76 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 5, 1889. 
ARDENING 
ISCELLANY. 
Plant Arrangements for Effect at the 
Late Edinburgh Show. 
There were two classes for these, one for nursery¬ 
men, and the other for gardeners and amateurs. 
The first-prize table, from Messrs. R. B. Laird & Sons, 
nurserymen, Edinburgh, was excellent, both in the 
subjects employed and style of arrangement ; but in 
my opinion the Caledonian officials are far behind the 
southern societies in their conditions of staging in this 
section. The tables were 2 ft. or more from the floor, 
and owing to the elevation of many of the plants, their 
best aspect could not be seen, and individually or 
collectively the effect was very poor compared with that 
secured by arranging the plants on the ground floor. 
Had the group with which Mr. 'Williams, Didsbury, 
Manchester, won the first prize at the recent Shrews¬ 
bury show been transferred to Edinburgh, it would 
have been impressively suggestive to many, if not to 
the conservative members of the council, and I am sure 
if this style of grouping were once introduced at 
Edinburgh, the elevated tables would be dispensed 
with for ever. — J. Muir, Margam Park, South Wales. 
Calceolaria, Lemon Gem. 
“I see you have a fine piece of Calceolaria amplexi- 
caulis in the distance there,” was my remark on 
entering the Pilrig Nurseries of Messrs. Dickson & Co., 
of Edinburgh, the other day. “That,” remarked a 
member of the firm, “is not amplexicaulis, but Lemon 
Gem”; and so it proved to be, as it is much more 
compact in growth than the plant I took it for, while 
the flower stems are shorter, but the clear yellow 
colour matches C. amplexicaulis. It has the character 
of that useful but little grown old species of being 
extremely hardy and flowering profusely later in the 
autumn than any other sort. As seen in Edinburgh 
it is the finest yellow bedding Calceolaria I have seen 
for many years.— J. Muir, Margam Park, South 
Wales. 
A Striking Feature at the Late Edinburgh 
Show. 
I think it will be generally admitted by those who 
attend many shows in the season that before they are 
all over one becomes tired of the constant recurrence 
of the same features. Twelve stove and greenhouse 
plants, ten dishes of fruit, nine kinds of vegetables, 
six Tomatos, twenty-four Roses, and half a peck of 
Potatos, are much the same all the country over, and 
any new race or striking feature is always appreciated. 
The recent Edinburgh show was no exception to the 
general rule in this respect, but the special exhibit of 
Messrs. Ireland & Thomson, of the Golden Acre, Craig- 
leith, &c., Nurseries, Edinburgh, attracted particular 
attention, and merits special notice. It consisted of a 
most extensive display of choice Conifers, ornamental 
trees and shrubs. They were all in pots, of a character 
admirably adapted for present planting, and their 
robust, vigorous and compact habits placed them in 
advance of the ordinary run of such exhibits. They 
were exceedingly well arranged as to size and harmony 
of the fine colours of the foliage, and personally I was 
more pleased with them than all the other plants in 
the show put together. They gave me the impression 
of being drawn from stores of unlimited extent, and 
I was not surprised to hear this striking feature most 
favourably commented upon. — J. Muir, Margam Park, 
South Wales. 
The Pot Culture of Hardy Rhododendrons. 
What fine subjects these are for the purpose of pot 
culture is occasionally illustrated by Messrs. H. Lane 
& Son, of Berkhamstead, who have at times sent a 
collection to one of the meetings of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society. Some sorts are better adapted for 
this purpose than others ; and early-blooming varieties 
are to be preferred. The following are very suitable : — 
Brayanum, rosy crimson; Cynthia, brightcerise-crimson; 
Cunningham’s White ; Claribel, ivory-white ; Flower 
of May, pale blush ; Grace Darling, silvery white ; 
Hendersoni, purplish crimson ; Kate Waterer ; rose, 
yellow blotch ; Michael Waterer, scarlet-crimson ; 
Madame Wagner, blush centre, edged with rose ; Mrs. 
John Clutton, clear white ; Prince Camille de Rohan, 
light pink ; Sunrise, crimson-scarlet ; and Snowdrift, 
white. The plants used for this purpose should rest 
one year, and be planted out in the open for the space 
of a year before they are employed again. It is not, 
therefore, necessary to grow them continuously in pots, 
but a plantation should be set apart for them, and 
batches of varieties employed for the purpose. Eor 
conservatory decoration they are invaluable, and also 
for the embellishment of light and airy corridors, or 
any place in which they will bloom satisfactorily, and 
thus brighten it with their presence.— P. D. 
Akebia quinata. 
This beautiful greenhouse evergreen climber is not 
nearly so well distributed as it deserves to be. In our 
northern gardens it may be considered among the rare 
plants, and known to the greater number of our young 
gardeners only as a catalogue subject. I always 
think that the nurseryman has much to do to prevent 
a plant from falling into obscurity, notwithstanding the 
fact that novelty sometimes ousts a good old thing for 
a season from the market. It is of robust habit, and 
consequently will soon make its way to the top of the 
house. The beautiful purple racemes of flowers, 
deliciously fragrant, hang in profuse clusters from the 
roof in the early spring months, and the display thus 
effected, together with the delicate aroma it diffuses 
through the house, go to make it a very desirable acqui¬ 
sition to our greenhouse or conservatory climbers. 
Akebia quinata is a native of the Island of Chusan, 
on the China coast, and probably also of southern 
Japan, for it is said the Japanese utilise the seed as an 
emollient medicine. Apparently it is not quite hardy, 
as was at one time supposed, for it only thrives in very 
favourable positions out of doors in Britain, such as the 
south-west of England and Scotland, and even there it 
does not seem to have the power of surviving the frosts 
of winter unimpaired without protection. The same 
treatment as that generally adopted for hard-wooded 
plants will suit the Akebia best, and it can readily be 
propagated by cuttings and division of the roots.— O. E. 
-- 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE STOVE. 
Gloxinias, Caladiums, &c. —The space occupied by 
these will now be required for the earlier batches of 
winter-flowering stuff, and as it is undesirable to crowd 
the plants in any way, all those subjects which have 
finished flowering should be removed to pits or frames 
to be ripened off by the gradual withholding of water, 
and by a more liberal ventilation. What applies to 
Gloxinias and Caladiums will also hold good in the case 
of Achimenes and tuberous-rooted Begonias in the 
greenhouse. 
Crotons and Draclenas. —Fine-foliaged plants, 
such as those mentioned, now require more light in 
order to keep their foliage healthy and brightly 
coloured. This may be secured to some extent by 
placing them as close to the glass as convenience and 
size will permit. All staining that has been used for 
the purpose of shading should now be washed off, and 
climbers on the roof reduced in size by the removal of 
useless wood, and by tying in the rest. 
Poinsettias. —A very favourable position should 
now be given to Poinsettias, in order to retain as much 
of the foliage as possible on the early batches. A light 
position on the side benches of the stove, or a warm 
propagating pit, is the best for them when the days 
become shorter and the nights colder. They will also 
be greatly benefited by frequent doses of weak liquid 
manure, and the bracts will be larger when the plants 
come into flower. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
Primulas and Cinerarias. —The earliest batch of 
Chinese Primulas will now be showing for bloom, and 
should be encouraged to make as fine a growth as 
possible. Keep them near the glass in order to 
strengthen the foliage, and give assistance with weak 
liquid manure at every second or third watering. Pot 
on later batches whenever it becomes necessary from 
the want of root-room. The earliest lot of Cinerarias 
should by this time have formed good foliage and roots, 
and may therefore be put into their flowering pots. 
Should green-fly make its appearance, check it at once 
by fumigation before it gains a footing, otherwise the 
plants will get crippled in a short time. Ventilate well 
at all times, as soft-wooded subjects like Cinerarias and 
Calceolarias suffer a great amount of injury from being 
kept too close, or even crowded for any length of time. 
Winter-flowering Plants.— If the weather con¬ 
tinues mild and open during the rest of this 
month a good growth may be expected in various 
subjects that are grown in large quantities for autumn 
and winter flowering. Great vigilance should, however, 
be maintained if the plants are at present located in 
cool structures, should the weather prove decep¬ 
tive. This applies to various subjects, such as 
Centropogon Lucyanus, Peristrophe speciosa, Libonia 
floribunda, Sericographis Ghiesbreghtii, Sericobonia 
penrhosiensis, Eranthemum pulchellum, E. eboracensis, 
Begonia insignis, B. semperflorens and its magnificent 
variety B. s. giganteum roseum and others, Eupatorium 
riparium, E. Weinmannianum, Plumbago roseum 
and its varieties, Thyrsacanthus rutilans, Salvias, 
and others. All those not yet in flower should 
receive supplies of liquid manure when their pots are 
filled with roots, and should be syringed and the frames 
closed early on fine days. 
THE FRUIT HOUSES. 
Peaches. —The fruit has now mostly been gathered 
indoors, so that the treatment most conducive to the 
future welfare of the trees can be given them. Be 
careful that the borders are at all times kept moist 
enough to preserve a healthy root action, to ripen the 
wood properly, and to swell up the buds. It is a 
mistake to suppose that this can be done by starving 
the trees. Thin out old and useless wood, as well as 
gross shoots that are not likely to bear next year, 
unless required to fill up gaps on the available space. 
Leave a sufficient number to properly cover the wall, 
but no more. 
Cucumbers. —Plants that were potted up or planted 
out at the beginning of September for winter flowering 
will now be making rapid progress, and must not be 
neglected in the matter of tying. It is possible, how¬ 
ever, to obtain a more rapid growth than would 
ultimately prove beneficial to the well-being of the 
plants. For instance, if they are grown in a close and 
badly-ventilated atmosphere, with a high temperature 
and the use of much artificial heat, the stems will run 
up slender and spindly, with long internodes, and can 
never support the strain of a heavy crop during the dull 
and badly-lighted winter months. The object, then, 
should be to force as little as possible, and ventilate in 
order to get strong short-jointed stems. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Tomatos. —Frosty nights are now getting frequent, 
and it must be remembered that Tomatos are Tery 
liable to be injured by a low temperature. In order to 
prevent their being injured by visitations of this kind, 
gather all the fruits as soon as they commence colouring 
and lay them on the shelves of a dry greenhouse, where 
they will gradually assume a bright red colour. Ripened 
under these conditions they can never equal those 
ripened in the open air for flavour, but it is the best 
plan that can be adopted under the circumstances. 
-- >X< -- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Cypripedium purpuratum. 
An unusually fine bloom of this has been sent us by 
Mr. Geo. Whitton, Glamis Castle, N.B. The upper 
sepal or standard is very curious from the way in which 
it becomes strongly revolute at the sides, making it 
appear rhomboid, whereas when spread out it is broadly 
reniform, pure white, with eleven longitudinal deep 
purple veins, and a few short greenish ones. The 
petals are elliptic-oblong, acute, unusually broad, and 
of crimson-purple on the upper half, closely dotted with 
small black warts on the basal portion of it, and rosy 
purple along the lower half, with dark purple veins. 
The lip is of a deep dull purple, and netted with a 
darker hue ; the infolded sides are a shining bright 
purple dotted with small warts. In its native habitats, 
the mountains of Hongkong, it is now a rare plant, 
and is far less common in gardens than desirable. 
Cypripedium Harrisianum. 
We are in receipt of a specimen of this well-known 
Orchid bearing twin flowers. The plant from 
which it was cut had a twin-flowered scape about nine 
months ago, and Mr. Whitton, gardener to the Earl of 
Strathmore, Glamis Castle, Forfar, N. B., informs us 
that it has now produced two twin-flowered scapes, and 
that the upper flowers are larger on this occasion. The 
lower flower of that sent us measured ins. across the 
petals, while those of the upper ones were 5| ins. The 
darker-coloured portions of the flower are of a rich, 
shining, brownish black, more or less suffused with 
purple, especially towards the edge of the standard, 
which is white. The inferior half of the petals is 
