July 18th, 1885. 
723 
Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”—B acon. 
C|e (larkiuttg Work 
SATURDAY , JULY 18 m, 1885. 
Decorative Exhibition Groups. —'We have 
grown so sick of the iteration and reiteration seen 
in decorative plant groups at shows, that some 
change in the way of variety would he hailed 
with delight. Elower shows are so much the 
reproduction from year to year of each other, 
that visitors walk through them with languid 
listlessness, and stop only to gaze upon some 
novelty, or, indeed, any feature that is out of 
the beaten track, such, for instance, as Mr. 
George Hardy’s magnificent group of Odonto- 
glossum vexillarium, staged at South Kensing¬ 
ton on Tuesday. Why, ten times as many 
persons will stop to gaze upon a stand of hardy 
flowers, as will look upon the highest effort of 
decorative art in plant grouping to be seen at 
ordinary shows. To make these latter we need 
one tall centre Palm, three or four smaller ones, 
in variety, two or three fair-sized Ferns, and a 
score or two of small ones in pots for a base; 
also a few Crotons, Dracaenas, and Aralias, or 
similar fine foliage plants; then throw in a few 
Liliums, Begonias, and Gloxinias, and the thing 
is complete. 
That sort of recipe is repeated ad nauseum all 
over the kingdom at summer flower shows, and 
it displays the highest effort of plant decorative 
art of which the British gardener seems capable. 
If this sort of thing must be, why not offer 
prizes for groups of hardy foliage and flowering 
plants, which would include shrubs, conifera, 
and common garden hardy flowers ? Such groups 
would at least have this merit, that they might 
represent real garden effects in miniature, whilst 
groups which include greenhouse and stove plants 
almost equally are utterly unreal. There is an 
intense love pervading the public for flowers j 
but the fancy for so much sub - tropical 
leafage, as seen in Palms, Eerns, &c., is entirely 
lacking. A Gooseberry bush or two are often 
as graceful, and usually far more interesting 
objects. If promoters of flower shows do not 
soon strike out some new path, they will see the 
public satiated and disgusted, and the usefulness 
of their exhibitions decrease in proportion. 
Specimen Flowering Plants.— Upon the 
backs of the decorative plant groups, the intro¬ 
duction of which into horticultural exhibitions 
we owe to the Koyal Botanic Society, must 
largely be laid the blame that so very few respect¬ 
able flowering-plants are now seen at flower shows. 
The decadence seen in the cultivation of these 
things is universally lamented, but no one attempts 
to arrest the downward progress of this form of 
plant culture. Some two or three growers yet 
exhibit these things, but we can but view with 
contempt the specimens which are hawked round 
the country on a month’s tour, and do duty at 
some three or four shows every week, until the 
presence of these faded, jaded hacks becomes 
unbearable. That is a system of “ promoting 
the interests of horticulture and cultivating in 
the public mind a taste for floral beauty” which 
rather provokes disgust than serves any useful 
purpose. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
What is needed is some real stimulus to local 
gardeners in tho direction of high-olass plant 
culture. There can bo no more attractive or 
beautiful element in a flower show than good 
stove and greenhouse plants in bloom. The 
introduction of the easily-grown Palms, Ferns, 
Dracamas, Crotons, and Coleus’s lias been tho 
bane of plant culture. They are but the Rhu¬ 
barbs of the kitchen garden, and yet have taken 
the place of tho Peas and Potatos. What has 
become of tho beautiful Heaths, the glorious 
Dipladenias, the lovely Pimeleas, the sky-blue 
Plumbagos, and the Clerodendrons, with dozens 
of other stove and greenhouse confreres. We see 
decent specimens of these but seldom now, and 
even then too seldom respectable examples. We 
sigh in vain for such perfect specimens as the 
veteran Thomas Baines used to turn out, and in 
tlie hope that the culture of these plants may be 
resuscitated, we hail with pleasure the publica¬ 
tion by Mr. John Murray of Mr. Baines’ Stove 
and Greenhouse Plants, — to which we hope 
shortly to allude more fully. 
It is true that many of these plants are slow 
growers, but that defect, if it be so, may well 
attract to the plant more attachment than ever can 
be found for things which grow like weeds. Even 
small gardeners may well find time for improve¬ 
ment in their cultural powers of greenhouse¬ 
flowering plants, for Zonal Pelargoniums (Ivy.leaf 
kinds), Petunias, Balsams, Fuchsias, Celosias, and 
similar things present flowering material which 
is ever welcome at shows, and if respectably 
grown never fail to secure all the admiration 
they merit. 
The Season and the Crops. —Drought has 
been somewhat early an important factor in our 
garden work, and has seriousty discounted on hot 
dry soils, much of that labour which has been so 
plentifully disposed during the earlier portion of 
the year. So far the season has been a glorious 
one. The Hay harvest is good and got up in 
capital condition, provided the farmers have not 
been in too great a hurry, a very common case in 
good seasons. Then Corn looks wonderfully well, 
and is early. A hot dry season favours Corn, and 
especially Wheat, hence a good crop of those 
cereal products may be looked for, and the farmers 
will doubtless again have the privilege of grumb¬ 
ling at Corn prices to their heart’s content. 
But the drought of last year, running as it did 
so considerably into the winter, is even now, under 
the influence of some recent hot sunshine, telling 
with great power upon many garden and field 
crops, and of those things feeling the pinch already 
are Peas and Potatos, for both have materially 
given out, and the latter have so far flagged that 
it would seem as if a heavy rainfall, such as we 
experienced on Sunday morning, could only result 
in the production of super-tuberation. It may be 
that these results of drought are confined to 
limited areas, and it is certain they are least felt 
in soils that are deeply worked, but all cannot 
trench if they would, and often may not if they 
could. Then the growth of winter greens is 
greatly hindered in the seed beds, and club is 
dreaded, whilst planting out under hot, scorching 
sunshine is almost impossible. Rain may fall 
again at any moment, possibly ere this meets the 
eyes of our readers, but should it do so we trust 
it will be in the form of a thorough soaking, 
penetrating deep into the soil, and not a mere 
surface fall, which would but do harm rather than 
good. 
- -1 ^ -O- gT - — - 
Mb. Geeson, Haldon House Gardens, Devon, has 
raised a new Passion-flower, a hybrid between Passi- 
flora racemosa and the newP. Constance Elliott. The 
foliage is like that of the first-named parent, while the 
flowers have the characteristics of Constance Elliott, 
a white form of P. ccerulea. 
(Sarkrcmg ptigccllang. 
Flower Shows for Next Week.— Tuesday : New¬ 
castle, Staffordshire, Horticultural Society’s Show, 
Wednesday : Newcastle-upon-Tyne Horticultural and 
Botanical Society’s Summer Show.—-Great Hasely 
(Oxon) Flower Show. Thursday: Wiltshire Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s Show at Salisbury.—Salterheble, 
Halifax, Rose Show. 
We hear that Mrs. John Laing is going to America 
—not the estimable wife of our friend at Forest Hill, 
but the last of Mr. Bennett’s seedling Roses, which 
bears her name. Mr. Evans, of Philadelphia, who 
bought Her Majesty and W. F. Bennett, has been in 
London during the past week, and being captivated 
with the charms of the new one has secured the whole 
of the stock. 
Mb. Towers, late gardener at Syston Park, Grant, 
ham, has been engaged as gardener to Mrs. K. Smith, 
Wood End, Chichester. 
The Rev. F. S. Thornton, St. Sepulchre’s, North¬ 
ampton, appeals for subscriptions on behalf of the 
four children of the late Mr. Rowe, whose widow died 
a month ago leaving them utterly destitute. Mr. 
Rowe, who was formerly gardener to the Viscountess 
Clifden, went into business for himself at Northampe 
ton, and lost the whole of his savings, and at his 
death left his widow and children unprovided for. 
Mr. Thomas Baines, who for many years has been 
an able contributor to the horticultural press, has 
collected the valuable series of papers on plant 
culture which have appeared from time to time in 
the columns of our contemporaries, The Gardeners' 
Chronicle and The Garden, and, with additions and 
improvements, has now issued them in the form of a 
book, entitled Greenhouse and Stove Plants, which 
Mr. John Murray is publishing, 
Messrs. J. H. Krelage & Son, of Haarlem, have 
purchased the famous collection of Tulips of M. Jules 
Lenglart, of Lille, France. 
The death is announced of M. Regnier, Curator of 
the Botanic Garden of Saigos. M. Regnier was the 
importer of Calanthe Regnieri, Abides Houletti, 
Saccolabium illustre, and other new Orchids. He 
was on a collecting expedition in Cambodia, and, 
with his two companions, was killed by the natives. 
Mr. Bond has been engaged as gardener to H, 
Barry, Esq., Bush Hill House, Winchmore Hill; and 
Mr. Barnett as gardener to — Miller, Esq., Cedar 
Villa, Kensington ; both through Messrs. John Laing 
& Co., Forest Hill, S.E. 
The Messrs. Webber’s prizes for the best packed 
Peaches, competed for at South Kensington on Tues¬ 
day, were won by Mr. T. Turton, Maiden Erleigh, Mr. 
T. Hare, Wellingborough, and Mr. Waterman, Preston 
Hall, who all adopted the same system, that of 
wrapping the fruits singly in tissue paper, and packing 
them firmly in layers in soft dry moss. 
The large seed firms are well represented at “ The 
Royal ” at Preston this week, Messrs. Carter & Co., 
Holborn; Dickson, Brown, & Tait, Manchester ; 
Messrs. Dickson & Co., Chester; Messrs. Sutton & 
Sons, Reading; and Messrs. Webb <fe Sons, Wordsley, 
having very conspicuous displays of garden and farm 
produce. 
The National Carnation and Picotee Society 
(Southern Section). —The ninth exhibition of this 
Society will be held in the conservatory of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on July 28th. The treasurer 
(Mr. H. A. Rolt, 170, Hartfield Road, New Wimbledon) 
will be glad to receive subscriptions or donations to 
make the exhibition a financial success. The prizes 
have to be paid immediately after the exhibition, 
and to do this he requires £20 more than he has 
yet received. A few friends came forward and gene¬ 
rously subscribed the funds to make the Auricula 
exhibition a financial success, and the Committee 
hope that the more popular Carnation exhibition 
may receive at least equal support. A few old sub¬ 
scribers annually fall off; but if each member would 
obtain one new subscriber, the success of the exhi¬ 
bition would be assured. Intending exhibitors will 
please to send their entries to Mr. Barron, Royal 
Horticultural Society, South Kensington, at least 
four clear days before the 28th.— J. Douglas, Hon. 
Sec., Great Gearies, Ilford. 
