152 
rHE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 6, 1897. 
||lNTS FOR ||lVIATEURS 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Phoebus. —There is really no colour that is brighter 
and more useful for decorative purposes than yellow. 
Bright days or dull days come all alike to it, and 
when the darkness of night covers all, and the lamps 
are lit, yellow again comes out the best, whether 
beneath the tell-tale electric light, or the more 
plebian gas, or even the self-assertive wax candle. 
This is doubtless the reason why we have so many 
yellow Chrysanthemums, of all sizes, grades, and 
styles of bloom. Particularising, however, it will be 
found that no one of the many yellow varieties has 
more to recommend it than Phoebus. This, like 
many another first-class variety, originated on the 
Continent, having been sent out by M. L. Lacroix in 
1895, so that it is quite a recent introduction. It 
has received a First-class Certificate from the 
National Chrysanthemum Society, and has been 
generally received with favour, so much so, indeed, 
that it bids fair to oust some of the older varieties. 
Of these, perhaps, the most notable instance is W. 
H Lincoln, which has been grown largely for market 
purposes, but which, compared with Phoebus, is 
quite out of the running. The colour of the bloom 
is a rich chrome-yellow. The florets are of medium 
width and considerable length, and there are plenty 
of them, so that there are all the makings of a large 
flower when the plant is grown with that intent. 
The florets droop gracefully for the greater part of 
their length, but curve prettily upwards towards the 
tips. The plant itself is between 4 ft. and 5 ft. in 
height, and of sturdy constitution. Phoebus is one 
of the varieties that an amateur may safely invest in, 
and expect to get a return for his trouble. 
Edith Tabor.—Up to the present time Edith 
Tabor has been one of the successes of the season, 
and has made its appearance in most of the winning 
stands of cut flowers and groups of plants. Its great 
height (6 ft upwards) renders it a first-class subject 
for the back row in a group. The flower may be 
grown to a large size, and exhibits a shade of bright 
canary-yellow. The florets are bro’.d and of great 
substance, and as they hang down almost vertically 
the bloom appears to be of enormous depth. The 
incurving tips of the florets are an additional charm. 
The constitution is good, and the only drawback to 
the variety, as far as amateurs are concerned, is the 
great height. Certainly, Edith Tabor is one of the 
best things ever sent out by Mr. R C. Notcutt, to 
whom we are indebted for it. A First-class Certifi¬ 
cate from the National Chrysanthemum Society has 
been awarded it. 
Lady Hanham. —The popularity of Viviand Morel 
and its handsome sport Chas. Davis has teen fully 
demonstrated upon many a show board throughout 
the kingdom. The build of bloom in both cases 
remains the same, the difference being simply in the 
colour. Truth to tell, both varieties are variable, 
and Viviand Morel especially changes colour, accord¬ 
ing to the bud it is taken on. Thus on the first 
crown it comes white, and on the second crown a 
bright rosy-pink. Then again, the influence of the 
particular locality has to be taken into account, and 
the result is that during the season one may see all 
shades between the two extremes mentioned. In 
Lady Hanham we have a fixed variety, originating 
as a sport irom Viviand Morel, that is practically in¬ 
termediate between Chas. Davis and Viviand Morel, 
exhibiting some of the colour characteristics of each. 
The build of bloom is identical with these two 
varieties. The colour is flesh-pink with a bronzy- 
yellow centre. The bases of the florets also exhibit 
the same shade of bronze-yellow, and, in fact, white, 
yellow, and rose seem to have had a struggle for the 
predominance, the result having been a compromise, 
in which a charming mixture of all three is to be 
seen. The habit and constitution of the plant are 
both gcod, and the variety is altogether easy of 
management. 
Queen of the Earlies.— It may seem to some 
readers that the beginning of November is rather 
late in the season to call attention to the merits of an 
early variety, but Queen of the Earlies has made for 
itself such a great reputation this year both as an 
early and mid-season variety, that no apology is 
needed for bringing it in now. Within the last week 
we have seen grand blooms of it cut from plants 
growing in the open without protection of any sort. 
True it is, that in some localities sharp frosts have 
been experienced, at least, sharp enough to cut down 
Dahlias and other tender stuff of that class, and also 
to cripple any Chrysanthemums that had their buds 
at all forward, but other places seem to have escaped 
this visitation, and out-door Chrysanthemums have, 
as a consequence, had a fine time of it. In Queen of 
the Earlies we get what will probably be found to be 
the best white variety for market work in September 
and the early part of October. We say early part of 
October advisedly, for although the plant has proved 
itself capable of producing excellent flowers in the 
open air up to the end of October, when the weather 
has given it a chance, we must not expect October to 
be as kind to us every year. Now if a variety is to 
suit for market work, the flowers must be of fair size 
be produced in plenty, and be of good colour. Again, 
the habit of the plant must be good, ditto the con¬ 
stitution. Now all these qualities are just what is 
needed in a plant that is to do well with an amateur 
who is just starting to grow Chrysanthemums. 
Coming to particulars we may make special mention 
of the stiff strong stems upon which the flowers are 
borne—a most valuable recommendation in a market 
variety, or indeed in any variety that is grown to 
produce flowers for cutting. The height of the plant 
is from 3 ft. to 3J ft., and it readily assumes the 
spreading bush form that is required if plenty of 
flowers are to be developed. Those who wish to give 
it a trial for pot work will find it wise to disbud to a 
moderate extent, leaving only one bud on each shoot. 
In this way, if stopping during the earlier stages has 
been properly seen to, a good specimen, carrying 
about a score of medium-sized flowers, and with 
leaves right down to the rim of the pet, may be 
obtained. 
Pride of the Market —Whilst dealing with decora¬ 
tive or market varieties, we may well make mention 
of this one. It was shown in excellent condition at 
the meeting of the Floral Committee of the National 
Chrysanthemum Society at the Royal Aquarium on 
the 25th ult., by Mr. Norman Davis, The Vineries, 
Framfield, Sussex. The committee was so impressed 
with its beauty, and evidently free character that a 
First-class Certificate was awarded it as a market 
variety. The blooms are of extra large size for this 
section, and exhibit a rich shade of bronzy chestnut- 
orange. The florets are broad, of great substance, 
and stand well out from each other. The foliage is 
remarkable for its vigour and substantiality. Those 
lovers of the 'Mum who are on the look-out for good 
things in the decorative line, should not lose sight of 
a variety such as this. 
N C.S. Jubilee. —The Jubilee rage dies hard, and 
a remembrance of one of its applications will be 
perpetuated in this variety. The contour and build 
of the flower is not unlike that of Louise, and the size 
is about the same. The colour, however, is totally 
different, being a delicate mauve. Gradually, the 
gaps that separate distinct colours are being bridged 
over by the introduction of varieties representing 
intermediate shades, and in N.C.S. Jubilee we have 
one of the most noteworthy examples of this. The 
variety is worthy of a place in any collection if for 
its colour alone. 
Mrs. S. C. Probin.—This variety and the last 
named were brought before the N.C.S. Committee 
on October 25th, when Mrs. S. C. Probin received 
the First-class Certificate as the better of the two. 
The florets are certainly more massive and incurve 
more strongly, and we should surmise that it has 
more of the makings of a large bloom in it than has 
N.C.S. Jubilee. The colour is a deep mauve with a 
lot of pink in it, so that the difference between it and 
N.C S. Jubilee is marked enough upon comparison. 
There is, indeed, plenty of room for both varieties, as 
they are sufficiently distinct, the one from the other. 
— Rex. 
—-- 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
"Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Pruning Grape Yine. —Could you inform me as to 
the best time to prune an indoor Grape Vine ?— 
H. B. 
You may prune your Vine as soon as the wood is 
fairly ripened. This condition will be sbo*n by the 
fall of all the leaves and the colour of the wood, 
which should be of a light brown. Any time after 
the fall of the leaf and before the swelling of the 
buds in the spring will, therefore, do, but it is cus¬ 
tomary, for the sake of neatness, to have the pruning 
finished before the expiration of December. The 
exact time when the wood is ripe depends entirely 
upon the period of the year, whether late or early, 
at which the Vines were started into growth. 
Unheated House.— Lionel V.: For the border in 
the unheated house we should recommend some good 
bushes of Camellias as the things most likely to give 
satisfaction. The plants will thrive in either loam or 
peat, or in a mixture of the two. You will probably 
find a compost of equal parts of peat and turfy loam 
answer the best. The best time for planting is in 
spring, before growth commences. You may if you 
choose employ Camellias in pots to help fill the 
house until the planted-out subjects have got to a 
good size. These pot plants may be shifted out-of- 
doors in the summer, and their places taken by other 
things. The appearance of the border will thus be 
varied and improved. 
Chrysanthemum Edwin Molyneux. —For the last 
three or four years I have grown this Chrysanthe¬ 
mum, but while other varieties subjected to the same 
treatment have done well, Edwin Molyneux has 
been neatly a failure. The plants never seem to 
become really strong, and I have only been prevented 
year after year from discarding it by seeing good 
blooms of it at shows. Can you suggest any course 
that may improve my chances of success ?— 'Mum. 
We assume that your plants have each year been 
obtained from cuttiDgs taken from the plants that 
have been highly fed The variety of Chrysanthe¬ 
mum under notice has been so extensively grown 
that its constitution has considerably degenerated, 
and propagation during a series of years from highly 
fed plants has had a great deal to do with this. In 
future we should suggest that you take your cuttings 
from plants that have been planted out and have been 
let alone. Such cuttings would be more likely to 
make strong plants. For next year’s supply it might 
be worth while to buy your cuttings or plants from 
a grower in another part of the country. The change 
would probably be beneficial. 
Watering Coelogynea.— Behj. Forbes: Your plants 
certainly do not need very much water now, but you 
must not keep them entirely without, or the pseudo¬ 
bulbs will shrivel. It is a mistake, too, to have them 
standing over the hot-water pipes. Shift them to a 
cooler part of the house, or, better still, to a cooler 
house, if you have dne. A temperature of 50° Fahr. 
is rather higher than they like, for about 45 0 is 
quite warm enough during the winter and while they 
are resting. 
Fuchsias — L. K. : Lift the plants from the garden, 
leaving a fair amount of soil about the roots ; place 
them closely together in a box, and shake a little 
more soil over them. In this condition they may be 
placed in a 'cellar, where they will keep very well 
until the spring. 
Six Chrysanthemums — A. P. South: Of course 
you will show your best blooms in the stand of six 
Japanese, but we should not think it advisable to in¬ 
clude more than one white, or yellow, or, indeed, of 
any other colour. In any case, try and arrange the 
flowers so that the colours that do not go well to¬ 
gether—or that kill each other, to use a common 
term—are not placed in close proximity to each 
other. 
Lilacs. —I have a number of Lilacs in my garden 
which have got too bushy for me. I should like to 
split them up to obtain a few more plants for making 
good a corner of a shrubbery. Will it be of any use 
to try this?— Geo. Williams. 
You may lift the suckers thrown out from the base 
of the stems of the old plants and from the roots. 
There is generally plenty of these. A good strong 
spade will be required, in order that a fair amount of 
roots may be preserved to the suckers. The latter 
may be planted straight away in a corner by them¬ 
selves, where they may stay until they are of the size 
you require. 
Chinese Primulas Damping. — J. R. Johns: You 
have evidently been too free with the watering-pot, 
and this has been the cause of your plants damping. 
Keep your plants rather drier, and do not give any 
more manure until they lose their sickly appear¬ 
ance. 
