THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 28, 1903. 
2?2 
Tli© most striking feature in a house filled with a nice healthy 
collection of Ferns was a number of Adiantum Capillus-Veneris 
imbricatum in hanging bowls, which at first sight might be 
mistaken for A. farleyense. 
In another house in which was a good batch of Coelogyne 
cristata, just cut over, there was a nice collection of winter¬ 
flowering Begonias, including B. Tumford Hall, Gloire de Lor- 
raine, coccinea, and that noble variety, President Carnot, in 
this house we saw in bloom a plant of Dimorphotheca Ecklonii, 
Copyright by ^[essrs. Carter it Co. 
Fern Balls have proved a most acceptable addition to the list of 
Japanese novelties. This picture gives an illustration of the ball at 
the end ot the first yeai’s growth. (See page 274.) 
a $outh African composite plant, having Marguerite-like violet- 
ana-white flowers, a very ctesiraDle plant for winter flowering m 
a cool house. 
A house devoted chiefly to stove climbers had also in it a 
batch of that exquisitely beautiful Saxifrage, S. sarmentosa 
tricolor, also examples of the deservedly popular Coleus thyr- 
scideus, with its intense blue racemes of flowers. There are 
two large houses almost entirely filled with Crotons and Dra¬ 
caenas, all clean, healthy stuff. The firm goes in for the rais- 
mo- of seedlings of both of the above, and with considerable 
success. We noticed a very attractive seedling (unnamed as 
yet) Croton, after the style of yellow Chelsonii. Another new 
seedling, named W. S. bteel, promises to be a real acquisition 
for decorative work, It is a smooth-leaved green-and-yellow 
variety, not so 1 showy as many of its class, but it has two prime 
recommendations for general utility, h irst, it is a splendid 
“ r)oer,” growing rapidly; and secondly, it- stands a bit of 
“ knocking about,” which is more than can be said of these 
lovely plants in a general way. 
In the propagating houses we noticed a fine batch of grafted 
Tea Roses, and another of Vine eyes, whilst Dahlias of all 
classes, especially Cactus, were much in evidence in the different 
stages of propagation. In a house largely filled with Callas 
we noticed the variety known as “ The Godfrey,” somewhat 
dharfer in habit than the original type of Richardia (Calla) 
africana. 
The Cypripedium house is filled with a varied collection of 
healthy stuff. The collection of Caladium, just being started 
arid coming away freely and vigorously, comprises nearly 100 
varieties, showing that this old favourite is as much in demand 
as ever. 
The Best Flowering Plants at Kew. 
“ There are more plants in the garden than ye wot of.” 
Dendrobium aggregatum 
represents a small group of Dendrobes characterised by pos¬ 
sessing small one-leaved pseudo-bulbs from a scale on the side 
of which arises a loose drooping raceme. There are two forms 
of this plant, one from Burmah, where it is found growing on 
Lagerstroemia Regmar: the other from mountains in the 
South of China, where it occurs on Celtis japonica. Grown 
on bare blocks suspended from the rafters, the bright yellow 
and orange flowers are very attractive and conspicuous. 
rhaius Cooksoni. 
Derived from Wallicliii x tuberculosus, this has the sepals 
and petals of Wallichii, with the conformation of the lip re¬ 
sembling tuberculosus. There are varied forms of this hybrid, 
the best having an eight to twelve-flowered erect scape. Sepals 
and petals rose, tinted with yellow, whilst the convolute lip, 
having a broad funnel-shaped mouth with reflexed crisped 
margin, is yellow, heavily suffused with carmine-purple, shad¬ 
ing off lighter at the margin. 
Cymbidium eburneum. 
The chaste, fragrant flowers of this beautiful Orchid compel 
admiration. Its leaves, which are about 2 ft. long, are linear 
and rather rigid, whilst the scape is shorter and usually two 
flowered. The flowers are ivory-white, 3 in. across, with yellow 
disc. Native of India. 
Rondeletia cordata. 
This species, planted out in an intermediate house, forms a 
freely-branched shrub, fully 4 ft. high, bearing pretty pink 
flowers, which are produced in large terminal corymbose cymes. 
Native of Guatemala. 
Strelitzia Rcgiaac. 
“ The Canna-leaved Strelitzia ” is as decorative and handsome 
a plant as its flowers are peculiar. From the sheathed base of 
a petiole arises an erect peduncle 21,- ft. long, bearing at its 
extremity a boat-shaped spathe 6 in. long. Enclosed within 
this spathe are five 1 to six flowers, which, when expanded, reveal 
three orange-coloured segments, contrasting with the deep 
azure blue of the beak, composed of three petals, two of which 
are so arranged as to form a halberd-shaped beak, which 
enclose the five fertile stamens. By reason of its peculiar 
appearance it has been called the " Bird of Paradise, and 
“ Bird’s-tongue Flower.” Native of the Cape. 
Paconia Moutan. 
The “ Moutan ” of China, where it has been cultivated for 
fully 1,400 years, and highly prized, gently forced as a pot 
plant, freely produces its large gorgeous flowers, which are 
very pleasing in a conservatory at this season. 
Rhododendron ciliatum. . 
Introduced by Dr. Hooker, who sent home seeds of it m iboU 
from the Himalaya Mountains, where it occurs in wet, rocky 
places at an elevation of 9,000 ft. to 10,000 ft. A freely- 
branched shrub, 3 ft. to 4| ft, high, producing freely four to , 
six-flowered umbels. The flowers, white with'a delicate tint ot j 
Copyright by Messrs. Carter <fc Co. 
1 lie Fern Ball, at the end of two years, presents a pretty picture, 
of which this illustration gives only a very inadequate idea. For 
simplicity of cultivation-these balls stand unrivalled. (See page 2,4.^ 
rose, are erect with mouth composed of five veiy short-, rounded, 
slightly-spreading lobes, and said to be lilac-purple in their 
native country. Scattered over the leaves and young shoots 
are numerous ferruginous, conspicuous hairs. Well adapted 
for culture under glass, as is manifested by the specimens in 
the Himalayan house. 
