22 
September 12, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WOULD. 
coloured flowers, but seldom or never exceeds 4 in. 
in height. 
C. Luciliae and its varieties are the most useful of 
all. The type is a native of Asia Minor and Crete, 
and was brought to this country about the year 1877. 
C. gigantea is a very distinct aDd beautiful plant. 
It is dwarf and robust in habit and has 
one or two deep gentian blue flowers to a scape. 
These blooms are fully twice the size of those of C. 
Luciliae. In habit it is dwarf, yet robust. C. Alleni, 
a comparative novelty, has flowers slightly lighter in 
hue, and the leaves are broader and of greater 
substance. C. sardensis exhibits one of the most 
intense blues it is possible to imagine, and when the 
sun is seen shining upon a patch of it the effect is 
brilliant in the extreme. The white flowered forms 
of C. Luciliae, and C. gigantea are also very pretty, 
and should be grown for the sake of variety. 
Wherever Chionodoxas are planted care should be 
taken that they are not disturbed too frequently, 
every three or four years will be quite sufficient. 
The leaves ripen and die away before the summer is 
far advanced so that they are not in the way of the 
mowing machine when planted on the lawn. 
Chionodoxas force fairly well provided the bulbs are 
allowed to make plenty of roots before being hurried 
on. They may be treated like Hyacinths therefore. 
A compost of equal parts of peat, loam, and sand will 
suit them admirably. 
--- 
FREESIAS. 
Of all the pretty things that the Cape of Good Hope 
has given us there are none that are greater suc¬ 
cesses than the Freesias. Their deliciously fragrant 
flowers are in great request during the dull months 
of the year, and so easily do they adapt themselves 
to pot culture, that by dint of a little management, and 
the growing of several batches, a succession may be 
kept up without trouble from December till March. 
Not only do the blooms look well upon the plants, 
but they last well in water when cut—a most valu¬ 
able property. Then as to size, the first thing that 
strikes one is how disproportionately large the flower 
is as compared to the bulb, which is not nearly so 
large as that of a Snowdrop. In order to grow 
Freesias well the best plan is to shake them out, and 
pot them up afresh each year, about the middle of 
August. This gives an opportunity of separating 
the bulbs, the larger flowering ones from the smaller 
ones. The latter may be sown thickly in shallow 
pans by themselves and allowed to grow on at their 
leisure. These will make good bulbs by the second 
year. 
A very suitable compost may be formed of two 
parts of good loam, one of leaf soil and one of peat, 
plenty of sharp sand being added to keep the soil 
open. Either forty-eight or thirty-two size pots may 
be used, the smaller ones being the more suitable for 
the earliest batches. After potting, the usual pro¬ 
bationary period must be given, the pots being 
plunged in either ashes or cocoa-nut fibre—the latter 
for preference. About the third week in September 
the plants may be uncovered and removed to a cold 
frame or a shelf in a greenhouse. A light, airy posi¬ 
tion throughout the growing period is essential, and 
although the plants need not be coddled, draughts 
should be avoided. 
As growth proceeds, staking will be a matter of 
some importance. Only light neat stakes must be 
used, otherwise the decorative value of the plants 
will be sadly discounted. For ordinary purposes 
four or five small stakes may be inserted round the 
edge of the pot, and a couple of small strands of 
raffia twisted around these ; but where the bulbs 
have been specially selected with a view to the pro¬ 
duction of large flowers a little more trouble is neces¬ 
sary. A neat stake will then be required for each plant, 
and all the small growths must be removed so as to 
give all the room possible to the five or six large 
plants. 
Manures. — As soon as the plants get into full 
swing judicious applications of liquid manure will be 
of great service. Clay’s Fertiliser answers admir¬ 
ably, and this may be varied with a little Peruvian 
Guano, both of which should be dissolved in the 
water used for watering. Now and again a weak 
solution of soot will be very helpful, and will serve 
to keep the foliage green and healthy. 
Insect Pests.— Of these green fly is the most to 
be dreaded, and it is almost sure to make its 
appearance upon plants that are somewhat weakened 
by being forced rapidly. Several light fumigations 
with tobacco rag, or paper will soon get rid of it, 
however. 
Freesias require plenty of water, but they must 
not be treated exactly as aquatics, or the foliage will 
turn yellow. In order to be in flower by Christmas 
the first batch should be introduced into heat by the 
beginning of December. 
F. refracta alba, with its pure white flowers, which 
still retain the fragrance of the type, is undoubtedly’ 
the form most extensively grown. F. Leichtlinii, 
considered by some botanists to be a distinct species, 
is also a charming plant. Its flowers are a delicate 
cream yellow. The throat is more open, and the 
segments do not spread quite so horizontally as in 
F. refracta. 
-4.- 
LACHENAL1AS. 
Some thirty species, or thereabouts, all natives of 
South Africa are included in the genus Lachenalia ; 
but of the majority of these the ordinary gardener 
knows nothing. L. tricolor, and its variety aurea, are 
the plants that up to the present have attracted the 
greater part of his attention, and thousands of pots 
of these are forced each year. L. Nelsoni, which is 
of hybrid origin, is not so frequently seen, more's the 
pity ; for it is every whit as showy as the others. 
The flowers are bright golden yellow in hue, and 
disposed in long many flowered racemes. The 
foliage also is strong and substantial. L. pendula 
has flowers in which deep purple, red, and yellow, 
are all exhibited. They are fully an inch in length, 
and are borne upon stout scapes. The leaves are 
erect, dark green, and usually more or less spotted 
with dark brown, as is also the scape. 
L. fragrans, as the specific name denotes, is very 
sweet scented. The flowers which display a curious 
shade of red are borne about twenty to a raceme 
which is thu^of considerable length. 
L. purpurea caerulea, a species which is rarely 
met with outside the bounds of botanic gardens, has 
purplish-blue flowers, thirty or forty of these going 
to a scape. The leaves are from 6 in. to S in. in 
length, and about h in. wide. It flowers in April. 
Lachenalias do well iD pots, pans, or hanging 
baskets. The latter plan shows the beauty of the 
plants off to perfection as the leaves have a natural 
tendency to droop. For pots a 5 in. size will be 
quite large enough. They must be well drained as 
the plants abhor stagnant moisture about their roots, 
and this is one reason why they always do so well in 
baskets. A compost of two parts fibrous loam, and 
one part each of leaf soil and dry cow manure, 
together with a liberal addition of sharp river sand 
may be recommended. The bulbs may be covered 
with about half an inch of soil. 
As in the case of Freesias the bulbs are best left in 
the old pots until the time for repotting comes, 
which will be sometime from the beginning to the 
middle of August. It will not be necessary to plunge 
the pots in the same way as the usual run of bulbs 
are treated, but they may be consigned to a cold 
frame and allowed to come on gradually. F'rost 
must be excluded during the winter months, and the 
plants must^.e sstudiously shielded from draughts 
which work harm by disfiguring the foliage. 
Batches of the plants may be introduced into a 
gentle heat as required—a place on a shelf in a 
vinery just started will suit them admirably—but 
hard forcing should not be attempted. Liquid 
manure may be given with advantage as soon as the 
flower scapes begin to make their appearance. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The undermentioned subjects received certificates 
from the Royal Horticultural Society on the 25th 
ult. 
Orchid Committee. 
Laeliocattleya brymeriana. Nov. liyb. bigen .— This 
beautiful bigeneric hybrid was raised from Laelia 
amanda crossed with the pollen of Cattleya Wars- 
cewiczii. In colour and shape of flowers it shows 
the influence of the seed parent strongly. The 
sepals and oblong-elliptic petals are pink, and the 
latter are folded longitudinally along the middle. 
The lip is mottled, and marbled with bright purple 
on the palest lilac ground and striped with orange on 
deep purple along the centre. It is handsome and 
distinct. First-class Certificate.—Col. Brymer, 
M.P., (gardener, Mr. J. Powell) Islington House, 
Dorchest 
Stanhopea eburnea. —The sepals and petals of 
this fine species are ivory white. The epichile of 
the lip lacks the horns so prominent in many species, 
but there are two horns at the base of the hypochile 
which is purplish in the interior of the sac. The 
messochile is spotted with deep purple. The flowers 
are highly fragrant and not disagreeable. Award of 
Merit. Major Joicey, (gardener, Mr. F. J. Thorne), 
Sunningdale Park, Berks. 
MlLTONIA CANDIDA GRANDIFLORA. NOV. VOY. —The 
flowers of this fine variety are of unusual size with 
sepals and petals of a dark rich brown, with a yellow 
tip and some markings of the same hue. The lip 
is white with a large violet blotch on the centre. ' 
The plant carried three spikes varying from 18 in. 
to 2 ft. in leDgth. Award of Merit. Major Joicey. 
Laelia monophylla. —The sepals and obloDg- 
elliptic petals of this rare species are orange-scarlet 
or cinnabar. The lip is small and of the same hue. 
One of the scapes of the plant shown by Major 
Joicey bore two flowers — a very rare ocurrence, 
showing that his gardener, Mr. F. J. Thorne under¬ 
stands its cultivation. Award of Merit. 
C\ cnoches maculatum. — The raceme of this plant 
shown was 18 in. long and bore very numerous, large, 
straw-yellow flowers, shaded with green and much 
spotted with brown. The lip was white with a brown 
tip, and furnished near the base with long finger-like, 
white points. Award of Merit. The Hon. Walter 
Rothschild (gardener, Mr. E. Hill), Tring Park, 
Tring. 
Miltonia schroderiana. —The raceme of this 
species is shorter than the bright green leaves. The 
sepals and petals are heavily blotched with brown on 
on a greenish-yellow ground. The lip is infolded at 
the sides and white, with a large, triangular deep 
purple blotch at the base. The column is white, and 
the truncate wings pink. Award of Merit. The 
Hon. Walter Rothschild. 
Bulbophyllum sp. —The sepals of the plant shown 
by the Hon. Walter Rothschild were oblong, the 
petals narrower, and all glossy yellow, heavily lined 
with brown. The hinged lip was laterally com¬ 
pressed and buff yellow. Botanical Certificate. 
Dendrobium longicornu. —The lateral sepals of 
this species are united and drawn out into a long 
spur, and white. The funnel-shaped lip is white and 
veined internally with orange ; a darker or cinnabar 
band runs along the centre. Award of Merit. W. 
Thompson, Esq., (gardener, Mr. Stevens), Stone, 
Staffs, 
Catasetum callosum. —The dorsal sepal and the 
petals of this species are erect, while the lateral ones 
are reflexed in totally an opposite direction, and 
brown. The lip is green with an orange tubercle at 
the base, a shallow sac in front of it, and fringed 
towards the apex. Botanical Certificate. Messrs. 
Hugh Low & Co., Clapton. 
Coelogyne micholitzii. —The sepals and petals 
of this species are white, and the flowers of medium 
size. The lateral lobes of the lip, and an elevated, 
disc like portion in the centre, are of a rich dark 
brown colour ; and the terminal lobe is white. It is 
a singular looking species and very distinct. 
Botanical Certificate. T. B. Haywood, Esq., 
(gardener, Mr. C. J. Salter), Woodhatch Lodge, 
Reigate. 
Floral Committee. 
Gladiolus Atlas. —This variety throws a large 
spike, and massive flowers of more than ordinary 
size. They are a delicate mauve in colour, slightly 
flushed with rose aDd irr. gularly striated towards 
the tips of the segments ,\:in the same hue. Award 
of Merit. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (gardener 
Mr. Bain), Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Gladiolus Fustell de Coulanger. —A large 
flower with very broad segments, bright scarlet in 
colour, with a white throat flushed with magenta at ^ 
the opening. Award of Merit. Sir Trevor Law¬ 
rence, Bart. 
Lobelia Carmine Gem.— A new and very pretty 
variety of the cardinalis type with a long multi- 
flowered spike, and vivid carmine flowers. Award of 
Merit. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. 
Rose Mrs. Rumsey. —This is a new H. P. with 
large globular flowers, deep pink in colour. The 
flower stalks are stout and the foliage of great sub¬ 
stance, dark green, and healthy looking. Award of 
Merit. Mr. W. Rumsey, Waltham Cross. 
Dahlia. Mrs. Webster. — This is the nearest 
approach to a pure white Cactus form, although a 
suspicion of green yet remains, The petals are long, 
