hellebore, and 
that it should produce such exceedingly pure white 
flowers. These could hardly come into bloom at a 
more desirable time than at Christmas, for they are 
to the poorest who have gardens just as accessible 
as to the richest. The plants not only need no 
warmth, but do not thrive well if placed in heat. 
They are also very impatient of transplantation, and 
as a rule will do best if left in the same spot for ten 
or twelve years at least. All that is needful 
whilst in bloom is that to preserve the flowers from 
frost, rain, snow, or dust, some simple form of 
protection should be given to them, and nothing is 
better than an old-fashioned handlight, or a tilted 
French cloche. We have several varieties of the 
Christmas Roses, the best of which are St. Bridid's, 
the Bath variety, and the good form known as Niger 
maximus. 
The plants like a deep holding soil, but not 
too much of clay in it. During the summer, 
especially if the season be hot and dry, frequent 
soakings of water may be given advantageously. 
The roots go deep into the soil, hence in planting 
pieces, no matter how small, the soil should be first 
deeply moved, well manured, and so prepared for 
the plants, because it will be best for them that they 
remain where thus planted for several years. May 
the time soon come when Christmas Roses shall be 
in all gardens, large and small, nearly as common as 
are summer Roses.— H. A. D. 
THE GLASTONBURY 
THORN. 
The reputed time of flowering of this ancient variety 
of the common Hawthorn is drawing nigh, and 
judging from the mild nature of the weather which 
we have been experiencing for some time past, it 
should be in flower at Christmas. But whether old 
or new style the legend does not seem to explain. 
The matter of eleven days however should make little 
difference seeing that it sometimes flowers in mild 
autumns, or if later, in January and February, when 
young leaves as well as flowers are developed to a 
greater or less extent. Botanically it is Crataegus 
Oxyacanthapraecox.thatis.the early flowering Thorn. 
If it really existed at the time the legend refers to 
its origin, its history must indeed be ancient. It is 
stated that when St. Joseph of Arimathaea and St. 
Philip were travelling in France as missionaries, 
about a.d. 63, the latter sent St. Joseph over to 
Britain to preach the gospel. On arriving at 
Glastonbury he set himself to build a church on the 
slope of a hill, in the neighbourhood of that place, 
and before doing so, he stuck his staff in the ground. 
It took root (so says the legend), grew to be a 
Whitethorn of great size, and flowered on Christmas 
day. If it existed as a large tree then, the variety 
must be close upon 2,000 years old at least. There 
is nothing improbable as to a natural variety having 
existed since that time, provided it can reproduce 
itself from seeds. But a tree flowering at midwinter 
would no doubt, in those days, excite sufficient 
interest among the ancient Britons to cause them to 
propagate and perpetuate it. The original tree to 
which the name Glastonbury Thorn was applied 
was stated to have existed till the time of the 
Puritans, who, in their zealous fury for reform, had it 
hewn down. Suckers or slips were however obtained 
from it and planted elsewhere, and we are now given 
to believe that the Glastonbury Thorns now in 
existence are the descendants of the original tree of 
that name. 
The town of Glastonbury in Somerset has not 
always been known under that name, for the ancient 
Celtic population of that part of England are said to 
have called itYnyswytryn, which the Romans ignored 
and substituted Avallonia, Our Saxon ancestors 
again changed the name on taking possession of the 
country after the departure of the Romans, spelling 
it Glaestingbyrig, which during the lapse of inter¬ 
vening years has become corrupted or changed to 
Glastonbury as we now spell it. 
--S-- 
MARICA NORTHIANA. 
It is nearly a hundred years ago since this plant was 
figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 654, on June 1st, 
1803. It was gathered on the Island of Raza, in 
Brazil, near the mouth of Rio de Janeiro, by Sir 
Joseph Banks, and was introduced to English gar¬ 
dens by Mrs. North, via Lisbon, just about a century 
ago. A correspondent of The Gardening World 
alludes to this plant as being quite a common win¬ 
dow plant in the neighbourhood of Oldham, Lan¬ 
cashire. This is what he actually says of it:— 
“ Marica Northiana is perhaps the most extensively 
grown of any plant in the neighbourhood. It is seen 
in every street, almost in every window, and in some 
windows half-a-dozen. It is seldom seen in flower, 
but when in bloom it is, of course, a gem. This re¬ 
mark refers also to all the Iris family. The leaves 
are sword-like, about 2 in. wide, and from 12 in. to 
18 in. in length, arranged somewhat in the form of a 
fan, which gives it a noble appearance. My friend. 
Councillor James Wild, calls it the * Oldham Win¬ 
dow Blind,’ not an unhappy designation" [The 
Gardening World, November 14 !h, 1891 ,p. i 6 jL 
On looking over the ordinary nurserymen's cata¬ 
logues one but rarely finds it mentioned. Here, 
however, is one. description of it—a very good one it 
s, but erhaps the Oldham window gardeners would 
not care to pay from 7s. 6d. to lialf-a-guinea for 
their plants, which is the price asked for it in the 
list:—"An Iris-like plant, a native of Brazil. It 
has broad sword-shaped leaves, and the flower stems, 
which are flattened and leaf-like, bear singularly 
handsome flowers, which consist of three ovate, 
ivory-white sepals, spotted with brown at the base, 
and three yellowish petals marked with rich brown 
in the lower parts, and white veined with blue at the 
recurved tips. 7s. 6d. and 10s. 6d.” 
It is grown at Kew and in most other botanical 
gardens, and I may here mention has no connection 
with the name of the late Miss M. North, whose 
plant pictures at Kew are well known. Nicholson, in 
Dictionary of Gardening," p. 328, says it is " a very 
handsome stove species, but rarely seen in cultiva¬ 
tion." To this one may now add, " except as a win¬ 
dow plant near Oldham," that is supposing the same 
plant is meant in both cases .—Effendi IV. Beigh. 
-- 
PITCHER PLANTS AT 
CHELSEA. 
Winter is usually a bad time to inspect a collection 
of Nepenthes or Pitcher Plants, because as a rule 
the pitchers often get into bad condition on account 
of the lowering of the temperature and the weak 
light which prevails at that season. Such is not the 
case at Chelsea, where Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons 
have the finest display one could wish to see, both 
with regard to the number of pitchers, their large 
size and rich colouring. 
Nepenthes Dicksoniana is comparatively a new 
one, a hybrid, and from the first time it put in an 
appearance in public gave indication of being a fine 
thing from a gardener's point of view. The plant is 
of easy cultivation and the pitchers attain a huge 
size. Some we measured were 12 in. long exclusive 
of the lid, and 4 in. broad, with broad well-developed 
fringed wings'. The ground colour may be described 
as a yellowish-green, richly blotched with crimson, 
and the blotches run together in masses. There 
were half-a-dozen of those large pitchers on a plant. 
The pitchers of N. Chelsoni are shorter, but much 
inflated, and heavily blotched with the same colour 
as N. Dicksoniana, but more especially on the upper 
half. N. Mastersiana is one of the best for general 
purposes on account of its dw'arf habit and the free¬ 
dom with which pitchers are developed. It is 
notable for its entire wings, and crimson-red 
cylindrical pitchers. N. Curtisii superba has also 
cylindrical pitchers, but they are richly blotched 
with crimson on a greyish-green ground. 
Altogether different is N. Morganim, an American 
variety with short pitchers, widely inflated at the 
base, and of a uniform crimson-red, of a soft tint 
which makes it both showy and pleasing. A single 
ptent ip q basket Ijear^ (wenty-two pitchers., A 
comparatively new kind named N. Burkei excellens 
is notable for its peculiar shape and the absence of 
wings. It may be compared to an hour glass, owing 
to the constriction in the middle of the pitcher 
making it wide at the base and top. The low-er half 
is yellowish-green and the upper of a pale reddish 
hue, blotched and striped with crimson. The 
annulus or collar is wavy, of a rich brownish crim¬ 
son, and much wider than in the type. There are 
about nine good pitchers to a plant. A very old and 
useful kind is N. Rafflesiana, so well known as not 
to require description. A single plant in a basket 
bears twenty huge pitchers. The shorter and more 
inflated pitchers of N. Hookeriana are densely 
covered with darker crimson blotches. 
The long, cylindrical pitchers of N. distillatoria 
are drawn out into a long neck and are pale green 
suffused with red, and blotched with crimson just 
inside the neck. N. Northiana is a beautiful and 
interesting species with a yellow annulus, variegated 
with crimson. N. cincta is also cylindrical and 
crimson with small yellow blotches and markings. 
A yellowish-green variety is N. Veitchi, forming a 
strong contrast to the old but still comparatively 
rare N. sanguiuea, having slightly fringed wings and 
of a light sanguineous red. More curious and 
interesting is N. albo-marginata, which has narrowly 
cylindrical pitchers, splashed and striped with 
brownish-crimson on a green ground. Its most 
striking peculiarity, however, is a white line round 
the upper end of the pitcher and just beneath the 
unusually narrow, crimson-brown, annulus or collar, 
which here merely forms a ring. 
♦ 
m ♦ ■ 
CHRYSANTHEMUM 
VISCOUNTESS HAMBLEDEN. 
We are now in a position to give a figure of this 
handsome new, incurved Japanese Chrysanthemum, 
which adds lustre to a group, that is now greatly 
in the ascendancy for exhibition purposes. Judging 
from the number of fine varieties that have appeared 
at exhibitions and committee meetings during the 
last two months, we shall be confronted with many 
incurved Japanese on the show stands next year. 
Although the florets of Vicountess Hambleden are 
closely incurved, yet the bloom, as a whole, measures 
about 7 in. to 7J in. across without taking into 
account any stray florets at the base, and which may 
assume a spreading direction. All the incurved 
flerets are broad and of a delicate and charming, 
silvery, blush-pink. It is one of four seedlings raised 
by Mr. Robert Owen, Castle Hill, Maidenhead, from 
an American Variety named Miss Anna Hartshom_ 
and all the four proved distinct. The variety under 
notice he exhibited at the Floral Committee meeting 
of the National Chrysanthemum Society on the 24th 
ult., when a First-class Certificate was awarded it. 
Our illustration w-as taken from one of the blooms. 
This and Mr. Owen’s other seedling, Robert Owen, 
which belongs to the same section, and which we 
shall illustrate in a future number, are unquestion¬ 
ably the two finest Japanese varieties ever seen at the 
Royal Aquarium, and we heartily congratulate our 
plodding, painstaking friend on their production. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM 
NOTES. 
Japanese Chrysanthemums. 
When one comes to deal with the newer Japanese 
Chrysanthemums there is presented to view an 
enormous number that during the past three or four 
years have come to us direct from Japan, or from the 
continent and America. They come in shoals—a 
few very good ones, and many of indifferent quality ; 
but English growers, instead of purchasing sets of the 
continental varieties as they used to do before any of 
them were seen in bloom, now wait until they can do 
so, and then acquire those they think likely to take a 
good position in collections. 
I do not know how the English raisers of Japanese 
Chrysanthemums obtain their seed—probably by 
sending fine varieties to the south of France or Italy,- 
or to Jersey, and obtaining seed there—but it is a 
fact that some very fine flow'ers are being produced 
in this country, and it does appear as if Chrysanthe¬ 
mum growers at home will soon be independent of 
foreign aid in obtaining new varieties, and we have 
had at the meetings of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society held in October and November seedlings 
raised in (bis fpuntry frbrn seeds sown fir b.£bruary 
