284 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
•Tan. 3rd, 1885. 
THE 
#rcbitr firofocrs Calcnimr. 
G 
Odontoglossum Londesboroughianum. —H. 
M. Pollett, Esq., of Fernside, Bickley, who has one of 
the most select little collections of Orchids in the 
country, succeeds in growing this reputedly “miffy” 
plant as well as he does most of the other difficult 
subjects which he takes in hand. His success with it 
has been unbroken from the beginning, his plants 
increasing in strength and beauty every year, and 
flowering most profusely. It is again in bloom, and 
so beautiful that surely it is worth another trial by 
those who have given it up as incorrigible. 
The individual flowers, which are produced on long 
branched spikes, resemble somewhat those of a fine 
Onciclium Marshallianum or O. varicosum, but are 
much firmer in texture. The bright golden lip is 
11 ins. across; the petals, which are well rounded 
and symmetrical, are of a clear yellow colour, evenly 
barred with shining chestnut-brown. Mr. Pollett 
grows it tolerably cool, like the Lycastes, Zygopetalum, 
&c., and finds that when so treated it gives but little 
trouble. Growing it cool seems to be the chief secret 
of success, as the plant invariably becomes unhealthy 
if kept warm or close. It is a Mexican Orchid, 
introduced some years ago by Messrs. Jas. Backhouse 
& Son, of York, and was flowered by Mr. Denning, 
ORCHID NOTES. 
Cypripedium niveum. —In reply to your corre¬ 
spondent “ E. A.,” p. 268, I may say that, as a rule, 
this Orchid is stubborn when, through adverse 
circumstances, it has been brought into a small and 
weakly state like that which “ E. A.” describes his 
plant as being in. On the other hand, when a stout 
plant is obtained in the first place, few fail to grow it 
well if it is treated in anything like a reasonable 
manner. It is therefore probable that the secret of 
“ E. A.’s ” trouble with the plant lies in his having 
obtained a declining plant. However, if it keeps 
healthy it ought to improve. C. niveum, like all the 
other Cypripediums, dislikes direct sunlight, and 
being placed in a sunny spot will bring it into precisely 
the condition your correspondent describes, and getting 
slowly smaller every year, it should therefore be 
placed in a shady place. Sometimes a shift from one 
side of the house to the other will effect the desired 
improvement. C. niveum thrives best in a moist, 
shady corner of the intermediate-house, where its 
head is tolerably near to the glass, or on a shelf in 
the coolest part of the warm-house in winter. In 
summer it will do in any cool and tolerably airy house 
if well shaded. Equal parts of peat, yellow loam, 
sphagnum, and sand grows it well in most cases, but 
where the plant is at home in the place given it, it 
will do in sandy peat, or almost any other material if 
potted firmly. Some grow it in loam and mortar, 
in which “ E. A.” had better repot his plant if it has 
not been done recently .—James O'Brien. 
foundation of houses in the neighbourhood. When 
the work was being carried out it was thought 
advisable to omit the flower-beds, with a view to 
affording more space for croquet. The back border 
is planted partly with herbaceous plants, Pinks, 
Carnations, Pentstemons, Antirrhinums, Bulbs, Ac., 
instead of all shrubs, as shown on plan. Trees were 
not extensively used, only a few Poplars, Ash, and 
Laburnums, but shrubs were used more freely, 
comprising common and Persian Lilacs, black and 
yellow-berried Privet, Japan and oval-leaved Privet, 
white and red Ribes, white and yellow Broom, green 
and variegated Hollies, Laurels, and Aucubas ; and 
the pear-shaped bed at the lower end is filled with 
Rhododendrons. The border on both sides of the walk 
leading to the summer-house is covered with a thick 
bank of Ivy. The back of the garden is enclosed with 
an Oak fence, and this is completely hidden with Ivy. 
The front nearest the Embankment is enclosed with 
an ornamental iron fence with a hedge of oval-leaved 
Privet close to it. This is a very secluded garden in the 
summer, and a great acquisition to a town residence. 
—— 
SELECT NEW CHRYSAN¬ 
THEMUMS. 
By way of following up the select lists of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums which have already appeared in The Gardening 
World, I have ventured to give a list of the twelve finest 
new J apanese Chrysanthemums. They are from the same 
source as that from which Chrysanthemum growers 
have had so many splendid acquisitions during the 
CROSS 
SECTIONS 
500 
E=J 
SCALE OF FEET 
PLAN OE A GARDEN ON THE CHELSEA EMBANKMENT. 
gardener to Lord Londesborough, in 1876, when it 
was certificated by the Royal Horticultural Society. 
If O. Londesboroughianum is grown with Oncidium 
tigrinum and others of that class—cool, but not quite 
so wet as the cold-house Odontoglossums when not 
growing—every probability of success will attend it. 
Also in bloom with Mr. Pollett, and noteworthy 
on account of their being extra fine varieties, are 
Phalasnopsis Stuartiana punetatissima, a lovely form, 
with clear white ground, heavily spotted on the lip 
and lower sepals with bright crimson, the whole of 
the remainder of the flower being prettily dotted over 
with mauve spots. Odontoglossum tripudians with 
very fine purple-marked labellum and a certain 
resemblance to 0. polyxanthum in the petals ; 
Cymbidium giganteum, with very fine brightly-marked 
flowers; Coelogyne barbata, very finely grown; Cattleya 
bicolor, with very prominent and highly coloured 
rosy-crimson labellum which shows so well against 
the brownish petals ; Zygopetalum Mackayii, the 
true, old, best form, with fragrant flowers nearly 
3^ ins. in diameter ; and Z. Clayii, very handsome 
and distinct. With respect to this pretty plant, which 
is a garden hybrid, with upright spikes of flowers, 
smaller but resembling those of 0. erinitum, it is 
interesting to know that the same thing appears to 
have been raised in several gardens and in each case 
only exhibits the ordinary variation which such 
seedlings usually do. It is now also evident that 
natural crossing has produced the same thing among 
the wild specimens, Messrs. Fred. Horsman & Co., of 
Colchester, having now in flower the identical plant, 
to all intents and purposes, among their imported 
Zygopetalums .—James O'Brien. 
Odontoglossum Hossii Mo.jus. —Messrs. John 
Laing & Co., of Forrest Hill, S.E., who seem to be as 
likely to handle the cool Orchids as well as they have 
the Begonias, are very successful with lovely winter¬ 
blooming Orchids in quite a cool house. There is 
great variety in the flowers of the different specimens, 
but one of them of the “ rubeseens ” type is superb. 
Its sepals and the blotches on the petals near the 
column are of a rich claret crimson, the rest of the 
flower being snow white, except the golden base to the 
labellum. The flower is of fine wax-like texture, 
over 3 ins. across the petals, the firm, pure white, 
crumped labellum being 1|- ins. in width. To add to 
the charms of this lovely variety it gives off a most 
delightful Hawthorn scent. 
- cr~- c — 
A TOWN GARDEN. 
The accompanying plan is that of a town garden 
attached to the residence of Sir Percy Shelley, Bart., 
on the Chelsea embankment, situated midway 
between the Victoria and Albert Bridges. Its area 
comprises about 2i roods, and in shape it is an 
elongated triangle. The piece of ground is rented by 
Sir Percy Shelley from the Commissioners of the 
Royal Free Hospital, Chelsea, by whom it was laid 
out and planted in the year 1877, from a design made 
by Mr. William Gibson, gardener, at the Royal 
Hospital, who also carried out the work. The 
garden is principally composed of what is termed 
“ made soil,” for, properly speaking, it stands on 
what was at one time a portion of the River Thames, 
which, on the completion of the Embankment, was 
filled up with brick-rubbish and soil taken out for the 
past few years. Mr. H. Davis, the well-known Chry¬ 
santhemum grower of the Lilford Road Nursery, 
Camberwell, reports, that though in some cases the 
blossoms did not sufficiently expand to fully judge of 
then - merits; yet enough of fine character was dis¬ 
played to enable him to say they were simply superb; 
and he adds, 11 1 have little hesitation in saying Ilook 
upon them as the finest set of new Japanese Chrysan¬ 
themums ever sent over.” I saw some of the following 
at the Chrysanthemum shows, and I think Mr. Davis’s 
estimate a very correct one. Four of them have 
received certificates of merit from the Floral Com¬ 
mittee of the National Chrysanthemum Society—a 
tribunal in every way fitted to undertake so important 
a work. 
The selection is as follows: Frizon, large flower, 
very double, with very long petals twisted in a spiral 
form, completely intermixed and curled, resembling a 
bunch of little ribbons of the finest dark canary- 
yellow, lit up with delicate canary, extra fine. Coribri, 
a very fine new variety, large flowers, very double, 
rich dark crimson, shaded with violet dark brown, 
golden in the centre, distinct from all known. Mon¬ 
sieur Cochet, very large flower, very long petals, 
colours silvery-white ground, washed with delicate 
rose, framed with a darker hue; the reverse of the 
petals very dark violet-carmine ; a rich new variety 
of the greatest beauty. Beautd des Jardins, large 
flower, very double, very long twisted drooping petals, 
colour brilliant light amaranth suffused with violet, 
and silvery in the centre ; one of the most brilliant- 
coloured varieties in cultivation. Fernand Feral, veiy 
large blossoms, borne in clusters of four or five, with 
the broadest twisted petals in spiral form; colour 
