276 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 2, 1892. 
NEW 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS : 
JAPANESE. 
The following are all in commerce—by that I mean 
they find a place in autumn published catalogues, 
and can therefore be purchased. At the head of the 
new varieties of the past year I place Viviand Morel, 
a beautiful flower with long drooping florets, the pale 
petals tinted with blush-mauve ; which is deeper in 
some flowers than in others. Bearing in mind what 
a good grower recently said — that two or three years 
are required to thoroughly test a new chrysanthemum 
—I think it is highly probable that Viviand Morel will 
be seen in much finer condition next season. It is 
likely to be regarded as our premier reflexed Jap. 
for a year or two to come. I am unable to give the 
name of the raiser, but may state the variety should 
have high culture, and the best flowers are obtained 
from terminal buds. Alberie Lunden is one of 
Delaux’s raising, and though I do not think it will 
take as high rank as some as an exhibition variety, it 
is well deserving of notice on account of its colour- 
which is crimson-amaranth, shaded with carmine. 
Bouquets des Dames is a very fine white, partaking 
somewhat of the character of Elaine, large and full; 
it should have high culture and be stopped in March. 
E. G. Hill, Coronet and Kioto, are new yellow 
American varieties of 1890-91 ; I am not sure if the 
first and the last can be had large enough to rank as 
first-class exhibition flowers ; but they are fine in 
colour. Coronet is a large incurved light bronze 
yellow flower, very handsome, and requiring high 
culture and plenty of water. Florence Davies, an 
English seedling, raised by Mr. Norfnan Davies, is a 
very fine white indeed, with long-drooping and slightly 
twisted florets, which will make a leading exhibi¬ 
tion variety. Gloire de Rocher, bright orange amber 
flushed with crimson, is a very fine variety indeed, 
raised by Mr. Charles Gibson, of Morden Park, 
from seed saved in Algeria ; it should have high cul¬ 
ture. Lizzie Cartledge, a new American variety, was 
awarded a First-class Certificate of merit at the meet¬ 
ing of the National Chrysanthemum Society on the 
24th November. In its young state it is somewhat 
incurved, but with age becomes reflexed and very 
double, the colour bright pinkish rose, with a silvery 
buff reverse ; very fine. Anna Hartshorn is another 
very fine white which has been in fine form this 
season ; I saw a grand bloom ot it in the collection 
of Mr. E. Tautz, at Castlebar, Ealing. It is a variety 
that is said to show buds very freely ; if they appear 
at the wrong time they should be removed without 
fear, as more will appear quickly; some of the shoots 
should be stopped in March. Violet Rose is a very 
fine double variety, of perfect form, and the colour 
a combination of violet and rose as its name implies. 
It wants high culture. W. H. Lincoln is a very fine 
yellow, of the colour of Jardin des Plantes, slightly 
incurved, and very full and double. I have seen some 
grand blooms of it this season. W. Tricker is a very 
fine American variety, and extremely handsome when 
well incurved ; colour, sweet delicate rose. I think 
it will be generally admired. It requires high culture. 
In addition to the foregoing, Mr. Norman Davis, 
of Camberwell, announces in his last autumn 
catalogue, Edwin Beckett, a deep golden yellow 
Japanese of the finest quality ; Mrs. E. Beckett, pure 
white, very fine indeed, — both awmrded First-class 
Certificates of merit by the National Chrysanthemum 
Society ; also W. Iv. Woodcock, a large reflexed 
deep crimson Japanese ; and Miss Lilian Cope, a 
clear pure white sport from Etoile de Lyon. To 
these may be added Kate Mursell, a pale yellow 
sport from Lady T. Lawrence. 
A Good Serviceable Collection of Older 
Japanese Varieties. 
For the sake of those who may be contem¬ 
plating growing a collection of Japanese varieties! 
and especially for exhibition purposes, I name 
the following : —Avalanche, white ; Belle Paule, 
white, flushed with pale purple ; Boule d'Or, yellow 
flushed bronze, a variety somewhat impatient of too 
much water in the early stages of growth ; Condor, 
rosy white, large broad florets ; Edwin Molyneux, 
chestnut crimson, with golden reverse; Etoile de Lyon, 
deep lilac rose; Jeanne Delaux, dark chestnut; 
Madame Clemence Audiguier, rosy mauve ; M. J. M. 
Pigny, white; Mrs. C. W. Wheeler, orange brown, 
large incurved petals ; Mrs. E. W. Clarke, an in¬ 
curved flower, amaranth-purple with silvery reflex ; 
fine and distinct; Mrs, Falconer Jameson, chestnut 
bronze, striped with yellow ; Mrs. J. S. Fogg, a 
very fine bright chrome yellow, that is not enough 
known ; Puritan, white, with slight tint of blue; 
Ralph Brocklebank, yellow; Sarah Owen, pale 
bronze, shaded orange,' and tipped with gold; 
Sunflower, bright yellow; and Val d'Andorre, red 
shaded with orange. This is intended to be a 
suggestive rather than an exhaustive list.— R. D. 
-- 
CHRISTMAS ROSES. 
Hellebores. 
A very easy plan to have these in flower by Christ¬ 
mas is to lay an old light over them, supporting this 
upon a few bricks at the corners. Or where the 
plants are growing under the cover of a wall or 
hedge, the light may easily be rested against which¬ 
ever of these forms the background to the plants. 
Perhaps there are no plants of more service for the 
shady side of a deciduous hedge or for the north side 
of a wall than the Christmas Rose. They are par¬ 
ticularly easy to grow, and will thrive in almost any 
soil; but it is necessary to give them some protection 
from rough weather, and also to look closely after 
slugs if you are to be sure of obtaining nice, clean, 
and well shaped flowers. A soil that is well drained, 
and yet has a tendency to be moist, is the very best 
for these charming winter flowers. 
The Christmas Roses do not approve of hard 
forcing, and seeing that Helleborus niger and its 
varieties come naturally into flower about January 
and February, it is very easy to have them in bloom 
a little earlier by giving them the simple protection 
afforded by a handlight, pit, frame, or cool vinery. 
Where you wish a few flowers to expand more 
rapidly, you can ensure this by cutting off any fairly 
well matured flower buds and placing them in heat. 
This is a much better plan than introducing the 
whole plant into a temperature some fifteen to twenty 
degrees hotter than they require. 
Any well-matured crowns may be lifted now and 
either potted up or placed thickly in boxes ; but, as I 
said earlier, provided they are under cover of a wall 
they can be produced by Christmas and onwards by 
the protection afforded by any slight covering. 
It does not matter in the least about all of the glass 
in the old lights being intact. The broken spaces 
may be covered with sacking or any odd material to 
keep rough rains and wind away. The fact that such 
rough and ready means of protection will partially 
shade the plants is to their benefit, because the 
blooms will be drawn up with longer stalks, and will 
also come of a much purer white. 
As soon as the plants have finished flowering, do 
not neglect them in the manner so often done to all 
easily grown plants after the crop of bloom is 
secured. If you attend to them at this time, just 
when they are making new growth and foliage, you 
will secure finer crowns for next season than could 
possibly be the case after a temporary neglect at 
such a critical period as when coming into new 
growth. The wisest plan is to place all pot plants 
under cover of a cool pit, until spring frosts are 
passed, when they may be planted out into a small 
bed by themselves, and forced again in a couple of 
seasons’ time. 
When you wish to increase your stock, it is best 
to divide the roots as soon after flowering as pos¬ 
sible. Insert the divisions into boxes of good soil, 
stand in a pit or frame until it is safe to bed them 
out, then plant them a foot apart in the row, and let 
the rows be a foot and a half apart. They will not 
require any mulching the first season, but it will do 
them a lot of good to receive the protection of a 
little light stable manure during the following winter, 
and to have a good mulching of well decayed 
manure early in spring, as they are commencing new 
summer growth. Plants, divided and treated in 
this manner, will form nice flowering clumps the 
second season. 
Hellebores do not approve of too frequent trans¬ 
planting, so where a bed can be laid out in a suitable 
position it is far best to afford a little protection 
during their flowering period, and until frosts are over 
then give a good mulching and keep clear from 
weeds during the summer. This is all they require, 
but a good soaking of liquid manure will do no harm 
should the summer or situation be a dry one. 
Helleborus niger : H. n. major : H. n. altifolius : 
FI. n. augustifolius : and H. n. olympicus are the 
most useful varieties of this popular winter flow-er.—- 
Experience 
ON CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Chrysanthemum shows are becoming more popular 
every year, new societies keep springing up, and 
growers increase. Flowers are somewhat analagous 
to fashions, they have their day; years ago the 
cultivation of the Tulip was quite a mania, a large 
price being paid for a single bulb ; at another time 
the Dahlia was to the fore, and I think I may venture 
to say the Chrysanthemum is one—if not the one— 
that is most popular at the present time; and deser¬ 
vedly so, for it is the brightest in all its various 
shades of colour that we can grow to enliven our 
greenhouses at this dull season. November is prac¬ 
tically the month when they are in their full glory, 
but by cultivating some of the late-blooming varieties 
it is possible to have a good display to the end of 
the year and onward. 
The devotees of the “ Mum ” are ever at work 
amongst their favourites, for ere their blooming is 
over, they commence propagating their plants for 
another year. As the old plants go out of flower, 
cut the stems down to within a few inches of the 
soil, and take cuttings from the young growths that 
spring up ; most varieties will produce a plentiful 
supply. The best soil in which to strike the cuttings 
is loam and well-decayed leaf soil in about equal pro¬ 
portions, passed through a fine sieve ; a little of the 
rough material should be placed in the bottom of 
the pots over the crocks, them fill up nearly level 
with the rim with the fine soil, and finish off with a 
layer of sand. It is best to use small pots for strik¬ 
ing the cuttings, such as 6o's, putting about four 
cuttings round the outside. The soil is not so 
likely to become sour before root action takes place 
as when they are inserted in larger pots. After the 
cuttings are put in give them a gentle watering with 
a rosed watering pot, and stand them on a shelf in 
the greenhouse. 
Chrysanthemums do not require a lot of heat, in 
fact they do not like it in any stage of their growth. 
Failing a suitable shelf in the greenhouse they may 
be very successfuly propagated in a cold frame, 
banking the sides round with stable litter, leaves, or 
ashes to exclude frost, covering the lights over at 
night with mats or litter, or anything that suggests 
itself for their protection. Allow them as much light 
as possible, but keep the frame close until they com¬ 
mence rooting, after which they should have a little 
ventilation in all favourable weather to keep them 
dwarf and strong, as they should not be drawn up 
weakly at any time. When they are sufficiently 
rooted pot-off singly into 3-in. pots, either returning 
them to the greenhouse shelf or cold frames. When 
they have commenced rooting in their new quarters, 
water carefully and ventilate freely on all favourable 
occasions. As they grow they require more breath¬ 
ing room, and must not be stood so close together as 
when in the cutting pots, as I before remarked, to 
keep them dwarf and sturdy. When they become 
nicely rooted and before they become pot-bound 
stpft them into 6-in. pots, using coarser soil, not 
sifted, which should consist of fibrous loam and leaf 
soil, adding a little well decayed manure, which 
should be dry enough to rub through a sieve, and a 
sprinkling of sand. Pot them rather firmly, giving 
them good drainage, so that when you water them 
the superfluous moisture can escape, remembering 
that “ Mums ” do not like stagnation. After potting 
stand them in a pit or frame not too far from the 
glass, still covering them up at night to exclude 
frost. 
As soon as the weather is favourable, say at the 
end of April, stand them out of doors on ashes, or, 
better still, boards, so as to prevent worms entering 
the pots, as no pot plant will thrive long that has 
worms in the soil. Place them in an open position 
where they will obtain plenty of light, with a wall or 
hedge to shelter them from cold winds. Attend to 
them carefull)! as regards watering, and put a small 
stake to each plant that you are going to let grow 
up, as large blooms are obtained from tall plants. 
Of course if you are growing them for greenhouse or 
conservatory decoration, and require a lot of bloom 
rather than large flowers, pinch them when about 
6in. high, say when in 3-in. pots; do not pinch and 
repot at the same time, but let them break before 
shifting them. In the beginning of June they should 
be shifted into 16-size pots, in which they are to 
flow er, again pinching your decorative or bush plants 
a few weeks before potting. The soil for the final 
potting should be rather coarser, mixing a little soot 
with it, as that will tend to produce nice dark foliage, 
which is a great improvement to a pot-grown Mum. 
—George Potts, Hcronden Hall Gardens, Tcnierden, Kent. 
(To be continued.) 
