September 7, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
7 
CRYSTAL PALACE. 
The bedding has improved wonderfully since the 
accession of rain, and the abundant sunshine during 
the greater part of August has been producive of a 
fine display. Few of the beds at the Crystal Palace 
depend entirely upon Begonias for a display, but 
near the Band Stand large panels are worked into 
many of the beds with fine effect. They have been 
selected according to colour, and the scarlet, crimson, 
and white varieties are in many cases effective and 
telling. Tubers more than one year old have been 
employed in those beds upon the slopes, so that 
blossom is abundant. Nor must it be supposed that 
small flowering varieties only are employed; for the 
greater proportion of them are quite up to the 
average in that respect, and the colours leave 
nothing to be desired, except that white varieties 
have a tendency to become tinted wFh pink in the 
open air. In the eyes of many people, however, this 
blushing and tinting lend an additional charm to the 
flower. The terrific downpour of rain on the night 
of the 22nd ult. did not the slightest injury. 
All of the large flowering varieties, at least, are 
thinly planted upon agroundwork of Fuchsia gracilis 
variegata, F. Golden Fleece, Mesembryanthemum 
cordifolium variegatum, or the variegated Pelargo¬ 
nium Lady Plymouth, one or other of them being 
used in different beds. The dark green and olive 
hues of the foliage of the Begonias make a fine 
contrast with the pale yellow or silvery hue of these 
variegated plants; and in fact constitute an object- 
lesson in the employment of colour, contrast, and 
harmony in foliage, with simple and relatively 
inexpensive material. Begonia worthiana, B. 
semperflorens Vernon’s var., and other garden varie¬ 
ties of the latter, are used to excellent purpose in the 
formation of panels in prominent positions by the 
corners of walks. Surrounding the iron framework 
usually termed the Italian Rose Garden, and 
enclosing the Band Stand is a broad border of 
mixed flowers. In front of these is an edging of 
tuberous Begonias, promiscuously mixed and show¬ 
ing a great variety of hues, of which the rose, scarlet, 
pink and yellow sorts are floriferous, effective and 
telling, owing to the prominence they receive on the 
rather steeply sloping ground. They do not seem to 
have suffered in the least from the rains nor the 
previous and long-protracted drought. The same 
kinds of Begonias are used as edgings and panels in 
the beds near the Palace. A few beds entirely of 
Begonias on a ground of Mesembryanthemum have 
not done so well, but the tubers when planted must 
have been small and the drought retarded their 
growth .—Fiat lux. 
--HE-- 
HOMESDALE NURSERIES. 
Mr. Alfred William Young, Holmesdale 
Nurseries, Stevenage, Herts, grows about 100,000 
tuberous Begonias, both single and double flowered, 
comprising numerous shades of crimson, scarlet, 
pink, rose, yellow, orange and white. A box, filled 
with blooms of seedlings, that was forwarded to us 
for inspection, contained some fine varieties. The 
doubles particularly were praiseworthy, being of 
almost perfect Camellia form and exquisite colouring. 
Of the singles, a very deep crimson was the most 
remarkable, although a bright scarlet bloom and 
another, a rich yellow, were also excellent and illus¬ 
trated the kind of material Mr. Young has at 
command. 
He informs us that for greenhouse work he pots 
the tubers some time during February, in a compost 
of loam, rotten manure, leaf soil and sand. A tem¬ 
perature of about 55° Fahr. is given them at starting 
time. Subsequently they are grown on in a light and 
airy house, special attention being given them to see 
that they are not allowed to suffer from lack of 
water. Tubers that are intended for bedding pur¬ 
poses are placed in shallow boxes or trays in April 
and stood in a frame to start them. As soon as 
growth has sufficiently advanced, they are hardened 
off, planting out being conducted about the middle 
of June. The beds are kept well watered in dry 
weather, good mulchings of cocoanut fibre refuse 
being found to be of great value, as it prevents the 
soil from drying so quickly. The tubers are stored 
in sand through the winter, in which they keep 
wonderfully well providing that frost is excluded 
from them. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society’s Year Book 
for 1895.—Edited by Mr. Harman Payne F.R.H.S. Price is. 
post free, is. ijd. from the Publisher of the Gardening 
World, i, Clement's Inn, Strand, W.C, 
BEXLEY HEATH. 
The Begonia nursery of Mr. T. S. Ware, Tottenham, 
is situated at Bexley Heath, Kent, on the main 
London road to Dartford, and is easily reached by 
rail from the Metropolis since the new line was 
opened a few months ago. The old field had to be 
given up on account of the railway, and a field of 2J 
acres was taken last year on the opposite side of the 
road to Crook Lodge, where the glass houses to the 
number of seven and the frames are situated. The 
Begonia field is now in fine working order and the 
soil is excellent, though at an elevation very little 
lower than that of the crown of Shooter's Hill. 
Over a quarter of a million plants are grown includ¬ 
ing the pot specimens under glass. There are some¬ 
thing like 15,000 cuttings of doubles. 
The Begonia field is now a charming sight and is 
improving every day. The plants had a hard 
struggle in their early stages; from the 19th April 
to the 19th July they had only one shower of rain ; 
then came three weeks of dull weather without sun, 
after which the latter commenced to burn the 
flowers and cause them to drop. Named varieties, 
raised from cuttings in January and later on, are now 
very floriferous. The single varieties are assorted 
in ten colours, and it is really astonishing how true 
they are to name, bespeaking a careful use of the 
brush when making the crosses. All shades and 
tints of colour may be noted amongst the batches of 
bronzy-orange and yellow sorts. The ten colours 
amongst the singles are bronze, crimson, white, 
yellow, scarlet, magenta, pink, salmon, orange- 
scarlet, and the fancy section which includes all 
bicolor and Picotee-edged flowers. There are ten 
beds of seedling doubles of last year's raising, the 
rest being this year’s plants. About 90 per cent, of 
the latter are truly double and tens of thousands are 
worthy of cultivation in pots. They are assorted 
into twelve colours, independently of the shades. 
There are ten beds of double yellows, and some of 
them are of beautiful form, and rich in colour. 
Yellows crossed with scarlet varieties have given 
some strange and beautiful colours. The beds of 
Picotee-edged varieties are singularly varied, and 
some of them are seifs pure and simple ; but about 
95 per cent, are truly double. The work of labelling 
and selecting now commenced is a formidable job. 
Being an old orchard, the ground is planted all over 
at rather wide intervals with standard Apple trees 
heavily fruited, and the Begonias grow as well close 
up to the very trunk as in more exposed situations. 
Named Doubles. 
There are some beds of double varieties in front of 
Crook Lodge, including Duke of Teck, brilliant 
scarlet, and Victory, orange-scarlet, in fine condition, 
attracting the notice of all that pass, but space 
forbids detail, and we can only give the cream of the 
collection in the glass houses behind. Many of 
them have been honoured with one or more certi¬ 
ficates, and none of the named ones need be bad, 
seeing that the general average of quality is so high. 
Maid of Kent is a bright pink one of beautiful 
Camellia shape. Mrs. Robert Brown is salmon-pink, 
and one of the finest forms. Mrs. Samuel Pope is 
pure white, as is Camellia, which may be compared 
to Camellia alba plena in form. Mr. Samuel Pope 
we have seen on several occasions, and consider it 
one of the finest of the Picotee type, of which there 
is a large number here. It is white with a rosy pink 
margin, large, handsome, and of perfect Camellia 
form. Picotee itself (see next page) represents this 
type. A perfect and beautiful flower is Miss Fanny 
Joseph, of Camellia form, and salmon-pink with an 
orange centre. Miss Dolly Fell is very large, pure 
white, with broad, nearly smooth petals, forming a 
flower of great depth. The habit of the plant is 
also excellent. The flowers of Mrs. Arthur Pitts 
are very large and rose-coloured, flaked with white 
in the centre. 
Single Varieties. 
Here again we can only notice the very pick of the 
collection. Beauty is white, edged with very bright 
magenta-rose. Pioneer is bright orange, large, and 
of fine form. Miss Hilda Marsh is bright pink. The 
flowers of Senator are magenta-scarlet, with a white 
centre. The finest golden-yellow is Corsair, of erect 
habit. The brilliant scarlet flowers of Britannia are 
of great size, and those of Murillo are dark, velvety- 
crimson, bold, and erect. The large, round flowers 
of Enchantress are considered to be the purest 
white in cultivation. The golden-bronze of Corina 
is a grand colour, and the flowers are of perfect shape. 
Dineta is an immense circular flower of a charming 
salmon hue, and the habit of the plant leaves little 
to be desired. Bexley White (see next page) is 
still a charming white flower, well worthy of cultiva¬ 
tion. In looking through the houses we noted 
many other fine things, some with foliage as good as 
an Anthurium, some with the fragrance of a Tea 
Rose, and others suitable for baskets. White varieties 
were abundant, as, indeed, were others, having rose, 
pink, salmon, glowing scarlet, bronzy-orange, and 
carmine flowers with a white centre. Mr. Ware 
supplied the illustrations. 
- •$* - 
FALKLAND PARK. 
The tuberous-rooted Begonias here are grown in 
quantity. Those for indoor decoration are arranged 
on the side stages of No. 7, a large, span-roofed 
show house, 60 ft. by 25 ft., and at the present time 
—and for the past two months—are and have been a 
fine feature. The plants are nearly all last year's 
seedlings, raised from a good strain of single and 
double flowers. Amongst the double flowers, those 
with the single centre, sometimes known as the Rose- 
flowered, are considered the most meritorious; the 
flowers being lighter, are not so liable to be buried 
amongst the foliage. Amongst the varieties which 
are singled out, after hybridising for increase and 
improvement, are several fine forms of white, white 
Picotee-edged, rose, crimson, and various other 
shades of colour. The singles are represented in all 
the usual colours to be found amongst the tuberous 
rooted Begonias, and the flowers are of great size 
and substance, many of them measuring over 6 in. 
across. 
In hybridising, only round and good formed 
flowers are made use of, and it must be borne in 
mind that doubles are only to be had from flowers 
crossed with pollen from double flowers. This took 
some years to find out, and the gardener was greatly 
puzzled to know why he could not get double 
flowers from seed that had been crossed with single 
flowers. I mention this here, as there may be many 
of your readers in the same position as the gardener 
was, and are being disappointed at the results of 
their work in this direction. In the early season 
very little pollen is produced, but, as the season 
advances and the soil becomes exhausted, on some of 
the petals of the double flowers, on close examina¬ 
tion anthers will be found containing pollen. This, 
then, is the pollen to use if one may look for good 
results from his labours. 
The tuberous-rooted Begonia is also largely made 
use of for bedding purposes outside. Several beds 
on the terrace garden are filled with them. Although 
the season has been a very trying one, owing to 
the absence of rain, the beds are now a mass of 
colour. Some of the beds are planted with this 
season’s seedlings, and so satisfactory are the results 
considered that a few of the very best varieties only 
are propagated from cuttings. For effect at the 
present time they are more showy than zonal 
Pelargoniums.— Norwoodense. 
- -»t>-- 
RYARSH, MALLING, KENT. 
Single and double varieties of Begonias are grown 
to the number of 100,000 by Mr. John Wells, 
Begonia Nursery, Ryarsh, Mailing, Kent. None of 
his varieties are named, and this will give little 
surprise, seeing that every succeeding year’s 
seedlings furnish such a number of new varieties 
that are superior to the old ones. Until Begonias 
more nearly reach the limits of their capabilities, 
Mr. Wells is of opinion that the process of naming is 
useless. The above number, which is raised 
annually, is now in the open ground, and the plants 
are now making rapid headway with the warm sun¬ 
shine and the moisture in the soil as well as the 
heavy dews of the longer nights. He has several 
houses filled with Begonias for the production of 
seed. The double sorts number some 750 plants, 
and the single varieties run to 400. These are all 
of the finest quality, selected according to colour 
and form of the flowers and the dwarf, erect habit 
of the plants. The principal purpose for which 
they are grown is to supply the demand for bedding 
purposes, and the selections are made accordingly. 
Chrysanthemums and their Culture. By Edwin 
Molyneux. Eighth Edition. By far the best practical work yet 
written on this subject. Price, is.; post free, is. 2d. Publisher 
Gardening World, i, Clement’s Inn, Strand,London, W.C, 
