494 
THH GARDENING WORLD. 
April 4, 1896. 
the full vigour of health and growth. They are 
small specimens such as are most suitable for 
decorative purposes even in houses of moderate 
size, and are grown in 48-sized pots. The flower 
buds are now pushing up plentifully, so that 
altogether the collection consists of typical speci¬ 
mens of good culture for pots of small or market 
size. Tree Carnations occupy another house, and 
many of the plants are still in bloom, although winter 
has long given place to spring. 
Orchids. 
The Orchid collection is so extensive that something 
may be found in bloom at all seasons of the year, 
although from this time till mid-summer the variety 
is much greater than at any other period of the year. 
In the cool house we noted the beautiful and ever 
welcome O. Rossii aspersum, which changes colour 
more or less with age after the flowers have been 
open for some weeks. At present the petals are 
deep brown lightly marbled with light yellow, the 
petals are primrose, and the lip white. There are 
also beautifully-blotched varieties of O. cirrhosum, 
O. nebulosum, O. constrictum sanderianum, 
deliciously scented, O. triumphans, and the elegant 
little Occidium cucullatum, with its handsomely- 
spotted lip. White, rose, and blotched varieties of 
Odontoglossum crispum in various parts of the house 
may also be noted. A splendid piece of O. Hallii 
bears a spike 3 ft. or 4 ft. long. More beautiful even 
is its white-lipped form O. H. leucoglossum. 
One of the warm houses has something in the way 
of Cypripediums to show at all seasons of the year. 
At present they are very numerous, but space will 
only permit mention of a few of them. C. chamber- 
lainianum is in fine form, with a large handsome lip. 
The allied C. Victoriae Mariae is also very pretty, 
as is the hybrid C. winnianum. The dorsal sepal is 
the leading feature of a large number of Cypri¬ 
pediums — both species, varieties, and hybrids. That 
of C. godseffianum is nearly black, while the base of 
the petals is beautifully spotted. The dorsal sepal 
is also a leading feature of C. germinyanum, C. 
lathamianum, C. Exul, C. harrisianum superbum, 
and C. Zeno. The latter is decidedly handsome, for 
the dorsal sepal is blotched with dark purple on a 
pale green ground except towards the apex, where 
the spots are violet and the ground colour white. 
C. Io grande is characterised by the spots on the 
petals, recalling C. Argus. A choice thing is C. 
Brysa, belonging to the Selenipedium section and 
raised from C. Sedenii candidulum crossed with C. 
boissierianum. The finest of recent hybrids, how¬ 
ever, is C. Schroderae candidulum, which has light 
blush-pink sepals and petals with a darker lip. The 
flowers are of large size and delicately pretty. It 
was recently certificated by the Royal Horticultural 
Society. 
A batch of ADgraecum sesquipedale seems to 
contain flowering plants all through the winter and 
spring. It has enjoyed a great immunity from fogs 
during the past winter, and the waxy-white flowers 
are very pure. Dendrobiums are very plentiful in 
the same house, and include D. Cybele nobilius, with 
dark purple petals slightly paler at the very base, 
and a white lip with a rich purple blotch. The 
flowers are larger, darker, and more handsome than 
those of D. Cybele itself. Here also is the charming 
D. Ainsworthii intertextum, with almost pure white 
sepals and petals. The flowers of D. Aeneas, a cross 
between D. crystallinum and D. japonicum, are 
white with pale purple tips to the sepals and petals, 
and a blotch on the lip. A beautifully-coloured 
variety of Phalaenopsis sanderiana and the pretty 
Saccolabium bellinum hang from the roof, and so 
does P. grandiflora. Well flowered is the quaint 
and deliciously fragrant Dendrochilum glumaceum. 
One of the best of its kind is the hybrid Chysis 
Sedeni, a hybrid between C bractescens and C. 
Limminghei. The sepals are creamy, the petals 
tipped with purple, and the lip striped with the same 
hue. Very pretty are Cypripedium microchilum and 
Dendrobium Alcippe. 
The Orchid rockery house is gay with a great 
variety of things, including fine specimens of Den¬ 
drobium nobile nobilius, D. kingianum album, D. 
devonianum, Bifrenaria Harrisoniae with its massive 
velvety flowers, also Cymbidium eburneo-lowianum, 
C. lowianum, C. eburneum, Epidendrum syringo- 
thyrsus, and many others. The last named is very 
rare in cultivation and bears large panicles of lilac 
flowers greatly resembling bunches of Lilac. The 
Cattleya house is gay with C. Trianaei, sue of Whioh 
is notable for the size of its dark crimson-purple lip. 
Very varied and numerous are the forms of C. 
Schroderae. Numerous large and healthy pieces of 
C. citrina, on pieces of cork and suspended from the 
roof, are about to flower. Novel and charming is the 
recently-certificated Laeliocattleya Doris Xantho, 
with its orange flowers and purple blotches on the 
lip. Close by is a fine houseful of Anthurium 
scherzerianum now coming into bloom and well 
worthy of inspection. 
TIE FLQWERGAROEN. 
We are once again upon the heels, as it were, of the 
busy season, for in this department, particularly, the 
advent of warm and spring-like weather means a 
vast increase of labour. Looking back we have to 
congratulate ourselves upon having enjoyed one of 
the most favourable seasons on record. Coming as 
it has done after the extraordinarily severe winter of 
1894-5, we have all the more need to be thankful, as 
a chance has thus been afforded of carrying on 
extensive planting operations in places where such 
had been rendered necessary by the havoc caused 
amongst favourite trees and shrubs during that 
record-breaking winter. This kind of work 
will, however, have been brought to a close for 
the season. Any alterations that have been on 
foot, such as the making of new walks, the 
widening and renovation of others, or the formation 
of new beds or borders, should have been carried to 
a successful issue, by this time. 
Every nerve should be strained whilst the ground is 
soft from the effects of the late rains to get gravel paths 
and walk into a proper degree of firmness by frequently 
repeated rollings. Grass verges must be neatly cut 
and trimmed with the edging iron, if this has not 
previously received attention, owing to press of work 
in other directions. 
Drains and water courses of all kinds must be 
cleaned out thoroughly. It must be borne in mind 
that April possesses a certain character of its own, 
and it is necessary that during such periods of heavy 
rainfall the drainage system for rapidly disposing of 
surface water should be effective and in working 
order. It is useless to roll walks, and yet to take no 
steps to prevent them being ridged and furrowed to 
a greater or less degree by the first heavy downpour 
of rain. 
The Grass. —An English garden would not be a 
typical one without it possessed a sweep or two of 
verdurous lawn. Yet such a feature cannot be kept 
in condition without the exercise of a great deal of 
care and attention. Just now the roller must be 
kept at work upon every favourable opportunity so 
as to get rid of the lumps and bumps, and allow the 
mowing machine free play as soon as it is thought 
advisable to set it to work. Where the grass is poor 
and scanty, soot is both a cheap and an excellent 
fertiliser. It may be sown by hand broadcast over 
the whole of the surface, and its effects wiil soon be 
observed after a shower has fallen. Lawns may 
often be kept in condition by such simple attentions 
as this given at the right time. The cutting of the 
grass will, of course, now need to be looked after. 
Be careful not to set the knives of the machine down 
too low or the roots of the grass will receive injury. 
At the outset of the season it is far better to mow 
twice at short intervals, not cutting too hard, than 
it is to cut very close at once. 
Hardy Annuals. —It is now quite time to see 
about sowing of these for blooming during the latter 
part of June and onward through the summer until 
the autumn. A warm sheltered corner should be 
chosen, but one which is not overshaded by trees, 
or the seedlings will become drawn and comparatively 
valueless. . The soil may be nicely forked over, the 
surface afterwards broken up finely, and levelled 
with a small-toothed iron rake. Do not sow too 
thickly, as it is far better to devote a larger space of 
ground to seed-raising purposes, and thus get stronger 
plants, than it is to limit the dimensions of the seed¬ 
bed to the verge of niggardliness, with the result that 
the seedlings are crowding and spoiling each other 
at a very early stage. The majority of hardy annuals 
such as Stocks, Godetias, Dianthuses, and Asters 
bear transplanting well. 
Others there are, however, that are best sown in 
the positions in which they are intended to flower, as 
they do not take kindly to shifting. Poppies, Lark¬ 
spurs, and Mignonette are good examples of this. 
In dealing 'with them, therefore, small pieces of 
ground, say from 1 ft. to 2 ft. in diameter, may be 
levelled and prepared in the mixed border, carefully 
marking with a label the positions they occupy. 
Gladioli.— Of late years our florists have paid a 
great deal of attention to the improvement and 
development of this superb race of plants, and it 
would be difficult indeed to find a garden in which 
some of the beautiful forms that have resulted from 
these labours are not to be found. It is true that 
they are very easy of culture, and the corms usually 
do fairly well and produce decent spikes of flower if 
planted without any special preparation of the soil 
previously, but still they respond very readily to 
generous treatment, and any little extra trouble that 
may be taken on their behalf is usually well repaid. 
They like a deep, rich soil, and, therefore, the site 
they are to occupy should have been heavily 
manured and deeply dug last autumn. A nice, light 
forking over may be given now, but not deep enough 
to disturb the manure beneath, as if this comes into 
direct contact with the corms when they are first 
planted it will be almost sure to cause them to rot. 
The corms may be buried about 3 in. below the 
surface of the soil, and from 10 in to 12 in. apart 
each way. For dotting amongst thinly-planted 
shrubs, or associating in groups in beds with other 
subjects, G. brenchleyensls is a general favourite. It 
possesses a very hardy constitution, and will grow 
almost anywhere. If desired, part of the stock may 
be kept out of the ground for a few weeks yet, so as 
to afford a succession of flower, but there is little to 
be gained by holding them back for too long, as early 
frost usually steps in and claims them for its own 
before they have a chance to flower. 
Dahlias. —The potting up of rooted cuttings will 
now be going on apace. The frames in which they 
are accommodated should be kept rather close at 
first, in order to give the plants a start, but afterward 
free ventilation must be the order of the day. See 
to it that none of the tops are injured through coming 
into direct contact with the glass, as the stems 
elongate rapidly, and a few days’ neglect may cause 
serious consequences to ensue. Old roots which 
have not been needed for propagating purposes may 
now be brought out of the store room, laid in 
shallow baskets, and slightly covered with leaf mould 
or some old soil from the potting bench. They may 
then be introduced into a warm house, such as, for 
instance, an early vinery, to start them into growth. 
Subsequently, they may be hardened off, and, as 
soon as it is considered safe, planted out of doors. 
Where Dahlias are utilised for planting in well-pro¬ 
tected spots, the plants may thus be induced to 
flower early in the season and the full benefit of their 
splendid decorative qualities realised.— A. S. G. 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
Erratic Dendrobium nobile. —Some normal 
and abnormal flowers of this species have been sent 
us by Mr. Geo. Russell, The Gardens, The Red¬ 
lands, Kelvinside, Glasgow. Our correspondent has 
a good collection of Orchids as well as of various 
other plants, and frequently sends us something of 
interest. In the present case several flowers came 
deformed upon the same plant. Two of these sent 
us differed in detail. One was quite normal, except 
that the dorsal sepal had failed to become separate 
from the column at the usual point, and remained 
united to the very apex. The anther cap was firmly 
fixed to it, and was removed on lifting the sepal. 
The other flower had all its segments present, but 
one of the petals was very much reduced in size, and 
united with the dorsal sepal almost to the apex. 
The dorsal sepal was united to the column in the 
same Way as the other flower, though scarcely to the 
same extent. The malformation recalled the self- 
fertilising form of D. brymerianum and Chysis 
aurea, but, probably, it could hardly be regarded as 
an attempt at bringing about the same result. 
The undermentioned awards were made by the 
Orchid Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on the 24th ult :— 
Odontoglossum excellens Rosslyn var—It 
seems strange to describe this as a new variety, for 
it is a hybrid, raised some years ago by Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, from O. Pescatorei crossed 
with the pollen of O. triumphans. It is a valuable 
tribute to science, inasmuch as it proves what has 
all along been Buppwtd—■namely, that O. excellens, 
