July 24, 189?. 
743 
THE 
A meeting of the Floral Committee of the Royal 
Horticultural Society was held at Chiswick on 
Wednesday, July 14th, W. Marshall, Esq., being in 
the chair, and ten members present. The following 
subjects received Awards of Merit. 
Sweet Pea Prince of Wales. —A fine variety 
with flowers of a bright rose hue. Mr. Henry 
Eckford, Wem, Shropshire. 
Sweet Pea Countess Cadogan. —A grand bright 
blue variety with flowers of great size. Mr. Henry 
Eckford. 
Lantana Drap d’Or. —This pretty Lantana is of 
compact habit, and grows to 10 in. or 1 ft. in height 
when grown in pots. In the open ground it is even 
dwarfer, and is from 4 in. to 6 in. in height, making 
a dwarf and effectual bedding plant. The flowers 
are produced in relatively large, semi-globular 
umbels. The flowers are golden-yellow in colour 
with an orange eye. The leaves are variable in 
shape, and range from ovate to ovate-lanceolate. 
They are deep green in hue, and have acute apices 
with serrate margins. Both surfaces are coarsely 
hispid. 
Lantana Hybrida. —This Lantana is taller and of 
more straggling habit than the last named, and 
reaches a height of some fifteen inches. Both as a 
pot subject and a bedder, this is a most useful and 
ornamental plant. The flowers are produced in 
umbels, and are orange-crimson in colour with a few 
orange flowers in the centre of the umbel. The 
leaves vary from ovate to ovate-elliptic, with 
serrated margins. As in Lantana Drap d’Or, both 
surfaces of the leaves are hispid. 
Pentstemons and Antirrhinums were also 
examined by the committee, but no awards were 
made. 
A trial of fifty-three varieties of culinary Peas has 
been conducted at Chiswick this year, and at a 
meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Committee on 
July 14th the undermentioned varieties received 
Awards of Merit. 
Perfection. —This is the true and original Per¬ 
fection, a variety of some forty years standing, and 
therefore, not to be confused with another more 
modern variety. The haulms and pods are grass 
green in colour. The pods are straight, usually 
borne in pairs, and contain, on an average six 
wrinkled peas in a pod; height 3J ft.; cropping 
qualities good; fit for use July 14th. Messrs. R. 
Veitch & Son, Exeter. 
Majestic. —Here the haulm and pods are deep 
green, and the pods, carried in pairs, contain an 
average of seven large wrinkled Peas. The flavour 
is excellent, and the crop very heavy. Fit for use 
July 14th; height 2J ft. Messrs. Watkins & 
Simpson. 
Captain Cuttle. —This is a taller variety with a 
height of 5 ft. in an ordinary season. The haulm is 
dark green, and the pods paler green, straight, and 
containing six wrinkled peas on the average. This 
is a heavy cropping variety, and was ready for use 
July 14th. Messrs. Hurst & Son. 
In addition to the foregoing Awards of Merit, 
three sorts obtained a verdict of “Commended,” 
represented by XX. They were,— 
Harbinger. —A very heavy cropper, and good 
market variety which comes in very early, and reaches 
a height of 4 ft. The pods are in pairs, and yield 
six peas each. Messrs. Dicksons, Limited, Chester. 
Saccharine. —Here the haulm and pods are dark 
green, the pods averaging seven large peas of the 
same hue. The crop is a heavy one, and was fit for 
use on June 29th ; height 5 ft. Mr. Sim, Aberdeen. 
Sans Parchemin. —A fine variety of the butler or 
edible podded Pea. The flavour is very sweet and 
good. Ready for use July 1st; height 3 ft. M. M. 
Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co., 4, Quai de la Megisserie, 
Paris. 
First-class Certificates were accorded to the 
undermentioned Pansy and Violas by the National 
Viola Society at Regent’s Park on the 17th inst. 
Viola James P. Robertson.— The flowers of this 
Viola are of large size and rich purple, with a black 
centre, shaded with violet. They are also circular in 
outline, bold and striking. Mr. John Forbes, Hawick, 
Scotland. 
Pansy John Menzies. —This is one of the most 
handsome fancy Pansies that has recently been 
added to this class. The three lower petals-are each 
largely covered with an intense, blackish-violet 
GARDENING WORLD. 
blotch, margined with white. The top petals are 
nearly white, veined and shaded with violet. It is 
circular in outline and otherwise very perfect. Mr. 
M. Campbell, High Blantyre, Lanarkshire. 
Viola Endymion. — -The flowers of this beautiful 
variety are circular and clear yellow, with a large 
golden eye and a few short rays on the three lower 
petals. It is a neat and very refined flower. Mr. 
W. Baxter, Woking. 
-■ ■ 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
If the instructions with regard to the ventilation of 
the stove given in the last calendar have been carried 
out the plants should now be pretty hardy, and 
capable of standing a good deal of knocking about. 
Advantage may be taken of this at once to put in 
hand any necessary repairs to the healing apparatus. 
At this season of the year the solar heat may usually 
be made to serve all purposes if needs be, and with 
their firm tissues the plants can very well put up 
with a drop in the temperature. No matter how 
well pipe joints are packed there will be a leak now 
and again. Fire bars, too, have an awkward knack 
of getting burnt through, and it is well to remedy 
these deficiencies while the opportunity is here. 
The resources of the stove are usually drawn upon 
to furnish plants for the decoration of dwelling 
rooms, corridors, etc., and although this experience 
is not so trying to the plants as it is during the win¬ 
ter months it is yet sufficiently injurious. Many nooks 
and corners in the mansion that it is expected should 
be kept furnished with plants are dark and gloomy, 
added to which there is not infrequently a difficulty 
in giving sufficient water. In order to make the best 
of things, therefore, it is needful to have a good 
stock of suitable plants to draw upon, and to make 
frequent changes, so that no plant is allowed to re¬ 
main under the trying conditions long enough to 
sustain serious injury. To say the least of it, it is 
annoying to send a lot of good healthy plants, and to 
receive them back again in a crippled condition. 
With Dracaenas that have been much knocked about 
it is often the best plan to take off the tops and in¬ 
sert them as cuttings, and use the remainder of the 
old stems for propagating. If the plants were 
allowed to remain, and an attempt were made to 
grow them on they would be a considerable time 
before they pulled round, and would never be as 
good as they were before the crippling, the loss of 
the lower leaves giving them a lanky appearance. 
It will be well to take all such enfeebled plants to a 
close pit or smaller house where they will pick up 
much quicker than they would in the larger stove. 
Crotons in Small Pots.—A mistake made by 
many gardeners in growing Crotons is that of over¬ 
potting. True the plants may appear to need the 
room, and may even fill these larger pots fairly well 
with roots, but the plants have not that hardy con¬ 
stitution, neither have they the brilliantly coloured 
foliage of others whose root run is more restricted. 
For table decoration a thirty-two sized pot is quite 
large enough, unless for a large table. Now in a pot 
of this size it is possible to have symmetrical plants 
with leaves right to the base. Such varieties as C. 
Queen Victoria, C. Weismannii, C. Warrenii and 
C. angustifolius all answer well to this kind of treat¬ 
ment, and all are elegant and useful for the purpose. 
Firm potting is of course an essential to success, in¬ 
asmuch as it conduces to the production of firm and 
short jointed growth. Once the pots have become 
well filled with roots feeding must be liberally done, 
for in their confined quarters the plants will require 
a good deal. 
Aristolochias. —When properly grown there are 
no plants more conspicuous in the stove during the 
summer months than the Aristolochias. The main 
stems may be trained evenly to wires on the roof, but 
the young flowering growths should be allowed to 
bang their whole length. The peculiar form and 
weird appearance of the flowers is strangely attrac¬ 
tive, although the foetid odour of such a form as A. 
gigas Sturtevantii is sufficiently pungent. A. 
ornithocephala, A. elegans, and A. brasiliensis are 
all handsome climbers and well worthy attention. 
The shrubby little A. tricaudata is also a pretty plant 
about 3 ft, in height, At the present time these 
Aristolochias will require an abundance of water, 
and an occasional regulation of the growths by means 
of the knife will not be amiss, particularly with such 
strong growers as A. ornithocephala, and A. brasi¬ 
liensis. 
Cool Conservatory. 
Here there should be no lack of material for many 
plants that require an intermediate stove during the 
winter will do through the summer in the conserva¬ 
tory, Then besides these there are the usual relays 
of summer flowering plants. 
Fuchsias in themselves are a host. No matter 
whether grown cordon fashion as roof plants or in 
pots in the ordinary way they always give a good 
account of themselves. Large well-flowered speci¬ 
mens are not so frequently seen as they used to be, 
chiefly because the rage for large trained plants has 
greatly abated, but still they are to be seen now and 
again, and the system suits Fuchsias admirably. 
Bearing in mind what a heavy strain is upon the 
plants manurial stimulant must be freely given. 
Thrips are the only insect pest to be greatly feared, 
but a close watch will have to be kept upon them, 
for they soon disfigure the leaves, and thus spoil the 
appearance and cripple the constitution of the 
plants. 
Gloxinias throughout the months of June and 
July may be had in abundance in the conservatory, 
and very handsome they look when arranged with 
the cool green of Maidenhair Fern. Their own 
foliage too is handsome, and when well curled over 
well-nigh hides the pots from view. As the plants 
get past their best and become shabby they should be 
removed to a frame where they may be allowed to 
finish their growth at their leisure, and also to ripen 
any seed that it may be desired to save. Unless seed 
is required the seed pods may as well be cut off at 
once. The plants will still need to be shaded from 
the hot sun which scorches up the foliage at a great 
rate. 
Show and regal Pelargoniums. —The later 
plants are now following the earlier ones, and their 
flowering season is to all intents and purposes over 
A few of them may be kept a little longer by dint of 
a good picking over, but they will not last long. The 
next place for them is a sunny corner in the frame 
yard where they can ripen up their wood in readiness 
for the application of the knife. 
Tuberous Begonias, whether grouped by them¬ 
selves or set up with ferns or other foliage plants, are 
the most useful of all. Naturally the plants are now 
past their first flush of bloom,and the ever-lengihening 
stems render them increasingly unstable, and thus 
plants which require no support in the earlier part 
of the season will now need to be looked after in this 
respect. The insertion of the stakes must be care- 
fullv performed, otherwise the tuber will run a risk of 
injury. The single forms seem to have reached very 
near to their limit of perfection, but the doubles are 
not only being improved year by year, but are also 
grown in increasing quantities every season. A few 
crosses between extra good plants may well be tried, 
if only for the sake of amusement. There is a charm 
attached to the raising of new varieties from home¬ 
grown seed that is not associated with other seed. 
Basket plants are just now in the height of their 
glory, and if only plants of suitable habit are chosen 
for the purpose such baskets are among the most 
effective that can be obtained for suspension in the 
conservatory. Any plants of suitable habit that are 
now in pots should be marked for next year. 
Balsams in 6 in. and o in. pots are very bright and 
showy, and as there are now so many colours obtain¬ 
able succession batches should be grown on through 
the summer. As soon as the buds begin to form 
give plenty of stimulant. 
Achimenes, too, can scarcely be overpraised. The 
earlier plants, of course, are grown on in heat, but 
those now in flower have been grown on slowly in 
cold frames. Such plants are invariably dwarfi r 
and sturdier, and the flowers being of greater sub¬ 
stance last longer. Flowering over, these plants, too. 
must be transferred to a cold frame to finish up, but 
not, as is frequently the case, neglected entirely for 
water. 
Schizanthus pinnatus is a hardy annual that is 
first-class for conservatory decoration. Seed sown 
in March produces plants that flower abundantly 
through the summer. S. Priestii, the white flowered 
form, is also good. S. retusus, with its bright rose- 
coloured flowers, answers equally well for pot cul¬ 
ture, although it is not quite so hardy as S. pinnatus, 
which will grow and flower freely out of doors.— 
A. S. G. 
