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ORNAMENTAL CLIMBERS. 
Wm. C. Barry, of the Mount Hope Nurseries, has 
furnished the Rochester Democrat with a very full 
and complete list of ornamental climbers for the em¬ 
bellishment of the house and its surroundings. 
Mr. Barry names first the Virginia Creeper, or 
American Ivy (Ampelopsis) , as the most valuable 
climber, all things considered, for this climate, being- 
hardy, growing rapidly, and with a rich green foli¬ 
age, changing to crimson scarlet in autumn. It is 
especially suited to covering walls, trunks of trees, 
and verandas. 
Ampelopsis Vdtchii is newly introduced from Japan. 
Its leaves are small and overlap, and form a dense 
sheet of pleasing green. It is slightly tender when 
young, hut afterwards becomes quite hardy. It ad¬ 
heres to walls without fastening. Its fine green 
color changes to crimson scarlet in autumn. 
Aristolochia is a fine climber, with broad, heart- 
shaped leaves, and is a twiner, requiring a support. 
Honeysuckles. —Among these are the well-known 
fragrant woodbine. Hall’s Japan hears white and 
yellow flowers from June to November, is a par¬ 
tial evergreen, and is regarded by Mr. Barry as the 
best Honeysuckle we have, and one of the most valu¬ 
able in the entire collection. The Monthly Fragrant 
Honeysuckle has red and yellow flowers ; the Scarlet 
Trumpet has bright scarlet, tubular flowers, and the 
Japan Golden-leaved has variegated or netted foli¬ 
age, but it is not entirely hardy, and is best raised 
in baskets and vases as an in-door climber. 
Bignonia, or Trumpet Flower, is well known for 
its large, trumpet-shaped crimson flowers in August. 
It is valuable for covering stumps, trees, etc. Va¬ 
rieties give different shades of scarlet and crimson. 
Akebia quinata, introduced some years ago, is 
light and graceful in growth, has sweet-scented, vio¬ 
let flowers, and is hardy. 
J English Ivy. —This is not hardy enough to endure 
the severe winters of the North, except on the north 
and east sides of buildings, and even then it requires 
some protection. We may add that it forms a fine 
- green cover for ground in the shade of trees where 
grass will not grow, the warmth from the earth below 
preventing injury in winter. 
Fcriploca is a hardy and vigorous twiner, with 
glossy leaves, and is quite hardy. 
Menispermum (Moonseed), a slender climber, with 
small yellow flowers, has a good effect when trained 
on arbor-vibe and other evergreen trees. 
Clematis. —Under this head Mr. Barry remarks: 
“ Within the last ten years the hardy Clematis has 
been wonderfully improved, and the newer sorts 
now in cultivation are justly regarded as the most 
beautiful and striking ornaments known for garden 
decoration. Contrary to the general impression, the 
severest winters do not injure them when slightly 
protected with straw or leaves. In order to induce a 
long succession of bloom, liberal culture is absolutely 
necessary, and a deep, well-drained soil, consisting of 
loam, rotten manure, and leaf-mould, is the most 
suitable to plant them in. During the warm, dry 
weather in summer liquid manure may be given 
them advantageously, and every year the surface of 
the ground around them should be mulched with 
manure to keep up their strength. The Clematis is 
a gross feeder, and must be fed well to flower freely. 
They may be used in many ways, either trained on ver¬ 
andas, walls, or trellis-work, or they make superb sin¬ 
gle specimens on the lawn, trained to some ornamental 
support. They may also be employed as permanent 
bedding plants, and pegged down like the Verbena ; 
or with a wire support of neat design, raised about a 
foot from the ground, to run on, very pretty beds 
maybe formed. On trees and arbors their showy 
and handsome flowers are very effective. Some of 
the choicest varieties are as follows : Jackmanii, vio¬ 
let purple, is the best, all things considered; Miss 
Bateman, pure white and somewhat fragrant; Lady 
Londesborough, of a silvery-gray color, with a paler 
bar on each sepal; Velutina purpurea, blackish mul¬ 
berry purple, the deepest colored of all the varieties 
of this type; Viticella venosa, reddish purple veined 
with crimson; Lady Stratford de Redcliffe, a new 
variety of a delicate mauve color and the anthers 
chocolate-red; Otto Froebel, one of the largest, finest 
varieties yet obtained—flowers grayish white, or 
French white, and of a thick, fleshy texture; Marie 
Lefebvre, pale silvery mauve, with a deep mauve-co¬ 
lored bar. 
Mr. Barry regards the Chinese Wistaria as un¬ 
questionably the most elegant climber we have. In 
the city of New York it is employed extensively for 
decorating the fronts of dwellings, and has a fine 
appearance when climbing over evergreens. Its 
long, pendulous clusters of pale blue flowers have 
an admirable effect. There is a white one with dou¬ 
ble blossoms.— Country Gentleman. 
For some years past the Orchis tribe has been 
attracting the attention of American flower-fanciers, 
but many years before they discovered the peculiar 
variety and merit of this class of plants England had 
valued them and recognized their capability of im¬ 
provement. 
Prof. John Lindley, in writing of them, says: “ Or- 
chidise are remarkable for the bizarre figure of their 
multiform flower, which sometimes represents an in¬ 
sect, sometimes a grinning monkey; and so compli¬ 
cated is their combination that there is scarcely a 
common reptile or insect to which some of them 
have not been likened. 
“ They all, however, will be found to consist of three 
outer pieces belonging to the calyx, and three inner 
belonging to the corolla; and all departures from this 
number, six, depend upon the cohesion of contiguous 
parts, with one exception of monomeria, in which the 
lateral petals are entirely abortive.” 
The perianth of Orchids presents great diversity of 
form, all, however, belonging to one type peculiar to 
the family. It is generally irregular, and consists of 
six pieces in two series. 
The three outer ones are known as sepals; of the 
three inner parts, the two lateral are petals, and the 
third differs so entirely in form and size that it is 
known as the labellum, or lip. It is this part of the 
plant that varies so much in form, size, and color. 
It is invariably adherent to the ovary, and the pos¬ 
terior part becomes anterior through a half-twist of 
the ovary, as a general thing. 
I have seen it stated that a well-flowered specimen 
of the orange-scarlet-flowered Epidendrum Vitelli- 
num majus, in the Holloway nurseries, bloomed in 
May, was exhibited at Regent’s Park, South Ken¬ 
sington, Manchester, Preston, and other shows, and 
was still in good condition late in June. 
In a short article on American Orchid-growing 
which appeared not long since in the Country it 
was said that in the collection of Mr. Erastus Corn¬ 
ing, of Kenwood near Albany, New York, oh the 4th 
of June, there were more than one hundred and 
twenty distinct species and varieties in flower, of 
which the majority would compare favorably with 
those in the best English collections. 
“ Amongst those in flower of special note were the 
rare Renanthera matutina, with its singular blossom 
and equally strange coloring; the beautiful Lcelia 
Wolstenholmiee, HI rides Schroederi, A. Larpentse, 
the curious Bulbophyllum, Henshalli, Promeneea 
stapelioides, and Nanodes Medusae. Of Odontoglos- 
sums there were, amongst others, fine plants of 0. 
vexillarium and 0. Alexandra;, some of tiie latter 
bearing as many as twenty or thirty flowers on each 
stem. 
“ The recent addition of a unique specimen of the 
beautiful P. Corningiana, dedicated to the owner of 
this noble collection by Prof. Reichenbacli, has add¬ 
ed greatly to the interest of this collection. Cypri- 
pediums were represented, including the fine hybrids 
C. Crossianum and Livanianum, as were also the 
Epidendrums, of which E. Frederici Guilielmi and 
E. syringothyrsus were the most noteworthy. The 
collection is rich in Masdevallias, and the curious M. 
Nyeterina, M. elephanticeps, M. Bella, together with 
the showy kinds, have been long in flower. Another 
beautiful variety is a rich colored form of banda 
tricolor named Corningi, and worthy of its distinctive 
name.” 
As the winter-blooming Orchids are now in great 
demand, it may not be inappropriate to add a list of 
some which are now attracting attention, for those 
who are inexperienced in the culture of these pecu¬ 
liarly interesting plants : Ansellia Africana, Brough- 
tonia sanguinea, Cypripedium Argus, Pilumua 
fragrans, Saccolabium violaceum, Stenia fimbriata, 
Oncidium pelicanum. There are many others which 
might be added to the above list, but as my space is 
limited I will give only a few. 
New York florists have made attractive crosses for 
churches as follows: Take heavy wreathing of Prin¬ 
cess Pine, and carefully select long twigs. At inter¬ 
vals of a few inches throughout these pieces are ros¬ 
ettes of holly-berries in a cluster of holly-leaves. 
The evergreens are so full and even and dressy as 
to be really elegant. 
A favorite gift to children among rich flower-buy¬ 
ers in this city is a small gilt bedstead made up 
with flowers. The bed is of white Carnations, the 
pillows of Violets ; a bunch of roses, ferns, and Cy¬ 
presses is placed on the head and foot boards. 
“ON ORCHIDS.” 
