March 5, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
425 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Growers' Calendar. 
Calanthes (Veitchii and vestita varieties) will 
now require repotting. The compost in which 
they do best is two parts of loam, one 
part of peat, some chopped sphagnum moss, and 
silver sand, to which may be added some cow dung. 
The latter, before mixing with the above compost, 
should be dried and rubbed through a coarse sieve. 
The compost must not be too wet when used. This 
important point can be easily determined by taking 
up a handful and pressing it; should it bind together 
ii will not be in a fit state to use, being of course too 
wet. The size of the pots used will greatly depend 
on the size of the bulbs and the quantity to be placed 
in each pot. The 6-in. pot is a very convenient size ; 
fill them half full of crocks, over these place some 
sphagnum moss, then place about an inch of the 
compost, which should be firmly rammed down, and 
on this again place three or four bulbs according to 
size. I find it much the best plan to put in one bulb 
at a time, pressing the soil firmly about it to keep 
it in position, and so on till the pot is finished. The 
soil then will be about an inch below the rim, which 
will allow of a good supply of water being given in 
due course. No water, however, must be given for 
some time, say three weeks after potting, or spotting 
of the foliage will result. There is no better place 
for these most useful of all winter-flowering Orchids 
than a plant stove. They shohld be so placed that 
when the other occupants are syringed it does not 
extend to these, at least for another month unless it 
is very hot, when a slight dewing may do no harm. 
Ccelogyne cristata and its varieties will soon 
require attention. It is not a good plan to repot the 
whole batch every year, as they do not flower freely 
the first season after being disturbed. By potting 
half this season and leaving the other half intact a 
good quantity of bloom can be secured every year. 
Pans or baskets of various sizes may be used for 
Coelogynes, a pan a foot across will hold from nine 
to twelve leading growths, which when in flower will 
form a very desirable plant for the decoration of the 
drawing-room, for which (and if properly prepared 
beforehand by being removed to a cooler and more 
airy house they will take no harm) they are admir¬ 
ably adapted. The potting compost should consist 
of two parts rough fibrous peat, and one part 
sphagnum moss, with a little silver sand; the pans 
should be three parts filled with potsherds, over 
which place a layer of moss ; we then commence by 
placing some compost firmly against the inside of the 
pan farthest away, against which is placed the first 
piece or plant, which is firmly held in position with 
the left hand, some more compost is added, another 
plant, and so on until the pan is finished. Some 
pegs made of wood may be necessary to keep them 
in their place, but I rarely use them or stakes either 
v hen potting, unless it is for tail-bulbed plants like 
Laslia purpurata. 
The next month will be an anxious one for 
Orchid growers. Giving air, shading, watering, etc., 
will require great care and forethought. Continue to 
keep a sharp look-out for thrips, yellow aphis, etc., 
which if not destroyed at once will do a lot of 
damage to the young growths. The best and safest 
insecticide to use is made by pouring boiling water 
over a pound of the best tobacco paper, add a piece 
of soft soap about the size of a walnut ; when cool, 
strain off, add four gallons of soft water, and you 
have an effectual and safe insecticide. 
Temperatures.— East India house, 65° at night, 
70° by day ; Cattleya house, 58° at night, 65° by 
day; cool house, 48° at night, 55 P by day, with a 
rise of 5 0 with sun heat.— C. 
Gattleya Percivaliana. 
Some flowers of this pretty Cattleya have been sent 
us from Ireland by Captain Twiss, of Birdhill 
House, Birdhill, Limerick. It is seldom seen in its 
best condition when grown in the vicinity of smoky 
towns, more especially in winter, when much fog 
prevails The reason, or one of the reasons, for this 
is that the Cattleya in question comes into bloom at 
a very early period of the year when the light is at 
its worst, and should fog prevail at the time the 
flowers are almost certain to get destroyed, or the 
segments become limp making the flower appear as 
if fading from age. Even when at their best the 
flowers of C. Percivaliana are small compared with 
those of a good C. Trianae or C. Mossiae, but the 
rich colouring of the lip makes amends for this 
deficiency. One of the flowers sent was unusually 
highly coloured, the rich crimson-purple lip being 
shaded with maroon and in the throat with orange, 
while the margin was lilac. The petals were 
relatively broad, and like the sepals of a soft rosy 
lilac. Accompanying the above was a spray of 
Odontoglossum Edwardi, with rich purple almost 
violet flowers. Our correspondent speaks of sending 
some of his other Cattleyas, which we should be 
pleased to see. 
Orchida from Glasgow. 
A correspondent from the suburbs of Glasgow, 
and who signshimself " Anagram,” sends us a box of 
blooms of various interesting kinds, which go to 
make up a good collection. For instance there were 
two very choice forms of Odontoglossum crispum, 
one of them being O. c. flaveolum with primrose 
yellow sepals and petals, with one or two circular 
red blotches on the lateral sepals. The lip was a 
shade darker yellow, with two circular red blotches 
in front of the crest. The other variety was O. c. 
guttatum, having all the segments beautifully 
crisped, the petals deeply toothed, and all beautifully 
blotched with a number of reddish-brown blotches 
on the centre of each on a pure white ground, 
Amongst them were two varieties of O. odoratum, 
deliciously fragrant and freely spotted with reddish- 
brown on a pale yellow ground. They belong to the 
type usually called O. o. hebraicum in 'gardens. 
There were, also twoj- fine varieties of Masdevallia 
ignea, one of which was of a fine cinnabar red, 
tinted with crimson along the nerves, and round the 
edges. Tne other was of a darker hue and richly 
shaded with mauve-purple, the veins being the 
darkest. Accompanying the above was a flower 
which, in the absence of pseudo-bulbs, we could not 
separate from Dendrobium nobile. The chief feature 
of the flower was its very small size for that species, 
its neat form and rich colouring, the upper half of 
the sepals and petals being of a rich purple. If this 
character is permanent, the variety would be worthy 
of a distinct name, for ’which we should suggest 
D. n. parviflorum. 
Calanthe Sandhurstiana. 
This superb Calanthe was raised by the late Mr. 
P. H. Gosse, at Sandhurst, Torquay. The individual 
flowers are about the same size as those of Calanthe 
Veitchii, but the colour is many shades darker, and 
becomes intensified right into the eye or throat, un¬ 
like Calanthe Veitchii in that respect, which has a 
white eye. The flowers are set closely along the 
scape, and last a long time in perfection, without the 
slightest diminution in colour. Mrs. Gosse takes a 
great interest in her Orchids, which are ably grown 
by her gardener, Mr. Chudleigh.— J. McNab. 
Ccelogyne cristata Chatsworth variety. 
This grand winter blooming Orchid still maintains 
ts popularity, and when well cultivated, there are, 
indeed, few subject more beautiful or more deserving 
of cultivation. In the collection of J. Saunders, Esq , 
Sutton House, Clifton, Bristol, it is grown to per 
fection. I counted recently upwards of sixty flower 
scapes on a small pan, and on many of the scapes 
there were eight individual blooms of good size and 
substance. Phalaenopsis, Calanthes, Cymbidiums and 
Cypripediums are splendidly grown at Sutton 
House. Mr. Saunders, who is a veteran grower, is 
devotedly fond of his plants.— J. McNab. 
Dendrobium Wardianum. 
A fine flower of the above has been sent us from 
the collection of M. Veils, Esq., Sale, near 
Manchester. It was one of six on a pseudo-bulb or 
stem only i2in. long, and measured in. cross 
the petals, i| in. across the widest part of the lip, and 
the petals were more than ijin. in diameter. The 
tips of both sepals and petals were marked with a 
deep purple as in the variety D. W. Lowii. The 
orange blotch in the throat was also very fine as 
might be expected from the great size of the lip. 
Accompanying the above was a flower of Cattleya 
Trianae alba of greater purity than usual. Not only 
were the sepals and petals white, but the lip like¬ 
wise. Many of the individuals of this variety have 
a rosy purple or pale lilac blotch in front of the disc, 
but in this instance only a faint blush tint, hardly 
perceptible, pervaded the lamina. The large blotch 
in the throat was of a pale orange yellow. 
Cypripedium Juno. 
This hybrid was raised between C. Fairieanum and 
C. callosum ; and was exhibited by Drewett O. 
Drewett, Esq., Riding Mill-on-Tyne, who was 
accorded a First-class Certificate for it. The leaves 
are oblong and deep green marbled with grey. The 
scape is one flowered, and only about 6 in. high 
The upper sepal is very broad, and heavily suffused 
with purple, the veins being darker, the edges white, 
and the very base greenish. The petals are green 
along the centre, with dark veins and purple all 
round the edges, which are ciliate with black hairs. 
The lip is of a deep dull purple in front and paler on 
the lower side. The dwarf and neat habit of the 
plant, as well as the size and beauty of the flowers 
are sufficient to recommend it to the Orchid lover. 
Orchids at Banksian Villa, Leek, Staffordshire 
Mr.H. W. Nixon commenced the culture of Orchids 
early in the spring of 1888, and since that time has 
been a most assiduous collector, grow'er and exhibitor. 
Mr. Nixon is well known throughout the Leek 
district, as an enthusiastic florist. For many years 
he grew the Auricula successfully, and attained 
fame as a grower and exhibitor; then he turned 
his attention to growing and exhibiting Roses, for 
which he received many awards. Like all lovers of 
plants with whom I am acquainted, Mr. Nixon takes 
great pride in showing his favourites and describing 
their merits. I have spent many pleasant hours 
listening to his intelligent remarks. At the time of 
my visit recently the display of Odontoglossum in 
bloom was a very formidable one. The first plant 
calling for special attention was a fine piece of 
Odontoglossum maculatum in a 5-in. pot with four 
fine flower scapes, and having an aggregate of 
twenty-seven expanded blooms, a very superior 
variety. Standing side by side were O. blandum, 
O. Andersonianum, O. Pescatorei, O. nebulosum, 
O. Alexandra, O. Rossii majus, O. Cervantesii 
roseum, O. Edwardii with grand spikes. On 
passing into the warm house I found the 
following plants in bloom ;--Ccelogyne cristata, C. 
Chatsw’orth variety, C. borbata, C. fuscescens, 
Cymbidium eburneum, C. Lowfli, Dendrobium 
Wardianum, D. Pierardi, D. primulinum, D. nobile, 
D. Findleyanum, Vanda Amesiana, Phajus grandifo- 
lius Miltonia Candida, M. cuneata, Calanthe Veitchii, 
Cattleya labiata autumnalis, Epidendrum vitellinum 
majus, Masdevallia Chimera &c , a vet)' creditable 
display indeed, considering the amount of space that 
is devoted to them.— J. McNab. 
Stanhopea Wardii venusta. 
There are several very distinct varieties of 
Stanhopea Wardii in cultivation, and all of them are 
very beautiful. The mere typical forms are notable 
for the bold character of the rosy purple ring-like 
spots which ornament the sepals and petals, the 
ground colour of which is yellow. The lip is also 
variously marked, and has two blackish-purple eye¬ 
like spots at the base of the lip on the sides of the 
claw. The variety S. W. aurea is devoid of the rosy- 
purple spotting on the sepals and petals, but 
preserves the eye-like spots at the base. That under 
notice differs in the absence of the spotting and the 
large blotches at the base, so that sepals, petals and 
lip are of a deep orange hue. The column contrasts 
strikingly in being white, dotted over the back with 
purple markings. There is a coloured illustration of 
it in the Lindema, PI. 315. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Vinca rosea —Plants of this class, whether young 
or old, should now be pruned pretty hard back in 
order to render them bushy. As the young shoots 
develop two or three joints the points should be 
pinched out repeatedly until the plants assume a 
close and bushy habit. 
Allamandas and Bougainvilleas in Pots. — 
Plants of this class, which were re-potted and placed 
in heat with a view to get them started early into 
grow th, should now be progressing rapidly. In order 
to keep the wood sturdy and short jointed, the pots 
should be stood in positions as near the glass as 
possible, and unless the house is a span-roofed one. 
the pots should occasionally be turned round to the 
light, so that growth may be equalized as well as 
possible. 
Seed Sowing. —Plants of the annual stove-flower¬ 
ing Torenias such as T. Fournieri and T. Bailloni 
are very handsome objects for basket work towards 
the end of summer and in autumn. At that time 
they can be transferred to the greenhouse or con¬ 
servatory, where their brightly-coloured flowers will 
be much appreciated. Seeds should be sown now 
with ihat end in view. 
