May 2, 1896. 
563 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
house still contains some plants in bloom, but the 
Indian Azaleas are most noticeable at present, in¬ 
cluding A. indica alba. They are grown for the 
sake of cut flowers. A noteworthy plant is a huge 
spreading bush about forty years old. The flowers 
are of a beautiful salmon-pink with white edges. 
Some of the sho >ts bear self red flowers. The plant 
originated from a spray in Lady Wigan’s marriage 
bouquet, so that it is a plant with a history. 
-*».- 
BASKETS OF FLOWERING AND 
FOLIAGE PLANTS. 
For the decoration of the greenhouse or conservatory, 
baskets of flowering and foliage plants serve a useful 
purpose ; and to those who contemplate embellishing 
their houses with these receptacles during the coming 
summer, the present time is a suitable one to set 
about the work. It is not, however, to the owners 
of glasshouses alone that basket plants have their 
charm ; or is it to be supposed that they can only be 
successfully grown under glass structures ! As a 
matter of fact, anyone who has a sunny window at 
his disposal may, with confidence, anticipate a display, 
providing of course, that cultural details are carefully 
attended to. 
There are many plants, owing to their trailing 
habits, peculiarly adapted for growing suspended in 
baskets, and are seen to much better advantage under 
such circumstances, than if grown in pots on staging 
along with other plants. Perhaps one subject 
oftener met with for basket work is the Ivy-leaved 
Pelargonium, and of this section nearly all the 
varieties are suitable. Two or three sorts planted in 
one basket, have a pretty effect when in bloom. The 
following are recommended : — Alice Crousse 
magenta; F. J. Hohenzollern, scarlet; Madame, 
Thibaut, pink; Isidore Feral, rose; and Mignon, 
salmon. 
Fuchsias, too, are specially suitable for baskets, 
and perhaps are even better grown in this way ; at 
any rate they are exceedingly attractive when in 
flower, and suspended from a greenhouse roof or 
window. Plants intended for baskets should be 
young, and have been stopped once or twice to 
induce side shoots, which must be tied down to the 
sides of the baskets. Old plants are not suitable, as 
to attempt to get them in position would only result 
in the branches breaking; hence it is that young 
plants are to be preferred. Almost all varieties lend 
themselves to trailing, but Miss Lucy Finnis, Lord 
Beaconsfield, and General Roberts, may be instanced 
as being particularly suitable. 
Verbenas, though perhaps not so frequently seen 
grown in baskets as they should be, are none the 
less fitted for the purpose; and after planting, it is 
only a question of keeping the shoots pegged to the 
basket to produce a brilliant mass of flowers. 
Petunias, too, of somewhat similar growth, greatly 
enhance a house when in bloom. Frequent pinching 
of the shoots must be resorted to if the plants are to 
carry much foliage, as if this is not done, the lower 
leaves soon drop off, and the basket presents an 
untidy appearance. The single sorts are best for this 
kind of work as the double varieties, in consequence 
of their more formal habit, are better adapted for 
growing in pots. 
Heliotropes, on account of their delicate perfume, 
are very valuable for greenhouse and conservatory 
culture, and the same remarks with regard to their 
treatment will apply, as those made in reference to 
Fuchsias. 
Achimenes, although requiring a somewhat 
warmer temperature than the subjects previously 
enumerated, to grow them to perfection, are very 
beautiful when cultivated in baskets ; and where a 
warm corner of a house can be found for them they 
should be included if possible. Tubers started in 
March will afford plenty of bloom from July to 
September. 
Thunbergias, too, are extremely pretty when 
grown as basket plants, and revel in a warm green¬ 
house, the bright clusters of orange-coloured 
blossoms of T. alata showing up well. They are 
easily raised from seed in March, and should be 
potted on when large enough, removing them to the 
baskets in May. 
Ferns, of which there are so many varieties, are 
easily grown, and some of them succeed admirably in 
a cool house or window. 
Tropaeolums are very showy when in bloom, and 
pay for the little trouble required of them. T. 
speciosum is a variety which brightens up a house 
considerably. 
Baskets to contain soil should either be con¬ 
structed of wood or wire, and lined well with moss 
to prevent any escaping. 
Watering is also a matter which calls for special 
attention, as it is obvious that plants grown under 
such conditions must require more, exposed as they 
are; and to have baskets of foliage and flowers one 
must guard against any omission in this direction. 
It is better to immerse the baskets occasionally, thus 
ensuring the whole having a thorough soaking. —■ 
IV. F. 
--*■- 
AUSTRALIAN WILD FLOWERS. 
On visiting the Dowdeswell Galleries in New Bond 
Street the other week we were impressed with the 
idea that Mrs. F. C. Rowan had been copying the 
celebrated late Miss North, whose pictures have 
been such an ornament of the North Gallery for so 
many years past at Kew. We learnt, however, that 
Mrs. Rowan had actually been in company with 
Miss North in Western Australia, and that the two 
ladies separated at Perth, Mrs. Rowan going far 
inland in her search after her favourite wild flowers 
in regions where much gold is now being found. 
She has braved many dangers in various parts of 
Australia and painted in proximity to snakes in the 
dense and tangled growth of forests. In one case 
she was actually let down by ropes to paint an 
Orchid growing in the rocky interstices of a waterfall. 
Her pictures, though not uniform in size, are 
generally larger than those of Miss North, judging 
by the ioo water-colour drawings that adorn the 
walls of the Dowdeswell Galleries. 
The background and the sky view of the pictures 
are very varied in tint, from a light to a deep sky- 
blue ; in other cases the tints are greenish, and 
again of a pinkish haze, as if the atmosphere 
presented the appearance of a pinkish mist, or the 
tints may be neutral. In all cases the flowers stand 
out vividly as if real, and many of the wildings are 
handsome indeed. Many of the species of plants 
painted have been identified and named by the 
eminent botanist, Sir Ferdinand Von Mueller, who 
took much interest in Mrs. Rowan’s work. Many 
of the flowers are painted as they grew, but others 
have been gathered in bunches, sometimes of 
differently-coloured varieties of the same species. 
The scarlet-flowered Kennedya coccinea and the 
rosy-scarlet Bursaria spinosa, both climbing plants, 
are entwined as they grew and form a handsome and 
interesting picture. Near by this is a picture of 
water plants, including the tall, yellow-flowered 
Limnanthemum exaltatum, and Utricularia didotoma 
labillandra in blue and white varieties. The flowers 
of Eucalyptus ficifolia consist of great brushes of 
orange-scarlet stamens, and the large fruits are black. 
Some large, deep sky-blue flowers mingling with a 
white variety, and described as Dillwynia, are very 
different from the other known species, and must be 
handsomq for conservatory work if the plants were 
introduced. The same may be said of the dark blue 
or violet flowers of Hovea chorizemifolia. Very 
imposing are the large inflated flowers of Epacris 
impressa, in white, pink, and crimson or red colours. 
The large blue berries of Billardiera longiflora and 
the white ones of another shrub intermingled are 
strikingly handsome. An unnamed Myrtaceous 
plant from Western Australia should encourage 
some enterprising collector to go after it. The 
small twiggy growths are wreathed wiih bunches of 
scarlet flowers, not unlike those of a Hawthorn in 
shape and size. From the same regions comes Aster 
Exsul, with large purple-rayed flower heads. The 
white flowers of the sweet-scented Arauja albens are 
well known in cultivation, and here mingle with the 
red berries of Styphelia aggregata. The Lrge 
corrugated white flowers of Ottelia ovalifolia, with 
their curious, triangular purple centre, are very 
striking, and should excite the curiosity of the lover 
of aquatics and make him long to add the plant to 
his collection. The fringed white flowers of 
Limnanthemum indicum are also pretty. Nymphaea 
stellata constitutes the glory of another picture. 
The deep red flowers of Passiflora aurantia from 
Queensland are very attractive, A brilliant blue 
kingfisher, perched against a large truss of the white 
Eurycles amboinensis, forms a striking contrast. 
The deep orange flowers of Erythrina Vespertilio 
and the scarlet of other species make some bold 
pictures. The large yellow flowers and red stamens 
of Cochlospermum Giilivraei are also telling, and 
the large fruits in some cases are burst, showing the 
long woolly appendages of the seeds, resembling 
those of the Cotton plant. The naked and slender, 
twiggy shoots of Teiratheca nuda are clothed with 
red, purple, and white flowers, like drooping bells in 
the early stages. Nelumbium nuciferum closely 
resembles N. speciosum, but has darker flowers 
apparently and very showy. The purple flowers of 
Hibiscus Huegelii are represented of gigantic size. 
The wavy cinnamon and yellow-edged flowers of 
Dendrobium undulatum Roweniae from Queensland, 
and borne in long drooping racemes, are rather 
striking and attractive in their way. The blue, 
purple, and white woolly bracts of Ptilotus exaltatus 
recall those of Trichinium Manglesii, and are known 
as Everlasting Flowers. Ipomoea grandiflora, a 
Queensland Morning Glory, has large white flowers. 
The Christmas Tree or Flame-tree (Nuytsia 
floribunda) of Western Australia, with its 
orange-coloured flowers, must be a striking 
object in the wild state. The rosy-red petals of 
Verticordia grandis are surrounded by a calyx of the 
same colour, cut up into a dense mass of hair-lilfe 
or plumy segments of novel aspect. The shrub 
belongs to the Myrtle family and grows only 3 ft. 
high. The well-known Clianthus Dampieri forms a 
large and handsome picture. Balustion pulcherri- 
mum is another Myrtaceous plant from Western 
Australia that would be a very ornamental subject 
for a conservatory. The flowers are largely made 
up of a great brush of scarlet stamens. The bush is 
low and twiggy. 
Cryptandra arbutiflora is a twiggy bush, bearing a 
large quantity of pink and white flowers like those 
of the Strawberry Tree. The white flowers of 
Hovea trisperma are mixed with this. Verticordia 
oculata is another singular-looking and beautiful 
Myrtaceous plant with fimbriated petals of a dark 
purple at the base, giving reason for the specific 
name. The calyx in this case is cut into numerous 
white filaments. Another very handsome picture is 
made up of five or more species of West Australian 
plants with blue and white flowers mixed up in a 
gorgeous and attractive way. Claytonia polyandra 
is a very tall species of its kind, with large purple 
flowers intermixed with the creamy-white blossoms 
of Abutilon geranioides. The large pendant panicles 
of flowers of Hugonia Jenkinsii are yellow, tinted 
with orange. Picture No. 100 consists of a bouquet 
of Western Australian Everlasting Flowers, includ¬ 
ing those of Ptilotus exaltatus. Close by it is a 
picture (No. 101) representing a large piece of the 
male plant of Pandanus monticola beautifully in 
bloom. 
These handsomely-executed pictures of Australian 
wild flowers should serve to re-kindle the public 
interest in a class of hard-wooded subjects that are 
extremely interesting and charming if anything. 
-- 
THE DAFFODIL CONFERENCE AT 
REGENT’S PARK. 
{Continued, fvom p. 546.) 
Mr. J. D. Pearson. 
To this gentleman was deputed the task of dealing 
with the “ Daffodil as an Exhibition Flower,” and this, 
from his wide experience as a grower and exhibitor, 
he was well able to do. Mr. Pearson deprecated 
very strongly the artificial ties that are attached to 
our modern exhibitions. Our favourite flowers, such 
as the Rose, the Carnation, and the Chrysanthemum 
are tortured and twisted into a r variety of positions 
that Nature never intended them to occupy. Such 
barbarous treatment, he asserted, deserved the 
unqualified censure of all true lbvers of flowers. The 
timing of blooms for the various shows was an 
operation of some importance, but by judicious 
retarding of early forms, and the forwarding in heat 
of late ones, a fairly representative collection might 
be obtained. He advised the cutting of the blooms 
before expansion, and the placing of them in water 
to open. A room heated to 75 0 Fahr. was not, 
according to his experience, a whit too warm to 
assist later sorts in opening. The poeticus, Leedsii, 
and incomparabilis sections all do well under such a 
system of treatment. 
The packing, continued the essayist, w r as of the 
first importance. He always allowed plenty of room 
himself to avoid crushing the flowers, although he 
need scarcely remind his hearers that too much 
room was as great an evil as too little. The blooms 
