April 28, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
55$ 
again in D. Niobe (tortile x nobile), the lip being 
furnished with a violet blotch. Pretty also is 
another hybrid named D. Sybil, the sepals, petals, 
and lip of which are shaded with violet-purple, and 
the base of the lip striated with faint lines at the 
base. A handsome piece of D. infundibulum was 
flowering in a basket. 
Hybrid Cypripediums were also numerous, as they 
are at most seasons of the year. C. germinyanum is 
of the hirsutissimum type, the rose tips of the petals 
being well marked. The flowers of C. Caesonia 
(Godefroyae x barbatum Crossii) are soft rosy- 
purple. The white and yellow dorsal sepal of C. 
Leonidas is conspicuous and showy. The sepals and 
and petals of C. hirsutissimo-Argus are heavily 
spotted with black markings. The long racemes of 
C. devonianum with buff flowers and a purple lip 
are always interesting. Oncidium sarcodes and O. 
ampliatum are grown in some quantity, and worthily 
occupy their house room. 
The Orchid rockery is always kept gay with 
plants drafted from other houses. Oncidium divari- 
catum has broad and O. pulvinatum, long, narrow 
panicles of blossom. Epidendrum radicans carries 
some twelve spikes of its showy, scarlet flowers. E. 
Endresio-Wallisii and E. elegantulum are grown in 
quantity and variety, the colours being very pleasing. 
Phaius Norman, Trichopilia suavis, Oncidium phy- 
matochilum and Lycaste plana are all freely flowered 
and showy. The sepals, petals, and lip of the last 
named are richly spotted with purple on a white 
ground. 
The large Cattleya house contains a fine lot of 
Cattleya Schroderae in great variety. The pale ones 
open nearly white, and afterwards assume their nor¬ 
mal tint. The recently re-imported Laelia jongheana 
is here grown in quantity and variety. Laelia cin- 
nabarina is always choice. Laeliocattleya Doris 
Xantho (Trianaei x harpophylla) has orange flowers 
and a deep purple lamina to the lip. 
The cool house contains its quota of Odonto- 
glossums, Oncidiums, &c. The charming yellow 
Oncidium concolor is grown in quantity in small 
pans. O. marshallianum is another glorious subject 
now well set with blossom, the plants thriving well 
in Orchid pans. The orange-scarlet Epidendrum 
vitellinum is always bright, cheerful, and choice. 
One of the most interesting and pretty varieties of 
Odontoglossum Cervantesiiis the rose coloured form 
known as O. C. rosea, which is also handsomely 
spotted. 
THE BEDDING IN LONDON PARKS. 
Almost until a week ago, the weather was such that 
the growth of vegetation made little progress. But 
during the last week heat has prevailed, with the 
result that Narcissi, Hyacinths, and even some of 
the Tulips have opened to the sun, thousands of 
them. Asa consequence, visitors to the parks are 
numerous, and the spring bedding is their chief 
• attraction. 
Hyde Park. 
Probably Hyacinths are predominant here. They 
certainly are extensively employed in the long 
stretch of beds in nearest touch with the Stanhope 
Gate. For the benefit of those whose fortune it has 
never been to see Hyde Park, we may notice that 
the real bedding is confined to an extensive stretch 
on the south-east side of the grounds. Then of 
course in various of the nooks, corners, and open 
spaces throughout the park, Daffodils, Hyacinths, 
Tulips, and spring bulbs generally have been 
planted. Many are naturalised in the grass. 
The beds in the flower garden are either oblong 
or round, and are laid out in well kept close growing 
sward, railed off from a too enthusiastic or ap¬ 
preciative public. 
There are men constantly employed to keep things 
in the trimmest order, the result being that at this 
present time it is a pleasure of pleasures to have 
the privilege of a quiet walk through the flower 
garden. 
With only bulbs at their disposal, the superin¬ 
tendents of the various parks have little material to 
work up pretty combinations from. But there are 
the three fundamental colours, red, white and blue, 
and from these, just as in the process of colour print¬ 
ing which uses no greater variety than this tripod, 
and turns out pretty and pleasing pictures, so in 
like-manner, the judicious use of Hyacinths in their 
red, white, and blue, with an occasional interspers ; on 
of the trumpet or frailer Narcissi and a ground work 
of such dwarf little plants as Scillas, Brodiaeas or 
Primroses, some very pretty beds are displayed. 
The beds filled with only one variety of Hyacinth, 
such as Robert Steiger, a deep pink; Lord Derby, 
very light blue ; L'Innocence, a white variety, with 
some others, seen in the mass, are highly satisfying 
and restful to the eye and mind. 
Those beds with Narcissus and Hyacinths mixed 
are also very handsome. We find such pleasant 
combinations as N. Maximus with Hyacinth Mdme. 
Van der Hoop, a good white variety ; H. Roi des 
Beiges, a deep red, with N. Horsefieldii, a union at 
once massive, handsome, and beautifully rich. But 
among all the sweet plots none surpasses in beauty a 
number of round corner beds filled with Narcissus 
Jonquilla odorus, N. rugulosus, and Scilla sibirica, 
the gentian blue forminp a ground colour below the 
deep yellow of the Jonquil. The beds of choice 
Polyanthus are also particularly fine. These have 
all to be threaded to protect them from the birds. 
Tulips aDd Doronicum plantagineum, besides the 
many beds wholly filled with Tulips, will provide a 
continued display after the earlier bulbs are past. 
The quality of every sort of bulbous flowering 
plant is remarkably strong and good. Hyacinths in 
particular are of prominent merit, and the general 
evenness of the beds, the distinctness, and trueness 
to type of all the bulbs in those many beds, struck 
one as being a satisfactory issue to the contract of 
Messrs. Carter & Co., High Holborn, who provided 
all the Royal and London County Council parks 
with tine bulbs now lavishly flowering everythere. 
The arrangement of colours in the beds one with 
the other, to compose a pleasing union, is in every 
respect successful, and maintains Mr. Brown's 
reputation for skill and taste. 
BARR’S DAFFODILS. 
There are very many people, people with exquisitely 
good taste and judgment, who go so far in their 
admiration for Daffodils (or the Narcissus tribe in 
general) as to express their regard for this flower as 
greater than their love of any other, Roses and 
Liliums not excluded. If their views and apprecia¬ 
tion do nothing more, they certainly direct our 
attention to the fact that these simple flowers 
occupy an nonoured niche in the scale of humanity's 
love for flowers. For myself I am inclined to place 
Daffodils next to, or on a level with, the gloriously 
beautiful Roses. To see Daffodils in all their love¬ 
liness, their chastity of form, their softness or 
brilliance of colour, their diversity of growth and 
habit and gracefulness, one has to visit such an 
estate as that of Messrs. Barr & Sons at Long 
Ditton in Surrey. A short run down from Waterloo 
to Surbiton lands the visitors almost at the gates of 
the nursery. Parties fully avail themselves of the 
invitation extended by the sons of Mr. Peter Barr 
(Daffodil King) who are now in sole possession cf 
the business. Eyeryone receives courteous attention, 
so that a day at Long Ditton, given good weather, is 
one of the most pleasant outings one could fix upon. 
The scenery all around, the flowers in all their 
thousands and the comfortable travelling all combine 
to render the trip most pleasant. Different folks 
having diverse objects will all appreciate the visit in 
their own way. Daffodil enthusiasts will naturally 
find most to interest them and to enjoy, but every¬ 
body could learn a great deal about this intricate 
genus, by simply using their powers of hearing and 
observation while quietly toiling the rounds. 
We had the pleasure of viewing a number of new 
seedlings in bloom. It was our intention to describe 
some of these in detail, but that at the present would 
be useless. When distinctive names have been 
accorded to them we shall then record them more 
fully. But this much may be said, there are some 
handsome trumpet Daffodils, both bicolors and 
sulphurs, undergoing consideration. Hybridising is 
still being, as it has always been, attempted. One of 
the new bicolor seedlings with a deep and beautifully 
fimbriated trumpet, besides twisted creamy petals 
approaches to that renowned and expensive variety 
Mdme. Plemp In addition to this there is another 
which promises to be one of the finest and most 
brilliant of the great trumpet section. Others are 
to be seen which follow after Weardale Perfection, 
Snowflake, Mdme. de Graaf and such others of first 
merit. Among the varieties sent out only last year 
and which are only now becoming known, we find 
additions to all sections. It would be difficult tossy 
which variety really shows the greatest advance on 
existing types. Maggie May is certainly a lovely 
thing, is, in fact, the best of the Leedsii type yet 
raised. The cup is of a pale citron colour and 
evenly frilled ; the perianth lobes are broad, spread¬ 
ing and white. The habit is good and the growth 
strong. It has been twice awarded a First-class 
Certificate, one of them from the R.H.S. Narcissus 
Committee 
Duke of Bedford, of which we gave so good an 
account last year, is gaining greatly in favour, 
because better known. It differs in form from 
Weardale but with it makes a grand addition to the 
bicolor trumpets. Hillside Daffodil is an early 
flowering, rich, golden yellow variety, and one which 
pleased us greatly. Captain Nelson throws lovely 
blooms, with clear canary corona and large trumpet. 
This was sent out before 1899. It also bears a 
F.C.C. Apricot, which was so much noticed last 
year, presents a shade of colour in the trumpet. This 
has quite a distinct Apricot tinge. It is one of the 
smaller and prettiest of the trumpet section. Wear- 
dale Perfection bears the proud distinction of being 
the largest and grandest of all the Daffodils. It has 
an immense bold trumpet of a pale primrose hue 
and very large white perianth. It has had a heap 
of awards showered upon it. The price so far is 
rather high, viz : £10 10s. a bulb. 
Victoria, another variety which will find universal 
admiration, came out in Jubilee year. It is a well- 
defined bicolor, but the great merit, at least in our 
eyes, is in its grand substance, its massiveness of 
form and the breadth of the segments. The perianth 
is almost snow-white when grown as a pot-plant 
under glass. It also is a free grower and has 
received numerous awards. Mrs. Moreland Cross¬ 
field adds a worthy variety to the list of early 
flowering types, coming as it does, almost as early 
as the popular Horsefieldii, Stella superba of the 
incomparabilis section should be missed from no 
garden. It is a lovely decorative variety with pale 
primrose perianth, whose segments are very large 
and showy, and whose cup is of a sweet yellow 
colour. Stelia superba is a mighty advance upon 
the commonly known Incomparabilis Stella. It is 
strikingly distinct. 
The trumpet variety, Willie Barr, captivated us 
with the brilliance and clearness of its soft yellow 
perianth, and deepsr yellow trumpet with an elegant 
brim. It is a well formed flower, the plant being 
also a strong grower. It is certainly ODe of the gems 
among yellow trumpet forms. The Twins represent 
a pretty little variety from the Tridymus type. 
Each flower stalk bears two conspicuous blooms of 
moderate size, having a soft creamy perianth and 
rich golden cup. This introduction is a pleasing 
novelty. 
The foregoing includes most of the seedlings 
recently in flower, and one or two of the handsomest 
introductions, which are still scarce. To the list of 
the latter we must add Madame Plemp, a flower 
which bears itself with dignity and boldness. The 
trumpet is long, finely formed and rich clear yellow. 
The perianth forms a broad solid white back-ground, 
Madame Plemp is everywhere a very conspicuous 
Daffodil and one which is greatly admired. Madame 
de Graaf, one of the white trumpet Daffodils, has 
received so much praise, and has spread into gardens 
all over the land during its few years of trial, that a 
mere reference to this sturdy and truly handsome 
variety should suffice to refresh the memory of any 
who may have heard of it and forgotten it. It is 
worth an effort to secure so fine a Narciss. The 
perianth is pure white, and the trumpet pale prim¬ 
rose. 
Incomparabilis Gloria Mucdi is one of the choicest 
of its class, being superior to most of the varieties in 
its section. It throws up an exceedingly handsome 
and showy flower, the much expanded cup being 
heavily stained with orange-scarlet, and giving it 
much distinction. Another pretty member of the 
Incomparabilis group is Gwyther; Beauty, also in¬ 
cluded in this class, is a variety which has been 
certificated. C. J. Backhouse can scarcely be 
equalled, and certainly is not surpassed ia this 
section for sweet combination of colours and for 
good size. The same praise might be given to Cyno¬ 
sure, to Frank Miles (than which few varieties are 
more adapted for naturalising in grass), King of the 
Netherlands; Sir Watkln, another great favourite. 
There are thousands of Barrii conspicuus, another 
