632 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 4, 189-2. 
to copy it. Much good might be done if one could 
undertake some amount of teaching in this respect 
by providing a bouquet, vase, or basket properly and 
well done to serve as an ideal at which the com¬ 
petitors might aim. This would, I believe, create a 
taste for the artistic where little now exists. In 
making the foregoing remarks I am speaking of the 
generality of shows, but there are places where the 
arrangements are excellent. 
Flowers must be well arranged, and colours blended 
to be well appreciated. In many cases it is not the 
size of the individual flowers which charm us most, 
but those that are set up artistically with care and 
grace that claim our attention and praise. With re¬ 
gard to bouquets, wreaths, and designs composed of 
flowers we as a nation are well to the fore in making 
these. Generally speaking we have an artistic notion 
of the arrangement and follow more the natural 
style, whilst the Americans work on rather a more 
formal method, and this I feel is creeping on us, but 
I hope will never captivate us ; for what beauty 
there can be in a piano or chair or such like things 
made of real flowers I cannot imagine. Bouquets or 
posies of flowers should be made lightly, so that each 
flower may be easily seen ; there should be no crowd¬ 
ing whatever, and foliage should be used to enhance 
the effect of the flowers, so making what may be 
termed a lovely bunch of flowers and having a 
natural appearance. 
Grouping and Massing. 
Many plants gain greatly by being planted in masses. 
What can be a fairer sight than a bold group of 
Rhododendrons in full flower backed up by foliage 
trees, or a fine bed of Azaleas on a large lawn ? 
This system of massing is often much abused. At 
times we see masses of one colour, then of another, and 
another, the result of which is a poor effect : when, 
had more foliage been used and the masses of colour 
placed further apart, a much finer effect would have 
been obtained. When we refer to Nature we cannot 
but notice how unobtrusively she presents to us her 
masses of bloom : what a wonderful effect a piece of 
rustic scenery with a mass of Blue Bells, Lily of the 
Valley, single Narcissus, and Buttercups has. 
Although it is a mass of bloom it is not crowded and 
crushed together, or one mass spoiling the effect of 
another. There should not be a formal appearance 
to the massed plants, be they what they may. This 
is a danger which cannot be guarded against too 
carefully. Where one has plenty of room, say 
having large grounds round a mansion, I love to see 
large clumps here and there of Lilies, Roses, 
Phloxes, Hollyhocks, Foxgloves, Campanulas, Iris, 
Dahlias, Sunflowers, etc., each family of plants 
steering well clear of its neighbours so as to prevent 
any clashing. 
Having before asserted that some flowers gain by 
bold treatment—take, for instance, the Rose—what a 
glorious sight is presented by a bank of these flowers, 
similar to those set up at some of our great flow er 
shows. We must allow the effect is greatly enhanced 
by the liberal use of Maidenhair Ferns as a ground¬ 
work and fringe to the group. Cut flowers and 
flowering plants must have Ferns or foliage to show 
them off to anything like advantage. What a bare 
and hard appearance a box of flowers set up for ex¬ 
hibition has without foliage. Take again an exhibi¬ 
tion group of Chrysanthemum plants which we 
frequently see at some of the large autumn shows. 
It is a mass of flower set up at a perfect angle, and a 
faultless semicircle in shape : what an effect would 
be here gained if the exhibitor had a little more space 
allowed him, and Palms and foliage at the back and 
Ferns, etc., in front. This would alter the effect of 
the hard and formal group, and it might then claim 
to be considered artistic. 
Conservatory Decoration. 
Just for one moment I should like to allude to 
conservatory decoration, and plead for a less formal 
arrangement of the interior. In some instances we 
have beautiful examples of artistic and effective 
arrangement of plants and flowers, and of interiors 
fitted up in an artistic manner, but more often we 
have presented the formal stage, straight path, etc. 
What we want is a miniature landscape garden, as it 
were, under cover, and to let our plants grow in a 
more natural form than all in a row of pots. Many 
of our lovely greenhouse climbers are not used nearly 
as much as they should be. The walls are not utilised 
to the extent they might be either. I have seen 
some covered with Gloxinias, Begonias, terns, etc., 
presenting a glorious appearance. The peat and 
loam in which these grow is fixed to the wall by wire 
netting; the Ferns and Lycopodiums soon cover this, 
and the result is most effective. 
I plead all round for a less formal andmorenatural 
and artistic treatment of the things which I have 
alluded to. I believe there is still much before us in 
the way of improvement in this phase of horticul¬ 
ture, and it is gratifying to find that men of the 
present day are striving in that direction. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Cypripedium hybridum Vipani. 
Of the numerous hybrid Cypripediums that have 
appeared lately few are more distinct than that under 
notice. It is the progeny of C. philippinense 
(C. laevigatum) crossed with C. niveum. The leaves 
are short, oblong, faintly tessellated with light green 
on a darker shade. The plant shown had a two- 
flowered scape. The upper sepal is roundly ovate 
and white, traversed longitudinally with about eleven 
purple veins. The petals are oblong, of moderate 
width* slightly declining, and white with five pale 
purple veins. The lip is slightly laterally com¬ 
pressed, resembling that of C. niveum or C. con- 
color and wholly white. The staminode on the 
contrary is green with a white edge. Altogether it 
will be considered a choice subject in a collection. 
First-class Certificate. 
Cypripedium Chamberlainianum excellens. 
The typical form of the species has the 
upper sepal green with a brown base, but the 
variety under notice has that organ of a clear 
and decided yellow with a large, bifid brownish- 
purple blotch at the base, and four short, broad lines 
radiating from each of the two divisions of the 
blotch. The lip is densely spotted with rosy-purple, 
and yellow round the mouth. The broad, ligulate 
and keeled leathery leaves are like those of the 
type. Award of Merit. 
Odontoglossum crispum Sanderse. 
The sepals of this handsome variety are elliptic and 
heavily blotched with purple, the blotches being so 
arge, numerous and amalgamated into one irregular 
piece that they nearly cover the whole surface —the 
ground colour being rosy-pink. The petals are 
ovate, overlapping, deeply toothed at the edge, and 
brownish-purple with an irregular pink or lilac 
margin. The lip is oblong, emarginate, shortly 
fringed, blotched with brownish-purple, and having a 
golden-yellow crest and disc. First-class Certificate. 
Miltonia Bleui splendidissimum. 
As may be remembered, this is one of the seedlings 
arising from the hybridisation of Miltonia vexillaria 
with M. Roezli. The sepals are lanceolate-elliptic 
and white, with a few pale purple lines at the base. 
The petals are obovate and white, suffused with 
lake on the lower thirds of their length. The lip is 
very large and white, with a conspicuous, brownish- 
orange blotch at the base and three reddish-purple 
lines radiating from the centre of it, ultimately 
fading to pale Durple except the three middle lines. 
First-class Certificate. 
Oncidium Rolfeanum. 
This new Oncid was introduced from Columbia, and 
belongs to the Microchila section, although it differs 
considerably in the lip from most or all of hat type 
in cultivation. The pseudo-bulbs are ovoid, moderate 
in size, and slightly compressed. The leaves are 
narrowly ligulate and produced four to six from a 
pseudo-bulb. The scape of the plant as shown 
attains a length of 20 in., but may greatly exceed 
that when fully established, and is branched. The 
upper sepal is triangular, undulated at the edge, 
which is yellow, the rest being brown ; the lateral 
sepals are elliptic, dentate at the margin and pale 
brown. The elliptic petals are revolute at the tip, 
undulated, and crisped, and transversely blotched 
with brown on a yellow ground. The small, three- 
lobed lip has the middle lobe ovate, revolute, and 
yellow, with a submarginal band of brown; the 
lateral lobes are yellow and brown at the tips. The 
crest consists of three central, yellow teeth, and four 
flattened yellow teeth in front. Botanical Certificate. 
Phaius Sanderianus. 
The sepals of this Phaius are lanceolate, the petals 
similar but smaller, and all are pale orange-brown. 
The lip has the tube yellow at the base, and purple 
upwards, uhile the lamina is quadrate, retuse, and 
white, with a central, yellow band ; the throat is 
purple with yellow lines, hirst-class Certificate. 
Cattleya Mendelii Cookson's Var. 
The sepals of this Cattleya are delicate pink shaded 
with white. The ovate-elliptic petals are spreading, 
revolute, finely crisped at the edge and some shades 
darker in colour. The lip is a large and showy 
organ, with the tube and side lobes white; the 
lamina on the contrary is of a deep rich purple, 
much undulated and crisped at the edge ; the blotch 
in the throat is pale yellow and the interior of the 
tube purple, striated with white lines. Award of 
Merit. 
Epidendrum Godsefflanum. 
The pseudo-bulbs of this species are short, ovoid and 
covered with pale sheaths, bearing on the top two 
lanceolate, rigid leaves, about 12 in. to 16 in. long 
The branching scape is about 2 ft. to 3A ft. long. 
The sepals are broadly oblong, the petals more 
nearly orbicular, all incurved at the tips and brownish- 
orange marked with pale lines. The three lobed lip 
has oblate pale pink, lateral lobes, and the terminal 
one is reflexed at the sides, white and beautifully 
lined with rosy purple, the lateral veins being 
branched. It is pretty and effective for an Epiden¬ 
drum, with flowers of good average size. Botanical 
Certificate. All of the above nine Orchids were ex¬ 
hibited at the Temple Show on the 25th and 26th 
ult., by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, Cypri¬ 
pedium hybridum Vipani being from the collection 
of Captain Vipan. 
Odontoglossum Wilkeanum nobilius. 
The sepals of this beautiful variety are oblong and 
heavily blotched with cinnamon-brown on a pale 
yellow ground. The petals are rhomboid with a 
broad claw, of a soft sulphur or creamy yellow, with 
a large irregular blotch above the middle, and a few 
smaller ones lower down. The oblong lip is 
fimbriated, palest sulphur, and having a large 
cinnamon blotch in front of the crest and afewatthe 
sides. The column has a deep purple-brown blotch 
on the back. A plant with eleven flowers on an 
arching raceme, was shown by .Messrs. Charles- 
worth, Shuttleworth & Co., Heaton, Bradford, and 
Park Road, Clapham, at the Temple Show on the 
23th and 26th ult., when an Award of Merit was 
accorded it. 
Cymbidium Lowianum viride. 
The sepals of this variety are lanceolate, rather 
fleshy and of a pale, soft green, while the petals are 
narrower but otherwise similar. The lip is of a 
uniform pale yellow except the lamina, which is a 
shade darker and tinted with green. Award of 
Merit. 
Cypripedium southgatense. 
In this we have a hybrid of which C. Godefroyae or 
C. bellatulum has had something to do with the 
parentage. The leaves are ligulate, deep green 
above and slightly tessellated with a paler hue. The 
one-flowered scape is only about 4 in. high. The 
upper sepal is oblate acute, suffused and blotched 
with deep purple on a pale yellow ground, and pale 
at the margin. The petals are oblong and heavily 
blotched with purple, especially on the lower half. 
The lip is compressed on the sides, brownish purple 
and spotted with purple on the infolded sides of the 
claw. First-class Certificate. This and the Cym- 
bidium were exhibited by Messrs. Lewis & Co., 
Southgate, at the Temple Show on the 25th and 26th 
ult. 
Laelia purpurata Handleyana. 
The sepals of this variety are of the faintest pink • 
the petals on the contrary are toothed and crisped 
at the edge, and light purple with a darker middle line- 
The lip has an intensely maroon-purple lamina, with 
exception of a pale purple blotch at the apex, and 
which is very characteristic of nearly all the forms 
of the species ; the side lobes are much crisped and 
undulated. Award of Merit. A plant exhibited at 
the Temple Show on the 25th and 26th ult., by Mr. 
Jas. Cypher, Cheltenham, had a raceme of five 
flowers. 
Zygopetalum Graminifolium. 
The leaves of this species are linear, and deep green, 
with a grassy appearance, as the specific name would 
indicate. The scape is about 18 in. high and bears a 
raceme of flowers. The sepals are oblong and 
brownish purple with transverse greenish lines. 
The oblanceolate petals are similar in hue. The 
obovate, emarginate lip is reflexed at the sides and 
mauve purple with a violet-purple, tcothed crest at 
the base. Botanical Certificate. Exhibited by 
C. J. Lucas, Esq. 
Dendrobium nobile. 
Three huge plants of this species were exhibited at 
the Temple Show on the 25th and 26th ult., and 
were the admiration of all visitors especially those 
who have any knowledge of Orchids. They had 
been grown by Mr. H. C. Princep, gardener to 
Viscountess Portman, Hogg House, Buxtead Park, 
Uckfield. They were not large imported pieces, but 
had been grown on from small size to their present 
dimensions, and that too on the pruning system. 
All the stems were of last year's growth, although 
