602 
May 19 , 1900 . 
TH 
when a heavy dew is upon them. The gorgeous 
Rhododendrons (Rosydendrutns as they are so often 
called by Devonians) are about at their best from 
pure white to deep scarlet; and the Ghent Azaleas, 
so rich in colour of some and delicious scent of 
others, are fast expanding their petals. Prunusesof 
sorts, shrubby Spiraeas, the double Cherry, the cup¬ 
shaped Magnolia conspicua, and its varieties, 
Anemones, late-flowered Tulips, of many colours, 
Irises of sorts, Dielytra spectabilis, an old inhabitant 
Of our garden but still admired, the Poet's Narcissus 
(N. poeticus recurvus), the deep blue of Ceanothus 
rigidusand sky-blue ofC. veitchianus, one of the best, 
the Banksian Rose, white and yellow; Berberis 
dulcis and B. Aquifolium, Clematis montana, Akebia 
quinata, white Broom, Aubretias, Arabis and many 
others, did space permit to note all, add a brightness 
to the whole, making the month of May as delight¬ 
ful to the student of Nature as anyone in the 
calendar.— J. Mayne, Bicton. 
-—i—- 
THE ART OFj ARRANGING POT 
PLANTS. 
It seems a failing of very many gardeners who are 
otherwise good men (in the sense as plant cultivators), 
that they have small wish and less skill to arrange 
their plants on the stages so as to heighten, by 
united combination, the beauty of plants which are 
individually handsome. They hide their lights under 
a bushel. It would be a sorry case for drapers or 
dressmakers, grocers or gunsmiths if they had not 
the critical eye for effective display. So it is with 
the gardener, indeed, very much so. To the man 
who really has the artistic eye, the eye which sees 
with the artist's conception, old sticks of plants can 
be made to present quite a favourable show. There 
is needed that quality, a natural quality, which con¬ 
firms or censures the arrangement of things from 
different points of view, such as proportion, harmony, 
contrast, or the mental effect which different forms 
produce. 
Of course we have again the man who is always 
meddling, and often enough muddling. “ Enough 
is as good as a feast,” and too many changes take 
away the domesticity, the homeliness, and the feel¬ 
ings which mantle round scenes, even if they be only 
conservatory scenes, which are frequently viewed. 
Abolish the faddist and the conventionalist. The 
former must have something different from his neigh¬ 
bours, and so long as it is insulated he is content. 
The other follows rule of thumb, which interpreted, 
means that one 5-in. pot must go beside another of 
the same size irrespective of the contour, &c., of the 
occupants, or all plants so many feet high, must be 
in such and such a row. 
No. A simple, free, and varied arrangement is the 
most acceptable to an educated eye. The edge 
should always be draped and one kind of plant, or at 
most two kinds only, should be employed. Then 
considering the stage itself, it must even be the first 
consideration, what kind of grounding may be used. 
Derbyshire-spar I would almost at once say. Where 
expenses are not grudged nothing better can possibly 
be sought for. Cinders and other stuff may be used, 
but use anything rather than nothing. Bare wooden 
stages are an outrage to anyone's good taste. Then 
in the adjustment of the plants where they are a 
mixed lot the idea to follow is that which would 
place tapering plants such as Sanseviera javanica so 
as to appear shooting up from behind such a plant, 
say, as Yucca aloefolia, or Dracaena gracilis. An 
upright broad-leaved plant, such as Heliconia 
illustris contrasts beautifully with some of the Palms 
or drooping Dracaenas and Crotons. The plants 
too will require to be turned round in various ways 
when placing them to discover which side best 
"fits" against the neighbour plants. Even the 
heights will have to be tried before a proper adapta. 
tion is made. 
With flowering plants it is a great thing to so 
place them that a good view is got from any side. 
Anything extra good should have prominence It 
will also be found the more effective method of stag¬ 
ing, to have batches of a certain plant by itself. It 
may be Primulas or Calceolarias, Asters, 
Salvias, Browallias, or aught else. Of course 
in smaller houses, and where the stock of 
plants is varied and not grown in batches, a mixed 
arrangement must be adopted. The darker colours 
are most adaptable for the back ground. Shrubby 
plants such as Ericas, Eriostemons, Acacias, &c., 
E GARDENING WO 
must be kept by themselves, for their effect along 
with succulents is incongruous and distasteful. By 
here and there raising a good plant somewhat above 
its fellows (by pots or stands), relief is afforded and 
flatness expunged. On no pretence suffer your 
plants to be one dead level; nothing is more weari¬ 
some. The united effect ought to be pleasing and 
each individual section of the composition likewise 
pleasing.— Albion. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
Awards made by the Royal Horticultural Society at 
the Drill Hall, on the 8th inst. 
Orchid Committee. 
Odontoglossum crispum aureum rosefield- 
ense. —The flowers of this strikingly distinct variety 
are round, well imbricated, and of a clear yellow. 
The sepals and petals are jagged at the edges and 
somewhat paler in the centre. The lip is darker 
yellow at the base. There is a large, chocolate 
blotch on the back of the column and a few slender 
brown lines on the crest, otherwise we have in this a 
pure yellow crispum, though there are some who 
doubt whether the yellow has not been derived 
from a totally different species. (First-class Certifi¬ 
cate.) De B. Crawshay, Esq. (gardener, Mr. .S. 
Cooke), Rosefield, Sevenoaks. 
Odontoglossum crispum pittianum. —The sepals 
and petals of this bold and handsome Odontoglot 
are white with a large, lobed, brownish-purple blotch 
on the centre of each. The lip is large with a 
number of brownish-purple blotches and spots all 
over a white ground. (First-class Certificate). H. 
T. Pitt, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Thurgood), Rosslyn, 
Stamford Hill. 
Cypripedium Phoebe.— The parentage of this 
pretty and dwarf hybrid was C. laevigatumx bell- 
atulum. The dorsal sepal is ovate, heavily lined 
along the veins and netted elsewhere with deep 
brownish-purple on a greenish-yellow ground. The 
petals are 2$ in. long and similarly lined The lip is 
pale yellow tinted with green. (Award of Merit.) 
W. M. Appleton, Esq. (gardener, Mr. J. Brooks), 
Tyn-y-Coed. 
Laelia purpurata Ethel Grey. —The flowers 
of this handsome variety are large and possessed of 
beautifully contrasting colours. The sepals and 
petals are white ; but the lip has a large, deep crim¬ 
son-purple lamina, fading to rose at the apex. The 
tube is white on both surfaces, but finely lined with 
purple internally. (Award of Merit.) Sir Frederick 
Wigan, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. Young), Clare 
Lawn, East Sheen. 
Laeliocattleya hyeana.— The parents of this 
bigeneric hybrid were Laelia purpurata and Cattleya 
lawrenceana (male). The sepals and petals are of a 
uniform rosy-purple, recalling the male parent. The 
lamina of the lip is an intense purple, and the 
interior of the tube is lined with purple at the very 
base only, thus showing that the long, slender lines 
of L. purpurata have also been affected by the 
influence of the male parent. (Award of Merit.) 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. 
Masdevallia o’brieniana. —-The flowers of this 
diminutive species nestle almost at the base of the 
short leaves ; they are yellow and densely spotted 
with purple. The tails of the sepals are only J in. 
long. (Botanical Certificate.) R. I. Measures, Esq. 
(gardener, Mr. H. J. Chapman), Cambridge Lodge, 
Flodden Road, Camberwell. 
Odontoglossum crispum tessellatum. —The 
flowers of this handsome Odontoglot are of good 
form and build. The sepals and petals are beauti¬ 
fully blotched and marbled or tessellated with 
brownish-purple on a white ground, albeit the outer 
face is shaded with purple. (Award of Merit.) 
Messrs. Linden, 1 Horticole Coloniale, Brussels. 
Epidendrum vesicatum. —The broad leaves of 
this curious species are leathery, keeled, and hide 
much of the stem by clasping it; indeed, the two 
uppermost enclose and almost conceal the flowers, 
which are small, pale, greenish-white, and produced 
in a terminal cluster. (Botanical Certificate.) A. 
H. Smee, Esq. (gardener, Mr. W. Humphreys), The 
Grange, Hackbridge. 
Floral Committee 
Asparagus Sprengeri variegatus. —The small 
twigs, one-half or the whole of many of the leaves of 
this variety are of a silvery-white, which gives to 
LJD. 
the plant a silvery and remarkably distinct appear¬ 
ance. (First-class Certificate.) Messrs. F. Sander 
& Co., St. Albans, exhibited a large and spreading 
plant of it. 
Tulipa kolpakowskiana. —-The flowers of this 
pretty Asiatic species are of medium size, bright 
scarlet internally, and shaded with orange-scarlet 
externally. (Award of Merit.) Miss E. Wilmott, 
Warley, Brentwood, Essex. 
Tulipa Borszczowi. —The three outer segments 
of this species are bright red with broad golden 
margins. Internally the whole of the segments are 
bright golden-yellow. The contrast is very beautiful, 
indeed. (Award of Merit.) Miss E. Wilmott. 
Tulip Pink Beauty. —The flowers of this early, 
bedding variety are of great size, bright rose-red, 
with a broad white band externally, and a yellow 
bottom internally, surrounded with white. By a 
curious coincidence this received XXX at Chiswick 
recently. (Award of Merit.) Messrs. Hogg & 
Robertson, 22, Mary Street, Dublin. 
Tulip Hector.— This also received XXX at the 
same committee meeting at Chiswick. The flowers 
are of the first size, and deep orange-scarlet or red, 
with yellow edges, a broad yellow tip internally, and 
a yellow base. (Award of Merit.) Messrs. Hogg & 
Robertson. 
Camellia Devonia. — The flowers of this 
Camellia are single, white, more or less cupped and 
filled up in the centre with a large brush of yellow 
stamens. It is a handsome variety, and being single 
should prove useful for outdoor cultivation. (Award 
of Merit.) Messrs. R. Veitch & Son, the Royal Nur¬ 
series, I&eter. 
Rhododendron Coombe Royal. —The large, 
bell-shaped flowers of this hybrid Rhododendron are 
widely expanded, white, spotted with purple on the 
upper segment, and tinted with pink externally 
to wards the base. The flowers as well as those of 
other hybrids and Himalayan species shown had all 
been grown in the open air in Devon. (Award of 
Merit.) Messrs. R. Veitch & Son. 
Rhododendron (Azaleodendron) Directecr 
Rodigas. —In this we have a hybrid between a hardy, 
deciduous Azalea and a Rhododendron of the ponti- 
cum type. The flowers are large, widely expanded, 
campanulate, rosy-pink and spotted with crimson on 
the upper segment. Several of these hybrids 
between an Azalea and a Rhododendron have now 
made their appearance in public, but this we consider 
the best and showiest that has yet appeared. (Award 
of Merit.) Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., 
Chelsea. 
Geum montanum aurantiacum. —The ordinary 
form of this hardy herbaceous or rock plant is of 
dwarf habit, with pinnate leaves and large yellow 
flowers. Those of the variety are of a rich, orange- 
yellow and handsome. (Award of Merit.) Mr. 
Amos Perry, Hardy Plant Farm, Winchmore Hill, 
London N. 
Fruit and Vegetable Committee. 
Turnip Carter’s Early Forcing. —The usable 
root of this variety, as grown in a frame, is about 
6 in. long, nearly cylindrical, very white and clean 
looking. It is allied to the Jersey Navew. It was 
accorded an Award of Merit as a useful early forcing 
variety. Mr. E. Beckett, gardener to Lord Alden- 
ham, Aldenham House, Elstree, Herts. 
Cucumber Ideal. —This new variety was derived 
by crossing Lockie’s Perfection and Victory. The 
fruit is moderate in length, cylindrical, without a 
neck or handle, deep green and covered with a 
glaucous bloom. There are a few small white spines 
scattered over it. The variety is very fruitful and 
handsome in appearance. (Award of Merit.) Mr. 
E. Beckett. 
RIBES AUREUM, 
We hear, see, and know enough of Ribes sanguineum, 
R. s. atrorubens, R.rubrum sylvestre, &c., but how 
seldom is there any special mention made about the 
yellow flowered Ribes. It is,all the same,a very pretty 
shrub. In habit and in form of the flower it is like 
the other and better known species. The foliage 
differs slightly. The leaves are smoother, cuneate 
and lobed along the apical margins. The colour 
is of a brighter green. So far as I know, R. aureum 
is quite as hardy as any of the others. It is con¬ 
spicuous when in full flower. It is a commendable 
shrub, and one I would feign see in many more 
gardens.— L. 
