216 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 3, 1898. 
Hints for ||mateurs. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Spidery and Feathery Varieties. —The curious has 
a great fascination for many people, so much so 
indeed that things that are beautiful merely are often 
pushed on one side and neglected for the sake of 
something that excites some amount of curiosity by 
reason of its novelty, although it may not possess 
any great share of beauty. 
In the case of what are not inaptly termed spidery 
Chrysanthemums we have a case in point. They 
constitute a perfectly distinct section of the Autumn 
Queen and one that will surely be added to very 
considerably in the course of the next two or three 
years. 
Undoubtedly it was the distinctness of this 
breakaway from the usual run, added to a certain 
curiosity of appearance that caused the first spidery 
varieties to be so well received, but there is a more 
solid reason than this why they should be grown ex¬ 
tensively, and that is that they come in wonderfully 
well for cutting from. Several of the sorts possess 
capital habit and are very free bloomers, and this 
has stood them in good stead after the novelty has 
worn off. 
At the present time these spidery varieties are 
placed in the decorative division. The word decora¬ 
tive in itself is somewhat vague and misleading, for 
all Chrysanthemums are decorative. The meaning 
generally attached to it, however, is that it means a 
variety whose flowers are not big enough for the 
showboard, but which, when the plants are grown in 
bush form, are valuable for cutting. Even this does 
not embrace the whole truth, for there are several 
show sorts, such, for instance, as Souvenir d'une 
Petite Amie, Phoebus and M. Wm. Holmes that are 
commonly grown as bush plants, and, therefore, 
come well into the decorative section. 
We have as yet no special class in our Chrysanth¬ 
emum exhibitions for spidery Chrysanthemums, but 
they commonly make their appearance amongst the 
sheaves of small flowers that are to be seen in mis¬ 
cellaneous and representative groups at the Novem¬ 
ber shows. 
The undermentioned are some of the most notable 
of these so-called spidery varieties. 
Golden Shower. —In this we have one of the latest 
arrivals and one that has caused a gentle flutter of 
interest. It has been shown this year by Mr. J. H. 
Witty, of Nunhead Cemetery. When it made its first 
appearance, onNovember T4th, before the Floral Com¬ 
mittee of the National Chrysanthemum Society at the 
Royal Aquarium, a prominent member of that com¬ 
mittee suggested, amidst a spasm of laughter from 
his colleagues that it was " an instance of Chrysanth¬ 
emums gone mad.” On that occasion only flowers 
were shown, and as the rule governing the action 
of the committee states that a plant must be shown 
before any decorative variety submitted can be dealt 
with, it was passed, although there was a sort of 
lingering feeling that there might be something in it. 
A week later, i.e., onNovember 21st, the same variety 
was sent up again, this time with a plant, in accord¬ 
ance with the rules, but the verdict was once more 
unfavourable. The next day, November 22nd, 
Golden Shower appeared before the Floral Com¬ 
mittee of the Royal Horticultural Society at the 
Drill Hall, when Mr. Witty’s labours were 
rewarded and an Award of Merit bestowed upon it. 
This was rather unaccountable, for the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society, as a rule, is not in love with curios 
but committees, like individuals, have their weak 
moments. The flower is composed of a great num¬ 
ber of thread-like florets which hang down for their 
whole length. The colour is bronzy-yellow, flushed, 
more or less, with crimson-chestnut. Unfortunately 
these flowers present the appearance of being dead 
or in a dying state as soon as they commence to lose 
a little of their colour, and this fact will, undoubtedly, 
militate a good deal against the popularity of the 
variety. The habit of the plant, too, is rough and 
straggling, and taking ;t altogether I should not 
recommend the variety very strongly. 
What Ho !—This exclamatory sort of name is not 
inappropriate as applied to this variety, which is cal¬ 
culated to elicit some exclamations of surprise from 
those beholding it for the first time. It was shown 
by Mr, Witty, in company with Golden Shower, on 
both the 14th and 21st November at the Royal 
Aquarium, and shared the same luck, or want of luck, 
as that variety. It also appeared at the Drill Hall 
on the 22nd ult., but the Royal Horticultural 
Society did not regard it with favour. In appear¬ 
ance this flower is even more distinct than Golden 
Shower. The florets that go to make up the flower 
head are light yellow, comparatively few in number, 
but long, stout, and tubular. They also droop for 
almost their whole length, their very weight bringing 
them down. The most curious part about them is, 
however, that they are curled up tightly at the ends, 
these curls being composed of from three to five 
turns. The habit of the plant is tall and rather 
straggling. but it presents an exceedingly distinct 
appearance with five or six medium-sized flowers. 
I have no exact knowledge as to the behaviour of 
either Golden Shower or What Ho ! under bush 
treatment, but I do not expect that they will prove 
very tractable. 
Mrs. J. Carter.—This is one of the prettiest of 
the older forms, and one that comes in splendidly 
for table decoration. The flowers are of medium 
size, and light sulphur in hue, becoming lighter with 
age. The florets are much divided up, presenting 
the appearance individually of miniature stag’s 
horns. The habit is fairly dwarf and bushy, for the 
plants run from 3 ft. to 3J ft. in height, and as each 
plant produces a lot of flowers, upon which it is 
possible to cut and come again, this is a very profit¬ 
able variety to grow. The only drawback, perhaps, 
is the colour, which is too light, and inclined to be 
washy. 
Mrs. Filkins.' —In style of bloom this comes very 
close to Mrs. J. Carter, and there is also a great 
similarity in the height and general habit of fhe 
plant. The colour, however, is a rich, full, yellow, 
and in this respect, at least, Mrs. Filkins has nothing 
to beat it in the section, for the yellow is of that hue 
that looks as well under artificial as natural light, 
and this is of considerable importance where table 
decorations are concerned. Taking it all round, 
Mrs. Filkins is one of the best of all varieties in¬ 
cluded in the section, and should find a place in 
every collection. 
King of the Plumes represents a larger and 
heavier type of flower, but the notching and dividing 
of the florets is still fully as evident as it is in the 
smaller blooms. It is more effective for massing in 
large vases than the smaller flowers, especially when 
the plants have been subjected to a certain amount 
of disbudding, which in this case pays. The height 
of the plants is about 3 ft., and the habit is bushy 
and sturdy. The colour of the flowers is a rich 
golden-yellow, deeper and richer than that seen in 
Mrs. Filkins. 
Mrs. W. Butters. —White flowers are always in 
request, no matter at what period of the year they 
are forthcoming, and no matter how much we may 
admire the rich yellow, we always turn with pleasure 
to the pure white. This is not entirely the result of 
the pleasing contrast or variety that the chaDge 
affords, for there is something intrinsically attractive 
in a white flower. We may not be able to analyse 
this attraction, but it exists all the same. In Mrs. 
W. Butters we have a pure white variety with large 
flowers—larger than those usually to be seen in this 
section, The plant does well whether disbudded to 
some extent or left to produce as many buds, and de¬ 
velop as many flowers as Nature wills. The individual 
florets are very large, and of great substance, the 
divisions themselves being of considerable size. The 
result is that a cut spray presents a particularly 
" fluffy ” appearance that at once seals its popularity 
with the ladies. There is, no doubt, that in the 
future this will be largely grown for market pur¬ 
poses, for already, at the various exhibitions at 
which it has appeared, it has created a very favour¬ 
able impression. 
If only these varieties can be grown, Mrs. Filkins, 
Mrs. J. Carter, and Mrs. W. Butters would be our 
selection. These will be found vastly superior to 
any of the pompons for cut flower purposes, and, in¬ 
deed, it is extremely probable that these spidery 
forms are destined to very largely take the place of 
the pompons for this kind of work.— 'Mum. 
[Mrs. Filkins, Souvenir de Madame G. Eynard, 
and Silk Twist three “spidery," varieties were 
figured in The Gardening World, Vol. xiii., p. 
151. Ed.] 
■Jasminum nudiflorum is already gay on walls. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page 
Anyone 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. 
Chrysanthemum Cuttings.— R. S.O. : If we have a 
fairly mild winter, you would probably be able to get 
plenty of cuttings, although they might be late, from 
the plants in the open ground, for the plants them¬ 
selves are hardy enough, although the flowers can¬ 
not stand the frost. This system, however, is too 
precarious to follow if you want good plants. We 
should advise you, therefore, to cut down the old 
plants, and lift the stools with a fair proportion of 
roots and earth attached, transporting them to a 
place under glass. If no better place offers, they 
may be placed on the inside border of the vinery, for 
they will get plenty of light there, although they 
would be rather far from the glass, and the cuttiDgs 
would be rather drawn, as a natural consequence. 
The best place for them is a low pit or Melon house, 
where they can be brought near the glass. Cover 
the roots with any old soil—as loDg as it is sweet 
and free from rubbish it will do. You will find that 
under such conditions the plants will throw up any 
amount of cuttings which, being wiry, will root 
very readily. 
Single Chrysanthemums.— J. C.L .: According to 
the rules of the N.C.S. a variety is not admissible 
as a “ single,’’ if the flower has more than two rows 
of guard or ray florets. Your plant would, there¬ 
fore, not pass muster as a single. With regard to 
your suggestion, that the practice of pulling out the 
the supernumery florets until the flower agrees with 
the conditions being a common one, we are aware 
that it has been done, but cannot say that it is a 
common practice. We hope it is not. Of course, 
in dressing an incurved bloom, coarse and un¬ 
necessary florets are pulled out by the manipulator, 
but this is rather a different thing to the wholesale 
removal of florets you speak of, at least, a judge 
would undoubtedly regard it as such if he could 
prove that it had been done. Accusations of this 
kind are easy to make, however, but difficult to 
prove, unless the variety is known. 
Aspidistra turning Yellow.—Ego : There is evi¬ 
dently something amiss with the root action of your 
plant. Probably worms are present, and if so, this 
would account for the trouble. Knock the plant 
gently out of the pot—this can be done without dis¬ 
turbing the roots in any way—and examine the ball, 
If traces of any worms are discovered the intruders 
may be removed by means of a pointed stick. You 
will probably find the drainage blocked, and the soil 
inclined to be sour. You must clear the drainage of 
the obstruction, and subsequently give the plant 
rather less water than you have been giving of late. 
Next spring, say about the end of March, you may 
shift the plant into another pot, and give it fresh soil. 
Marguerite Carnations — Marguerite : You pro¬ 
bably did not sow the Carnation seed soon enough 
last year; hence the lateness of flowering. The 
abnormal season may also have had something to do 
with it. You can certainly put out your plants in 
the open next spring, say about the beginning of 
March, but we do not think you will gain anything 
by it. They would flower about July, a good deal 
earlier than they did last year, but the flowers would 
most likely be comparatively poor. The best way is 
to raise plants from seed, for young plants bloom 
much better than old ones. Generally speaking, it 
takes about six months from the date of sowing to 
have the plants in bloom. If you have any particular 
varieties amongst your plants that you would like to 
keep, you may propagate them by layers in the same 
way as the ordinary border Carnations are treated. 
Nepenthes Blooming. — I have a plant of 
Nepenthes hookeriana that is in flower. It has 
never flowered before. Is it an unusual occurrence ? 
— C. G. 
It is not unusual for Nepenthes to flower in this 
country, but the plants do not commence to flower 
very early in their life, and when they do it is usually 
a sign that their useful days, from a decorative point 
of view, are over, as once they produce flowers they 
invariably become straggling in habit, and the 
pitchers deteriorate in size and colour. 
