154 
November 6, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
at night and giving a little heat. When the wood is 
ripened the last two growths made during the season 
are cut entirely away to get the young shoots from 
old and firm wood. Six weeks’ rest is sufficient, 
after which the plants will be started again in 
January to bloom in March. 
We next came upon a house of Niphetos, the 
growth of which was just commencing. All possible 
a'ir is given while the plants are making growth and 
flowering. Madame Lambard, the well-known Tea. 
was fragrant and beautiful in another span-roofed 
house 
Cannas constitute another speciality, several 
houses being filled with them. Many of them were 
flowering freely. Mr. James Bailey is deeply 
suffused and spotted with crimson-lake on a yellow 
ground. William Tolfts is a magnificent variety 
of a handsome rich salmon-orange, with a narrow 
yellow edge. It is named in compliment to the 
grower of the Cannas. Souvenir de Antony Crozy 
is a glowing, fiery, crimson-scarlet with a yellow 
edge. George Paul (Crozy) is a handsome salmon- 
orange variety. Sir Trevor Lawrence is blotched 
and variegated with red on a yellow ground. The 
house had been in full bloom for two months pre¬ 
vious to our visit, and many of the spikes had been 
cut. Truly the Cannas are a grand race. New 
varieties and some old ones fill a lean-to structure. 
Many of the new ones had just been imported. They 
make the best crowns for division in pots, and are so 
grown. The Orchid flowering race of Cannas was 
represented by Italia, with flowers of enormous size. 
In a third house we noted George Paul and Souvenir 
du President Carnot, two of the best Cannas having 
dark foliage and good flowers. 
Good pot Vines monopolise a house. Not far off 
we came upon Cypripedium Charlesworthii, C. 
spicerianum and other species in small pots for cut 
flower purposes. Nerine Fothergilli and several 
other sorts were commencing to flower. 
Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 
Next to the Roses in importance comes the extensive 
collection of trees and shrubs. In front of a hedge was 
a collection of Rhododendrons in pots. Many of them 
have been raised from R. Fortunei, including Mrs. 
Thiselton Dyer, with huge soft pink flowers. There 
were some forms of the White R. nobleanum. 
Hybrids are being raised from R. Smirmoroi. R. 
Duchess of York comes from R. Fortunei and bears 
huge salmon-pink, fragrant flowers. Carpenteria 
californica on a high and dry bank against a south 
wall succeeds well. 
Near some propagating pits are collections of 
Clematis, hybrids of C. Flamnula, C. Viticella, and 
many others of an interesting character. Cotone- 
aster horizontalis is scarlet with berries. Here also 
is a collection of all the best Ivies, of which Hedera 
amurensis has very large leaves belonging to the 
same type as H. dentata. 
Away to the north of the glasshouses the nursery 
widens out, becoming much more extensive; and 
here the trees and shrubs, including Roses, are 
grown in quantity and great variety. Besides 
squares and plantations in various parts of the 
ground, there is a border ^ mile long planted with a 
single specimen of each tree and shrub in the 
collection. To get acquainted with every species 
and variety here is in itself a liberal education. On 
this occasion we can only mention a few of the 
choice and rare things picked up here and there, 
Cedrus atlantica aurea and C. a. glauca are excellent 
subjects that make vigorous growth here. The 
colour of the foliage is indicated by the name, but 
they need only to be seen to be appreciated. The 
weeping Cedar of Atlas (C. a. pendula) is worked on 
a stem 6 ft. high. C. Libani nana, though twenty 
years old, is only 3 ft. high. There is a grand 
specimen of the Japan Lilac (Syringa japonica) in the 
form of a standard. The variegated Portugal Laurel 
has bright red stems and silvery edges to the leaves, 
the contrast beiDg strikingly handsome. Young 
plants of Abies nordmanniana pendula are small but 
very pretty. The weeping Douglas Fir (Pseudo, 
tsuga Douglasii pendula) is also a very handsome 
thing. Abies nordmanniana nana, though many 
years old, forms little evergreen tufts hugging the 
ground, and would be very serviceable for the 
rockery. Dwarfing, as the Japanese manipulate it, 
is unnecessary in this case. Abies Pinsapo is well 
known, but A. P. glauca is uncommon and has 
silvery, glaucous foliage. 
The Lucombe and Fulham Oaks—sub-evergreen 
varieties of Quercus Cerris, worthily find a place in 
the collection. The Austrian Oak (Q. austriacus) 
has evergreen leathery leaves. Cupressus lawsoniana 
erecta lutea originated here, and though the trees 
are yet small, we think there is an important future 
before it, The Cheshunt Aucuba turned up in a batch 
of 2,000 seedlings, being the best amongst them. 
It has more regularly blotched foliage than the 
common one, and is very handsome on that account. 
The other named varieties are also grown here, 
including the very distinct Aucuba japonica longi- 
folia, with long narrow leaves. The Dovaston Yew 
is an old and well-known variety ; but more interest¬ 
ing is Taxus baccata viridis pendula, which has 
drooping branches, and lighter, more pleasing green 
foliage. Negundo aceroides robusta has less of the 
silvery variegation than the ordinary variegated 
form, but it gains immensely in vigour and hardiness, 
being better adapted for the climate of the north of 
England and Scotland, and valuable in that respect. 
Roses, 
As we have already stated, are the most important 
and prominent speciality of the Old Nurseries, being 
grown by the thousand in all the best and most 
interesting varieties. The Dawson Rose is a hybrid 
between Rosa multiflora and General Jacqueminot, 
and is making fine growth, but has not yet flowered. 
Seedlings have been raised from Crimson Rambler, 
and the only one yet bloomed proved to be single. 
As the flowers are produced in autumn there are 
hopes that an autumn flowering race will yet result 
from this popular type. 
There is an experimental garden for dwarf and 
pillar Roses; but on the occasion of our visit, the 
great centre of attraction was the open field where 
fresh Roses could be gathered by thousands, and 
were being gathered more or less daily. Though we 
have seen Roses at Christmas, never before have we 
witnessed such a display in the open during October. 
Many classes, single and double, were represented ; 
but the beauty, delicacy, variety of colour, and pro¬ 
fusion of bloom on the Hybrid Teas were an eye- 
opener. The hybrid perpetuals are not in it with 
this new race. The hybrid Teas have already taken 
hold of the public in this country as they have in 
America, and we have every reason to believe that 
their cultivation will be greatly extended in a few 
years. 
Hybrid Teas are the Roses par excellence for the cut 
flower basket. A number of very handsome varieties 
were honoured with Awards of Merit from the Royal 
Horticultural Society during the past summer, and 
well they deserved it. Descriptions of these will be 
found in the pages of The Gardening World for 
July and August last, with an illustration of Souvenir 
du President Carnot (Vol. XIII., p. 729). That and 
Camoens, one of the earliest raised, were full of buds 
and blossom in all stages. Gustave Regis is a yellow 
of the same type. The bright carmine-red Mme. la 
Marquise Litta is charming. Many others of equal 
value could be mentioned, not forgetting the chaste 
white Kaiserin Augusta Victoria so well shown at the 
Crystal Palace last summer. The rosy-carmine 
Mme. Abel Chatenay is a continuous bloomer. 
A trio of Noisettes, namely Mme. P. Cochet, Wm. 
Allan Richardson and Alister Stella Gray, were in 
full bloom. The salmon and yellow China Rose 
Mme. E. Resal is very choice indeed. 
Garden Roses are a special feature of these 
nurseries, and we noted only a few of the many to be 
seen. Rosa rugosa atropurpurea is velvety crimson 
and the darkest of this type. Rosa sacta is the 
oldest recorded Rose in the world, being identical with 
dried specimens in mummy cases. It has fragrant, 
single, pink flowers akin to R. gallica. This interest- 
Rose is described by M. Crepin in his monograph of 
the genus. The hybrid Wichuriana Roses have 
already found a home here. There is a variegated 
one amongst them. Deliciously fragrant are the 
double blooms of Rose des Parfumiers. A hybrid 
raised from Rosa rugosa crossed with R. humilis is 
a perpetual bloomer with deep rose flowers. Crimson 
Rambler crossed with a Tea has given rise to 
seedlings which promise to be perpetual bloomers. 
Here also we noted the yellow rambler, Aglaia, the 
single R. nitida aod R. lucida, with a purple-leaved 
variety of the latter named R. 1 . Vivid. A cross 
between Crimson Pillar and a Tea variety has given 
a seedling with lemon flowers. Very interesting 
and pretty are the Darned varieties of the Scotch 
Rose with double flowers. In a plantation of Roses 
planted out at the end of April last we noted many 
that had made enormous growth, including Mrs. 
Paul, a Bourbon Rose, with blush flowers. It has 
made stems 8 ft. to 10 ft. high. The soil here is a 
stiff brick earth, and we noted some being trenched, 
while fresh material had been carted on the ground 
to mix with it. Finer soil for Roses could hardly be 
desired. 
ORCHIDS AT MAIDA VALE. 
Though the Chrysanthemum season is now in full 
swing, yet Orchids claim a place in our pages, par¬ 
ticularly these which are now in season. Therefore, 
while busy amongst the Chrysanthemums we made a 
call upon Mr. P. McArthur, The London Nurseries, 
4, Maida Vale, London, W. Chrysanthemums are 
grown here, but only for the sake of cut flowers in 
which Mr. P. McArthur carries on an increasing 
business. They are grown in bush form, both late 
and early batches keeping up a supply. 
The flowering pieces of Cattlaya labiata are bright 
and varied, and amongst them we noted a handsome 
variety with light sepals and petals, and a very 
highly coloured lip, edged with white. Other fine 
things are Dendrobium formosum giganteum, and 
D. Phalaenopsis schroierianum in small pans and 
showing a great variety of rich colours. Here we 
find pieces of Coelogyne cristata alba in baskets. C. 
schilleriana, grown on a piece of board, is a rare 
plant. 
Numerous Cypripediums are flowering at present, 
including C, polystigmaticum, C. harrisianum super¬ 
bum, C. insigne Chantinii, with large blotches, C. i. 
Maulei, and a variety with remarkably long segments, 
ail of them being more drawn out than usual. There 
are several distinct forms of C. radiosum, including 
one with yellow petals (see under “ Orchid Notes 
and Gleanings,” C. Charlesworthii shows even 
more variation, one having a large purple dorsal 
sepal; another a large blush dorsal sepal darkening 
at the base, but entirely without the usual tessellated 
or checkered markings, and very distinct. A third 
very pretty variety has a dark upper sepal deepen¬ 
ing to crimson at the base. C. crossianum (insigne 
x venustum) has a yellow dorsal sepal, spotted with 
brown in lines. There are two pieces of a variety of 
C. insigne each bearing twin flowers, in one case at 
least, bearing a double lip, and a leaf at the top of 
the scape. The variety is remarkable for its nearly 
black flower stalk, about twice as thick as usual, A 
variety of C. Boxalli has very black blotches on the 
dorsal sepal and wonderfully broad petals. Very 
fine also is C. Ashburtoniae, with huge finely 
blotched and marked flowers on scapes 18 in. high. 
Here also we noted a fine batch of the pretty C- 
Exul. 
Many rare or uncommon things find a place here, 
amongst them being the pretty Coelogyne fimbriata 
with pale yellow flowers and a dark fringed lip. The 
soft blush-violet flowers of Odontoglossum Krammeri - 
are also very choice. Equally rare is O. Insleayi 
splendens with soft chestnut sepals and petals and a 
yellow lip margined with crimson spots. The blue 
Orchid (Dendrobium Victoriae Reginae) is also in 
bloom, together with Laelia pumila praestans in 
variety. A healthy vigorous batch of Chysis aurea 
gives promise of flowering well presently. The same 
may be said of that remarkable Orchid Uropedium 
Lindeni, of which there was an importation of 2,000. 
Many of them died on the way home, the rest being 
now well established. 
Oncidium varicosum Rogersii is a seasonable and 
useful species. Amongst a colony of various species 
of Miltonia we noted M. cuneata major throwing up 
its flower spikes. Cattleya Mossiae, in quantity, and 
C. percivaliana superba are in sheath. The pretty 
Dendrobium fytehianum is present in a quantity of 
healthy vigorous pieces grown in baskets. The stems 
and leaves of the rare Vanda teres gigantea are twice 
as thick as those of the type along side of it. Cypri¬ 
pedium lathamianum, C. nitens and other valuable 
hybrids are throwing up their flower scapes. A 
choice and uncommon thing in its way is Cypripe¬ 
dium Charlesworthii having a pure white dorsal 
sepal. 
Amongst Cattleyas and Laelias now in sheath are 
some valuable forms, including a huge piece of Laelia 
tenebrosa, in a large pot, and bearing many sheaths. 
It is a fine dark variety. L. anceps and its varieties 
will be grand presently. L. elegans and L. e. alba 
have flowered and the correctness of the names sub¬ 
stantiated. Very choice are Cattleya Schroderae 
