May 5,;, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
571 
AN OLD-WORLD GARDEN. 
So fair it was, this old-world gardeD, that you never 
could associate any but peaceful thoughts with it. 
Such a Sabbath stillness brooded over it that the 
leaves seemed indeed to be for the healing of the 
nations. Even the drowsy hum of the bees seemed 
to grow drowsier as they hovered over the stores of 
Dectar. Blood-red and golden Wallflower rioted 
there, and the children tiptoed past as they thought 
of hapless dance. The Poet’s Narcissus and 
Daffodils encroached everywhere, while here and 
there were great clumps of old-fashioned Dusty 
Millers and Cowslips, filling the air with their 
incense. How the little ones loved to trace faces in 
the Pansy Dlossoms, and to hear the German story 
of the step-mother flower, who takes all the stools 
for her own little ones ! It was a never-failing joy 
to find the stools in the Pansy blossoms. 
The paths, if paths you could call them, were 
nearly obliterated by the “ visiting " flowers making 
neighbourly calls. It was so easy for an adven¬ 
turous flower to crawl over the border of Snow in 
Summer, the laxest of prison keepers. Lilacs and 
Laburnums were everywhere, and Mignonette made 
already a brave promise. “ Marjoram, Pansies, Mig¬ 
nonette ! ” So run the words of an old jingle, and 
who would dissociate them ? By-and-bye a hedge of 
Sweet Peas would claim undivided attention ; but 
now only the faintest suggestion could be detected, a 
shimmery trembling green, so wavering and shadowy 
that the lovely ladies seem to be dreading to make 
their debut. 
Then, in the dearest corner of all- the grand¬ 
mother's corner—were the herbs. Such a variety ! 
Rosemary—which thrives where the grey mare is 
the better horse—Lad’s Love or Old Man as it is 
variously called, the one name the antipodes of the 
other. Marjoram, Basil Rue, Pennyroyal—who 
could remember them all ? And the picture of the 
kindly old dames with scissors culling their simples 
lingers long in one's mind, those times when no 
“ nerves ” had been thought of, and few tonics or 
rest cures needed outside of the old garden, where 
each evening fell like a benediction and each morn¬ 
ing dawned like a new creation !—C. Macquarie. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The awards mentioned below were made by the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 24th ult. 
Orchid Committee. 
Odontoglossum wendlandianum crawshay- 
anum.— The parentage of this supposed natural 
hybrid was O. ruckerianum x O. crinitum, the evi¬ 
dence of the latter being shown chiefly in the crest. 
The sepals are overlaid with buff on a yellow ground, 
and richly spotted with purple in the centre; the 
lateral sepals converge towards one another in a 
striking manner. The petals are similar but varie¬ 
gated or marbled with purple and white near the 
base. The lip is oblong-ovate, white and spotted 
with brown all over. The crest consists of numerous, 
slender, radiating fingers. It is a very pretty and 
distinct Odontoglot. (Award of Merit.) De B. 
Crawshay, Esq. (gardener, Mr. C. Cooke), Rosefield, 
Sevenoaks. 
Odontoglossum andersonianum Cooksonii.— 
The sepals and petals of this pretty variety are clear 
yellow and spotted all over with clear, bright brown. 
The lip is creamy with a brown blotch on the centre. 
The flowers are of large size and very handsome. 
(First-class Certificate.) Norman C. Cookson, Esq. 
(gardener, Mr. W. Murray), Oakwood, Wylam-on- 
Tyne. 
Odontoglossum crispum Victoria Regina.— 
The flowers of this variety are large, round and 
handsome. The sepals and petals are of a pale, 
rosy hue, with a group of crimson-purple spots in 
the centre. The lip is white, with a chestnut blotch 
in front of the crest and small ones round the sides. 
(First-class Certificate.) W. Thompson, Esq. (gar¬ 
dener, Mr. W. Stevens), Walton Grange, Stone, 
Staffs. 
Odontoglossum crispum, The Earl. — The 
sepals are nearly covered with bright chestnut, 
shaded with purple on the centre, and white at the 
tip and base. The white petals have a group of 
four to five chestnut blotches. The large lip is 
mostly of a cinnamon colour, but the basal area is 
yellow. (First-class Certificate.) W. Thompson, 
Esq. 
Cattleya schilleriana, Pitt's var. — The 
dusky sepals and petals are spotted with brownish- 
black. The lip is the grand feature of the flower, 
being of an intense crimson-purple all over, includ¬ 
ing the outer face of the tube. The latter is white 
internally, striated with deep purple. (First-class 
Certificate) H. T. Pitt, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Thur- 
good), RosslyD, Stamford Hill. 
Dendrobium wardianum, Fir Grange var.— 
The plant had two splendidly flowered stems, each 
2^ ft. long. The flowers are also of large size, and 
white, with pale rosy tips instead of the usual purple. 
The lip has the usual markings at the base. This is 
the most distinct coloured variety of the species we 
have seen. (Award of Merit.) W. A. Bilney, Esq. 
(gardener, Mr. Whitlock), Fir Grange, Weybridge. 
Cirrhopetalum fimbriatum. —This pretty little 
species comes from Mercana, Coorg, India. The 
long lateral sepals are pale green, ultimately becom¬ 
ing brown. The small dorsal sepal and the petals 
are fringed with long hairs. (Botanical Certificate.) 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. 
White), Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Dendrobium macrostachyum. —The flowers of 
this species are small, but abundantly produced in 
clusters of two, four, or five, in two rows along the 
stem. The sepals and petals are pale yellow-green. 
The lip is obovate and striated with purple on a 
yellow ground. (Botanical Certificate.) Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart. 
Dendrobium chloroneurum. —The sepals and 
petals are greenish-yellow, spotted with brown. The 
lip is shaded all over with brown on pale green. 
(Botanical Certificate.) H. T. Pitt, Esq. 
Floral Committee. 
Arabis albida plena. —This has also got into 
commerce under the name of A. alpina, but the 
latter is a less hairy plant. The flower develops 
about ten petals and then pushes out another flower 
from the centre of the first. (Award of Merit.) 
Messrs. R. Wallace & Co., Kilnfield Gardens, Col¬ 
chester ; Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt; and Mr. 
Amos Perry, Hardy Plant Farm, Winchmore Hill, N. 
Mertensia virginica rubra. —The varietal name 
is not very appropriate, for the flowers are not red, 
but of a pleasing pink and very pretty. The buds of 
the typical form are of the same hue, but pale blue 
when fully expanded. The plant has glaucous leaves 
and is hardy. (Award of Merit) Mr. Amos 
Perry. 
Petunia Charlotte. —The flowers of this variety 
are of great size and fully double, with broad white 
segments. (Award of Merit.) Mr. P. Erselinus, 
Church Lane Nursery, Romford. 
Saxifraga aretioides primulina. —The foliage of 
this pretty Saxifraga is arranged in small and dense 
rosettes in compact tufts, above which the flower, 
stalks rise about 2 in., bearing small cymes of prim¬ 
rose-yellow flowers. (Award of Merit.) Mr. E. H. 
Jenkins, Queen’s Road, Hampton Hill. 
Auricula Celtic King. —This border variety has 
large, clear yellow flowers, with a thin paste round 
the eye. The foliage is mealy and the plant of dwarf 
habit. (Award of Merit.) Messrs. Barr & Sons, King 
Street, Covent Garden. 
Canna Secretaire Chabanne. —The flowers have 
broad segments of a rich orange-scarlet, and are very 
handsome and conspicuous. The leaves are glaucous 
green. (Award of Merit.) Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, 
Swanley, Kent. 
Rhododendron Abbeyi. —The large, campanulate 
flowers of this hybrid are of a delicate pink, with a 
rosy hue at the base outside. The pale purple 
zone at the base is almost obliterated. The large 
leaves are oblong. (Award of Merit.) Dr. Stocker 
(gardener, Mr. Abbey), Avery Hill, Eltham, Kent. 
Daffodil Committee. 
Narcissus Virgil. —The flowers of this form are of 
the Poeticus type, of huge size and white, with a 
shallow, saucer-shaped crown, and a rich crimson- 
scarlet rim. (Award of Merit.) Rev. G. H. Engle- 
heart, Appleshaw, Andover. 
Narcissus Diana. —The segments are broadly 
oval and white. The crown is campanulate, widely 
expanded, pale yellow and much plaited. (Award of 
Merit) Rev. G. H. Eogleheart. 
Narcissus Chancellor. —The segments of this 
hybrid are very large, roundly oval and creamy 
white. The crown is three-fourths the length of the 
segments or more, widely expanded, plaited for three- 
fourths of its length, and of a deep, full yellow, 
(Award of Merit) Rev. G. H. Engleheart. 
N. Dorothy Kingsmill.— The broadly ovate seg¬ 
ments are very pale yellow ; while the long, lemon- 
yellow trumpet is finely revolute at the edge. (First- 
class Certificate.) A. Kingsmill, Esq., The Holt, 
Harrow-Weald. 
Narcissus Charles Wolley Dod.— The ovate- 
triangular sepals are creamy yellow. The trumpet is 
three-fourths the length of the segments, much 
plicate, and deep yellow. (Award of Merit ) Miss 
Willmott, Warley Lodge, Brentwood, Essex. 
Narcissus The Cuuntess Grey. —The segments 
of this beautiful form are ovate and white. The long 
trumpet is of a pale or soft lemon. (First-class Certi¬ 
ficate.) Miss Willmott. 
Narcissus Mrs. Berkeley. —In this case the 
sepals are ovate-triangular and white. The plaited 
crown is of the palest, soft lemon, and three-fourths 
the length of the segments. (First-class Certificate.) 
Miss Willmott. 
Narcissus Eleanor Berkeley. —This variety of 
Ajax Daffodil is like a white N. muticus, greatly en¬ 
larged. The trumpet is cut short or truncate in the 
same way without any fringes whatever. It is very 
pretty. (Award of Merit.) Miss Willmott. 
- -*■»- 
HOW TO GROW GOOD PRIMULAS. 
It is painful to notice the poor apologies for plants 
of this most useful and beautiful plant, too often 
met with, the more so as with a very little trouble 
they may be made into really fine decorative objects. 
I lately removed plants from my conservatory that 
have been in flower for over five months, and even 
then were by no means devoid of beauty. Well, to 
begin with, a good strain, as in most other things, 
is desirable, and are as easy to grow as the poor 
weedy things sometimes sold as Primula sinensis. 
Unlike many, I strongly believe in early sowing. 
The beginning of April is a good time, and a tem¬ 
perature of 60^ ensures a more even germination than 
a greenhouse temperature. 
As scon as the plants are big enough to handle 
prick them into pans of only moderately good soil- 
two parts loam to one of leaf mould and another of 
sand is the most suitable. Still keep in a fairly high 
temperature, and shade carefully from the direct 
rays of the sun. 
Before the plants get crowded place them in 2 in. 
pots, keeping them in the same temperature for a 
week, when they can be placed in a cooler house, 
and gradually inured to more air. As soon as they 
have well filled the small pots with roots a shift 
should be given them, and I find that nothing suits 
them better than to be shifted into the flowering pot. 
For the very strongest plants a 6 in, pot is large 
enough, while for the others 5 in. pots will be found 
best, and fine plants can be grown even in 4 in. 
ones. The soil for this final potting should consist 
of good loam two parts, leaf mould and sand one 
part and half a part respectively: also a good 
sprinkling of wood ashes, bone meal, and Thomson’s 
manure. Do not make the soil too fine, and neither 
should it be too rich. Pot only moderately firmly, 
and stand in a house, not too far from the glass, and 
which can be shaded. Wire muslin is best for this 
purpose. Remove all flower stems that show up to 
the end of October. As soon as the pots are well 
filled with roots feed with weak liquid manure. I find 
nothing belter for the purpose than Ichthemic 
Guano, about a tablespoonful to the gallon. This 
given twice a week will prolong the flowering for 
months, and the size and colour of the blooms will 
be vastly improved. One point I should like to 
emphasise is in the final potting ; they can hardly be 
potted too deep if the crown is clear of the surface. 
This instead of causing damping, as many suppose, 
prevents it.— C. Blair, Binny, Uphall, N.B. 
VISITS TO NURSERIES. 
Thomas Kennedy & Co., Dumfries. 
In early April, we had a run through the prettily 
situated nursery of the Messrs. Thomas Kennedy 
firm. Though well-known locally in their horti¬ 
cultural connection, the firm enjoys a wider custom 
in its agricultural dealings. The glass department 
of the nursery is situated in an area toward the 
south-east of the pretty town of Dumfries, well 
famed in border tales. The class of stock chiefly to 
