April 3, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
493 
thirty-two-sized pots, thus proving that they do not 
need a great deal of room to accomodate them. 
In addition to these, Azaleas are grown in large 
quantities, all of the leading kinds being represented 
in great abundance. Roi d’Holland, red, flushed 
with vermillion ; Remembrance, white, flushed with 
rose ; and General Postmaster Stephens, crimson red ; 
were a few of the most noticeable. Besides the plants 
in flower we observed a large stock of younger ones. 
Many of these were planted out in frames in light 
peaty soil, and had recently been cut back to induce a 
bushy growth. By next autumn these self same 
plants will have developed into saleable stuff thickly 
set with buds, and will command a ready sale. 
Miscellaneous Hard wooded Plants. —The 
extensive and comprehensive character of the collec¬ 
tion of this class of material, within the confines of 
the nursery became more apparent at every step. A 
nurseryman must perforce grow what he can sell most 
easily, but still plants with a past as well as a present 
met us at every turn. Chorizema Lowii has had its 
praises sung too often to need further recommenda¬ 
tion. It is of hybrid origin, beiog the result of a cross 
between C. elegans and C. illicifolium. The progeny 
retains the Holly-like foliage of the latter species to 
its no small advantage. It should not be trained to 
any definite shape,but allowed freedom of action after 
the first stages have been passed. Polygala 
dalmaisiana is another old fashioned favourite that is 
still thougbt highly of. A batch of symmetrical and 
floriferous plants arrested our special attention. At 
this season of the year we can see Cytisus racemosus 
hawked round every street on each coster's barrow, 
but we do not so often see C. elegans, which is a far 
finer form, and one that only requiries to be better 
known to supersede it entirely. This fact is demon¬ 
strated very forcibly when the two plants are seen 
side by side. The leaves are larger, stouter than in 
C. racemosus, and glabrous. The colour of the 
flower is a deeper yellow and the individual flowers 
are larger, whilst the racemes are much longer. 
Besides this two crops of flowers are obtained, smaller 
side racemes being pushed up when the principal 
ones have faded. 
Aphelexis humilis purpurea is grown to consider¬ 
able extent. The white shining leaves show off the 
light purple flowers to great advantage. A. humilis is 
dwarfer, and the flowers are deep crimson and very 
showy. The flowers may be included amongst those 
popularly known as everlastings since they keep their 
colours for a very long time. Correa cardinalis was 
represented by shapely little plants full of the long 
bell-shaped red flowers with the bright yellow tips. 
Witsenia corymbosa is distinctly a plant with a 
past since it is rarely seen now, although at one time 
pretty common. The peculiar arrangement of the 
erect, rigid, sword-shaped, clustered leaves imparts 
a grotesque appearance to the plant. Lomatia 
elegantissima is a pretty foliage plant with bipinnate 
leaves, the ultimate segments being pinnatisect, 
although it has a somewhat stiff appearance. We 
must not forget to make mention of the Boronias, 
and with them we must bring to a close a list that has 
already assumed cumbrous proportions. The 
delightful fragrance exhaled by hundreds of B. 
megastigma, probably the most sweet-scented of all, 
is not easily described, and when to this desirable 
qualification we add the quaint beauty of the flowers 
it is not surprising that the plant is thought highly 
of. B. heterophylla with its large rich carmine 
blooms is also a gem. B elatior is rather weaker in 
constitution, and not so floriferous as B. hetero¬ 
phylla, and is decidedly inferior to it in floriferous- 
ness. 
--S-- 
READING AND DISTRICT GARDENERS’ 
MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT 
ASSOCIATION. 
An Interesting Meeting. 
The usual fortnightly meeting of the above was held 
in the Club Room, "British Workman,” on Monday 
evening last, and was largely attended. The presi¬ 
dent, Mr. C. B. Stevens, occupied the chair. Apart 
from the lecture, the feature of the meeting was a 
presentation to the honorary secretary as an acknow¬ 
ledgement of services rendered to the association. 
After the formal business had been transacted, Mr. 
C. B. Stever s, who had been requested by the chair¬ 
man of the association, Mr. T. Neve, to make the 
presentation, said he wished someone else who had 
known Mr. Pound longer than he had, had been 
selected to occupy the position ; yet he felt it a great 
honour to act on behalf of the members in asking 
Mr. Pound to accept the present which had been so 
liberally supplied to by the members. He was, from 
the first time he attended their meetings, struck with 
the singular ability of their secretary, who had 
proved himself quite worthy of the token of esteem 
they were paying him. Mr. Pound feelingly replied, 
and thanked the members most sincerely for the 
kindness they had shown him in presenting him with 
such a handsome gift, and also the president for 
making the presentation and for the kind words he 
had spoken. 
Messrs. Phipps, Martin, Turton, Hinton, and 
Tufnail also spoke of the services the recipient had 
rendered to the association. The gift consisted of a 
purse of gold (£18) and an album containing the 
names of 138 subscribers, amongst whom were the 
Rev. A. Cheales, Messrs. C. B. Stevens, the presi¬ 
dent, C. T. Murdock, M.P., Martin Hope Sutton, 
Alfred Sutton, G. W. Palmer, F. Cowslade, Alfred 
Palmer, W. H. Palmer, Sutton & Sons, J. T. Strange, 
Miss Russell, Miss King (Burghfield), Miss Harman 
(Sindlesham), &c. Proceeding with the usual 
routine of the meeting, the president called upon 
Mr. Townsend, The Gardens, Sandhurst Lodge, to 
read his paper on " Summer Bedding and Summer 
Flower Gardens, also the Water Garden.” 
Mr. Townsend first dealt with flower beds in front 
of the drawing room or dining room windows, and 
said that he gave preference to having the beds as 
large as space would permit, something after the beds 
in Hyde Park, not a fantastical design of small beds. 
Illustrations were given as to the best beds, the 
plants to be used, and the distance they should be 
planted apart. The plants mostly used at Sandhurst 
Lodge and strongly recommended by the lecturer 
were Fuchsias, Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, Lobelia 
cardinalis, Verbenas, Petunias, Violas, fibrous-rooted 
Begonias such as Sutton’s Crimson Gem, Princess 
Beatrice, and Afterglow, Ajuga, Phlox Drummondii, 
Mimulus, Gladioli, Cineraria maritima, Ricinus 
Gibsoni, Maize, Salvia (Sutton’s Scarlet Queen), 
Marguerites, Heliotrope, Euonymus radicans varie- 
gata, Zinnias, Habrothamnus, Erythrinas, &c. 
Passing on to the borders this was certainly the best 
and prettiest of all out-door flower gardening if not 
made too formal. What could look better than a 
good wide border filled with Cupressus, Retinosporas, 
Junipers, Acers, Japanese Maples, Hollyhocks, 
Michaelmas Daisies, Cannas, Ricinus, Hydrangeas, 
Liliums, and tuberous Begonias ? Or another with 
hardy plants leaving spaces for the introduction of 
tender plants and annuals as the warmer weather 
approached so that the border should contain flowers 
in bloom the whole summer through, where there 
may be planted herbaceous Phlox, Delphiniums, 
Cannas, Lupins, Lavatera, perennial Sunflowers, 
Dahlias, Rudbeckias, Pyrethrums, Lychnis, Sweet 
Rocket, Spiraeas, Montbrettias, Lobelia cardinalis, 
Gypsophilas, Picotees, Carnations, Calceolarias, 
Asters, Sweet William, Mimulus, Aubrietias, Zinnias, 
Godetias, Funkias, Begonias, &c. ? 
Reference was made as to the grouping of pot 
plants about the lawns, by inserting the pot to the 
rims in the grass. This is carried out at Sandhurst 
and greatly admired, Fuchsias, Plumbago capensis, 
Plumbago capensis alba, Solanum jasminoides, 
Habrothamnus, and Swainsonias, lending themselves 
admirably to this purpose. The water garden was 
then touched upon, the lecturer dealing with the 
various plants most suitable for different sized ponds. 
The paper was such an exhaustive and practical one 
on these particular subjects that questions were not 
asked, and but little discussion took place, although 
many interesting remarks were made by Messrs. 
Martin, Neve, Lees, Hinton, Turton, Callaghan, &c. 
as to the work carried out by Mr. Townsend at Sand¬ 
hurst Lodge where every opportunity and encourage¬ 
ment is given by the owner, Sir William Farrer, for 
the developing, in its highest degree, of this fascina¬ 
ting part of floriculture. 
A beautiful collection of Cinerarias was sent by 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, consisting of their well- 
known florist varieties and Cineraria cruenta hybrids ; 
also specimens of Cineraria cruenta, the original 
type introduced from the Canary Islands in 1777. 
The object of the exhibit being to demonstrate the 
result of a cross made between C. cruenta and the 
flowers of the present day, thus showing one genera¬ 
tion removed from the original. The hybrids are 
sweetly scented with a hawthorn perfume and are 
exceedingly useful for cutting. 
ARDENING 
ISCELLANY. 
RICHARDIA ELLIOTTIANA. 
This beautiful yellow Arum is an acquisition to the 
list of decorative flowering plants, and when it 
becomes more plentiful and to be obtained at popu¬ 
lar prices it will find a place in every greenhouse 
and conservatory. There is already a great demand 
for it, indeed much greater than the supply. I 
believe a well-known firm would now gladly give 
treble the price charged last year for plants again 
for stock. A fine spathe with me finds many 
admirers. Its colour commends itself, being a 
beautiful golden-yellow. The spathe is more cup¬ 
shaped at the base, and rounder than the common 
Arum, is not so flat, nor does it roll back so far when 
opening. It is quite green on the outside, and 
becomes yellow with age, the green gradually dis¬ 
appearing into lines or veins contrasting harmoniously 
with the ground colour of the spathe. The leaves, 
borne upon stout leaf-stalks prettily spotted, are 
broader at the base, about as broad as long, and not 
so deeply sagittate, and more obtuse at the apex ; are 
deep greeD, and spotted with white blotches. I fer¬ 
tilised and obtained seed last year from this plant, 
but whether my plant was too weak to ripen seed 
properly I do not know, but the seed when gathered 
was not perfect. I only succeeded in obtaining one 
seedling. Young suckers or buds taken from the 
parent rhizome grow very rapidly.— A. P. 
AMARYLLIS AT AIGBURTH. 
Not only do Messrs. R. P. Ker & Sons increase the 
stock of this popular plant, but this year the flowers 
certainly are a grade onward in the right direction. 
The colours certainly fully hold their own, and the 
form shows more substance and a better outline. 
The following, perhaps, might be considered the cream 
a few days ago Terentian, large bright crimson, a 
noble flower ; Old Port, rich dark maroon ; Ruby, 
glowing dark crimson ; President, red, with white 
bands ; Midas, good light carmine ; Excelsior, 
nearest approach to white, the lower half of the 
flower pure white ; Eurydice, large flower ; Chiron, 
fine crimson ; Mercury, scarlet ; and Scarlet King, 
scarlet. The season promises to be a prolonged one, 
many of the bulbs at present just showing the flower 
spike. The stock from the latest batch looks in good 
health, and is clean throughout. 
QU€$€10Q$ ADD AO$UJGK$ 
*,* Will our friends who send us newspapers be so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see. 
We shall be greatly obliged bv their so doing. 
[ Correspondents , please note that we cannot undertake to 
name florists' flowers such as Carnations, Pelargoniums, 
Chrysanthemums, Roses, nor such as are mere garden 
varieties, differing only in the colour of the flower. 
Florists' flowers, as a rule, can only be named by those who 
grow collections of them.] 
Odontoglossum Flower.— J. W. Potter-. The flower 
sent was not O. crispum andersonianum, but a pale 
variety of O. odoratum, and belonging to the type 
usually named O. odoratum baphicanthum. You 
will notice that the column is furnished with two 
slender horns or wings, which are characteristic of 
O. odoratum. On the other hand, the wiDgs of O. 
crispum andersonianum are broader, shorter, and 
more fringed or cut. The strong scent also points to 
O. odoratum. 
Colour of Odontoglossum Rossii.— H. G.: The 
petals of this species are usually white, and the lip 
even of a purer white; but there are varieties of it in 
which these parts are more or less tinted with rose. 
One well marked variety is named O. Rossii rubes- 
cens, which usually has its petals more or less rolled 
back and of a warm rose colour, as is the lip. 
Possibly it is a new variety, but you had better 
watch it till it is a week old, and see what colour the 
flower assumes. The colours sometimes change a 
bit with age. If you could send us a flower after it is 
a week or ten days old we could tell you whether or 
not it is any of the named varieties, or worthy of a 
separate name. The seed pods of Orchids are usually 
green, brown, or gray. We have never seen a 
scarlet pod, though some of them may be reddish. 
Are you sure the pods given you are Orchid ones ? 
Cyrtoceras refiexum.— W. B. G.: This plant has 
had at least half-a-dozen names applied to it, and 
good authorities consider that it should be placed 
under Hoya, making it Hoya multiflora. If the 
name Cyrtoceras is to be retained, then C. multi- 
florum would be the name of the species, so that 
there was no mistake in so putting it. The oldest 
correct name is always considered the one that should 
be retained. 
