June 8, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
659 
Many of the other plants which entrap insects 
absorb them through specialised glands. It is very 
doubtful whether the Sarracenias have this power. 
What they require is a nitrogenous food, as the 
peat, &c., in which they grow is nearly always 
deficient in this element. When the leaves decay 
and fall round the base of the plant they, together 
with the mass of dead insects, form a good nitro¬ 
genous manure for the roots. They require a good 
fibrous peat and sphagnum, some with plenty of 
substance in it and will not quickly go sour, for they 
require a large amount of water. 
A moderately cool, moist house suits them when 
they have completed their growth, but it is a mis¬ 
take to try and grow them successfully in this all 
the year round. In the spring, when growing 
vigorously, they require a high stove temperature 
and an abundance of water, both at the root and in 
the atmosphere, and all the light possible; indeed, 
they do not require shading at any time. They 
make a useful addition to a warm fernery, buF they 
should not be allowed to stay in there for long 
together, or they lose their colour. When well 
grown many of the pitchers are 3 ft. high. 
Darlingtonia is a nearly allied genus. It was 
named after Dr. Darlington, an American botanist. 
It is monotypic, D. californica being the only species 
known. It requires much the same treatment as 
Sarracenias, but should not be kept quite so warm 
in the spring as that genus. 
ORCHIDS AT CHELSEA. 
Amongst the Orchids in flower in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea, the other 
week, were many interesting things. For instance, 
the hybrid Phalaenopsis Mrs. James H. Veitch was 
spotted all over with brownish purple on a yellow 
ground. Another very handsome and interesting 
hybrid, whose parentage is expressed in the Dame, 
had been flowering for weeks previously. We refer 
to the pretty Spathoglottis aureo-Vieillardi. We also 
noted four distinct colour varieties of Laeliocattleya 
Aphrodite (L. purpurata x C. Mendelii). Two of 
them had rosy pink sepals and petals; and a 
crimson-purple lip, decidedly lined with purple and 
yellow in the tube like L. purpurata, and differing in 
shades of colour. In a third, the petals were large 
with a decided purple netting. The large crimson 
lamina had a gold and white throat. The fourth 
one, Lc. A. alba, had the sepals, petals and tube of 
the lip pure white ; while the lamina of the lip was 
crimson-rose, and lined in the tube at the base only. 
Lc. Cybele, a new hybrid, flowering for the 
second time, had the sepals and petals faintly tinted 
with blush* The lip was crimson purple, with a 
white edge and side lobes. Lc. hyeana had rosy 
lilac sepals and petals, and a dark reddish-purple 
lamina to the lip, which showed the influence of 
Cattleya lawrenceana in shape. There were three 
plants differing somewhat in colour. Lc. digbyano-. 
Trianaei was in grand form with faintly blush sepals 
and petals. The lamina and side lobes of the lip were 
nearly circular in outline, deeply fringed at the 
margins and blush with a lemon throat. Cattleya 
Mendelii Queen Alexandra is a new, imported 
variety with blush sepals and petals, and a purple 
blotch at the apex of the latter. The lip was 
crimson-purple. The sepals and petals of Lc. 
wellsiara were lilac, and the lip crimson-purple, 
with a maroon blotch in the throat. Another fine 
variety of Cattleya Mendelii had a crimson purple 
lamina and side lobes, and the throat yellow instead 
of white. 
Laeliocattleya Zephyra had nankin yellow sepals 
and paler petals ; while the tube of the lip was of a 
deeper nankin yellow, with a small dark purple 
lamina. Lc. Ascania was characterised by the 
sepals, petals and tube of the lip being of a deep 
nankin yellow, while the lamina was mauve-pink 
with a large orange blotch in the throat, making 
a chaste and handsome flower. Lc. Hypolyta 
laDgleyensis was a .grand form of this bigeneric 
hybrid, with golden yellow sepals and petals. The 
tube of the lip was orange and the lamina red 
purple. The typical Lc. Hypolyta differed by the 
flower being wholly orange. Lc. G. S. Ball had 
the sepals, petals and lip almost uniformly orange, 
the apex of the lip being merely shaded with buff- 
orange. There were many forms of Laelia Latona 
in bloom, having the lamina and side lobes of the 
lip crimson red, the rest of the flower being orange 
yellow. Six of the plants, however, all agreed 
exactly in the above particulars. A beautiful 
variety of Laelia purpurata had white sepals, petals 
and tube, while the lamina was dark purple- 
Many other plants of the species were in bud or 
bloom. 
The rockery as usual gave accommodation to a great 
variety of flowering Orchids of different types,either in 
pots or suspended in baskets. Some of the species 
in bloom on this occasion were Oncidium sarcodes, 
O. ampliatum, O. pulvinatum, O. divaricatum, and 
O. marshallianum, many of which had long branch¬ 
ing spikes. Epidendrums were also well represented, 
including varieties of E. Endresio-Wallisii and E- 
Wallisii. Dendrobium dalhousianum is always a 
telling plant when in bloom, owing to the large 
maroon blotches on the lip. The massive flowers of 
Angraecum sesquipedale were also good, as was 
Dendrobium devonianum. The buff pink sepals and 
petals of Phaius Norman, and the orange brown and 
rose lip make this hybrid one of the finest of its 
kind. In the Cattleya house early summer flower¬ 
ing species included great quantities of C. Mossiae, 
C. Mendelii. C. Skinneri, and C. Schroderae in bud, 
sheath, and in bloom, thus forming a succession. 
The last named is always grown in a great number 
of varieties at Chelsea, the blotch in the throat being 
variable, but frequently very dark in colour and 
well defined. The sweet scented Dendrobium 
japonicum was flowering in this house. The 
bigeneric hybrid Laeliocattleya canhamiana had 
lilac sepals and petals, and a purple veined lip. 
The cool house was also well stocked with a 
great variety of subjects that delight in cool treat¬ 
ment. The beautiful Oncidium concolor was 
suspended from the roof in great quantity and 
flowering beautifully. The flowers of the many 
varieties of Odontoglossum crispum included every 
shade of colouring. Other well known species and 
natural hybrids were O. ruckeranium, O. Pescatorei, 
O. Rossii, O. triumphans, O. Hallii, and O. 
andersonianum with a white or yellow ground in 
different varieties. O. Cervantesii is always choice 
owing to the purple red lines being arranged in con¬ 
centric lines round the centre of the flower. 
Oncidium maculatum was an old, but rather 
uncommon species in gardens. The scarlet flowers 
of Cochlioda noezliana make it one of the very best 
of its kind. Amongst Masdevallias in bloom were 
M. veitchiana in fine form, and the brightly coloured 
M. ignea. The above notes include only some of 
the Orchids in bloom at the time of which we speak'. 
RHODODENDRONS AT KEW. 
A visitor to Kew Gardens at this season is well 
repaid for his journey if he only visits the Rhodo¬ 
dendron Dell, where the masses of bloom are seen 
harmonised with beautiful surroundings, and show¬ 
ing every shade of colour from deep red and purple 
to pure white. The various shades of Rose seem 
to predominate, and certainly one could not wish for 
a more refined colour. The word Rhododendron itself 
means Rose Tree, from the Greek rlwdos a rose, and 
dendron a tree. Many gardeners still cling to the 
division between the Azalea and Rhodendron, but 
if they follow the Genera Plantarum, they will find 
that it merges them both into one. When they 
were held to be distinct, the Rhododendrons had 
eight or ten stamens and were evergreen, and the 
Azaleas had only five stamens, and were deciduous. 
As the varieties increased and new species were 
introduced, this division became obliterated, and now 
we find on careful examination that there is every 
transition from five to twenty-five or more stamens 
in the two sections, and in the Azaleas, once 
recognised as deciduous, both partially and wholly 
evergreen species. More handsome evergreen 
shrubs could not be wished for. The foliage is 
always attractive, and when in a flourishing condi¬ 
tion and in full bloom, there is nothing to equal 
them for masses of colour. v 
R. ponticum, introduced from Asia Minor in 1763, 
the American R. catawbiense, and R. arboreum, a 
Himalayan species introduced in 1820, have supplied 
us with the greatest number of hybrid varieties. R. 
arboreum, unless situated in a very favourable 
position, will not stand the rigour and vicissitudes 
of our winter, but by skilful crossing the hardiness 
of some of the other species have been transmitted 
to the progeny which have supplied us with so 
many beautiful shades of rose, purple, crimson, and 
pick. In addition to their many other good qualities, 
many of the Himalayan species are highly perfumed 
Rhododendron requirements are by no means hard 
to meet, and if kept away from lime and supplied 
with a peaty soil, they are very easily managed. A 
quiet sheltered position with a fair amount of 
moisture at the roots and in the atmosphere suits 
them admirably. With all these they are supplied 
at Kew. 
They are planted on either side of a dell running 
along the river side of the garden. Here they get 
plenty of light and a moist, sheltered position, and 
form a most beautiful feature of the garden and a 
favourite rendezvous for artists and photographers. 
One cf the big music-halls in London has an 
exquisitely beautiful view of part of this walk as a 
curtain scene. Seeing how easy they are to manage 
and cheap to procure, it is a pity they are not more 
extensively grown, as they are a great acquisition to 
every pleasure ground or shrubbery border. 
For producing a handsome effect by the water 
side, there is nothing to surpass R. ponticum. For 
small beds on lawns the following are a few pretty 
varieties well adapted to such a position, and are now 
in their glory in the beds by the Palm-house:—F. R. 
Seidel, a pure ivory white, with very faint spots on 
upper petals; Purity, a pure white, with yellow- 
green spots; E. S. Rand, a striking crimson, and 
Doncaster, a very dwarf, rich crimson. 
In another bed, by the Temperate House, R. 
Florence is just at its best. The colour is a beauti¬ 
ful combination of lilac and white with deep rose 
margins. Entering the Dell at the Pagoda end the 
first to catch our eye was that beautiful garden 
hybrid, Broughtonii, a rich rose with deep crimson 
markings on the upper petals. Close by this is a 
plant of Sigismund Rucker, a very deep crimson 
heavily marked with black. Other striking bushes 
were R. delicatissimum, a rather loose growing sort 
with large flowers, slightly tinged with rose pink; the 
outer petals in the bud are a deep rose. R 
macranthum is another pink and white variety with 
large flowers. Mrs. W. Agnew had many admirers 
and well deserved its praises, for it is one of the 
best hardy varieties in cultivation ; the flowers are 
deep rose delicately suffused with white, with green 
and orange markings on the upper petals. Mirabilis, 
a deep lilac with crimson spots. Baron Schroeder, a 
deep velvety crimson, is very distinct. Catawbiense 
var. fastuosum, a heliotrope variety, is very interest¬ 
ing, showing the transition from stamens to petals in 
the formation of double flowers ; many of the 
anthers were borne on small petals in place of 
filaments ; in some flowers the anthers also were 
suppressed. Esmeralda, although not usually so 
floriferous as the rest, has the advantage over most of 
its more prolific sisters in having a remarkably good 
habit and flowers of a very rich colour. 
R. flavum, one of the old " Ghent Azaleas," filled 
the air with its fragrant scent for a considerable 
distance, and with its bright coloured flowers 
nestling in a wealth of young fresh green foliage 
made a striking contrast amongst its neighbours. 
Old Port evidently took its name from its colour. 
Royal Purple makes a very conspicuous plant and 
from a short distance looks quite blue. Lady Arm¬ 
strong had flowers with beautifully crenated margins. 
Frederick Waterer is one of the richest crimsons we 
have seen and is well christened, bearing as it does 
the family name of one of the most skilful and 
enthusiastic of Rhododendron hybridists. Lord 
Wolseley makes a very suitable companion to the 
last name, being slightly lighter in colour. Leaving 
the Dell aDd passing under the trees on our way 
back to the other part of the garden, we noticed 
the darkest variety we have ever come across, and 
the appellation given to it seems very suitable, 
being named Cetewayo ; from a short distance it 
appears quite black. It is a regrettable fact that 
many of the best varieties are without labels, and 
those that are named have their labels placed in 
such inconspicuous positions as to escape notice, 
even when being searched for. 
- mQ m- 
Patriotism.—The patriotic feelings that have been 
exciting the people of Great Britain does not seem to 
have been shared by them alone, for we notice in a 
price list issued by Isaac House & Son, Westbury- 
on-Trym, Bristol, " Sulphurea, the khaki coloured 
Violet." Surely this is showing a patriotic spirit 
indeed for even the humble Violet to change its well 
known shade for the fashionable colour of khaki. 
