October 6, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
91 
the surrounding atmosphere are two of the processes 
now being perfected, and in a short time, probably, 
Grapes and other perishable fruits from Queensland 
will be landed here, so as to compete on favourable 
terms with the fruits produced in any part of the 
globe. If intending settlers are fond of the retired 
life in the lonely islands that fringe the northern 
coasts of Queensland, no doubt the Government 
would make arrangements as to settlement. 
These islands have been planted with Cocoanut 
Palms, and the plantations will form a very useful 
addition to the natural resources of the colony.” 
-•*•- 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
Awards made by the Royal Horticultural Society on 
September 25th. 
Floral Committee. 
Nepenthes Chelsoni excellens. —The parents of 
this hybrid Pitcher Plant were N. rafflesiana (female) 
and N. Chelsoni. The plant is notable for the great 
size of its pitchers, which are wide and short, very 
much after the type of the original N. Chelsoni, but 
heavily blotched or splashed with crimson and 
chocolate-crimson on the upper two-thirds of their 
length. The wings are very broad and pale green, 
with a few blotches. (First-class Certificate.) 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. 
Dahlia Lord Roberts (Cactus). —The large 
blooms of this variety are semi-globular, with long 
and pointed creamy-white florets, making a very 
distinct bloom. (Award of Merit.) Mr. J. Stred- 
wick, Silverhill Park, St. Leonards. 
Dahlia Mrs. Jowett (Cactus). — The blooms 
are of large size, with much attenuated, and slender, 
rich orange florets. (Award of Merit.) Mr. J. 
Stredwick. 
Dahlia General French (Cactus). —This has 
very large and deep blooms, consisting of numerous 
florets of a deeper orange than those of Mrs. Jowett. 
(Award of Merit.) Mr. J. Stredwick. 
Colchicum speciosum album, —No apology is 
needed for advancing the merits of this pure white 
variety of the largest and best of the Colchicums. 
(First-class Certificate.) Leopold de Rothschild, 
Esq. (gardener, Mr. J. Hudson), Gunnersbury 
House, Acton. 
Sternbergia colchiciflora is a native of South 
Europe, and has golden-yellow flowers of such a size 
that the wonder is it has not been widely cultivated 
in gardens for many years past. The segments of 
the flowers are elliptic and veiny, and the flowers 
almost as large as Colchicum speciosum. The leaves 
do not make their appearance till spring. It is the 
S. macrantha of Boissier's Flora Orientalis. (First- 
class Certificate.) Leopold de Rothschild, Esq. 
Rose Mrs. B. R. Cant. —The flowers of this 
Tea Rose are of moderate size, and dark salmon- 
rose. The centre of young blooms is conical, be¬ 
coming globose, and surrounded by a few spreading 
% outer petals. They are slightly fragrant. (Award of 
Merit.) Mr. Benj. R. Cant, Colchester. 
Helianthus H. G. Moon. —The parents of this 
Sunflower were Helianthus laetiflorus and H. multi- 
florus. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate and scabrid, 
while the flowers are large (measuring 4 in. to 5 in. 
across the rays) with golden-yellow flat rays. For 
garden decoration and cut flower work it will be 
much appreciated. (Award of Merit.) Messrs. 
Barr & Sons, King Street, Covent Garden. 
Tamarix kashgarica.— The feathery twigs and 
branches of the species of Tamarisk make them 
handsome decorative shrubs, which do better on the 
sea coast than inland. The flowers are small, but 
in this instance they are produced in long, terminal, 
spike-like racemes that are more or less leafy, and 
being of a bright rosy-pink are highly ornamental. 
(Award of Merit) F. W. Moore, Esq., Curator of 
the Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. 
Dahlia Shamrock (single) is a large, round 
flower with broadly oval, overlapping rays of a 
maroon-crimson tipped with rose. (Award of 
Merit.) Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, 
Sussex. 
Dahlia Venus (pompon Cactus). —The blooms 
of this variety are quite miniature in size, but pure 
white, with slender, incurved florets of the true 
Cactus type, and very pretty. (Award of Merit.) 
Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons. 
Dahlia Prince of YeLlows (Cactus) is a bold 
and showy bright yellow variety, the blooms of 
which are well supported by long and stout stems. 
The blooms are also of good form for this class. 
(Award of Merit.) Mr. S. Mortimer, Swiss Nursery, 
Rowledge, Farnham. 
Dahlia Kathleen (Cactus) is a handsome, 
bright scarlet variety, with large blooms, and very 
long, incurved florets. (Award of Merit.) F. W. 
Sharp, Esq., Waltham St. Lawrence, Twyford. 
Dahlia Thalia (pompon) is a bright rosy-pink 
variety with a white centre, small and very neat- 
(Award of Merit.) Mr. M. V. Seale, Vine Nurseries, 
Sevenoaks. 
Dahlia Doris (pompon) is similar in every way to 
Thalia, except that the blooms are of a pale pink 
with white centre. (Award of Merit.) Mr. M. V. 
Seale. 
Dahlia Gracchus (show variety) is moderate in 
size, neat in form, and of a soft golden buff. (Award 
of Merit.) Mr. C. Turner, Slough. 
Fruit and Vegetable Committee. 
Grape Prince of Wales. —This is a sport from 
Mrs. Pince, and promises to be more popular than 
that well known variety, because the broadly oval 
berries are very much larger than those of the 
parent, black, and covered with a fine bloom. (Award 
of Merit.) Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd. 
The committee of the National Dahlia Society sat at 
the Drill Hall on the 25th ult., in company with the 
Royal Horticultural Society, and gave a First-class 
Certificate to each of the undermentioned Dahlias. 
Dahlia Gracchus (Turner), Prince of Yellows 
(S. Mortimer), Kathleen (F. W. Sharp), Venus (J. 
Cheal & Sons), and Thalia (M. V. Seale) are all 
described above. 
Dahlia Duchess is a show variety of fine form 
with depressed florets of a pale yellow, tinted with 
lilac-purple on the back of the florets. G. St. Pierre 
Harris, Esq., Orpington. 
Dahlia Major Hobbs (Cactus) is a large bloom 
with incurved, deep magenta-rose florets, tinted with 
carmine in the centre. Mr. G. Humphries, Chippen¬ 
ham. 
Dahlia Floradora (Cactus) is maroon-crimson, 
with long, pointed, incurved florets of good form. 
Mr. G. Humphries. 
Dahlia Jealousy (Cactus) is a semiglobular 
bloom with stiff, incurved, and often slightly twisted, 
clear yellow florets. Mr. J. Stredwick. 
Dahlia Bessie Mitchell (Cactus) has large 
semiglobular heads, and long, incurved, often slightly 
twisted florets, of a light orange, tipped with salmon 
red. Mr. J. Stredwick. 
Dahlia Lord Brassey (Cactus) has rich rosy- 
magenta or magenta-pink, and long, incurved florets. 
Mr. J. Stredwick. 
Dahlia Cheal’s White (Cactus) is a handsome, 
creamy-white variety, with large blooms, and long, 
pointed, incurved florets. Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons. 
Dahlia Bernice (Cactus) is a large bloom, with 
incurved, pale orange-red florets, and short yellow 
ones in the centre. Messrs. J. Burrell & Co., Howe 
House Nurseries, Cambridge. 
Dahlia Violet (pompon) is a very small, neat 
and pretty bloom of compact form and white. Mr. 
' West, Brentwood. 
Dahlia Baden Powell (Cactus) is of good form 
for this class with long, slender, maroon-crimson 
florets. It was shown at the National Dahlia Society's 
exhibition at the Crystal Palace on the 7th ult., by 
Hobbies Ltd. (Mr. John Green), Dereham. 
PROLONGING THE BLOOMING 
SEASON. 
Though one cannot expect to have outdoor plants 
in bloom for very much longer, they may still be 
enabled to. furnish a few more flowers by having 
attention. One of the best ways of helping them is 
to remove decaying or dying blooms. Before a seed 
vessel or pod can swell cut it off. The stronger 
shoots from which flowers may yet be expected 
should be given every chance by removing super¬ 
fluous and weakened young shoots from around 
them. As some of the plants succumb take them 
right away and clean the ground. The borders or 
beds should be hoed and raked. Here and there a 
stake or a tie should be given, all of which will go to 
make the general appearance neater, and certainly 
benefits the plants. Sweet Peas, Nemophilas, 
Larkspurs, Shirley Poppies, and a considerable list 
of other annuals which I saw mentioned in The 
Gardening World at an earlier date are just show¬ 
ing through the soil. These must be cared for 
through the winter, and they will furnish an early 
spring display. Those who omitted to sow in 
August could do so now indoors, and box off or pot 
the seedlings, keeping them in a cool house till 
March, when the first favourable opportunity should 
then be taken to plant them outside.— F. G. 
-- 
TASTY BEDS IN LONDON PARKS. 
Hyde Park. 
This is the most central of the London parks. The 
bedding here is always choice, and each year finds 
new combinations tried. The bedding this season 
has been very choice and reflects the continued skill 
and good taste of Mr. Browne, the superintendent. 
The effective use of simple harmonies or contrasts 
was evidenced in a small round bed filled with the 
crimson flowered Fushsia Marinka, below which was 
Viola Wm. Niel, rose, and an edging of the snow 
white Nycterina. A somewhat peculiar but interest¬ 
ing contrast was secured by using Heliotropium Roi 
de Noirs (King of Blacks) above Calceolaria Gaine's 
Yellow, and edged with a dwarf bronze-leaved 
Fuchsia. 
One of the most graceful and beautiful small 
round beds we have seen this year was found in 
Hyde Park. It was furnished with the rose-mauve 
flowered Lantana delicatissima, which has a habit 
very similar to Streptosolen Jamesoni, and below 
the Lantana (which grows a few feet high), Oreocome 
Candollei was planted. The foliage of this plant is like 
that of Fennel,or a large leaved Carrot. The bed was 
tastefully edged with Alternanthera, and if any bed 
is worthy of imitation, this one is. 
A large oblong bed which will make a fine show 
so long as frost keeps off, had the body filled with 
Heliotropium President Garfield, and an outer line 
of Chrysanthemum Mdme. Desgranges, edged with 
Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum. 
Eucalyptus Globulus 8 ft. in height was placed 
throughout, to grow above the Heliotropes. Fine 
foliar effects were presented in a larger bed filled 
with Canna Ardien-Robinii with large purple leaves, 
above which the Eucalyptus again figured promin- 
ently. The edge was composed of the yellow-leaved 
Fuchsia Meteor. 
One of the largest mixed beds contained huge 
specimens of Coleus Verschaffelti, Ivy-leaved Pelar¬ 
goniums, Strobilanthes dyerianus, Fuchsia fulgens, 
F. Scarcity, Plumbago capensis, Coreopsis, Gladioli, 
Liliums, China Asters, Helianthus at the back, 
Eucalyptus, and a broad edging of Nepeta Glechoma 
variegata. * 
Beds of Salpiglossis had a markedly fine appear¬ 
ance. When bright rich coloured varieties are 
chosen, Salpiglossis are nice bedding plants. A 
smart presentment was noted in which scarlet and 
crimson single tuberous Begonias were used below 
finely spreading plants of Grevillea robusta, edged 
with Fuchsia Meteor. Mdme. Crousse Pelargonium 
as a ground-work below Fuchsia Scarcity and 
edged with blue Lobelia, was more than pleasant to 
the eyes, it was splendid. 
The carpet beds were again exceedingly pretty, 
but descriptions of them would only be confusing. 
Alternanthera amabilis covered the surface of a bed, 
above which Fuchsia gracilis had been set, and to 
tower higher still, Lantana delicatissima had been 
employed, the bed being brightly coloured, and light 
in form and growth. A round bed devoted to bushy 
plants of Cuphea platycentra about 3 ft. in height, 
and here and there interspersed with bright leaved 
plants of Acalypha musaica, the whole beiDg edged 
with Alternanthera aurea, which was also dotted in 
places over the surface, furnished an exceedingly 
bright display. The large beds with Musas, Bam- 
busas, Palms, Araucaris, Calocasia esculenta, &c., 
were as fine as ever. In conclusion we may just 
name one other arrangement. It tvas that of a round 
bed filled with Begonia semperflorens and small 
dwarf plants of Amaranthus bicolor over the 
surface, and Nierembergia gracilis with its white 
flowers reared high above the mass of Eegonias. 
The edge was of Alternanthera amoena. Though 
these do not include all the finely arranged beds in 
Hyde Park, enough may have been described to 
furnish fresh ideas to those who may have an interest 
in summer bedding. 
