134 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 30, 189? 
way we have yet another addiiicn to them. The 
florets are broad, of great substance, and have acute 
and entire apices. The colour is light rosy-pink 
with a silvery reverse. As the reverse is chiefly 
shown, the whole bloom exhibits a silvery-rose hue 
that is at once delicate and attractive. 
-—*--- 
CHRYSHNTHBinUin NOTES. 
ROYAL EXOTIC NURSERY, CHELSEA. 
When visiting the Chelsea collection of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums last October, we noticed a considerable num¬ 
ber of first-rate blooms, but comparing it with last 
year the show is very much finer now than it 
was then. The season, for one thing, has been rather 
more favourable. True it is that September was a 
rather wet and cold month, but October has made 
abundant amends, for the three weeks of fine 
weather that it has brought us have been of inesti¬ 
mable value to the Mums. Congratulations to 
Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Ltd., and to their en¬ 
thusiastic and capable grower, Mr. Weeks, are there¬ 
fore in order. 
The malign and devastating influences of a London 
fog upon plant life generally are well known to most 
of our readers, to some of them by sad experience, 
and no plants are more susceptible to injury by 
reason of these visitations than Chrysanthemums, 
for the flowers invariably commence to damp, and 
the greatest watchfulness is needed to limit the 
spread of the damage. 
This will give some idea of the difficulties which 
have to be surmounted by the Chelsea firm before a 
a display such as that now on view can be obtained. 
We must get our blooms in October or not at all, 
said Mr. Weeks, in answer to a query, and that the 
first part of the statement had been fulfilled, even a 
casual look round would have assurred us. 
Special attention seems to have been paid to bush 
plants in eight, ten, and twelve inch pots, some of 
the results obtained being remarkably good. About 
three hundred plants are grown in this way, out of 
the total of a thousand. Throughout they are well- 
grown and shapely specimens carrying an abundance 
of medium-sized flowers. As decorative objects for 
the conservatory or the dwelling room, or even 
to supply cut flowers in quantity these bush plants 
are eminently serviceab'e. 
Passing in by the Fulham Road entrance the visitor 
finds a row of profusely-flowered bush plants of 
varying heights extended in a long row on either 
side of the pathway running through the large con¬ 
servatory. The stately and somewhat sombre 
presences of the huge Camellias which the house 
accommodates only serve to throw into more effec¬ 
tive relief the bright colours of the Chrysanthemums. 
Of the numerous varieties which have been grown 
in bush fashion none is a more conspicuous success 
than M. William Holmes, when disbudded to a 
moderate extent. A dozen or twently medium-sized 
flowers on a plant are a grand sight, inasmuch as 
the rich shades of crimson and gold are as well 
developed as in the large blooms. Florence Percy 
as a white is one of the best, whilst Lady Selbrrre 
is too well known to need further praising. The 
reflexed Dr. Sharpe, with its charming crimson- 
magenta hue is a great success. , 
Another large house is filled with the remainder of 
the bush plants, and here we were delighted with the 
grand specimens of such varieties as John Shrimpton, 
Vicar of Exmouth, Soeur Melaine, Charles Davis, 
Viviand Morel, and Avalanche. 
The large blooms are all massed in a third house, 
where a raised temporary pathway has been built to 
enable visitors to see more easily the full beauty of 
the plants, and also to enable the latter to be brought 
near to the glass in order to obtain as much of the 
waning autumn light as is available. Here, too, the 
health and vigour of the plants is well demonstrated 
by vigorous foliage and stout, well-matured wood. 
The Japanese varieties are represented in the 
greatest numbers, as may be expected when we 
consider their usefulness and popularity. Among 
the novelties, Liscarde Gentils, the yellow Louis 
Bochmer, closely resembling the latter variety in 
build of bloom, but with rather narrower florets, and 
bright golden yellow hue, is one of the finest of the 
season. Mrs. S. C. Prebin is another fine flower. The 
florets are long and twisting, the colour being clear 
pink on the upper surface, and the reverse silvery. 
There is a certain resemblance to Louise about the 
contour of the flower, but the florets do not incurve 
quite so strongly. John Neville is another variety 
that can scarcely fail to become popular. The 
colour is rich crimson-carmine with old gold reverse, 
and with long twisted and drooping florets; the 
habit, too, is dwarf and sturdy. The yellow Madame 
Carnot, G. J. Warren, was showiug well when we saw 
it, but required another week or so to really see what 
it was like. Emily Silsbury, with its grand white 
blooms, has been fully open for a fortnight, and yet 
the flowers are still fresh, Louise, Souvenir d une 
Petite Amie, Viviand Morel, Charles Davis, William 
Seward, Amiral Avellan, Le Moucherotte, Sunflower, 
and Phoebus have all done splendidly, but this is 
only what we expect from these varieties. Huge 
blooms of the ivory-white Lady Byron were most 
conspicuous, and the same may be said of the 
distinct, rich amaranth-hued flowers of Pride of 
Madford. Pride of Exmouth, white, shaded with 
pink, will also have to be reckoned with on the 
exhibition boards this season. 
Incurved blooms were not so much in evidence, 
not because they are not well represented in the 
Messrs. Veitch’s collection, but because many of them 
are later than the Japs. Among these we may mention 
the Queens, of which there should be some capital 
samples in a few more days. The same might be 
said of Prince of Wales, still a good variety. Baron 
Hirsch is earlier, and was in capital form. Harold 
Wells, the yellow sport from Sir Trevor Lawrence is 
of good form and large size. Barbara, Madame 
Darrier, John Lambert, and Mrs. J. Kearn are all 
well-known varieties that need no further descrip¬ 
tion. 
Reflexed varieties have not made nearly so much 
progress of late years as their sister sections, but we 
were reminded of their merits by some capital flowers 
of the Christines, Dorothy Gibson, and King of 
Crimsons. 
The Japanese Anemones are perhaps inclined to 
be overlooked amongst the more insistent glories of 
Japs and incurves, but there are some wondrously 
pretty things amongst amongst them. Mrs. Hugh 
Gardener is a novelty of considerable merit. The 
ray florets are deep rose-crimson, the disc is high, 
aud the florets prettily tipped with gold. It should 
make a good exhibition flower. Descartes is a 
handsome variety of longer standing. The ray 
florets are long, and crimson-red, the disc is high 
and full, and the habit of the plant dwarf. 
ST. JOHN S NURSERIES, PUTNEY. 
Mr. George Stevens’ busy establishment at 
Putney has long afforded a home to the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum, and each season a visit to the nurseries is 
well repaid by the sight of numbers of well-grown 
and flowered plants. Mr. Stevens grows largely, 
and, and we may say chiefly to supply his numerous 
customers with cut flowers ; but his collection has a 
much wider scope than one purely destined for the 
cut flower market, since all the best novelties, 
together with all old varieties that have stood the 
test of time and cultivation, are included within it. 
A fine, roomy, double span-roofed house, with one 
end facing the road at the side of the dwelling 
house, has been built by Mr. Stevens during the last 
summer. This house measures in ft. in length by 
32 ft. in width, the greatest height being about 14 ft. 
It is well and strongly glazed with large panes of 
glass, and altogether forms an ideal house for 
flowering Chrysanthemums in during the dull and 
too often foggy months of October and November. 
Some 6,000 plants in all are grown, of which 
about 3,ooo are disbudded to yield three or four 
large flowers. 
Phoebus holds a high position in Mr. Stevens’ 
regard as a good market yellow. He describes it as 
being far and away better than W. H. Lincoln or 
even Edith Tabor, and illustrates his opinion to the 
visitor by showing the three varieties grown side by 
side. Edwin Molyneux has done wonderfully well 
at Putney this year, and we saw a good batch of 
plants, each carrying three first-class blooms. M. 
Chenon de Leche has also won golden opinions. It 
would be impossible to see this variety and not to 
like it. Colonel Chase is in excellent form. The 
flowers are large, rosy-blush in hue, and with long 
drooping florets. John Shrimpton, with its prettily 
reflexed crimson-scarlet flowers, is the best of its 
kind, and the richness of colour is not its least 
charm. Madame Carnot is one of the finest whites, 
and unapproached by anything else in its particular 
line. Mdlle. Therese Rey is another grand white, 
but totally distinct from Madame Carnot in build. 
The two may thus be grown side by side in 
any collection without fear of the one being mistaken 
for the other. Win. Seward is without doubt the 
finest of the deep crimson flowers. William 
Tricker is a useful rosy-pink variety, whose chief 
merit is its earliness. In build of bloom it is not 
characterised by too much elegance. 
We also noted excellent samples of Viviand 
Morel, Sunflower, Souvenir d’une Petite Am’e, 
Thos. Wilkins, Madame Marius Ricoud, and 
Louise. 
Of incurved varieties there were not so many, but 
still there were some good samples. Mrs. Geo. 
Rundle and Mrs. G. Glenny, although not able to 
compete with later varieties for size, possess a 
charming contour of build. Baron Hirsch has done 
very well with Mr. Stevens, and was represented by 
some large and handsome samples. There were also 
good blooms of C. H. Curtis and Globe d’Or. 
Large quantities of decorative varieties in the 
form of bush plants are grown at St.John’s Nurseries. 
Lady Selborne does exceptionally well when grown 
thus. The yellow Lady Selborne is a golden-yellow 
sport that is exactly like the parent plant in every¬ 
thing but colour, and the later period at which it 
expands its flowers. It may be regarded as an 
October variety. A large batch of the bronzy- 
yellow Ryecroft Glory was an ample demonstration 
of the value of this variety fcr supplying quantities 
of cut flower. The bronzy-yellow flowers are in 
great favour with the public, and find a ready sale. 
The reflexed creamy-yellow flowers of Elsie are 
both distinct and handsome, but unless stopping is 
well looked a'ter the plants are apt to assume a tall 
and some ungainly appearance. It is, however, 
very useful for cutting. The old Elaine is hardly 
ever grown as a show flower now, but an extensive 
batch of plants of it in floriferous condition reminded 
us that as a decorative variety it is by no means 
superseded. Noces d'Or is likewise a great success 
in the guise of a bush plant, and should be more 
frequently grown in this way. 
- » •- 
TRIALS AT CHISWICK. 
The Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society met at Chiswick on Friday the 22nd inst., and 
made awards of XXX to each of the undermentioned 
zonal Pelargoniums and early flowering Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, with the exception of ChrysanthemumMadame 
F. de Cariel, which was accorded an Award of Merit. 
The Pelargoniums were grown in pots ; the Chry¬ 
santhemums were planted in the open border. 
Zonal Pelargoniums. 
Iseult - This dwarf-habited variety has leaves of 
moderate size, with a dark zone. The individual 
flowers are of great size, circular, very freely pro¬ 
duced, and of an oraDge-scarlet hue overlying 
salmon-pink. Messrs. J. R. Pearson & Sons, Chil- 
well, Notts. 
Zenobia —Flowers large, circular, and of a dark, 
glowing scarlet. The habit of the plant is dwarf, 
and the leaves are marked with a faint zone. It is 
a bold and striking variety. Messrs. J. R. Pearson 
and Sons. 
Miss Joliffe. —Amongst the pale varieties this is 
certainly very handsome and attractive, the huge, 
circular flowers being of a pleasing soft pink, but 
paler or almost white on the base of the two upper 
petals. The zone on the leaf is dark at first but gets 
pale as the leaves get old. Mr. W. Brooks, Weston- 
super-Mare. 
Le Comte de Lisle. —The plants of this showy 
and floriferous variety were much taller than the rest, 
being evidently older. The flowers are of good form, 
moderate in size, and scarlet with a pink eye or 
centre. M. Lemoine, Nancy, France. 
Lilacina. —The leaves in this case are wholly 
green. The huge, circular flowers are of a charming, 
rich, lilac-pink, with two white blotches at the base 
of the upper petals. Captain Holford, Westonbirt, 
Gloucestershire. 
Le Rhone. —Leaves quite zoneless. Flowers 
carmine-purple or pink and purple, with a scarlet 
edge and two white blotches at the base of the upper 
petals. It is a handsome and distinct variety. Messrs. 
H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent. 
