488 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 2, 1892. 
CYTISUS SCO PAR IU S ANDREANUS. 
A series of crosses between this and the ordinary 
Broom might result in producing some seedlings 
exhibiting some novelties in the way of colouring. 
It has now become sufficiently plentiful in this 
country for enterprising hybridists to attempt some¬ 
thing in this way. In the great rush to propagate 
it, many growers have worked it upon the common 
Laburnum as a stock, but its hardiness or longevity 
is considerably impaired when so treated. The 
relative vigour of the stock enables it no doubt to be 
rapidly grown to some size, and if intended for indoor 
culture and for forcing purposes, this may answer the 
purpose for a number of years ; but for planting in 
the open ground the common Broom should be used 
as a stock because the most natural, and therefore 
the most conducive to the longevity of the plant. 
This would add considerably to the value of the 
plant, because if it would succeed as readily as the 
common Broom when planted in beds and shrub¬ 
beries, it is almost certain to be widely planted on 
account of its novel and ornamental character. It 
is highly satisfactory to note that it forces as readily 
as Cytisus racemosus, so extensively used for green¬ 
house and conservatory decoration at this period of 
the year. When worked upon stems of some length 
it forms neat standards which can always find a 
place in conservatories and groups of plants. 
CLI VIA CYRTANTHIFLORA. 
This is an old garden plant supposed to be a hy¬ 
brid between C. miniata and C. nobilis. It 
undoubtedly seems intermediate between the two 
and resembles C. miniata in the leaves being ligulate 
and suddenly narrowed to a rather acute point, 
whereas those of C. nobilis are truncate, that is 
suddenly cut short, and they are also finely toothed 
on the edges. The flowers are drooping or soms- 
times horizontal, narrowly funnel-shaped and of a 
w-arm orange-scarlet, or sometimes light flame- 
coloured, as they evidently vary according to 
treatment, exposure to light, and other conditions. 
When the plant is grown strong, the umbel or truss 
is large, and bears a relatively large number of 
flowers during winter and spring. The general 
aspect of the plant is considerably different from 
that of C. miniata or its garden forms, and raisers 
of new kinds might well devote a little attention to 
improvement in this direction for the sake of the 
variety which might be infused into this class of 
plants. Some pieces of it have been flowering for a 
long time past in the gardens at Tower House, 
Chiswick, under the care of Mr. Bones. 
BIRDS AND THE BUDS. 
The buds on Gooseberry bushes and Plum trees are 
swelling fast, and at this early stage, with a cutting 
east wind, and the sharp frosts of the past few nights, 
birds will make havoc by clearing the buds whole¬ 
sale if not prevented. In this district where bull¬ 
finches and tomtits are plentiful the buds are in great 
danger. Here we syringed the Gooseberry bushes 
with soapy water, and while wet dusted them with 
lime and soot ; it has stuck to the buds, and so far 
has prevented the birds taking them. I fire a few 
shots during the course of a week, and it helps to 
scare the birds away. A market grower told one of 
my men on the 25th of last month that at that date 
he had shot as many as thirty-seven bullfinches.— 
\V. N , Abergavenny. 
BEGONIA HYDROCOTYLIFOLIA. 
In general aspect this species resembles B. mani- 
cata, especially at a distance, but the flowers are 
considerably larger and brighter in colour. Both 
species come from Mexico, the species under notice 
being imported only a year previously to B. manicata. 
They are closely allied, but easily distinguished by 
the leaves alone. Those of B. hydrocotylifolia are 
suborbicular, slightly oblique, heart-shaped at the 
base, dark in colour, and polished on the upper sur¬ 
face. The flower stems are 12 in. to 15 in. high, or 
even more, arising from the axils of the leaves on 
the short, fleshy and true stems, and bearing on the 
top a panicled cyme of flowers. The latter are rose- 
coloured, and are rendered more conspicuous by the 
wings of the capsule, which are large and singularly 
bright in colour. A large-sized plant bears a large 
quantity of bloom and becomes highly ornamental 
when grown for winter and spring flowering. It is 
used for this purpose at Stoke Park, Slough, along 
with B. manicata, both being mixed with fine- 
foliaged Begonias and other ornamental plants. 
The association is very effective. 
HARDY TREES & SHRUBS. 
Single Roses. 
The number of these that might be grown in the 
shrubberies, on the lawn, or on walls, is prac¬ 
tically endless, but a selection of them might be 
made of the choicer kinds which may be admitted 
into the more select parts of the garden, whether as 
bushes, pillar Roses, or for covering walls. The 
fruit in some cases is as ornamental as the flowers, 
particularly in the case of Rosa rugosa, which is 
frequently to be seen on rockeries or as an isolated 
bush where its ornamental character can be seen to 
best advantage. Propagation can be effected by 
seeds, layers, budding or by cuttings. The unim¬ 
proved species with single flowers can be readily 
propagated by seeds where fruit is produced ; but 
most of them can be raised satisfactorily from 
cuttings, and those which fail in this way can be 
increased by layers or suckers. 
R. rugosa. — The Rose with wrinkled leaves can 
readily be recognised from all others in cultivation 
by the rich dark green and conspicuously wrinkled 
character of the leaves, combined with the habit of 
the plant. Our illustration accompanying this 
shows a flower, and another shoot bearing a cluster 
of fruit all reduced to one-third of the natural size. 
The leaves accompanying the fruit gives the best 
Rosa rugosa. 
idea of their wrinkled character. The typical form 
has red flowers, but there are rose coloured and 
white varieties differing only in the colour of the 
flowers. The fruit is even more handsome than the 
flowers, and is erect or drooping, large, globular, 
deep red, and ripening in autumn. Seeds germinate 
very readily. The species is a native of Japan, 
perfectly hardy, and extremely ornamental when 
planted in an open situation in good soil, so that it 
may develop and ripen its fruits in abundance. 
R. moschata. —In this we have one of the parents 
of the garden race of Noisette Roses. The single 
wild form with white flowers is however a highly 
ornamental object when grown as a climber and 
allowed to run up to a height of 12 ft. or 15 ft., for 
then it flowers most profusely during the month of 
August. An old tree stump with some of the arms 
or side branches left so that the Rose could ramble 
over them would form a suitable support and show 
it off to the best advantage. It is a native of South 
Europe, extending from thence to India, where it 
occurs in all its beauty upon the Himalayas. It was 
originally introduced in 1590, and is sometimes 
grown under the name of R. Brunoni. 
R. bracteata. —The Macartney Rose is a climber 
if grown upon a wall, where it attains a height of 6 
ft. or 8 ft., but when grown as a bush it may not 
exceed 2 ft. or 3 ft. It is a native of China and bears 
large, solitary, white flowers terminating the summer 
growths. The large bracts surrounding the flowers 
area peculiar feature of this Rose. 
R. lutea. —The yellow flowers and the small 
leaves of the Austrian Briar combine to make this a 
beautiful and highly interesting species which used 
to be very common in old-fashioned gardens. 
Before it comes into flower in June, it also bears 
some resemblance to the Scotch Rose in habit and 
foliage. It grows about 3 ft. in height, and forms a 
compact bush that requires little or no pruning after 
the second or third year. The Austrian Copper is a 
handsome variety with reddish copper flowers, 
while the Austrian Scarlet has the petals scarlet 
above and yellow beneath. 
R. spinosissima. — The Scotch Rose has equally 
beautiful foliage with small leaflets, and white 
flowers, sometimes tinted with pink especially when 
in bud. It forms a close bush varying from 1 ft. to 
4 ft. in height, and comes into bloom during May 
and June, and is therefore amongst the earliest. 
R. rubiginosa. —The Sweet Briar is another 
British species that can hardly be omitted from a 
list of single Roses, not merely on account of the 
beauty of the pink or rosy pink flowers, but the 
delicious fragrance of the foliage. It grows to a 
height of 3 ft. to 5 ft., flowering in June, and may 
be grown in a mixed shrubbery or as hedges in 
places where close pruning is unnecessary. Being a 
British plant it is very hardy and long-lived. 
R. sericea. — The stems of this Indian species 
attain a height of 8 ft. when grown against a wall, 
which seems to be the best way of treating the plant, 
as it grows taller, flowers more freely, and ripens 
fruits which remain on the plant a long time after 
they become yellow. The white flowers are pro¬ 
duced singly from the buds ; but in great quantity all 
over the shoots, and are remarkable as consisting of 
only four petals. The species is therefore useful for 
covering v'alls, which it adorns in May with its 
flowers, and again in autumn with its fruits. 
R. simplicifolia. —The remarkable feature of this 
Rose is the fact that the leaves are simple, resembling 
those of some species of Barberry, for which reason 
it is often named Rosa berberifolia. The flowers are 
bright yellow with a crimson blotch at the base of 
each petal, reminding one of what occurs in several 
species of Cistus. A hybrid produced between this 
species and R. involucrata, and named R. Hardii, has 
yellow flowers and pinnate leaves ; the species is a 
native of Persia and Siberia, and was originally 
introduced in 1790, but does not get widely 
disseminated in gardens. 
R alpina. —There are numerous varieties of this 
Rose in cultivation, including those known as 
Boursalt Roses. The type is a low growing bush, 
from 1 ft. to 3 ft. in height, with rosy-red flowers 
developed during the month of June, and giving place 
to orange-red fruits later on. The old stems are 
usually devoid of thorns or prickles. 
R. alba. — The white Rose used to be common 
many years ago in old-fashioned cottage gardens, but 
seems to have been largely displaced by the more 
popular races of comparatively recent garden origin. 
There are of course numerous varieties of it in 
cultivation. The type is supposed to be a hybrid 
between R. canina and R. gallica, and is characterised 
by the pale glaucous green hue of its foliage, and 
delicately fragrant white flowers. It is believed to 
be of garden origin and v'as recorded at least as early 
as 1597, so that we cannot be surprised at its wide 
dissemination in gardens, for it must have been 
highly prized in its day. The stems are usually 3 ft. 
or 4 ft. high, but sometimes more. 
__ 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Dendrobium luteolum. 
This pretty primrose-coloured Dendrobium is at the 
present time forming a very pleasing contrast to its 
more richly coloured allies, Wardianum, nobile, 
crassinode, etc. An importation of it has reached 
this country in good condition ; it is to be bought at 
a moderate price, and ought to find a place in e\ery 
collection on account of its modest beauty. The 
flowers are produced from the three or four top 
joints in pairs and trebles, and are about 2 in. in 
diameter, with a prominent lip streaked with green 
and yellow. D. luteolum grows best in baskets 
suspended from the roof of ihe stove or East India 
house, in the usual mixture of fibrous peat and 
sphagnum. It does not require such a thorough 
ripening as is usually given to most of the Denbro- 
