14 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 7 , 1895 . 
WEST WICKHAM NURSERY, KENT. 
Mr. J. R. Box, of Croydon, has for so long been con¬ 
nected with the cultivation and improvement of the 
tuberous Begonia, that in visiting his nurseries at 
West Wickham, Kent, we fully expected to see some¬ 
thing worth looking at, an expectation which we need 
hardly say was destined to bear abundant fruit, for 
the realisation was better than the anticipation. 
The West Wickham Nurseries, which are within 
half a mile of the railway station of that name, are 
easily reached by the S.E.R. Company’s service, and 
lie in an extremely pleasant and sweetly rural 
district of the lovely county of Kent. They com¬ 
prise in all some nineteen acres, and have only 
recently been taken over by Mr. Box; and great 
praise is due to those entrusted with the manage¬ 
ment in licking things into shape so quickly and so 
well. The glass houses have all been erected during 
the present season, and are in themselves paragons 
of lightness, durability and handiness ; whilst from 
the examples of the plants occupying them they are 
evidently the right kind of erections for the work 
they have to do. 
Pot Plants. 
For the reason stated above the number of pot 
plants is, this season, comparatively limited, 
although the quality of the material is worthy of 
the highest praise. Among the singles some flowers 
of rare size and splendid lorm are in evidence, large 
trusses of bloom surmounting the stout healthy 
foliage. We particularly noticed a batch of a 
splendid white variety, that so far is as good as any¬ 
thing we have yet seen, the plants combining exceed¬ 
ing dwarfness of growth with great floriferousness, 
whilst the flowers are quite circular in form, and of 
pure stainless white, no tinge of green being evident. 
A superb crimson-scarlet form, of equally as great 
merit as the white, is likewise conspicuous among 
some fine scarlet, pink and orange-flowered sorts, all 
in the pink of health. Doubles were represented 
in rather larger quantities and of excellent quality. 
There were none of the extravagantly large ugly- 
shaped flowers, which look nothing if not clumsy ; 
but instead we found blooms of medium size, and as 
regular as a Camellia in the form and arrangement 
of the petals. The following new varieties are 
especially noteworthy : Alba plena camelliaeflora, 
a large pure white, very free-flowering, and of dwarf 
habit; Prince Edward of York, rich deep crimson ; 
Lady Beatrix Herbert, large salmon-pink, a fine 
flower; Rev. G. C. Fisher, rich crimson; Lady 
Ellis, apricot, shaded bright orange; and Miss 
Paget, primrose. For a yellow the Rev. E. 
Lascelles, sent out somewhere about the year 1889 
by Messrs. Cannell, is yet able to hold its own, to 
judge from the large batch of it at West Wickham. 
Seedlings Outdoors. 
When we say that 150,000 seedlings are planted out 
each year it will give our readers some idea of the 
extent to which tuberous Begonias are grown by 
Mr. Box ; and large as this number is, and great as 
is the amount of space they occupy, every one is 
needed to meet the demand that will presently be 
made for them from all parts of the United Kingdom. 
This season the plants were somewhat later in being 
put out, owing to the fact that the ground was not 
ready for them at the usual time. To all appear¬ 
ances what would have been a manifest disadvantage 
during ordinary seasons has this year proved bene¬ 
ficial to the plants, for, during the long period of 
drought which we experienced in the forepart of the 
summer, when other cultivators had hard work to 
keep their plants alive, Mr. Box's plants were 
yet in the boxes into which they had been pricked 
off from the seedpans. Soon after they were put out 
the rain came to assist them, and now they are the 
picture of health and beauty. 
Not only is the collection a very large one with 
regard to the number of plants, but it is most com¬ 
prehensive also, every conceivable shade of colour 
being represented, from the deep crimson, glowing in 
all the richness of its beautiful colouring, vivid 
scarlets galore, delicate shades of pink and rose in 
profusion, and charming tints of orange, and not 
less beautiful yellows without number, right up to 
the purest white. In fact, the whole trial ground is 
a mass of brilliant and varied hues that is difficult 
adequately to describe. The excellence of form 
exhibited by the flowers, and the dwarfness of habit 
displayed by the plants throughout are both remark¬ 
able, and give sufficiently strong evidence of tha cara 
with which seed-saving is carried on by those in 
charge. Indeed, Mr. Midson, the manager, informed 
us that we saw the seedlings just as they were 
planted, no rogueing at all having been performed. 
Storing the Tubers. 
In dealing with such a large quantity of plants 
it is manifest that extraordinary activity must be 
displayed in getting up and storing the tubers before 
severe frost supervenes. The manner in which they 
are kept through the winter may possibly be of 
interest to some of our readers. The stages in one 
of the glass houses are thinly covered with a layer 
of fine soil, on which the tubers lifted from the open 
ground, as well as those grown in pots, are arranged 
in their several sections according to colour—crim¬ 
son, scarlet, pink, and so on. In this way they keep 
admirably, but very few being lost; and what is 
also of the highest importance they can easily be 
got at as the tubers are required for fulfilment of 
orders. 
-——«**- 
NEWTON ST t LOE. 
The name of the Rev. Edwin Lascelles has of late 
years become quite a household word in all that 
pertains to the cultivation and improvement of the 
tuberous Begonia; indeed, we doubt very much if any 
single individual has done more than he to raise the 
said plant from the lowly position in the scale of 
favourite garden plants which it formerly occupied 
and to place it in the forefront of decorative 
subjects. This important work has entailed an 
enormous amount of labour and has necessarily ex¬ 
tended over a considerable number of years. The 
reverend gentleman’s residence is at Newton St. 
Loe, removed some three-and-a-half miles from Bath 
and eight or nine from Bristol. The house itself, a 
square solid-looking building stands upon a hill, and 
from the vantage point thus gained offers to the 
eager spectator an entrancing view of the surrounding 
scenery, for which this part of the " West Countree” 
is so far-famed. The surroundings are all so sweetly 
rural, the air so fresh and pure, that our spirits 
rise as we ascend the hill, and by the time we have 
reached the top we are in a good humour with our¬ 
selves and everything in general, and in an excellent 
mood to note and appreciate the intellectual treat 
that lies in store for us. Even to the eye of the 
stranger it soon becomes evident that he is in the 
garden of one who is a veritable enthusiast in the 
culture of Begonias, for the bright-faced plants in 
all their pride of beauty are peeping out from every 
corner as if to court the admiration that is, to say 
the least of it, only their rightful due It may be 
remarked here that Mr. Lascelles' collection con¬ 
sists entirely of plants of the double-flowered 
section. Singles were grown largely at one time 
but have since been discarded in favour of the 
doubles. To those who remember that a very 
short time age, the double-flowered Begonia was 
anything but a really beautiful plant, and how 
severe were the criticisms launched at its bunchy 
blooms, the weight of which was far too much for 
the miserably weak flower-stalks, the vast improve¬ 
ment both in the form of the flowers, and the habit 
of the plants themselves, is little short of marvellous. 
It is almost unnecessary to observe that these 
wonderful results have only been effected by judicious 
crossing and intercrossing, as well as by vigilant and 
consistent weeding out of inferior forms. Into this 
work both Mr. Lascelles and his enthusiastic and 
capable gardener, Mr. C. Langdon, have thrown their 
whole hearts, with the result that the collection as a 
whole is far in advance of any we have yet seen. 
The glass houses, some three or four in number, 
are filled to overflowing with pot plants, which 
from the beginning of the summer have furnished 
a glorious display, and at the present time, 
even although the slightly elongated stems 
betray the fact that they will soon have finished 
their allotted task, are a blaze of bloom. 
The habit of the plants throughout is of the 
sturdiest, the leaves are paragons of substantiality, 
and the flowers themselves, although of large size, 
are boldly erect, and in form are everything that 
could be desired. In addition to this the collection 
is a marvel of comprehensiveness with regard to the 
various shades of the flowers, for in one house alone 
which measures 30 ft. in length by 15 ft. in 
width, almost all shades except blue and its atten¬ 
dant colours were to be seen. 
The following are a few of the cream of the 
numerous fine varieties. Helen Lascelles is a rich 
flesh pink, slightly tinted with rose, a very large 
flower, and moreover a free bloomer. C. F. Lang¬ 
don, which was raised several years ago, is a 
tremendously large bloom, but of rather too heavy a 
character. It is a rich crimson in hue. Another 
unnamed seedling was very noteworthy, bearing 
large deep crimson flowers with a rosy-pink centre, 
which is very conspicuous when the flower first 
opens, but which passes off gradually with age. 
A grand salmon-coloured variety is Neffetari, the 
flowers being more than usually erect, whilst Ianthe, 
which bears a very large orange-salmon flower, is 
well worthy honourable mention. Johanne de 
Sellier (Crousse) is of lovely salmon hue, the edges 
of the petals being charmingly frilled or crimped in 
a manner that adds considerably to the beauty of 
the flower. One of the finest of all is Miss Griffithi 
the blooms of which are between 4 in. and 5 in. 
in diameter, delicate blush white in colour, 
and prettily frilled. Clio bears a flower of much the 
same character as the last mentioned, but differs 
from it in being of a clear yellow colour. The 
ranks of the yellow-flowered section, until very 
recently behind the others in the excellence of the 
material they contained, are still further enriched by 
a variety known as Royal Sovereign, which we have 
no hesitation in saying is the best yellow in existence ; 
not only is the habit of the plant specially good, but 
the flowers are of perfect form and rival in point of 
regularity the finest Camellia. 
One of the largest is undoubtedly Orion, for the 
fiery scarlet blooms, which are rather loose in 
character and with petals somewhat larger than 
ordinary, are upwards of 5 in. in diameter. The 
effect presented by a batch of well-flowered plants 
can better be imagined than described, so brilliant is 
it. Very like the last-named in hue, but with smaller 
and more compact flowers is Horus. The rosy-pink 
blooms of Antigone are specially noticeable and attrac¬ 
tive on account of the white blotchings or mottlings 
which they exhibit. Captain Lyons, one of last 
year's seedlings, is a rich scarlet, prettily suffused 
with orange. Saturn is one of the deepest crimsons 
we have seen, and is withal of extra sturdy habit. 
Dora Hope bears a fine bloom nearly cerise in colour- 
Very distinct is Sparanza, the flower being exactly 
like a Hollyhock in shape, a pretty blush pink in 
hue, with a light rose centre, the edges of the 
petals being lightly tipped with the same shade. 
Mrs. H. J. Jones is a Camellia-shaped rosy-pink 
bloom of considerable merit, whilst Mr. H. J. Jones 
is orange-scarlet in colour, with a rather lighter 
centre. In Victrix we get a rosy-scarlet flower ex¬ 
hibiting a wonderful size and substance in the petals. 
Very charming is Mrs. Bertie, with the white flowers 
flushed creamy-yellow. Mrs. Leonard Sutton is of a 
delicate blush pink shade, with a lighter centre. 
Medea is one of the very best whites we have yet 
seen, and an undoubted acquisition. Lucretia is 
also white, although the outer petals are slightly 
flushed with pink. Here also the exquisite frilling of 
the petals noted in some of the varieties previously 
mentioned is very conspicuous. To give an exhaustive 
list of all the varieties grown by Mr. Lascelles would 
be impossible with the space at our command, but 
those which have been mentioned serve to illustrate 
the high degree of quality displayed throughout. 
Outdoor Plants. 
In the absence of rough winds or storms, Begonias 
planted out-of-doors may be confidently expected to 
produce as fine flowers as the more carefully 
nurtured pot plants, a statement that is well borne 
out by the appearance of the plants which are now 
such a mass of bloom in Mr. Lascelles' flower 
garden at Newton St. Loe. Immediately in front 
of the glass houses a large piece of ground is filled 
with about 2,000 splendid plants all in the pink of 
health, and a mass of bloom and beauty. These are 
composed of the best of last year’s seedlings, and of 
cuttings taken from them and struck last spring, for 
the plants are all started into growth in cold frames, 
which are now at this advanced season filled with 
plants in pots for which room has not been found 
in the larger show houses. Amongst the varieties 
thus accommodated in the flower garden we noticed 
many of the sorts grown under glass that have 
already received detailed mention, and here in the 
open they fully maintained the high order of merit 
which had excited our admiration when gazing at 
the pot plants. With two exceptions no attempt 
was made at filling beds with masses of the same 
variety, but the magnificent results that may be 
looked for by planting in this way were amply 
