February 7, 1903. 
the gardening world. 
115 
Round the Nurseries. 
Messrs. W. Bull & Sons. 
The period after Christmas is not the best time for inspect¬ 
ing the nurseries with the view of seeing flowers, but in the 
way of fine foliage plants we can always inspect them in the 
hope of finding useful subjects for gardens. On the 24th ult. 
we paid a visit of inspection to the nursery of Messrs. W. Bull 
it Sons, 536, King’s Boad, Chelsea, who have long been notable 
for the introduction of new and rare plants. Fine foliage 
subjects have always been a speciality of theirs. Flowering- 
plants, however, are not overlooked, and we shall have occasion 
to refer to both cases. 
Cycads are largely grown in the big conservatory abutting 
upon the King’s Boad. A fine piece of Encephalartos Cafl’er 
carries fronds 8 ft. in length or more, upon a trunk about 6 ft. 
high. The plant lias been grown in a tub, and probably would 
weigh about a couple of tons. The leaves of E. villosus are 
10 ft. long, and more erect, with serrated leaflets. E. Alten- 
steinii has fronds about 6 ft. long; the leaflets are shorter' 
than E. villosus, and serrated on the margin. A new species 
from South Africa is E. regalis, having leaflets nearly entire, or 
only furnished with one or two teeth irregularly on each side 
of the leaflets. 
Somewhat similar to the above are the species of Cera- 
tozamia, here represented by C. fusco-viridis, like most of the 
other species of the genus, hailing from Mexico. The leaves 
are a deep-green colour, leathery and rigid when mature, but 
in a young state they are covered with brown scales similar to 
wliat we find in some of the Ferns. Very interesting and neat 
in growth is Dioon edule, a Mexican species, with closely and 
regularly-set leaflets, giving the fronds a. feathery appearance. 
For table decoration Cocos ~weddeliana, Geonoma gracilis, 
and Phoenix rupicola are still very serviceable. Some people 
give preference to the one, and some to the other, but Cocos 
certainly stands the diy atmosphere of rooms very well. The 
last-named Phoenix is certainly one of the best for table decora¬ 
tion, on account of its neat habit of growth and graceful 
appearance. It grows easily and freely, and therefore has 
proved one of the most popular of the Date Palms for- this kind 
of work. P. canariensis is sturdy and hardy, but it lacks the 
easy grace of P. rupicola, yet finds a place in various decorative 
work on account of the bad usage its firm fronds will stand. 
Amongst Palms, some giant specimens include several trees - 
of Seaforthia elegans, with stems 12 ft. high, and carrying fine 
heads of leaves. Kentias in various species are always highly 
serviceable for decoi'ative purposes. The most useful and 
popular kinds range from 14 ft. to 10 ft., or sometimes 12 ft. 
in height. Some fine trees of Chamaerops humilis range from 
10 ft. to 15 ft. in height. These large trees can only be used 
on special occasions when very large specimens are required, 
but they find then - way into various establishments, public and 
private, on the Continent and elsewhere. 
In another house we noticed Licuala Muelleri, having the 
habit of L. horrida, but without the spines. Plants of a 
medium size have a graceful habit like that of Baphia. humilis, 
and the leaves are tesselated with shades of green. This 
species is new. A better-known species of Licuala is L. grandis, 
which may be here seen in various sizes suitable for decorative 
purposes. The large fan-shaped leaves are very slightly divided 
at the edges. A scarce plant is Livistona Woodfordi, with 
orbicular leaves finely and deeply fingered at the margins, with 
gold leaf-stalks, which add much to the beauty of the- plant 
as a whole. Another scarce Palm is Thrinax Morrisii, with 
particularly slender petioles and deeply-cut leaves, the seg¬ 
ments of which are grass-like in their fineness. A new Palm 
from Ceylon has pinnate leaves, and also possesses the peculiar 
habit of sending up young crowns or tufts of leaves all round 
the base of the plant. It has not yet been named. A strange 
and forbidding-looking Palm is that named Plectocomia 
elongata, which is furnished with long, slender, black, needle¬ 
like spines on both surfaces of the leaves. One of the fish-tail 
Palms is tliat named Caryota siamensis, which has the end of 
the leaves and other divisions so cut as to resemble the tail 
of a fish. Another very scarce Palm is Calamus Flagellum, 
with short pinnate leaves and strong spines on the petioles. 
Among other fine foliage plants, Drecaena Victorian is note¬ 
worthy from the fact that it retains its yellow variegation all 
the year round, and is not liable to revert to the green state. 
Eugenia myriophylla is notable for the small size and dense 
arrangement of the leaves, which render the plant suitable for 
decorative purposes. One of the best of the broad-leaved 
Crotons is that named) Beedii. The silvery variegation of 
Ficus radicans variegata is well retained during the winter 
months, and at present it is a mass of silvery white and green. 
Less well known is F. repens variegata, which has its leaves 
marbled with creamy white. An interesting basket plant is 
Ceropegia Woodii, with long slender stems furnished with 
Billbergia nobili?. 
foliage beautifully marbled with silvery gray, and, the leaves 
being small, the effect is as bright as it is uncommon. The 
slender stems are also furnished with strange-looking tubers, 
which are in reality portions of the stem that have become 
enormously thickened and fleshy at irregular intervals. A. 
very dwarf-habited plant is that named Aglaonema costatum, 
the midrib of which is silvery-white, in addition to other mark¬ 
ings. Maranta picta is purple beneath and variegated above 
with light green and velvety-olive blotches. 
Bromelaids are well represented by certain of them with 
ornamental foliage, while some of them are of a highly' ornate 
character when they come into bloom. The Billbergias, for 
some reason or other, have never attained any great popularity 
in this country, yet several of them are really noble and hand¬ 
some plants, including B. nobilis, which received a, First-class 
Certificate from the Boyal Horticultural Society on June 9th, 
1885. The short-lived character of the flowers may partly 
account for the neglect, but the foliage is ornamental at all 
