362 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 5, 1898. 
to the vast population. I inquired of Mr. Burn if 
much damage was done by the frequenters of the 
parks. " Nothing at all worth speaking of,” was his 
ready reply; “ the public protect their property, 
which is made for their enjoyment, in a manner 
creditable to themselves. — Alfred Outram, F.R H.S., 
7, Moore Park Road, Fulham, London. 
- 1 — - 
ARDARROCH, DUNDEE. 
This, the town residence of Ex-P/ovost Ballingall, of 
Dundee, is situated in a prominent position high 
above the level of the Tay and the city itself, thus 
commanding a fine view of the latter as well as a 
long reach of the Tay and the opposite or Fife side of 
the river. The Constitution Grounds, a public 
resort under the care of the Corporation, occupy the 
steep hill side and a terrace at a lower level than 
Ardarroch. 
Last autumn we passed through the latter place with 
Mr. William Kennedy, who has championed the 
cause of the Chrysanthemum in this locality for 
some years past, particularly by growing and 
exhibiting trained specimens. The stove contains 
various fine foliage plants such as Crotons, 
Dracaenas, Maranta bicolor and other useful sub¬ 
jects. Late in the season as it was, we noted a 
number of Orchids in bloom, including Cypripedium 
lawrenceanum, with twin flowers; C. insigne, in 
variety ; Miltonia spectabilis, and Masdevallia 
tovarensis. One variety of C. insigne was notable for 
its curiously ribbed lip. The species proves well 
adapted for cultivation in a smoky place like Dundee, 
for Ardarroch is quite within the influence of the 
sooty atmosphere notwithstanding its elevated site. 
One house is occupied with an interesting bit of 
rockwork in the style executed by Messrs. Pulham& 
Sons, Broxbourne, Herts, with whose work we are 
familiar in various parts of the country. Ferns were 
originally planted amongst other subjects on the 
rockery, but now the artificial stonework is covered 
with self sown seedlings everywhere, including fine 
pieces of Adiantum Capillus-Veneris springing from 
the bare rocks. The benches on one side of the 
house are chiefly occupied with A. cuneatum grown 
for the sake of cut fronds. There are other 
Adiantums, Woodwardia . radicans, Aspleniums, 
Scolopendriums, Nephrolepis, Ficus repens, and F. r. 
minima, occupying the pockets, and creeping over 
the stony surface at random. 
The conservatory comes more nearly in line with 
the front of the mansion, and is a moderately high, 
cool, airy, structure of neat and ornamental design. 
Some of the more permanent occupants of this house 
are large specimens of Cibotium, Dicksonia antarc- 
tica, Chamaerops Fortunei, and other subjects to 
supply the necessary greenery. There were also 
plants of Clivia miniata and C. cyrtanthiflora. A 
large specimen of the latter has been in the same pot 
for the last eleven years,and flowers regularly twice a 
year, being in bloom when we saw it. There seemed 
nothing in the pots but a dense mass of roots. The 
house was brightened with large specimens of Chry¬ 
santhemums in full bloom. Viviand Morel carried 
two dozen large blooms on a plant. The incurved 
Mrs. Dixon was equally well flowered, as were Mrs. 
George Rundle, Mary Anderson, and other varieties 
grown and trained with great care, purely for bright¬ 
ening the conservatory and decorative purposes in 
the mansion itself during the dull days of autumn. 
We were particularly taken with Mary Anderson for 
this kind of work, the flowers being very numerous, 
large and of snowy purity. The garden is rather re¬ 
stricted in area on this hillside,and quite inadequate 
to accommodate the plants requisite to meet the 
needs of the establishment, consequently there is a 
range of houses at 
St. Mary's Terrace. 
Plants of a varied description are grown here for use 
at Ardarrock. The glass at St. Mary’s Terrace is on 
a lower terrace and more under the influence of 
smoke, though there is a beautifully wooded park on 
the north side, and stretching up the hillside. Here 
again Chrysanthemums were in full swing, both as 
bushes for decorative work and for large exhibition 
blooms. The pure white flowers of H. Shoesmith 
are very graceful and useful for cutting. Others that 
prove useful for decorative work are Mrs. West 
Harris, single, crimson and pretty ; Elsie Burden, 
silvery-blush ; Snowdrop and Mary Anderson, both 
Very florifefdus ; Mrs. E. D, Adams, valuable for late 
decorative work ; Puritan and Niveus, white sorts; 
Golden Ring, Lord Brooke, W. H. Lincoln, and 
many other sorts usually grown for exhibition blooms. 
They have been selected by Mr. Kennedy to keep up 
a long continued supply of flowers, and many of 
them were only showing their buds. The latest to 
_ bloom here is Mrs. Langtry, a single variety with 
pink flowers. The buds were only beginning to show 
themselves in November, and are expected to ex¬ 
pand in April next. 
For exhibition blooms the Japanese varieties are 
the most popular. Only some of them like the 
atmospheric conditions here, but all have to be tried 
to determine which of them will stand the ordeal of 
being grown into large blooms. For instance, M. 
Pankoucke, King of Chrysanthemums, Niveus, 
Nyanza, and Mrs. W. H. Lees do not give satisfac¬ 
tion, though Niveus takes very high rank for decora¬ 
tive work when not disbudded. On the other hand 
Surprise, Le Verseau, Mrs. E. D. Adams, Florence 
Davis, Van den Heede, G. C. Schwabe, Marie Hoste, 
Charles Davis, Viviand Morel, Miss Maggie Blen- 
kiron, Madame Ricoud, and various others prove 
quite tractable and grow to large size. It is also 
interesting to see how they vary in colour, and some¬ 
times even in form in this northern latitude, with its 
cool and moist atmosphere in summer. 
More than one house was filled with Chrysanth¬ 
emums, but as the bulk of them had finished bloom¬ 
ing and been taken away, Tea Roses in pots for 
forcing were introduced to their place. Heated 
frames were filled with Hippeastrums, Dendrobes, 
Cypripediums, Coelogynes, &c. Another set of 
frames was filled with Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissi, 
and other bulbs for forcing ; but at that time they 
were plunged in ashes. 
While passing through the frame grounds we 
noted that Choisya ternata and Deutzia gracilis 
prove hardy here ; while Francoa ramosa and Aga- 
panthus umbellatus are almost hardy. Tomatos 
and Figs are also grown in some quantity at St. 
Mary's Terrace in summer. 
—- m*. - 
READING AND DISTRICT GARDENERS. 
“ Strawberries from seed, or the cultivation of the 
Alpine Strawberry’’ was the subject of a paper read 
by Mr. James Hudson, of Gunnersbury, before the 
members of the above association on the 24th ult., 
in the club room, British Workman, when Mr. C. B. 
Stevens presided over a good attendance of members. 
The subject was certainly a new one, and perhaps 
the first time that a paper on this particular fruit has 
been given before a gardeners’ association. In the 
discussion which followed, all the members taking 
part had to plead ignorance of the cultivation of the 
Alpine Strawberry ; but after what the lecturer said 
in its favour, and the fact that a dish of Strawberries 
during September and October would be a great 
addition to the dessert, as well as being greatly 
appreciated by employers, many of the gardeners 
present will, no doubt, be giving this variety a trial. 
Mr. Hudson, in introducing his subject, said ;— 
The Alpine Strawberry is, at the present day, a com¬ 
parative stranger in many gardens, both large and 
small, but he was fully persuaded that when it is 
given a fair trial, a great majority of gardeners will 
be disposed to extend its cultivation. The culture is 
of the simplest, and given weight for weight upon the 
same space of ground, the “ Alpines " will not be one 
whit behind that of the average crop of other Straw¬ 
berries. The real success of the culture of the 
Alpine Strawberry is in the raising of one’s own 
seedlings or in the purchasing of seedlings. The 
French adopt the plan of growing their stock from 
seed, but it is only within the last few years that 
English firms have catalogued the seed, although the 
plants from runners are, as a rule, offered in most of 
our Strawberry lists in a similar way to the large 
fruited varieties. This plan of offering the runners 
instead of the seed did nothing for, but rather acted 
against, any extended culture. 
After dealing fully with the system of cultivation 
carried out at Gunnersbury, the speaker gave much 
valuable advice as to soils and their adaptability for 
growing Alpine Strawberries, also the position most 
suitable. As to varieties, the Alpine Strawberry, as 
it was known only a few years back, must not be 
taken as the present day standard of this fruit. The 
two varieties best for general cultivation are Royal 
Ameliore and Sutton's Large Red Alpine. The 
former produces fruits 2 in. long, whilst the latter, 
although not quite so large, is equal to it in every 
other respect, and with some it would be preferred 
because of its more handsome shape. Other varieties 
worth growing are Belle de Meaux, colour of the 
deepest red, and flavour first rate; Berger Improved, 
a variety very highly thought of by French growers ; 
and Large White Alpine, which, on account of its 
colour, makes a pleasing change for the dessert. A 
hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Hudson for 
his interesting paper. A box, containing some 120 
to 140 spikes of well-grown Lily of the Valley, many 
of the spikes having fourteen or fifteen bells each, 
was shown by Messrs. Rigg & Fixter, the Nurseries, 
Caversham, and attracted great attention. Eight 
new members were elected. 
- » ■- 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
Odontoglossum crispum norwoodense, Nov. 
var. —The flowers of this variety are of large size, 
and round in outline,with broad .overlapping segments 
of a pure white, slightly tinted with rose on the back 
of some of them. The sepals are broadly elliptic, 
with a chestnut blotch in the centre. The triangular 
petals are deeply jagged at the edges, with or without 
the chestnut blotch. The lip has a large chestnut-red 
blotch in front of the crest, and numerous small ones 
scattered over both the white and yellow ground. 
The variety is flowering for the second time in the 
collection of Thos. McMeekin, Esq., Falkland Park, 
South Norwood Hill, and is of great decorative 
value. The massiveness of the flower, and the pure 
white ground colour are its most striking charac¬ 
teristics. 
Cypripedium Mrs. Caroline Alien, Nov. hyb. 
var .—The flowers of this hybrid variety are of great 
size, measuring something like 6| in. across the 
petals. All parts of the flower look as if varnished, 
a character derived from the parents, namely, C. 
oenanthum superbum x C. villosum. The colour 
is largely due to the former. The dorsal sepal is 
roundly oval, and of a dark brownish or blackish- 
crimson, fading into a prominent network of veins 
towards the top. The margins are white, but what 
is more peculiar is a yellowish-green blotch of large 
size a little below the apex, and in strange contrast 
to the other rich colours. The long, spreading 
petals are of a dark shining brown on the upper 
longitudinal half, and paler on the lower half. The 
lip is also of large size, and dark brown in front. 
This fine variety is now flowering with Mr. P. 
McArthur, The London Nursery, 4, Maida Vale, 
London, W. 
Cypripedium W. A. Allen, Nov. hyb. var.^—‘ This 
is the product of C. harrisianum nigrum, crossed 
with the pollen of C. villosum, and largely reflects 
the character of both parents, but particularly the 
former. The dorsal sepal is of a rich brown, except 
the margins, which are white, and the base and 
apex, which are tinted with green. The lower 
sepal, consisting of the two lateral ones united, con¬ 
stitutes the distinguishing feature of this hybrid 
variety. The organ is about twice the size we should 
expect it to be, and is a distinct attempt at peloria. 
The central portion is nearly white, traversed with 
bright green veins, but a broad border on either side 
is coloured like the dorsal sepal on both faces. If it 
had been separated into two, and wholly coloured 
like the dorsal sepal, the peloria would have been 
complete. The upper longitudinal half of the loDg 
petals and the front of the lip are dark brown. The 
whole of the flower has a varnished appearance. 
The variety has been flowering for some time past 
with Mr. P. McArthur, 4, Maida Vale, London, W. 
Odontoglossum crispum Mendham House 
var., Nov. var .—The top flower of the spike of this 
handsome variety measured about 4 in. across the 
petals when we saw it the other day. The broad 
sepals are beautifully shaded with a soft shade of 
rose, and the petals are similarly tinted, but differ in 
being broadly ovate and deeply jagged at the margins. 
The three colours of the lip make a fine finish to a 
beautiful flower. It has a large golden disc, a large 
chestnut blotch in front of this, with a few smaller 
ones, the ground colour being white. The variety 
was secured for fifteen guineas at the Sale Rooms of 
Messrs. Protheroe & Morris by Mr. G. E. Day, 
gardener to H. J. Simonds, Esq., Mendham House, 
Park Place, Leyton, Essex. Mr. Day also netted a 
grand variety of Odontoglossum triumphans for the 
same collection. The golden-yellow sepals and 
petals are richly banded with chestnut-red. The 
lower half of the lip is white, and the rest chestnut- 
red. 
