788 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 13, 1892. 
FUCHSIAS AT CHISWICK. 
The collection of Fuchsias sent on trial some years 
ago to the gardens of. the Royal Horticultural 
Society at Chiswick are still there, and may be seen 
in the Paxton House. The number of varieties is 
considerable, so that they must be kept of a relatively 
small size in order that they may find accommoda¬ 
tion in the house. All the taller specimens are 
grown on the centre bed, and the smaller ones on 
the side stages, and when we saw them the other 
week they were in full array. Single and double 
varieties are indiscriminately mixed together, and 
generally speaking this is the best way of utilising 
them, as the flowers of the double varieties are 
larger as a rule, fewer in number, and heavier- 
Single varieties are undoubtedly the most effective 
owing to the profusion of flowers in many cases, and 
the gracefully arching or drooping habit of the 
branches under the weight of bloom. There are of 
course exceptions amongst the doubles where the 
flowers are of moderate size and freely produced. 
Single Varieties. 
For effectiveness and general distinctness we should 
name Mrs. Bright, Alba Coccinea, Abdel Kader, 
Countess of Aberdeen, and Speciosa. The last 
named has scarlet sepals and pink sepals and tube on 
drooping branches laden with blossom. The Countess 
of Aberdeen is pure white in winter, but the calyx is 
slightly tinted with pink under the strong sunlight of 
summer. The habit of the plant is very dense, and 
rather stiff on that account, but it flowers more or 
less all the year round. The petals of Abdel Kader 
are rich purple and the sepals soft red, and the 
flowers closely aggregated at the end of the shoots. 
The flowers of Mrs. Bright are somewhat larger 
than those of Speciosa, with a paler calyx. A curi¬ 
ous and pretty mixture is exhibited by Alba Coc¬ 
cinea, which has purple petals, white sepals, and a 
red tube,; the unopened buds are globose, pointed, 
white with a scarlet tube, resembling ear drops or 
pendants, and the flowers are abundantly produced 
on slender, pendulous branches. 
Not much inferior to the above is Rose of Denmark, 
with rosy petals, and pink petals, which in the 
aggregate are delicate and pretty. The purple 
corolla and red sepals of President Thiers are very 
effective as they are produced in abundance on 
drooping branches. Very similar is that named 
President having deep blue petals fading to rosy- 
purple. Very pretty is Flocon de Neige with wide 
spreading, white petals, and a pale red calyx, giving 
the plant a bold appearance even in a small state. 
A very striking variety is that named Glory which 
has large purple flowers, a red calyx, and the leaves 
deeply tinted with bronze on both surfaces. 
W ave of Life is still a good old-fasHioned sort, 
with pale yellow foliage, ultimately becoming green, 
and deep purple flowers changing to blue. Madame 
Aubin has fine flowers but a bad habit. The petals 
are reddish-purple and orange at the base, with pink 
sepals and tube. The bronzy foliage of Glory makes 
its appearance again in a paler hue in De Mirbel. 
The small flowers of Letty Lye are rose with a 
carmine edge to the petals, while the sepals and tube 
are white. It is another illustration of the fact that 
the smaller the flowers the greater is the number of 
them produced on a plant. In a small state at least 
Erecta Novelty is rather pretty and effective on 
account of the number of flowers produced on the 
strong erect shoots, but we are afraid the habit of 
the plant would be anything but graceful if grown on 
to large size. The petals are a soft rosy-lilac, while 
the sepals are blush with green tips. The white 
sepals and tube of Lord Heytesbury contrast well 
with the purple and scarlet edged corolla. Small 
plants at least are very distinct and pretty. Another 
old - fashioned but extremely floriferous sort is 
Guiding Star with small blue-purple corollas, and 
white sepals and tube. Tall pyramidal specimens 
are very effective. On the contrary small specimens 
of Dr. Topinard are very striking with their large 
flowers, widely spreading white petals with branching 
rose veins at their base, and red sepals. Lord 
Wolsely has unusually large deep violet flowers 
splashed with pale purple. 
Double Varieties. 
One of the most floriferous and effective doubles we 
noted was Gustave Dore, having slender, pendulous 
branches, with white petals and a pale red calyx, all 
of moderate size. On the contrary the flowers of 
Mrs. E. G. Hill are large with numerous loosely 
plaited petals and a red calyx, giving the whole a 
bold appearance. The pale red calyx of Artaban 
constitute a fine contrast with the large, pure white 
corolla. The petals of Berliner Kind are numerous, 
plaited and white, while the short pale red sepals are 
slightly reflexed. A beautiful Fuchsia likewise is 
F. Ulysse Trelat with blush sepals suffused with 
deeper veins. The pale mauve lilac corolla of 
President Grevy is very distinct, but we have some 
misgivings relative to the habit of the plant, a fault 
which clings, unfortunately, to a good many of the 
large flowered doubles. The flowers of Deutscher 
Kaiser are very freely produced towards the ends of 
the branches, and have purple corollas with a pale 
red calyx. One of the boldest and most telling of 
the old double Fuchsias is Marksman, the flowers of 
which are notable for their great size and deep violet 
and purple hue. The petals are more or less plaited 
or twisted, and the red sepals are remarkably short. 
Under good cultural treatment the plant may be 
described as floriferous, notwithstanding the huge 
size and heaviness of the individual blooms. 
Phenomenal may be compared to the last in the 
huge size of its violet and purple corolla, but the 
habit of the plant to all appearance is bad. The red 
calyx lies down on the petals compressing them, a 
very unusual circumstance. Quite another kind is 
Lamennais with ponderous white flowers somewhat 
folded or crumpled in the centre. 
The above is by no means exhaustive of the list of 
varieties grown at Chiswick, but they include all the 
more distinct both of the single and double kinds, 
and the more notable as far as general effectiveness 
and merit are concerned. To see Fuchsias in their 
best form they should be accorded plenty of space 
and grown to good size, so that their individual 
beauty may be seen to advantage. 
T » ( 
IRIS K^MPFERI. 
The season for Irises is now almost over, even 
including such late flowering subjects as I. laevigata, 
better known in gardens as I. Kaempferi and the 
English Irises (I. xiphioides). Considering the dry 
nature of the season for some time past, the numerous 
garden varieties of I. Kaempferi have done well in 
the nursery of Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm, Totten¬ 
ham. The first week of August still saw a considera¬ 
ble number of varieties in bloom. The Japan Iris 
delights in a plentiful supply of moisture, and here 
they are accordingly grown in specially prepared 
beds, consisting of rich soil partly mixed with peat 
and mulched with manure. The soil was kept 
watered almost every day; hence, no doubt, the 
persistency with which the plants kept flowering. 
The semi-double varieties are evidently amongst 
the most durable, including A. Bolyn with bluish- 
purple flowers of large size, and a golden-yellow 
blotch at the base of all the segments. Louise is 
another semi-double, with bright, dark purple 
flowers, very similar in colour to that of Viola 
Cliveden Purple. Flora has single or semi-double 
flowers of an indigo blue, with a large orange-yellow 
blotch at the base of each segment ; the smaller 
divisions occupying the centre are purple. A very 
curious case of doubling occurs in Cleopatra. The 
supernumerary segments usually rise in the centre 
of the bloom, but in Cleopatra they evidently con¬ 
sist of the stamens metamorphosed into tufts of 
small petals arising behind the petaloid stigmas. 
They therefore form three diverging tufts which 
give the flowers a singular appearance. The ordinary 
and true segments are of large size, and purple with 
a golden yellow blotch at the base surrounded with 
a blue zone. 
Two white varieties also seem unusually late. 
Venus has the largest flowers,freelyproduced,and pure 
white, with the exception of the ever present yellow 
blotch at the base of the segments. The flowers of 
Jersey Belle are more moderate in size but very 
compact with a golden yellow blotch at the base of 
each of the six segments, which are nearly all of the 
same size and horizontal. The latter feature is 
characteristic of I. Ktempferi, which thus differs 
from most species in cultivation. Jersey Belle 
flowers very freely and recommends itself on that 
account to the attention of cultivators. Those who 
have the convenience of a stream or pond in their 
grounds should take advantage of the same in 
securing a supply of moisture for this Iris. It does 
well on the banks, where its roots in penetrating the 
soil dip into an abundant supply of moisture during 
the summer months. 
CARNATIONS AND HOLLYHOCKS AT 
TOTTENHAM. 
Carnations and Picotees. 
The dry weather that prevailed during thefirst week 
of August told very severely everywhere upon the 
durability of Carnations as far as the flowers were 
concerned, but at the same time w'as favourable to 
the process of layering, which was being vigorously 
prosecuted at Mr. T. S. Ware’s Hale Farm Nursery, 
Tottenham, last week. Although the season was far 
advanced there were still quantities of flowers, 
especially on some of the varieties, which thus 
showed their distinctly late character and their 
utility for prolonging the season. 
Most of the varieties are grown in quantity, in¬ 
cluding the terra-cotta Mrs. Reynolds Hole. A new 
variety is Mrs. Rieffel, with yellow flowers and a buff 
centre. Being early it was almost over. Alice 
Ayres, white with carmine stripe, is still holding its 
own bravely as a border variety. Pride of Pens- 
hurst and Germania, two of the best yellows, both 
do well here. A yellow ground named Terra Cotta 
is of the shade indicated, and marked with purple, 
rose, and blue towards the edge. A finer variety of 
this type is Sir Beauchamp Seymour, the ground 
colour of which is almost of a salmon colour striped 
with red towards the edges. It is a good grower, 
about 12 in. to 18 in. high, and flowers freely. 
White varieties are well represented, including 
Mrs. Frank Watts, a refined variety of medium size 
and dwarf habit. Something in the same way is 
White Dame, a pure white with almost entire petals ; 
but the flowers are larger than those of the last and 
somewhat scented. The plant is however, very 
dwarf, and develops plenty of young shoots. Gloire 
de Nancy is generally looked upon as a White Clove, 
as it has large fragrant flowers and broad glaucous 
leaves. The flowers of Comte de Paris are flesh 
coloured, becoming paler as they get old, but they 
are only of medium size and late in coming into 
bloom. The variety is, however, of good constitu¬ 
tion and seems to be gaining in popularity. 
A new, soft pinkish rose, and free flowering, 
slightly fragrant variety is Ivetton Rose ; it does well 
and produces plenty of grass, as the young, leafy 
shoots are termed. Rose Celestial, a beautiful rose 
variety, is something in the way of the popular Mary 
Morris. A good sort is Lord Bryon, with brilliant 
scarlet flowers of moderate size but very conspicu¬ 
ous ; the leaves are narrow but the shoots plentiful. 
A clove-scented and bright salmon-rose variety is 
Princess Alice. The leaves are also like those of a 
Clove, and the plant grows vigorously. Paul Engel- 
hart is a crimson Clove, but much dwarfer in habit. 
Border Picotees are also fairly numerous here, in¬ 
cluding Wm. Scott, slightly striped and heavily 
edged with carmine on a white ground. Seedling 
Carnations and Picotees are numerous, and some of 
them very promising, particularly a large flowered 
and flesh coloured variety with good foliage. A 
white variety with entire petals was also fine. None 
of them have yet been named, but some of them 
will certainly be heard of again. 
Hollyhocks. 
As a safeguard against the ravages of the disease. 
Hollyhocks are here raised from seeds and simply 
sown in batches of a colour. It is wonderful how 
true to colour they come, and as the bulk of them 
are not only double, but of good form, it demon¬ 
strates the feasibility of depending upon seedlings, 
either for ordinary garden decoration or for exhibition 
purposes. The stems vary from 5 ft. to 9 ft., or more, 
and testify to the vigour of plants raised from seed. 
The varieties, of which a quantity of each is grown, 
are sent out under colours without any regard to 
special names. These include Straw, White, 
Crimson-scarlet, Buff, Pale Apricot, Amber, Rose 
Salmon-Apricot, Purple-lake, and White, with purple 
base. They are confined to single stems and cer¬ 
tainly have a stately appearance. The centre is in 
most cases quite full and well supported by broad 
guards; an exception might be mentioned in the 
Rose varieties where the centre is sometimes not 
well filled, but this is more than counteracted by the 
sort named Purple-lake, the flowers of which are 
fine in form and colour. 
Begonias. 
Seedlings in some quantity are planted out in the 
open ground at Tottenham, but Mr. Ware’s finest 
display of this useful class of plants is at Bexley. 
We noted, however, a houseful of plants such as are 
