556 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 3, 1890. 
Rhododendron Williamsii. 
This is a hybrid between R. ai-’ooreum and Azalea 
sinensis, and gives promise of being a fine subject for 
greenhouse culture. The leaves are oblong-elliptic, 
leathery, deep green above, and finely downy or pubescent 
beneath. The flowers are freely produced in terminal 
globular heads, each bloom springing from the axil of a 
closely adpressed bract. The latter in the aggregate 
form a compact, conical head surmounted by the flowers 
which are blush-white and spotted with yellow on the 
base of the two upper lobes. Some plants of it were 
exhibited at the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society by Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper 
Holloway, when they were accorded an Award of Merit 
for it. 
Primrose Red Gauntlet. 
Blue Primulas are assuredly coming to the front. The 
flowers of a new variety exhibited by G. F. Wilson, 
Esq. F.R.S., Heatherbank, Weybridge, at the Drill 
Hall, Westminster, last week, seemed even deeper in col¬ 
our than Oakwood Blue, exhibited by him a short time ago. 
The individual flowers were large with obcordate deep 
violet-blue segments and a small yellow eye surrounded 
by five crimson-red blotches or rays. The foliage was 
of the ordinary type, but of good substance. An Award 
of Merit was granted for it. 
Primula Sieboldi Varieties. 
The flowers of the beautiful new variety named Bruce 
Findlay, are of an intense lilac-blue, with a small 
white eye. The segments are obcordate, cuneate, and 
separated to the base of the lamina. Instead of being 
horizontal, they are turned round with their heads 
vertical, owing to their size and the slenderness of the 
peduncle. Tne dwarf habit of the flower stems and 
foliage also showed that its cultural requirements are 
well understood. Another new variety, named Dis¬ 
tinction, shows the plants to be equally dwarf. The 
flowers are large, and borne in a more nearly horizontal 
position, and of a rose colour suffused with white, 
especially towards the centre. The lobes are obcordate, 
lobed and toothed. The Floral Committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society gave Awards of Merit to 
both when exhibited last week by Messrs. Ryder & 
Son, of Sale. 
New Tree Paeonies. 
Mrs. Stuart Low. —The flowers of this variety are 
of great size, with the petals large and not 
crowded. The outer ones are white, the others of a soft 
blush-pink hue, except the tips which are white, and 
the two hues exhibit a delicate blending. Triomphe 
de Milan.— The whole of the petals are of a soft 
rose hue ; the inner ones are much narrower, 
and much cut up into deep segments. The flowers are 
somewhat different in character from those of the above 
variety. Both had been grown in pots, and slightly 
forced. They were exhibited by Messrs. J. Laing & 
Sons, Forest Hill, at the Royal Botanic Society’s spring 
show on the 23rd of April, who received Floricultural 
Certificates for them. 
Olivia cruenta and Ambrose Verschaffelt. 
Both of these are improved garden varieties of C. 
miniata. The first named has comparatively short, 
widely open flowers of a rich orange-scarlet, giving 
place to sulphur-yellow and white in the throat. The 
inner segments are the broadest. The flowers of 
Ambrose Verschaffelt are very much longer and funnel- 
shaped, but rather widely spreading at the mouth. 
They are of the same rich colour as those of Cruenta, 
but produced in huge trusses. Both plants are, how¬ 
ever, very vigorous, and were exhibited at the Royal 
Botanic Society’s show on the 23rd ult., by Messrs. 
B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Holloway, who received 
Floricultural Certificates for them. 
Nephrolepis plumosa. 
The fronds of a variety exhibited under this name at 
the Drill Hall, last week, by Mr. H. B. May, Upper 
Edmonton, were linear-oblong in outline, and heavily 
crested or tasselled at the apex of the old fronds 
especially, which drooped around the pot. The lateral 
pinnse were also forked at the apex, or occasionally 
crested, while the form of the pinme was often greatly 
altered, widened, and more or less deeply cut. The 
young fronds were nearly erect, and moderately crested 
throughout. The apical branching appears to develop 
with the age of the frond. An Award of Merit was 
given to it. 
Lily of the Incas. 
In the open garden we are familiar with the orange- 
coloured, striped and spotted flowers of Alstrcemeria 
aurantiaca, as well as with the paler forms of it; but 
the Lily of the Incas (A. Pelegrina alba) is com¬ 
paratively seldom seen. The typical form was intro¬ 
duced from Chili in 1754, but like many other tender 
kinds, has never made much headway in this country, 
for the simple reason that they cannot exist here 
without being taken special care of. The white variety 
under notice was introduced in 1877, and judging from 
its fine appearance, should find a place in many gardens 
as a greenhouse decorative subject. We received the 
other day some flowers of it from Mr. Davidson, Iwerne- 
Minster, Blandford, and we must confess they were 
charming. They are borne in a sort of erect umbel 
terminating the stem, and closely subtended at the 
base of the pedicels with foliage. They are pure white 
internally, with the exception of a few yellow spots on 
the lower segments. The outer segments are greenish 
along the middle externally, and dilated upwards at 
the sides into pure white wing-like expansions. Mr. 
Davidson grows the Lily of the Incas in a greenhouse, 
and finds it most useful for cutting from for decorative 
purposes. 
Mignonette, Garraway's Double White 
Improved. 
The so-called doubling of this variety—one of the best 
whites we have seen—is due to a great multiplication 
of the segments of the petals, which gives the flower the 
appearance of being double. The stamens, on the con¬ 
trary, are moderate in size and number, so that the 
laciniated petals have more prominence. A basket of 
plants was shown at the Drill Hall, Westminster, last 
week, by Messrs. W. A. Garraway & Co., The N urseries, 
Bristol, and an Award of Merit was accorded to the 
variety. It was also exhibited by the same firm at the 
show of the Royal Botanic Society on the 23rd ult., 
and was awarded a Floricultural Certificate. 
Cheiranthus mutabilis. 
There seems to be different forms or varieties of this 
species in cultivation. At all events some are very 
much darker than others. The more typical form has 
flowers which are cream coloured when they first expand, 
but soon become purple ; and on a raceme variously 
tinted flowers may be noted at the same time. We 
noted some fine batches of young stuff in a cold frame 
in the nursery of Messrs. Barr & Son, Long Ditton, 
Surrey. Cuttingshaving been put in boxes last autumn, 
they rooted, made growth, and are now flowering finely. 
The flowers as they first expand are of a dark coppery 
or orange-red hue ; but in a short time they change to 
a beautiful deep purple. The foliage was also of a rich 
dark green hue. The dark hue, both of the foliage and 
flowers, might be due to the vigour and health of the 
young plants ; because we have seen them much paler 
on old plants, which are of a sub-shrubbv nature. It is 
a native of Madeira, and being somewhat tender, is 
suitable for culture in a cold frame, to be placed in the 
greenhouse or conservatory when in bloom. 
Fritillaria recurva. 
The specific name of this beautiful and dwarf Californian 
Fritillary refers to the recurving of the segments of 
the perianth. The stem varies from 6 ins. to 2 ft. in 
height, and bears from one to nine flowers according to 
vigour. The lower portion of the flower is somewhat 
cylindrical or approaching bell-shaped, while the mouth 
spreads widely. All the segments are heavily suffused 
with scarlet on a yellow ground, and spotted and 
striped internally with a darker colour, As the plant 
gets established and increases in stature, the flowers 
increase in size until they nearly equal those of our 
native F. meleagris, when it becomes even more 
conspicuous and beautiful than the latter. We noted 
it in the nursery of Messrs. Barr & Son, at Long Ditton. 
Anemone fulgens oculata. 
A. fulgens itself is by some good authorities considered 
a variety of A. hortensis. Be that as it may, we have 
some beautiful forms which may be grouped under A. 
fulgens itself, including the form found in Greece, and 
which has fewer, broader and blunter segments 
than the typical A. fulgens, but of a more intense 
velvety crimson-scarlet, especially on the inner face of 
the petaloid sepals. A. fulgens oculata has also few 
broad and blunt scarlet sepals with a satiny yellow zone 
a little above the base, and which gives rise to the name 
oculata. It may be seen in great beauty amongst the 
collection of Anemones in the nursery of Messrs. Barr 
& Son, Long Ditton. 
SEASONABLE WORK IN THE 
GARDEN. 
Crotons, Drac.enas. —If these are grown among oth-r 
subjects for which a certain amount of shade is im¬ 
perative, they should be collected by themselves or 
along with others for which shade is unnecessary, and 
stood in a fully exposed position. In other words, that 
part of the house containing them should be left un¬ 
shaded, and the foliage will be all the better for it, 
more highly coloured and better adapted for with¬ 
standing the influences of a dry room, when used for 
decorative purposes. 
Caladiujis. —What applies to Crotons also applies 
here, excepting that a modified or light shading 
may be necessary in the early stages of growth, to get 
good breadth of foliage ; but as the latter attains full 
development, it should be gradually exposed to light so 
as to harden the foliage, bring out its colours mors 
prominently, and enable the plants to stand removal 
for table decoration, or the stages of the exhibition tent. 
Poinsettias. —The old plants may now be cut back 
and placed in warmth, where they may be syringed to 
cause the buds to swell up and develop shoots for cutting-. 
Where the old plants are intended to be flowered again, 
they may be re-potted after the buds have plumped up 
and commenced to expand. The tops of the eld plants 
may also be used as cuttings where stock is scarce. 
Both they and the young shoots develop into plants, 
having much larger bracts than those produced on old 
plants. 
Gesneras, Achimenes. —The main batches of these 
may now be introduced to heat, leaving them in the 
old soil, which should be slightly’ - watered in order to 
encourage growth. Syringing the soil and pots occa¬ 
sionally will obviate the necessity of heavy watering. 
As soon as the young shoots appear above the soil, the 
tubers may be shaken out, after having given a good 
watering previously, to cause the tubers and roots to 
part freely from the soil without breaking. 
Gardenias. —Most satisfaction is obtained from 
these by plunging the pots during summer in pits, 
heated, at least in part, by fermenting manure. Here 
they may receive that peculiar treatment which is most 
beneficial to their well-being, in the matter of tempera¬ 
ture, ventilation, exposure to light, and syringing. To 
prevent the increase of mealy-bug, syringe the plants 
occasionally with paraffin at the rate of a wineglassful 
to four gallons of water, kept well stirred while 
syringing. 
Gloxinias. —The early batches should be promptly 
attended to when they require potting, as they are now 
developing rapidly, and any neglect which they may 
now suffer will tell upon them when they come into 
bloom. A late batch may now be sown to come into 
bloom during the autumn months long after the earliest 
batch has done flowering. 
Single Dahlias. —Tne seedlings which were potted 
off some time ago, and may now be stood about in the 
vineries or Peach houses, will prove more satisfactory 
if placed in a pit or frame where they may receive the 
necessary ventilation and exposure to light to induce 
firm and sturdy growth, and be fit for planting out of 
doors when the proper time arrives. 
Vineries. —When thinning out the berries of those 
Grapes which produce large-shouldered bunches, it is 
the practice of some to loop up the shoulders largely. 
This should always be avoided where possible, because 
it tells badly when the bunches come to be cut for 
table. They should merely be thinned, and the berries 
allowed to grow into position, thus securing compact¬ 
ness when they are cut, and less liability to injury from 
rubbing. 
Melons. —Where the earliest batch is now mature, 
or the fruits are rapidly reaching that stage, it will be 
necessary to maintain a drier atmosphere by judicious 
ventilation. A little left on at night will be beneficial 
rather than otherwise, as it keeps up the circulation, 
and carries off the moisture which would otherwise settle 
upon the foliage and fruit during the night. 
Figs. —By gathering all the ripe fruit where that is 
possible the trees may be freely syringed, in order to 
recuperate their energy and assist them in forwarding 
the remainder of the first crop, as well as to prevent 
any check to the second set of fruits on the young 
wood. Until the whole of the first crop, however, has 
been gathered, the atmosphere of the house should be 
kept on the dry side rather than otherwise. 
Pansias, Violas. —If not already done, no timi 
should be lost in having the young plants placed in the 
beds where they are intended to be flowered. The 
longer the matter is delayed now, the less able will the 
plants be to withstand warm dry weather when that sets 
