THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 15, 1897. 
HARDY TREES & SHRUBS. 
Foliage Effects. —While it is a very common, and 
in fact a usual thing to plant trees and shrubs in 
such relative positions as to best display their beau¬ 
ties of foliage during the spring, and again in the 
autumn months to the greatest advantage, there does 
not seem to be so much desire to utilise the natural 
characteristics of various fine foliaged shrubs. An 
excellent object lesson of what might be done in the 
direction is to be seen at Kew in a small plantation 
in close proximity to the Acer collection, which is 
close to the refreshment pavillion and not far from 
the Temperate House Acer palmatum var sang- 
uineum and Philadelphus caronarius foliis aureis are 
the two subjects whose association has there pro¬ 
duced such an effective display. The former is 
represented by some shapely little plants about 3 ft. 
in height, the dark various red of whose foliage is 
thrown into striking relief by the bright golden Phil¬ 
adelphus. The latter is naturally of dwarf habit, and 
tends to form a dense shrubs from two to 3 ft. in 
height with a very even outline. A bed filled entirely 
with it on the western side of the mound at Kew, 
still further illustrates the highly ornamental 
character of the plant. 
Magnolia soulangeana. —In several parts of the 
gardens at Kew this handsome Magnolia has been 
flowering very freely of late. The fine specimen in the 
Azalea garden, and the plant on the right of the en¬ 
trance leading to Kew green are two of the most note¬ 
worthy, and they have certainly not hid their 
charms from the eyes of beholders. Magnolia 
soulangeana is a supposed hybrid between M. con- 
spicua and M. obovata. According to “ Loudon” in 
11 Trees and Shrubs of Great Britain,” " it was raised 
at Fromont, near Paris, from the seeds of a plant of 
M. conspicua which stood near one of M. purpurea 
in front of the chateau of M. S oulange-Bcdin ; the 
flowers of the former of which had been accidentally 
fecundated by the pollen of the latter.” Whatever 
its immediate ancestry, however, its own merits 
entitle it to a place in every garden. The flowers 
are large, white, and flushed with pink externally, 
and, as they expand before the leaves, are most con¬ 
spicuous. The ring of stamens has red filaments 
and these are by no means unornamenlal. 
Magnolia Lennei is a very handsome form that 
is also well deserving of extensive recognition. This 
is likewise of supposed mixed descent, M conspicua 
and M. obovata discolor being the parents. It will 
thus be seen that it is closely related to M. soulan¬ 
geana. The flowers are of great size and depth, 
white, and shaded and flushed externally with pink. 
Magnolia obovata, a nativa of China and Japan, 
from which latter country it was introduced in 1790. 
The flowers are large, white, fragrant, and Tulip 
shaped. Both it and its variety M. o. discolor are 
met with under the name of M. purpurea. The M. 
purpurea of “ London ” referred to above in con¬ 
nection with M. soulangeana was evidently M. 
obovata. 
Piptanthus nepalensis. —This is a rare and! 
exceedingly handsome leguminous evergreen shrub, 
a native of the temperate Himalayas from whence it 
was brought to this country about the year 1821. 
In exposed or northern localities it needs the shelter 
of a wall. At the time of writing a fine specimen is 
flowering freely against a wall facing east in the her¬ 
baceous ground at Kew. The flowers are yellow, 
and produced in short terminal racemes. The 
standard is large, nearly obicular in shape, and 
inclined to reflex. The calyx is of considerable 
length with sharp triangular teeth, and is thickly 
covered with down, thus giving it a dirty white 
appearance. The leaves are trifoliolate, the leaflets 
being lanceolate in shape, and disposed as in three 
fingers of a human hand. They are bright green on 
the upper surface, but exhibit a glaucous hue 
beneath. 
Nevicsia alabamensis. —Flowering close by the 
Piptanthus is another rarely met with plant, 
Neviusia alabamiensis. The genus, which is monoty- 
pic, was named in honour of its discoverer, the Rev. 
R D. Nevius, of Alabama. The date of its intro¬ 
duction is given by some authorities as 1882, by others 
1879. The flowers are produced in panicled 
corymbs all along the branches. Their chief feature 
is the long numerous stamens with their white 
filaments, which impart a very feathery and graceful 
appearance to the plant. The leaves are ovate- 
lanceolate in shape, acuminate, and have serrated 
margins. This plant is hardy, but likes a sheltered 
position, such as against a wall. Sometimes it may 
be seen treated as a greenhouse plant. 
Cytisus Kewensis. —This is a vastly pretty 
hybrid form, the result of a cross between C. 
Ardoinii and C. albus. The plant is prostrate in 
habit, and should be exceedingly valuable for the 
Alpine garden. The flowers are of about the same 
size and colour as those of C. praecox, viz., a light 
sulphur yellow. The leaves are inclined to be 
hairy, but not so hairy as those of C. Ardoinii. This 
plant is certainly one of the most noteworthy from a 
garden point of view of the many that Kew has 
given us. 
--j.- 
SOCIETIES 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL .—May 11th. 
The tables were well filled at the meeting on Tues¬ 
day last, a large proportion of the material consisting 
of hardy herbaceous plants, including fine collections 
of Tulips. Orchids were more abundant than they 
had been at several of the previous meetings, and 
occupied more than one table. Roses, both plants 
and cut flowers, were also shown in splendid condi¬ 
tion for this season of the year. Cut sprays of flower¬ 
ing trees and shrubs were also a feature. 
A large group of Orchids was staged by Messrs J. 
Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. Large and profusely 
flowered specimens of Oncidium sarcodes, O. 
ampliatum, Brassia verrucosa, Dendrobium 
dalhousieanum, D. infundibulum, Odontoglossum 
Hallii, and others occupied the back row, amongst 
graceful specimens of Cocos weddeliana. Maiden¬ 
hair Fern was much used as a groundwork. Very 
beautiful and interesting were such hybrids as Laelia 
Latona, Laeliocattleya Hippolyta, L. Ascania, and 
others. They had numerous varieties of Odonto¬ 
glossum crispum, often richly blotched. Cattleya 
Schroderae and the hybrid C. Philo were also pretty 
and handsome amongst their kind. (Silver Gilt 
Flora Medal.) 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, exhibited a 
mixed group of Orchids, including Cattleya Mossiae, 
C. Wm. Murray, a very fine hybrid, C. Schroderae 
alba, C. Skinneri alba, and various other subjects. 
Maxillaria sanderiana, and Oncidium godseffianum 
were also noteworthy. 
Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., Upper Clapton, N.E., 
set up a large group of Orchids consisting of many fine 
varieties of Cattleya and Laelia. Very fine were C. 
gaskelliana alba, C. Mossiae, C. Mendelii, C. 
Schroderae, C. Skinneri, C. Schilleriana and Laelia 
purpurata. The curiously coloured, green and black 
Coelogyne pandurata, attracted attention, as did 
numerous dwarf and well-flowered pieces of Dendro¬ 
bium Bensoniae. (Silver Flora Medal.) 
Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Holloway, 
also staged a group of Orchids, set up with Palms 
and Feins. Cattleya Mendelii was represented by 
several varieties, Odontoglossum crispum, O. 
Edithiae, O. cirrhosum, Dendrobium devonianum, 
and D. dalhousieanum luteum, were also good. Very 
pretty is the uniformly yellow Oncidium concolor. 
(Silver Banksian Medal) 
A large and showy group of Orchids, was exhi¬ 
bited by A. H Smee, Esq. (gardener, Mr. G. W. 
Cummins), The Grange, Carshalton. Cattleyas were 
the most prominent feature of the group, including 
numerous and very fine varieties of C. Mossiae and 
C. Mendelii. Laelia purpurata was also fine, as were 
several species of Odontoglossum. One of the finest 
of the forms of Cattleya Mendelii was C.M. Her 
Majesty. Odontoglossum triumphans aureum is dis¬ 
tinct and pretty. (Silver Flora Medal.) 
Walter C. Walker,Esqr. (gardener,Mr. Cragg),Percy 
Lodge, Winchmore Hill, also exhibited a showy and 
well flowered group of Orchids, including fine panicles 
of Oncidium marshallianum, long racemes on the 
well grown plants of Cymbidum lowianum, fine varie¬ 
ties of Laelia purpurata, Cattleya Mendelii Laelia 
grandis, Odontoglossum crispum and various others. 
The plants were so numerous that a little more space 
would have been highly advantageous in displaying 
the mass of flowers. (Silver Flora Medal.) 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., showed Cypripedium 
Oakes Ames, notable for the enormous size of its 
flowers. S. Cooke Esqr. (gardener, Mr. W. Buckell), 
Kingston Hill, showed a large and well flowered piece 
of Masdevallia harryana. The Marquis of Camden 
(gardener, Mr. A. Methven), Bayham Abbey, Kent, 
exhibited a plant of Cattleya Mendelii, bearing seven 
flowers on one spike, quite a record in its way. 
Laeliocattleya Hippolyta Dulcote var, was shown by 
Walter Cobb, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Howse), Tun¬ 
bridge Wells. Sir F. Wigan, (grower, Mr. W. H. 
Young), Clare Lawn, East Sheen, showed Laelia pur¬ 
purata Ethel Grey. Chas. L. N. Ingram Esq., 
(gardener, Mr. Bond) Elstead House, Godaiming, 
exhibited Laeliocattleya Sir Wm. Ingram and 
Cattleya Rajah. 
R. I. Measures, Esqr. (gardener, Mr. H. J. Chap¬ 
man), exhibited Cypripedium Chapmani magnificum, 
a grand new hybrid variety. Some Orchids were 
shown by J. Forster Alcock, Esqr., Northchurch, 
Hants. Cypripedium bellatulo-vexillarium was 
shown by Mrs. Briggs Bury, Bank House, Accring¬ 
ton. Frau Ida Brandt, (gardener, Mr. T. Schlecht), 
Brunnenhof, Riesbach, Zurich, exhibited the rare 
Oncidium Warneri, Vanda lamellata Boxalli, and 
several Odontoglossums. 
Messrs. Thos. Cripps & Son, The Nurseries, 
Tunbridge Wells, exhibited two large and well- 
flowered plants of Cypripedium caudatum, a small 
one of C. c. Wallisii and a good piece of C. Roe- 
belini. They also had a fine group of the hybrid 
Deutzia Lemoinei in 60-sized pots and beautifully 
flowered. It is superior both to D. parviflora and 
D. gracilis from which it was raised. (Silver Bank¬ 
sian Medal.) 
Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex, ex¬ 
hibited sprays of hardy flowering and foliage trees and 
shrubs. They included samples of Acer Schwedleri, 
Sambucus aureus, Genista biflora alba, Akebia 
quinata, Berberis vulgaris purpurea, Ribes aureum, 
and a host of other showy subjects. A stand of cut 
blooms of Violas occupied the centre of the group. 
(Bronze Banksian Medal.) 
A number of bouquets, wreaths, and other floral 
devices came from Messrs. Kemp & Wilson, 85, 
Mortimer Street, W. A large spray hand bouquet 
was the masterpiece here, the execution being capital. 
(Bronze Banksian Medal.) 
Hardy Alpines and herbaceous plants in consider¬ 
able quantity were contributed by Mr. T. S. Ware, 
Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, N. Saxifraga, 
Paeonies, Primulas, Irises, Iberis Little Gem, and 
Trolliuses were very gay and bright. (Silver Flora 
Medal.) 
Near the entrance to the hall appeared an exten¬ 
sive exhibit of Roses from Messrs. Wm. Paul & 
Sons’ Nurseries, at Waltham Cross, Herts. The 
greater part of the group was formed of pot plants 
some very tall standards of Medea, Duke of Edin¬ 
burgh, and the Polyantha form Claire Jacquier were 
in the background, and in front of these were well 
grown bush plants. Gustav Piganeau, Jules 
Margottin, Violette Bouyer, Captain Christy, and 
Victor Verdier were some of the finest varieties 
Some nice cut blooms were likewise included. On 
the other side of the door was a small semi-circular 
group of pot Rose Enchantress sent by the same 
firm. The excellent habit and floriferous character 
as well as the individual excellence of the blooms of 
this fine variety were again demonstrated. (Silver 
Gilt Flora Medal.) 
Messrs. Barr & Sons, King Street, Covent Garden, 
were extensive exhibitors of hardy cut flowers. 
Tulips formed a large part of the exhibit, a compre¬ 
hensive collection of the May-flowering section being 
on view. Single flowers of special forms of these 
were staged on showboards with a background of 
white-paper. Annie McGregor and its rectified form, 
Kate Connor (breeder), Sir Joseph Paxton, and Dr 
Hardy were some of the best of these, although the 
flowers were rather smaller than some the Messrs. 
Barr showed last year. The major part of the 
Tulips, however, were shown in bold bunches when 
they produced a grand effect. Parrot forms like 
Perfecta, Amiral de Constantinople, and Crimson 
Beauty, and Darwin varieties like The Sultan, 
May Queen, Queen of Brilliants, and Queen 
of Roses were in excellent condition. Cottage 
Tulips, a new name for the May-flowering varieties 
used as bedders, including T. gesneriana and its 
many varieties, T. platystigma, T. Haageri, T. 
biltettiana, etc., were in strong force and formed the 
brightest part of the exhibit. A Silver Flora Medal 
was deservedly awarded for this praiseworthy effort. 
Messrs. Wm. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, N., had a 
meritorious little group of hardy flowers, for which 
they received a Bronze Banksian Medal. 
