May 2nd, 1885. 
549 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
eupatorium riparium. 
Can too much be said or written in praise of this 
plant ? I think not; or, at least, not until it is known 
and grown by every one who has to supply white 
flowers in quantity at this season of the year. How¬ 
ever much may have been written about the plant, I 
at least am not yet tired of singing its praises. I 
consider that I pay it a poor compliment when, after 
it has supplied me with armfuls of long branches of 
white flowers for weeks in succession, I throw the 
plant away; but I make it the amende honourable by 
again calling attention to its merits, and at this par¬ 
ticular season, because now is the time to put in 
cuttings for next year’s display. A small potful of 
cuttings—say eight or ten, each about 3 ins. long— 
should be placed in any close frame, or out of the 
reach of the sun’s influence, until they have struck 
root, which will be in about a fortnight. They will 
then w T ant potting off in small pots, which they will 
soon fill with roots, and make nice little plants if 
kept in a warm place. 
They must next be hardened off, so that by the end 
of May or the beginning of June they can be planted out 
in an open border, where they will grow away freely 
during the summer months, and by the end of Sep¬ 
tember will have become large enough to be called 
“ bushes.” They will then require good-sized pots, 
for they will have a mass of roots, and all close at 
home. If, after potting, they are placed in a shady, 
sheltered place for ten days before being housed, they 
will not then flag much when they get the sun upon 
them. They will begin to flower in February if they 
can be put in a stove temperature, and in the ordinary 
greenhouse in March they will open their innumerable 
small composite flowers. To prolong their season of 
flowering we remove some of them into sheds having 
a north aspect, so that they can get plenty of light 
and air by day by letting the doors remain open, and 
when there is no prospect of severe frost we leave the 
doors open at night too. They will keep fresh for 
cutting from in this w T ay for a month. 
If the flowers of this particular plant were of any 
other colour than white it would not be half so valu¬ 
able, white flowers being used for such a number of 
purposes at the present day. For weddings or funerals 
coloured flowers will not suit, while at Eastertide the 
demand for white flowers for church work seems to 
be practically unlimited. Many gardeners have to 
supply flowers regularly all the year round, except 
during Advent and Lent, for the private chapels of 
the families they serve under ; and perhaps few men 
could have given more useful information on this 
subject than the late Mr. Wilson of Arundel. I have 
often wished that he could have given us some of his 
experience with plants and flowers that are suitable 
for this purpose. In The Gardening World for 
December 27th last there is an article on E. Weinman- 
nianum as a winter-blooming plant, but E. riparium 
is the plant for March and April, and those who 
have it not should either buy, beg, or borrow a plant 
to propagate from — T. W. 
A DENDROBIUM NOBILE 
SPORT. 
It is strange that our old friend Dendrobium nobile 
should have been with us for so many years without 
varying, and that within the last two or three years it 
should independently produce sports in several places. 
The circumstance is all the more curious as the sports 
come from the old stock and not from the recent 
importations, which are noted for a difference in the 
habit of growth and in the colour of the flowers. The 
sport consists in the petals partaking of the colouring 
and, in some cases, of the form and other peculiarities 
of the lip, so much so, that some of them at the first 
glance seem to have three lips. 
The first mention of these peculiar D. nobile 
sports was made by Professor Reichenbach, when he 
named Mr. Toll’s plant (flowers of which had been 
sent him three years in succession), D. nobile Tollianum. 
At the same time the Professor stated that Mr. Lee 
had a good plant of it, and wisely remarked, “ Mr. 
Toll’s last flowers show a tendency to become twisted, 
and if the plant is well taken care of it will, no doubt, 
produce surprises of many kinds, at least I hope and 
I suspect so. We must admit that the petals are 
assuming the character of the lip, and when the three 
lips are fully developed the fovea will disappear, and 
when the column is reduced there will be a tios 
plenus.” 
I have seen Mr. Lee’s fine plant twice, some of the 
flowers being plain and others slightly curled, and it 
very closely approaches the variety of flower which 
we here illustrate, and which was taken from a plant 
exhibited by Mr. James Moon, Mark Hall Gardens, 
Harlow, Essex. With reference to it Mr. Moon says, 
“ It is a sport from D. nobile of 1883, from an old 
plant that has been here about ten years in a basket. 
I have not had any importations from anywhere, 
and therefore I am sure of its being a sport.” Messrs. 
James Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, have 
Mr. Moon’s variety, and sports after the fashion of 
the original D. n. Tollianum have appeared in other- 
places. These, together with the plants of the true 
Tollianum, which seems to improve steadily every 
year, make a most beautiful and pleasing set of 
novelties which, growing well with the old D. nobile, 
will have an eager circle of admirers anxious to asso¬ 
ciate it with that easily grown and useful old Orchid. 
—James O'Brien. 
THE VICAR’S GARDEN. 
The most generally cultivated of spring flowers is, 
perhaps, the Hyacinth; indeed, in many small suburban 
gardens, Crocuses, Snowdrops, Hyacinths, and Tulips 
are the only early-flowering plants grown, and the 
cheapness of the bulbs combined with the small 
amount of labour involved in procuring a brilliant 
display has much to do with this. The Hyacinth is 
deservedly from its delightful fragrance, bright and 
beautiful colours, comprising many shades of blue, 
red, pink, and yellow, with the purest white, the first 
favourite. In most gardens a supply of roots is 
bought annually, and a bed of home-grown bulbs as 
we see them here is somewhat of a rarity. It is 
quite true that many of the spikes are not so fine as 
some of the imported ones, and far from being of an 
uniform size, but being planted thickly they present a 
more natural and artistic appearance, the smaller, 
thinner spikes being for vase decoration infinitely 
superior to the heavy lumpy spikes we see at spring 
shows. 
All who have light warm soils, if content with 
moderate spikes of flower, need seldom be at any 
expense with these save for labour and manure. 
One thing of vital importance is to see that the bulbs 
are properly matured before putting them away till 
the autumn, when they are replanted, as should a 
mistake be made in this direction many bulbs may 
perish, and some of those which survive will fail to 
throw their flower-spikes satisfactorily. Those with 
limited space who cannot afford a separate bed for 
them, may dot them about in patches of various 
colours, and so treated they may remain undisturbed 
for years, care being taken to mark their position, so 
that they do not get dug up and misplaced. 
The Arabis and Aubretias now in bloom are so 
generally found in gardens that it seems scarcely 
worth while to mention them. Rabbits, where they 
can get at it, will sometimes eat off the former, and 
where slugs are troublesome these will require some 
looking after. A real gem among early spring-flowering 
bulbs is Triteleia uniflora, now past its best. In a 
dry soil this is comparatively safe, but to insure this 
it is best to give it some slight protection; some half- 
decayed leaf-soil would in most places be sufficient, 
and it will well repay for a little extra care. A large 
clump or bed of this flowering really well is a sight 
once seen not soon forgotten, its light blue flowers 
shading to white being very lovely individually and 
collectively. 
Among hardy - flowering shrubs the flowering 
Currant must always have a first place. Moderate 
pruning will much improve the appearance of this. 
Ribes speciosum is distinct from this, with a striking 
resemblance to the Gooseberry in growth. It is an 
old favourite of mine, flowering in May, and it is, I 
think, deserving of wider cultivation. Very few of 
the present generation of gardeners even know of its 
existence, yet it is one of the most beautiful of hardy¬ 
flowering shrubs. Garrya elliptica, recently noticed in 
your columns, should find a place wherever there is 
room to spare for it. 
Chimonanthus fragrans, usually found against a 
wall, will succeed well enough anywhere south of 
London quite in the open. Its delighful fragrance is 
not its only recommendation, but to those who delight 
in sweet odours this will afford them a treat at a time 
when the vegetable kingdom seems wrapt in slumber, 
for it flowers in the depth of winter. Andromeda 
floribunda, one of the very best evergreen flowering 
shrubs now in bloom, is from its neat compact habit 
of growth suitable for the smallest places. It will 
thrive almost anywhere by giving it a little peat if the 
soil is not naturally adapted for it.— IF. B. G. 
A DENDROBIUM NOBILE SPORT. 
