556 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 27,1895. 
and one of sand. Crock well, but use no moss, and 
after potting plunge them in ashes out of doors for a 
month or six weeks, and subsequently bring them on 
as coolly as possible, so long as they are safe from 
frost. Green fly are very fond of Freesias, so that 
the time they begin to grow a watchful eye must be 
kept on them.— J. G. Pettinger, Strawberry Dale 
Nursery, Harrogate. 
BEGONIA FLORIBUNDA ROSEA. 
Of the garden hybrids of Begonia that are useful for 
winter flowering, that under notice is one of the 
prettiest, most floriferous, and most lasting. The 
flowers are produced in cymes from the axils of the 
leaves as the shoots extend. The latter are slender, 
branch freely, and assume a spreading and drooping 
habit, which displays the profusion of bloom to 
advantage. The buds are of large size before expand¬ 
ing and cf a deep rose, but when expanded the flowers 
are of a light rose and pleasing. The leaves are 
moderate in size, numercus obliquely heart-shaped 
and deep green. A batch of plants may be seen in 
the nursery of Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, 
and which commenced flowering last autumn, but 
are even more floriferous now than they could have 
been all the winter. The plants are suspended from 
the roof of a house in pots—a position which gives 
them all the advantage of light, and at the same time 
displays their drooping habit to the best advantage, 
because it puts them on a level with the eye. Mixed 
with them are plants of B. f. alba, which differs only 
in having white flowers. Though scarcely so 
valuable from a decorative point of view as the rose 
variety, yet it acquires greater importance from 
association with it. 
RHODODENDRON FOSTERIANUM 
The genus Rhododendron, including, of course, 
Azalea, contains many charming and valuable 
plants, many of which are known, others unknown, 
to the average gardener. None of them, however, 
are more worthy of recognition than R. Fosteri- 
anum, for in it we have a plant that well deserves 
all the praise that can be given it. The flowers are 
large, beiDg between 4 in. and 5 in. in diameter, and 
pure white in colour with the exception of a slight 
tinge of yellow which is apparent at the base of the 
corolla tube. The flower possesses the additional 
charm of being deliciously fragrant, a sufficiently 
rare qualification to render the plant all the more 
noteworthy. A specimen of it which is planted out 
in one of the beds in the temperate heuse at Kew 
has been a profusion of bloom dnring the past 
week. R. Fosterianum is of garden origin, being 
the result of a cross between R. Veitchii and R. 
Edgeworthii, and is, if we may judge from the Kew 
specimen, a decided acquisition to the ranks of 
greenhouse flowering plants. 
RHOPOLOBLASTE HEXANDRA. 
In various stages of its growth this is a beautiful and 
useful Palm for decorative purposes, but is most 
useful for general work in most establishments in its 
early stages. A use can be found for the larger 
plants in warm conservatories and for particular 
occasions in roOrris when large groups of flowering 
and foliage plants are set up. It is of comparatively 
recent introduction for commercial purposes, but 
plants of good size may be seen in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill. We noted a 
specimen with leaves 3 ft. to 6 ft. long, and pinnate 
with the linear lanceolate pinnae 12 in. to 15 in. long 
and very thickly arranged along the arching midrib. 
The latter is covered with a brown scurf which stands 
out in relief against the dark green of the leafy 
portion. Altogether it is a light and graceful Palm 
and in the younger stages is useful for table 
decoration, because, when well grown, it is compact, 
shapely and attractive. 
RHODODENDRON GRIFFITHIANUM. 
A specimen of this fine Rhododendron now flowering 
in the temperate house at Kew is well worthy of 
mention. A native of the Himalayas it is, like many 
other of the Rhododendrons hailing from thence, of 
robust growing habit, and when fully grown assumes 
the proportions of a small tree. The flowers are 
very large and pure white m colour, the limb of the 
corolla being spreading, and between 5 and 6 in. in 
diameter. Unlike R. Fosteriana, however, the 
flowers, although of good substance and noble and 
imposing in appearance, are not fragrant. Still R. 
Griffithianum is a fine plant, and one which is 
worthy the attention of any gardener who possesses 
the conveniences necessary for the accommodation 
of these large Rhododendrons. Although they may 
be successfully grown in pots or tubs they always do 
best when planted out in specially prepared borders, 
as those at Kew, for when treated thus their wants 
are but few, and any trouble entailed in supplying 
them is certainly amply compensated for by the 
magnificent appearance they present when in bloom. 
RUDGEA MACROPHYLLA. 
A small specimen of this plant is now flowering in 
the Palm house at Kew and is by no means lacking 
either in beuuty or interest. The Rudgeas do not, 
as a rule, find a place among the majority of plant 
collections in private establishments, p ossibly because 
they have not a great deal that would recommend 
them to the average gardener as suitable occupants 
for his plant houses. R. macrophylla is, however, 
well worthy such a place. The sessile flowers are 
thick and fleshy in substance, creamy-white in colour, 
and produced in a densely clustered head borne 
upon a short peduncle. The leaves are rather large, 
coriaceous in texture, ovate-oblong in shape, sub- 
sessile, and dark green in colour. The plant was 
introduced from Brazil in 1867. 
-- 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural ,April 1yd .—The Drill Hall wore 
a gay aspect on Tuesday last, when the National 
Auricula Society held its show in conjunction with 
the ordinary meeting of the Royal Horticultural. 
Auriculas and various other Primulas made a brave 
disDlay, but the Orchids again more than held their 
own against all comers. Daffodils were very beauti¬ 
ful, as well as hardy herbaceous and Alpine plants 
in general. F'orced Roses, Ferns, and various other 
indoor plants were plentiful. A well-flowered group 
of Orchids was set up by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., 
St. Albans, including some fine pieces of Oionto- 
glossum crispum, O. Edwardii, O. cirrhosum, Den- 
drobium thygsiflorum, D. undulatum, and D. 
Augustae Victoriae. A Cultural Commendation 
was awarded for a large plant of the latter with 
stems 5 ft. to 6 ft. high, and bearing long racemes of 
flowers. A Silver Flora Medal was awarded for the 
group. A large group of Orchids was also exhibited 
by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. Amongst 
them were large and well-flowered pieces of Odonto- 
glossum cirrhosum, O. hastilabium, Oncidium 
concolor, O. ampliatum majus, Cypripedium 
Haynaldianum, Masdevallia ignea, and various 
Cattleyas, Laelias, Cymbidiums, and Dendrobiums. 
The veriety was great and the numerous colours 
were very well mixed and contrasted (Silver Flora 
Medal). Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper 
Holloway, also set up an extensive group of Orchids, 
amongst which Cymbidium Devonianum, Coelogyne 
Massangeana, Dendrobium superbum, Cypripedium 
Rothschildianum, C. grande, and many others. The 
range of variation was considerable, and Palms and 
Ferns stood amongst the plants set off the colours of 
the flowers (Silver Banksian Medal). A very varied 
group of Orchids was also staged by Messrs. W. L. 
Lewis & Co., Southgate. Laelia purpurata was fine, 
as were the various Odontoglossums, such as O. 
ramosissimum, O. luteo-purpureum, O. Andersonia- 
num, and O. Pescatorei Lewisii with a strikingly 
rich blotch on the lip. The species and varieties 
were very numerous (Silver Flora Medal). A 
smaller group of Orchids was exhibited by Messrs. 
Hugh Low & Co., Clapton, including a fine piece of 
Cymbidium Lowianum, also Cattleya Schroderae, 
and several beautiful varieties of C. Mendelii, in¬ 
cluding a very light coloured one with a creamy- 
white crisped lip, having a purple blotch at the apex. 
In the centre of the group was a large box of the 
Bush Hill White Mignonette, fragrant and striking 
from the peculiar way in which a bunch of flowers 
grows out from the interior of the seed pod. 
(Silver Banksian Medal). A small, but pretty 
and interesting group was exhibited by Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr.White), Burford 
Lodge, Dorking. A Cultural Commendation was 
awarded for two remarkably well-flowered pieces of 
Masdevallia Arminii. He also had Polystachya 
Ottoniana like a pan of Snowdrops, Dendrobium 
cretaceum, and several others less showy but inter¬ 
esting. A small group was also shown by 
F. Hardy, Esq. (gardener, Mr. T. Stafford), includ¬ 
ing a fine Cypripedium named C. Gowerianum 
magnificum, Odontoglossum Ruckerianum Mrs. F. 
Hardy, and several others. Cypripedium caudatum, 
Dendrobium MacCarthiae, Odontoglossum Hallii, 
and several Cattleyas were shown by Walter C. 
Walker, Esq. (gardener, Mr. G. Cragg), Winchmore 
Hill. A Cultural Commendation was accorded to 
to Major Joicey (gardener, Mr. F. S. Thorne), Sun- 
ningdale Park, for a fine piece of Cypripedium 
Elliottianum with two scapes and seven flowers. He 
also had a well-flowered piece of Dendrobium atro- 
violaceum. A light coloured and pretty Cattleya 
named Princess of Wales was shown by Thos. 
Statter, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Johnson), Stand Hall, 
Manchester. A collection of cut flowers of Vanda 
tricolor, V. suavis, and others, showing rich, beauti¬ 
ful, and varied markings, was staged by R. I. 
Measures, Esq. (gardener, Mr. H. Chapman), Cam¬ 
bridge Lodge, Camberwell (Silver Banksian Medal). 
A fine plant of Odontoglossum Mulus, Rosefield var., 
was shown by De B. Crawshay, Esq. (gardener, Mr. 
S. Cooke), Rosefield, Sevenoaks. A small group of 
Orchids, including Odontoglossum baphicanthum, 
O. Andersonianum Victoriae, Laelia cinnabarina, 
and Dendrobium Paxtoni superbum, was exhibited 
by Geo. Marshall, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Johnson), 
Claremont House, Grimsby. A group of Cattleya 
Schroderae and its varieties was shown by Messrs. 
Heath & Son, Cheltenham. C. S. magnifica was 
notable for the great size of its flowers, and C. S. 
alba was white with exception of the orange blotch 
in the centre (Silver Banksian Medal). Odonto¬ 
glossum Andersonianum, Falkland Park var., O. 
triumphans, and several highly-coloured forms of 
O. luteo-purpureum, all with long spikes, were ex¬ 
hibited by Thos. McMeekin, Esq. (gardener, Mr. A. 
Wright), Falkland Park, South Norwood Hill, 
Epidendrum atropurpureum album, Cattleya Schil- 
leriana, and several others were exhibited by W. M. 
Appleton, Esq., Weston-Super-Mare. Flowers of 
Dendrobium Bensoniae, and Laelia Digbyana- 
Mossiae, as well as a large and floriferous plant of 
Dendrobium Hildebrandii, were exhibited by Baron 
Schroder (gardener, Mr. H. Ballantine), The Dell, 
Egham. Cypripedium Prince de Venose was ex¬ 
hibited by the Prince de Venose (gardener, Sig. 
Raggionieri), Rome, A fine group of Orchids was 
set up by H. T. Pitt, Esq. (gardener, Mr, R. Aldous), 
Stamford Hill, for which a Silver Flora Medal was 
awarded. Very prominent were the numerous 
spikes of Dendrobium thyrsiflorum, Cymbidium 
Lowianum, Phaius Wallichi, various Cattleyas, 
including C. citrina, and a grand variety of Odonto¬ 
glossum excellens. 
Mr. W. Rumsey, Joynings Nurseries, Waltham 
Cross, contributed some first-class examples of Roses 
in pots. The plants were a blaze of bloom, and 
comprised such well-known varieties as Beauty of 
Waltham, General Jacqueminot, Madame Hoste, 
and Souvenir d’un Ami in fine form. In front of the 
pot plants were staged some seven stands of cut 
blooms, each case containing two dozen, some fine 
blooms of Niphetos being especially conspicuous. 
The whole group was an exceedingly bright and 
attractive one, and received a Silver Gilt Flora 
Medal. Messrs. Paul & Son also had a number of 
pot Roses in good condition, as well as some neat 
examples of Cannas, as Mrs. Tasker, Cheshunt 
Yellow, Antoine Barton, and Comet (Silver Flora 
Medal). Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son staged a 
number of Hippeastrums (Amaryllis) in praiseworthy 
style; Colonel Kelly, Lothair, and Lord Valentia 
being some of their best varieties. Conspicuous in 
this group were some neat and well-flowered speci¬ 
mens of Boronia serrulata and the pretty blue 
Leschenaultia biloba major (Bronze Banksian Medal). 
Messrs. Geo. Jackson & Son, Woking Nursery, 
Surrey, were responsible for a fine display of Roses, 
Violas, Narcissi, N. poeticus ornatus, and N. tele- 
monius flore pleno being the best varieties, Andro- 
sace floribunda, Primulas and Violas, staged in an 
effective and tasteful manner, for which a Bronze 
Banksian Medal was awarded. 
Mr. H. B. May, Dyson’s Lane Nurseries, Upper 
Edmonton, exhibited a splendid collection of exotic 
Ferns and foliage plants ; two finely-bloomed samples 
of the beautiful Rose, Crimson Rambler, and a 
basket of Trapaeolum Coolgardie, occupying a con¬ 
spicuous position. Amongst the Ferns some beauti¬ 
fully crested and furcated varieties of Pteris cretica 
and P. serrulata were deserving of all praise. The 
