May 16, 1896 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
693 
the sake of convenience. Perhaps it is difficult to 
keep the stock plants through the winter, or more 
frequently a better show of flower is obtained from 
seedlings. A hardy annual, Tyvo, is a plant that 
requires no artificial heat to bring it to perfection, and, 
therefore, one that may be raised from seed and 
grown on to the flowering period out-of-doors. A 
half-hardy annual is a plant which requires a little 
coddling and shelter during the earlier stages of its 
growth, but which after these have passed will grow 
freely enough in the open air during the summer 
months. Many of the brightest gems of our 
gardens belong to this section. 
Hardy Ferns.—These should do well in the 
position you mention, Alonso, and the light shade 
cast by the trees will help the plants wonderiully. 
Take care to water the plants well in after planting, 
and follow up this initial watering with others if the 
weather continues to keep dry. 
■» l- - 
LAELIA DIGBYANO-MOSSIAE. 
By general consent this is regarded as the finest and 
most interesting garden hybrid that has ever been 
raised. It flowered for the first time in May, 1889, 
exactly seven years ago, and has been in the possession 
of Baron Schroder almost ever since. He exhibited 
it at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
on the 5th inst., when it was evident that the plant 
was continuing to increase in vigour under the care 
of Mr. H. Ballantine. The accompanying illustra¬ 
tion can give no conception of the beauty of the 
flowers and the size they have now attained. This 
is particularly the case with regard to the petals 
which seem to be assuming something of the 
character of the seed parent Cattleya Mossiae. The 
pollen parent was Laelia digbyana, at one time 
classed amongst the Brassavolas, so that it is really 
a bigeneric hybrid and a decided victory for the 
science of hybridisation. The sepals and large 
petals are of a beautiful and delicate soft rose. The 
huge and remarkably fringed lip takes after the 
pollen parent—a good instance of the potentiality of 
the same, and which should forever dispel the notion 
that the male parent only influences the colour of 
the flowers of the progeny. The lip is lightly but 
variously marked and netted with rich purple after 
the style of Cattleya Mossiae. Baron Schroder may 
well be proud of this unique hybrid Orchid. 
--*■-- 
BUNCH PRIMROSES FROM SEED. 
Hardy plants of all kinds are useful and to be 
recommended to amateurs and small growers whose 
glass accommrdation is limited. I know none more 
so than this type of Primroses, seeing they have so 
many recommendations. A few of them I will 
name in this paper. First I must name the length 
of time they may be had in bloom. Often they 
commence blooming in October, and if the weather 
is mild they continue through the winter, and up to 
May or June. Our plants have done so this past 
winter, and now at the end of April those under a 
north wall are a mass of flowers, and look as if they 
will go on some time. 
Another merit they have is their suitableness for 
many forms of garden ornamentation. For spring 
bedding they are most valuable, seeing they begin to 
make a display so early, and are over in time to fill 
the beds or borders with their summer occupants. 
For placing in masses in shrubbery borders or for 
gardening on the grass they have few equals in spring, 
and this the more so when they are selected to 
colours. The latter are so numerous that a bed or 
border may be had of almost any shade through 
crimson-red, white, purple, orange, deep yellow, and 
many other shades as well as particoloured flowers. 
The most attractive are the deep self-coloured types. 
As cut flowers they have a strong claim on all 
those who need a quantity, seeing how highly orna¬ 
mental they are when used in separate colours. I 
have used them this spring in this way on the dinner 
table, and they are much admired, and gave great 
satisfaction. In large vases they can be used 
advantageously as the stems are so long. We have 
them this season 10 in. long. So durable are they 
that I have had them remain fresh in glasses in my 
sitting-room for a week or ten days. 
To all those who want cut flowers for picking 
from in winter, and have only cold houses, I would 
strongly recommend them, if they are taken up 
from the open border and placed in pots, boxes, or 
pans in October ; and on the appearance of cold 
weather, if moved under glass, they will bloom right 
through the winter. We make a point of lifting a 
good number, and treat them in this way; and 
although we grow a goodly number of warm house 
flowers, none are more appreciated than these. If 
needed in quantity in winter they can be readily 
obtained by placing them in a warm greenhouse, as 
they quickly respond to a little warmth. 
Regarding their propagation, I know many culti¬ 
vators divide them, and this is well enough in some 
instances. But the best method is to raise a batch 
of plants from seed every year, as the plants are by 
far the most vigorous. The seed may be sown at 
two different seasons—firstly, in March—placing it 
in a warm moist pit. When strong enough prick 
them out in a shady place. These make nice plants 
the next spring, and bloom abundantly. Secondly, 
the seed may be sown as soon as ripe, placing it in 
a shady position. Where the new seed quickly 
germinates, the seedlings make nice plants to prick 
out the following spring, and make strong plants a 
twelve-month after. After growing these for nearly 
twenty years, I prefer the former method, and at the 
present time—end of April—have a splendid lot 
ready to prick off.— Chard. 
[Accompanying the above article, our correspon¬ 
dent sent a boxful of cut flowers, the trusses of 
which, in many cases, were remarkable for their 
vigour. By “Bunch Primroses,” the writer refers to 
the garden Polyanthus. The yellow varieties were 
in all shades from sulphur to golden-yellow, with 
an orange centre ; and in some cases they were 
large and beautiful. Very striking was a large- 
flowered sort of a bright yellow with the limb 
corrugated or ribbed from the midrib to the edge. 
The white varieties were likewise considerably 
varied and remarkable for the brightness of their 
orange centre, in some instances five or six-lobed. 
The orange centre rendered them very conspicuous 
indeed. The dark-coloured kinds were even more 
varied and ranged from rose to maroon-crimson. 
One crimson purple variety was notable for its 
beautifully-defined orange eye. Conspicuous also 
were the dark red, crimson-red, velvety dark purple 
and crimson varieties. In several of them the segments 
were distinctly inclined to be fimbriated like a 
Chinese Primula. Only in one case did we notice a 
trace of blue, and that only when the flowers were 
getting past their best. The particoloured flowers 
were of various shades of purple, with a white tip to 
the segments. The whole taken together constitute 
a very fine strain of the garden Polyanthus with 
which great pains must have been taken in their 
selection.—E d.] 
